Five records, four TV shows, my three most anticipated records, two messages to people who won't read this, and one great new record

I don’t care what anyone else does, I think February is the perfect time to look back at the previous year of music. This year, I’m awarding Record of the Year to five records. (I’m not ranking them. They are in order here alphabetically.) They all win.

RECORD OF THE YEAR

Del Paxton - Auto Locator
Josaleigh Pollett - In the Garden, By the Weeds
Nick Webber - All the Nothing I Know
Palette Knife - New Game+
Scarlet Street - Scarlet Street

And hey, here’s my songs of the year playlist.You can listen on SPOTIFY and/or APPLE MUSIC.Click shuffle, press play, find something to love. This is a list of the bands on it:

OTHER GREAT RECORDS OF 2023:

Big School - Don’t Cry, I’ll Be Right Back
boygenius - the record
Broken Record - Nothing Moves Me
Cal Rifkin - Better Luck Next Year EP
The Carolyn - Harmful History EP
Chris Farren - Doom Singer
Cinema Stare - The Things I Don’t Need
Dead Bars - Sinkhole EP
Equipment - Alt. Account
Equipment - Miracle EP
Full Blown Meltdown - Mollify
Gladie - Purple Year EP
Greg Mendez - S/T
Home is Where - the whaler
Jeff Rosenstock - HELLMODE
Jess Williamson - Time Ain’t Accidental
Kerosene Heights - Southeast of Somewhere
Lakes - Elysian Skies
Liquid Mike - S/T
Magazine Beach - Constant Springtime
Militarie Gun - Life Under the Gun
OK Cool - fawn
Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS
Orson Wilds - This Burning House (We All Fell Asleep In)
Pacing - Real Poetry…
Paramore - This is Why
phoneswithchords - phoneswithBen
Ratboys - The Window
saturdays at your place - always cloudy ep
Shit Present - What Still Gets Me
Short Fictions - Oblivion Will Own Me and Death Alone Will Love Me (Void Filler)
Sincere Engineer - Cheap Grills
Singing Lungs - Coming Around
Square Loop - The Longest Distance Between Two Points
Stress Fractures - Stress Fractures
Superviolet - Infinite Spring
sweetmess - everything’s fine ep
Talking Kind - It Did Bring Me Down
thank you, i’m sorry - Growing in Strange Places
Thanks! I Hate It - Lovers Lane
Tiny Voices - Make Up Your Place
The Tubs - Dead Meat

Here’s what I listened to in 2023:

I EXPECT BIG THINGS IN 2024 FROM:

A Place For Owls
Charly Bliss
The Dreaded Laramie
Scarlet Street

I cannot wait to hear new music from these three. I think world domination is possible for all of them. I would enjoy it very much if these were the four biggest bands in the world.

MOVING IMAGES ON THE TELEVISION SCREEN:

The best television programs of the year were Fargo, The Bear, Beef, and How To With John Wilson.

I also enjoyed Last Week Tonight, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Pokémon Concierge, Silo, Succession, and What We Do in the Shadows.

Non-2023 television programs: I rewatched the first two seasons of Twin Peaks and then watched The Return for the first time. I found the end frustrating, there was too much of one-note Dougie, but the highs (“Part 8,” good lord!!!) are so high and I enjoyed it overall. I love this show very much.

I also watched Andor and it was wonderful. I am mostly burned out on Star Wars stuff, but this show was truly great and has stuck with me. The jailbreak, all the great soliloquies, that finale. I can’t wait for season 2.

TO THE PERSON WHO HIT MY CAR WHILE IT WAS PARKED OUTSIDE MY APARTMENT (AND DID 8K WORTH OF DAMAGE) AND THEN RAN AWAY LIKE A STUPID LITTLE LOSER:

You are a bad person.

TO THE COPS WHO CAN’T FIND THE GUY BECAUSE MY NEIGHBOR ONLY GOT HALF THE LICENSE PLATE:

You are useless.

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If you want to get a head start on 2024, the first record I’ve fallen in love with this year is from Norwegian band Flight Mode. It’s the early 90’s, it’s the 2020’s, it’s nostalgic, it’s cinematic, it’s got hooks, it’s got riffs. Fans of Straylight Run and early Death Cab will find a lot to love here.

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What’s your favorite song on my list?

What’s your favorite song that isn’t on this list?