Favorite Albums of 2023

Better late than never, but in no particular order: here are the records from 2023 that really stuck with me.

 

Why Would I Watch – Hot Mulligan A3842452868 10.

The last song on this record is probably the best, but the whole thing is a fun ride. You do leave thinking “man, is this guy ok? Is he still drinking?”

 

Toxic Positivity – The Used 71tXx2F3axL. UF1000,1000 QL80 .

Another wonderful record from John Feldman and The Used. Tracks like “Dancing with a Brick Wall”, and “I Hate Everybody” are real standouts.

 

This is Why – Paramore 91T8oKMkowL. UF1000,1000 QL80 .

To be honest, this might be my least favorite of the last there Paramore records, but I still get “C’est comma Ça” stuck in my head from time to time.

 

ONE MORE TIME… – blink–182 Blink 182 One More Time scaled.

This was a really great return from blink. I liked the Matt Skiba era better than most, I think. However, Turpentine might be my all-time favorite blink song. The whole record is great, and in the intervening two years they released a Deluxe version that is also great.

 

The Maine – The Maine 51a9ErPbV1L. UF1000,1000 QL80 .

The Maine continue an incredible run of records following American Candy. Dos #2 is a fun opening track, but several others really hit as well. This band just keeps getting better

So Much (for) Stardust – Fall Out Boy

I had written about this album when it came out, and I think that that holds up. Its a good album. It feels much more like the latter half of Fall Out Boys run prior to their disbanding, than their radio-ready singles from ~5 years ago.

The Fear of Fear – Spiritbox A1747554934 10.

I know I said these aren’t in any particular order, but this is probably my favorite release of 2023. Theres something to be said for a really tight, concise E.P., and more bands ougt to say it. No bloat; just the best 4-6 tracks. I think it really helps w/ cohesion and continuing a theme throughout the release. This was the first thing by Spiritbox I had listened to, and believe me, they’ve become a mainstay of the last several years.

Love From The Other Side

Fall Out Boy’s new song, Love From The Other Side, is pretty great. It feels like it could slot in nicely somewhere between Folie à Deux and Infinity on High. Chorus.fm had a good summary of several interviews Patrick Stump has done, and it sounds like they nailed precisely what they were aiming for me to.

2023 feels like it’s shaping up to be a massive comeback year from aughts-eta Warped Tour bands. Paramore, Fall Out Boy, and Blink-182 all have confirmed 2023 releases, and it won’t shock me if My Chemical Romance, Cartel, Taking Back Sunday, and The Used all also have released out.

Asphalt Meadows – Death Cab for Cutie

I’m a “they’ll never do wrong” sort of Death Cab fan. Even when I don’t really dig an album when it comes out, I always end up coming back to it and find a few gems (I’m looking at you Kintsugi). I loved this album from the first listen. I was so relieved when I liked the first album post-Chris Walla’s departure from the band Thank You For Today; the EP that followed that up, The Blue EP was fantastic too. In fact, I went to go see them on that tour, and thought they sounded better than any other time I’d seen them – adding a fifth member really fills out their sound. Asphalt Meadows just builds on that momentum. My favorite song on the record is probably “Foxglove Through The Clearcut” – its a weird one. Weird in a very good way.

Bring Funny in a Foreign Language – The 1975

Here’s another band that just keeps getting better. Following 2019’s Notes on a Conditional Form, Being Funny in a Foreign Language is a bit of a departure for the band. Although they haven’t shunned the occasional saxophone solo on previous records, this album really has embraced unique arrangements — “Part of the Band” is a masterclass in this. The song seamlessly whistles from a small string section to an acoustic band and back again, while tricking you into thinking there is a chorus when there just isn’t. Other highlights include “The 1975”, “Looking for Somebody To Love”, “Oh Caroline” and “When We Are Together”.

Higher Lonely Power – Fireworks

Fireworks are back with their first record since 2014’s Oh, Common Life. It sounds like this album, or perhaps an earlier version of it, was supposed to be released in 2020, however was delayed due to the pandemic. In late 2019 the band released the single “Demitasse”, which never really captured me, even though it was an obvious major departure from the band’s previous pop-punk records. I recall thinking at the time “woah, I’ll sit down with this more when the entire album is out” simply because if the single was as much of a departure as the rest of the album, I knew I’d need to spend some time with the rest of the record. Well, flash-forward one pandemic later and “Demitasse” isn’t even on the record, but the record is that expected departure nevertheless. Highlights include “I Want to Start a Religion With You”, “Blood in the Milk” and “How Did it Use to Be So Easy?”

Bicycling Reviews the Ford F-150 Lightning

My wife and I bought e-bikes this year, and we agreed that that purchase was really a highlight of 2022 for us. That lead me down the road of buying more and more accessories for them: a rack for the car, weatherproof mittens that stay on the handle bars, even a thermally insulated bag to carry a pizza box home. That’s why I had a good chuckle at the headline of Bicycling’s review of the Ford F-150 Lightning: “The Ultimate e-bike Accessory”. Well, at nearly $100k, I sure hope that’s the end of the e-bike accessory market. The review is a good read, especially if you’re also interested in eventually converting to some EV and intend to take it out for a day to hike or bike.

The Hum Goes on Forever – The Wonder Years

The Wonder Years are a band that just keep getting better. The previous album, Sister Cities shifted a bit from their signature pop-punk to painting sonic landscapes (witness “We Look Like Lightning”). There are a handful of moments on this album that reflect that growth (“You’re the Reason I Don’t Want The World to End”), but overall this feels like a return to form; for instance, the intro to “Old Friends Like Lost Teeth” will never fail to get me pumped the same way “Local Man Ruins Everything” does.

Favorite Albums of 2022

In no particular order, these are the albums I really enjoyed this year. Over the coming days and weeks, I’ll write a bit more about a few of the albums below, if I have more to say about them than just this simple recommendation.

The Hum Goes on Forever – The Wonder Years

Midnights – Taylor Swift

Bring Funny in a Foreign Language – The 1975

Asphalt Meadows – Death Cab for Cutie

Voyeurist – Underoath

The End, So Far – Slipknot

Harry’s House – Harry Styles

All The Truth I Can Tell – Dashboard Confessional

some kind of peace – piano reworks – Olafur Arnalds

Glass Onion

What a fun movie. Both this movie, and Knives Out are awfully fantastical, but in truly the best way. The way Rian Johnson weaves together multiple story lines, frequently changing the meaning of words between the first and second time you witness a conversation, is just magical. The plot of both films feels a little absurd at times in some twists, but if you allow yourself to suspend your disbelief, they really are a fun ride.

Similar to Knives Out, the film revolves around its fantastic ensemble cast. The only returning character from Knives Out is Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc, the protagonist and a world renowned detective. I don’t recall the characters in the first film being tied so deeply into modern discourse, however this film certainly is. For instance, Kate Hudson plays a clueless model that simply can’t help making offensive and racist remarks; however, she thinks she is simply saying what everyone else is thinking. Similarly, Dave Bautista plays a mens’ rights activist that we are introduced to as he rants about the “Breast-ification” of America. Edward Norton’s character is somewhere between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg on the narcissistic-tech-billionaire spectrum, which makes his bullshit instantly recognizable to the audience, while still fun and new.

Lastly, the cinematography in this film is just as great as Knives out. The colors and lighting are always fantastic, and really immerse you in the scene. There’s one particular moment, which I won’t spoil entirely, where Edward Norton’s character is leaning into a darkened foreground as you can see a perfectly lit Benoit Blanc in the background. Really fantastic stuff, given what will be revealed later in the film.