Top 25 Songs of 2023

[transformers2]

#8
John: Completely indifferent on this.

Leestu: I'm going to be honest, I have zero recollection of them being on your list last year. This was a pretty solid punk song nonetheless.

six: While it's not my favorite record of hers, Mitski adding folk/country to her sadsack musical arsenal is a fitting, effective evolution.

surfer: Agreeable power pop tune from a band that I thought had already long disbanded.

Ron: This fucking rips. Had no clue 070 Shake was capable of making something that is both eerily atmospheric and catchy as all hell.

[numbersix]

SONG #7


John

S.G. Goodman: Take It Away (pt. B)

"Take my word that I'm here to stay
We have to try to find a way
Take the whole world down, come what may
We have to try to find a way"

That kind of self-confidence is a tiresome cliche in hip-hop, but in this song and with that voice it seems charmingly naive. The only problem with this song is that it's too damn short.




Leetsu

HotWax: Treasure

There is some great female driven psych rock going on lately and I have been loving it. Here is a great one, borrowing from heavy psych like early grunge did.. Hopefully we get a debut album from them soon




Transformers

The Callous Daoboys: Waco Jesus

What's kind of magical about "Waco Jesus" is how The Callous Daoboys were able to find a way to make their music considerably more melodic without sacrificing the unpredictable, chaotic edge that has made them one of the most exciting metal/mathcore acts of their generation.




Six

JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown: Scaring the Hoes

I didn’t know much about JPEGMAFIA until last year, but Danny Brown’s return got my interest piqued (and ironically his latest solo album, Quaranta, is a massive disappointment). This collab album is a perfect blend of the kind of crazy, experimental hip-hip that I enjoy way more than the mainstream stuff. And this is actually quite simple, a sax sample (which is actually by Alex Zhang Hungtai, aka Dirty Beaches) laid down with some strong beats and deranged bars.




Surf

Sparklehorse: I Fucked It Up




Ron

The Last Dinner Party: Nothing Matters

[numbersix]

8 and 7

John: Doogie Poole wasn't bad, was that a synth I heard in a non-Sparks track from you? Madness! The SS Goodman was just the right duration for me, as it wasn't particularly interesting.

Leetsu: 2 bands I've seen live on a few occasions. That Sprints track wasn't bad, and I'm working through their debut album at the moment, which is a mixed bag, but let's discuss this time next year. And Hotwax I just watched live last week for a headline show, and they did indeed play this track, although the studio version is too muted.

Tranny: I appreciate the sentiment in the Foo Fighters song, but musically it felt very, very bland. Can't say the same about the The Callous Daoboys, though it's not my kinda thing.

Surf: Shame Screaming Females have broken up, as that wasn't a bad song at all, though admittedly I'm not a huge fan. And strange to hear a new Sparklehorse track after all these years. Nice and fuzzy.

Ron: Wow, man, sometimes you pick music I don't like, and sometimes you really surprise. The 070 Shake was pretty decent, had a goth vibe to it. But the Last Dinner Party really impressed me. I know they've kinda blown up recently, and are labelled the next big thing. And they deserve it with a song like this, which is catchy and quirky in all the right ways, like Goatgirl led by Kate Bush. Will be checking them out more.

[numbersix]

Surf wants Feb 2nd

[transformers2]

#7
John: Not for me.

Leestu: Pretty cool. Nice balance of groovy and trippy instrumentation and the vocals complemented that vibe perfectly.

six: Glad to see this incredible album represented elsewhere on the countdown. This probably falls somewhere in the middle of the pack of my track rankings, but it's great, nonetheless. The fluidity of the transitions between the samples are just absurdly good.
 
surfer: I seemingly say this every year, but you have a gift for picking songs that I can gel with musically but annoy the hell out of me vocally. This has got to be the 3rd or 4th addition to that camp for this year. Truly an impressive magic trick that amuses me greatly and will hopefully continue for years to come.

Ron: Don't typically go for this brand of baroque-y indie rock/pop, but this was compelling and catchy every step of the way. These ladies have a lot of promise and I'll definitely check out their full-length when it comes out next month.

[Leestu]

I'll take Jan 30th if I can. Thanks

[numbersix]

Complete #1 lineup

Jan 29 - John
Jan 30 - Leetsu
Jan 31 - Tranny
Feb 1 - Ron
Feb 2 - Surf
Feb 3 - Six

Guys, if you've time it would be great if you can include your full list along with your #1, but if you can't don't worry, I'll help out.

[JohnErle]

Today's picks were a nope, a nun-uh, a no thanks, a next please, and a not in this lifetime, but not necessarily in that order.

[numbersix]

SONG #6


John

Gaby Moreno: Fronteras

I regret not being able to see Gaby Moreno open for Neko Case in Vancouver shortly before I left. Gaby has usurped Neko as my favourite singer working today, and my biggest musical crush, so having them both on the same bill would have been epic.




Leetsu

Lol Tolhurst x Budgie x Jacknife Lee: Los Angeles (with James Murphy)

This collab worked way better than I hoped when I first heard about it. Fascinating song hearing all their distinctive elements gelling together. The xylophone(?) at the start that is so The Caterpillar/The Walk era Cure makes me smile every listen




Transformers

Mutoid Man: Graveyard Love

Just another towering hard rock/alternative metal home run delivered by the mighty Mutoid Man. The riffs on this fucking track bring the biggest, goofiest smile to my face and the hook is stupid catchy.




Six

Wednesday: Bull Believer

Despite being on their fifth record, 2023 was really their breakout year, thanks to glowing reviews of Rat Saw God. They’re basically a venn diagram of some of my favourite genres across various stages in my life: slacker rock, shoegaze, alt-country, and noise-rock. They’re all present in Bull Believer, an epic song that twists and turns, and ends up with a refrain referencing Mortal Kombat, of all things.




Surf

Wombo: Slab




Ron

d4vd: Worthless

[JohnErle]

Nice to see Los Angeles appear again. I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've ever had two crossovers on the same countdown, but I've also liked fewer of your guys' picks than ever before, so I'm not sure what to make of that.

Case in point: I didn't like anything else that was posted today.

[transformers2]

#6
John: A simple acoustic folk track with some pretty vocals, but a bit too mellow for my tastes.

Leestu: Still doesn't work for me at all.

six: As is often the case for both noise rock and shoegaze, the drawn-out outro dulls its impact a bit, but it's a cool fusion of genres that contains some awe-inspiring moments-particularly in the opening third.

surfer: The mathy guitarwork, while impressive, is completely at odds with the melancholic, deadpan vocals and it ultmiately adds up to a messy mixed bag listen.

Ron: Catchy and pleasant!

[JohnErle]

#6
John: A simple acoustic folk track with some pretty vocals, but a bit too mellow for my tastes.

You're going to hate tomorrow's pick.

[transformers2]

Looking forward to it!

[numbersix]

SONG #5


John

Peter One: Birds Go Die Out Of Sight (Don't Go Home)

"Hold your horses, brother
Don't you go
Don't you go, can't you see?

Things have changed
You have changed
You've been here now more than 20 years

Don't go home"

This might be the most personally relatable song I heard in 2023, my first year back in the province I grew up in, where everything feels so very different from Vancouver. If I had heard this last year it only would have added to my suspicions that moving here might be a terrible idea.




Leetsu

Yard Act: The Trench Coat Museum

One of my current favourite bands




Transformers

Queens of the Stone Age: Paper Machete

More than any other track on the excellent "In Times New Roman...", "Paper Machete" recaptures the vintage essence of Queens of the Stone Age that hadn't been there for the previous decade. The lyrics have bite. The music is propulsive and riff-driven. There's a general atmosphere of grime and despair in the air. In other words, all is right in the world of QOSTA.




Six

Heartworms: 24 Hours

Another promising new British act, with only an EP (and some older demos) out in the world to sell her Siouxsie-inspired sound. 24 Hours shares DNA with Joy Division in more than the track’s title, and features an excellent outro. Funnily, when I was obsessively listening to this in April, I figured it would be one of the few songs on my list that Patrick might like, due to the 80s influence. Shame he never got to hear it.




Surf

All Structures Align: Six Falcon




Ron

Dom Dolla, Nelly Furtado: Eat Your Man

[numbersix]

6+5

John: Two very pleasant songs that I'll never remember, even if I heard them again. Gaby Morena has the edge over the other one due to her vocals.

Leetsu: One track I love that almost made my list, and one I love that did. Good work!

Tranny: Mutoid Man was not my style. The QUOTSA track was good, very much an attempt to recapture old glory.

Surf: Liked the contrast between the gentle, soft vocals and the antsy energy of the guitars. And really liked the hard post-rock of All Structures Align

Ron: d4vd's track wasn't bad, a nice combo of downbeat pop and indie. Didn't think Nelly Furtado was around, even if her vocals are processed beyond any point. Song is too dancy for me.