JANKY SMOOTH Top 10 Albums of 2023 Rated By Contributors

2023 wasn’t just the year we saw many of our Janky favorites mature into their true selves, 2023 was the year these favorite bands put out the career defining material that will be pointed to years from today as the moment the band began creating the music they became iconic for. Some of these bands include groups we’ve followed for years, bands like Zulu, Spiritual Cramp, Scowl, and Angel Du$t. Yes, the hardcore scene provided the soundtrack for some of 2023’s most inspired and diverse jams, yet this was not the only underground providing the year’s best records. In the worlds of goth, synth, darkwave and beyond, artists like Model/Actriz, Madeline Goldstein, Nation of Language and Panther Modern made us dance, swoon and make-out harder than previous years. In metal, we see the same dynamism as Tomb Mold created one of the year’s most powerful and transcendent musical rollercoasters. Genre veterans Cannibal Corpse and Cavalera continued ripping, as did Liturgy, adding a new book to her musical gospel. Hip hop didn’t disappoint either with alternative and mainstream bangers galore be they the collaboration between JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown or grouptherapy’s latest brilliant record. Art pop female badasses stole the show this year with incredible releases by Caroline Polachek, Olivia Rodrigo, and a return to form from Lana Del Ray. All of these artists and so many more released music that made us rethink how we listen and feel when our ears come into with music, each of our contributors ranked ten albums they loved so much from 2023 that they thought they should share them with you so you can listen and feel what they felt too.

Publisher, Danny Baraz

1. HEALTH – Rat Wars
2. Angel Du$t – Brand New Soul
3. Choke Chain – Mortality
4. Zulu – A New Tomorrow
5. Spiritual Cramp – Spiritual Cramp
6. Scowl – Psychic Dance Routine
7. Militarie Gun –  Life Under the Gun
8. Model/Actriz – Dogsbody
9. Nation of Language – Strange Disciple
10. Madeline Goldstein –  Other World

Editor sometimes, Rob Shepyer

1. The Armed – Perfect Saviors
2. Geese – 3D Country
3. Thantifaxath – Hive Mind Narcosis
4. Tomb Mold – The Enduring Spirit
5. Spiritual Cramp – Spiritual Cramp
6. Better Lovers – God Made Me An Animal
7. Swans – The Beggar
8. The Hirs Collective – We’re Still Here
9. Aphex Twin – Blackbox Life Recorder 21f/ in a room 7 F760
10. The Hives – The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons

Photographer, Taylor Wong

1. Fidlar – That’s life
2. Spiritual Cramp – Spiritual Cramp
3. Angel Du$t – Brand New Soul
4. Jeff Rosenstock – Hellmode
5. Tyler the Creator – Call Me If You Get Lost: the Estate Sale
6. Fidlar – Unplug
7. Drain – Living Proof
8. Ho99o9 – Presents Territory: Turf Talk, Vol. II
9. Fiddlehead – Death is Nothing To Us
10. Militarie Gun – Life Under the Gun

Author, Danny Ryan

1. Angel Du$t: Brand New Soul
2. Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS
3. Militarie Gun: Life Under The Gun
4. Scowl: Psychic Dance Routine
5. Pink Pantheress: Heaven Knows
6. Conservative Military Image: Casual Violence
7. JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown: Scaring the Hoes
8. Caroline Polachek: Desire, I Want To Turn Into You
9. Incendiary: Change The Way You Think About Pain
10. Spiritual Cramp: Spiritual Cramp

Author and Photographer, Audrey Kemp

1. A reflection of – clay birds
2. that one scene where howl swallowed a dying star – fairies in our house EP
3. bright new disease – uniform
4. all the poems i wrote about you – versera
5. last – loma prieta
6. the gray in between – jerome’s dream
7. when no birds sang – full of hell, nothing
8. lemon lights – seablite
9. this sporting life – the smashing times
10. chaos takes the wheel and i am a passenger – awakebutstillinbed

Photographer, Albert Licano

1. Spiritual Cramp – Self Titled
2. Cavalera – Morbid Visions
3. Hez – Panamanians
4. Boygenius – The Record
5. Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Land Of Sleeper
6. Zorn – Self Titled
7. Godflesh – Purge
8. Gel -Only Constant
9. Cannibal Corpse -Chaos Horrific

Photographer, Anthony Mehlhaff

1. FUGITIVE – Blast Furnace / Stand Off
2. VIAGRA BOYS – Cave World (Deluxe)
3. PIG CITY – Self Titled
4. UGLY – Autograph
5. LANA DEL REY – Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.
6. GAZM – Fuck You II Ep
7. CREEPING DEATH – Boundless Domain
8. FROZEN SOUL – Glacial Domination
9. DRAIN – Living Proof

Photographer, Joshua Alvarez

1. NOTHING/FULL OF HELL -WHEN NO BIRDS SANG
2. SAMPHA – LAHAI
3. KING GIZZARD – PETRO DRAGONIC…
4. JESUS PIECE – SO UNKNOWN
5. MICK JENKINS – THE PATIENCE
6. JMSN- SOFT SPOT
7. PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS – LAND OF SLEEPER
8. ODDISEE – TO WHAT END
9. PROTOMARTYR – FORMAL GROWTH IN THE DESERT
10. JEROME’S DREAM – THE GRAY IN BETWEEN

Photographer, Becky DiGiglio

1. Cattle Decapitation – Terrasite
2. Filth is Eternal – Find Out
3. Killer Mike – Michael
4. Nothing, Full of Hell – When No Birds Sang
5. Paint it Black – Famine
6. Portrayal of Guilt – Devil Music
7. Ryuichi Sakamoto – 12
8. Son Rompe Pera – Chimborazo
9. Spiritual Cramp – Spiritual Cramp
10. Stress Positions – Harsh Realities

Author and Photographer, Juan Perez

1. Tozcos – Infernal
2. ¿La Pregunta? – EP2023
3. Soltera – Todo O Nada Vol. 1
4. Pelada – Ahora Más Que Nunca
5. Puerta Negra – Playa Sola
6. Enemy – Maladjusted
7. Czarface – CZARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
8. Panther Modern – Deluxe
9. Immortal Nightbody – PAIN IS POWER
10. Pachyman – Switched On

Author and Photographer, Dave Unbuckled

1. Militarie Gun – Life Under The Gun
2. Larry June – Great Escape
3. SZA – SOS
4. Boygenius – The Record
5. Slow Pulp – Yard
6. Olivia Rodrigo – Guts
7. Scowl – Psychic Dance Routine
8. MSPAINT – Post American
9. Billy Woods/Kenny Segal – Maps
10. Boldy James – Indiana Jones