Best of 2023
Another year and another list of my favorite songs, albums, movies, shows, books, and even a few products and articles.
Albums
Depending on the day, I prefer one of The National’s new albums over the other, but in general, both are exceptional.
10. Peter Gabriel - i/o
9. Gracie Abrams - Good Riddance
8. Black Pumas - Pressures of a Diamond
7. Georgia - Euphoric
6. Ben Howard - Is It?
5. Lapsley - Cautionary Tales of Youth
4. Welcome Stranger - Running Out of Miles
3. Dizzy - Dizzy
2. The National - Laugh Track
1. The National - First Two Pages of Frankenstein
Songs
These are 10 of my favorite songs from the year in no particular order. These are not the only good songs of the year, however. I made a playlist with 29 great songs if you’re curious about more selections.
Sigrid - “The Hype”
Georgia - “So What”
Augustana - “Stand On My Own”
Middle Kids - “Bootleg Firecracker”
Sun June - “Get Enough”
Dizzy - “Jaws”
Yoke Lore - “Shake”
The National - “Your Mind Is Not Your Friend”
Lapsley - “Dial Two Seven”
Welcome Stranger - “See You Soon”
TV Shows
While there is an order here, it’s less strict than in previous years. However, Jury Duty was both unexpected and fresh and did legitimately warp how my brain saw sitcoms for a little bit after watching it. While I wait for a new season of Severance, Silo helped make the wait more bearable.
The Bear continues to be fantastic. Slow Horses is a nearly perfect, fast-paced, anti-spy show. And The Gilded Age remains addicting.
Although I didn’t list shows like The Big Door Prize or City on Fire, I thought both were entertaining. All the Light We Cannot See on Netflix was good, but most of the compelling shows are on Max or Apple TV+.
8. Pokerface (Peacock)
7. The Last of Us (Max)
6. Slow Horses (Season 3) (Apple TV+)
5. The Gilded Age (Season 2) (Max)
4. Silo (Apple TV+)
3. The Bear (Season 2) (Hulu)
2. Lessons in Chemistry (Apple TV+)
1. Jury Duty (FreeVee)
Movies
I did not watch many movies this year. My excuse is that they’ve mostly gotten too long as they push well past two hours and begin to reach three.
4. Super Mario
3. Barbie
2. Indiana Jones: Dial of Destiny
1. Tetris
Books
I read fewer books this year than in previous years, but it did start great with The Villa. It’s a sort of thriller or haunting version of Almost Famous.
4. Pineapple St.
3. The Mystery Guest: A Maid Story
2. Symphony of Secrets
1. The Villa
Articles
My 2023 writing revolved around product reviews—and I did a lot of them. So here are some self-promotional links.