Preparing this post has taught me a number of things. The first being that I didn’t blog nearly enough this past year and it has motivated me to be better going forward. As I was going through my posts for this past year there were songs I swore I had written about and then instead located them in my google docs just sitting there mostly finished…(I am quite angry with myself about this) Secondly I have a tendency to fixate on things. Out of the artists on this list that I wrote about last year I wrote about half of them more than once. I cannot promise I won’t continue to do that so I need to write more to balance out my craziness.

I decided to do things a bit differently for this year's top artists post. Previously I have scoured the web for best albums of the year lists and spent hours listening to the music I had missed. I would compile a massive list of anywhere from fifty to well over one hundred albums and then find the time to listen to them all somehow. This year as I had begun doing this it finally hit me that it was pointless. The incredible people who take the time to read what I write aren’t here for a finely curated list of the top albums of the year by someone with any sort of authority on music because that just isn’t me especially as I often included songs/albums that weren’t actually released during the last year. I am simply a person that enjoys both music and writing. So I decided this year I would just use my Top 100 2023 playlist from Spotify and narrow my list down from there. It contains around 60 unique artists, so much more manageable. So based on that list and what my memory told me I present twenty artists that greatly impacted my musical journey during this past year.

Disclaimer: On occasion I was unable to locate the official lyrics for the songs I am discussing here and therefore transcribed them to the best of my ability. Sometimes that ability is less than perfect so if you are reading this and I happened to butcher some of your meticulously crafted lyrics I apologize.

Top 20 in '23

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Top 20 in '23 /

20. Liv Harris

I am about to admit to a criminal offense. Going back through my archives it seems that I have never written a post about Liv Harris. I have been enjoying “Hideaway” for four years! I should probably be shunned from Liv’s Twitch channel for this egregious offense. “Hideaway” is this very big, cinematic style of track that really just feels; and I hate to use this overused word, epic. That is really the best way to describe it. I am not here to talk about “Hideaway” as this year much to the delight of her adoring fans Liv has released two new tracks on Bandcamp: “Tearing Up The Past” and “Can We Walk” both of which are absurdly good. The former is a notably moving tale about recovering from a break-up but also about introspection; taking what has happened in your past and using it to better yourself rather than drag you down.

“I'm tearing up the past

Done with being lost

Now i'm ready to love again

Opened up my eyes

Seen a new world?

Thats coming to light

And now I understand why

Those doubts will always be mine

I'm ready to love again

Here I'm ready to love again

All of the nights I’ve lost

Thinkin of you

I tried to hideaway

But this is the truth”

I know I have said this before but it is certainly true here. Reading the lyrics just don’t even come close to doing this track justice. When I have watched this performed it is an exceptionally moving experience. There is this strength and emotion which Liv exudes that is so compelling that the fact that I am watching on a screen from thousands of miles away doesn’t matter. It's as if you're there and you can feel all the emotional fervor that is being put into the performance. And you know that a great deal of emotion went into creating the song. I will admit that during one of the aforementioned performances there were some tears.

19. L.J.P

I always enjoy watching Luke play. He is very experimental and will just try things as he thinks of them. You feel like you are a passenger on a fantastic journey as you watch him build these psychedelic loops, you can always count on hearing something you've never heard before. I also love watching the excitement he gets from working with other musicians, I cannot think of another music streamer I watch that so frequently shouts out the musician he's worked with and asks to work with more. His love of music is palpable and somehow seems to permeate across cyberspace. He has released many great tracks this past year and a number of them are collaborations. I have enjoyed them all and am once again angry at myself for having not discussed any of them here. There was also an entire collaboration album he released late last year which I discussed here.

“Superflux Sky” specifically the stripped down version is a track I've revisited a lot this past year. I really enjoy this idea of the sky just being over abundant. Overflowing with what you ask? Well I don't know exactly, perhaps filled with an overabundance of life, light, inspiration it could be any number of things but I dont think it's important. I get this sort of meditative vibe from this track as if it's about the future, the past, and the present all at once. It's a great track to just zone out to.

18. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit

Admittedly southern rock/alternative country is not a genre I am typically drawn towards; I would be hard pressed to any artists in the country category in general that haven’t been around for more than a decade. But there is something different about both the sound and lyrics than what I am generally used to from this genre. Granted I know I am generalizing here and my exposure really only consists of the Country Spotify playlists that my family members will play in my proximity. Most of what I hear is about parties on friday nights and somehow being slain by mini skirts or something within that realm. Not a lot of emotionally powerful ballads or even the fun upbeat pop tracks that I gravitate towards. Jason Isbell though he does write some truly powerful tracks and everything back about them all work together to truly make me feel something. Since I started making these lists about seven years ago I have never had an artist that was even country adjacent make an appearance. That should tell you just how highly I think of this band and specifically their new album Weathervanes.

17. Olivia Rodrigo

I honestly wasn't on the Olivia Rodrigo train before this album was released. It just never clicked with me, it just felt slightly juvenile but this could just be my own quirkiness either way it was my loss. I know it's only been a few years but GUTS feels more mature as it chronicles the struggles of coming of age under a very bright spotlight. Perhaps I was out of the loop but it felt as if Rodrigo skyrocketed to fame overnight and suddenly had to deal with everything that comes with not just fame but mass stardom.

“Logical” is one of the tracks that hit me from the very first lesson. You can see the transition the subject is going through as the lyrics change as the song progresses. The chorus specifically does this and likely anyone reading this knows how much I enjoy when repeated sections of a track contain subtle changes in order to emphasize a point.

“And now you got me thinking

Two plus two equals five

And I'm the love of your life

'Cause if rain don't pour and sun don't shine

Then changing you is possible

No, love is never logical

I look so stupid thinking

Two plus two equals five

And I'm the love of your life

'Cause if rain don't pour and sun don't shine

Then changing you is possible

No, love is never logical”

Very little words actually change and yet the message that is conveyed is vastly different. That is the kind of writing I love. It is not just the lyrics that catch my attention though it is the way she sings and emphasis she puts on certain words and the way things are left hanging in parts of the songs. It is good and I should have been paying attention sooner.

16. Jenny Lewis

I first discovered the magnificent indie sounds of Jenny Lewis back in 2009 following the release of Acid Tongue and I have enjoyed each and every album since. In fact 2019’s On the Line was so mind-blowingly stupendous I wondered if the next album would be able to stack up. I cannot say I have made a final decision as far as that goes but even if On The Line remains my favorite the new record Joy’All is a damn close second. I cannot even list a favorite track as when I listened to the album I found that by the time I was done I had liked every track. Not to be on the nose but the whole album does indeed fill me with a profound sense of joy, it is such a peaceful listening experience.

15. Chelsea Cutler

I did do a write up on Chelsea Cutler this year though it had to do with the previously released album How To Be Human you can find that here, if for some reason you are sick of reading by this point. I spoke on how magnificently honest and vulnerable her lyrics are;almost brutally so. When you combine her voice with the stellar way in which she composes music you have this perfect storm of musical genius. Her tracks will not just make you feel something, songs that evoke sadness will not simply just make you feel sad; she engages in emotional archery of sorts and with Robin Hood-esque accuracy she targets specific emotional centers within your very soul. Well this new album Stellaria is no exception, Cutler continues to do what I have come to expect, exceeding my expectations at every turn. One remarkable example of this from the recent album is from the track “Your Bones”. I love the writing in this track so much it's astounding; the first time I heard the second verse I had to immediately stop, skip back and listen again.

“Compromise is something that I'm learning

Forever never made much sense to me

But the way you look at me like I deserve it

Is changing who I thought that I could be

Now, suddenly, I'm somebody I don't recognize

But I am so happy to be her

Suddenly, you're the only thing that's on my mind

But I am diving even deeper, deeper 'cause

I love you down to your bones

Naked and afraid, they tell me that's when you know

I feel you taking me home

Dusk until the dawn, you're where I wanna go”

It is powerful just to read but when you listen to it that power increases exponentially. Cutler is quite possibly my favorite artist that someone has introduced me to in the past few years. Another shout out to Melissa Lamm for expanding my musical horizons.

14. Colleen Dauncey

Colleen Dauncey is another artist I regret having not written about here this past year(the EP released in February was marvelous). However I have previously mentioned a few of the tracks; gotaway and 100 Days, which are a part of the Weekdaze EP which was released towards the beginning of the year. Colleen possesses an exceptional talent for setting a scene within a track. Each one seems to bring a new story to life. In addition to the aforementioned tracks “Couldn’t We Just” was one I had on repeat throughout the year. It contains this addictive dance beat as well as lyrics with great emotional depth. It is a breakup song but not one that contains any malice or sense of regret. Instead it seems to be about two individuals who grew apart for whatever reason and have decided to end things. However making a decision in your head is one thing but actually doing it is something else entirely especially when you can feel your heart still holding on.

“Just 'cause it's over doesn't mean I'm ready

To face the day on my own

So couldn't we just pretend to be in love for a little bit longer

Tell me that I'm the only one you're thinking of

And couldn't you just hold on to me 'til I feel a little bit stronger

Couldn't we just pretend to be in love

Couldn't we just”

I know we said we should end things but what’s the harm in just waiting a little bit more because I don’t really want to know what my life will be like once I move on. It is a very relatable story that is being told in an incredible way.

13. Blink-182

There were many bands that I remember from adolescence that released new music this year but this group probably conjured the most feelings of nostalgia for me. This album ONE MORE TIME felt so much like the group I remember from years ago and they haven’t really sounded that way since for many reasons. I won’t go into the storied history here. Bottom line I was surprised as the singles began dropping this year and I felt suddenly transported back to grade school. Not to say nothing has changed of course but for me it is the most they have sounded like the band I remember in nearly two decades. “ONE MORE TIME” is the standout track for me no question. It is self-reflective, contains this hopelessly tragic sense of longing and it does a brilliant job of showcasing that Blink-182 are for more than just a group of skater punk that have refused to grow up since the 90’s. While the sound may strike the same chords with me the message is far more mature; it is not about sneaking out behind the club and getting drunk. Not to say that they didn't have emotional tracks before now they certainly have but there is just something different about this one and this isn’t the only track that feels this way to me.

12. Rogue Valley

I remember discovering Rogue Valley back in 2010, they released three debut albums that year: Crater Lake, The Bookseller’s House, and Geese in the Flyway. They were all finely crafted and enjoyable albums. We got another album False Floors the very next year which I also found thoroughly enjoyable. 2016’s Radiate/Dissolve (which I happen to enjoy quite regularly as I own it on vinyl) was the last release and things have been quiet since then. I was honestly worried that there wouldn’t be any more albums. But they resurfaced this year releasing a number of singles and finally Shell Game a massive twenty track album of pure Americana magnificence.

I cannot say I listen to much music that fits into this particular genre but I love what they do. Whenever I sit down to listen to them I am always sure that I can listen to an album in its entirety because doing so is an experience that you don’t want to stop once you have begun. “Avalanche”, “Hourglass” and “Cat On A Windowsill” would be my top picks if I had to pick some but as I said I have never sat down to listen to one of their albums without listening to it all so I really enjoy the entire album.

11. Gracie Abrams

As I mentioned before I am sometimes late in discovering popular artists and that was the case here. I discovered Abrams thanks to Melissa Lamm as it happens and I am glad for that because her debut album Good Riddance was spectacular. This album is overflowing with vulnerability, heartbreak, self-reflection accompanied by this blatant and compelling acknowledgement of one's flaws. The lyrics describe everything so brilliantly it made it easy to think of situations in my life which related to the tracks. As I previously stated this album is bedroom pop perfection and it is a truly unbelievable first album.

10. Kate McGill

Kate McGill made my list twice this year; not only did the band which she is a part of; Meadowlark release a brilliant album Kate also managed to release an entire album of absolutely outstanding covers as well as more than half a dozen original tracks. Speaking of the original tracks there are some heavy themes here; it gets emotional. I was actually moved to tears listening to one of the tracks titled ”I’m Not Suicidal, I Just Don’t Wanna Live Without You”. Kate creates songs that are these magnificent conduits of emotion. The lyrics, the vocals, the instrumentation all work together so well to convey whatever the message of a song may be. In the track “Is It Better To Know?” I was struck particularly powerfully by this part:

“Is it better to know I love you

Or die without thinking I do

Is it better to push it down

And leave you well alone

Is it better to say everything

I should have said when you were here instead

Is it better to know?”

This encapsulates something I have discussed many times over, that is the mysteries of love. This presents a question but not the answer. Who knows what the right answer is? I often feel that when it comes to love there is no right answer or at least no easy answer. You can ponder and think upon something for a long time and still be no more sure of the answer than when you started.

As I was writing this I saw that the acoustic version “Just Like You” had been released so I decided to take a listen. It is an amazing composition. The feel is so calm and soft spoken that it took me a bit of time to discern that the track is really a witty, feisty and superbly crafted lyrical knock out punch. There is an individual within the track who seems to have issues with communication and perhaps commitment. I have to highlight some of the lyrics here but you should really go and listen for yourself.

“I won’t be the one to fix us

Rather be on my own then be with you…

You broke my heart that night

Yeah I almost didn’t survive

Oh but you took it in your stride didn't you

It's just like you

Under the Saturday light

It's been a good night

But Im feeling lonely

I want to run and hide

When you take me outside

And you tell me we are through

Its like my body knew

It's just like you.”

As l was listening I thought “Wow that stings and it's not even about me”. It feels like not much if anything is being held back here and it's not mean it is simply honesty; in my opinion those are the best kind of burns. The truth hurts as the saying goes. I enjoy the way the track is subdued and delicate allowing the listener to really focus on what is being said.

9. The Two Body Problem

I nearly managed to write about all the releases from this newly formed band and then they snuck in another release as I was compiling this post. So I will include some thoughts on “Being Honest”. I previously wrote about “Did I Love You” and “I Am The Moon” which are both just remarkable. The latter I especially swooned over as the lyrics struck a particular chord with me. The way this relationship between the Earth and the Moon is so told so brilliantly and just chalk full of emotion. The various ways that the Earth and Moon interact and are bound together seem to represent this elegantly fateful relationship between two individuals that are destined to have an effect on each other's lives but only from a distance. I am astounded by the way this glorious story is created so quickly and yet it evokes the same kind of emotion as any Shakespearean tragedy.

“Being Honest” is a thought-provoking track. I find it to be a different tale than the ones that I am used to seeing in songs about love and relationships. I have only had a week with it at this point so I am certain I have lots more to extract from it and my thoughts could change shortly after writing this. The current tale that unfolds in my mind is as follows: two people were together and either because they listened to the wrong voices in their own heads or the voices of those around them one chooses to end things before quickly realizing they made a horrible error as they proceeded down “the path of least resistance”. So essentially they decide to say screw all that and do what they ultimately wanted. I didn’t say it very eloquently but the lesson I gleaned from it is the importance of being honest especially with yourself and that can be quite challenging to do.

8. Feist

Feist is just outstanding. It is simple but true, the music of Feist has been blowing my mind since the 2006 album Open Season and this year's release Multitudes is as every bit as brilliant as the previous albums. Feist has this otherworldly quality to her voice; it's both warm and ethereal. It makes you feel as if you are being wrapped in a blanket. Often as artists increase in notoriety it seems something often happens to their sound; whether its pressure from record labels or some other source. Thankfully I don’t feel that is the case with Feist. In this newest album I can still hear that same indie rock sound that made me fall in love with the music in the first place. “Forever Before”, “Hiding Out In The Open”, and “Song For Sad Friends” are my personal highlights but I enjoyed the album from start to finish.

7. boygenius

It is safe to say that many are familiar with Phoebe Bridges and Julien Baker; artists that make up two-thirds of the group boygenius Lucy Dacus who also operates solo in addition to her work here is marvelous as well. Given all the talent that makes up this band I don’t really have a whole to say. The lyrics are beyond brilliant, and the harmonies may cause you to melt without warning. The debut album simply titled the record is everything I expected after diving into the previously released EP back in 2018. If I hadn’t still been holding to my “only albums can be on my list” constraint back then that self-titled EP would have most certainly made my list.

6. Meadowlark

In my top artist of 2022 post I wrote about how much I had been enjoying Nightstorm, the last album by Meadowlark as well as the singles that they had released. Needless to say I was stoked for an album release and had been anticipating it for many months. As you can read about in detail here; Hiraeth did not disappoint. I absolutely love this album. The writing is uncommonly poetic in this very classical sort of way that I don’t come across often. As I dug through each track it really felt like I was reading poetry. There are occasionally moments when I come across a song that causes me to think deeply, to look at my past and to take a look inside myself. As I went through this album I had an exceptionally great amount of those moments. It was an awe-inspiring, especially moving experience.

5. Lights

I first heard Lights at the Warped Tour in 2009 and haven’t stopped listening to her music ever since. Immediately the timbre of her voice just hit me like a truck; it was soft and almost ethereal at times and then explosively powerful at others. With the exception of her debut album Lights has always released a stripped down acoustic version of each album that’s released. I am consistently impressed with the way each of these acoustic albums is different in some way not only from the album it is based on but from the other acoustic albums previously released. The most recent one ded may be the most different from its electronica fueled counterpart. Not only is the overall sound of the album drastically altered, the songs are in reverse order and I was surprised at how much that changed the way the album felt and how it struck me emotionally. It was a shock to my system in the best kind of way. I discussed some additional tracks from the album in a more recent post here.

4. Anna Luther

As this track was my second most listened track for the year it is safe to say that I listened to it around two hundred times. Yet each and every time I listen to it I am totally engrossed. I find both the message of the lyrics and the melody to be incredibly captivating. I mentioned previously the way in which songs expertly written have the ability to encapsulate the emotions of many varying situations. I think that certainly applies here. I don’t specifically know what this track was written about. For me this song is an elegantly woven tale regarding the struggles of mental health in the various forms which they can come.

“There’s a stranger in the room

Looks like she knows me, but I really have no clue

I asked her name and now she’s laughing at me too

But I just wanna know what’s true”

It really illustrates the difficulty that stems from not knowing what is going on in your own mind at times; you just want to understand but you just can’t. When thinking about this track I often find myself pondering on the chorus:

“And I don’t know why I cry about that

Yeah, I don’t know why change makes me sad

And you can tell her I won’t be mad

Cause love’s a letter I won’t send back”

I really enjoy the imagery in the lyric “love’s a letter”; real love is a rare and precious thing and in 2023 getting a handwritten letter in the mail is also quite rare. So putting these two things together does a great in emphasizing how much love is valued within the context of the track. I see this relating back to the message that I was speaking on earlier as well. I cannot speak on this myself but I am sure that for some the times when they are feeling right and at home in their mind come only so often. This makes such moments scarce and cherished in their own right.

3. Melissa Lamm

Earlier when I mentioned that I had a number of nearly finished write ups just sitting there, well there was one about “Say Goodbye” & “So So” two of the outstanding tracks which Melissa collaborated on. “Feel It Too” which marks her second collaboration with the artist known as Leonard Schneider aka CHPTR. released about two months ago and it is fantastic as well.

What most impresses me about “Say Goodbye” is how much is said only using a fairly limited amount of lyrics. For me it conjures up this image of a relationship that has really been done for some time now but finally at least one party is ready to admit that it's done. It is not done so with malice, it is simply over and time to say goodbye. The chorus is my favorite part of the track

“I know where it starts just hold the line

And I know when someone can’t be mine

Better off alone, yea we’ll be fine”

“SoSo” is a certified bop which I believe Melissa was a producer on. This fantastically upbeat dance track has a lot going on or at least in my head it does. There are a few lines that conjure up this image in my mind to create the scenario taking place within the song.

“I won’t lie its not your fault

I don’t think that there’s blame at all

Did our best, it didn’t show

Staying still when we should grow…

I could choose apathy I think I’d rather go”

This is the ending of a relationship that hasn’t been toxic but rather has been completely stagnant for entirely too long. It has come to a breaking point for at least one person involved. They no longer want to ignore what’s happening and continue going nowhere. I really love how the lyrics lay it all out. I cannot get enough of this track.

“Feel It Too” has this sort of astronomical presence to it; both the lyrics and the music itself have these magnificently heavy moments to them that I enjoy. As I was listening for the first time I remember thinking how lyrically it reminded me of Melissa’s song “All This Time” which was released last year. A classic tale of unrequited love however in contrast this time around I get the sense from both the music and the lyrics that the subject is being far more bold with their feelings. At least in my head I believe that in the end they expressed what they were feeling rather than reserving what they felt for their imagination. There is a sort of spoken word bridge in this track which is then incorporated into the final chorus in a spectacular way. It may be my favorite part of the song.

2. Taylor Swift

Between the releases of both Speak Now & 1989 (Taylor’s Version) and the theatrical release of the Era’s Tour there has been a substantial amount of content for a Swiftie such as myself to consume and I am not complaining. I saw the Era’s Tour quite a few times at the cinema and it was so brilliantly put together it wasn’t that it necessarily included all of my favorite tracks of Swift’s but more so that the tracks which were chosen and the order in which they were played just fit so well together.

A major theme within the 1989 album is essentially calling out those who have maligned Swift in the media for any number of reasons and that in spite of it all she is doing fine and thriving. Nearly 10 years later with the re-release of the album these messages are just as pertinent if not more so. I had very rarely seen individuals dressed as Swift for Halloween before but this year just in the one neighborhood I took my nieces and nephew through I saw nearly a dozen all depicting the various era’s of her music. Swift really has this far reaching appeal and I think one of the major reasons is the ability she has to create compelling stories which people of all ages can find meaning in. Whether contained within one track or a few she will weave together these narratives with individuals you somehow find yourself caring about after only a few minutes. Quite possibly my favorite example of this is contained within the folklore album. Whether Swift’s songs are weaving an emotional tale or speaking on the struggles of social anxiety and addiction I am there for it.

The majority of the tracks from the triumph of an album *Landlines* can be found on all major streaming platforms or can be purchased in its entirety on Bandcamp

Lisa Ritchie

Songs are written about specific experiences whether about the artist personally, someone they know perhaps a character they created etcetera. Yet when a song is superbly crafted their meanings extend far beyond the situation about which they were written. This is because they create this atmosphere that is thought-provoking. They allow you to contemplate and ponder your own experiences and fashion personal connections to a given song. I wrote something along these lines when discussing Lisa’s song “Myself” earlier this year. I just want to say this extends to everything she writes. Since the beginning I have felt this exceptional bond to her songs and recently part of this mystery was solved. Upon discovering that Transatlanticism by Death Cab for Cutie is a major influence of hers as that is an album that has been impacting my life since adolescence.

Lisa’s writing demonstrates the fact that she is a consummate master of stark honesty and this is incorporated so cleverly within her songs. My favorite way which this is displayed is when there are insults; just beautiful lyrical jabs contained within a song. Sometimes they are more disguised than others but they are consistently brilliant and entertaining.

The album Landlines which I have enjoyed digging into a number of times this past year is a meticulously crafted and most sincere masterpiece. It was so emotionally candid and the thoughts & feelings contained within just hit me so heavily and completely with each and every listen. Here is a link to the second part of my Landlines write up should you feel compelled to check it out.

Top 20 in ‘23