I'm getting older, I'm writing less, I'm living in a city I've only known for a little over a year, and nostalgia looms larger and more intensely than ever before as beloved family members leave us and the state of the world seems to devolve by the day.
With that, I'll add that my family celebrated my parents 50th anniversary earlier this year, and I got to travel to Hawaii (the big island) earlier this spring. In October, we moved across the river to a new apartment. Musically, I completed and released a posthumous Shitting Glitter album "Damn Skippy Baby" in September which included a new music video "Microscope," directed by Jasten King and featured at the NSFW Film Festival in Los Angeles. Also, Boynanarama reunited for a one-off performance at Bisbee Pride in Arizona over the summer, and we got to march in the parade there, hosted by our lovely friend Gretchen Bonaduce.
As for consuming music this year, my Spotify Wrapped really only tells a fraction of the story. What it doesn't take into account is the copious amounts of vinyl I purchase and listen to, which really represents more of my time of leisure listening than any streaming service. It also belies the hours that Dylan and I spend together, and separately, watching YouTube and other streaming videos.
Without further ago, here's my top 10 of 2023!
HONORABLE MENTIONS
"Now and Then" - The Beatles This is the first Beatles record I bought right when it came out! Of course, I only a couple other chances in my lifetime (there were two "new" singles released around the end of my high school years). It's a nice song, and it's fun to know how technology was used to finalize the product. To me, it was interesting because I was doing the same thing at the time - sifting through old demo recordings by my band Shitting Glitter and utilizing new technology to complete them, so when I saw this Beatles 12" at Target of course I had to grab it!
"Good Lookin'" - Dixon Dallas Is this song for real or is it just trolling homophobes and bigots? It sounds like a regular country song you'd hear on the radio until you listen to the words, and the chorus kicks in. Dixon Dallas is a pseudonym for rapper/musician Jake Hill and it's hard to tell where he's really coming from, but the end result is the same, and for that I thank him.
"bad idea right?" - Olivia Rodrigo This is mainly for Dylan, but I do enjoy this song as well as all the others I've heard from Olivia's second album, "Guts," especially the fabulous "Get Him Back."
"I Don't Know What You See in Me" - Belle and Sebastian This is another one of Dylan's favorite bands, which has grown on me over the years as we've seen them live and watched their videos together. Plus, they're from Glasgow which is where many of my favorite musicians hail from, and this song sounds like it could have been on the charts in 1983.
10.
"Ghosts Again" - Depeche Mode 2023 is the year I finally got to see Depeche Mode live! While I had seen frontman Dave Gahan years ago on a solo tour, at the Wiltern in Los Angeles, I had somehow never seen the band play live. That changed in March, when our friends Rebecca and Loren came up from Los Angeles and stayed with us, as they are huge DM fans and were going to see multiple concerts on this tour. After the death of member Andy Fletcher in 2022, I realized I should not put off seeing them any longer so I bought a ticket to go with Rebecca and Loren, as the band were playing at Golden 1 Center, walking distance from our home at that time! I got a really good seat and thoroughly enjoyed the show, even though I didn't know a lot of the songs. Most people find it hard to believe that, given my taste in music and my predilection for early 80s synth pop and new wave, that Depeche Mode isn't one of my favorite bands, but I do respect them and enjoy many of their songs.
9.
"Midnight" - Cindy WilsonMiss Cindy has earned the right to do whatever she wants, which is made so much.more wonderful by the fact that she wants to make addictively hooky dance songs like this. One of the three remaining original members of the B-52's, Cindy still shares the stage with Kate and Fred, mostly at their continuing residency in Las Vegas, but I did get to see a few minutes of their set at Darker Waves this fall in Huntington Beach (I would have seen more, had they not been scheduled at the same time as Human League). Following up her successful 2017 solo album "Change," which found the singer experimenting with more ethereal vocals and synthesized soundscapes, "Midnight" continues in this realm but steers deftly towards the dancefloor and follows the latest trend of being altogether too short, which makes you want to immediately repeat the song once it ends.
8.
"Thunder" - Zee MachineA beautifully hypnotic song by an intriguing artist, "Thunder" holds a special place in my heart. I discovered Zee Machine as they were a late addition to the entertainment lineup at Sacramento Pride, which I served on the planning committee for. While Dylan and I volunteered the entire weekend, we did get one break so that we could go enjoy the festival. We both had wanted to see Zee based off a friend's recommendation (Marc Loren, I'm looking at you) and videos on YouTube. We were not disappointed, as we were able to dance around during Zee's set and right as the song "Thunder" was played, it started raining on a warm early Summer day. It was beautiful! I look forward to discovering more of Zee Machine's music and hopefully seeing them perform live again someday in the new year!
7.
"Staten Island Ass Squad" - Electric SixDetroit's Electric Six, long one of my favorite bands, returned to form this year with new album "Turquoise" which includes this tune with a very colorful title and an infectious groove that you can't get out of your head. I'm not exactly sure what the Staten Island Ass Squad is, but I do know how I feel about bridge and tunnel people (since I was one myself until recently; we had to cross the Tower Bridge to get from our old apartment into downtown Sacramento)! For awhile, there were no lyrics posted online for this song so it was really hard to understand exactly what the song is about. Recently, someone on Reddit transcribed them as they heard them, but even that doesn't really help. Regardless, it's a fun song that brings back the classic Electric Six sound and sensibilities and that's certainly a good thing.
6.
"DANSE MACABRE" - Duran DuranBeing a huge Duranie, of course I was beyond thrilled when I heard that the boys were recording a special 'Halloween' themed album, inspired by their October 31, 2022 show in Las Vegas. Even more exciting was the news that former members Andy Taylor and Warren Cuccurullo would be contributing to the project. While some were afraid the album upon hearing that the album would contain multiple covers, fearing a repeat of the maligned 1995 covers album "Thank You," I actually like that album so I wasn't worried! Altogether, while you can't really consider it a standard Duran Duran album, the covers are actually really good takes and the three new songs are a welcome addition to the DD repertoire. Overall, it's a fun record that is great to play during October but really can be enjoyed any time of the year.
5.
"Hold Onto My Fur (Talking Cat Song)" - The Kiffness x Oh Long Johnson 2.0Ok so this is where I may get grief from some people. I've already featured one "meme" type song (Dixon Dallas) but here at #5 on the chart is the first time I've included a song that's not a traditional band or songwriter release. However, I've decided to include it because it is a song, there is a lot of musicianship involved (on the part of The Kiffness) and truly, this song was stuck in my head for much of 2023. Dylan discovered a rabbit hole of internet videos of cats vocalizing in a way that approximates human "singing" and then of course he found videos where people made songs out of the cat videos. The Kiffness seems to do this with many singing cats, but this one is the one that we couldn't stop listening to, singing, and playing for other people. You really have to see the video to understand that it's a cat on lead vocals!
I guess 2023 is the year that Troye Sivan grew up and morphed into a real dance pop star. Although I had been a fan of his music for quite a few years by this point, something just fell into place with this new release, including an amazing music video, and a limited 7" single that featured glory hole inspired artwork! The song has a kind of 1990s club groove with chanted vocals in the chorus that really sustains a high level of energy throughout the tune. With a stomping, insistent beat, it sounds like desire and passion, throbbing its way onto the dance floor. There was also the really cute video for "One of Your Girls" where Troye got dragged up and makes a very attractive young lady!
3.
"Sitting" - TJ Mack (Josh Mac Version) and "Chicas" OK, I never said that a cat song was going to be the only possible controversial entry on this year's chart! "Sitting" was a viral video sung by a character created by actor/comedian Brian Jordan Alvarez. I first remember him as Jack's boyfriend Est
éfan on the revival of "Will and Grace" but during the pandemic, we watched a lot of his absurdist comedy videos that he posts online. He has a whole coterie of characters he does, including "your rich Southern aunt," Marnie T, Emil and of course, TJ Mack (who loves to shop at TJ Maxx). He uses snapchat filters, wigs, and props as necessary to bring the characters to live, but really it's just his ability to do accents and impressions that create the comedy. "Sitting" started out as an a cappella ditty sung by the character TJ Mack but quickly went viral with various takes from around the world, leading Vanity Fair to describe it as possibly 2023's "song of the summer." Once you get the point of sitting, then be ready for "Chicas" which details TJ's struggles with female fans, now that he is a "pop start."
2.
"Nothing Works" - Declan McKennaHaving discovered Declan during the pandemic, with his stellar release "Zeros" being released several months after Covid shut down many aspects of our daily lives. As a result, he had to do the "virtual show" route to promote the album, which is when I first became aware of him. I loved that album and played it to death, so of course I was very curious to hear what he would do next. Luckily, he has clearly continued to evolve and I love how he manages to tread the line between pop and left-field so deftly. The first single release from his forthcoming new album was "Sympathy" which has a lot of interesting things about it, but the second single "Nothing Works" is really a masterpiece. It's catchy, off-kilter, and layered which rewards repeat listenings. The music video is also fantastic. We finally got to see Declan live on Halloween, although it almost didn't happen as their tour bus had broken down hours away from town. Despite a late start, Declan and co. brought the house down!
1. "Padam Padam" - Kylie Minogue and "Tension" Another artist who thrived during the pandemic, Kylie's last album "Disco" was partially written and recorded by Ms. Minogue herself at home on lockdown! She brought the dance floor magic with her 2020 release, but now she is back with the four-on-the-floor beats intact, but now incorporating more electro and pop back into the mix, kind of pulling the best styles from previous albums "Fever," "X" and "Aphrodite" to make the album "Tension" sound ultramodern and polished. Of course the lead single "Padam Padam" became a viral smash, connecting Kylie with a whole new audience via TikTok and other social media platforms. It has been called "the gay national anthem" and I even heard of DJ's putting up signs to let club goers know when it would be played next to stop people from constantly requesting it! Of course the power of Kylie was truly demonstrated when she released the follow up, the album's titular track, "Tension" which was just as good (or maybe better?) than "Padam Padam," and both tracks featured unforgettable music videos. The album itself is all killer/no filler and the amazing "Extension" remix album presents each song in an extended version that prolongs the ecstasy. Now if I only I could afford tickets to her residency in Las Vegas...
Now that I've counted down my favorite songs of the year, I have to follow back up on something I mentioned earlier while discussing the Beatles song. This year, along with some of the former members of Shitting Glitter (the band I was in from 2001-2010), we released a brand new album of previously unavailable/unfinished songs. Titled "Damn Skippy Baby," which borrows a lyric from the song "Spirit Butter," this was our posthumous release following Amy's death in 2021. I'm extremely proud of this album and I really think Amy would be too. I spent a couple of years working on getting these songs finished, and I am just so happy with the final product.
Click here to read my recent "track by track" take of "Damn Skippy Baby."
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