2023 flew by and I'm still in awe of all the great music we had this year. Below is my list of favorite songs (I don't call them singles, because the majority of them are album deep cuts). And here you can find a Spotify Playlist of the songs:
You only have to hear this song live to understand what a monolith of tension and release it is.
2. ANOHNI and the Johnsons - "Sliver Of Ice"
This loving tribute to Lou Reed is about how even in the horrors of illness you can find the beauty in small things.
3. Jessie Ware - "Freak Me Now"
One of the most blissful dance tracks of the year. Impossible to resist Ware's inimitable charms.
4. Slowdive - "Kisses"
The shoegaze legends show how it's done on this shimmering, sublime track.
5. Blonde Redhead - "If"
You can achingly feel the emotion and longing in this atmospheric song.
6. Depeche Mode - "Ghosts Again"
The synthpop gods' first single off their first album as a duo was a remarkable return to form that lovingly touches on age and loss with one of their best hooks in years.
7. HEALTH - "Demigods"
Dark, menacing, and dramatic; just what you want and expect from this band.
8. Troye Sivan - "Rush"
The gay anthem of the summer; an ode to the joy and pleasures of sex.
9. Eartheater - "Crushing"
This quietly dramatic trip-hop track rises and falls on waves of lush strings.
10. Kylie Minogue - "Padam Padam"
The unofficial gay anthem of the summer. Kylie loves her gays and this song was just a fun, hook-filled banger.
11. Yard Act - "Dream Job"
The first preview from the post-punk act's upcoming record was this dancefloor-filling Talking Heads/Gang of Four-esque robo-funk workout.
12. Aphex Twin - "Blackbox Life Recorder 21f"
Aphex Twin's first official release in five years is this beautiful, shape-shifting track.
13. Helena Deland - "The Animals"
"The Animals" is a breathtakingly gorgeous guitar and piano ballad that appears to be about a relationship being at a crossroads and wondering which road to take. I love the closing lyrics: "Nights like these I can't quite tell/A fear from a wish."
14. Sufjan Stevens - "So You Are Tired"
Sufjan Stevens returned to his Carrie and Lowell singer-songwriter mode on this year's album Javelin. "So You Are Tired" is a delicate piano/guitar ballad about the ending of a relationship. It ends up blooming with strings and a wonderful chorus of backing vocals.
15. Olivia Rodrigo - "Bad Idea Right?"
Like a mash of The Cars with The Breeders, Olivia Rodrigo's "Bad Idea Right?" is an awesomely bratty single about backsliding with your ex.
16. Skrillex & Boys Noize - "Fine Day Anthem"
Skrillex and Boys Noize assembled this monster summer banger that samples Opus III's rave classic "Fine Day."
17. ††† (Crosses) ft. Robert Smith - "Girls Float † Boys Cry"
†††(Crosses)'s, the Deftones side project of Chino Moreno and Shaun Lopez, second album, Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete, is a goth/synthpop dream come true. One of the many highlights is "Girls Float † Boys Cry," a dreamy collaboration with The Cure's Robert Smith.
18. Carly Rae Jepsen - "Shy Boy"
Slinky and sexy synthpop track from the incomparable Carly.
19. Tinashe - "Talk To Me Nice"
Sultry and seductive single from Tinashe finding her in a more intimate mood. The track was produced by Nosaj Thing and Scoop DeVille.
20. Lloyd Cole - "Wolves"
"Wolves" is the haunting closing track to Lloyd Cole's 12th solo album On Pain. It's a meditation on the eternal creep of modernity, with Cole's aching voice enveloped in washes of synths and mournful guitar.
21. SZA - "Kill Bill"
This was SZA's year, and this earworm of a song was one of the main reasons why.
22. Icona Pop - "Faster"
My favorite surprise this year is the first album in ten years from Swedish duo Icona Pop, Club Romantech. It's chock full of club bangers and is a non-stop party. "Faster" is a high-energy house track with pounding drums and rave synths.
23. Mareux - "Killer"
"Killer" is a darkly menacing track with dense beats and haunting keyboard work. If you are a fan of Sisters of Mercy, you will love this.
24. SBTRKT ft. Leilah - "No Intention"
London producer SBTRKT released his first album in seven years called The Rat Race. "No Intention" is a collaboration with London singer Leilah who lends her heartfelt vocals to the track which features crisp drum programming and downtempo synths.
25. Charli XCX - "Speed Drive"
Charli XCX's contribution to the Barbie soundtrack is the buzzy "Speed Drive" which features a sample of Robyn's "Cobrastyle" and interpolates lyrics from Toni Basil's classic "Mickey." It's a lot of fun.
26. Romy - "Enjoy Your Life"
One of the best songs on Romy's solo album is the swirling, disco-esque "Enjoy Your Life." The track features a sample of “La Vita” by Beverly Glenn-Copeland, and is produced by Fred Again.., Stuart Price, and Jamie xx.
27. Truth Club - "Exit Cycle"
Indie rock band from Raleigh, North Carolina that sounds like the perfect mesh of Pavement and Sonic Youth. The slow-burning track "Exit Cycle"'s intertwined guitars slowly build to a dramatic ending of harmonized vocals.
28. Blondshell - "Salad"
A Hole-esque murder fantasy track, "Salad" is a kick-ass banger from this up-and-coming star.
29. The New Division - "Zenith"
The New Division's (aka John Glenn Kunkel) latest record Modern Life is another solid collection of synthpop tracks. "Zenith" is one of my favorite tracks with its skyscraping keyboards and epic guitar leads.
30. Yaeger - "Jaguar"
Swedish pop star Yaegar's single "Jaguar" is a twisty, synthpop club track with a prominent sample of Boards of Canada's "Kaini Industries."
31. Fever Ray - "What They Call Us"
Clanking percussion and metallic, twisting synths curl together around Karin Dreijer's pitch-shifted vocals. She is a master of mood and atmosphere.
32. House of Harm - "Roseglass"
Boston synthpop act House of Harm throws on its best Depeche Mode leather jackets on this ultra-catchy single off their album Playground.
33. Lana Del Rey ft. Father John Misty - "Let The Light In"
It's just a gorgeous song.
34. Art School Girlfriend - "A Place To Lie"
"A Place To Lie" is an evocative track with insistent drums, aching synths, and subtle rave-like touches.
35. Cupid & Psyche - "Serenity Pit"
Michael Vidal and Juan Velasquez, formerly of Abe Vigoda, have returned to making music as the post-punk duo Cupid & Psyche. From their debut album Romantic Music, "Serenity Pit" is a lurching, Cure-esque brooder.
36. ULTRA SUNN - "This Is Not About You"
"This Is Not About You," from Belgian EBM/darkwave duo ULTRA SUNN, is a dark, thumping dance floor banger.
37. MGMT - "Mother Nature"
The first single from MGMT's upcoming record Loss of Life, "Mother Nature" is a sunny, Beatle-esque song that is quite lovely and warm.
38. Skrillex ft. Missy Elliott & Mr. Oizo - "RATATA"
"RATATA" is a hyperkinetic collaboration with rap legend Missy Elliott and French producer Mr. Oizo. The bass hits hard.
39. Sextile - "Plastic"
From dance/punk/electro hooligans Sextile's album Push, "Plastic" is a Public Image Ltd. meets ADULT. sneering and snarling dance floor throw-down.
40. Foo Fighters - "Hearing Voices"
The Foo Fighters' new record But Here We Are is a poignant meditation on grief and loss following the deaths of drummer Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl's mother last year. It is one of the Foo's best records and one of the best records this year. "Hearing Voices" is one of my favorite tracks, with its lovely Cure-esque guitars and haunting lyrics about absence and loss.
41. Odd Beholder - "Patchwork Girl"
Odd Beholder's (Daniela Weinmann) third album, the intoxicating Feel Better, was recorded in Berlin with producer Douglas Greed. "'Patchwork Girl' looks at how society uses a woman's body as a screen to project all sorts of fears onto: 'A man like Frankenstein just wasn’t able, to love his ugly daughter how he loved his ugly son.'” The song utilizes many heavy vocal effects, giving the track a stark, haunting quality.
42. Shygirl - "Playboy/Positions"
Shygirl returns with the club banger "Playboy/Positions," which will be included on the deluxe version of her debut album Nymph. The song returns to her weird side, and it's all the better for it.
43. James Blake - "Tell Me"
James Blake's record Playing Robots Into Heaven was a return to his more experimental roots and was all the better for it. "Tell Me" features stuttering synths, plaintive vocals, and a rush of dense drum programming.
44. Ryuichi Sakamoto - "20211201"
Sadly, Ryuichi Sakamoto, a former member of Japan's legendary Yellow Magic Orchestra and Oscar/Emmy award-winning composer, passed away this year of cancer-related complications. He created his final album 12 as a way to take his mind off his debilitating treatments. The ambient tracks are all titled based on the day of the recording. "20211201" quietly moves over a bed of icy piano chords and ambient drones.
45. bdrmm - "Hidden Cinema"
UK shoegaze act bdrmm's second record is the fantastic I Don't Know. "Hidden Cinema" is a slow-burning, dramatic song about looking back at your mistakes and striving to learn from them.
46. Effy - "Get Down"
UK producer Effy throws down a hardcore rave track that is breathtaking in its intensity.
47. SG Lewis - "Missing You"
48. Everything But The Girl - "Nothing Left To Lose"
Everything But The Girl returned after 24 years with the dark and throbbing downtempo track "Nothing Left to Lose."
49. Alison Goldfrapp - "Hotel (Suite 23)"
From her excellent solo record The Love Invention, "Hotel (Suite 23)" is a sexy, funky electro track about a one-night stand.
50. Vandal Moon - "Sad Sad Girl"
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