The Best Music of 2023 Was Made with Berklee Artists

Behind the mic, at the boards, or in the band, Berklee artists made some of the year’s best music in every genre, as ranked by outlets from Pitchfork to Billboard.

By
John Mirisola
December 21, 2023
collage of playlist album cover art

The sound of 2023, in one word? Kaleidoscopic.

The best music of the year emerged from every corner of the music world: pop and R&B had their certified bangers from artists like Reneé Rapp, Chappel Roan, and Victoria Monét; but so did the world of experimental doom jazz with Arooj Aftab B.M. ’10, Vijay Iyer, and Shahzad Ismaily's Love in Exile. It was a great year for shoegazing institutions like Blonde Redhead, and one no less auspicious for an indie-folk supergroup like Boygenius. Whether we were craving Latin trap or improvisational turntablism, finding the perfect new tune was as easy as cueing up some Tainy, or digging into Kris Davis's Village Vanguard set with her band, Diatom Ribbons.

But the common feature shared by so much of this year's kaleidoscope of great music is, of course, the countless Berklee artists who worked to create these records—behind the mic, at the boards, or in the band. The following playlist represents a small sampling of the musical contributions Berklee artists have made to the year's best music, represented by their appearances on year-end lists from publications including Pitchfork, the New York Times, Billboard, and others.

Tracklist and Credits

1. "Snowman," Blonde Redhead (from Sit Down for Dinner)

Pitchfork: Best Songs No. 42 ("Snowman"), Best Rock Albums

  • Amedeo Pace ’87, Simone Pace P.D. ’87; band members

2. "Flowers," Miley Cyrus (from Endless Summer Vacation)

Rolling Stone: Best Albums No. 30; Billboard: Best Albums No. 16

  • Paul David Hager ’89, engineer/mixer
  • Brian Rajaratnam B.M. ’17, engineer/mixer

3. "GO! (feat. Jason Palmer)" Allison Miller (from Rivers in Our Veins)

NPR: Best Jazz Albums; Best Albums

4. "From the Start," Laufey (from Bewitched)

Billboard: Best Albums No. 46

5. "My Kink Is Karma," Chappel Roan (from The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess)

Pitchfork: Best Pop Music; Rolling Stone: Best Albums No. 12

6. "On My Mama," Victoria Monét (from Jaguar II)

Pitchfork: Best Pop Music, Best Songs No. 30; Stereogum: Best Albums No. 40; NPR: Best Albums; Rolling Stone: Best Albums No. 9; Billboard: Best Albums No. 5

  • Jeff Gitelman B.M. ’03, producer

7. "Daddy," Nourished by Time (from Erotic Probiotic 2)

Pitchfork: Best Pop Music, Best Albums No. 5, Best Songs No. 11; Stereogum: Best Albums No. 34

  • Marcus Brown P.D. ’16 (Nourished by Time)

8. "Crossing Guard," Model/Actriz (from Dogsbody)

Pitchfork: Best Albums No. 33, Best Rock Albums; Rolling Stone: Best Albums No. 31

  • Cole Haden B.M. ’19, Aaron Shapiro B.M. ’17, Ruben Radlauer B.M. ’19, Jack Wetmore ’17; band members

9. "Heart Break Escape," Liv.e (from Girl in the Half Pearl)

Pitchfork: Best Pop Music; Best Albums, No. 39; Stereogum: Best Albums No. 38

  • Aaron Liao B.M. ’17, producer

10. "Moonless," Julie Byrne (from The Greater Wings)

Pitchfork: Best Albums No. 21, Best Rock Albums, Best Songs No. 35; Stereogum: Best Albums No. 44

  • Alex Somers ’04, producer/mixer

11. "Not Strong Enough," Boygenius (from The Record)

Pitchfork: Best Albums No. 16, Best Rock Albums, Best Songs No. 32; Stereogum: Best Albums No. 5; NPR: Best Albums; Rolling Stone: Best Albums No. 2; Billboard: Best Albums No. 2

12. "A Running Start," Sufjan Stevens (from Javelin)

Pitchfork: Best Albums No. 6, Best Rock Albums, Best Songs No. 3 ("Will Anybody Ever Love Me?"); Stereogum: Best Albums No. 35; Rolling Stone: Best Albums No. 15; Billboard: Best Albums No. 22

  • Megan Lui ’10, vocals
  • Nedelle Torisi ’99, vocals

13. "The Dancer," Kris Davis and Diatom Ribbons (from Diatom Ribbons Live at the Village Vanguard)

NPR: Best Jazz Albums

14. "ASR (feat. Jeff Parker)," Meshell Ndegeocello (from The Omnichord Real Book)

NPR: Best Jazz Albums, Best Albums

  • Deantoni Parks B.M. ’03, featured artist
  • Jeff Parker ’90, featured artist

15. "Paranormal (feat. Alvaro Diaz)," Tainy (from Data)

Pitchfork: Best Music by Latine and Spanish Artists; Rolling Stone: Best Albums No. 3

  • Berenice Gonzalo B.M. ’21, engineer

16. "To Remain/To Return," Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, Shahzad Ismaily (from Love in Exile)

Pitchfork: Best Albums No. 25, Best Jazz and Experimental Albums

  • Arooj Aftab B.M. ’10

17. "Mr. Frisell (feat. Bill Frisell)," Ambrose Akinmusire (from Owl Song)

New York Times: Best Jazz Albums No. 4

  • Bill Frisell ’77, guitar

18. "Gemini Moon," Reneé Rapp (from Snow Angel)

Rolling Stone: Best Albums No. 55; Billboard: Best Albums No. 10

  • Justin Tranter ’01, songwriter

19. "Vampire Empire," Big Thief

Pitchfork: Best Songs No. 15

20. Independence Day," Palehound

Stereogum: Best Albums No. 48; Rolling Stone: Best Albums No. 75

  • Larz Brogan B.M. ’15, band member

21. "A Luminous Parable of Indeterminate Import," John Zorn (from Homenaje A Remedios Varo)

NPR: Best Jazz Albums

  • Julian Lage ’08, guitar

22. "Sunset Cliffs," Daniel Villareal (from Lados B)

Pitchfork: Best Jazz and Experimental Albums

  • Jeff Parker ’90, guitar

23. "Tráfico por Katmandú (feat. Elvis Costello)," Fito Paez (from EADDA9223)

NPR: Best Albums

  • Gustavo Borner B.M. ’89, producer/mixer/engineer
  • Phil Levine ’16, engineer
  • Justin Moshkevich B.M. ’07, mastering engineer

24. "The Waves Are Not the Ocean," Pat Metheny (from Dream Box)

Pitchfork: Best Jazz and Experimental Albums

  • Pete Karam ’94, mixer/mastering engineer

25. "End Simulation," Chief Xian aTunde Adujah (from Bark Out Thunder Roar Out Lightning)

New York Times: Best Jazz Albums No. 1

  • Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott B.M. ’04)

26. "Mientras Me Curo Del Cora," Karol G (from Mañana Será Bonito)

Rolling Stone: Best Albums No. 14; Billboard: Best Albums No. 6

  • Juan Andrés Ospina B.M. ’07, producer
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