SIL 2023 - Songs I Loved/Liked/Listened to in 2023 (1/1/23 - 12/8/23)
All songs released in 2023 (except Easy On Your Own?)

“Chosen to Deserve” - A rollicking alt-country good time about being young (in a way that I maybe never got to experience). I always turn up the volume when the song gets to: “If you’re looking for me/I’m in the back of an SUV/Doin’ it in some cul-de-sac/Underneath a dogwood tree/I’m the girl that you were chosen to deserve.”

“Dream Song” - Somewhere in between a state of remembering-imagining-forgiving, I like how the steady fingerpicked guitar leads airy vocals that repeat: “You get your dreams for free.”

“Idaho Alien” - Trevor Powers wrote the songs off this album after recovering from a debilitating health issue that turned his life upside down. All of that grief and uncertainty comes through as he sings over a plucky piano accompaniment: “I don’t remember how it happened/Blood filled up the clawfoot bath and I will fear no frontier.”

“(You) On My Arm” - Simply put, the melody is right down my alley and hits a sweet spot with a chorus that sounds like infatuation (the fun kind): “I wanna be, I wanna buy you pretty little things and never ever lie to you/Watch you get dressed and compliment your taste/I’d better be armed if you agreed to take it.”

“RBH” - It’s the Mac Demarco-esque guitar licks that really seal the deal on this song. Feels very put together, like there isn’t a single second wasted. RBH of course means “Right beside her.”

“Not Strong Enough” - I feel like I’m always in the mood to hear this song - truly anthemic. “I don’t know why I am the way I am/Not Strong enough to be your man.” Who among us have not felt that way. And so long as you’re a super group with three vocalists, you must make good use of additive harmonies, which they do, at “Always an angel, never a god.”

“Cool About It” - The cool thing about this group is that there are three distinct lyricists and for this one, I think I relate most to Lucy Dacus when she says: I came prepared for absolution if you’d only ask/So I take some offense when you say, “No regrets.”

“Cut and Dry” - Charlotte Cornfield’s Could Have Done Anything may end up being the album I listened to the most in 2023 (edit: it was) - all hits, no skips. This song feels like the center piece, both thematically and musically as a meditation on love: “Honestly, I tried to cut ties/But now I know not everything is cut and dry/And I know that I still need you in my life.”

“Walking with Rachel” - Like I said, this album is all hits and no misses, so it’s hard to just pick two but this song closes the album and feels like it overflows with reflection. During the pandemic, we all started taking more walks - maybe I’m feeling sentimental about that. The song ends with a chant like repetition of melody that builds and builds beautifully: “And I’m grateful that I’m calmer than I was/Stronger than I was/Smarter than I was/Older than I was/Less angry than I was/More grounded than I was/Happier than I was.”

“KITY” - KEEP IT TO YOURSELF but make it a bop that you can dance to. Undeniable groove, perfect gem just over 2 minutes that leaves you wanting more.

“Easy on Your Own?” - So I cheated and this one came out in 2022. I listened to this album when it came out but didn’t really get it in rotation until this year. Can’t help but pump my first and sing along to the unexpectedly iconic opening words: “I dropped out - College education is a dull knife.”

“I See Myself” - Look, I listened to this song a lot during the peak of summer while picking out natural wines at the wine shop after a shirtless run and so it reminds me of having that post-run endorphine rush while looking forward to drinking wine.

“Dirt” - Another well crafted song with a vocal melody that carries effortlessly through the song to the chorus. The rhythm guitar is doing some great work when it changes up at: “Oh-oh-oh, I want you back.”

“2 HAND TOUCH” - Just a fun, breezy song with fun, breezy vocals and fun, breezy lyrics with a shout out to Whitney Houston too. Exhibit A for some fun, breezy stream of consciousness lyrics: “You eat your watermelon with a spoon/Right out the rind, like it's a bowl of soup/Soup freaks me out/But I like you/I like watermelon too/So that's cool.”

“Younger & Dumber” - A ballad that builds to a crescendo with the vocals and production. The lyrics are vulnerable and honest, asking hard questions (with the benefit of a pedal steel). It’s about looking back when you were younger and dumber, even though you might be no wiser.

“What Was I Made For?” - Hi Barbie. Hi Barbie. I am so impressed with this song which ended up serving as the main motif for the film. The song makes me achey - what a great movie.

“ILYILY” - Love a good alt-country jaunt. The song structure is very simple but somehow still feels effective and meaty. Love a good acronym too.

“Skeleton is Walking” - A first-impression stand out track from Blake Mills’ Jelly Road record. Here we have another song that uses repetition as a strength, with the verse and chorus structure repeating through the song and builds with the fuzzy guitar solo.

“Jelly Road” - This one however, ended up being my favorite song on the record. The song unravels like a fable both lyrically and musically. Just love the world it creates right at the opening words: “Frog and toad together/Or even just the toad/Take a solo, honey/Let the honey flow/Speak to me in breadcrumbs/Speak to me in code/Tell me it again/About the Jelly Road.”

“Broadview” - Pedal steel, is there anything better? The chorus and chords builds and resolves in such a satisfying, ideal way at: “Or was I wrong? Or is it okay to stay inside and out of love?”

“Away From the Castle” - In my head canon, the opening guitar is meant to sound like what you hear when a densha (train) is approaching. Cannot confirm. Just another musical treat, expertly constructed, timeless. Cannot bring myself to skip when it comes up on playlist.

“Moonlit Breakers” - Dijon put out two of my favorite records in the last few years so with his involvement, this is almost an automatic cosign. It almost gives me a Prince-like sense of confidence and fun. “You ain’t gonna get no catch of the day, swimmin’ round in the dark like that/Moonlit breakers/You see I’m huntin’ down the big fish tonight.”

“Born For Loving You” - Big Thief have a way of writing lyrics that feel true and sweet and in this one, joyful. The feeling they sing about here feels uplifting and in a way, revelational? “From the first kiss to the first fuck/I don’t think it’s just good luck/Take me to the back of you pick up truck/Show me a thing or two/’Cause I was born for loving you.”

“Back on 74” - Jungle will always remind me of my niece and her cousin. When they were little toddlers, they got matching Adidas track suits and would dance to “Casio.” This song is just as catchy and as always, they have a fantastic music video.

“Mio” - Always down to support an Austrian-Iranian girl making a good ol’ pop gem. My favorite part of the song is when the baroque-like synths come in at around 1:15.

“Tu Peux Pas Savoir” - I had a francophile phase in high school listening to Francoise Hardy, Jane Birkin, and other yé-yé girls .I believe the English translation is “you have no idea.” I dunno though.

“Half the Time” - If you can write a tight lil ditty in under a minute, there’s no point in dragging it out.

“Lexicon” - Another well crafted pop song - nice groove, chugging guitars, and a chorus that is catchy as hell. I particularly feel like the way the vocals let the song breathe at “Bring it back/Bring you back/And you wore me down” before the chorus is very effective. I do think the use of “lexicon” in this song is a non-traditional way to use the word but hey, there’s a point to be made.

“Gem & I” - Animal Collective had a very strong presence in my musical influences in the 2000s but like a lot of other acts from that era, I hadn’t really been tracking them as of late. But I’m very much enjoying this strange little song, which somehow feels nostalgic, especially the part at: “Let’s do it again, and again, and again, and again.”

“Tattoo” - Another true ballad, right down to the piano and reverb. Big fan of the way the chorus progresses here sidestepping and rising. More on Molly Burch later.

“Lifetime” - Repetition might be the most effectively employed mechanic in 2023. Another song that effectively uses a repeated melody and lyric over and over to its benefit. In fact, “In a lifetime” is repeated over 15 times at the end but somehow, each one feels important.

“Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometimes” - A cover of a cover that feels more like a homage to the cover. I’ve had a soft spot for this song since hearing Beck’s (diagetic?) version in 2004’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

“Ella Baila Sola” - Sp*tify Wrapped 2023 introduced a new feature where they assign you to a “sound town” or a city that has the most similar taste to your listening habits and it placed me in Berkeley, which the internet has affectionately called one third of the gay Bermuda Triangle since many queer streamers were assigned to those cities (Burlington and Cambridge being the other cities). My point? In a list firmly residing in the gay Bermuda Triangle, I can’t not include what seems like an outlier with this international hit - the first regional Mexican song to accumulate 1 billion streams on Sp*tify.

“the train to nowhere” - Underneath the aughts-leaning indie aesthetic often adopted by Gen Z, there is a very Angelo Badalamenti quality in hemlocke spring songs, especially in the chorus here with the nimble vocal line and backing arpeggios.

“Heartburn” - Just a tremendous, nearly perfectly crafted pop song. You can dance to it, you can drive to it, you can clean to it - just a delight. Molly Burch’s new album is just a delight overall.

“Ice Slippin” - I initially intended to put “Live For Me” from the same EP here instead because that track stood out as a great first impression song but I switched it out last minute because this might be the more interesting song with its oddly Radiohead-esque stylings. Side note, the EP cover reminds me of Rocky (III?) freeze frame painting with Apollo Creed. Hmm, Omar Apollo, Apollo Creed.

“Angel” - I’ll be honest, I thought this was a Pinegrove B-side when I first heard the song. Alas, it is not, but it is still a great song that you can put on when you want to hear a well written, pleasant tune.

“Alley Light” - You know a motif is a winner when you can repeat the same riff repeatedly and that becomes the strength of the song. This is that kind of song and every time I hear the vocal motif repeat, I’m more eager to hear it again.

“Oral” - Maybe it’s because seeing the music video was the first time I heard the song, and the video features an uncanny valley/extremely youthful looking Bjork and Rosalia fighting like they’re in a demo mode of Tekken - but we are so lucky to get more vocals from Bjork that sounds so good as she recently welcomed her 58th birthday.

“Tore” - I expected Mali Velasquez to be my top artist for Sp*tify Wrapped this year because I’ve been listening to her album everyday since it came out in October. This song really shines as a “poised to be the single” type song that’s catchy and makes a splash.

“Death Grip” - I also wanted to add another Mali Velasquez song to show her depth and this feels more representative of the album she put out. Her voice has a really enchanting wavering quality which I honestly don’t know if is an after effect or just how she sounds. The song builds gently and really kicks in when the drums drop in at the second verse.

“Emerald River Dance” - June McDoom (greatest name, 10/10) put out an album with a focus on string orchestration and this song just spills out like an enchanting fable that feels timeless and haunting.

“Kiss Her Kiss Her” - I feel like a lot of Blonde Redhead songs have a baroque-like quality that is really interesting. Their new album (which by the way has a cute painting of a strawberry as the cover) is pretty great overall and this one for me, was the top first impression song.

“My Love Mine All Mine” - You may notice that this song is in bold. This is to indicate a two thumbs up of sorts. Just a perfect, romantic, dew drenched song. My favorite lyric? “Nothing in the world belongs to me/But my love mine, all mine.”

“I’m Your Man” - first and foremost, I think the song composition is masterful. The guitar chord progression and field recordings of wolves, crickets, wind - evocative and haunting. But the lyrics have so much power, it’s hard to excerpt just one part: “You’re an angel, I’m a dog/Or you’re a dog and I’m your man/You believe me like a god/I’ll destroy you like I am”…”You believe me like a god/I’ll betray you like a man.”