Favorite Songs of 2023 - Songs 23-33

It was a weird year musically for me - no live concerts, lots of time on Spotify and in C's car on Sirius and semi-listening to songs suggested by Uproxx to find candidates for this year's List. The result is an odd combination of new artists and old favorites, quiet, often sad songs, and loud, pretty much meaningless rockers, obscure releases and very popular ones, and a few that fall somewhere in-between all of the above. It may not be my most coherent list, but I prefer to think of it as ... eclectic. 

23. Gimme Back My Soul by Medium Build.

"When I met you at the tap room

I was young, with big brown eyes.

Got your number, for the summer

I was drunk, but you were nice, nice, nice.

Told you about Jesus

I told you about James

Told you about all the pieces of me

That I can't change."

The first of many songs on this year's List that I can empathize, but not sympathize, with.

24. Surfing in Iceland by Goth Babe. 

"I was waiting right there away from 

Hiding from the bad and hiding from the bad 

I was standing right there in Iceland 

And this is mighty rad and this is mighty rad."

 

Yes, Goth Babe is a male (Griff Washburn). And, yes, he apparently really did surf in Iceland.

25. Positive Charge by The Gaslight Anthem.

"I need a spark

I need a positive charge

Plug it into my veins and make me love this life again.

I need a spark

I need a positive charge.

Plug it into my brain and make me love my life again."

In the oft repeated "reminds me of" category on the List, this song definitely puts me in mind of the best from the Gin Blossoms back in the day.

26. Joiner by Blondshell.

"You've been running around LA with trash

Sleepin' in bars with a gun in your bag.

Asking 'Can I be somebody else?'

You've been riding around on handlebars

Buying drugs from guys in cars

Asking 'Can I be somebody else?'"

I can't tell if Blondshell (aka Sabrina Teitelbaum) is rubbernecking a car wreck, or wants to become part of it.

27.  Highlands by Middle Kids.

"Wherever you are, we're just getting started

Out of the dark, into the highlands.

Give me your heart, I wanna hide it

And I can't keep waiting for things to change."

The Kids from Down Under are back. And it sounds like they're ready to stir some ... stuff up.

28. SLAP ME IN THE FACE by PRONOUN.

"Slap me in the face and tell me I'm perfect

I wanna feel nice instead of just feeling sad

The world is so big and its future is yucky

I wanna play nice but you should treat me real bad."

Not sure I'm entirely comfortable with the message, but anything that pronoun/PRONOUN (aka Alyse Vellturo) does is so darn catchy it can't be ignored.

29. Something Wrong by Hand Habits.

"I'm beggin'

Beggin' you to understand

Amazing, call you my friend

Is there something wrong with that?

Is there something wrong with that?"

This song from Hand Habits (aka Meg Duffy) is haunting, but I like it. Is there something wrong with that?

30. CSI: Petralona by Westerman.

"Close shave in Petralona

My new friend walked me, hand in hand

Down to that busy square

You said, 'Let's head someplace quieter'

Athen is small

Everybody knows you here."

No, not that CSI. Sounds like Westerman was sorting through some deep stuff. Glad he had his friend with him.

31. Sugar Babies by Spoon.

"At the bar, don't forget les au revoirs les sugar babies

They saw me in the storefront standing still

They walked on by they couldn't chill

They'll say hello next time now maybe."

Anything Spoon does is worth a listen. Their longevity (they formed 30 years ago) and ability to not get stale and yet be true to themselves and their sound is admirable.

32. Save the World by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit.

"Balloon popping at the grocery store

My heart jumping in my chest.

I look around to find the exit door.

Which way out of here's the best?"

We know how you feel, Jason. I love how the instrumental intro sounds like "breaking news" music on a t.v. station.

33. I Don't Know What You See in Me by Belle and Sebastian.

"I've been looking in, and looking out

And there's a million faces in the crowd

But you chose to hold your gaze on me.

And it only took a moment to see."

Belle and Sebastian have been around for almost as long as Spoon, but I believe that this is their first appearance on the List. Welcome, old friends!

Stick around friends, 22 more songs to come!

Favorite Songs of 2021 - Songs 12-22

Ignore this portion of the list at your peril!

12. From the Back of a Cab by Rostam.

"And in the back of a cab we sit closer

And I rest my head down on your shoulder

From the back of the cab to the airport

I am happy you and I got this hour."

Our man Rostam didn't just do covers this year, he came out with new music as well. This is my favorite from his 2021 album Changephobia -- a pretty song about a cab ride to the airport with your love. Check out, at the least, "4Runner" as well.

13. Back in Ohio by Lucero.

"Looking down the barrels

Of twenty loaded guns

All the letters written

All the fighting's been done

A man without a country

Ain't getting out alive."

My brother introduced me to both Lucero and this song earlier this year, and I feel I'm the better for both. It was clear from the video that the song is about the Cuban Revolution, but the exact reference (of which I was not aware) is here.

14. Reese by Big Red Machine. 

"A little bit older now

Out in the wilderness

With some valedictorian

You had wagered up your torch

And then you lost your paraffin."

Big Red Machine is mostly Justin Vernon (a.k.a. Bon Iver) and Aaron Dressner (of The National fame), with various well-known guest artists. Yep, the name is a reference to the Cincinnati Reds of the '70's (Dressner, like the rest of the members of The National, is originally from Cincy). Sounds like Justin is not pleased with the actions of a former friend in this song.

15. Making A Fire (Mark Ronson version) by The Foo Fighters.

"This is our last time

I've made up my mind

I've waited a lifetime to live

It's time to ignite

I'm making a fire."

The Foos are still cool! Dave Grohl is definitely still cool!! They blessed us with a new album in 2021, and some re-mixes, and this is my favorite of the bunch (you can check out the original version of Making A Fire here). I also recommend giving a listen to Love Dies Young and Waiting on a War, at the least, from the excellent Medicine at Midnight LP.

16. Chinatown by Bleachers (feat. Bruce Springsteen).

"Yeah, I wanna find tomorrow

With a girl like you

My Chinatown baby

Sittin' on your front stoop

Cryin' out the crazy."

A break from protocol here as there are two Bleachers' songs on the list (and, truth be told, there could easily be four). My reasoning for the double inclusion is simple enough: only one of those songs features The Boss as well. So, one Bleachers song, one Bleachers and Bruce Springsteen song. Hope everyone's cool with that ...

17. I WANT TO DIE BUT I CAN'T ('CUZ I GOTTA KEEP LIVING) by PRONOUN.

"Wake up in another day

Have some coffee with my stupor

Add up all the time I waste

Telling myself I'm a loser."

Apparently PRONOUN (a.k.a. Alyse Velturo) has decided to forego all lowercase letters and instead use ALL CAPS. You do what you do, lady. I think she's mocking herself here, but maybe it's someone else ...

18. Write a List of Things to Look Forward To by Courtney Barnett.

"Sit beside me, watch the world burn

We'll never learn, we don't deserve nice things

And we'll scream self-righteously

We did our best, but what does that really mean?"

A song about a fractured friendship? Or a bigger picture than that (global climate change?)?

19. Stellate (The Districts Remix) by Samia.

"I wanna get you sedated

Like when it all began

I wanna play you records I like

I wanna hold your hand."

When this song was rereleased with the addition of The Districts, I was hooked. Love Samia's voice, which is enhanced (I believe) by the addition of TDs. And who doesn't love an overt reference to The Beatles?

20. Alibi (Alternate Version) by Geographer.

"Some days can be harder

But we find the way to keep

Our eyes on the forest

And forget about the trees."

It's been a while since Geographer made my list. I'm glad I found this song worthy of inclusion.

21. Far Out by Ben Howard.

"One said 'the violence has begun, we're together all as one

If we don't act now it'll be tomorrow.'

Well, I've seen this show before

So I left and closed the door

When out walking into the nearest forest clearing

There was nothing to see 

Just a boy beyond the trees

Picking psilocybin."

A dark but maybe hopeful (at least for those who indulge in magic mushrooms) song about our current societal divisions. 

22. Human Condition by Sjowgren.

"Whether they knew 

Call it crazy it's true

Went on and on and on it goes

It's the human condition

But nobody mentioned

The eyes the eyes the eyes the eyes."

Sjowgren has at least let us put faces to their voices now -- so a little less mystery than previous incarnations on my list. And every bit worthy of its inclusion.

My favorite 11 songs of 2021 are just around the corner!

Favorite Songs of 2019 - Songs 12-22

On we roll with the list, which features rockers old and new.

12.  Groceries by Mallrat.

"And if you wanna get groceries
And if you wanna get close to me
Just gimme some, gimme some, gimme some sign
I think that we're supposed to be."

Mallrat is one Grace Kathleen Elizabeth Shaw, an Australian musician (and rapper according to Wikipedia). Will her love be unrequited? Perhaps we'll find out on her next album.

13.  Old Black Magic by Josh Ritter.

"I can't sleep for crying
I cry all the time
Everybody's got an angel
I got mine
Wings of a crow
Overshadowin'
I got that old black magic rolling in."

One of my favorite artists backed by The 400 Unit and produced by Jason Isbell (who, I'm guessing, plays lead on the studio version)? Oh heck yes.  The studio version is here:

14.  Western Stars by Bruce Springsteen.

"Here in the canyons above Sunset, the desert don't give up the fight
A coyote with someone’s Chihuahua in its teeth skitters 'cross my veranda in the night.
Some lost sheep from Oklahoma sips her Mojito down at the Whiskey Bar
Smiles and says she thinks she remembers me from that commercial with the credit card."

In addition to the many fine covers of The Boss this year, we also had the good fortune to listen to his 19th album. This song seems to be from the perspective of an aging actor in Westerns -- for which there doesn't seem to be much call these days. Far from a coincidence that it comes from Springsteen in his 70th year of life.

15.  Mercury in Retrograde by Sturgill Simpson.

"Mercury must be in retrograde again
But at least it's not just hangin' around, pretendin' to be my friend
Oh, the road to Hell is paved with cruel intention
If it's not nuclear war, it's gonna be a divine intervention."

Mercury is truly (but of course, "truly" being a relative term since it only appears that way to us) in retrograde this year, but that's not what our friend Sturgill is singing about. This is actually one of the quieter songs on what is a rather pronounced turn to the loud for Simpson. Check out "Sing Along" and "Last Man Standing" to see what I mean.

16.  everybody knows by pronoun.

“I've been trying to make some sense of things
I know deep down don't make any at all
And the things I thought would build me up
One-eighty'd now and make me feel so small.”

Much like another list favorite, Sjowgren, pronoun would dribble out a few songs a year for us. Until 2019, when Alyse Vellturo graced us with her first album “i’ll show you stronger.” And what a treat it was. I recommend to you “stay” and “wrong” on the album as well - but this is my favorite.

17.  Left Alone by Houses.

"I wake up dreaming everyday
It's just like living but it doesn't feel the same
'Cause the sky up above me starts falling down on me
Like a shovel full of graveyard dirt."

Houses' "Fast Talk" was high on my list last year. I like this song almost as much ...

18.  Forever Half Mast by Lucy Dacus.

"We're in a state of disarray, united by our darkest days
Aching from the growing pains, they always say it's just a phase
America, the tried and true, red and white and black and blue
Tell me, who did this to you? If it was me I hardly knew."

Last year's list queen, Ms. Dacus spent this one rolling out one song at a time in celebration of various holidays (including Bruce Springsteen's birthday). This was her take on the Fourth of July, which expresses the ambivalence a lot of us are feeling these days toward the country that we love. A friend described Lucy as a "teacher's pet" for me. Absolutely accurate.

19.  Heavy Like the World by Guided by Voices. 

"It's a lonely world I've heard
I might have the knot pull through
It's so difficult to do
I might have to get one too."

When I first heard this song, I was convinced it was a certain aging but far from over-the-hill alternative rocker -- Bob Mould of Husker Du, Sugar, et al. fame. Then I learned that Guided by Voices are actually contemporaries of Mould, and are from of all places, practically our backyard -- Dayton, Ohio. I'm ashamed to admit I hadn't heard of them until a few months ago.

20.  Dope Queen Blues by Adia Victoria. 

"It's a culmination
Of my ruination
We are lost
In vain."

The subject matter is a little lost on me, but the vocals aren't. And then the sax kicks in ... Ms. Victoria's album was produced by Aaron Dressner of The National, which certainly isn't a negative (in my book) either.

21.  Moderation by Florence + The Machine. 

"Can't hold it back, I can't take the tension
Oh, I'm trying to be good
Want me to love you in moderation
Well don't you know, I wish I could."

Given the way she puts her soul into every song, it's easy to believe that moderation is not in Florence Welch's playbook.

22.  High Highs, Low Lows by Stephen Kellogg. 

"But most of your critique
Doesn't sound that much like me.
But I wonder if it sounds
A bit like you."

The second artist on this year's list that I heard at a most excellent Mountain Stage. C thinks it sounds like a Lyle Lovett song. High praise in my book.

Favorite Songs of 2017: Songs 1-11

As another year draws to a close, so too does our list. I hope that you've found some new artists to enjoy (or perhaps avoid) in the coming years. I believe that this year's list is particularly strong, especially at the top.

1.  Old Friends by Pinegrove.

"Walking out in the nighttime springtime

Needling my way home

I saw Leah on the bus a few months ago

Saw some old friends at her funeral.

My steps keep splitting my grief

Through these solipsistic moods

I should call my parents when I think of them

Should tell my friends when I love them."

When I discovered this song nearly a year ago, it immediately went to the top of my list and has stayed there ever since. The lyrics are perfect -- sad and hopeful, smart and simple, contemplative and life-affirming. The language advisory at the start of the video? Completely legitimate.

2.  Die Young by Sylvan Esso.

"I had it all planned that way before you met me

Was gonna leave early and so swiftly

Maybe in a fire or a crash off a ravine

People would weep: 'How tragic, so early.'

I was gonna die young

Now I gotta wait for you, hun."

A lovely, albeit slightly twisted, love song. All credit to my comely spouse for first discovering this song and these artists for me. The original version (from the excellent album "What Now") is fantastic, but the "live" version here is, I believe, even better (and I highly recommend the EP "Echo Mountain Sessions" as well). That voice! That sax!!

3.  Love Is Mystical by Cold War Kids.

"Oh, can't you hear the future is calling

For heaven's sake

It's either hell or high water

Let's get outta this place." 

I'm a graduate of the "you can never go wrong with hand claps and a 'woo hoo hoo' chorus" school of music appreciation. The other half of the dueling Kids on this year's list (joining Middle Kids from the last post).

4.  Shark Smile by Big Thief.

"It came over her at a bad time

Riding through Winona down the dotted line

Held us gunning out

Ninety miles down the road of a dead end dream.

She looked over, with a part smile

Caught up in the twinkle, it could take awhile

And the money pile on the dashboard fluttering."

A beautiful and sad song. Big Thief singer and guitarist Adrianne Lenker described it in a press release as "the story of a car accident in which one dies and one lives. She recalls her lover leading up to the moment of the wreck, wishing she'd been taken into the next realm, too."

5.  Off She Goes by Bad Suns.

"Where, where do you go

When the light leaves your eyes?

And you're just out of reach

Like a tree-bound kite

What's on your mind, as you're staring behind?

And I'm on my own in your arms tonight

Yeah I'm on my own in your arms tonight."

Not the most profound song on this year's list. But maybe the catchiest.

6.  Unforgiving Girl (She's Not A Single Version) by Car Seat Headrest.

"This isn't sex

(I don't think)

It's just extreme empathy."

As you may have guessed from last year's list, I'm a big fan of Car Seat Headrest. The above lyrics may be my favorite couplet (if that term can be applied to three lines) of any song this year. Besides, how can you not like a group whose front man (Will Toledo) looks more like McLovin than Russell Hammond?

7.  a million other things by pronoun.

"but you gotta come home

(come back baby, come back first)

you gotta come home first

(come back baby, even if it hurts)

cuz there's a million other things we could do in the world

there's a million other things we could do in the world."

According to Spotify, the song that I listened to more than any other in 2017. I have to admit, when I went looking for a song to lift my spirits at the end of a long day, or to sing along with on the ride home, it was "a million other things" that, more often than not, I went looking for.

8.  Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man.

"We could fight a war for peace

(Ooh woo, I'm a rebel just for kicks, now)

Give in to that easy living

Goodbye to my hopes and dreams

Start flipping for my enemies

We could wait until the walls come down."

Guessing this is the most played/heard song on this year's list. It was all over playlists/streams/satellite radio this summer. I never got tired of it (although my spouse did).

9.  The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness by The National.

"I thought that this would all work out after a while

Now you're saying that I'm asking for too much attention

Also no other faith is light enough for this place

We said we'd only die of lonely secrets."

Typical brilliance from one of my favorite bands. I love the guitar work on this song.

10.  Never Been Wrong by Waxahatchee.

"I spent all my time learning how to defeat

You at your own game, it's embarrassing.

I walk around like

This is the last strike

I love being right

Especially with you."

Rock lives, thanks in large part over the past year to female-led bands. This ain't your Daddy's Go-Go's. The woman with the pink Fender can play!

11.  Gwan by Rostam.

"And all of these dreams

Keep coming back to me slowly, slowly.

And sometimes I laugh 

When I think about how well you know me

Yeah, you know me."

I like the lyrics (about maturation and friendship, I think), but the instrumentation in this song is what takes me to a quiet, happy place every time I listen.

If you don't want to wait for my list starting in November 2018, feel free to check out the great new music at All Songs Considered, KEXP, or our local community radio station WTSQ. Or you can follow me on Spotify and see if you can figure out what will be on my list next year.