The Top 10 Pop Albums of 2023

Pop does not have to be a bad word. Sadly the music industry takes it down a deeper hole of vapid capitalism, by pumping out products rather than music with anything to say.  Unlike their more mainstream counterparts, these albums were not rolled from the same assembly line and did not need the teams of songwriters and producers to create for them, they generally did this themselves.  Here are albums that stand shoulder to shoulder with other genres, proving pop does not have to be trash, despite being that more often than not these days.  After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of the year. 2023. The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list; and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway here are the top 10 Pop albums of 2023.

10-Hot Milk - "A Call to the Void" 

Closer to rock than Chvrches with the aggressive punchy nature of what they do, they are not better musicians than Chvrches as they tend to lean into pretty simple Tik Tok pop punk. Blending a few different styles the Paramore style of pop influenced by punk seems to be the core of who they are. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/08/hot-milk-call-to-void.html

 

9-KANGA- "Under Glass" 

She is back with another synth-driven stab at aggressive pop, sung from the shadows in a sultry alto. This time however the sound is underlit with neon. The melodies are more graceful this time around. She has some strong moments for this celebration of forward-thinking pop that still owes a debt to the industry that spawned it. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/12/kanga-under-glass.html

8-Kylie Minogue - "Tension" 

Kylie's 16th album. 15 songwriters and 9 Producers are more than legit rock bands, but these days pretty par for the course when it comes to pop music, and more respectable than artists like Doja Cat and Lizzo who have over 25 of each.  Minogue's brand of dance music is more complex than what either of those artists are doing. She also has more of a European fan base, with more progressive tastes. The most remarkable thing might also be due in part to her producers, but Minogue does not sound like she is 55. Her voice is light and high almost like her barely 20-something pop counterparts in the States.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/kylie-minogue-tension.html

7-the National -"The First Two Pages of Frankenstein" 

The vocals are more memorable and melodies weave complex webs of melancholy around everything. Granted this album has nothing really to do with Frankenstein as the title suggests. Instead, they have written some thoughtful, introspective songs, but still go somewhere. Matt's sullen baritone remains understated but with impeccable phrasing as the lyrics bounce off the music around him. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-national-first-two-pages-of.html

  6-Lana Del Rey -"Did you know that there is a tunnel..." 

Lana is ditching the spoken word of "Chemtrails" and her last album seemed to be more of the same ole same ole from her, as she languished on the seaside of California. To some extent that is who she is, but she needed to switch it up a bit. Slightly experimental, but well-produced rainy-day fun. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/03/lana-del-rey-did-you-know-that-there-is.html

 

5-Poppy -"Zig" 

Her fifth album finds her stepping more solidly into pop. Is it more quirky and darker than most mainstream pop? Yes. Though it conforms more to the mainstream pop formula than you might expect. but that is still more than enough to set her apart from the TikTok pandering artists your kids are listening to.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/10/poppy-zig.html

 

 4-Boygenius - "the record" 

Well, Taylor Swift said these girls are her favorite new band, and  It also helps that at the center of this trio is  Phoebe Bridgers, who I am already a fan of. At times their brand of dreamy pop flirts with folk along with indie rock. Sure there is a hazy ambiance to what they do, which is supplemented by smart lyrics and hooky melodies. .

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/boygenius-record.html

3-Miley Cyrus _ "Endless Summer Vacation" 

Miley straddles the Nashville Songwriting machine she grew up with and the pop machine she went to after reinventing herself to shed Hannah Montana. Unlike most pop stars she still holds a very active hand in the songwriting process. This can most be felt in the lyrics and the melodies which retain similar themes as those we have heard in the past from her. Perhaps the pop hooks are not twerking in your face as they drip with sex sugar, but the more mature effort provides a more serious look into who Miley is at this stage in the game  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/03/miley-cyrus-endless-summer-vacation.html

2-the Beaches -" Blame My Ex" 

Yeah, I am just as surprised as you that they beat Miley as this band came out of nowhere and killed it with this album. Taking the number two spot here is a testament to the fact that I listened to this album more than the other eight albums, The vocals on this album are really well produced, and this is done so without an entire team of producers. They just have really fucking clever songs. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/the-beaches-blame-my-ex.html

 

1-Pierce the Veil - "The Jaws of Life" 

Here is an album that had no business being as good as it is. I only knew this band from the Punk Goes Pop series of tribute albums. Much like that series, they strike me as being more on the pop side of the equation. Now five albums later the band has continued to shine their songwriting formula to create something catchier than other pop that dropped this year, while still carrying the torch for the Myspace era,. Singer Vic Fuentes'   tenor sounds like he is in high school. It is impressive that he has kept this youth vigor now that he is almost forty.  If Justin Beiber made metal the results might be similar. Which is better than it sounds on paper. In fact it is so good I listened to this album as much or more than any other album this year. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/02/pierce-veil-jaws-of-life.html