Best of albums of 2023
Here is my official list of the Best Albums of 2023. I decided to keep it to 50. I did some rearranging with my previous list. I have a nice mix of metal, country, dance/pop, Kpop, and shoegaze music on this list. Sure I listened to a lot of heavy metal music but I also listened to a lot of other genres.
Definitely got back into post-punk/darkwave again. I took a break because a lot of the bands were starting to sound the same and frankly boring. Indonesia has some killer darkwave bands such as Camlann and Pelteras. Pelteras reminds me so much of Joy Division except the lead singer is a woman, and the music is sung in Javanese. Both bands have albums featured on this list. They are so damn good. Can't find the English translation for it but the Chinese darkwave band Sonicave released an EP this past summer, I definitely recommend checking it out on Spotify. I love it. They are one of my favorite darkwave bands in recent years. My absolute favorite post-punk album in 2023 is Ghost Eyes by Silence in the Snow. I discovered them on Spotify and immediately became a huge fan.
2023 was a great year for Japanese metal. 4 of my favorite albums in the top 10 of my list are by metal bands from Japan; Valkyrie Zero, Ghost Cries, Lovebites, and Onmyo-Za. It was super difficult for me to pick a top favorite but ultimately I went with Ryuu Doji by the folk-metal band Onmyo-Za, Judgment Day by Lovebites came in a close second. Really happy to see Lovebites getting more recognition in the US. Later this year they will be making their American debut at some metal festival. Oh and don't sleep on the old school thrash metal band Valkyrie Zero. I love the current J-metal scene but it is really great to hear a band like Valkyrie Zero who gives off '80s/early '90s thrash metal vibes.
Outside Japan, Sirenia put out my favorite non-Japanese/East Asian metal release in 2023 called 1977. The album is so damn good from start to finish. Myrkur's Spine is also fantastic. Definitely more metal than their previous album Folkesange.
2023 was also a great year for dreampop/shoegaze music. I came across a lot of great dreampop/shoegaze bands courtesy of NPR's All Songs Considered as well as Unite Asia website. The Singapore band Blush released my favorite dreampop/shoegaze album of 2023 with their debut album Supercrush. I discovered the band via Unite Asia. Best find this year. Because of NPR, I discovered the Mexican band Mint Field, Blonde Redhead, and Mother Tongues. Last month I discovered that former Lush guitarist Emma Anderson released Pearlies. If people love Lush, they will definitely love Emma's solo work. One of my personal favorite Japanese shoegaze bands Moon in June, finally released a full length album this past fall titled Romance and Light Blue Town, it did not disappoint me.
38) Myrkur - Spine
26) Miyako - Etude Op. 23
24) Mother Tongues - Love in a Vicious Way
23) Pelteras - Peranjakan
22) Reserate - Doomsday EP
20) Sonicave - 2023 EP (could not find an English translation of the new EP)
19) Dessa - Bury the Lede
18) Vintersea - Woven into Ashes
13) Twilight Blooming - Song of the Warrior
10) Blonde Redhead - Sit Down For Dinner
6) Valkyrie Zero - Attack of Valkyrie
3) Blush - Supercrush
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