Taking one calendar off the wall to replace it with a new stapled-together procession of gridded-off months brings us back to this annual venture. I have no overarching observations about the year in music to tap out in this cursory introduction. I’ll only note that this is one of those instances when I have zero doubt about which release belongs at the very top of my personal list.

1. boygenius, The Record — The first full-length from the collective of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus, exceptional music-makers on their own, is nothing less than an indie rock masterpiece. I could expound on the emotional intricacy of the songwriting, which taps into universal feelings of rattled melancholy so effectively that it took almost no time at all for the band to level up to stadiums full of kindred spirits who were ready to shout along with the tearful joy of the finally seen. Instead, I think I’ll convey my admiration for The Record by noting that I think I’d need to go back to my original college radio days, when every treasured musical discovery was like finding a new, revelatory page in the owner’s manual for my very soul, to find the previous instance when I fell so fast, so hard, so irrevocably for a new album.

2. Ratboys, The Window — The fifth album from the Chicago outfit Ratboys has a potent authority to it. The band assembles a set of modern rock songs that are packed with sly musical invention and impeccable craft, all of which enhances the breakthrough vulnerability in the lyrics of frontwoman Julia Steiner. Every last track throws a punch and leaves a bruise. The Window proves that music doesn’t need to be ethereal to be haunting.

3. Mitski, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We — Bringing in Drew Erickson as a new collaborator, Mitski adds more intricate orchestrations to her already impeccable complex songcraft. The result is a series of tracks that swell the heart as they simultaneously wound it. Mitski has long been a dependably impressive artist; The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We is the album that confirms her as a powerhouse.

4. Wednesday, Rat Saw God — On their fifth album, the Asheville, North Carolina band Wednesday sometimes pummels and sometimes caresses with their chunky guitar rock. Filled with heartfelt, often ingeniously devastating lyrics, Rat Saw God beams with the authority of a group at the dazzling top of their game.

5. Kara Jackson, Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? — Kara Jackson brings a set of piercing songs to her astonishing debut LP. Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? is strident and assured, driven by Jackson’s stark, intimate delivery. These are fervent folk songs for the next millennium.

6. Allison Russell, The Returner — Drawing inspiration from a range of forebears, Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Russell genre-hops freely on her sophomore release, proving adept wherever she lands. Each track on The Returner is rich with ideas and presented with a riveting, radiant confidence.

7. Olivia Rodrigo, Guts — Olivia Rodrigo grinds her heel a little deeper on her second album. Her brusque, kiss-off pop gems get some rock ‘n’ roll polish added to them, and her performances abound with whip-smart vocal turns that demonstrate uncommon strength and a sharp sense of humor. Guts is fierce.

8. Yo La Tengo, This Stupid World — Indie icons Yo La Tengo shuffle forward with another set of terrific songs, again proving themselves to be as dependable as the sunrise over the Jersey shore. Not that additional proof was needed, but This Stupid World provides it: After all this time, they have it.

9. Jess Williamson, Time Ain’t Accidental — Jess Williamson’s fifth solo album comes across as a proper extension of her winning collaboration with Waxahatchee last year, under the name Plains. Her shrewdly smart and worldly wise country-tinged tunes that resonate beautifully.

10. Sunny War, Anarchist Gospel — Sunny War takes the roots music of the Southern United States — folk, blues, country, and, you bet, gospel — and wraps it all around a Molotov cocktail of punk rock anger. War doesn’t rage, though. She’s coolly in charge all the way through Anarchist Gospel.

Previously…

—Top Ten Albums of 2011
—Top Ten Albums of 2012
—Top Ten Albums of 2013
—Top Ten Albums of 2014
—Top Ten Albums of 2015
—Top Ten Albums of 2016
—Top Ten Albums of 2017
—Top Ten Albums of 2018
—Top Ten Albums of 2019
—Top Ten Albums of 2020
—Top Ten Albums of 2021
—Top Ten Albums of 2022