I find myself immersed in music throughout the day, every day, allowing me to discover a lots of great tunes. About a year ago, I decided to compile a playlist of songs that resonated with me over 2022. With a set of rules in place, I aimed to include tracks released or popularized during the year, with a few exceptions for those that I stumbled upon for the first time. To maintain variety, I limited each artist to one song, even if they had other noteworthy tracks.
The feedback from friends, especially Rob, who made it his go-to snow plowing soundtrack, encouraged me to create a new playlist for 2023. After all, Rob needs a fresh snow plowing soundtrack this winter.
This time around, I decided to be intentional about the playlistâs order. Itâs essential to note that the order doesnât imply a ranking; rather, itâs crafted purely for aesthetic reasons.
I started this blog partly to have a place I could share this playlist and my thoughts about it. Feel free to just listen and enjoy, or if you want to know more about my selections keep reading. Keep in mind that I am an album guy, and many of these songs are part of albums that are worth listening to in their entirety.
Iâd love to hear if you find something new that you like, or if you have a recommendation for me.
If you liked Daft Punkâs Random Access Memories (I was obsessed), youâll appreciate the seamless integration of âUn Deux Troisâ by MUNYA into that vibe. Perfect timing for the 10th anniversary of Random Access Memories.
Stephen Sanchez is one of two artists that was also featured on my 2022 playlist (the other being Mitski, below). A standout on Sanchezâs 2023 album Angel Face, âHighâ showcases his enticing retro sound, which has become a personal favorite.
âWelcome To My Islandâ by Caroline Polachek is on this playlist solely for the incredible primal business in the first 25 seconds. I would happily listen to that on a loop. The entire song, with its Crystal Pepsi vibes, is a journey worth taking. I particularly enjoy the bit of vocoder and the little guitar licks after she sings âthe ocean blueâ.
My first exposure to Genesis Owusu was âLeaving The Lightâ, which made me deeply anxious and I had written him off entirely. Then âTied Up!â made me feel good, and fascinated by the power this manâs music has on my emotions.
Iâm a sucker for a good song that mentions Minnesota, especially when sung by someone with a voice as nice as Berâs. âSuperspreaderâ makes my list because it also sounds nice, has a catchy chorus, and brings a good amount of cleverness.
Olivia Rodrigo gives us the yearâs best fuck you song with âvampireâ. The lyrics are clever, the chord progression is devastating, the song is interesting and catchy without becoming overly repetitive, and Oliviaâs delivery is piercing. The radio edit changes âblood sucker, fame fuckerâ for âblood sucker, dream crusherâ which I find loses the essence of the track and makes it an entirely different, worse song.
âNothing Mattersâ by The Last Dinner Party somehow lives in the early 80âs for me, if the 80âs were more self-actualized and empowered. Iâm looking forward to their forthcoming album.
At over seven minutes long and quite even-keeled, I wonât blame you for skipping over most of âHungersiteâ by Goose. Just please make it through the instrumental section that starts at 3:35. I typically connect with music almost entirely on the basis of the sound of the singer, but this guitar solo really woke me up.
Another track with a throwback sound, âCorner Of My Eyeâ by The Lemon Twigs really takes me back into that late 60âs early 70âs vibe. It lands in my ear pretty much as a slightly more mainstream version of Tiny Tim (âTip Toe Through The Tulipsâ) that somehow just works?
Noah Kahan has had an extraordinary year. I fell in love with his album Stick Season in January 2023 while it provided my soundtrack for fixing up my soon-to-be-born son Lucaâs bedroom. The title track is the highlight, but the rest of the album is really good too.
This is about as close to full-on country music that I will probably enjoy, but the juxtaposition of Zach Bryanâs gravelly voice next to the pure sweetness of Kacey Musgraves in âI Remember Everythingâ really works for me. Add in the unexpected (at least for me) drawn out and restrained pacing of âdrinkin'â in the line âyou only smile like that when youâre drinkin'â, and Iâm all in.
âEddie My Loveâ by Brigitte Calls Me Baby is yet another song this year with a decidedly retro sound. This time thereâs a whole Roy Orbison thing going on, which is similar to why âThe Curse of the Blackened Eyeâ by Orville Peck landed on last yearâs list.
There is apparently some controversy over whether the Icelandic Laufey is the future of jazz, or if she even is jazz or not. I feel she is jazzish, and thatâs fine, but I get that things are more complicated than that. Regardless, âFrom The Startâ is an easy on the ears bossa nova song that for some reason reminds me of the fun opening to La La Land.
Last year I included Mitskiâs âLove Me Moreâ, and this year we have the more subdued âMy Love Mine All Mineâ where she showcases her lower register. I guess thereâs just something about Mitski singing about love that connects with me.
My heart goes out to Sufjan Stevens, he has been going through some hard times lately. Iâm thankful that he put out Javelin, another indie folks album a couple of months ago. âShit Talkâ is a standout track.
âWhat Was I Made For?â by Billie Eilish is quite a nice song on its own, but it symbiotically elevates and is elevated by its placement in the movie Barbie that it was written for.
I am obsessed with two things in âNothingâs Freeâ by Angel Olsen: she sings like a saxophone, and then thereâs the actual saxophone. Iâm glad she decided to keep it. This track feels like the end of an SNL episode which is why it is the perfect closing track for this playlist.
There was a lot more great music in 2023 than I covered here, and Iâm sure I missed a few favorites as well. I hope you enjoyed this musical journey and Iâd love to hear what music you are listening to right now.
https://joelencioni.com/journal/53/
#2023 #AngelOlsen #Barbie #Ber #BillieEilish #BrigitteCallsMeBaby #CrystalPepsi #GenesisOwusu #Goose #KaceyMusgraves #Laufey #Mitski #Munya #music #NoahKahan #OliviaRodrigo #StephenSanchez #SufjanStevens #TheLemonTwigs #ZachBryan
Radio 1190 Playlist
EshaHaber
fip đ¶ #NowPlaying Bot
KEXP đ¶ #NowPlaying Bot
Joe Lencioni
WGOM
sheislaurence
Cloudspeakers
