Chorus.fm Members EOTY Lists 2023 • Page 12

^^full list including the other 10 albums i listened to this year

Best EPs of the Year:

1. Medium Build - Health EP
2. Tommy Lefroy - Rivals EP
3. Bruuno - Fosbury EP
4. Manchester Orchestra - The Valley of Vision EP
5. Pacing - Snake Facts EP
6. Sweetmess - Everythings Fine EP
7. Ultrasaturated - Universal Hologram EP
8. CIL - Tears Dry on Their Own EP

 

Alright I think I've got it down to 35... There's so much this year I have still to listen to and got overwhelmed and cut the list short. Lol.

I will say the top 15 is pretty accurate.

The sleeper album for me this year was Koyo "Would You Miss It" . It just blew me away. "What's Left to Say" just hits me in the feels.

The top 3 have gotten me through so much this year with the separation from my wife 3 months ago.

 

The Astronomies album was probably my sleeper

 

My music listening has been in decline, with this year’s listening 10,000 minutes less than last year, according to Apple Music. I’ve spent more time listening to podcasts, YouTube, audiobooks, playing beach volleyball more than going to the gym, and when I can, actually reading. In part because I feel like I need to keep my political education and keep up with current events. I think next year I need to set up some time to sit down and have some good active listens. It will probably do me some good.


So it’s been more and more difficult to get myself to do a simple AOTY list. Still i managed to list 10 strong albums that I enjoyed this year in some type of ranking order and after looking at some lists posted on here, I decided to put in the extra effort of adding a little blurb.




First Honorable mentions:


The Age of Pleasure - Janelle Monae

BUSINESS IS BUSINESS - Young Thug

GUTS - Olivia Rodrigo

Sorry I Haven’t Called - Vagabon

So Much for Stardust - Fall Out Boy

Magic 3 - Nas

Fountain Baby - Amaarae

The blurbs:

Desire, I Want to Turn Into You - Caroline Polachek


The most interesting and ambitious album I’ve listened to in years. Polachek is at the top of her game with this one averaging a triple double on every track. The album is too good at too many things to list and stands easily heads and shoulders above anything else I’ve listened to this year.


The Record - boygenius


How lucky are we that three of the most talented singer songwriters of a generation are infamously close friends and in a super band? Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus weave their talents together in beautiful harmony once again and once again we are blessed by this unholy trinity.


History Books - The Gaslight Anthem


The Gaslight Anthem will always be that band for me. They have a way of making me weepy eyed for a New Jersey style slice of Americana that I cannot relate to and is more or less a fantasy. Pulled in by Fallon’s familiar lyricism but with a new dazzling array of guitar tones buzzing in my head, I’m so glad to be back in this world.


Zach Bryan - Zach Bryan


I just hopped on the Zach Bryan train this year and man am I kicking myself for being late to the party. With a gritty voice that fluctuates between solemn sorrow and ferocious desperation, Bryan puts on a masterclass in country songwriting.


Sundial - Noname


I was curious how the popular education of noname would effect her next album. Safe to say it has but the spoken word style rapper is effortless in this synchronization. The evolution of her artistry seems just as natural as her politics, both made equally important to her as she name drops WEB Du Bois in a song about getting some boomboom in Africa.


The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We - Mitski


Aptly named, this album is Mitski at her most… desolate? Gone for the most part is the synthpop and far removed from loud distortion, underneath there apparently is an ol’ timey Hollywood, Patsy Cline sound to wistfully sway to you hurdle towards the apocalypse.


Heaven Knows - PinkPanthress


The album I was looking forward to the most this year. Leading into her first debut album I was already fond of PinkPanthress’ catchy hooks and infectious melodies. But while she could rest on her familiar bag of tricks the album finds her taking on the challenge of a debut album pushing past her EPs and singles.


Jaguar II - Victoria Monet


An album that I think has been slept on in some circles. Every song is well constructed driven by Monet’s natural talent for creating a steamy sensual experience, making for the smoothest R&B listen you’ll hear all year.


Goyard Comin’: Exordium - Goyard Ibn Said & Ghais Guevara


I’m very fond of when an artist creates a persona of sorts, in this case a larger than life character constantly hounded by geeks to read Marx’ Capital. I can sorta relate. That and Ghais Gueverra’s flow over extremely well picked and chopped samples earned many listens.


152 - Taking Back Sunday


A band whose streams I usually reserve for call back to a bygone era, this record make its clear: Taking Back Sunday, despite being a quintessential “emo” band, never tried to sound “emo.” The band has always been a collaboration of different talents offering their own unique flavor to the create the the most meaningful music they can. This is what TBS sounds like at their best.

 

you were right, they are flawless live, super impressive harmonies

 

More people in this thread should take notice!

 

most listened to of the year

 

20. Paramore - This Is Why
19. Zach Bryan - Zach Bryan
18. FRND CRCL - Suburban Dictionary
17. RAYE - My 21st Century Blues
16. Matchbox 20 - Where The Light Goes
15. Andrew McMahon - Tilt The Wind No More
14. Post Malone - Austin
13. Hot Mulligan - Why I Should Watch
12. Boygenius - The Record
11. New Found Glory - Make The Most Of It
10. Story Of The Year - Tear Me To Pieces
9. Youth Fountain - Together In Lonesome
8. The Gaslight Anthem - History Books
7. Taking Back Sunday - 152
6. Fall Out Boy - So Much (for) Stardust
5. Boys Like Girls - SUNDAY AT FOXWOODS
4. Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS
3. Arrows In Action - Built to Last
2. Blink 182 - One More Time
1. Fireworks - Higher Lonely Power

 

My top 100 most listened for 2023. The top three were all within like 10-15 plays of each other.

 

Just finished my list! Full write up is available over on my blog at https://kennybloggins.net/ with playlists and all the good stuff.

-or-

Here’s a summary:

1) The Coral - ‘Sea Of Mirrors’
2) Noah Gundersen - ‘If This Is The End’
3) Rival Sons - ‘LIGHTBRINGER’
4) Paramore - ‘This Is Why’
5) Manchester Orchestra - ‘The Valley Of Vision’
6) Queens of the Stone Age - ‘In Times New Roman…’
7) Nickel Creek - ‘Celebrants’
8) Cut Worms - ‘Cut Worms’
9) Butcher Brown - ‘Solar Music’
10) The Lemon Twigs - ‘Everything Harmony’

 

1. Spanish Love Songs – No Joy
2. The Gaslight Anthem – History Books
3. The Menzingers – Some of It Was True
4. Olivia Rodrigo – Guts
5. Fall Out Boy – So Much (For) Stardust
6. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Weathervanes
7. Awakebutstillinbed – Chaos Takes the Wheel and I Am a Passenger
8. The National – First Two Pages of Frankenstein
9. Hot Mulligan – Why Would I Watch
10. Foo Fighters – But Here We Are
11. Blink-182 – One More Time…
12. Fireworks – Higher Lonely Power
13. Ruston Kelly – The Weakness
14. The Mountain Goats – Jenny From Thebes
15. Origami Angel – The Brightest Days
16. Dave Hause – Drive It Like It’s Stolen
17. Citizen – Calling the Dogs
18. Paramore – This Is Why
19. There Will Be Fireworks – Summer Moon
20. The Maine – The Maine

 

The 10x10 collage thing is cool. I did mine and was quickly reminded that songs listened to via my Sonos speakers scrobble twice for some reason lol

 

Listened to way more music this year than the last few years, but most of it was not released in 2023! So I'm only doing a top 10 but it was still a really strong year. The top 2 records on this list are probably my favorites of the decade so far.

1. Wednesday - Rat Saw God
This album is the 2023 equivalent of Darkness on the Edge of Town but for punk and indie kids from the South. If you know, you know. If you don't, it's still one of the best guitar records in a long, long time (and I'm including Xandy's pedal steel work there). Plus Karly can tell a story like few other people on the planet right now.

2. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Weathervanes
He's my favorite musician, he has been for quite some time, and this is his best solo record front-to-back. Southeastern is a masterpiece and I have a special personal connection to Something More Than Free, but I think this one beats both. This record takes the best aspects of Jason's carefully honed songwriting from the past decade and pairs it with the best on-record performance by any band Jason's been in the studio with since The Dirty South.

3. Ratboys - The Window
One of two artists on this list (along with White Reaper) who have ties to my former hometown of Louisville and that I met ten or more years ago when their careers were just starting to take shape. Fucking surreal to see Julia on the CBS Morning Show this week. That's so cool and this album rules.

4. Narrow Head - Moments of Clarity
Really wasn't familiar with Narrow Head at all before I saw them do an opening set for White Reaper this year. They mostly played songs from this album, all of which were very good, and their guitar tone on stage in the 700-cap venue was unbelievably good. Blew me away and I've been listening to Moments of Clarity regularly since.

5. Ruston Kelly - The Weakness
I definitely don't like this record as much as his last two, but that's a high bar. The best songs on this (tracks 2-9 mostly) are as good as anything he's done. I hope he isn't finished with country or country-adjacent music but this was a cool album even if it didn't floor me like his last two.

6. White Reaper - Asking for a Ride
7. Sufjan Stevens - Javelin
8. Wilco - Cousin
9. Yo La Tengo - This Stupid World
10. Hotline TNT - Cartwheel

 

Wowwwwww I would never guess you post on chorus.fm

 

It wasn't on my list but thanks to a ton of people posting it in here I have become obsessed with the Laufey record from this year and want to rectify and put it in my top 10 haha.

 

1. Invent Animate - Heavener
2. Anberlin - Convinced EP
3. Carly Rae Jensen - The Loveliest Time
4. Taking Back Sunday - 152
5. Spiritbox - The Fear of Fear EP
6. The Ongoing Concept - Again
7. The Amity Affliction - Not Without My Ghosts
8. Yves Tumor - Praise A Lord Who Chews But Does Not Consume
9. Cartographer - Metamorphosis EP
10. Caroline Polacheck - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You

didn’t intend to combine EPs into the album list but I really played the crap out of those 3.

 

Top 40 Albums of 2023

1. Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
2. Hot Mulligan - Why Would I Watch
3. There Will Be Fireworks - Summer Moon
4. Holding Absence - The Noble Art of Self Destruction
5. Spiritbox - The Fear of Fear
6. Olivia Rodrigo - Guts
7. Fall Out Boy - So Much (For) Stardust
8. Caitlyn Smith - High & Low
9. Katie Dey - Never Falter Hero Girl
10. Movements - Ruckus!
11. Hannah Diamond - Perfect Picture
12. Ellie Goulding - Higher Than Heaven
13. As Everything Unfolds - Ultraviolet
14. Black Country, New Road - Live at Bush Hall
15. Blink-182 - One More Time...
16. Kamelot - The Awakening
17. The Maine - The Maine
18. Ling Tosite Sigure - Last Aurorally
19. Gunship - Unicorn
20. The Used - Toxic Positivity
21. Boys Like Girls - Sunday at Foxwoods
22. Silent Planet - Superbloom
23. Enter Shikari - A Kiss for the Whole World
24. Captain Jazz - Captain Jazz
25. Carly Rae Jepsen - The Loveliest Time
26. Babymetal - The Other One
27. Hail the Sun - Divine Inner Tension
28. Invent Animate - Heavener
29. Origami Angel - The Brightest Days
30. Dispirited Spirits - The Redshift Blues
31. Rebecca Black - Let Her Burn
32. Wargasm - Venom
33. yeule - Softscars
34. Zach Bryan - Zach Bryan
35. 100 Gecs - 10,000 Gecs
36. awakebutstillinbed - Chaos Takes the Wheel and I Am a Passenger
37. McFly - Power to Play
38. Paramore - This Is Why
39. Nicole Dollanganger - Married in Mount Airy
40. Chad Perrone - What Would I Leave You With?

Top 30 Songs of 2023

1. Caroline Polachek - Welcome to My Island
2. Hot Mulligan - Smahccked My Head Awf
3. Spiritbox - Jaded
4. Gunship - Tech Noir II
5. There Will Be Fireworks - Holding Back the Dark
6. Katie Dey - Hoarder
7. Ellie Goulding - Midnight Dreams
8. Enter Shikari - The Void Stares Back
9. Holding Absence - Her Wings
10. Carly Rae Jepsen - Psychedelic Switch
11. Hail the Sun - I Saw You Hanging
12. Kamelot - Opus of the Night (Ghost Requiem)
13. The Maine - Funny How?
14. Movements - Tightrope
15. Fall Out Boy - Heaven, Iowa
16. As Everything Unfolds - Twilight
17. Caitlyn Smith - Alaska
18. Olivia Rodrigo - Love Is Embarrassing
19. Black Country, New Road - Turbines/Pigs
20. Noname - Namesake
21. Invent Animate - Without a Whisper
22. The Used - Cherry
23. Boys Like Girls - Miracle
24. Hannah Diamond - Want You to Know
25. Ling Tosite Sigure - Super Sonic Aurorally
26. Babymetal - Divine Attack - Shingeki -
27. McFly - Crash
28. Rebecca Black - Look at You
29. Captain Jazz - Forevers a Cool Word
30. Blink-182 - Anthem Part 3

Another great year! My musical wish for this year is the same as it was last year, a new MCR album!

 

2023 Top 5:

LPs
murdermart - COWBOYS LIVE FOREVER
Gorillaz - Cracker Island
The Japanese House - In the End It Always Does
Holy Wave - Five of Cups
Youth Lagoon - Heaven is a Junkyard

EPs
addy - temperance
Sun Organ - Candlelight Showertime
Zach Bryan - Boys of Faith
Turnstile - New Heart Designs
Toro y Moi - Sandhills

Songs
Gorillaz - Skinny Ape
murdermart - Horseback
Bdrmm - Be Careful
Youth Lagoon - Mercury
Sufjan Stevens - Will Anybody Ever Love Me?

 

Happy 2024, all!

 

Last.fm's last.year is live, basically their version of spotify wrapped. You can see it at: https://www.last.fm/user/ENTER YOUR USER NAME/listening-report/year.

My top artists for 2023:

1. Led Zeppelin
2. Taylor Swift
3. Blur
4. Fall Out Boy
5. blink-182
5. Sufjan Stevens
7. Gorillaz
8. Zach Bryan
9. Rancid
10. Charli XCX

 

Last FM doesn’t really work for Apple users huh?

 

I don't really know, I use spotify and it works great.

Here's the plugins they have

https://www.last.fm/about/trackmymusic

 

@Jason Tate loves Apple and loves Last, I'll bet he would have some insight....

 

I’ll play around with it