I’m fortunate to have a job where I can listen to music while working at the computer or drawing table. As long as I’m not writing anything or trying too hard to solve a problem, I can use both parts of my brain at the same time and get in the flow. The only problem is getting tired of hearing my same old favorites!
The solution came when I started using Spotify and now Apple Music to listen to new music daily. Every morning I read the music reviews on Pitchfork.com and listen to at least a song or two from each album. If my interest is piqued, I add the album to a playlist of new music released that month. I then go through the album and rate the songs 1 to 5 stars so that I can grab all the 4 and 5 star songs in a smart “Best Songs of 2023” playlist to listen to more often as I’m walking around the neighborhood. If the album has lots of these “best” songs or is great as a whole, I add it to a separate “Best Albums of 2024” playlist that I mostly listen to on long car drives.
I’ve been doing this since 2011 and it’s great to be able and go back and listen to songs I was really into at the time but somehow forgot about. I don’t pretend to have a ground-breaking level of taste or that my opinion outweighs others, I just like curating and sometimes sharing lists of great songs. Here are my 2023 favorites (in no particular order)!
Best Albums – (Apple Music Playlist, Spotify Playlist)
- Young Fathers – Heavy Heavy
- Frog – Grog
- Nation of Language – Strange Disciple
- Olivia Rodrigo – GUTS
- Indigo De Souza – All of This Will End
- Gorillaz – Cracker Island
Best Songs – (Apple Music Playlist, Spotify Playlist)
- Andy Shauf – Wasted on You
- Avalon Emerson – Dreamliner
- Beirut – Hadsel
- Belle and Sebastian – Will I Tell You a Secret
- Belle and Sebastian – I Don’t Know What You See In Me
- Belle and Sebastian – Late Developers
- Big Thief – Vampire Empire
- Björk & ROSALÍA – Oral
- Carly Rae Jepsen – After Last Night
- Caroline Polachek – I Believe
- Danny Brown – Quaranta
- Dave Matthews Band – The Only Thing
- felicita – Spalarkling
- felicita – Spalarkle (Alys) [feat. Caroline Polachek]
- Fever Ray – Kandy
- Frog – Goes w/o Saying
- Frog – 420!!
- Frog – Black on Black on Black
- Frog – Maybelline
- Girl Ray – Hold Tight
- Gorillaz – Silent Running (feat. Adeleye Omotayo)
- Gorillaz – New Gold (feat. Tame Impala and Bootie Brown)
- Gorillaz – Baby Queen
- Gorillaz – Skinny Ape
- Indigo De Souza – Losing
- Indigo De Souza – Smog
- Indigo De Souza – The Water
- Indigo De Souza – Younger & Dumber
- Janelle Monáe – Champagne Shit
- Kesha – Eat The Acid
- King Tuff – How I Love
- King Tuff – Pebbles in a Stream
- Lana Del Rey – A&W
- Little Simz – Gorilla
- Loukeman – Baby You’re a Star
- Mannequin Pussy – I Got Heaven
- Miley Cyrus – Flowers
- Mitski – Bug Like an Angel
- MJ Lenderman – Knockin
- Nation of Language – Weak In Your Light
- Nation of Language – Stumbling Still
- Nation of Language – A New Goodbye
- Nourished by Time – Daddy
- Olivia Rodrigo – bad idea right?
- Olivia Rodrigo – vampire
- Olof Dreijer – Rosa Rugosa
- Sam Smith – Gloria
- Sam Smith & Kim Petras – Unholy
- Samia – Kill Her Freak Out
- Samia – Honey
- Samia & papa mbye – Mad At Me
- SG Lewis – Oh Laura
- SG Lewis – Missing You
- SG Lewis – Epiphany
- SG Lewis – Plain Sailing
- Shovel Dance Collective – I: The Bold Fisherman
- Sufjan Stevens – Will Anybody Ever Love Me?
- Sunny War – No Reason
- The Tallest Man On Earth – Major League
- White Reaper – Pages
- Wilco – Infinite Surprise
- Wilco – Soldier Child
- Wilco – Meant To Be
- Yo La Tengo – Tonight’s Episode
- Young Fathers – Rice
- Young Fathers – I Saw
- Young Fathers – Drum
- Young Fathers – Tell Somebody
- Young Fathers – Ululation
- Youth Lagoon – Prizefighter
- Youth Lagoon – The Sling
- 100 gecs – Hollywood Baby