Blazin's Top 40 Songs of 2023
I finished this one quicker than expected. The albums one will take longer but I'm hoping I can get it out before the end of the week. Cheers! |
| 41 |  | Depeche Mode
Memento Mori
50. Bl4ck M4rket C4rt - “No Food”
Slowcore / Indie Rock
49. George Clanton - “Justify Your Life”
Chillwave / Neo-Psychedelia
48. Hail the Sun - “Maladapted”
Swancore / Post-Hardcore
47. Lamp - “Old Notebook”
Soft Rock / Jazz Pop
46. Animal Collective - “Broke Zodiac”
Psychedelic Pop
45. Thy Catafalque - “Alfold”
Progressive Metal / Hungarian Folk Music
44. The Armed - “FKA World”
Noise Rock / Indie Rock
43. Knower - “Do Hot Girls Like Chords?”
Synth-Funk / Djent
42. The Ocean - “Unconformities”
Post-Rock / Post-Metal
41. Depeche Mode - “Never Let Me Go”
Synthpop / Electro-Industrial |
| 40 |  | Billy Woods and Kenny Segal
Maps
“FaceTime”
Jazz Rap / Abstract Hip-Hop
The more I get into Billy Woods’ prolific output, the more I understand how many ways he and his crew can make fantastic bangers. Sometimes he lets the production do heavy lifting, sometimes there’s a greater focus on the pen-game, and sometimes he lets his vocal talents carry the song’s emotion. On “FaceTime”, two of these would make the single a career highlight for Woods. The jazzy boom-bap production from Segal is infectious, of course, but this is truly Woods’ track to claim. The writing and delivery are just amazing with some of Woods’ best standalone bars to date. I also find the lyrical concept very intriguing: a bizarre trip through the isolated Southern US where the only way of familiar contact is through FaceTime call that becomes more emotionally distant as the trip progresses. The song itself, however, gets more captivating with further listens and proves itself as a great single choice from Maps. |
| 39 |  | Steven Wilson
The Harmony Codex
“The Harmony Codex”
Progressive Electronic
The centerpiece title track of Steven Wilson’s new album arrives with Wilson in unfamiliar territory. From an artist known for complex, detailed rock compositions, this venture into a simpler electronic/ambient crossover proved to be the record’s best twist. It’s hypnotic and just as dreamy as the narrator describes the scene, and that can mostly be attributed to Wilson’s ear for a captivating production job. I love Wilson’s prog rock/prog brit-pop material as much as anyone, but more of this song’s sound would be an awesome direction to delve into. He’s already on a fantastic start here. |
| 38 |  | Injury Reserve
By The Time I Get To Phoenix
“Double Trio”
Experimental Hip Hop / Glitch Hip-Hop
By the Time I Get to Phoenix really was the perfect title for Injury Reserve’s final record, wasn’t it? With the Injury Reserve name retired, By Storm rises with a track that is possibly more surreal and outside-the-box than anything under Injury Reserve. “Double Trio” is multi-phased composition with matching compassion from both Ritchie and Parker. The murky ambience of the intro into the glitchy jazz production on the song’s second verse fits perfectly. The lyrics in this second verse have some of Ritchie’s best writing yet and I love how Parker is allowed to let loose with the beat, especially toward the song’s back half. It’s an essential odyssey for those wondering what Injury Reserve would do after their tragic end. |
| 37 |  | Mitski
The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
“Star”
Chamber Pop
There isn’t a song that emanates Mitski’s vast improvement as an artist more than “Star”. Simplicity is implemented to its utmost advantage here; its technically basic arrangements are all that’s needed to support Mitski’s performance up until the song’s ascending finish. Mitski writes an emotionally powerful analogy for a relationship that’s lost its luster with the production and grandeur that makes one truly feel that loss. This bittersweet glory of “Star” results in what feels like Mitski’s best songwriting to date. |
| 36 |  | Hypno5e
Sheol
“Slow Streams of Darkness Pt. II, Solar Mist”
Progressive Rock / Post-Metal
French (but also Spanish & English?) band Hypno5e’s experienced blend of post-metal and progressive rock has made them a reliable force in the prog-rock market. Not nearly enough discussion was raised around their lights-out closer. It’s a camaraderie of some of the band’s most satisfying and awesome performances. The piece works in two halves; the first sets the stage with quality instrumental chaos and a vocal performance well-fit for your reliable harsh-clean combo. The second half, however, is the song’s most defining moment. Psychedelic, swirling guitar melodies and incredibly tasteful percussion back a strong sense of the lyrics’ nostalgic nature. This crescendo’s explosion may seem imminent, but it’s all too good when it arrives to ignore. This song was woefully overlooked this year, much like the album it’s featured on. |
| 35 |  | Sufjan Stevens
Javelin
“My Red Little Fox”
Chamber Folk
Hardly any musician does delicacy more beautifully than Sufjan Stevens. This is the heart of what makes “My Red Little Fox” the second-best song on an album as strong as Javelin. Sufjan’s classic lyrical blend of natural imagery, religious imagery, and subtle personal representation is on full display. Through the intimate imagery-weaving Sufjan asks the simple question to his partner if they can truly speak their mind about their state of love. It’s an orchestral presentation of that melancholy with some of the album’s best use of that orchestration. The bells, harpsichord (?), and choir give me a nostalgic feeling of the local church choir performances that I’d listen to as a kid. A likely unintended addition to that is the tribal percussion inclusion in the song’s final moments that provides an entirely different nostalgia of older indie game soundtracks. This is the album’s most underrated cut and one of its best outputs. |
| 34 |  | King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard
The Silver Cord
“The Silver Cord (Extended Mix)”
Progressive Electronic / Atmospheric Drum & Bass
Yes, seriously. Out of the two records KGLW had time to make in the midst of all their touring, the best song they released this year was an electronic epic with a drum & bass crossover. It’s possibly KGLW’s most successful venture in a genre outside of their familiar psychedelic rock fare. The autotuned vocal performances throughout the track definitely have an acquired taste, but they and the surreal lyrics complement the trippiness of the track perfectly. The synthwork is mesmerizingly hypnotic, with several tones of groovy melody and warbling atmosphere-setting chords. I don’t use psychedelics, but if I did, I’d be curious enough to attempt a DMT trip with this in the background. How intense would that be? |
| 33 |  | Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter
SAVED!
“I WILL BE WITH YOU ALWAYS”
Avant-Folk / Southern Gospel
Leave it to Kristen Hayter to go against collective expectations without fail. SAVED! takes Hayter’s complicated relationship with Christianity to a sound last popularized nearly a century ago. Besides the hellish closer that I cannot in good faith recommend for a casual listen, “I WILL BE WITH YOU ALWAYS” worked as a fantastic single. The wavering guitar and keyboard plucks throughout the song enrich the hymnal vibes with how simple they’re constructed, especially in comparison with Hayter’s vocal performances. Each passage’s ups and downs sound like Hayter is talking to a spirit of some sort while being ambiguous as to whether anyone is answering. It also contains some of my favorite lyrics from the album, making for what would be an amazing actual hymn if only it weren’t so uh… disturbing. |
| 32 |  | Tomb Mold
The Enduring Spirit
“Will of Whispers”
Death Metal / Progressive Metal
Cynic this, Cynic that, I say, “Silence, cynics!” because this track is a standout in a record full of tech-death standouts on their own. Up to this point on The Enduring Spirit, we saw flashes of prog-metal influence in the constant compositional developments on both of the previous songs, the song that used this marriage to its truest balance resulted in the record’s best work. The track begins with a tease of its calmer side that it would fully explore in its back half. Its first couple minutes deliver the band’s best and most memorable mixture of technicality and tasteful intensity on the album. This disguise is certainly satisfying while it plays, but that disguise soon comes off with something gorgeous. It perfectly caps off a wonderful union of the newfound progressive metal influence and Tomb Mold’s familiar traditional death metal. |
| 31 |  | Yeule
softscars
“Dazies”
Shoegaze / Noise Pop
Although softscars is a good record that deserves its overwhelming praise, it’s noticeably more inconsistent than Glitch Princess. However, its highs reached impressive heights, and that individual prowess places “dazies” as Yeule’s best song yet. It’s a hooky, yet depressive pop song deep-fried in grungy guitars and autotune. It’s a risky, yet perfect harmony between the music and all-too-true commentary on self-worthlessness in a person who’s good-at-heart. Yeule’s charisma fits the song’s attitude like a glove, and their presence elevated a quality single into one of their most celebrated amongst fans. |
| 30 |  | Jason Isbell
Weathervanes
“King of Oklahoma”
Country Rock
“King of Oklahoma” is probably Jason Isbell’s best mainstream-ready cut. Sure, he can write classic heart-daggers like “Elephant” or “If We Were Vampires”, but this being Weathervanes’ biggest highlight signifies impressive artistic progression from someone with decades of songwriting excellence. It takes a familiar rock melody and gives it a nice twang to accompany the po-dunk spin in the lyrics. Speaking of the lyrics, I love how one can sensibly understand the situation of each character involved. The narrator is assumedly a drug addict and is consequently fracturing his relationship with his spouse, but he’s right when he says his bad luck with health is what’s causing this spiral. His spouse may not be helping the narrator where he really needs it, but she is trying and is right to be fed up with his nonsense. It’s a smartly written piece of country music, something Isbell is used to doing by now. |
| 29 |  | Kostnateni
Úpal
“Nevolnost je vse, cim jsem” (Translated: Nausea is all I am)
Black Metal
A front-to-back black metal banger whose core sound can be considered “strangely deranged”. A key ingredient to the weirdness of Upal was the prominence of the microtonal guitar riffs, and they help produce some massive passages on this track. It’s an angular and consistently dizzying song that morphs its dizziness in different rhythms and stages. The first 2 minutes provide blisteringly fast drum work and plenty of tremolo playing that lets the listener immediately know that the song isn’t messing around. The rest of the track’s groove becomes more stable and hooky, and it even gets a defining chorus after 3 minutes. This is when this song became a particular standout from Upal with its ability to mix traditional black metal song structure and additude with the oddity of the more modern avant-garde wave. |
| 28 |  | Carly Rae Jepsen
The Loveliest Time
“Kollage”
Sophisti-Pop / Psychedelic Pop
This is arguably Carly Rae Jepsen’s best song; it’s so gorgeous. The psychedelic funk groove, dreamy synth work, and the intimate delicacy of CRJ’s vocals come together to make for one of the year’s best pop cuts. There’s some lovely writing strewn throughout with relatable conflicts of self-doubt that wedge their way into a progressively intimate relationship. I also love how the song finishes with that high-pitched keyboard melody that gets more and more exposed in the track’s final seconds. That subtle component coats the delicious cake with some extra-sweet icing. |
| 27 |  | Monika Roscher Bigband
Witchy Activities and the Maple Death
“8 Prinzessinnen”
Avant-Prog / Experimental Big Band
Witchy Activities… kicked off with an insanely impressive opener to dare the rest of the album into besting. The several quirky movements and unexpected developments certainly warrant re-listens to nail the whole thing down, which is then rewarding. The vocal performance in this track is a highlight off the album as the glitchy chorus and theatric narration perfectly fit the story’s bizarre fantasy setting. The jazzy orchestration of the composition also knows just when to dial the tension back and forward, creating space for some outstanding individual solos. This side of prog rock had an excellent year and this is one of its strongest products. |
| 26 |  | DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ
Destiny
“Bewitched”
House / Vaporwave
Sifting through the mammoth that was Destiny for its best tracks was admittedly a long, trying effort. “Bewitched” didn’t even make my top 3 from Destiny for the longest unlike another entry further in the list, but I returned to it time and time again whenever I just wanted some lush, ethereal goodness. The triplet hi-hat patterns, interacting vocal samples, and perfect scale pickup in the chorus make for a sneakily addictive experience. All three come together beautifully in the last minute to cap off what’s easily the best song in Destiny’s second half. Its uplifting role in many (often drunk) nights made “Bewitched” a playlist mainstay. |
| 25 |  | Thantifaxath
Hive Mind Narcosis
“Solar Witch”
Black Metal / Death Doom Metal
Speaking of openers that blow your socks off, we have a black metal version of both Car Bomb and flipping “Evil King Bowser” from Super Mario World, and it’s all dementedly good. I’m still boggled as to how the guitarist and drummer can synchronize in the track’s unsteady first half. It builds and destroys itself at the same rate seemingly every three seconds. The second half is a bit more standard of a proggy black metal sound, but the main riff and tempo make the song’s final moments sound like a hellish eternal freefall. There are even some cool lines lyrically, too, and fitting nods to future tracks on the album. For a record titled Hive Mind Narcosis, this was a fantastic way to prepare some sheep for the slaughter. |
| 24 | | Billy Woods and Kenny Segal
Maps
“Babylon By Bus”
Abstract Hip Hop / Hardcore Hip Hop
On “FaceTime”, I said that Woods and his crew can make bangers in three distinctly great ways. “Babylon By Bus” is the only song other than last year’s “Pollo Rico” that uses the full potential of all three. The beat has that signature murky touch of a Segal beat with some urban sound effects sprinkled throughout. After ShrapKnel’s surprisingly excellent guest verse is when the production involves into a glorious passage of strings and choir vocals. The same analogy can be made about Woods’ delivery and writing; the first verse is awesome and filled with remarkable bars and a sticky flow, but this song’s third verse is some of Woods’ best writing ever. It’s a powerful and slightly unnerving portrayal of realist character that Woods plays on Maps. Even if it strays from Woods’ usual material structurally, this should have been a single based off sheer quality. |
| 23 |  | Panopticon
The Rime of Memory
“An Autumn Storm”
Black Metal / Post-Metal
Austin Lynn’s best song in 5 years was easily overlooked by the other behemoths on The Rime of Memory. This may be the least dense track on the album, but its unrivaled sense of atmosphere made this a 2023 black metal highlight. It’s as haunting as it is pummeling where the song’s first and last sections ride on mid-tempo blast beats and tremolos that seem like a perpetual trek through a cursed forest. The key difference in both sections is the treat of a chord-matching xylophone at the ending that takes the “haunted” feeling to its limit. Further listens reward the listener when its layers of instrumentation are peeled back, especially with the woodwind and synth contributions towards the track’s center. I can’t even admit that I fully understand this one yet, but I know it stuck out greatly for me this year. |
| 22 |  | Oneohtrix Point Never
Again
“Krumville”
Folktronica / Neo-Psychedelia
Daniel Lopatin has proven himself as a jack-of-all-trades in the music industry from solo works to soundtracks to production (he’s had a hand in at least a couple entries on this very list). Again provided unique, glitchy voyages that don’t care to stay on one idea for long. “Krumville” was the lightning-in-a-bottle of that sound. I feel a sense of lush nostalgia with this track where no segment feels entirely clear, like hazy, but cherished memories from years ago. The lyrical segment affirms this; it imagines a bittersweet final meeting with an old friend. This is one of 2023’s best examples of a work where lush, colorful worldbuilding is at its finest. |
| 21 |  | TesseracT
War of Being
“Legion”
Progressive Metal
This is the exact kind of potential cash-in I’ve wanted out of TesseracT for a long time. Daniel Tompkins is renowned enough as a vocalist, so it was a blessing to see the band allow him to absolutely let loose on one of the year’s best vocal performances. The rest of the band puts in some excellent work, too, especially Jay Postones with that fat, ghost note-filled djent beat. It’s ironic that a song this good and fulfilling is about someone seeking guidance to their ego, but even that is well-written and performed with the existential urgency it deserves. This is probably TesseracT’s best song, and one that’s very hard to beat going forward. |
| 20 |  | Caroline Polachek
Desire, I Want To Turn Into You
“Billions”
Glitch Pop / Downtempo
Ironically one of the most raved-about singles of 2022, its role as a closer on Desire… was just as satisfying and a creative “hurrah!” for that project. The unsteady, artsy intimacy of “Billions” is enchanting and perfectly matches its pop songwriting catchiness. For a song that’s lyrically a little intense, the rather careful instrumental suits shockingly well, yet another production part Oneohtrix Point Never nailed this year. Polachek’s vocal performance wonderfully portrays a character that’s in a drunken stupor of love. This one dominated my playlist early on and stayed on until the very few somehow better bangers toppled it. |
| 19 |  | Sprain
The Lamb As Effigy
“The Commercial Nude”
Post-Rock / Avant-Folk
Sprain’s naughtiest song on The Lamb as Effigy treats its raunchy intent with a mixture of delicate foreplay and a euphoric climax. It takes the best compositional qualities of Swans-esque developments and Kayo Dot-esque spontaneity, creating a glorious offspring certain to fully rope a fan of each band like myself into. It may be the band’s most initially unassuming number on The Lamb as Effigy, but its wonderful songwriting and perfectly complementing performances place it on the album’s top shelf of cuts. That alone achieved significant traction for its inclusion here. |
| 18 |  | underscores
Wallsocket
“Geez Louise”
Progressive Rock / Country Rock / Sasscore
You could at those genre descriptors and understandably expect an F5-level disaster, but Underscores has the magic to reign this clown show of influences into something totally awesome. It begins with a punkish, satisfyingly brash performance that perfectly captures the rebellious attitude of the involved characters. This is doubly so with the notion of that rebellion being directed towards the characters’ own identities as a close-to-home depiction of teenage angst. Then, the guitar work gets more stripped back with a more rural touch as Underscores perfectly matches on her vocal flow and delivery. It only ever loses its energy when the song slowly tires out into a more sentimental atmosphere before exploding from the stress that the characters have understandably built up. This is a massive banger, but it has this understanding of rural life displacement that makes me more emotionally invested in most on this very list. |
| 17 |  | Gezan with Million Wish Collective
Anochi
“Third Summer of Love”
Progressive Pop / Jazz Pop
Just like the album this track is on, it took several listens to realize that this extremely cute pop piece can grow into a masterpiece given that you hang out with it long enough. This song just has so much personality in its uniquely awesome vocal performance, subtle yet constantly active guitar plucks, and infectiously groovy percussion. Anochi made great use of repetitive vocal chants throughout, but this track’s chant is both the album’s most melodically satisfying and fun as it rides along the instrumental perfectly. The jazz section in the middle adds a nice break of somberness to the uplifting goodness. I highly recommend giving the lyrics a read, as well, because they match the song’s mood perfectly as a silly, yet relatable story on escaping boredom. “Third Summer of Love” is one of this year’s most menacing growers; don’t let its sheer cuteness fool you. |
| 16 |  | Sadness / Abriction
Sadness // Abriction
“Her Summer Morning Sky”
Lo-Fi / Emo / Post-Rock
An epic of many genres rolled into a single package, this is an outstanding piece for those who don’t mind things a little rough around the edges. It’s like a naughties’ teen pop song going through a very drastic hipster phase and somehow it’s a year-end highlight for me. I love how the lo-fi part of the production, intentional or not, puts a nostalgic backdrop on the whole experience that the lyrics are matching up to. Abriction’s vocal performance is expectedly quite wonderful itself. The performance isn’t unheard of in terms of range and dynamics, but it’s a perfect fit for the teenage-lovers’-imaginations theme of the track. It’s a lovely send-off to a collaboration record that’s already at an extremely impressive standing considering how young both artists involved are. |
| 15 |  | Jeff Rosenstock
HELLMODE
“3 Summers”
Power Pop
Far and away the biggest point on HELLMODE where Rosenstock just “nails it”. some of HELLMODE felt like the writing was trying to make the most of middling compositions; “3 SUMMERS” decimates that trend as a nihilistically affirming closer. I love how Rosenstock performs the main verse melody as a mixture of worried desperation and whining, fitting perfectly for a song that is basically valid rambling. The production was never much of a problem on HELLMODE, but it makes the instrumental pop out so colorfully, especially seen in the beautiful chanting during the song’s final minutes. I just know this one would kill live if it hadn’t been performed already. |
| 14 | | Steven Wilson
The Harmony Codex
“Impossible Tightrope”
Progressive Rock
A somewhat token “unfiltered progressive rock” song from Steven Wilson’s newest album that proves he can make fanservice as good as anyone. Taking bits of self-influence from Raven and the electronics background of No-Man and early Porcupine Tree, this feels like the right closure to the days of the former and a fantastic welcome to the latter. The whole song is an instrumental and production treat and it’s one that Wilson can add to his neverending list of double-digit-minute-long material that conspicuously become some of his best work with no biases to admit whatsoever. |
| 13 |  | McKinley Dixon
Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?
“Run Run Run”
Conscious Hip Hop / Jazz Rap
This year’s best hip-hop song is one of those ventures that comes together way better than I would have imagined on paper. Dixon really outdid himself in personality on this; his delivery and flows are fantastic, walking an impressively fine attitude line between the uplifting beat and the harsh reality of the lyrics. The wonderful production mixes all kinds of jazz flourishes with a healthy love for woodwinds and live percussion. It’s a banger that doesn’t seem like the most fun to return to at first, but this is a stubborn grower and one whose catchiness and charisma are impossible to deny. |
| 12 |  | TDK
Неместа
“Petnaystaka”
Avant-Prog
One would hope an opener would fulfill its role as a gripping introduction to an album concept or sound, but this opening act from TDK went pretty far beyond its call of duty. The drumwork and chorus guitar melody in particular remind me much of King Crimson’s The Power to Believe, but somehow less sane and even more technically interesting. This song was one of the biggest growers on the list as it went gradually from a great avant-prog song to “There’s not much else that kicked more tail this year”. Anyone who went out and translated TDK’s lyrics has ran across masterclass tomfoolery going on, but I don’t think they ever beat the opener with how far off the rails they got. In this case, it was all the better for it. |
| 11 | | Thantifaxath
Hive Mind Narcosis
“Surgical Utopian Love”
Black Metal / Progressive Metal
We don’t even know the names of anyone in this band and they are delivering some of the best quality fire you’ll find this year from the hellish depths they dwell. It’s a spectacular expansion of the staccato motif on “Solar Witch” while ramping its grandeur tenfold. Most of that grandeur is unexpectedly delivered in the song’s first half with the consistent pummeling of tremolos, blast beats, and double bass. After the reliably haunting bridge of doom is where the entire second half revolves around a single demented guitar passage, which eventually involves into what feels like I’m endlessly falling into a void. It all sounds sadistically sweet and comfortably damning: the most wonderful median. |
| 10 |  | Dodheimsgard
Black Medium Current
“Interstellar Nexus”
Post-Metal / Industrial Metal
It was nearly impossible to beat DHG when pulling off quirkiness. Not only was that part totally lovable about “Interstellar Nexus”, but it was also awesome in ways that were somewhat bar-setting. I don’t know if I’ve come across an industrial-esque chorus that’s as head-bobbing as that. Its splendid pacing and song structure also support an outstandingly full experience. Of course the song’s first half is where all the clubby fun is at, but the second half makes a great songwriting move of transitioning from a trancy metal mantra to an epic atmosphere collapse at the end. This song’s sorely under-discussed even within its own album, but it’s just too good to be left understated like that. |
| 9 | | Sprain
The Lamb As Effigy
“Man Proposes, God Disposes”
Post-Hardcore / Noise Rock
Ah, where it all started for what was easily my most listened-to album this year. Even then, Sprain put one of its best feet forward here in a groovy, yet manic banger. What’s fascinating about this song particularly is that each introduced twist in the songwriting is nearly always cooler than the last. It’s like “Hey, this 90’s post-hardcore groove sounds nice and punchy. Oh, that’s an even fatter bassline. Dang, this vocalist’s got some zest. Wow, those are some wild lyrics now that I think about it.”, and it hardly ever stops from there. With the Slint-esque cooldown at the end, it all but sells for what’s to come. |
| 8 | | DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ
Destiny
“Something New”
Deep House
It’s a Herculean task turning a glorified house party setlist into a fully engaging album experience, and, to DJ Sabrina’s credit, it almost was. Amongst 43 opportunities, there were surely bound to be some amazing standouts. My clearest favorite happened to bring a desperately needed atmosphere change on Destiny. In an album absolutely stuffed with uplifting experiences, the switch into a track whose happiness is delivered bittersweetly was brilliantly executed. |
| 7 |  | Omnerod
The Amensal Rise
“Satellites”
Djent / Progressive Metal
Maximalism is a recurring theme in the top 10 and “Satellites” is perhaps its most obvious example. Running over 10 minutes long, this track is especially notable for barely ever hitting the brakes on its chaos. The equally noodly guitars and keyboards along with the occasional brick wall of noise make the piece akin to a European variant of a Strapping Young Lad song but just as awesome in every way. It’s awesome to hear a relatively unknown band do “over-the-top” this spectacularly and with this impressive of individual performances (the vocalists Romain Jeuniaux and Anthony Deneyer were harshly underrated this year in metal discussions). The rest is top-notch progressive metal fare. Starved Dream Theater and Devin Townsend fans would love this. |
| 6 |  | Earthside
Let The Truth Speak
“We Who Lament”
Progressive Metal
It was an insanely tall task to outdo one of my favorite progressive rock works in the last decade in A Dream in Static. Let the Truth Speak unfortunately lacked the same “oomph” and progression to achieve that, but “We Who Lament” was a single that would sometimes make me forget that. This blows everything on its album out of the water in songwriting and production. Keturah’s voice is absolutely gorgeous and a showcase for her crazily high potential as a performer. I’d also give a well-deserved shoutout to Ben Shanbrom on drums who is playing like a man possessed. Please check this (and the previous entry) out if you’re in the mood for anything on a BIG scale. |
| 5 |  | Jessie Ware
That! Feels Good!
“Begin Again”
Disco
Perhaps it’s completely unfair to other competitors, but this was 2023’s best party song. Of course, Ware’s vocals are fantastic and infatuating. Of course, the orchestral arrangements are excellently used. Of course, the lyrics bring a refreshing angle to intimate love that sounds both sexy and smart. What completely sold this as a disco classic for me, though, is the risky choice of having such a janky rhythm become the base of the vocal motif, keyboard playing, and drum pattern. The result, however, is a flavor so unique that it stands out even amongst Ware’s already great work. The widespread praise is certainly not unfounded in this one. |
| 4 | | Sprain
The Lamb As Effigy
“Reiterations”
Noise Rock / Post-Hardcore
So we’ve been through demonic black metal (Thantifaxath/Kostnateni), industrial maximalism (Omnerod), and psychotically questionable ramblings (TDK/Sprain (again)). Despite all of that, this is the year’s angriest song. Ironically it’s so angry because it’s both angry for no reason and angry at being angry for no reason in an recurring loop of rage, if that makes any sense. The back and forth between Alex Kent and the instrumentals is so satisfying, especially in the shouted parts where it sounds like he’s in a madness competition with the guitars. The quieter parts are mostly noise rock through Unwound worship, but I can never complain about that, it complements the harsher passages all too well. The ending’s swanky groove switchup is also welcome and the more elegant instrumentation that appears works as a wonderful segway into “Privilege of Being”. The Lamb as Effigy will now exit the stage, but it won’t be the last you hear of it from me. |
| 3 |  | Liturgy
93696
“93696”
Black Metal / Progressive Metal
See, I’m kind of a meathead when it comes to Liturgy. Especially on this track, I’m not big-brained enough to read between the lines of HHH’s very…interesting interpretation of heaven. Even if both this band and other proggier metal acts have given some satisfying djenty riffs before, none have trumped the collage on this 14-minute beast. It starts “avantly” cool enough with the juxtaposed bells and tremolos and even background woodwinds everywhere. Right at 4:33, however, is when the mid-tempo head nod turns into a self-made moshpit. Steve Albini did an amazing job on overall production with how crunchy and robust everything sounds, especially the guitars. The last few minutes is an album highlight by itself, too, with a totally transcendent finish even when I can come to expect it. It’ll be hard seeing Liturgy (or any black metal artist) top a grandiose in performance like this anytime soon. |
| 2 | | Sufjan Stevens
Javelin
“So You Are Tired”
Chamber Folk
Javelin gave the indie world a well-padded shoulder to cry on to finish out 2023 and “So You Are Tired” was the only sign needed to tell that it would be a special case of such a record. This song displays a heartfelt binding of themes from Sufjan’s relationship struggles and the passing of Stevens’ partner Evans Richardson. Beautiful and often sad lines almost fill the song’s whole page as much as its music is somber yet lofted with a sense of closure when called for, quite literally (“...When I already knew that it was done” Cue heartbreaking choir passage). I also love that Stevens makes the main sentiment of a broken relationship as being “tired” because that self-doubt of feeling at fault by simply existing in a certain relationship is perhaps the most desperate sense of heartbreak. For as spectacular as Stevens’ career has been, this will still be one of his best classics. |
| 1 |  | Foo Fighters
But Here We Are
“The Teacher”
Alternative Rock / Progressive Rock
I rotated three songs in this spot for months. It was difficult, but in the end, I went with the song that achieved the once-impossible task of reaching the songwriting highs of “Everlong”. The song that spun all of the “arena rock” ridicule on its head and made this year’s most powerful piece with it. The song that might be this decade’s best alternative rock number. “The Teacher” displays themes of grief from both the passing of Dave Grohl’s mother Virginia Grohl and Foo Fighters’ long-time drummer Taylor Hawkins. Each theme is layered under either clever or beautiful metaphors that perfectly fit into a setting resembling childhood and hometown memories with those that have passed. These themes are quick to come and go at first look, but I think that’s also how we process grief itself. It’s songwriting full of resolve and, most importantly, a hopefully functional outlet for Grohl and the band to express their collective bereavement. |
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