Now in year 16 of the Everything Ecstatic Albums of the Year list, it’s the first time I’ve ever dropped it after the new year. My hope is that people have more time to discover what they might’ve missed last year when they’re not so inundated by the holidays and the furious year-end push of our professional lives. Like, who really has time to discover new music in earnest in December? I feel that.

That being said, I also contributed to a few other publications’ Best Albums of 2023 lists. There’s my column for the Sunday edition of the San Francisco Chronicle featuring six of the year’s best albums (which all appear in this post), the KQED Arts Best Bay Area Albums of 2023 and the incredible endeavor that is Uproxx’s Music Critics Poll.

But onto EE’s Top 40 Albums of 2023 we go. They’re listed alphabetically below, with the album cover art and a single sentence review of each. It’s an easy breezy proposition. Listen to my playlists of my favorite songs of 2023 (“A New Future”) below and of the 40 albums on this year’s list at the very bottom of this post. As always, feel free to re-visit all past Everything Ecstatic albums lists here

Much love, and thanks for reading!

Spinelli

Andre 3000 - New Blue Sun

A stunning, flute-led treatise on the evolution of the creative mind that was unlike anything anyone expected from Andre.

Andy Shauf – Norm

Another solid effort from the prolific and clever Canadian indie singer-songwriter.

Bakar – Halo

If urban pop music is headed in the direction that this young Brit is taking it, we’re in good shape.

Bar Italia – Tracey Denim

The London trio’s breakthrough LP harkens back to the bleak 90s Brit rock that I adore.

Billy Nomates  – CACTI

The Leicester no wave artist has been propelled by her continued collaboration with Portishead’s Geoff Barrow and it’s one of the year’s best under the radar releases.

Black Thought & El Michels – Glorious Game

As he continues to ascend in the legacy rap space, Black Thought linked with soul revivalist Leon Michels for this gift of a record.

El Búho – Strata

An ecologically-minded electrocumbia drop from El Búho, who deserves way more recognition.

Continue reading 40 Albums I Loved In 2023 →