My favorite music released in 2023
Matana Roberts, Big Brave, Anna Webber, and more...
At this point I’ve given up saying “surely next year will be an improvement” every December 31st. Every album on this list helped me stay inspired, hopeful, sharp, and grateful during a time when the world seems to be sucking up as much of that energy as it can.
These aren’t listed in much of an order. I am lucky to know a lot of these musicians and make no pretense toward being impartial in loving their work! I think the function of year-end lists is to celebrate great work while reminding people of gems that they missed. I look forward to discovering albums in the next few weeks that I somehow missed when they came out, and I hope this list inspires the same.
Favorite Releases from 2023
Matana Roberts - Coin Coin chapter 5
Krallice - Porous Resonance Abyss
big|brave - nature morte
David Bird - Wire Hums
Anna Webber - Shimmer Wince
Henry Threadgill - The Other One
Ted Reichman - Orgelwerke
Farida Amidou, Jonas Cambien, Dave Rempis - On The Blink
Eric Wubbels - if and only if
Kate Gentile - Find Letter X
James Brandon Lewis - Eye of I
Angelika Niescier, Tomeka Reid, Savannah Harris - Beyond Dragons
Chris Fisher-Lochhead - Wake Up the Dead
George - Letters to George
Dave Scanlon - Taste Like Labor
Quinsin Nachoff - Stars and Constellations
Ellen Arkbro - Sounds While Waiting
Oneohtrix Point Never - Again
andPlay - Translucent Harmonies
Steve Lehman - Ex Machina
Donny McCaslin - I Want More