Top 10 Albums of 2023 

I was so scared Caroline wasn't gonna make it 😭 CORRECT CHOICE!!!!!

Danny brown having released 1.5 of my personal favourite rap albums of 2023 is pretty good conformation that even in his 40s he's still one of the most unique and creative MCs underground hip-hop has to offer

The three albums I replayed the most were "This Is Why" by Paramore, "The Loveliest Time" by Carly Rae Jepsen, and "Michael" by Killer Mike. Couldn't pick a fave out of those, but I will say that watching Killer Mike perform "Michael" live this summer brought me to tears. That rap album is great.

Saw Caroline live a few weeks ago and it was the most incredible vocal experience I've ever witnessed live and I saw Paramore and Evanesance this year Hayley and Amy were at peak too. Caroline is a once in a life time artist.

That Caroline Polachek album is just incredible. I can’t stop listening to it and hearing new things that blow me away. I genuinely feel bad for people who don’t like it/get it.

My favorite projects gotta be: 10. Burning Desire - MIKE 9. GUTS - Olivia Rodrigo 8. History Repeats Itself - Lil Figurative 7. Lahai - Sampha 6. Census Designated - Jane Remover 5. Today I Laid Down - bl4ck m4rket c4rt 4. Voir Dire - Earl and Alchemist 3. Desire, I Want To Turn Into You - Caroline Polacheck 2. We Buy Diabetic Test Strips - Armand Hammer 1. Scaring The Hoes - Peg and Danny

I love how smart Mic is about music and how obscure and ridiculous the memes he includes are, it's like a perfect combo

The Corinne Bailey Rae album is really really good, happy to see it on the list. Saw her perform it live in November and she was unbelievable

Love this, so much to listen to! My albums on repeat this year: -Unreal/Unearth - Hozier -Stick Season - Noah Kahan -Desire, I Want to Turn into You - Caroline Polachek -Goodbye to All of That, 2023 - The Wldlfe -Til the Streams Run Dry - Opus Kink -This is Why - Paramore

1. Unforgiven by Le sserafim - kpop girl group its a fun album every track is loud and fun and does so much 2. Scaring the Hoes by Jpegmafia and Danny Brown - a indie hip hop album with the weirdest beats and rapping and just so fun 3. Guts by Olivia Rodrigo - pop punk fun so much teen angst and just everything I wanted from a follow up album from her 4. Girl with Fish by Feeble Little Horse - Philadelphia band that's weird and such imaginative lyrics with interesting stories 5. Bewitched by Laufey - Jazz pop such a beautiful record 6. Sail the Seven Seas by Park Hye Jin- came out Monday but a Korean Techno artist in the states just interesting and fun 7. Super Snõõper by Snõõper - fun short punk album 8. Ai by Tlinh - Vietnamese artist with such a beautiful voice and instrumentation 9. PetroDragonic … by King Gizzard - kglw back at it again with an album with wild themes and it all works together 10. Sit Down for Dinner by Blonde Redhead - really beautiful record by maybe my favorite band and some honorable mentions / Hellmode by Jeff Rossenstock / get up EP by NewJeans / In Times New Roman by Queens of the stone age / 10,000 gecs by 100 Gecs / new dance EP by XG / both re records of Taylor but feels mean to others for her to take the top two spots

I will take my scrap of a Chappell shoutout and run with it! Also Hozier’s Unreal Unearth seems to be missing from everyone’s list which is genuinely baffling to me, probably his best work yet.

Caroline Polachek's album was certainly the one I listened the most this year. It really creates a sonic world of its own. Besides that, my favorite was Armand Hammer's We Buy Diabetic Test Strips, my fave rap album of the year, together with Maps from Billy Woods

THANK YOU FOR MENTIONING BELOVED! PARADISE! JAZZ?!! Literally NOBODY talks about it and it’s easily the best hip-hop album of the year, maybe of the entire 2020s so far.

It was cool to see The Japanese House on this list! I got to see Amber live this year and it was such a great experience.I can't stop listening to Boyhood, Sunshine Baby and Touching Yourself. I still haven't had enough time for Desire to set in for me like Pang has, but Bunny Is a Rider was one of my top songs of 2022 and Sunset has been on repeat recently. I also really enjoyed my 21st Century Blues by Raye. She also is an amazing live performer. I need to check on the new Corrine Bailey Ray, McKinley Dixon, Geese and Anohni albums. Thanks for the recs!

The new Kelela from earlier this year was by far one of my favorites, definitely recommend it to anyone out there who's into electronic, ambient, and R&B.

I've been a fan of Chairlift since I heard Bruises on an iPod commercial in 2008! Met Before was another popular one here in Australia, but then when I found Caroline Polachek's first album Pang back during early 2020, I didn't even clock that it was the same person until I looked it up! I can confidently say that Sunset and Billions are two songs that'll live rent free in my head for the rest of my life. I LOVE Caroline.

Ok HOW did I not know Caroline Polachek sang I Belong in Your Arms when both that and So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings were in my top 100 last year? (Thanks Heartstopper!) Clearly I need to spend less time reading and more time listening. Thank you as always for the recs--kinda surprised you didn't have a theme this year but I'm still digging it anyway! Now to sit and more deeply appreciate some of my own faves and what are bound to be some new faves 😊 hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that 2024 brings you everything you hope for!

all of them are Europop (not released in 2023 but time is relative)

Music is so magical. You inspired me to listen to so much music and rank it throughout this year, and Geese was so low on my lists but it’s so nice to see others enjoy it.

Hell yeah, Mic! Love seeing the Caroline Polachek love.

I look forward to this video every year!!! The picks, the editing, and the humor never disappoint!! My Personal Top 10: 10. Laugh Track -- The National 9. That Feels Good! -- Jessie Ware 8. Raven -- Kelela 7. Black Rainbows -- Corinne Bailey Rae 6. Tension -- Kylie Minogue 5. Why Does The Earth Give Us People to Love -- Kara Jackson 4. Javelin -- Sufjan Stevens 3. Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard? -- Lana Del Rey 2. This Is Why -- Paramore 1. Desire, I Want to Turn Into You -- Caroline Polachek

My top 3 of the year are: #3: 3D Country - Geese #2: Dogsbody - Model/Actriz #1: The Beggar - Swans (Yes, I am a complete loser, but these albums go hard)

My top ten in no particular order: Movements - RUCKUS! Paramore - This Is Why Fall Out Boy - So Much (For) Stardust Leith Ross - To Learn The Band Camino - The Dark Wolf & Bear - Bloodletter Pierce the Veil - The Jaws of Life Knuckle Puck - Losing What We Love The Maine - The Maine (self-titled) Sleep Token - Take Me Back to Eden Shoutouts to: Post Profit - Self Defeater Spiritbox - The Fear of Fear Knosis - The Eternal Doom

Atta by Sigur Ros is without a doubt my favorite album from 2023. It might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but it’s really well made and songs like Gold, Skel and Mór are just perfect to me. It’s emotionally overwhelming (as is to be expected for a SR album), yet it’s somehow still comforting. Also, the kickdrum in Klettur is just banging

My favorite projects of this year were - Fountain Baby By Amaarae -Javelin by Sufjan Stevens -SCARING THE HOES by JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown -Erotic Probiotic 2 by Nourished By Time -Space Heavy by King Krule -Mind Palace Music by @ -Desire, I Want To Turn Into You by Caroline Polachek -Everything Harmony by The Lemon Twigs -Strange Disciple by Nation Of Language -That! Feels Good! by Jessie Ware

i’ve always been a fan of the japanese house but put off listening to her newest album for some reason. after my grandpa passed i was trying to find music that didn’t fill me with horrible dread or too much positivity. in the end it always does balances both moods so well. it quickly became my most listened to album of all time. the theme of loss obviously resonated heavily with me and it transcended my expectations. every single song is worth listening to. i love them all.

love seeing the corinne mention

your year-end lists always introduce me to such great stuff! idk if i have a favorite, but i definitely listened to a lot of This Is Why and 10,000 gecs. i'd also strongly reccommend Vylet Pony's Carousel to most people (don't let the ponies deter you! it's some incredible work)

Renée Rapp's album Snow Angel is I think a really great debut, and I think if she ventures a bit from the kind of bedroom pop she's hanging on to from the first ep, she could be a force to be reckoned with. Other than her I really loved the record, This is Why, The Loveliest Time, and I was pleasantly surprised by Olivia Rodrigos new album

Last year, your Top 10 was a way for me to get to know a lot of great new artists who became my favorites. Can't wait to listen to more of your faves this year. Love your work, have a great and deserved rest!!

Awesome list! Not everything here is the type of music I like to listen to stylistically but what I do enjoy here is fantastic. Here are my top ten favorites (and some honorable mentions) of 2023. 1. Ratboys - The Window (indie rock/alternative country) 2. MSPAINT - Post-American (synth-punk/hardcore punk/post-punk/hip hop) 3. Spanish Love Songs - No Joy (emo/indie rock) 4. Mesarthim - Arrival (atmospheric black metal/trance) 5. Blackbraid - Blackbraid II (atmospheric black metal/melodic black metal) 6. Svalbard - The Weight of the Mask (blackened hardcore/post-metal/post-rock) 7. Panopticon - The Rime of Memory (atmospheric black metal/folk) 8. Bizarrekult - Den Tapte Krigen (progressive post-black metal) 9. Wednesday - Rat Saw God (countrygaze/indie rock) 10. Hello Mary - Hello Mary (grunge/indie rock/shoegaze) Honorable mentions 1. Sermon - Of Golden Verse (progressive metal/alternative metal/post-metal) 2. Citizen - Calling the Dogs (alternative rock/emo/post-punk/new wave) 3. Olde Throne - In the Land of Ghosts (atmospheric black metal) 4. Iravu - A Fate Worse Than Home (atmospheric black metal) 5. Yes Yes A Thousand Times Yes - Supertinyinfinitedans (emo/indie rock/math rock)

Desire, I Want to Turn Into You is also my number one this year. I knew very little about Caroline Polachek beforehand. I hadn't even heard So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings until maybe a few days before Desire dropped because I saw a lot of people online anticipating it so I listened to it. On a total whim, I listened to album on its release day and immediately fell in love with what I was hearing. She's now become one of my favorite artists, I even got to see her live. My other favorite albums of the year: 2. GUTS - Olivia Rodrigo 3. Did You Know There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd? - Lana del Rey 4. With Love From - Aly & AJ 5. Bewitched - Laufey Honorable mentions go to Paramore's This is Why, boygenius's The Record, and Joy Oladokun's Proof of Life.

Beloved Paradise Jazz rules, literally discovered it as a double that was given out for free at my college radio station. It’s so gorgeous and I blast it all the time.

So happy to see the Anohni & The Johnsons album get as much love by these year-end lists as it deserves!

My number one album *no* contest was Wallsocket by Underscores. Her concept album features an amazing variety of incredible music combined with great lyrics. It's hard to describe, but I *cannot* recommend it enough.

Thank you for this video. I tend to go through music binge listens where I listen to particular artist exclusively for months. 2023 has been my Hozier year so I gotta shoutout Unreal Unearth, his release from this year. Different than his other two albums but still excellent.

i just love how much joy you express when discussing music. it's beautiful to see. have a great 2024, mr. snare.

Your end of the year album list is one of my favorite videos of the year because every year I discover new bands/artists through it. So far I've checked out the Corinne Bailey Rae and Geese albums already and I thoroughly enjoyed both of them. Thanks for helping me discover new bands/artists each year! Some other 2023 albums that I really enjoyed that weren't mentioned in this video: The Liftaway - Walk The Moon Pool Kids - Pool Kids The Lottery Winners - Anxiety Replacement Therapy Age of Pleasure - Janelle Monáe

I've been struggling all year to decide whether This Is Why is Paramore's best album. After being a fan 15 years, I'm just happy to see they're still making incredible art.

every video you make exudes such fun and thoughtfulness, and your passion for the music you love is infectious. have a happy new year michael The Snare !

So glad to hear you talk about Corinne’s new album it’s so underrated. Also absolutely recommend her second album The Sea which is full of rock bangers and is a concept album about the death of her husband

i always look forward to the year end lists!!! loads of cool recomendations

My albums of the year for 2023 had to be Guts (Olivia's sound further being improved with an added dose of unhinged teen girl rage that i think always elevates any pop album, plus a much clearer influence from Alanis Morisette which I adore.), Volcano by Jungle (an album with songs that were elevated by the amazing music videos and almost no skips.) and The Loveliest Time (CRJ could release a kazoo and accordian polka album and i would give it 5 stars). Once again Mr Michael The Snare Me Boy, your videos continue to be great and steadily improving. I wish nothing but the best for the Mic The Snare Cinematic Universe (MTSCU).

All amazing picks! Great video too!!!

My favorites this year! - Paramore’s This Is Why - Caroline Polachek’s Desire, I Want to Turn Into You - Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess - Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS - Raye’s 21st Century Blues - Laufey’s Bewitched - Lana Del Rey’s Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard - Boygenius’s the Record - Victoria Monet’s Jaguar II - Maisie Peters’ The Good Witch

Thank you SO MUCH, Mic, for always bringing forth such an incredible appreciation of this art form. Your reviews always highlight the incredible things to find in every piece (especially the Really Good Ones) with good humor and positive view. It warms my heart, and I will definitely binge all these records! To another incredible year!

Ocean Boulevard was a masterpiece.

Great video as always Mic, it was great spending another year together

The Corinne Bailey Rae album is so good, love to see it here, I had the exact same reaction listening to it for the first time.

While not my favorite album of the year (that goes to Grave Robbing by leroy/Jane Remover), I feel obligated to mention that Vylet Pony is great and Carousel is one of the most underrated albums this year. The fact that a person who creates niche fandom music is so genuinely talented is so cool to me.

Billions is definetely one of my favorites songs this year. It remains me the Björk from her first records.

These top 10 album lists are legitimately the only way I discover new music. And I still listen to most of the ones I heard and liked from past vids. Thank you for making them!

Thanks for the hard work Mic... I loved the list and just ordered a couple of vinyl releases on the list. Keep up the hard work.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! I cannot believe I am this early. Your vids are an absolute highlight. They are so relaxing to listen to, your DDD series is one of my favourites on the platorm.

Javelin is my favorite album of the year. Also, this video convinced me to listen to Black Rainbow and the Anohni record!

Really enjoy your opinions on music man. Thanks for another great year of videos and showing me some artists that I never would have discovered

Thank you for your videos Mic, my soul lights up every time I get the notification.

i have found many beautiful albums through your reviews. but with this video, i was surprised to remember i first heard about boygenius thanks to you, so im forever grateful. there's something about the way you describe music, something so open and welcoming. keep it up mr. mic

Model/Actriz’s Dogsbody, Wednesday’s Rat Saw God, and Joanna Sternberg’s I’ve Got Me have been my favorite projects this year! Thanks Mike for all the content in 2023 🎉

my top 5 1. calico - ryan beatty 2. guts - olivia rodrigo 3. i miss you already + i haven’t left yet - del water gap 4. this is why - paramore 5. the record - boygenius

So glad you mentioned Chappell roan’s album!!! she is such a rising star and there are truly no skips on it

Excellent list! Several made mine as well: Geese (holy socks!!!), Sufjan, Ratboys and the Woods/Segal record you promo’ed in the intro. Three I love that I’d recommend: Spotlights, Hak Baker and Taking Meds.

I've not seen either of my favourite albums from this year on any lists yet - Dig the Mountain! by Stornoway, and Flyte's self-titled (there are a few duds on this one, but absolute gems like Better Than Blue and Perfect Dark more than make up for them). Loved the video nonetheless! Keep up the good work, Mr Snare

Age of Pleasure from Janelle Monae was on my list this year. Those horns were to die for

I love the visuals you put on Funk Express omg WHY DOES THAT FIT SO GOOD!!??

Omg I’m so happy Caroline is at number one, she’s so amazing & not enough people know about her

so glad you included the japanese house. they’re still the best i’ve seen live

i love a big year end events that are the lists of best albums from fantano or pitchfork and the endless drama they bring to discourse, but when i want to actually listen to someone talking about music with context, knowledge, passion and genuine emotions there's just noone else like mr snare. i've been fan for a long time and these videos always got me into my feelings.

When I look back at what I've listened to this year I feel like there's not a lot of New releases that have really grabbed my attention that much, I find that I've spent most of this year going back to older albums and songs and discovering older stuff that I had never gotten into (heck I started listening to The Beatles) But one album from this year that I kept coming back to was After the Magic by Parannoul, released in January. I have become absolutely obsessed with Parannoul's music recently to the point that their 2021 album To see the next part of the dream is my second most streamed album in the last three years only behind Homogenic by Björk. And then After the Magic came out, and this thing lives up to its name tremendously The arrangements on this album are so mesmerizing, so lush, so warm and welcoming but also so large and grand at the same time that I struggle to imagine how they were actually made There was a lot of abrasiveness on Parannoul's last album and it was great because of it, but After the Magic manages to capture that same abrasiveness and polish it to a degree I never imagined possible Polaris is such a stunning opener it's easily one of the best songs of the year for me, it hooks you in with a catchy melody and then it expands your entire mind with that explosion of sound but it sounds right somehow Arrival does something similar but even grander it feels like this songs could fill and entire galaxy then the song Sketchbook makes me want to go on a walk besides a river and start dancing frantically while looking at the trees being ruffled in the wind Imagination makes me feel similarly except I want to do that in one of those anime streets at night where the protagonist overlooks an entire city some string sections on the album remind me of songs on the soundtrack of Celeste, idk if that's just me or its because Celeste is such a perfect soundtrack that I hear strings now and think about those on that ost this entire album manages to be raw and beautiful at the same time, everytime I listen to it in full I feel like I went on a journey of melancholy about the past that I'll never live again but also being grateful to exist right here and right now and in the end looking forward to whatever greatness the future holds, which has been my strongest feeling when listening to all of Parannoul's music, but this latest album feels like the biggest evolution and step forward for this artist and it tells me 'hey, it's alright, there's so much to look forward to, check out this sick guitar riff' It's the best album of the year for me and it's not even the one by Parannoul I listened to the most yeah I told you I got really obsessed with To see the next part of the dream

thank u so much for constantly putting out the best song recommendations!!! like, i always end your videos with full new playlists and a whole list of favorite songs

Love that Jpeg & Danny Brown album, now I'm really excited to listen to this McKinley Dixon album

My favorite album of the year was Endless Pursuit by Temple of Angels, A moody dream pop album by a small Texas band. I saw them open for Turnover a while back and they were awesome live. Incredible debut album

The women of R&B dominated 2023 for me. Victoria Monét, Amaarae, Janelle Monae and Raye had incredible albums. My favourite song of the year came from Stories From Montana - Mikey Ferrari (not an album, an EP that’s so so good omg). R.A.W - City Girls also had some great moments

Loved the Ratboys mention, really thought that would does deserved more love this year!!! Loved the Great Grandpa mention- their lead singer, Al Menne, released an INCREDIBLE record this year!!!!! Highly recommend it!!!!!!!!

5hanks for the recommendation of Black Rainbows! Looks just up my ally

Thank you for including Corinne Bailey Rae - an overlooked brilliant album

Both of my favs I listened to very recently: "After the Night", the live album by Parannoul with a MONSTER 40 minute closing track, and the final part of Patricia Taxxon's "TECHDOG" project, a 4 hour ambient drone album that almost made me cry. Also shout out Sprain's "The Lamb as Effigy" for satisfying my year's angst quota.

I always love the way you talk about music! Thank you for your amazing content

Stoked to see Geese’s 3D Country on here. Easily my fave album, the sky is the limit for Geese. They are so incredibly good.

My personal favourite of this year was The Harmony Codex by Steven Wilson. It has singlehandedly inspired me more than anything else I've listened to in recent memory to just create music. I have written many songs after listening to this album that had some connection to the vibe. It holds a very special and personal connection to me. Especially Impossible Tightrope, such a damn good song.

My two favorite albums this year were M83's Fantasy and Animal Collective's Isn't It Now, with my track of the year being M83's Earth to Sea. These 2 albums shows such a refinery of both band's best traits that reminded me of why I got so obsessed with then in 2 different phases of my life. That M83 album has some of the most incredible, cleanest production I've ever heard in the genre, and the Animal Collective album has such cool sonic landscapes and textures. To anyone reading this, please check out the 6 minute track Earth To Sea if you wanna fly through space. If you wanna float through space, check out AC's 20 minute magnum opus Defeat. Great video!

some of my favorites (in no particular order) gizmo by tanukichan, the land is inhospitable and so are we by mitski, did you know that there's a tunnel under ocean boulevard by lana del rey, the record by boygenius, today i laid down by bl4ck m4rket c4rt, bewitched by laufey, neo romance by alexandra streliski, all of odie leigh's eps, and mommy by be your own pet.

Merry Christmas and HNY to the best music critic on You's Tube. ❤

I often take your year-end videos as recommendations :) You taste seems to be a bit more low-energy than mine, but I'll look closer. Some albums I like that were *released* this year: Gabrielle Aplin - Phosphorescent Carly Rae Jepsen - The Loveliest Time Fall Out Boy - So Much (for) Stardust ikimonogakari - O Katahira Rina - Redemption Aliisa Syrjä - Höyheniä ja saaria Plain White T's - Plain White T's

YES! loving the japanese house mention!!!

yesss love to see Japanese House on here, such an underrated album. the singles are all some of the best songs of the year.

These videos are SO good for me, because I realise how I have NO idea what I have missed out during the year. Thank you!

I can't tell if my favorite album of the year is "Desire, I want to turn into you" or "Utopian Fantasy" by Allie Crow Buckley. I've been listening to Allie for many years and she finally made the art that I feel that reaches her full talent. But I listened again Caroline's album and it's just sooooo good!!!

Solid AF line-up, thank you

I just got done listening to ‘My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross’ thanks to this video and oh. my. god. Absolutely flawless album. Beautiful. I was stunned at just how amazing the record was. Sucks that I got to it so late, but it’s so wonderful. Every song builds so climactically in a show of just pure excellence from both Anohni and the instrumentalists. It also felt pretty digestible at just 10 tracks. If any of y’all haven’t listened to it, please, PLEASE go check it out.

My favs are: 1. the record - boygenius 2. Laugh track - The National 3. Mid Air - Romy 4. The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons - The hives 5. Space Heavy - King Krule 6. GUTS - Olivia Rodrigo 7. World wide pop - Superorganism 8. The land is inhospitable and so are we - Mitski 9. Idol - Solen 10. Something to give to each other - Troye Sivan Only order that matter is the record on top, the rest are not ordered by preference. Honorable mention: Polar veil by Hexvessel (havent listened to properly yet but really dig it) Re: This is why - Paramore (actually liked the covers more, especially the ones by wet leg and Julien baker)

Idk how but the way you edit these videos makes the songs sound better. Every time you play a sound bite, it just goes off and I don’t know why.

what a good and easy year for ranking! yves tumor's praise a god who chews but which does not consume took my #1 spot of best album of the year the moment it came out and all i've had to do was pick runner ups through the rest of the year

it was so fun discovering 3D Country on the radio a couple of days before finally watching this video and Fantano's Top Albums of 2023 and both of you featuring that album.

Definitely a solid list. A lot of overlap with my top 20 list. Some of my favorites that I think were sort of overlooked this year are: "That! Feels Good!" by Jessie Ware "21st Century Blues" by RAYE "Heavy Heavy" by Young Fathers

I’ve been in a music rut and this vid is getting the juices flowing again

Glad to see Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? as one of your favorite albums of the year. It's one of my favorite albums too.

Yay! A Michael the Snare thing! My favorite!

I checked out McKinley Dixon for the first time last year because of your 2021 list and it payed dividens this year

My favorite of the year was “After the Magic” by Parannoul. Gorgeous music, it’s just one of those years where my fave isn’t gonna be making many top ten lists from people I follow.