Here are some picks for this Bandcamp Friday! Bandcamp is one of the better way to support artists online. On Bandcamp Fridays, even more of the money you spend goes to the musicians.
Gushing by Crayola Eyes
Crayola Eyes – Gushing (2023) Psychedelic shoe-gaze from Jakarta, Indonesia. Props to my friend, Phillip, for introducing them to me.
Hot Pink Sauce – “Feel” (2024) Emma Anderson of Lush/Sing-Sing brought this dreamy single to my attention. Looking forward to hearing more from this British duo.
Girl Ray – Prestige (2023) British band’s ode to the TV show Pose. Fun dance pop. Apple Music describes it as “disco escapism.” I get the ear worm bop “Everybody’s Saying That” stuck in my head constantly.
Black Cross Hotel – Hex(2022) Darkwave industrial from Chicago.
The Morelings – Same Century (2017) Ethereal pop. Recommended if you like Cocteau Twins or Siddal.
Lovina Falls – Calculating the Angle of Our Descent (2023) This debut ranked as one of my top albums of 2023. Glistening dream-pop from Boston’s Valerie Forgione (formerly of Mistle Thrush).
Sprints – Letter to Self (2024) I already know that this Irish band’s debut is gonna be one of my faves of 2024. It has the energy of a Sleater-Kinney album. Frenetic, guitar-driven, and a pinch of pop.
Sadly, I didn’t get out to movie theaters as much as I used to. When you’re dynamically disabled, you have to conserve your energy. Going to the movies might not seem like it takes that much effort, but when the disabled toilet is broken and the only functioning one is on the other side of the theater and you’re using a wheelchair … you can guess why I haven’t seen Killers of the Flower Moon yet. I did manage to see Barbenheimer on different weekends though!
Here’s the list of my favorite films of 2023. This list is dynamic (like me!) so follow me on Letterboxd for updates. Parentheses show how I watched the film.
15. Talk to Me Creepy Australian horror flick with a diverse young cast. (Borrowed from library)
14. Red, White & Royal Blue This was fun. Of course the book is better, but I love seeing queer lit being adapted. (Prime)
13. Nimona A sweet adaptation of N.D. Stevenson’s graphic novel. (Netflix)
12. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour I missed out on tickets for the real thing, so seeing Eras in the theater was second best. Being in a theater filled with women and girls was refreshing. There was dancing, clapping, and of course, singing. (In theater)
11. Renfield Nic Cage as Dracula. Nicholas Hoult as Renfield. Plus Awkwafina! Need I say more? (Borrowed from library)
10. The Killer Michael Fassbender stars as a serial killer who constantly listens to The Smiths. My social media handle is an ode to The Smiths, soooo yes, this movie was made for me. (Netflix)
9. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse A great sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Stunning animation. (In theater)
I don’t care what anyone says, I love flerkittens
8. The Marvels More of a sequel to the excellent Ms. Marvel TV series than Captain Marvel, I found this movie to be a delight. Who doesn’t love a superhero who has a flerken as a sidekick? (In theater)
7. Infinity Pool Doppelgängers and Alexander Skarsgård. Yes, please. (Borrowed from library)
6. Saltburn Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi smolder in the sophomore film from director Emerald Fennel (Promising Young Woman). (Prime)
5. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar This short film clocks in at 39 minutes and is everything you’d want from Wes Anderson and Benedict Cumberbatch. Henry Sugar was my favorite of Anderson’s Roald Dahl adaptations. (Netflix)
4. Oppenheimer Am I the only one who gets “Oppenheimer,” by the Old 97’s stuck in their head at the mere mention of Christopher Nolan’s epic opus? (In theater)
3. Beau Is Afraid I’m probably an outlier, but I adored this bizarre film. (Borrowed from library)
2. Asteroid City I even like The Darjeeling Limited. That’s how much I like Wes Anderson, so of course I loved his latest outing. Blink and you’ll miss Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker as a cowboy singer. (Borrowed from library)
1. Barbie Much like seeing Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in theaters, it was a joy to be in a theater filled with women (though I attended with two men). Yes, I cried. (In theater/MAX)
Here’s what my year in books looked like. Follow me on GoodReads for details and reviews. You may note that at least three of the books feature disabled lead characters. Some of my favorites (not necessarily released in 2023) are:
10. Cut Loose!by Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz (The sequel to The Chance to Fly)
Letters to Cleo’s single “Bad Man” b/w “It’s Sunny Outside” was released on vinyl in November
In addition to all of the smashing albums that came out in 2023, there was also a smorgasbord of delectable singles, EPs, and soundtracks. Check out my 2023 playlist for a mix of tracks from all of the above. Included is the new single, “Bad Man” by Letters to Cleo. It sounds bubbly and upbeat, but the lyrics tell a dark tale. Conan Gray, Discothèque, Lola Young and many more can be found on the playlist. It’s over three hours long!
Here they are! The albums that got me through 2023. As someone with an incurable degenerative illness, music is a lifeline for me. In another lifetime, I worked in the music industry. Once a year, I still work at the merch table for Letters to Cleo at their Boston “Homecoming” shows. The rest of the time, you can find me listening to these records with a cat on my lap.
If you find yourself liking anything you find on this list, please consider supporting the artists by purchasing merch, music, catching a show, etc. My playlist of favorite tracks of 2023 can be found on Spotify.
Top Albums
30. Drop Nineteens – Hard Light Boston’s very own shoegazers reformed for their first album in over 30 years. It’s textured, evocative of the ‘90s, yet mature. On “Tarantula,” they dip into power pop with sparkling results.
29. Sufjan Stevens – Javelin I never thought I’d be into lo-fi, indie folk music, but Sufjan Stevens’s connection to The National was too strong for me. Javelin is like a sumptuous lullaby.
28. Gracie Abrams – Good Riddance If you’re a fan of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License,” meet the person who inspired its sound: Gracie Abrams. And if you’re a fan of Sidney Bristow, thank Gracie’s dad. Produced by Aaron Dessner of The National, Good Riddance is wistful and delicate.
27. Parannoul (파란노을) – After the Magic Luscious dream pop from South Korea, After the Magic sounds a lot like British shoegaze, but with dynamic (emo?) keyboards and strings.
24. Travels With Brindle – Notes from Undergrad I was hooked from the haunting first track “Something’s Wrong.” Notes from Undergrad is filled with twee-pop, ukulele-based bops. Recommended for fans of Magnetic Fields.
23. boygenius – the record What a treat it is to have a full-length album from singer-songwriters Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. The vocals of the three combine to produce soaring harmonies. If you get Simon and Garfunkel vibes from “Cool About It,” you’ll find that Paul Simon is credited as one of the songwriters as a tip of the hat for borrowing a bit from “The Boxer.”
22. Mitski – The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We Mitski’s seventh album is filled with frank and heart-wrenching songs. The Land Is Inhospitable was my companion for many bouts of insomnia.
21. SQÜRL – Silver Haze The art/drone rock project from filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, Carter Logan, and Shane Stoneback unsurprisingly evokes a cinematic world, most notably on “The End of the World.”
20. Olivia Rodrigo – GUTS The dream of the nineties is alive in Olivia Rodrigo. Some artists struggle with their sophomore effort, but not Rodrigo. GUTS is a juggernaut of pop confection. It makes no sense that I connect with her lovelorn lyrics, but I do.
18. Lovina Falls – Calculating the Angle of Our Descent Valerie Forgione of Mistle Thrush returns to the Boston music scene with her new project Lovina Falls. Calculatingthe Angle of Our Descent is a shimmering, eclectic, alternative-pop debut.
Valerie Forgione of Lovina Falls | Photo by Joan Hathaway
17. Sparks – The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte The Mael brothers’ unconventional pop has been delighting devoted fans since the early seventies and Latte is no exception. Check out their minimalist video for “The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte” starring Cate Blanchett.
Sparks at The Wilbur Theatre in 2023 | Photo by Chelsea Spear
16. Screaming Females – Desire Pathway It’s a bummer that this kick-ass New Jersey band called it quits in late 2023. Desire Pathway is a triumphant, rocking farewell.
15. Madder Rose – No One Gets Hurt Ever The nineties indie rock band is back! It is so good to hear Mary Lorson’s voice on new material. The album, tinged with alt-country, is simply flawless.
13. The Hives – The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons What a banger from one of Sweden’s top exports! I’m sad that I missed their Boston show that was replete with glow-in-the-dark suits.
12. Ladytron – Time’s Arrow Ladytron’s seventh album is a solid, gorgeous addition to the synth-pop band’s catalog. The Liverpudlians also released the charming, surprise Christmas song “All Over by Xmas.”
11. Queens of the Stone Age – In Times New Roman … Another top-notch rock release from Josh Homme and co. This record was one of my most played of the year. Homme has been through a lot since the last QOTSA album (divorce, death of his close friend Mark Lanegan) and you can feel the catharsis.
The author with Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age forever ago.
10. Billy Nomates – Cacti Billy Nomates AKA Tor Maries got a lot of flack for her no-frills Glastonbury performance. She performed live vocals to backing tracks and had no band. I’ve seen several solo performers take the same lo-budget approach (Poe, Peaches, various electronic musicians like Aphex Twin and Sonoio) but they weren’t under Glasto’s magnifying glass. I’ve even seen full bands “play” to backing tracks and no one’s cared/noticed. It’s a misogynistic shame because Marie’s suffered great abuse and her second album, Cacti is excellent. “Spite” was my summer anthem while “Roundabout Sadness” captured my sullen mood whenever I had a medical flare.
9. Emma Anderson – Pearlies Emma Anderson of Lush and Sing-Sing goes solo with brilliant results. Of the post-Lush projects (including Miki Berenyi’s Piroshka), Pearlies is most likely to scratch that shoegaze/ethereal/dream pop Lush itch. It also has hints of early Goldfrapp.
8. Blur – The Ballad of Darren Blur’s latest release is filled with somber ballads and pop rock earworms. I find myself humming various songs from The Ballad of Darren all the time. It’s Britpop all grown up and it sounds brilliant. Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon are two great tastes that taste great together.
7. The National – Laugh Track Fans of The National were shocked to learn during a September concert that the band would be releasing a second album in 2023. And that they’d be releasing it digitally THAT WEEKEND! (Yes, I was a shocked fan even though I wasn’t at said concert. I caught it via Instagram Live.) Laugh Track is a fitting companion to First Two Pages of Frankenstein and includes guest vocalists Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Phoebe Bridgers, and Rosanne Cash. Standout tracks include “Space Invader” and opening track “Alphabet City.”
6. Depeche Mode – Memento Mori Depeche Mode’s first album since the death of Andy Fletcher is a rich, textured contemplation on mortality. Surviving members Dave Gahan and Martin Gore have created another sonically gorgeous gem.
Depeche Mode at TD Garden on October 31, 2023. Photo by Amy Lordan-Tripp
5. ††† (Crosses) – Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete Chino Moreno of Deftones and Shaun Lopez of Far get their darkwave on in their goth love letter that even includes a track with *the* Robert Smith. Recommended if you like Songs of Faith and Devotion-era Depeche Mode.
4. Daughter – Stereo Mind Game Six years was a long time between Daughter albums. Thankfully, there was vocalist Elena Tonra’s soul-crushing solo debut Ex:Re to bridge the gap. Like The National, Daughter seems to have a deep connection to my brain. Stereo Mind Game is atmospheric and glistening.
Side note: my four-year-old cat, Ada, loves them. She also likes Nick Cave and Harry Styles. Ada will get right up against the speakers when those artists are on.
3. Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – Australian Carnage: Live at the Sydney Opera House My first post-Covid show was Nick Cave and Warren Ellis at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston. It was a transcendent, tear-filled experience for me. At that show, and on this album, Cave and Ellis perform(ed) gentle, soulful versions of songs from the Bad Seeds’ catalog along with many of the songs from the duo’s album Carnage.
Side note: This year, I got to meet Nick Cave at a book signing for Faith, Hope and Carnage at the Harvard Bookstore and he was so very kind and empathetic.
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in 2022. Photo by Amy Lordan-Tripp
2. Ash – Race the Night This album from the Northern Irish lads is such a perfect, power-pop album! Now they just need to come back to the States so that I can hear the new tracks live. Meanwhile, you can find me watching the hilarious video for the epic “Crashed Out Wasted” on YouTube.
Ash: Rick McMurry. Mark Hamilton, and Tim Wheeler | Photo by Stephan Brückler
1. The National – First Two Pages of Frankenstein I’m a little obsessed with The National. If you follow my Instagram, you know this. Their first (!) album of 2023 made me feel like I wasn’t alone in my depression. First Two Pages feels like a return to the eras of High Violet (2010) and Trouble Will Find Me (2013). The “Sad Dads” frontman/lyricist Matt Berninger came through a traumatic bout of writer’s block to pen this album, which features guest appearances from Sufjan Stevens, Phoebe Bridgers, and Taylor Swift.
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