Alabama-born and now Nashville-based singer-songwriter Brittany Howard takes over the top spot this week with her soulful and funky kiss-off single “What Now”, displacing Green Day‘s “The American Dream Is Killing Me” after it’s three week run at #1. The astonishingly talented artist with a powerhouse voice was front woman of rock band Alabama Shakes, but went solo in 2018 when the band went on hiatus. She released her debut album Jaime in 2019 to widespread acclaim, and was nominated for numerous music awards, winning a Grammy in 2021 for Best Rock Song for her single “Stay High”. “What Now” is the lead and title single from her forthcoming second album of the same name, scheduled for release on February 2. About the single, Howard explains “It was written during the pandemic when the question “What now” was on all of our minds. I think it is a feeling that has continued to the present moment in the world we live in. It is also the title of the new album and I think when you hear it you will understand why I landed on that title…but more on that later.” The dark video was directed by Danilo Parra, produced by Adam Braun and filmed by Benjamin Whatley. In addition to Howard, the video features Mohnsta Simmons, Anaelle Rabotoson, Laquane Barnes and Andre Lambert.
In other notable chart developments, Georgia singer-songwriter Teddy Swims is the biggest upward mover for the third consecutive week, as his bluesy and blistering “Lose Control” leaps nine spots to #3. Moving into fourth place is “Attraction”, the sweet song of budding love by talented young British trio Wild Horse, followed by “My Love Mine All Mine” by Mitski at #5. Entering the top 10 after a long slow climb are the ethereal “All I Die For” by Canadian indie rock band SWiiMS and “Modern Girl” by pop-rock band Bleachers.
Making their debut this week are two songs that couldn’t be more different from each other: Entering at #29 is “Lovin On Me” by the enormously popular rapper Jack Harlow, who’s racked up a stream of hits over the past five years, some of them collaborations with other artists. The song is already a massive hit, currently returning to the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 after all the Christmas songs that dominated the chart in December dropped off. I’m not generally a fan of his type of music, but with its infectious groove, “Lovin On You” has finally grown on me. Entering at #30 is the lovely “Your World Now” by fellow blogger, musician and all-around Renaissance man Marc Schuster. About the song, he explains: “On the surface, it sounds like it could be a wistful breakup song in the style of Jens Lekman or Belle & Sebastian, but it isn’t really influenced by any personal experiences beyond the broad strokes of realizing that the world is changing and that I’m okay with handing the reins over to people who will do things differently than I would.” I think it’s one of Schuster’s best songs yet, and his vocals have never sounded better.
WHAT NOW – Brittany Howard (2)
THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME – Green Day (1)
LOSE CONTROL – Teddy Swims (12)
ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (5)
MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (6)
COOL ABOUT IT – boygenius (8)
RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (7)
DARLING – Western Jaguar (3)
ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS (13)
MODERN GIRL – Bleachers (14)
NOW AND THEN – The Beatles (4)
MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (9)
HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (10)
ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (11)
ATOMIC CITY – U2 (15)
LOVING YOU – Cannons (17) 22nd week on chart
HOW DID YOU GET HERE? – Antony Szmierek (19)
HOUDINI – Dua Lipa (20)
BLAME BRETT – The Beaches (21)
NOTHING MATTERS – The Last Dinner Party (23)
PRETTY VICIOUS – The Struts (22)
WINTER COWBOY – Frank Joshua (24)
NORTHERN ATTITUDE – Noah Kahan feat. Hozier (25)
WILD – Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelley & Marc Schuster (16)
Here’s Part 3 of my favorite songs for each year from 2000 through 2023. In 2003, Coldplay became my favorite band, along with Green Day, Incubus and Weezer, and that lasted for about 10 years until they were replaced by Foster the People for a brief period. In 2015, twenty øne piløts became my favorite act, and in the years since, MISSIO, Foals, Lord Huron, Two Feet and, most recently, Beach Weather have been my favorites. I’ve written in varying detail about all of these songs in previous posts over my eight-plus years of blogging, so won’t write narratives about any of them here. Just the year, the song and the artist, and the best video I could find for each one.
Not a lot of changes to this week’s Top 30, with the songs in the top six spots remaining in place for a second week. Green Day‘s “The American Dream Is Killing Me” is #1 for a third week, while Brittany Howard‘s “What Now” holds on the #2 spot for a second week. The lovely “Cool About It” by boygenius climbs three spots to enter the top 10 at #8. The biggest upward mover again this week is “Lose Control” by Georgia singer-songwriter Teddy Swims, jumping seven spots to #12. The sole debut this week is “nice to know you” by L.A. pop-rock trio lovelytheband, who I had the pleasure of seeing in concert last June. In fact, in addition to lovelytheband, I’ve also seen two other acts on this list – Cold War Kids and Cannons.
THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME – Green Day (1)
WHAT NOW – Brittany Howard (2)
DARLING – Western Jaguar (3)
NOW AND THEN – The Beatles (4)
ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (5)
MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (6)
RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (10)
COOL ABOUT IT – boygenius (11)
MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (7)
HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (8)
ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (9)
LOSE CONTROL – Teddy Swims (19)
ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS (14)
MODERN GIRL – Bleachers (15)
ATOMIC CITY – U2 (12)
WILD – Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelley & Marc Schuster (13)
Well, 2023 sure flew by in a flash, and while it was another crazy year that tested our collective mettle, at least we had a seemingly endless supply of great music to help keep us from going completely insane. And though I’m now in my late 60s, I still find quite a lot of current music to my liking, and these are my personal picks for the 100 Best Songs of 2023. Music tastes are very subjective, and while I cannot imagine how others cannot share my love for a particular song, I fully realize that not one person will agree with all my song choices or rankings.
As a music blogger, I’m exposed to a tremendous amount of new music over the course of a year, both from the literally thousands of artists and bands I follow, as well as all the music I learn about from my fellow bloggers. Despite this, I’m fully aware that I’ve heard only a fraction of all the music released in 2023 (I get enough proof of this just by reading other bloggers’ year-end best-of lists, where in some cases I’m not familiar with very many of their song or album picks.) Consequently, my list includes only songs I know, and I’m certain there are likely many great ones that should be included, except that I’ve never heard them. Among the thousands of songs I did hear in 2023, there were many outstanding ones, and it frustrates me to have to cull my favorites down to only 100, omitting quite a few that I really like. It’s also a challenge ranking them, because a song at #40 isn’t necessarily any better than a song at #70. Perhaps it’s a pointless exercise to even rank them at all, except for the fact that I love making lists!
In most years there have been at least a few new releases by important legacy acts, but there seemed to be more than ever in 2023, with some quite respectable new music put out by such acts as the Rolling Stones, Ringo Starr, Neil Young, Graham Nash, Dolly Parton, Peter Gabriel, U2, Depeche Mode, Metallica, Slowdive, Green Day, Blur, Wilco and blink-182, as well as the somewhat controversial song “Now And Then”, released by the two surviving Beatles.
I avoid ranking albums, as there are simply far too many I’ve either not heard, nor had the time to fully listen to, therefore any list I might compile would be woefully inadequate. Nevertheless, there are some particularly beautiful records released in 2023 that I love and want to give a shout out to, some of which I reviewed: everything is alive by Slowdive, Eternal Embers by Meltt, I Don’t Know by bdrmm, Fly the Flag by Hardwicke Circus, Beigeification by Darksoft, Magic Spells Abound by Kevin Robertson, Zoo Life by dwi, God’s Waiting Room by N.A.V.E., Oblivion by Western Jaguar, Pineapple Sunrise by Beach Weather, as well as the delightfully uproarious Boombap For Boomers by Lewca.
Before I get to my list, I want to pay homage to some of the legendary and beloved artists we lost in 2023, including Burt Bacharach, Robbie and Tim Bachman (of BTO), Jeff Beck, Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennett, Jimmy Buffett, David Crosby, Astrud Gilberto, Steve Harwell (of Smash Mouth), Rudolph Isley, Jean Knight, Denny Laine, Gordon Lightfoot, Shane MacGowan, Bernie Marsden, Randy Meisner, Jerry Moss, Sinéad O’Connor, Lisa Marie Presley, Robbie Robertson, Barrett Strong, Tina Turner, Dwight Twilley, Tom Verlaine, Cynthia Weil and Gary Wright. They gave us some of the most memorable songs ever recorded, and their musical legacies and influence will continue to live on.
A final caveat I feel I must mention every year: Many bloggers and critics include songs released during the year in question on their year-end lists, whereas Billboard and many other charts generally include songs in the year they were ‘hits’ on said charts, which is what I prefer. Many of the songs on this list were released in 2023, however, a number of them were released in 2022, but didn’t ‘peak’ until 2023. Likewise, several songs released toward the end of this year, such as “What Now” by Brittany Howard, are still moving up my weekly charts and won’t peak until early 2024, thus will appear on my 100 Best Songs of 2024 list. The few songs in this Top 100 that also appeared on my Top 100 Songs of 2022 list are indicated with an asterisk *.
I’ve written narratives for the top 10 songs, and would have liked to do it for more, but just didn’t have the energy. Besides, few probably care to read them anyways. As always, I’ve created a Spotify playlist for this Top 100, which is included at the end of the post. Hopefully you’ll find some of your own personal favorites on it. Let me know what songs were your favorites of 2023.
1. TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather
Over the past year and a half, alternative pop-rock trio Beach Weather have become one of my favorite bands on the strength of their breezy, melodic sound and charming and colorful personalities. Their music just makes me feel happy, and it was a thrill seeing them in concert this past June. Originally formed in 2015, the band released two excellent EPs, then went on hiatus in 2017. Thankfully, they reformed in early 2022, and now consist of founding members Nick Santino (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and Reeve Powers (bass, backing vocals), as well as Sean Silverman (lead guitar). I fell in love with their song “Sex, Drugs, Etc.” (which was originally featured on their 2016 EP Chit Chat) at first listen. The song ended up ranking #3 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022 list, and I’ve loved every one of their subsequent releases.
In August 2022, they began releasing a string of new singles, starting with “Unlovable”, which they followed that November with the rather melancholy but gorgeous “Trouble With This Bed”. Both songs, along with “Sex, Drugs, Etc.”, are included on their wonderful debut album Pineapple Sunrise, which dropped this past March. “Trouble With This Bed” addresses a romantic relationship crippled by uncertainty and unfulfilled desires, acted out by a young couple in the accompanying video, interspersed with scenes of Beach Weather performing the song, all on the same bed. I really love the song’s beautiful languid groove, Nick’s dreamy layered vocals, Sean’s silky guitar notes and Reeve’s sultry bassline, so much so that it’s my favorite song of 2023.
2. NEW GOLD – Gorillaz, Tame Impala & Bootie Brown
I love when artists from different genres and backgrounds come together to create music, especially when the pooling of their collective talents and imagination results in glorious sonic alchemy. One of the finest examples of this is “New Gold”, a brilliant collaboration between virtual band Gorillaz (fronted by British singer-songwriter and producer Damon Albarn, who also reunited with his other band Blur in 2023 to release their acclaimed album The Ballad of Darren), Australian alternative psychedelic music project Tame Impala, and American rapper Bootie Brown (aka Romye Robinson). The deep, pulsating beat and lush, intricate synths by Albarn, producer extraordinaire Greg Kurstin, and Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker create a magical backdrop for Albarn’s and Parker’s dreamy vocals and Brown’s flawlessly rapped verses, all of which not only complement each other beautifully, but also create a palpable sense of excitement and energy. From Gorillaz’ eighth studio album Cracker Island, “New Gold” is a gorgeous feast for the senses, and is my second-most favorite song of 2023.
Co-written by them all, the song’s lyrics speak to the ephemeral and often unfulfilling things too many people indulge in, expressed in the chorus “New gold, foolish gold, everything will disappear.” They rely on self-delusions or any number of palliatives, rather than face their problems in a realistic way, whether it be the ultimately self destructive overuse of cosmetic surgery that often ages poorly, abuse of party drugs that destroy the user’s mind, or endless social media drama, wasting time on online content lacking any real value or engaging in online arguments that only serve to make us feel more isolated than ever.
3. NOT STRONG ENOUGH – boygenius
American indie rock supergroup boygenius, comprised of three incredibly talented female singer-songwriters – Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus, each of whom are successful artists in their own right – graced us with the release of their long-awaited debut album The Record this past March, four and a half years after they dropped their self-titled EP in 2018. One of the highlights of the album is the beautiful “Not Strong Enough”, which ranks #3 among my 100 Best Songs of 2023 (and #1 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay year-end chart). Besides their intelligent songwriting and outstanding musicianship, a prominent component of boygenius’ wonderful music are the three ladies’ distinctive vocals and gorgeous harmonies. For “Not Strong Enough”, Bridgers sings the first verse, Baker the second, and Dacus leads the chant in the song’s bridge: “Always an angel, never a god”, with all three singing the exuberant choruses.
In an interview for Rolling Stone, Phoebe elaborated on the meaning behind the song’s Sheryl Crow-inspired lyrics: “The two wolves inside us can be self-hatred and self-aggrandizing. Being like, ‘I’m not strong enough to show up for you. I can’t be the partner that you want me to be.’ But also being like, ‘I’m too fucked up. I’m unknowable in some deep way!’ Self-hatred is a god complex sometimes, where you think you’re the most fucked-up person who’s ever lived. Straight up, you’re not. And it can make people behave really selfishly, and I love each of our interpretations of that concept.” The delightful video, shot by the three members of boygenius and edited by Phoebe’s younger brother Jackson Bridgers, shows the three having fun and enjoying each other’s company in various locations around Los Angeles, including the Santa Monica Pier and Getty Villa in Malibu, one of two campuses of the J. Paul Getty Museum.
4. RESCUED – Foo Fighters
Too many bands have faced the sudden and tragic loss of an integral member, and one of the more heartbreaking in recent memory was the death last year of Taylor Hawkins, the beloved longtime drummer of American rock band Foo Fighters. Picking up the pieces and soldiering on after such a loss is always difficult, and sometimes impossible, as Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl knows all too well from his experience with Nirvana. He and Foo Fighters bandmates channeled their grief to create one of the best albums of their nearly 30-year career in the form of But Here We Are, which they describe as “10 songs that run the emotional gamut from rage and sorrow to serenity and acceptance, and myriad points in between.” The album’s blistering, heart-wrenching lead single “Rescued” is one of the best song of 2023, and ranks #4 on my year-end list.
The song is about trying to cope with, then move on from, a sudden, unexpected event, expressed in the opening lyrics “It came in a flash, it came outta nowhere. It happened so fast, and then it was over.” Later in the song, Grohl acknowledges the overwhelming numbness and grief he and his bandmates experienced after Hawkins’ death, wondering if they’d ever truly feel ‘alive’ again: “We’re all free to some degree to dance under the lights. I’m just waitin’ to be rescued, bring me back to life.” The song ends with Grohl’s signature screams, which sound more heart-wrenching than ever here. For the recording of “Rescued”, along with the entire album But Here We Are, Dave Grohl played drums, but earlier in the year, legendary drummer Josh Freese officially joined Foo Fighters as their new drummer.
5. ONE MORE TIME – blink-182
Though I’ve liked some of their songs, I’ve never really followed nor been a huge fan of pop-punk band blink-182. But like most people, I love happy endings, so even I am thrilled to see the original line-up back together again and still making music. Formed in Southern California in 1992 by guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, and drummer Scott Raynor, Rayner was later dismissed from the band in 1998 and replaced by Travis Barker, who remains the drummer to this day. Despite their commercial and popular success, they’ve had more than their fair share of ups and downs over their 30-year history. After releasing five albums, three of which reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200 Album chart, as well as scoring two #1 songs on the Modern Rock/Alternative charts, the combination of family commitments (all three guys now had children), the toll of touring and increasing artistic differences caused tension among the band members. Consequently, they decided to go on a hiatus in early 2005 that ended up lasting nearly four years, with the band members not speaking with each other until October 2008, after Barker was involved in a plane crash that killed four people, leaving he and his collaborator Adam Goldstein as the only two survivors. Barker sustained second and third degree burns which ultimately required sixteen surgeries, multiple blood transfusions, and numerous skin grafts, and also resulted in him developing PTSD. Barker’s brush with death prompted him, DeLonge and Hoppus to come together, put aside their differences, and reunite as a band.
Following their reunion, the band toured extensively and in 2011 released their sixth studio album Neighborhoods, which peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 Album chart. Nevertheless, tensions between the three persisted, with this period of blink-182’s history characterized as dysfunctional by all three members. DeLonge decided to leave the band indefinitely at the end of 2014, at which point Hoppus and Barker continued blink-182 with Matt Skiba, of punk rock band Alkaline Trio, on lead vocals and guitar. That iteration of blink-182 released two albums, California and Nine, the first of which reached #1 on the Billboard 200 Album chart and earned the band a Grammy nomination. One of the album’s singles “Bored to Death” also became their third song to hit #1 on the Alternative chart.
In June 2021, the band was hit with yet another setback when Hoppus confirmed that he’d been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and had been receiving treatment in secret for the previous three months. This led to him, Barker and DeLonge coming together yet again in response to a crisis, and the three decided to reunite for a second time in late 2022. Both their latest album One More Time and its heartwarming and poignant title track touch on their history and the challenges that brought them back together. In a sense, “One More Time” is a kind of successor to their 2004 hit “I Miss You”, which they name-drop in the lyrics. “I wish they told us, it shouldn’t take a sickness, or airplanes falling out the sky. Do I have to die to hear you miss me? Do I have to die to hear you say goodbye? / I miss you, took time, but I admit it. It still hurts even after all these years. And I know that next time, ain’t always gonna happen. I gotta say, “I love you” while we’re here.” I love the beautiful ballad, on which all three members sing, and it’s become my favorite blink-182 song. It spent four weeks atop my weekly top 30, and ranks #5 on my year-end list. (The song has spent nine weeks and counting at #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart.)
6. TROPIC MORNING NEWS – The National
One of the more captivating songs of 2023 is “Tropic Morning News”, by American alternative indie rock band The National. The lead single from their ninth studio album First Two Pages Of Frankenstein, the song was released in January and quickly climbed the Alternative charts. The National has a rather interesting lineup, comprised of Matt Berninger (vocals), twin brothers Aaron (guitar, piano, keyboards) and Bryce Dessner (guitar, piano, keyboards), and brothers Scott (bass) and Bryan Devendorf (drums). I love their sophisticated songwriting and rich, complex sound, especially Matt Berninger’s rich baritone vocals.
According to an article by Leah Degrazia for the website Genius, the album came together while Berninger was emerging from a period of crippling writer’s block (something I can strongly relate to). “Even though we’d always been anxious whenever we were working on a record, this was the first time it ever felt like maybe things really had come to an end,” Berninger said. The lyrics for “Tropic Morning News”, written by Berninger and his wife Carin Besser, speak of how constantly inundating yourself with negative news can pull you into a dark hole of isolation and sadness, making it hard to reach out and form deep human connection. Despite it’s rather dark subject matter, the song is incredibly pleasing and lovely.
7. ESSENCE – Refeci feat. Shimmer Johnson
Refeci (aka Victor Cornelius Tommerup) is a brilliant Danish DJ and electronic house music producer who’s been making music since his mid teens, both as a solo artist and a collaborator with numerous musicians and vocalists. Now 24 years old, he’s released an impressive amount of music since 2016, and five of his singles have garnered many millions of streams on Spotify alone. Shimmer Johnson is a singer-songwriter and musician with the voice of an angel. Based in Edmonton, Canada with professional ties to Los Angeles, she’s also a talented guitarist and pianist, and has collaborated with several songwriters and producers to create an impressive repertoire of outstanding songs over the past several years. She started out singing Country songs, but eventually branched out into adult contemporary pop, rock and dance music, all of which she handles with ease. I’ve written about her numerous times on this blog.
The two teamed up earlier this year to create a bewitching dance song “Essence“, with Refeci composing and arranging the music and Shimmer writing and singing the lyrics. His pulsating dance beats are overlain with hauntingly beautiful piano chords and gauzy atmospheric synths, creating a mesmerizing and sensuous soundscape for her enchanting ethereal vocals that transport us to a dreamy, faraway place. The simple lyrics speak to the importance of having faith in ourselves and forging our own path: “Don’t ever ever doubt your life.Make a wish and just believe. Find the path that’s right. It’s the essence of life.” To date, the song has been streamed over 1.2 million times on Spotify alone. It was Shimmer’s second song to top my chart, her first being “Starts With You” in early 2022.
8. THIS IS WHY – Paramore
Though Nashville trio Paramore, consisting of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro, have been around since 2004, I’ve never previously cared much for their music. But I have to say I’ve found their more recent music much more to my liking, both musically and lyrically, especially “This Is Why”, the title track from their sixth studio album This Is Why, which was released this past February. Their first new single in four years, the defiantly honest and exuberant song is indicative of their more mature songwriting, and both this song and their follow-up single “Running Out Of Time” (which appears later on this list) strongly resonate with me. ‘This Is Why” spent three weeks at #1 on my weekly top 30, and comes in at #8 for the year.
About the single, Williams told NME “‘This Is Why” was the very last song we wrote for the album. To be honest, I was so tired of writing lyrics but Taylor convinced Zac and I both that we should work on this last idea. What came out of it was the title track for the whole album. It summarizes the plethora of ridiculous emotions, the roller-coaster of being alive in 2022, having survived even just the last three or four years. You’d think after a global pandemic of fucking biblical proportions and the impending doom of a dying planet, that humans would have found it deep within themselves to be kinder or more empathetic or something.”
9. KID – The Revivalists
The Revivalists are an 8-piece alternative roots rock band who formed in New Orleans in 2007, but finally burst onto the music scene in 2015 when, on the strength of their third album Men Amongst Mountains, Rolling Stone magazine named them one of “10 Bands You Need to Know”. One of the singles from that album, “Wish I Knew You”, was a sleeper hit, eventually reaching #1 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Songs chart in September 2016, then topping the Alternative Airplay chart in May 2017.
Their exuberant feel-good anthem “Kid” was the lead single from their fifth studio album Pour It Out Into The Night, released in June. Band lead vocalist David Shaw said the song “is about capturing the essence of life. We all go through ups and downs. Sometimes, we don’t believe in ourselves. We’ve got skeletons in the closet trying to drag us down. But you’ve got to believe in yourself. You’ve just got to live for the spirit. Nothing good ever comes easy. If you don’t have hope, what do you have?” Besides making great songs, The Revivalists use their music as a force of positivity, and are actively involved in several philanthropic causes, including establishing an umbrella fund Rev Causes in 2019, for the purpose of supporting various organizations dedicated to reviving and investing in their communities, public health, and the environment. “Kid” spent 20 weeks on my chart, two of them at #1, and is my 9th favorite song of 2023.
10. KISSES – Slowdive
Without question, one of the prettiest songs of 2023 is “kisses” by British dream rock band Slowdive. Though they formed way back in 1989, I’m embarrassed to admit I was not familiar with them until hearing “kisses” this past June (which may partly be due to the fact they’ve never had a single chart in the U.S.). Consisting of Rachel Goswell on vocals, guitar and keyboard, Neil Halstead on vocals and guitar, Christian Savill on guitar, Nick Chaplin on bass guitar and Simon Scott on drums, they rose to prominence in the British shoegaze scene in the early 90s. While their second studio album Souvlaki (1993) initially received mixed reviews, it has since been recognized as one of the best albums of the 90s and one of the greatest shoegaze albums of all time by Pitchfork, NME and PopMatters, among others. (Wikipedia) Slowdive broke up soon after the release of their third studio album Pygmalion in 1995, but reunited in 2014, and released their fourth studio album, the self-titled Slowdive, in 2017.
They dropped their stunning fifth album everything is alive on September 1st, which became their first top 10 album ever, reaching #4 in the Netherlands, #6 in the UK and #7 in Germany. Though I think it’s one of the best albums of 2023, it only peaked at #63 on the Billboard 200 Album chart. Unbelievably, “kisses” has not appeared on any singles chart, however, it went all the way to #1 song on MY weekly chart, and it ends up ranking #10 for the year. About the gorgeous album and song, Halstead told NPR: “A lot of the album is sort of about time passing. And I suppose, seeing as we’re all getting on a bit now, that’s one of the things we’re writing songs about… and ‘kisses’ is about having a second act, having a different chance in life.” Those dreamy synths, shimmery chiming guitars and sublime harmonies are simply breathtaking.
TRANSMITTER – Sea Power
EAT YOUR YOUNG – Hozier
THE NARCISSIST – Blur
PINEAPPLE SUNRISE – Beach Weather
LOVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE – Fall Out Boy
BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills
SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles
WHY – Future Theory
OVERRATED – dwi
WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier
GHOSTS AGAIN – Depeche Mode
HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin
RESCUE ME – Dirty Heads
DARLING – Western Jaguar
MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas
TONIGHT – Phoenix feat. Ezra Koenig *
SAY YES TO HEAVEN - Lana Del Rey
NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna
ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift
WITHIN YOU, WITHIN ME – Meltt
GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO
I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU – The 1975
FLOWERS – Miley Cyrus
FRANCESCA – Hozier
DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan
LEAVING – Au Gres
LOVING YOU – Cannons
THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME – Green Day
PAGES – White Reaper
GO DOWN RIVER – The Heavy Heavy
UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters
PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie
THE LONELIEST – Måneskin
PAID OFF – Oli Barton
PSYCHOS – Jenny Lewis
VAMPIRE – Olivia Rodrigo
NOW AND THEN – The Beatles
SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband
DUMMY – Portugal. The Man
CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE – Lovejoy
RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore
SOFTEN – Alex Southey
BLUEBELL WOOD – Frank Joshua
JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives
THE WALK HOME – Young the Giant
THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens
WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
PUPPET SHOW – Beck Black
UNCERTAIN COUNTRY – Great Lake Swimmers
ODYSSEY – Beck & Phoenix
DEATH WISH – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s
WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH
STUCK – Thirty Seconds To Mars
MAYFLY – Callum Pitt
DAYDREAMS AND ALGORITHMS – Eleanor Collides
BONES – HEALER
DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport
OUT OF MY SYSTEM – Louis Tomlinson
SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man ft. Unknown Mortal Orchestra
On June 7, I made the two-hour drive to Los Angeles to attend a concert at The Novo, featuring two acts I love – lovelytheband and Beach Weather – along with opening act Ava Maybee. Headlined by L.A.-based indie pop-rock band lovelytheband, the tour is officially titled the “if we’re being honest tour” after their new album of the same name, and included supporting acts Beach Weather and Ava Maybee. It was the second night of the tour, and a thrill for me to be able to see both lovelytheband and Beach Weather at the same show. Discovering Ava Maybee was a wonderful surprise and the icing on the cake, so to speak.
Located downtown near the LA Convention Center, Crypto.com arena (home of basketball teams LA Clippers, LA Lakers and LA Sparks, and hockey team LA Kings), Microsoft Theater and Grammy Museum, The Novo is a terrific venue that’s perfect for small to mid-sized concert events. This was my second time seeing a concert there, the first being electro/dream pop band Cannons last September. I like that they have balcony seating, as this old man can no longer tolerate standing for three-plus hours.
The concert kicked off around 7:40 pm when Ava Maybee and her band began their set, immediately getting everyone into a good mood with their soulful brand of indie pop inspired by some of her favorite artists such as Amy Winehouse, Janis Joplin, Sam Cooke, Carole King, Leon Bridges and Adele. I wasn’t previously familiar with Ava or her music, but liked it right from the start. Born Ava Cardoso-Smith and based in Los Angeles, she’s been singing and performing since the age of five. Her father is Chad Smith, drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and her mother is Trisha Cardoso, currently President and Chief Giving Officer at The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation. Ava has sung the national anthem at Lakers and Dodgers games, and performed at numerous charity events. She was also a contestant on season 20 of American Idol, making it to the top 14 before being eliminated.
Ava Maybee & her band
She’s released a series of great singles since 2020, one of which, “Colors”, has garnered over 7.3 million streams on Spotify alone! Dressed in knee-high white boots and red leggings, Ava exuding the confidence and poise of a seasoned performer as she worked the stage, engaging with the audience between songs and playfully interacting with her back-up band, all of whom were excellent musicians. They played their songs “Lay Low”, “Mood Swings”, “Puke”, “See Me Now” and their newest single “Limerence”, as well as a lively rendition of the Police classic “Roxanne”, then finishing with “Colors”, a portion of which I was able to film. We’ve all been to concerts where we suffered through an opening act we either didn’t care about or enjoy, but Ava Maybee was both terrific and immensely enjoyable.
After a short break, Beach Weather took to the stage around 8:30 pm, opening their set with the sultry “Swoon”, from their 2016 EP What A Drag. Though the alternative pop-rock trio formed in 2015, I didn’t learn about them until last summer when I heard their gorgeous song “Sex, Drugs, Etc.”. The song was originally recorded in 2016, and included on their first EP Chit Chat, but wasn’t released as a single back then, and largely went unnoticed. I loved it at first listen, and they’ve since become one of my favorite bands. I love every single song of theirs, which is not something I can say about very many artists or bands.
Sean Silverman, Nick Santino & Reeve Powers of Beach Weather
After dropping What a Drag and a third EP Basement Sessions, the band went on hiatus at the end of 2017 as the three members – singer/guitarist Nick Santino, bassist Reeve Powers, and guitarist Sean Silverman – relocated to different cities and began focusing on their own careers and families. Fortunately for us, they reunited in late 2021, and recorded their debut album Pineapple Sunrise, which they released this past March. In the meantime, “Sex, Drugs, Etc.” went viral on TikTok and became a huge hit on alternative radio, going all the way to #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, where it’s remained in the top 10 for more than 40 weeks. It’s also spent nearly six months on my Weekly Top 30, three of them at #1, and ended up at #3 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022 list. “Trouble With This Bed”, the second single from Pineapple Sunrise, also spent five months on my chart earlier this year, three of them at #1. The title track recently began what I’m sure will be an extended run on my chart.
OK, now back to the show! Beach Weather played a total of 10 songs, two from Chit Chat, two from What A Drag, and six from Pineapple Sunrise (though “Sex, Drugs, Etc.” is featured on both Chit Chat and Pineapple Sunrise). They had a simple stage setup, with two orange curtains as backdrops and round orange rugs for each of the three band members. They were also joined by a keyboardist and drummer, whose names I unfortunately can’t recall. The guys exuded a cool, casual demeanor on stage; Nick was engaging and playful, while an animated Sean made theatric gestures with his guitar and Reeve exuded a sexy, low-key swagger as he played bass. They sounded great, and I would have loved for them to play 10 more songs!
Here’s their performance of “Trouble With This Bed”:
Beach Weather Setlist:
Swoon
Chit Chat
Unlovable
Pineapple Sunrise
High and Driving
Silent Type
Hard Feelings
Rebel Sun
Trouble With This Bed
Sex, Drugs, Etc.
After Ava Maybee and Beach Weather’s sets and before lovelytheband took the stage, I went over to their merchandise booths and briefly met Ava, telling her how much I enjoyed her set. Her father Chad was standing nearby talking with some people but, unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to meet him. I did, however meet Beach Weather bassist Reeve Powers, who I ran into again the following morning in the lobby of our hotel, where both I and Beach Weather were staying.
After a more lengthy intermission, headline act lovelytheband appeared on stage to thunderous applause, opening their set with “if we’re being honest”, the title track of their latest album. For a bit of background, the Los Angeles-based band formed in 2016, and consists of vocalist Mitchy Collins, guitarist Jordan Greenwald, and drummer Sam Price. They’re best known for their 2018 debut single and monster hit “broken”, which spent nine weeks at #1 on Billboard‘s Alternative chart, as well as reaching #1 on the Adult Top 40 chart and #29 on the Hot 100. It ended up as the #1 song of 2018 on the Alternative chart, and was my favorite song that year as well.
They’ve released three studio albums – finding it hard to smile in 2018, conversations with myself about you in 2020, and if we’re being honest, which dropped June 2nd – as well as numerous singles and EPs. (The titles of all their songs and albums, as well as their band name, are in lower case.) As evidenced by their album titles, a lot of their songs touch on relationship issues, heartache, depression and anxiety, though many are presented in a pleasing, rather upbeat manner.
Sam Price, Mitchy Collins & Jordan Greenwald of lovelytheband
The engaging frontman Mitchy Collins, wearing his signature sleeveless shirt and shorts, proceeded to acknowledge Beach Weather and Ava Maybee, and introduce his bandmates. They were joined on stage by another guitarist, who’s name I didn’t catch.
Throughout their set, which included 16 songs from their three albums, he frequently spoke to the audience, sharing his thoughts on some of their songs as well as his struggles with mental health and depression. Two thirds of the way into their set, he appeared alone on stage to give a deeply moving acoustic performance of their heart-wrenching “i should be happy”, which speaks to feeling unhappy and dissatisfied, despite achieving all the things he’d hoped for. The song strongly resonated with me, as I’ve sadly experienced similar feelings myself throughout my life.
They finished their set with “i can’t love”, then walked off stage, though we knew they’d be back, because they hadn’t yet played their signature song “broken”. Sure enough, they returned to play the lively “make you feel pretty”, from finding it hard to smile, then closed with a rousing performance of “broken”. It was a great finish to a spectacular performance and concert.
lovelytheband Setlist:
if we’re being honest
always been you
buzzcut
coachella
make me wanna die
i’m sorry
sad goodbyes
loneliness for love
superfly
these are my friends
i should be happy (Mitchy Collins solo)
2 drinks away
sail away
i can’t love
Encore:
make you feel pretty
broken
The tour continues through the end of June. Click here for more tour info and tickets.
The first time I heard “Love From the Other Side” by rock band Fall Out Boy, I knew it would be a number one hit. And sure enough, in just four weeks it’s reached the top of my weekly chart (it’s also currently #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart). I love hard-driving rock songs with symphonic elements, so “Love From the Other Side” is right up my alley. It’s their first song to ever top my chart (as well as any Billboard chart), and I can say with certainty that it’s already my all-time favorite song by them. Their first new music release in four years, the song is the lead single from their forthcoming eighth studio album So Much (for) Stardust, due for release on March 24th. The song marks a return to Fall Out Boy releasing music under the Fueled by Ramen label.
The lyrics are filled with meanings open to interpretation, but overall, they seem to address the band’s internal struggles with their own stardom and success. According to a comment on Genius Lyrics, “The song [and] music video have a general theme of a new beginning. The last release from the band was ‘Mania’ from 2018. ‘Mania’ didn’t resonate very well with the audience, and the band didn’t release anything after 2019 outside of some collaborations. The ‘apocalypse’ is the failure of Mania and the following silence, with the new album being ‘the other side’ and a new beginning for their career, popularity, and music style.” ‘The apocalypse” can also likely be construed as a reference to the Covid pandemic. The imaginative video features band member Pete Wentz as an old man, reading a fantasy story to his granddaughter.
In addition to “Love From the Other Side”, there are so many fantastic songs out now, many by veteran artists and bands. The gorgeous “Transmitter” by Sea Power climbs four spots to #6, “Tropic Morning News” by The National rises five spots to #12, “New Gold” by Gorillaz, Tame Impala (who’s now recovering from recent surgery to repair a broken hip), and Bootie Brown jumps seven spots to #16, and “Ghosts Again” by Depeche Mode leaps 13 spots to #17.
Four songs make their debut this week: “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus finally enters my chart at #27 after having just spent six weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Though I think she has a pretty good singing voice, I’ve never been much of a fan, as some of her slutty antics really turned me off. But after giving the song a careful listen the other day, it finally clicked with me and I have to concede that it’s a good song. With “Flowers”, Cyrus makes her very first appearance ever on my chart. The other three debuts include the boisterous “Modernise” by English rock band Slow Readers Club, at #28, the beautiful “The Walk Home” by one of my favorite American pop-rock bands Young the Giant, at #29, and the enchanting “Bluebell Wood” by English singer-songwriter Frank Joshua, at #30.
LOVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE – Fall Out Boy (3)
TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (1)
BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (4)
NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (2)
PAGES – White Reaper (5)
TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (10)
WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (7)
MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (8)
JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (9)
THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (6)
YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (13)
TROPIC MORNING NEWS – The National (17)
PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (15)
SUREFIRE – Wilderado (16)
SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (14)
NEW GOLD – Gorillaz, Tame Impala & Bootie Brown (23)
GHOSTS AGAIN – Depeche Mode (30)
EVERGREEN – Mt. Joy (20)
SOFTEN – Alex Southey (22)
SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (11) 20th week on chart
Beach Weather maintain a firm grip on the #1 spot for a third week with their languid and sultry “Trouble With This Bed”, while their monster hit “Sex, Drugs, Etc.” also spends its 25th week on my chart. Both songs are featured on their wonderful new debut album Pineapple Sunrise. Welsh singer-songwriter and actress Caitlin Lavagna‘s “Night Bus” holds at #2 for a second week, and Fall Out Boy‘s hard-driving cinematic gem “Love From the Other Side” continues its rapid climb, moving up five spots to #3. Entering the top 10 are the beautiful “Just Before the Morning” by Local Natives, at #9, and “Transmitter” by Sea Power, at #10.
The lone debut this week is “Ghosts Again” by legendary electronic band Depeche Mode, which now essentially consists of Dave Gahan and Martin Gore. The song is their first new release since the death of co-founder and keyboardist Andy Fletcher last May. About the song, Gahan said it “captures this perfect balance of melancholy and joy“, while Gore noted it has “such an upbeat feel to it“. The duo has intimated in interviews that the song is a sort of tribute to Fletcher, touching on the fragility of life and the possibility of an afterlife, namely, that everyone will eventually turn into “ghosts again”. (Wikipedia) With “Ghosts Again”, the duo leave no doubt they can still deliver a stellar song after more than 40 years.
TROUBLE WITH THIS BED – Beach Weather (1) 3rd week at #1
NIGHT BUS – Caitlin Lavagna (2)
LOVE FROM THE OTHER SIDE – Fall Out Boy (8)
BACKPATTERS AND SHOOTERS – The Zangwills (4)
PAGES – White Reaper (5)
THE LONELIEST – Måneskin (3)
WILD AS THE WIND – HULLAH (9)
MAYFLY – Callum Pitt (10)
JUST BEFORE THE MORNING – Local Natives (11)
TRANSMITTER – Sea Power (12)
SHADOWS IN THE DARK – The Star Crumbles (6)
THIS IS WHY – Paramore (7)
YOU GOTTA DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO – Darksoft (15)
SLEEPWALKING – All Time Low (16)
PEPPER – Death Cab for Cutie (17)
SUREFIRE – Wilderado (20)
TROPIC MORNING NEWS – The National (21)
ANTI-HERO – Taylor Swift (13)
DANCE FOR ME – Sam Rappaport (14)
EVERGREEN – Mt. Joy (22)
SAIL AWAY – lovelytheband (19)
SOFTEN – Alex Southey (25)
NEW GOLD – Gorillaz featuring Tame Impala & Bootie Brown (30)
EYEZ – The Arcs (27)
WEIGHTLESS – Arlo Parks (28)
SEX, DRUGS, ETC. – Beach Weather (23) 25th week on chart
There’s so much incredible music out now, and this week’s Top 30 is one of the best in a while, chock-full of songs I can honestly say I love. Beach Weather remain on top for a second week with their beautiful “Trouble With This Bed”, one of the many stellar tracks from their debut full-length album Pineapple Sunrise, due out this coming Friday, March 3rd. “Sex, Drugs, Etc”, another track to be included on the album, spends its 24th week on my chart. “Night Bus”, the wonderful autobiographical song by Welsh singer-songwriter and actress Caitlin Lavagna, slides into second place, followed at #3 by “The Loneliest” by Italian band Måneskin. “Pages” by American rock band White Reaper climbs four spots to #5.
Three songs move into the top 10: the stupendous “Love From the Other Side” by Fall Out Boy, leaping 13 spots to #8; the sultry “Wild as the Wind” by British singer-songwriter HULLAH, entering at #9, and the lovely “Mayfly” by another British singer-songwriter Callum Pitt, at #10. The sole debut this week is “New Gold”, a glorious collaboration between British act Gorillaz, Australian act Tame Impala, and American rapper Bootie Brown. The song is from Gorillaz’ latest album Cracker Island, which dropped this past Friday.
In the space of only six months, alternative pop-rock trio Beach Weather have become one of my favorite bands. Though they’d been around since late 2015, I first learned about them last summer when I heard their song “Sex, Drugs, Etc.”, which I loved at first listen. The song was originally recorded in 2016, and included on their debut EP Chit Chat, but wasn’t released as a single back then, and largely went unnoticed. After dropping a second EP What a Drag, the band went on hiatus as the three members, Nick Santino, Reeve Powers, and Sean Silverman, relocated to different cities and began working on their own solo projects. Fortunately for us, they reunited in late 2021, and began work on their forthcoming debut album Pineapple Sunrise, due for release on March 3rd. In the meantime, “Sex, Drugs, Etc.” went viral on TikTok and became a huge hit on alternative radio, going all the way to #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart. It’s also spent nearly six months on my Weekly Top 30, three of them at #1, and ended up at #3 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022 list.
Last August, they started releasing a string of new singles from Pineapple Sunrise, beginning with “Unlovable”, their first new release in five years. They followed in November with the melancholy but beautiful “Trouble With This Bed”, which takes over the top spot of my Weekly Top 30. (They’ve since dropped two more singles, “Homebody” in January, which I reviewed, and “Hard Feelings” this past Friday the 17th.) “Trouble With This Bed” touches on a romantic relationship crippled by uncertainty and unfulfilled desires, acted out by a young couple in the accompanying video, interspersed with scenes of Beach Weather performing the song, all on the same bed. I particularly love the song’s beautiful languid groove, Nick’s dreamy layered vocals, and that dominant bassline.
I’m excited to add four marvelous new songs to my list this week: “Love From the Other Side” by rock veterans Fall Out Boy, their first new music in four years, entering at #21; “Soften” by Canadian singer-songwriter Alex Southey, whose latest EP Common Fantasies I also reviewed last month, at #28; “Eyez” by Black Keys member Dan Auerbach’s side project The Arcs, at #29; and “Weightless” by hyper-talented British singer-songwriter Arlo Parks, her first appearance on my chart, bringing up the rear at #30.
The Star Crumbles remain on top for a second week with their aptly-titled gem “Shadows in the Dark”, while Paramore‘s “This Is Why” holds at #2 again after spending three weeks at #1. Sliding into third place is the beautiful and sultry “Trouble With This Bed” by Beach Weather, who’ve become one of my favorite bands over the past year. Their song “Sex, Drugs, Etc.”, which spent three weeks at #1 on my chart last fall and ranks #3 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022, re-enters at #27, as I still can’t get enough of it. The biggest upward mover this week is the lovely “You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do” by Darksoft, jumping seven spots to #20.
Three wonderful new songs make their debut this week at #s 28-30: “Surefire” by Oklahoma-based folk-rock band Wilderado, “Evergreen” by L.A.-based indie rock band Mt. Joy (whose previous single “Lemon Tree” peaked at #7 on my chart last September), and “Tropic Morning News” by legendary alt-rock band The National (their previous single “Weird Goodbyes”, with added vocals by Bon Iver, peaked at #6 on my chart in late December-early January). I absolutely love The National front man Matt Berninger’s distinctive soothing vocals.
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 