For some it’s been a good year. Covid is on the wane, employment is down, the market is up, and we’ve been enjoying what will likely be a short interval of relative stability in the United States. For others this has been the worst year imaginable and, for that, we must share good fortunes and hope humanity can be restored. Soon. Really, really soon.

Musically it’s been a good year. We listened to over one hundred albums from artists new and old. In the “new” bucket we have artists like Nikki Lane and Ken Yates who would have surely been on prior lists had we discovered them sooner. In the “old” group we have perennial favorites like Metric, Robyn Hitchcock, and The Hives. And Iggy Pop. You always gotta have Iggy. He’s in the “timeless” category.

NEWCOMERS

About half of our picks are new to the 31 lists. We see a lot of quality Country coming to our playlist, with spectacular artists like personal favorite Nikki Lane and Melissa Carper. Both have excellent backlogs and have, until recently, escaped our attention. We’ve seen Lane live and, boy, that was a good show!

Samara Joy and Rachael & Vilray bring some lovely jazz vocals this year. Joy, who is only 22 years old, has the voice of a legend. And you’ll likely recognize Rachael Price from Lake Street Dive. Price and mononymous partner Vilroy bring some swing to 2023, transporting the listener to some technicolor Tin Pan Alley dive.

If you’re looking for straight ahead pop, then you’ll enjoy CVC, Julia Jacklin, Ken Yates, and Primer. Ontario’s quiet popster Ken Yates comes in with his fourth album, Cerulean. It’s a beautiful piece reminiscent of 31 favorites Salim Nourallah and Josh Rouse, all of whom echo the beauty of Nick Drake (link here to the spectacular classic, Pink Moon). Australian Jacklin delivers her third album, full of indie pop-fueled angst and self doubt. While we’ve yet to dig into her back catalog, Pre-Pleasure is a great place for anybody to start.

On the emerging music front we have CVC, who surprisingly hails from Wales and not – as one would assume – Southern California. Their debut album is overflowing with that summer-60s sound, familiar but still fresh. Meanwhile Primer is out with her second album although details, outside of her SoCal LA residence, are hard to come by. Mystery notwithstanding, vocalist/producer Alyssa Midcalf (Primer’s real name) delivers dream-pop that is mesmerizing and danceable; the perfect endcap to this year’s playlist.

We’ve got the weird, too. London’s quirky, post-punk yet kinda disco Warmduscher (German for “warm showerer”) has been around since 2014 but this is the first time we’ve had the pleasure of hearing their bass-thumping Fischerspooner-meets-Funkadelic sound. New Orleans based Hurray for the Riff Raff, reminiscent of Patti Smith, has put out nearly a dozen EPs or albums since 2007. We’re delighted they’re rising to a national stage so we all get the chance to enjoy the music.

Another London newcomer, Sports Team, shared their second album with the world. Gulp is swaggering pop excess and, if their videos are any indication, Sports Team revels in it. Automatic, also bringing the sophomore game, is on the quirkier side which reflects their post-punk DIY roots. Automatic, the creation of three women from (again) LA, remind me quite a bit of UK favorites Client or Ladytron.

Billy Nomates may be a familiar name, even if her music is new-ish to the world. She came to our attention after a huge outcry arose from inexplicable online abuse following her performance at Glastonbury 2023. The abuse was so overwhelming that, despite support from the likes of Billy Bragg, she nearly quit music altogether. That would be a real loss as her sophomore album, Cacti, is simply brilliant. Tor Maries (real name) has that breathy, monotone vocal that reminds you of classic vocalists like Nico or a younger Marianne Faithful (who, need I remind you, is God).

FAMILIAR FACES, FIRST TIMERS

We’re happy to welcome Jack White to the 31, although White Stripes have been on three times previously. White’s latest sound is delightfully familiar, a cross between his former band with a rootsier Black Keys influence. You’d be forgiven for thinking that, if it’s that familiar, wouldn’t it be boring? Nope. Fear of the Dawn somehow defies expectation with cascading vibrance and a gripping bass that you can’t escape.

RETURNING FAVORITES

We have a long list of artists coming back for encore listings. Angélique Kidjo and Donny McCaslin continue to inspire, encouraging exploration of their back catalog with wondrous new releases. Santigold returns after a six-year absence. While Santi White has collaborated with many artists since 2016’s 99¢, High Priestess heralds a welcome return brimming with new influences and immersive soundscapes.

Nation of Language and First Aid Kit keep up the momentum as new bands that just keep delivering. NOL’s third album doesn’t stray far from their ethereal OMD-inspired sound and I have no complaints about that. The same can be said of First Aid Kit who may not be breaking new ground but their continued journey only adds to their appeal.

Peter Gabriel, who ranks high in my all-time favorites list, added to already impressive repertoire. Gabriel hasn’t done an original album since 2002 and he’s been nurturing I/o across the intervening decades. For me, i/o refers to Gabriel’s earlier styles yet (like Bowie’s Heathen) it blends them to be greater than the sum of assorted parts.

Speaking of David Bowie, the Cowboy Junkies continue their stellar run with 2022’s Songs of the Reconciliation, a covers album that shares formative influences. While their version of Ziggy’s Five Years is stupendous, we went with Neil Young’s Don’t Let It Bring You Down. Margo Timmons vocals are eerily suited for Young’s music, so much so that I’d love to see an all Neil album from the Junkies at their earliest convenience.

Sondre Lerche has been missing from our lists since 2007, which isn’t to say he’s been in hiding. In fact, Lerche has been putting out an album every few years since then. While he’s always enjoyable, his work has a certain sameness to our ear hence he’s often landed in the “almost 31” list; close but not quite. This year, however, is different. Avatars of Love is a sprawling 14-track collection of love songs, melancholia, and self-reflection. You know, the stuff you’d expect from this Norwegian singer-songwriter. Yet the album rises above the expectations with delicate poetry and atypical music production.

Coming off a new wave of well-deserved appreciation, Sparks brings us The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte. As can be expected, the new album may be from Sparks but it doesn’t sound like a sequel to previous releases. It’s still quirky, replete with Ron Mael’s beautifully weird lyrics. And the album is yet another release that grabs you bit by bit, one song at a time.

Punk rock legends The Damned are still at it, and they’re still a blast. While their current sound is far removed from 1977’s debut Damned Damned Damned, Dave Vanian and Captain Sensible paint goth soundscapes reminiscent of 1985’s Phantasmagoria: poppy yet haunting.

The Wombats fast followed 2022’s Fix Yourself, Not the World with the six-track EP Is This What It Feels Like to Feel Like This, which is more of short album in our view. The sound reminds us of the last album so we’re guessing the EP was pulled from the same 2022 session. Regardless, the EP perfectly reflects their hook-laden, post-punk pop sound.

LEGENDS

Robyn Hitchcock has always been a legend for me. While this is his sixth appearance on the 31 list, I’ve been a diehard fan since the mid-80s. Since then I’ve journeyed back to his days with The Soft Boys and followed him forward through many shifts in style across the decades. 2022’s Shufflemania is a strange and wonderful departure, seemingly a hybrid between his acoustic and electric styles yet something else altogether different. While Shufflemania bears Hitchcock’s signature psychedelia it is a quieter but still beautiful shade of paisley.

Ben Folds has been somewhat absent from our lists of late, having last appeared in 2015. Folds has placed five times on the 31 lists and always with his awkward, confessional nature that can only be described as raunchy Nerd Billy Joel. What Matters Most is also the first album he’s put out since 2015 and it is quintessential Folds.

Metric returns to the lists for the seventh time, making all but one of their major releases a 31 pick. 2023’s Formentera II is described as a sequel to the prior year’s Formentera release although I can’t quite tell why. It’s got the signature vocals one would expect from Emily Haines, the same brilliant pseudo new wave arrangements, but it doesn’t sound like a continuation from Formentera. Instead it seems moodier and downbeat. Regardless, it’s an excellent Metric album by any measure.

Speaking of excellent albums by any measure, we are delighted to see The Hives return for their fifth placement on the 31s. These Swedes have placed every time they’ve had an eligible album, stretching all the way back to the start of the 31s in 2000. After a very dark eleven year absence, The Hives returned with the true-to-form Death of Randy Fitzsimmons, a brash and hyperkinetic album that is as youthful and vibrant as ever. Even more surprising is their age-defying live performances which makes one wonder if there isn’t a portrait hiding in an attic somewhere.

Robbie Fulks comes in with his fourth placement on the 31 list although, honestly, that’s more on us for not tracking him well. Fulks puts out an odd assortment of albums, some only available as USB sticks with some 50+ songs. Truly every album he releases is a gem and this year’s homage to bluegrass is no exception. Fans of his earlier, 2016 Grammy-nominated Upland Stories, will hear songs like Momma’s Eyes as an extension of that earlier sound. But, at it’s heart, Bluegrass Vacation is a romp through the formative loves of Fulks’ childhood.

And, as promised, we have Pop. The grandfather of punk is out with his twentieth solo release, and his second since 2019’s alleged retirement release, Post Pop Depression. Well, good news for us that Iggy apparently has no intention of retiring – from studios or stages. This year’s offering is starkly different than last year’s Free. Instead, Every Loser has a certain metal tinge to it, like 2003’s Skull Ring.

IN MEMORIUM

It’s a sad part of any years-end wrap up to take note of those whose musical journey has ended. While there may be more momentous passings to some, the following list recognizes some of the important artists that have touched my life.

I had never heard anyone like Shane MacGowan who, as the voice of The Pogues, opened up a new musical world for me. Deeply imbued with the spirit of punk and Irish folk, The Pogues painted vivid pictures of weird people, rotten politics, and lost love. For a brief time I was a in a lounge duo and we called ourselves Fred & Ethel. It never went anywhere but we did a mean version of Fairytale of New York.

My love for Ryuichi Sakamoto is directly tied to David Bowie, who introduced this Japanese composer to many like me in the West. While I was first obsessed with Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence I continued to dig into Sakamoto’s idiosyncratic catalog. From the poppy Smoochy the delicate study Playing The Piano, Sakamoto defied easy classification, which is probably why I liked him so much. It’s not easy to pick one song from his vast body of work but Energy Flow always stood out to me as a one of his finest works.

Gordon Lightfoot was radio in my childhood. His rock-curious form of folk was exactly the kind of music a pre-teen nerd would be drawn into. As I grew older, Lightfoot turned into a punchline for jokes we really shouldn’t have told; he was just too tightly bound to a decade most wanted to forget. Now, as an older adult who no longer gives a shit what people think of his musical tastes, I re-evaluated Lightfoot and found him to be the genius many have claimed him to be. In honor of his artistry, and in deference to my childhood obsession, I can think of no finer song to remember him by.

Tony Bennett wasn’t always at the top of my crooner’s list. It really wasn’t until I was lucky enough to see him live at Seattle’s Bumbershoot music festival in 2012 that I dug into his catalog. There I discovered how much I had already been listening to Bennett, whose list of hits was endless, this being but one of my favorites:

Astrud Gilberto opened my musical horizons. Bossa nova got big for me in the 90s when my musical interests shifted from rock to jazz. Her breathy monotone vocals were a natural hit for someone who adored Nico, Marianne Faithfull, and Aimee Mann.

Tom Verlaine was more of an indirect influence, although no less a profound one. Verlaine’s early band, Television, was a staple of the burgeoning NYC music scene of the mid-70s. They influenced lifelong favorites of mine from the Ramones to Talking Heads and Blondie. I regret not spending more time with Verlaine’s work as now, in reflection, I can see how he left such strong impressions on what I love.

I’d be dishonest if I claimed to be a fan of Sinead O’Connor. I was probably overwhelmed by her strong personality and failed to connect with her music as a consequence. Now, in the wake of her death, I realize how wrong I was. As tribute upon tribute fell, I could not help but be moved by how her contemporaries understood O’Connor in a way that I did not. Her final act, driven by defiance and depression, only cemented that I had judged too quickly and dismissed to readily. From her I take a lesson to see the people behind veneers painted by agents and music makers.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Every year we have to make some difficult choices; we can only have 31 songs and there’s always a few tracks we really liked even if, in the balance, the overall albums weren’t as strong.

Death Cab For Cutie’s Asphalt Meadows is the canonical example of Honorable Mention. DCFC has placed nine times on the 31s and, sadly, this was the first year they didn’t quite cut it. The title track is a beautiful example of the band and, on the whole, the album is a good one. It just didn’t bring enough new to the table considering their already amazing back catalog.

Grace Potter, a 31 favorite, was another close-but-not-quite. Her newest release, Mother Road, is a fun honky tonk ride worthy of a listen. Check out Ready Set Go to rev you up.

We considered quite a few other favorites that ultimately didn’t make it: Pixies, Hot Chip, Alison Goldfrapp, Ladytron, and Tina Dico to name a few. For the full detail check the upcoming post covering the 2023 Almost 31s.

2023 Playlist

Track by track, with artist + album