Catchgroove’s Best of 2023

2023 was my first year of retirement so I had plenty of time to listen to music. Although music is not as culturally significant in 2023 as in 1973, it is still an important art form. For most people music made after they were 30 is irrelevant. I like to think that I keep my ears open to new music, without shutting the door to the music of my youth. This list reflects both new and established (legacy) artists. My new artists are highly influenced by the music of my youth and so there is a lot of old-style contemporary music on the list. The list begins with my top 10 and then my honorable mentions in no particular order. 

#1

 

The National released two albums in 2023, First Two Pages of Frankenstein and Laugh Track. I think of them as one mega album. They come from the same sessions and have a similar vibe. Laugh Track was a surprise release and I prefer it slightly over Frankenstein. I have not been a The National fan until recently. The critics don’t find their latest works their best, but for me, it is their best era.

#2

  

Like The National, Margo Price released two albums from the same sessions in 2023: Strays and Strays II. As a bonus, I picked up a Record Store Day Release, Strays (Live At Grimey’s). Margo has really grown as an artist. Her first album was retro country, but on these latest albums, she becomes a contemporary female version of her hero Tom Petty. The albums were produced by Johnathan Wilson, he also has an album on this list.

#3

Jason Isbell’s Weathervanes continues his string of excellent albums. Some critics feel like he has plateaued, but I feel like he is hitting his stride. 

#4

Jonathan Wilson’s Eat The Worm is his weirdest album – and that is good news. After several albums that are great, but derivative, he has found his own voice. 

#5

Miles Miller Solid Gold – Miles is Sturgill Simpson’s touring drummer. Sturgill produced the album. Miles has a mellow voice that sounds like a country-fried James Taylor. The arrangements would not have been out of place on a ’70s James Taylor album either. Solid Gold is 70s soft rock with a twist of country.

#6

Bob Dylan’s Time Out Of Mind (AKA TOOM) was a major comeback in 1997 and set the stage for a late-career renaissance that continues to this day. In 2023 he released a major box set focused on the TOOM period. Bob Dylan: Fragments – Time Out of Mind Sessions 1996-1997 The Bootleg Series Vol. 17 is a wonderful spotlight on that fertile period in the Dylan catalog. The most amazing revelation is the Michael Brauer remix of the original album – it takes the wet blanket off the original revealing the true masterpiece (it was a masterpiece even with the wet blanket).

#7

Although not an essential entry into the Wilco catalog, Cousin is an excellent album. It is an amalgamation of what they do best and therefore a great introduction to Wilco.

#8

If Hackney Diamonds is the Rolling Stones’ last studio album, it will be a beautiful goodbye.

#9

Jason Eady has a pleasant baritone voice with a little bit of Willie Nelson’s drawl. On Mississippi, there are gorgeous slithering guitar riffs, gospelish backup vocals, funky keys, and a wicked groove from the rhythm section. This is a well-executed album. It sounds like a band and not just a singer-songwriter.

#10

Rose City Band’s (RCB) Garden Party is a blissed-out Dead-inspired musical anodyne. In these stressful times we need safe and effective painkillers and Garden Party fits the bill perfectly.

Honorrable Mentions (in no particular order)

• Boygenius – the record
• Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation
• Son Volt – Day Of The Doug
• Norah Jones – Little Broken Hearts Live At Allaire Studios
• Andy Shauf – Norm
• Goose Live At The Salt Shed 4/14/23
• Arlo Parks My Soft Machine
• Bob Dylan – Shadow Kingdom
• Jenny Lewis - Joy’All
• Pat Metheny – Dream Box
• Lucinda Williams – Stories From A Rock n Roll Heart and her memoir
• Ryan Adams and The Cardinals – Alive Volume 1
• Greta Van Fleet – Starcatcher
• Wednesday – Rat Saw God
• The Replacements – Tim (Let It Bleed Edition)
• Israel Nash- Ozarker – I heard a teaser single from this album on The Current and it immediately caught my attention. I made a mental note to check out the album once it came out. Well, it is out now and it is a great album. What struck me was the richness of the arrangements and production behind Israel’s pleasant voice. It reminded me of The War On Drugs but less dreamy (in a good way). This is going to be in my regular rotation for a while.
• John Scofield – Uncle John’s Band – Scofield and band do quirky covers (Dylan’s “Mr Tambourine Man,” Neil Young’s “Old Man,” Leonard Bernstein’s “Somewhere,” and Miles Davis’ “Budo”), jazz standards (“Stairway to the Stars” and “Ray’s Idea”), and seven Scofield originals. The band’s approach is to apply their jazz aesthetic to funk and folk rock. They have plenty of straight-ahead jazz tunes too. This is not new to Scofield as he is well ensconced in this kind of gumbo. This trio format is perfect – the rhythm section is an anchor (in a good way) for Sco to jam his ass off. Without that stability, Sco might fly off the rails. I think this solid foundation allows Sco to actually become more creative.
• Florry – The Holey Bible – This wonderful country rock sounds like the band is falling down the stairs – in a good way.
• Chris Stapleton – Higher
• Heavy Crownz – Branched Out – Nice mellow vibe with rich themes. Heavy has a gorgeous raspy hypnotic flow – hip hop to calm your mind and feed your soul. Love the quiet storm R&B beats. Per the artist: “BRANCHED OUT ! IS A REMINDER TO STAY ROOTED WHERE YOU ARE FROM IN ORDER TO GROW.”
• Bob Dylan – The Complete Budokan 1978
• The Adam Deitch Quartet – Roll The Tape – If you dig soul jazz and/or the jazzier side of the jam band world check this gem out.
• Amos Lee – Honeysuckle Switches: The Songs of Lucinda Williams – A songwriter takes on another songwriter. Lu has such a distinct voice it is fun to hear someone else sing her songs.
• nicholas – Heat Island Effect – nicholas is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, DJ, and chef du jour based in Chicago. The album is a gumbo of contemporary R&B, hip-hop, and jazzy elements. It is both adventurous and easy listening. Lyrically, it deals with social/political issues and deeply personal exploration. The music is rich and lush – it sounds like a band and not just a bedroom singer-songwriter.
• Dusk – Glass Pasture – The Appleton WI band has a nice country rock/Americana vibe, this is fun music. Per the band’s booking agency: “The group is often compared to 60’s garage and R&B groups like NRBQ and THE LOVIN SPOONFUL, early 70’s country rock pioneers THE FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS, and at times the primitive rock and roll sound of a group like THE VELVET UNDERGROUND.”

Some additional best of 2023 items worth mentioning:

• The Minnesota Twins and MLB – My wife and are long-term Twins fans. When were dating we used to go to the old Metrodome and for $10 we could get right-field seats and a beer – cheap date. Given retirement, we probably watched 100 regular season games, attended close to 20 games in person (including the Twins playoff run, and watched most of the playoff games). MLB provided great entertainment this year. 
• Taylor Swift – we enjoyed attending Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Minneapolis (with face-value tickets), saw the movie in the theater, and enjoyed the silly joy of the Taylor/Travis romance. 
• Crosley Liam Record Storage Stand – the Desert Sessions desperately needed record storage, so my lovely wife found and ordered a couple of these stands. It is a delight to crate dig in your own home!

• Jeff Tweedy’s World Within a Song: Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music is a delightful little book where Tweedy describes songs that impacted him. I listened to the audiobook on Spotify and it was a particular joy to hear Tweedy as the narrator of his own book.
• I was borrowing my daughter’s turntable at the start of the Desert Sessions and decided earlier this year that I needed a permanent solution. I selected the Rega P3 because it got great reviews, was in my price range, and came in red. I found a great Valley hi-fi dealer: Audio Video Excellence who sold Regas and had various models set up in-store for auditioning. I brought several LPs into the store and owner Bob Koopman set me up in a listening room and let me audition in peace. After 30 minutes I was sold. Many months later – no regrets.

Finally, I had an existential crisis regarding my record-collecting habit this year and I got over it! Looking forward to more listening, discovery, social media posting, and blogging in 2024! One of my New Year’s resolutions in 2023 is to write a blog post a month about my musical memoir.