Best 100 albums of 2023: 50-1
The last Substack post of the year is dedicated to the best albums of the year. This is my selection of the 50 best releases of 2023, and in the first part you can read about the albums that placed between number 51 and 100. It has been another rich musical year, and at the top of the list is the album I listened and enjoyed the most.
Recommend Izvorišta to your friends who might find it interesting. You can do this easily by clicking on the button below:
Throughout the year, I have published monthly 'best of' articles on Substack in which I have written about most of the albums on the annual list, so I will not repeat that here. Below the title of each album you will find a link where you can read what I wrote about that album at the time, and there are also Bandcamp, Tidal and Spotify links as well as a YouTube video.
Namian Sidibé - Namian Sidibé (Sahel Sounds 2023.)
Mali // Best of April, May // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Various Artists - Lost In Tajikistan (Riverboat Records 2023.)
Tajikistan // Best of August, September, October // Tidal // Spotify
Bantu - What Is Your Breaking Point? (Soledad Productions 2023.)
Nigeria // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Aly Eissa - Gouda Bar (Akuphone Records 2023.)
Egypt // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
PoiL Ueda - PoiL Ueda (Dur Et Doux 2023.)
Japan, France // Best of March // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
+ + + + +
PoiL Ueda - Yoshitsune (Dur Et Doux 2023.)
Bandcamp // Best of November // Track Tales // Tidal // Spotify
Frankosun And The Family - Small Talk Big Problem (Helmi Levyt 2023.)
Denmark, Benin // Best of June, July // Tidal // Spotify
Dunja Knebl & Adam Semijalac - Moje srce se reskoli (Selfreleased 2023.)
Croatia // Best of January, February // Bandcamp
Orchestra Gold - Medicine (Selfreleased 2023.)
USA // Best of January, February // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
La Sonora Mazuren - Bailando con Extraños (Barbès Records 2023.)
Colombia // Best of April, May // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Elza Soares - No Tempo da Intolerância (Deckdisc 2023.)
Brazil // Best of June, July // Tidal // Spotify
Yungchen Lhamo - One Drop Of Kindness (Real World Records 2023.)
Tibet // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Spotify
Idrissa Soumaoro - Diré (Mieruba Records 2023.)
Mali // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Batsükh Dorj - Ögbelerim (Music for my Ancestors) (Buda Musique 2023.)
Tuva // Best of August, September, October // Tidal // Spotify
Bixiga 70 - Vapor (Glitterbeat Records 2023.)
Brazil // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Assiko Golden Band De Grand Yoff - Magg Tekki (Mississippi Records 2023.)
Senegal // Best of November // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Chief Adjuah - Bark Out Thunder Roar Out Lightning (Ropeadope 2023.)
USA // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Lakiko - What To Do, How To Live? (Selfreleased 2023.)
Bosnia and Herzegovina // Best of April, May // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Sheikhs Shikhats & B'net Chaabi - Sheikhs Shikhats & B'net Chaabi (Zephyrus 2023.)
Belgium, Morocco // Best of March // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Anoushka Shankar - Chapter I: Forever, For Now (Leiter Records 2023.)
England // Best of November // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Altin Gün - Aşk (Glitterbeat Records 2023.)
Netherlands // Best of March // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Kayhan Kalhor and Toumani Diabaté - The Sky Is The Same Colour Everywhere (Real World 2023.)
Iran, Mali // Best of April, May // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Hashshashin - Śaraṇaṃ (Art As Catharsis Records 2023.)
Australia // Best of November // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Bombino - Sahel (Partisan Records 2023.)
Niger, Tuareg // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Bebel Gilberto - João ([Pias] Recordings 2023.)
Brazil // Best of August, September, October // Tidal // Spotify
Sourdurent - L'Herbe de Détourne (Les Disques Bongo Joe 2023.)
France // Best of April, May // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Azmari - Maelström (Sdban Records 2023.)
Belgium // Track Tales // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Laliboi & Spoek Mathambo - Siyalapha (Teka Records 2023.)
South Africa // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Enji - Ulaan (Squama Records 2023.)
Tuva // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Luzmila Carpio - Inti Watana - El Retorno Del Sol (ZZK Records 2023.)
Bolivia // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Alpacas Collective - Big Words (Selfreleased 2023.)
Belgium // Best of November // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Ali Farka Touré - Voyageur (World Circuit 2023.)
Mali // Best of March // Tidal // Spotify
Son Rompe Pera - Chimborazo (Aya Records 2023.)
Colombia // Best of March // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Alogte Oho and His Sounds of Joy - O Yinne! (Philophon 2023.)
Ghana // Best of June, July // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Baaba Maal - Being (Palm/Marathon Artists 2023.)
Senegal // Best of March // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Chouk Bwa & The Ångstromers - Somanti (Bongo Joe 2023.)
Haiti, Belgium // Best of August, September, October // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Togo All-Stars - Spirits (Excelsior Recordings 2023.)
Togo // Best of November // Tidal // Spotify
Polobi & the Gwo Ka Masters - Abri Cyclonique (Real World 2023.)
Guadalupe // Best of January, February // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Damir Imamović - The World And All That It Holds (Smithsonian Folkways 2023.)
Bosnia and Herzegovina // Track Tales // Best of April, May // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer and Shahzad Ismaily - Love in Exile (Verve 2023.)
Pakistan, India, USA // Best of March // Tidal // Spotify
Acid Arab - ٣ (Trois) (Crammed Discs 2023.)
France // Best of January, February // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Yalla Miku - Yalla Miku (Bongo Joe 2023.)
Switzerland, Morocco // Best of March // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Mari Kalkun - Stories Of Stonia (Real World 2023.)
Estonia // Best of June, July // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Adam Semijalac - Ode dite (Selfreleased 2023.)
Croatia // Best of April, May // Bandcamp
Dudu Tassa & Jonny Greenwood - Jarak Qaribak (World Circuit 2023.)
Israel, England // Best of June, July // Tidal // Spotify
Lenhart Tapes - Dens (Glitterbeat Records 2023.)
Serbia // Track Tales // Best of November // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
BCUC - Millions Of Us (On The Corner 2023.)
South Africa // Best of June, July // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Le Cri Du Caire - Le Cri Du Caire (Les Disques Du Festival Perman 2023.)
Egypt, France, Germany, Switzerland // Best of April, May // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Lankum - False Lankum (Rough Trade 2023.)
Ireland // Best of March // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Tinariwen - Amatssou (Wedge 2023.)
Mali, Tuareg // Best of April, May // Bandcamp // Tidal // Spotify
Yemen Blues - Shabazi - A Tribute to the Poet (MDC 2023.)
Israel // Best of June, July // Tidal // Spotify
Keep reading/listening:
ncG1vNJzZmihqqu8s7XSrZhnq6WXwLWtwqRlnKedZL1wrsSsq2aZnJfCrr%2BMqJ1mamBngG6%2FxJymp5xdpa6zwA%3D%3D