If we've said it once, we've said it a thousand times: it's just not practical to listen to Goatwhore's Carving Out the Eyes of God 24/7. Every now and again, you don't feel like being swallowed in blood and fire. Sometimes, you just want to do dishes or have a quiet conversation without anyone having to stare into the black, bleeding eyes of the pale horse. For all of those occasions, and in no particular order, we present the Top 20 Not Metal Albums of 2023.
I'll go out on a limb here and say Jonny is probably one of the best solo artists of the last 25 years. The dude can write a pop and rock hook like no other. I'll put his catalog up against anyone else, and I think he'll come out on top. This new album took a little while to grow on me, but he's done it again. I've also come to really appreciate how creative and slick a guitar player he is. ‘Idiot Gold’ is the song of the year. - Chad Thomas
With a name like Draag and an album entitled Dark Fire Heresy, you’d be forgiven for expecting a corpse-painted band from the forests of Norway. Instead, Draag has created some of the best Dreampop/Shoegaze that I’ve heard in years, and I’ve been staring at my shoes for a long time indeed. Think Lush with some beats and you’ll be in the right neighborhood. Certainly the best genre album I heard in 2023, and that’s strong praise in a year that had a release from Slowdive. - Brian Gmutza
I’m usually pretty allergic to any kind of retro/nostalgia act, and despite my love of dark, beefy synths, most of the synthwave genre has left me cold. Gunship has always been the exception to the rule, and Unicorn is their best album yet. Tim Cappello’s sax work takes the 80’s worship to a whole ‘nother level–one that could have been grating in lesser hands. It helps that the songwriting is all top notch. Strip out all the synths, drum pads, and saxophone, and these songs would still be undeniable. - Eric Gmutza
What a year for Sufjan. His longtime partner passed away early in the year, and he's spent the back half nearly dying of Guillain-Barre Syndrome. It's unlikely, in fact, that Javelin will even be toured. Maybe that doesn't matter so much though, since the recording works so perfectly. Brief by Sufjan's standards, it contains bits and pieces of his entire career, from the twee electronica of ‘Rabbit’ to the minimal acoustics of ‘Carrie & Lowell’ and a lot of the grand orchestrations of ‘Illinoise’, albeit put to more somber use here. I almost didn't include this album, not because it isn't great, but because it's so crushingly sad that I've only listened to it clear through a few times. But it's a beautiful record from someone going through some shit. - Brent Waggoner
It might have one of the worst album titles in recent memory but the new solo record from Corey Hanson rocks hard! The record features plenty of western ideas, wild solo’s, spinning riffs and hugely entertaining songwriting to create one of the best rock albums of the year. - Chris Coleman-Peers
Nearly 50 years into his recording career, Pat Metheny’s legendary status is settled. So it’s wonderful to see that he’s not resting on his laurels and released an album that absolutely captivated me. It’s a quiet, contemplative record that isn’t obtrusive, but holds the patient listener’s attention throughout its 56 minutes. I had the pleasure of seeing Pat perform for the first time this year, and my only wish was that he’d played more from this album. - Brian Gmutza
I was all set to force this album onto my main Rock/Metal list, Eric’s displeasure-be-damned, until he proposed a non-Metal list. I’m a reformed goth from way back, so this album had its hooks in me from first listen. Yes, Andrew Eldritch would like a word, but it’s flattering when it’s done this well. Get your black clothes back out and pour yourself a glass of absinthe: these blokes are the real deal. - Brian Gmutza
Following up All Hail West Texas with a sequel 20 years later sounds like a recipe for disaster, but what could've been The Mountain Goats' Chinese Democracy is instead my favorite album from them in years. Eschewing All Hail West Texas's ultra minimal cassette deck aesthetic, John Darnielle and crew have produced a lush, sparking continuation of Jenny's story, replete with breadcrumbs for nerdy lifers like me to pick up on. ‘Fresh Tattoo’ is the highlight, but everything is West Texas is still sounding pretty good. - Brent Waggoner
I've always loved them, but shit… this one will punch you right in the chest. Eric put this album on when we were in a hotel in Sweden. I was trying to take a nap, but the music put me in a trance. Since returning home and listening to this record, I've cried twice listening to it. This is probably the album of the year across the board for me. - Chad Thomas
I’m one of these weirdos who actually prefers Depeche Mode’s late-career work over their heyday. The darker, more somber tone their music has settled into over the decades really resonates with me. I’ll take ‘Should Be Higher’ or ‘’The Darkest Star’ over ‘People are People’ or ‘Personal Jesus’ any day of the week. I say all of that to properly set the stage for the proclamation that this is officially my favorite Depeche Mode album. Is it really their best album? It seems ridiculous to even think it, given the band’s legacy. But there's no arguing this is their most consistent album in decades, and I can't imagine you won't find a new favorite Depeche Mode song or three here. - Eric Gmutza
This is an absolutely beautiful modern pop record that manages to emotional, interesting and complicated. It also demonstrates that pop music doesn’t have to be mass market drivel. - Chris Coleman-Peers
When I heard Allen Epley had a solo album coming out, I was quite curious what it would sound like. Between Shiner and The Life and Times, he seems to have plenty of opportunities for creative expression. What would he do on Everything that he couldn't do with those bands? The answer is a lot of subtle, slow burn songs that feel adjacent to his other works, but just different enough to warrant a new project. If you like Allen's other bands, but just want to chill a bit, this one's for you. - Eric Gmutza
When I heard Andre 3000 was making a flute album, I assumed it was a joke, or an EP, or... well, anything but a 75 minute Tim Hecker-esque jazz record. But I was wrong. New Blue Sun sounds a lot like Tim Hecker's Ravedeath mated with Alice Coltrane, and it's good. No need to write much else here because once you read the description you'll know if this is your kind of thing or not. - Brent Waggoner
Steven Wilson has created some of the albums that mean the most to me over the past decades. However, his past two solo albums moved into a more Pop-oriented direction that left me a bit cold and wondering whether he’d left me behind. So I was pleased to find that I really like The Harmony Codex. It retains some of the electronic and Pop of the two albums prior, but it feels more natural and less forced, and adds in some of the darker, somber tones that I’ve loved. The Progressive Rock of The Raven That Refused to Sing and Hand. Cannot. Erase is gone, but perhaps Steven just needed some time to bring me along with him. - Brian Gmutza
Despite being a big Supergrass fan back in the day, I've never checked out Gaz' solo work. If Turn the Car Around is any indication, I've been missing out. I hear a surprising amount of Thom Yorke/Radiohead influence here, but there's a breezy atmosphere to the album that makes it all go down nice and easy. - Eric Gmutza
Listen to ‘Fucked it Up’ and tell me it isn’t the most heartfelt song released by any singer songwriter this year. The rest of the album is brilliant too. - Chris Coleman-Peers
No question that ‘Heart Like a Slaughterhouse’ and ‘Conspiracy of Love’ can go toe to toe with anything Grave Pleasures or Beastmilk have released to date. Does the rest add up to a worthy successor to 2017's excellent Motherlove? Time will tell, but I definitely wouldn't let Plagueboys pass you by. - Eric Gmutza
Is this really the same artist that released the massive pop earworm ‘Put Your Records On’? Because Black Rainbows is a diverse record touching multiple genres including jazz, rock, and grunge. The title track alone is an outright banger. This album was a huge surprise for me and such an interesting addition to my record collection. - Chris Coleman-Peers
LDR is producing so much work at such a consistently high quality these days that giving her plaudits feels redundant; nevertheless, Did you know there's a tunnel under ocean boulevard is another all killer no filler album from the real queen of pop. ‘A&W’ is such a heady mix of genres that it makes me feel like I drank a root beer too fast. Plus, my phone died on the flight back from Sweden and this album was on the in flight entertainment so I listened to it during the best part of this year. - Brent Waggoner
This dude, Kenny Vasoli, was the lead singer of the pop-punk band The Starting Line for several years in the early to mid-2000s. In the last decade, he found weed and soul music and started his own solo chill-psychedelic band, Vacationer. In 2014, he put what I would consider a 10 on the Ometer scale with the album, Relief. His latest effort, Cherish still finds him smoking the good stuff–maybe smoking it a little too much. The songs don't quite capture that past magic, but it's good non-rock music to put on around your parents during the holidays. - Chad Thomas
