I already posted my favourite albums that I heard in the first and second quarters of 2023, which makes for a pretty long list in itself. So instead of going bigger, I’ve tried to refine my list to my absolute favourite albums of the year.

Actual songs

False Lankum by Lankum is an incredible folk album immersed in tradition, yet somehow it seems more progressive and strange than almost anything else released this year. The folk horror vibes are strong throughout and the drones are intense, and aural surprises undercut almost all of the arrangements.
Furling by Meg Baird is altogether calmer, and ‘Unnamed Drives’ is one of the loveliest songs I’ve heard this year.
I Thought I Was Better Than You is as witty throughout as we’ve come to expect from Baxter Dury, and perhaps more introspective and personal than ever.
Angelbread is fun in a different way, securing Ergo Phizmiz as a spiritual descendent of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.                
Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You features Bonnie Prince Billy on fine form, particularly the glorious first three tracks.
I Inside the Old Year Dying by PJ Harvey continues her recent run of form, with added scuzziness to the instrumentation.
My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross by ANOHNI and The Johnsons is mature and sumptuous and seems to arrive from another era, sounding like Nina Simone backed by Lambchop.

Weird

Yön Mustia Kukkia by Paavoharju is a bizarre experience, as it seems to change entirely each time I hear it – though each time it’s reliably weird and mired in aural scuffs that make it pleasingly otherworldly.
Similarly bent out of shape is River of Dreams by Romance & Dean Hurley, a soundtrack to a dream hovering on the cusp of nightmarish.
There are rock-solid songs hidden beneath the groaning surface of The Heart of the Anchoress by Bianca Scout, but the whispering weirdness is what makes it so compelling.
Innemuseum by Cisser Mæhl is more forgiving, though its gentleness is somehow alarming, like drifting off to sleep at the wheel.

Drone

Bones For Time by Tongue Depressor features the most gargantuan drones I’ve enjoyed this year, like the sighing of a blue whale.
Giving it a run for its money is The Pels Organ and Hemony Carillon by Miaux & Lieven Martens, a recording of an incredible live performance on pipe organ that sounds like a spiritual Angelo Badalamenti.
Equally impressive is the three-hour Does Spring Hide Its Joy by Kali Malone, featuring Lucy Railton on cello and Stephen O’Malley on electric guitar.

Instrumental virtuosity

The mixture of Ethiopian heritage and the influence of its Bulgarian performers is evident in the outstanding My Strong Will by Girma Yifrashewa.
Congo Guitar by Vumbi Dekul is infectious and full of life, created in two days and backed with only a cheap drum machine.             

Noise / Rock

It’s difficult to accept that spresso by Alpha Maid & Mica Levi is only 7 minutes long! It’s one of the most intense listening experiences I’ve had this year, and it’s particularly overwhelming played loud in the car.
In contrast, Live in Leipzig by Horse Lords is considered and meticulous, but behind its calculated rhythms is a similar tendency towards mania.
Nails by Benefits is the most gloriously angry album I’ve heard this year, and rightfully so.         

Techno

Lazy Mechanics and EP FATHOM by Carrier are precisely my sort of techno – at times barely there, at times punishingly intense.
The same goes for the more driven and peculiar Skynned by теплота.
config by J. Albert veers closer to house or rave, and presses you back into your seat.

Reissues

Don’t Eat Food! by INU is my greatest discovery this year – it’s a simply incredible Japanese punk album reminiscent of Buzzcocks at their absolute best, and though I understand not a word of it, it’s incredibly catchy too.
Not So Deep As A Well by Myriam Gendron is a wonderful folk rerelease from 2014, but sounds like it was recorded in the late 60s.
Picture of Bunny Rabbit by Arthur Russell is worth it for the swirlingly strange title track alone.   
شمس دين by Shams Dinn borders on hauntology, sounding like every funky hit featured in 1980s thrillers, despite being from Paris and rapped in Arabic.
Ettab by Saudi singer Ettab is also Arabic, pop-infused but drawing on Eastern classical influences and featuring a towering vocal performance.

Compilations

Adrian Sherwood Presents: Dub No Frontiers features female reggae tracks in Hindi, Romani, Arabic, and it’s my most-played compilation this year.
Fabric presents Helena Hauff is rammed with propulsive techno, and I imagine would be incredible as a background for nighttime driving.
I’m still undecided about some of the mix treatments on The Beatles 1967–1970 (2023 edition), but its release has been a great excuse to relisten to my first ever favourite album, a lot.