the theme of this year is: GEE-TARS!!!! i mean, that's usually the theme anyway, but i really leaned into the riffs and licks and solos in 2023. and secondarily, songs that sound like they're from the '80s, a somewhat out-of-character preference for me since i'm usually about the decades on either side. but that's where i landed, so i'm going with it. overall, not the most oh-my-god-amazing music year, but a great one nonetheless! playlist for easy listening here.
honorable mention:
the beatles - "now and then"
lime garden - "love song"
foo fighters - "under you"
briston maroney - "detonator"
caroline rose - "everywhere i go i bring the rain"
girl scout - "all the time and everywhere"
the rocket summer - "do you see dreamscapes in your dreams before the dreams escape when the sun beams" (yes, i had a stroke typing that title, but the song is so good, i swear)
23. victoria monét f/ earth, wind, and fire and hazel monét - "hollywood"
so simple, but so soulful and so beautiful! i can't help but be moved to tears for a reason i can't quite describe every time i listen to this song. as the lyrics portray, it taps into some sort of innocence, nostalgia, and bittersweet longing that just tugs at my heartstrings and is warm and soothing. i love the inclusion of earth, wind, and fire on one of the verses, too.
22. spiritual cramp - "herberts on holiday"
this song was my first exposure to spiritual cramp, and i actually thought it was an '80s tune the first time i heard it! lyrically, it's adorable and romantic but in a sarcastic, deadpan way — aka my love language. :)
21. boygenius - "not strong enough"
i enjoyed boygenius' album, the record. it's solid! that being said, i certainly think it's been a bit overhyped as something groundbreaking when it's...not? i mean, these verses are lifted almost note for note from those in built to spill's "liar" — which no one seems to care about, when less egregious levels of inspiration are grounds for shunning others? love that totally arbitrary double standard! my point is that there's nothing new under the sun these days, so i think it behooves all of us to just appreciate good music in all of its forms and incarnations, without picking it apart until we're blue in the face OR playing selective favorites in the name of being cool. thanks for coming to my TED talk.
anyway, this is my favorite track from the album and a really well-done song. it's very pleasant, catchy, singer-songwriter fare from three extremely talented musicians (phoebe bridgers, lucy dacus, and julien baker) that just makes ya want to croon along; especially that "always an angel, never a god" mantra. mood. i think.
20. queens of the stone age - "paper machete"
QOTSA can do no wrong for me, and though i'm lukewarm on in times new roman overall, "paper machete" gives me old-school vibes a la "if only" and "little sister" and that means it's sexy af. *quick disclaimer that i do not condone josh homme probably being a terrible person, but i've gotten to the point where if i refused to listen to anyone who sucked for one reason or another, i wouldn't be able to listen to much music at all, so we're just gonna separate the art from the artist here, k? k.
19. the never ending fall - "bad taste"
on the surface, "bad taste" sounds like a somewhat generic, alt-radio-ready bop. but something about the vocals, the melody, and the bridge take it an extra step further for me and when it came time to make this list, it snuck up on me and i was like, "dang, this is such an earworm. put it in!" upon further research, the song apparently reflects a turn in sound for this maryland band, whose previous stuff was almost solely funk and jazz.
18. fall out boy - "love from the other side"
by jove, they've (still) got it! speaking of old-school vibes, i certainly never expected there to be a post-2008 fall out boy song that i'd consider one of my favorite tracks of the year, but life comes at ya fast. "love from the other side" is fantastic because it's new fall out boy that sounds just like old fall out boy and it slaaaaps. high energy, pop-punk catchiness from beginning to end, and more than one reminder of just how objectively talented and underrated patrick stump is as a vocalist. the pre-chorus tickles my brain sooo good.
17. heffner - "truck"
this is a strange one, because i absolutely LOVED this song from the first listen, and then i listened to the rest of heffner's discography, and nothing else sounds much like this song at all and i didn't like any of it. but "truck"? "truck" is a certified jam. that riff (which someone in the youtube comments very accurately described as sounding "like landing a skateboard trick for the first time")! that energy! that multi-pronged guitar attack that recalls the best of diarrhea planet! this live version might sound even better than the recorded one.
16. natural child - "me and george"
i was so overjoyed that natural child, one of my favorite bands of all time, emerged from their indefinite hibernation this year to drop a fantastic album, be m'guest. and it's full of the country- and folk-tinged rock flavor i have come to love from them after being very disappointed by their last self-titled release in 2020. while the first single, "little magic," was classic natty child, it was some of the slightly darker deep cuts that stood out for me. "me and george" is understated, but has a great singalong chorus and a winding, groovy solo to close things out. much like the rest of the record, it just feels like the perfect soundtrack for a long desert drive.
15. ty segall - "my room"
ty, my guy! i had almost given up hope for this forthcoming record based on the two previous singles that didn't do anything for me, personally, but one listen of this track and it immediately went on my best of the year list, i dug it that much. it's kind of a slow burn, but the guitar tone is nastyyy and the layered freakout at the end is delicious, calling to mind the slight paranoia and agoraphobia that sets in when you've been in your house (or...room?) too long.
14. flycatcher - "always selfish"
maaaaybe the catchiest song on the list? you tell me. all i know is that it deserves to be much more popular than it is! it gets me groovin' and belongs in an early-2000s teen movie, even though it's 2023.
13. island of love - "blues 2000"
just under two minutes of pure, straight-ahead instrumental rock 'n roll goodness from english quartet island of love, with killer tone, multiple riffs you can really sink your teeth into, and a few gratuitous headbanging moments. it's kind of like spinal tap meets skate park and i'm here for all of it. they sadly disbanded in october, but i dug their self-titled album and highly recommend it!
12. MJ lenderman - "rudolph"
MJ lenderman remains one of the most underrated artists out there, and "rudolph" is his best song yet, IMO. from its southern-fried cowboy chug and a reference to a deleted scene from lightning mcqueen to that unrestrained and unexpected solo that comes wildly galloping in towards the end and just makes ya wanna go "yeehaw" (just me?), it checks all of my boxes. also, fun fact that i literally just learned: he's also the guitarist of indie rock band wednesday (and i even saw wednesday live this year at a festival, but was apparently too far away to recognize him. whoops).
11. cashier - "fear of the past"
i don't know much about this band except that they're from louisiana, and can't seem to find a ton more on them anywhere. what i do know: this song absolutely rips! i love the college rock fuzziness and crunchiness and impassioned vocals. also, i'm browsing through random best-of lists as i'm proofing my post rn and a local rock radio DJ had this on his list as his *favorite* song of the year and i'm like, "um, hello, bestie! i didn't think anyone on earth knew this song but me!" for some reason, it made my taste feel weirdly validated. heh.
10. chokecherry - "glass jaw"
'90s shoegaze with a little *spice*. newcomers chokecherry, a trio from san francisco, completely nailed it with their first single. the soft, spoken-word interlude at the end is the icing on the cake.
9. hozier - "eat your young"
and the award for "vocal melody that lived the longest in my head rent free this year" goes to! everybody's favorite sexy irish troubadour did it again, y'all. not much else to say about this one except that it's an ideal mix of his darker, folkier fare and the bluesy "jackie and wilson"-esque bops.
8. laveda - "a place you grew up in"
i can rarely resist a song that creates an all-encompassing atmosphere, and "a place you grew up in" does just that; it's lush and nostalgic, and to me it sounds like you're lying on the floor of your bedroom as a lovesick 20-something during a summer thunderstorm and the windows are wide open so you can hear the pouring rain. right? riiight? relatedly, i recently realized that i might have some form of synesthesia when it comes to music, except it's vivid scenarios instead of colors, and this phenomenon is turned to 11 when i smoke weed. it's actually kind of amazing because i've come up with some extremely dope music video concepts in my brain this year, y'all. anyway...
7. dominic fike - "dancing in the courthouse"
i discovered dominic fike at the kilby block party music festival in may, and after his set landed in my top three of the weekend, i promptly bought tickets to see his headline show here in july. "dancing in the courthouse" is the perfect, breezy, chill summer tune. it makes you feel hopeful, wholesome, and just puts a big ol' smile on your face. or at least that's the effect it has on me. i particularly appreciate how dom tastefully incorporates elements of rap and hip-hop into his pop songs (and even alt-rock) on other tracks on his most recent record, sunburn. the part at the bridge where he rhymes "do stand-up/rude-and/a superhero like bruce banner" is so satisfying to me.
6. dari bay - "walk on down"
"walk on down" is one of those songs that — even though i've now heard it probably 100 times — i get to the end and think "what a fucking perfect song. imagine writing a song this good." and from a mostly unknown vermont indie artist? give this man his flowers. it's familiarly folky, but unique, it's catchy, it's twinkly, and it just puts me in a happy-yet-reflective mood. i hope you enjoy it as much as i do.
5. sluice - "centurion"
and speaking of perfect songs from relatively obscure artists...i'm not exaggerating when i say that i've never heard a song quite like this one by durham, north carolina-based sluice, and i'd go as far to describe it as brilliant. at times, it has the quirky spoken cadence of cheekface or moldy peaches/old adam green, but without being humorous — instead, it's almost unsettlingly dark, suspenseful, and mysterious as it builds and builds, with well-placed ominous guitar swells and finally, a cathartic explosion at the end. this one sticks with ya.
4. THUS LOVE - "put on dog"
THUS LOVE, who i wrote about a bit on my substack early this year, was undoubtedly my favorite musical discovery of 2023, and they're currently at the top of my "must see live" list. their new-wave-meets-post-punk sensibilities just scratch me where i itch, and i dig that they've expanded their sonic palette a bit this year (their sweeping alt-rock ballad "centerfield" was on repeat, too). and, in another slight change from the echo and the bunnymen-esque fare that characterized their 2022 album, memorial, "put on dog" is a fast-paced, glammy romp that hits like a tornado swirling through — leaving your hair disheveled and face rocked in its wake — and it quite frankly just kicks a ton of ass.
i also learned about the origin of song's title through a quote from the band, which makes me love it even more: "in the 1920s, ‘put on the dog’ was a term coined to express putting on your finery and dressing to the nines. from the old twenties to new twenties, we’re bringing it back, but for the gays this time." okayyy! also, 1,000,000 bonus points for working the word "accoutrement" into a song AND making it rhyme with "dog." and completely unrelated, but the lead singer is probably one of the 10 most attractive humans i've ever seen in my entire life?? golly gee.
3. geese - "cowboy nudes"
trigger warning: this music video is weird and disturbing and i have no clue what's happening in it! now that we've gotten that out of the way, geese, uh, landed at #1 on my favorite songs of 2021 list with "fantasies/survival." and while i preferred their debut album, projector, to this year's 3D country, there were still a few true gems — including this one, which spotify informed me i listened to a whopping 96 times. probably because it was the soundtrack to my solo february trip to savannah, georgia, and i was hitting that replay button harrrrrd.
it's got a freewheeling, jangly, rolling-stones-meets-grateful-dead feel, with well-placed moments of weirdness from lead vocalist cameron winter ("new york citay, undahwatah!") and an exuberant conclusion that just makes you wanna strip naked and run around. or something. that "ya gotta saaaay goodbyyyye" part really captures the spirit of the whole tune for me and hits every damn time.
much like greta below, the vocals are the most polarizing part of this band. and while i mostly love them on record, after attending geese's show at the sinclair in october with a fellow extremely well-seasoned recorded and live music fan friend (we've probably seen close to 1000 artists between the two of us), we walked away pretty disappointed. as we put it, "all the pieces are there, but they haven't quite figured out how to make them work yet." winter experimented and meandered vocally to the point of songs being almost unrecognizable and the whole gig had a very lazy, unmotivated vibe — as if they didn't take performing that seriously and didn't care about earning their audience. hmph. and for a band with two full albums under their belt, a 45-minute set is unacceptable, IMO, when the opener played just as long! rant over, it was just a letdown after digging so much of their recorded music. i still adore this song and hope to see geese develop further in the future. :)
2. greta van fleet - "meeting the master"
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| it's the drums, it's definitely the drums |
a proper '80s power ballad in 2023 with dark lyrics about jonestowny cults and the perils of religious fanaticism that masquerades as a worship anthem? aw yeah. music taste is subjective, but if you can listen to "meeting the master" and hear anything less than a complete master class (pardon the pun) in vocal performance and control, song structure, melody, and the chill-inducing, tear-jerking, raw EMOTION that we (or at least i) fucking liiiive to feel from music...well, you're wrong, your soul is dead, and i pity you. in this tune, i hear shades of uriah heep, blind faith, marshall tucker band, jethro tull, zeppelin, YES, and aphrodite's child, to name more than a handful. the slow build is masterful and, to echo that text, almost orgasmic, with everything breaking loose into a gorgeous, life-affirming exaltation. listen with headphones, because the guitar pans from side to side in the solo and it's cool as fuuuuck. man, jake knows how to make that thing talk, and— even if it's not a particularly virtuosic or lengthy solo — he understands the assignment every time: to serve the song. and what is there to say about josh's voice? absolutely incredible. while the battle at garden's gate was a tough act to follow and it will likely remain my favorite GVF record, starcatcher is a close second and their most musically mature and consistent yet.
the same friend who i saw geese with and i are in wholehearted agreement, after seeing both multiple times each, that greta and the recently-reformed catfish and the bottlemen are the two best live bands we've ever seen. the super-personal connection GVF creates with their audiences (comprised of folks of all ages/races/walks of life), even though they're now in huge arenas, remains intact and incredible. it might sound silly, but seeing this song in september at TD garden was a spiritual experience. as tears formed in my eyes from both the beauty of the performance and the realization of how lucky i've been to witness this once-in-a-generation band from aaalmost the beginning, a text popped up from my pal, two rows away, that just read "i'm crying." phew. so it wasn't just me!
i've never shared a reaction video for a song before, but when i saw this guy's, above, i said "YES!!!" aloud. he *gets it* and better yet, eloquently and intelligently explains why he also thinks "meeting the master" is amazing in terms of both emotional impact and the musical nuances/arrangement — astutely referencing YES, alice in chains/mad season, and blind melon — all artists i have noted as influences myself. there's so much '90s alt-rock in their sound if you actually listen! it's refreshing to see someone who knows what they're talking about, in contrast to the brain dead and willfully ignorant HuR-DuR LeD ZePpELiN bullshit takes. but ya wanna talk comparisons? let's talk, babes. it's been six-plus years, so i'm just going to say it: robert plant *wishes* he had josh's vocal range! yep, i went there. while zep is undoubtedly legendary, i ain't wrong. gatekeepers and grumpy old men still aren't ready to have that conversation (nor are they ready to get real regarding the level of outright theft their beloved LZ committed against black blues artists, OPE. "BuT tHeY MaDe It ThEiR oWn" okay, bud! you mean just like greta is doing, without literally stealing shit?). oh, and if you're overly bothered by the clothing that ::checks notes:: musicians wear, i suggest you reexamine your own values and hangups. half my wardrobe is '60s and '70s vintage shit, and i'm not even a rock star! does that mean i'm "cosplaying" or inauthentic? get the fuck out of here with that completely irrelevant, superficial nonsense and go stream starcatcher.
1. white reaper - "fog machine"
ah, yes, my other favorite-song-by-a-rock-band-featuring-twin-brothers! while i've loved white reaper for many years, asking for a ride was the record i think i'd been waiting for from them. it perfectly marries their early, raw garage rock vibe with the more polished approach they took with the last album without going too far in either direction, and the result is a super fun and thoroughly enjoyable listen. they're also an insanely good live band, as i finally had the pleasure of seeing them this year! the crowd, unfortunately, did not give them even close to the energy they deserved, but i'm chalking that up to it being the end of st. patrick's day weekend.
i'm almost as obsessed with "getting into trouble w/ the boss," a super-melodically-unique deep cut that i immediately identified as the second star of the album months before taco bell used it in a commercial and everyone else jumped onboard (can someone hire me as a music supervisor already? not to toot my own horn too much, but i just have *the ear*, baby).
however, i think "fog machine" is the most representative of the jubilant, retro, '80s-arcade vibe that characterizes this album. it's like thin lizzy meets kiss meets maybe some early def leppard in there for good measure? aside from the the shredtastic dueling guitar solo, the phone-like vocal effect in the bridge is perhaps my favorite part. the whole song just makes me want to chew bubblegum and drive in a convertible to the mall and jump up and down on my bed, home alone-style, and twirl a landline phone cord around my fingers while talking to my crush. wheeeee!
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