My Favorite Albums of 2023*
*not necessarily from 2023
Last year, I decided that, instead of limiting my "favorite" list to just the past year, I would broaden the scope to include any CD I acquired that year, whether it was released that year or not. Over the past 12 months, I've added 155 CDs to the already over-burdened collection (which may seem like a lot but it's down from 260 last year, so I believe some praise is due). These are my favorite 9, in alphabetical order by album title.
Foo Fighters - But Here We Are
"Times Like These," whether he intended it to be or not, was one of the very few, great post-9/11 songs. And while I might expect that from Springsteen, Grohl didn't immediately spring to mind as a voice of comfort and empathy, so the song's impact may have actually been a bit greater than something akin to "The Rising" (which, don't get me wrong, is an amazing song). And now, a couple decades later, it shouldn't be surprising that a Foo Fighters album dealing with intense and intimate grief would also be stunning, but, like before, I certainly wasn't expecting it and also, like before, I've turned to it a hell of a lot more than I would have thought.
Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You
You know those albums where you really like a bunch of the songs but not all of them but you also know that, with each repeated listen, you're going to find ways into the songs you didn't like as much on previous listens and come up with reasons why you actually do like those songs and therefore, think the entire album is brilliant? Yeah, this is one of those albums.
billy woods and kenny segal - maps
Let me preface this by saying that I am years late to the billy woods party, so I do not have any way of comparing this to his previous, abundant discography, but if it is at all indicative of the rest of his work, I have some major catching up to do! woods is a top notch lyricist with a clear love of language and the ways in which it can be structured. His metaphors and imagery are complex and layered but never so obtuse that they alienate the listener. And all of this verbal brilliance is nestled comfortably on segal's inviting but never settled production. I'll come back to this one often.
Stevie Wonder - Original Musiquarium I
I'm not normally a fan of "best of" compilations but this one, with the addition of the four unreleased tracks capping each "side," is so well put together and clearly thought through, I'm thrilled to have it as a part of my collection. Plus, it's really hard to ever go wrong with Stevie.
Laura Mvula - Pink Noise
Roughly 5 years ago, I heard "She," and was blown away. I added Sing to the Moon to my discogs want list but never got around to snagging a copy. About 3 years ago, I heard "Got Me" and decided to be a bit more active in trying to acquire a copy of Pink Noise, but I think there were some transatlantic issues because nothing seemed to be remotely affordable. Fast forward to midway through this year, the album miraculously pops up on Amazon for under 10 bucks and a day or two later, I'm finally blessed with these 10 fiercely intelligent yet uncompromisingly catchy pop bangers.
Pool Kids - Pool Kids
It's mathy, it's tappy, it's stupidly technical, but if you strip that all away, at its heart, these are 12 solid pop-punk/emo songs. So while the base effort is already worthwhile, the tremendous musicality turns them into something truly special.
Atmosphere - Sad Clown Bad Fall 10
Okay, so it's only 5 tracks but hear me out. I was introduced to Slug and Ant through their brief stint with Epitaph Records and their, imho, brilliant album, Seven's Travels. Over the years, I've picked up an Atmosphere album here and there, but my takeaways have been lackluster and I started to wonder whether they were just a one-off in my book. And then I found this at a used record store in Seattle, and it not only reignited the flame but made me want to revisit the rest of my collection. That's pretty impressive for only 16 minutes of music.
Triple Fast Action - Triple Fast Action
Triple Fast Action were probably the favorite band your favorite 90's alt-rock band (The Colour and the Shape was, apparently, greatly influenced by Broadcaster) and with only two albums to their name, it was a wonderful surprise to discover this treasure trove of unreleased and rare tracks, most of which were recorded in their rehearsal studio. While not everything is great, there's a general bittersweet air hovering around this 2-disc compilation - they could have been big, but for whatever reason, the stars didn't align. At least we now have so much more music.
Ratboys - The Window
Ratboys aren't reinventing the wheel here. They pull upon most of the major indie rock tropes of the past couple of years (Americana, pop-punk, prog rock...) but even with the genre hopping, the album shifts seamlessly from track to track and always feels authentic. What would we do with a new wheel anyway? Wouldn't you rather just get the top-of-the-line version?
Other assorted 2023 stuff
Favorite Albums NOT acquired in 2023:
Proper. - The Great American Novel
Tigers Jaw - I Don't Care How You Remember Me
Elvis Costello - Brutal Youth
Face to Face - Face to Face
Florence + The Machine - High As Hope
Beauty Pill - The Unsustainable Lifestyle
Favorite Live Bands seen in 2023:
The Verve Pipe (City Winery - 4/23)
Home Is Where (Elsewhere - 7/8)
Four Year Strong (Rocks Off Concert Cruise - 10/15)
The Hold Steady (Brooklyn Bowl - 11/30)
Favorite Movies watched in 2023:
Soft and Quiet
Poor Things
Shotgun Wedding
Pearl
Favorite TV Shows watched in 2023:
Alice in Borderland (Season 1)
The Fall of the House of Usher
The Curse
This is Pop
Channel Zero (Seasons 1 and 2)
Evil (Seasons 1 and 2)
The Last of Us
Favorite Books read in 2023:
Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry
In the Dream House - Carmen Maria Machado
Wraith - Joe Hill and Charles Paul Wilson III
Favorite Podcasts listened to in 2023:
Fearful Symmetry
Love and Radio
Detoxcity
U Springing Springsteen on My Bean?
"Finn and the Bell" episode of Radiolab
"Wake" episode of The Memory Palace
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The dead named by their dead name
The news picks pictures you hated
to display for thirty seconds While
anchors detail the final few terrifying
minutes of your life Then cut to
commercial; you were so much more than your death
You were beautiful, you were my sister
--You are beautiful, you are my sister
No more victims. No more missing
girls. Arm trans women by any means,
these queens are ready. This is litеral:
Dismantle what makes trans girls live
in fеar. Fuck you
I'm a woman,
Suck my dick.
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