It’s finally time! Thanks for joining us for the last four articles on the top albums of 2023. Here’s the final stretch: #5-1.

#5: Desire, I Want To Turn Into You by Caroline Polachek

Across genres of all types, artists claim Caroline Polachek as an influence and inspiration. There’s not quite any way to quantify her influence for someone who is not a breakout pop star ripe with mainstream attention and major label flaunting. Still, Polachek is a legend without these added spotlights. On Desire, I Want to Turn Into You, she’s at her best and that’s saying something for someone who can’t stop writing the best pop songs time and time again.

The second record of her career, four years after 2019’s Pang, feels like a four-year endeavor. Tracks like “Bunny is a Rider” have existed for years now, but it’s the new tracks that really feel like Polachek has somehow topped herself again. “Blood and Butter” and “Sunset” alone could be on an album full of filler and be worth acclaim. Lucky for us, the rest of the record is flawless, without a single track I’d comfortably sacrifice for any reason.

Polachek is comfortable being a bit of a mystery. The darker leanings of her pop melodies point to someone who likes complexity. Still, it feels as if she’s competing with herself in terms of pop immortality. Nobody makes music like Caroline Polachek, and nobody could. With dozens of notable influences in every track across time and genre, her music sits on a higher plan on which we can dance and attempt to define the human condition.

“So many stories we were told about a safety net/But when I look for it it’s just a hand that’s holding mine.” – From “Sunset.”

#4: Rat Saw God by Wednesday

Rat Saw God released this spring and I knew it would stand the test of time in terms of landing high on my best albums list. The noisy twang of Wednesday is not something missing from indie rock. There are other bands who meld country quick-picked riffs and songwriters who paint visions of America through displaced eyes. Wednesday’s sweet spot is embodying these well-used elements of songwriting in tightly crafted tracks with precision and perfection.

Vocalist Karly Hartzman has a voice that quiets rooms, but not because of power or booming range traversal. Every great frontperson needs to capture attention through authenticity, and thanks to a band at their best musically, Hartzman is able to walk listeners through America. We know the bright spots well, but why not spend some time with the boring, mundane, and lonely? Rat Saw God isn’t a sad or pessimistic album, but it doesn’t pretend we’re something we’re not either. 

MJ Lenderman, who made my best albums list last year for Boat Songs, is Wednesday’s versatile guitarist. The rest of the band is just as creatively coherent as well. Combine all of this with Hartzman’s lead vocals, which cannot be understated in their effectiveness to grab attention, and you’ve got a great band. Rat Saw God just happens to be a great band writing their best music and melding layered noise rock with indie roots. It’s the type of record tens of thousands of bands dream about writing.

“Neon sign at the nail salon turned off/And the streetlights turned on/Your closet froze after you left/Except the people who took your shirts.” – From “Hot Rotten Grass Smell.”

#3: Javelin by Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens has always had a talent for taking vignettes into his life or the lives of others and making masterpieces. There’s a lot to unpack in Javelin, an album largely written in the wake of the loss of Stevens’ long-time partner. Loneliness isn’t the worst thing a person can experience, but the doubt it breeds in your ability to be loved and valued is the real threat. Written mostly alone, Javelin is a collection of songs meant to accompany those of us who have moments of crisis as they relate to our connection to those around us.

It’s too simple to define Sufjan Stevens as sad music or even melancholy. Emotions are far more complex, and Stevens treats them this way. In moments of acceptance, we’re tasked with bearing the weight of love, just as we are in moments of rejection. For Stevens, Javelin allows us to live with these emotions, good and bad, and decide to triumph with positivity rather than fold over. An auto-immune disease, the death of a partner; this isn’t enough to force a surrender.

The worst moments of 2023 for me felt really, really bad. They probably felt the same for you; almost as if your world might end or things would never improve. We’re always going to have those days, or weeks, or months, just like we have good ones. Javelin is an acceptance of these ups and downs and a promise to always take whatever the universe throws at us in stride. I’m glad this album exists, because it captures feelings we all have in a profound way.

“Chase away my heart and heartache/Run me over, throw me over, cast me out/Find a river running to the west wind/Just above the shoreline you will see a cloud” – From “Will Anybody Ever Love Me.”

#2: The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We by Mitski

One of my favorite artists of all time almost retired a few albums ago, and yet here we are. Mitski’s The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We is a trek through a world you thought would maybe be over. It’s a common sensation following the events since 2020. Instead of things being over, they’re still here, and we’re still getting to know ourselves a little better every day. The person we’re getting to know is going to be with us to the end, so they’re worth it. 

There are clear country influences in this Mitski record, but as always, the spacious musical landscapes make this an undeniable entry in the singer-songwriter’s catalog. Mitski has gotten better at turning her inner emotions into relatable stories every album. This 2023 record is her best attempt yet at taking the human condition and allowing us to admit whether we try our best or not, it seems worth fighting for another day here on this planet.

With a nice viral TikTok song off the record, more people than ever are listening to Mitski. It’s a welcome boost to one of the indie genre’s most prolific artists. While the understated The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We might feel like a whimper, it’s yet another scream from the top of a mountain. Mitksi masks her cries for help, and humor, behind carefully lush instrumentals and poetic lyrics. While softer and sparer, the record still evokes the power of human emotion like no other artist can.

“The frost, it looks like dust settled on the world/After everyone’s long been gone/But me, I was hidin’, or forgotten, the only one left/Now the world is mine alone” – From “The Frost.”

#1: The Greater Wings by Julie Byrne

Similar to Sufjan Stevens, Julie Byrne’s 2023 album came in the wake of a close one’s death. Her longtime producer passed away, leaving Byrne to reflect on what it meant to form a family and love for those around us. The outcome is an exercise in gratitude for those we spend our relatively brief lives with. No album this year evoked more emotion in me upon first listen, and every spin on the turntable after has increased my appreciation for this record.

It’s impossible to lose someone from your life who meant a lot to you. It’s something we all experience in different ways. Byrne chose to spend this time of grief writing about the way in which we seek love, give adoration, and share experiences. It’s an inevitable truth that we won’t be able to do this whole life thing forever. Instead of panicking or feeling like lost causes, Byrne invites those feelings to stay central to who we are while we triumph over our morality. 

An incredible lyricist, Byrne triumphs like all the greats do when it comes to explaining a sensation attached to emotions that are hard to put into words. There’s a surreal feeling when you’re experiencing deep trauma, and in some ways, it’s the only time we know how to appreciate the things we have. It shouldn’t take someone’s death to make us know a relationship’s true power, but strong connections to others are worth the reflection and grace we often find in moments of loss. There’s a painful beauty to it, as Byrne expertly shares on my favorite album of 2023.

“I feel it, the tilt of the planet/Panorama of the valley/Measure me by what I’ve risked/For these are not ordinary moments.” – From “The Greater Wings.”

I greatly appreciate everyone who made it this far! If you followed along from #25, thank you! If you skipped to see what made the top five, that’s fine by me as well. Have a wonderful holiday season and here’s to a great year of music in 2024!

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