Filling in this fine Thursday morning for The Ploughman, who was lazy gracious enough to let me take this spot for one of my year-end countdowns.
Obviously the preposterous number of words I’ve written about music in the past should suggest how important it is to me, but being an old guy, I went through a long phase there where I rarely if ever found music I connected to.
That all started changing sometime in 2022. Rock came back in a big way; I discovered a number of new bands that were influenced by my beloved power-pop or pop-punk (classic sense not mall-punk sense) or the grunge I grew up with. In 2023, I even expanded my horizons a bit beyond that– rap that was actually fun and energetic again; some forays into country-, roots-, and blues-inspired music; some R&B; some stuff I guess would defy description, with some roots in pop and dance but a more experimental edge. In short, there was a lot of good stuff this year. So for the first time ever for the Solute, I’m doing a contemporary song countdown!
Most of my exposure to that good stuff was through my local public indie station, which means my exposure may be limited to what I heard on there– so some artists and songs I might have otherwise considered, I just never got around to listening to. (And others that I was a fan of long ago just don’t hit the same for me anymore.) And admittedly, much as I’m sure you’ve gotten used to by now with the TV countdown, I have my own tastes, and they still often only tangentially overlap with the critical consensus. (“A&W” was the #1 song of the year, Pitchfork? Really?) That is to say that this list is neither definitive nor comprehensive; I certainly didn’t hear all the new music of 2023, but of what I did hear, here’s what I really liked.
I picked 30 songs to count down as my favorites. Not all of them will I have much to say on. And I just straight-up stole the header image here from Consequence of Sound’s article on Grammy nominations, so don’t expect it to be too revealing of what is to come.
But first, I’m gonna admit I screwed up with this list, because the whole point is to get you to listen to new music anyway. So here’s one bonus song from 2022:
beabadoobee
“Talk”
Beatopia
Okay, oops, this was originally my #14 song on the list, but it turns out it was released in 2022 (and as a single in March of that year, so I can’t even realistically grandfather it in). I thought about just leaving it in as is, but I’m annoyingly perfectionist so I couldn’t bring myself to do that. Anyway, it’s a good little fuzzy mid-tempo rocker jam from the Filipino-English beabadoobee, and worth checking out.
Here’s a playlist of some of my favorite songs of 2022 (and, okay, one from 2021) that you can check out, in the meantime.
Now, let us never speak of this mistake again.
Due to a late revision after hearing a 2023 song for the first time about a week and a half after I published, we have one song that got bumped off the original list. But I’m not going to delete what I wrote about it. So here’s your first song out of the top 30:
Sufjan Stevens
“Will Anybody Ever Love Me?”
Javelin
I’ve never been as in love with Sufjan Stevens as so many of my 2000s indie cohorts, though I have a few favorites. What raises this one over so many other choices I could have been made is the sincerity and devastation behind it. A 48-year-old man singing wispy and twee songs would normally annoy the shit out of me. Knowing that Stevens’ longtime partner Evans Richardson died in April of last year, though, makes the whole thing play much differently. Like I said, it adds a true air of sincerity to the titular question, a genuine wonder for Stevens as he enters a new phase of his life, and carries all the heartbreak behind it that implies.
Onward with the list:
30. The Beaches
“Blame Brett”
Blame My Ex
I literally heard this for the first time a week and a half after I published. While I don’t agree with the message of blaming your ex for your behavior, the combination of guitar-pop and classic girl-group harmonies immediately launched it into my top 30. It’s an undeniably fun and pretty song.
29. Sea Lemon
“Vaporized”
Stop at Nothing EP
A pretty good indie-pop song with some more rocking elements. I enjoyed it well enough, but I always feel like I immediately forget it every time I listen to it, or it probably would have rated higher. That sounds like a pretty negative way to describe a song in a top 30, though, so I’ll say it is good– I just have trouble putting my finger on why exactly I like it.
28. Caroline Polachek
“Welcome to My Island”
Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
Kind of a latecomer to me, although it dropped earlier in the year. It’s a big and immediate electronic dance track, the kind that characterizes Polachek’s solo work (er, as far as I know, anyway). It’s “big and immediate” particularly in that intro and chorus, where Polachek unleashes her voice at maximum power. In any case, it’s certainly an attention-grabber and a good song.
27. bby
“hotline”
non-album single
Hard to pin what I liked about this one; it’s got a bit of a punk edge for a song that’s stripped down in a lot of ways, with the instruments frequently dropping out, or the singing only over a single guitar. But the different elements work together well and change up enough during the song to keep it interesting and engaging.
26. The Record Company
“Roll With It”
The 4th Album
I’d never heard of The Record Company before this, but they’ve been doing their thing for… apparently… four albums. “Roll With It” comes from a long tradition of blues-rock and bar-rock. This shit has stayed with us for so long because it’s just so damn effective at sounding fresh and upbeat each time, and The Record Company provides us with a great example of it here. Nobody’s reinventing the wheel, this is just a groovin’, swingin’ song.
25. Mannequin Pussy
“Sometimes”
I Got Heaven
I saw another publication put the title track from Mannequin Pussy’s upcoming album on their best songs list, but I like “Sometimes” better. Perhaps that’s because it’s more straightforward– which isn’t, strictly speaking, what I look for, but I just found this one hooked me better. Just a really good punk song aided by some great vocals.
24. Ramakhandra
“Minogame”
non-album single
This one kind of defies description, with the ethereal harp and the way it dances around the synths and the bass the drums, and the way the singing dances around it– and even what I think is 7/8 time– throwing me back to indie music from 20 years ago– not Joanna Newsom, despite the harp; more like a beat I could see M.I.A. sampling, or something Basement Jaxx would have done circa Kish Kash. But it’s not really hip-hop or dance-party music, either. I guess it makes me think of “trip-hop” more than anything, and even that isn’t quite right. What it is is very compelling and rewarding of repeat listens. Another Denver-area band, Ramakhandra’s website describes themselves as “the sound from the other side of the multiverse,” which sounds pretty pretentious, but the “cosmic” description is pretty accurate.
23. Blondshell
“Salad”
Blondshell
A nasty little piece of rock that’s a revenge fantasy about a friend’s abusive partner. Sabrina Teitelbaum layers in her violent fantasies of putting an end to him with her disgust with his own violence and the inability to hold him accountable any other way. And for as simple and low register as the song is during the verses, it then explodes into something else in the chorus and the ending bridge. Really good stuff that also makes me think of some of the indie rock of my youth.
22. Momma
“Bang Bang”
non-album single
Yes, the “bang” is what you think it is. It’s very much of a piece with the music from last year’s Household Name (from which “Rockstar” was my #1 song of 2022), the Breeders-inspired indie rock that’s defined Momma’s sound to this point. Not as big a fan of this one as “Rockstar,” but it’s still a good song.
21. The Linda Lindas
“Too Many Things”
non-album single
Teenage girl punk band names themselves after Linda Linda Linda (and a cheeky pun considering the band are all at least part Latina; the name can also be translated as “really pretty” in Spanish), and breaks through thanks to a viral video leading to an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel. Anyway, two years hence, and they’re still putting out singles; this one is just a really good punk-rock song, and… I don’t know how to further describe it than that.
20. Peter Gabriel
“Road to Joy (Bright-Side Mix)”
i/o
It’s not a nostalgia bid; otherwise, you’d see Wilco, The New Pornographers, The Hold Steady, and Depeche Mode on here. (To say nothing of, um, The Beatles. Iggy Pop did almost make it, though.) It’s Gabriel coming back at age 73, with his first new album since 2011, showing that he’s lost none of his gifts for pop that he put to full use in his solo heyday. It’s an uplifting song that fully merits its title (I had to try hard not to write “joyous” in the description). Fifty-six years after Genesis was first formed, Gabriel is still a master of pop craft.
19. Momma
“Sunday”
“Sunday / “Medicine” (joint single with Narrow Head)
Momma released a few standalone singles in 2023, and I slightly preferred “Sunday” to “Bang Bang.” It’s a little more low-key than most of their work, but only a little– that’s mostly due to the cleaner intro before the fuzz kicks in at the first chorus. I don’t have too much more to say; Momma’s grunge-inspired rock has a pretty signature sound by now, and if you like it, you’ll like this.
18. Slow Pulp
“Doubt”
Yard
This slice of “indie rock / bedroom pop” (according to the band’s Wikipedia page) might have had time to rise more if it had been released earlier in the year. I’m not sure what it is about the chorus exactly, but Emily Massey’s delivery reminds me of something from 90s music I can’t quite place. (The obvious comparison is how her “take me out” sounds similar to “6 Underground”‘s “take me down,” but I don’t think it’s that.) That chorus really grabbed me and hooked me, and I found myself wanting to listen to it more and more. Unfortunately for me, doing so has not led me to form more coherent thoughts on the song.
17. Ritmo Cascabel
“Ambicion Tropical”
Ritmo Cascabel
Another local band, Ritmo Cascabel describe themselves as “cumbiadelica”– “a wicked blend of cumbia, western, and rock and roll.” I don’t know very much about cumbia specifically– a Colombian musical tradition blending indigenous, African, and Spanish influences– but in the right context I dig South American and Latin rhythms, and some of that guitar work in there will give you an idea of where the “-delica” in the band description comes from. I don’t know if I’d go so far as to make an Os Mutantes comparison (and I know the difference between Colombia and Brazil), but this is a jam.
16. Thee Sacred Souls
“Running Away”
non-album single
Sure, this sounds like they’re just aping 70s R&B (maybe Earth, Wind, & Fire specifically), but so what? That music rules, and any attempt to try to make anything like it is probably going to go over well with me. Which this did.
15. Middle Kids
“Highlands”
Faith Crisis Pt 1
This one didn’t hit me that hard on first listen, but it really grew on me over time. The Australian indie-rock band delivers a pretty great slice of pop here about, I think, suburban ennui or something. Is it power pop? I don’t want to get into a prolonged discussion of taxonomy, so I’ll just say that with its upbeat and clear sound, it’s close enough for me to dig it.
“Highlands” was released as a single in 2023, but it’ll appear on Middle Kids’ upcoming album, out next month.
14. boygenius
“Not Strong Enough”
the record
I don’t know if I have anything new to say about what is probably one of the most talked-about songs of the year already. Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus forming like Voltron into the indie supergroup of our time pretty much blew away every critic in 2023, particularly with this song (nominated for three Grammys, to boot). It’s a little more of a ballad than I typically care for, but it’s undeniably good, still hooky and with the three ladies in sync on their structure and harmonies; as much as anything, the quality of the craft is evident here. I’ve not listened to much of their solo work, but between what I have heard and the way they work together on this album, I have no problem believing they’ve reached greater heights together than any of them did alone. It might not be my favorite song of the year, but I have no problem if it’s yours.
13. The Beths
“Watching the Credits”
Expert in a Dying Field (Deluxe)
Released as a single in March and included on the extended version of Expert in a Dying Field that came out last year, there isn’t really much I have to say about this track other than it’s a power-pop gem, perky and infectious and a real pleasure to listen to. Just a terrific example of the genre.
12. Olivia Rodrigo
“get him back!”
GUTS
The first Olivia Rodrigo track to appear on this list (spoiler, I guess, but why pretend otherwise?) is a bit of clever wordplay, as Rodrigo’s meaning by the titular phrase shifts from revenge to reconciliation and back and forth again, often on consecutive lines. It’s another track that, like 2021’s “brutal,” uses the spoken-verse sung-chorus structure that harkens back to some of the grunge of the early 90s and its influences. And like so much of Rodrigo’s work, it’s well-structured and well-produced and hooky as hell. (And in an odd coincidence, it’s the second song on this list, after “Welcome to My Island,” to use the line “I am my father’s daughter.”)
11. boygenius
“$20”
the record
I’m a well-established power-pop fan, so I prefer this one to “Not Strong Enough.” Love the sound of that guitar and that riff that opens the song. Just a great throwback to one of my favorite styles of music, by 2023’s indie and critical darlings.
10. Bleak Mystique
“Less of You”
non-album single
Another local band and thus one I don’t know how much exposure they’ve gotten outside of the radio station where I’ve heard them. But this particular song I like a lot, probably because it’s the only one on this list that feels to me like it really throws back to post-punk, with the song structure of punk complemented by the kind of angular riffs and fills you might find to be inspired by Gang of Four or Television. (I hope that’s not overselling it.)
9. LP
“One Like You”
Love Lines
This one isn’t particularly inventive or creative as far as ballads of devotion go. But Laura Pergolizzi has a phenomenal voice, and their range and control of it makes this song far far better than it would be in other hands. I’m also a sucker for a good key change at the climax.
8. Caroline Polachek
“Dang”
non-album single
This was a late-year single from Polachek, not on Desire, I Want to Turn Into You, but damn if it didn’t hook me quickly. I’ve always liked stuff that’s a little off-kilter and with weird beats, and the production on this one certainly qualifies, as well as the way Polachek seems to keep finding something in it among the strange sounds and beats and effects to hook her own singing rhythm to. I’m not even sure if it’s about a lover or just going out on the town or something else entirely, since the lyrics are so metaphorical. But it’s unusual and unique and experimental while still being catchy, poppy, and fun to dance to. Or maybe it’s just the pretty city kitty sipping on Chartreuse in me.
7. Olivia Rodrigo
“vampire”
GUTS
Rodrigo trades the rock in for a bit of balladry on this track, but she doesn’t lose any of her tempo, and between her voice and the production, this sounds like a real throwback– the kind of ballad you might have heard from a girl group long ago. Another story about a bad ex, the kind who blames all his other exes for their breakups and the kind who’s interested in Rodrigo’s fame more than anything about her– and, fittingly for the title, what a drain he was on her. Even considering the different tone of the song, it builds in pace and intensity as well as the best of her rockers, and it’s hooky and structured to be catchy as well.
6. Margaret Glaspy
“Act Natural”
Echo the Diamond
This is one of those songs I feel like I struggle to explain why I like it so much. It’s basically singer-songwriter pop-rock, but there’s something about it that really grabs me. Maybe it’s the kaleidoscopic lyrics, or the way Glaspy doesn’t sing them in the places you’d expect to hear them from the music, or the way Glaspy’s chorus always seems to arrive so suddenly. Maybe it’s the combination of how vulnerable the song is with how much it rocks. Maybe it’s just (a little too) easy for me to picture myself as the paradise bird in Glaspy’s tale of infatuation. Whatever it is, it stuck with me all year and grew on me more and more.
5. Jesus Christ Taxi Driver
“Ding Dong the Beeves Are Dead”
Lick My Soul
I have no idea what the title means. (Or the band’s name, though I like to joke that it’s named after two Scorsese protagonists.) It would make as much sense to me if the song was called “My Band.” The band’s website describes themselves thusly: “Somewhere between the violent rock and roll of jon spencer, the sophisticated rhythms of ali farka toure, and the religious disorientation of jean meslier, jesus christ taxi driver makes joyfully irreverent noise.” (I kept their capitalization intact.)
I don’t know how accurate that description is, but anyway: Jesus Christ Taxi Driver is a local Denver band that I heard on the radio here, and I have no idea how big their reach outside of that is, but this is song is really good. I don’t even know how to describe it… there’s something earthy and rootsy to it, like it carries on some of our oldest traditions of popular music. The band has a genuinely weird vibe (just look at the art on that single), but this song isn’t nearly as weird as you’d expect from that. Maybe more than any other, the single song this year that made me feel like I was hearing something from out of time.
4. Genesis Owusu
“Get Inspired”
non-album single
A contender for the #1 spot for most of the year until it got passed by a couple of songs late, “Get Inspired” is basically dancehall rap, which means the beats are fun and fast and energetic, and I always get hyped listening to it. The lyrics are directed at some artist, maybe Owusu himself, about both the target’s failure to break through and pretense about their art, and the Ghanaian-Australian rapper’s frustration that his or their art hasn’t brought about real change. But even with the aggressive edge to the lyrics, the production still makes this song way too much fun not to have a good time listening to. And, hey, maybe sometimes you need a big beat and a reminder to get inspired.
3. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
“When We Were Close”
Weathervanes
Death has been around me a lot this year. Losing my father has me thinking often about all the people I’ve known and mattered to me who have come and gone before me– some of them, like Justin Townes Earle, far too soon. (Isbell has never confirmed the song is specifically about Earle, but he’s never denied it, and the biographical details make it undeniable.) Isbell’s lament for his fellow musician and former friend carries a lot of weight in Isbell’s delivery, even if you don’t know the full story (or that they had a falling out before Earle, um, fell out).
It’s fairly straightforward country-rock as far as music and structure goes; what really makes it great are the intensity of the lyrics, the feeling Isbell puts into singing about a dead brother in arms, the details of Earle’s story and Isbell’s complicated feelings about their relationship that make the song gut-wrenching. Isbell’s eye for detail in his lyrics make the song so powerful, whether it’s for Earle’s fancy manner of dress even before they made it big, or “I can hear your voice ring as you snap another B-string and you finish off the set with only five,” or his lament that his daughter was probably too young to remember her father, or the clever references to Townes Van Zandt’s “Rex’s Blues” and Steve Earle’s “Ft. Worth Blues” (Earle’s namesake and father, respectively), or even the survivor’s guilt of “Oh, but why wasn’t I?”
It’s how vivid a portrait Isbell portrays of his feelings, of Earle himself, and of what it really feels like to lose someone young, especially when you left things unsaid, that make this such an outstanding song.
And there’s the line that reflects those moments for us when we relive the memories of those we’ve lost, what we wish we could bring back: “And for a minute there you’re still alive.”
This may indeed be my favorite thing Isbell’s done.
2. Bleachers
“Modern Girl”
Bleachers
When I first heard this, I didn’t want to like it this much. And all I really know about Jack Antonoff is that I keep mixing him up with Jack Abramoff. (Middle school must have been rough for those two.) But this grew on me really quickly, and I’ve been trying to figure out how to describe it. Then my friend called it an “80s Springsteen sendup,” and I don’t know if “sendup” is the right word, but it has that big, anthemic, energetic feel that might call to mind, from the moment the saxophone kicks off the track.
I thought about calling it “anthemic frat rock, but as a compliment,” but even that was when I thought it was about, you know, modern girls and trying to fuck them. But the lyrics are really about the band themselves and what they do to put on a show. “Evan Smith, tiny sax”– yep, that’s Evan Smith, session musician on a lot of big-name acts, playing saxophone for Bleachers. And the pun at the end of the second verse of “a Mikey Freedom heart attack”– Mikey Freedom Hart, who won a Grammy as producer of Jon Batiste’s We Are, plays bass and keyboards for Bleachers. (Also, he’s from my hometown, a strange bit of trivia I discovered while reading up on the band.)
So it’s not just party music, it’s clever and self-referential, with Antonoff shouting out the other band members and giving them some recognition. And the lyrics, in the end, are really about how Bleachers give it their all at shows, and they want you to do the same, to have a good time seeing them live and to not hold back.
All that aside: There just isn’t a more fun song you’ll hear all year. It’s an instant party; it’s impossible not to be in a good mood after listening to “Modern Girl.”
1. Olivia Rodrigo
“bad idea right?”
GUTS
I first discovered Olivia Rodrigo through “brutal,” an awesome grunge-throwback rocker that even apes the quiet verse – loud chorus motif of the Pixies and Nirvana. (It would have been my #1 song of 2021 if I had been keeping track back then.) I listened to the rest of SOUR, and while the musicianship was really good, most of the songs weren’t for me– Rodrigo was still singing about teenage concerns for the most part, and I am not a teenager anymore; most of the album was also quieter, more singer-songwriter focused, and I really liked the rocking out.
Well, on GUTS, Rodrigo did everything she could to make me an embarrassingly big fan of hers. Even though she’s just 20, the themes are much more mature– even if that mostly means relationships and exes, those are still themes adults of all ages have to deal with. And the album rocks in a way SOUR only did a couple of times, along with exquisite production and structure.
“bad idea right?” is the best of the three singles released (I decided not to consider non-single tracks for this list, which is probably for the best, as Rodrigo is already the only artist with three songs on here). It’s a tale of a late night where Rodrigo is tempted to visit an ex, and it works in part due to a similar structural trick to “brutal”: Rodrigo’s verses are spoken-word, reflecting on the temptation to visit her hot ex who’s ringing her up, how irrational her desire for him is in the refrain, her pre-chorus with her building urgency and passion as she tries to convince herself not to go, before the flat “Fuck it, it’s fine” and the chorus rationalizing the choice. Four different unique elements that all work terrifically and tell a story together and fit together seamlessly.
Even the details of the production are fantastic. I love how in the second refrain the “aaaaaaaa” stutters in and out, like Rodrigo’s brain is short-circuiting. Or how all the music drops out when she says “stop” in the second verse. Or the points where the backing vocals come in to highlight particular lines (“but I never said where or in whose sheets“). Everything on this track is so precise, perfectly executed, and it’s so energetic it’s impossible not to want to sing along loud.
But for all the analysis, my pick for #1 may come down to the simple fact that it’s the song I was always most excited to hear when it came on the radio in 2023.
Rodrigo’s already a master of structure and she writes great rock and pop-punk songs. I can’t believe she’s only 20. I can’t wait to see the artist she grows into being.
And in conclusion…
Here’s a playlist of the list, in countdown format!
Next week: Our seventh annual year in TV roundup and countdown begins!
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