My Favorite Music of 2023 Without Thinking Too Hard About It

I’ve been hemming and hawing for a few weeks thinking over the music I listened to this year and how I’d classify my favorites. I went through my Spotify Wrapped and into the playlists I rotate through to find the inspiration for which songs I wanted to highlight, but honestly, this was only making the process more convoluted. Instead, I’m going to tell you about my favorite music this year by just thinking off the top of my head since what stuck with me are the songs that I can spitball at you right now.

Every time I make a list or pick favorites of something, I’ll look back and kick myself for not including something that I anticipate to be no different in this situation. Another caveat is that this music isn’t necessarily limited to 2023 releases, but just music I discovered (or re-discovered, I’m going to cheat) this year and have been loving. So, here are five of my favorite songs of 2023 without thinking too hard about it.

“Francesca” by Hozier (2023)

If you had been around me for an extended amount of time this year, you would have quickly learned that Hozier reigned supreme in my listening habits. He is the artist I could not shut up about this year and I feel very little shame in that because his latest record “Unreal, Unearth” is phenomenal. From start to finish, you are transported into the different layers of Hell as envisioned by Dante’s “Inferno” Hozier utilized as a touchstone for the content of the record whilst not creating fanfiction.

Francesca is the fourth song on the record and arguably the most on-the-nose about its source material. It would be the song to take points off the record for being too close to a retelling of the plight of Francesca Di Rimini as thought of by Dante, but it doesn’t. It is one of the standouts of the whole record for being a more rock-inspired track with lyrics that are crushing from the jump. The song is sorrowful with poignant lyrics accompanied by driving instrumentals that eventually bring you to the end of the piece with the crescendo of voices and reverb to send off the track into the next track. I want to nominate the lyrics “Though I know my heart would break, I’d tell them put me back in it” for Best Yearning of 2023 and also ask for compensation for emotional damages done by Hozier in his delivery of this line in his performance of the song on Later with Jools Holland earlier this year.

In all seriousness, it's one of the songs that I’d pay to hear again for the first time. Hozier is one of the few songwriters to come around within the last decade to create lyrics that would stand on their own in a book of poetry. His talent is unmatched, and I’m eager to hear the rest of the songs from “Unreal, Unearth” in 2024.

“Vampire Empire” by Big Thief (2023)

I came across this track originally through TikTok, and I’m sorry to admit that but it is just the truth. Although I discovered it from whatever trend the song was associated with, I’m so glad I did. 

This song is gorgeous in a few different ways. The repetition of the song in the verses with lines like “I’m empty till she fills, alive until she kills”, Adrianne Lenker's unique voice exploring her upper range with palpable emotion, and the closing section of the song that paints a picture of confusion in what love looks like. Big Thief has a robust repertoire of indie-folk staples from “Paul”, “Simulation Swarm” or “Change” that count as some of the best of the 2010s that “Vampire Empire” of their latest EP stands with.

I think of this song as a raw telling of what it is to be in love or have loved. There are points of longing for a different outcome, and the lyrics “I wanted to be your woman, I wanted to be your man, I wanted to be the one that you could understand” are simple, but so telling of that feeling. I’ve found myself falling back on those words throughout the year and I think that tells you a little bit about my love life. I can only romanticize my pain so much but if I am going to romanticize my hopeless love, then I think “Vampire Empire” can be a good soundtrack. 

“Not Strong Enough” by boygenius (2023)

When you take some of the best voices in indie and put them together, you get gold. Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus debuted their trio in 2018 with their self-titled record with some stellar tracks. For me, it's a no-skip record that was a great precursor to their newest record that realizes the potential of the group.

There are so many strong tracks on this latest record, “The Record”. I remember listening through the whole album over the spring to put together my proper review of the album, and each time I came back to “Not Strong Enough” for the sound. The opening guitar to the track grabs you at first, then doesn’t let you go until the end. There are so many noteworthy parts of the song, but Lucy Dacus leading the bridge with “Always an angel, never a God” is maybe the highlight of the entire record for me. The crescendo that comes as the rest of the boys join with Dacus into the final chorus sends the song flying to the end. I get goosebumps every time and it comes out as one of the best-written and produced tracks on the record.

Individually, each of these boys is unique in their sound when they are working on their solo projects. I’ve explored each of their repositories but admittedly, I fall back on Bridgers for the fact she's guided my playlists since I was 18, and now Dacus and Baker find their way into my rotation all of the time. I don’t think it can be overstated how talented each member is, but when they come together in boygenius, they are otherworldly. It's smart, it's intelligent, it’s… genius.

“All The World Is Green” by Tom Waits (2002)

Here is my exception to the discovery in 2023. I first listened to the record “Blood Money” by Tom Waits a few years ago and I re-discovered All The World Is Green this year. Tom Waits is an interesting artist with decades of music spanning a few different genres, but all with a jazz influence. This record is eclectic with so many unique selections that come from a few different storytelling angles. After coming back to this record, I’ve found that All The World Is Green stands as my top pick.

It's a beautiful lovesong with a lower-key instrumental that lets the lyrics shine. Waits has a grainy, soulful voice that finds its home in a few different types of vocal performance. I find this specific performance by Waits to be so beautiful for its purposefully toned-down but still heartfelt sound. The chorus of “Pretend that you owe me nothing, and all the world is green/ We can bring back the old days again when all the world is green” is beautiful imagery between lovers. In a literal sense, I think it is more truthful with our present climate crisis in that the world will never be green. There will never be a perfect moment, and it is then our responsibility to claim a moment to make it notable. In this case in how I interpret the song, there will never be a moment when love makes itself perfect to any of us, so finding the time to enjoy love when it happens in any circumstance is the way to be. 

Now I could be English-teachering the hell out of this song, and my interpretation misses the mark. But from listening over the last few years and allowing this song to be a frequent replay across 2023, I think this song speaks to me in this way. Tom Waits is a force that nobody can replicate, and I plan to make the effort to get through his discography in 2024. 

“The News” by Paramore (2023)

I don’t know about you, but living through critical historical moments that kids will be quizzed on in the future is maybe a little bit exhausting. Every single day, I get a notification of some sort of human rights violation or I see a newsreel that capitalizes on reactionary politics that depletes any hope I had for reprieve. Lucky for me, I’ll be going into an industry where I report news and share information that mental health takes second place most of the time. Yet I am unbelievably privileged to be in a situation where I have a home, an education, a family, some financial security, and a semblance of safety that so many do not. There’s a cognitive dissonance to feeling burnt out by the news and desiring reprieve whilst knowing people would pay to be worried about the things that keep me up at night. “The News” takes this feeling and puts it to music that compliments this feeling.

Paramore is no stranger to commentary, but their latest record “This Is Why” leans into the common feelings of being a person with a heart in 2023. I’ve been waiting for ages for a new Paramore record, and this latest release did not disappoint in any capacity. “The News” as a track sticks with me the most for what story it tells and the fact that it is the song that speaks truth to what it is to live in the space between privilege, perceived selfishness, and empathy. The song itself keeps a driving rock sound with powerful and forceful vocals from Hayley Williams that make the song reminiscent of the older sound Paramore is associated with whilst still being fresh for the band. 

Music is so integral to putting voice to emotions that is sometimes complicated to parse through. I love that Paramore takes on the mission to do this in their latest record, especially with this track. 

-

I hope this list was mildly decent. I guarantee I will be tempted to add more, but I'll leave it at these for now. Here is a playlist including these songs and more standout discoveries from this year: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0FrZdBp9xJmyIYYqTy3VO4?si=62d2f8991129430f     Have a fabulous new year, and I plan to keep up this blog with more posts in 2024!