In December each year, many publications make top ten (or top twenty, or top one-hundred) lists, with each one ranking the best albums, books, movies, etc. of the year. I am not a prestigious journalist, or a big-time publication. I am merely a person who exists at the same time as the internet. I don’t watch enough movies, or listen to a wide variety of records, or read enough literature to determine the best of anything.
But I am a bit vain and I want you to hear my opinions.
I thought I’d use this post to recap some of the top things that I watched, read, listened to, and did in 2023. Think of this less like a year-end list and more like a summary of my favorite things from this year.
Live Music
I went to quite a few concerts in 2023! Here’s a list of some top moments, in no particular order:
- Ben Gibbard yelling “I fucked it!” after beginning to sing too early (Death Cab for Cutie + The Postal Service, Berkeley CA)
- Julie Byrne doing literally anything
- The National’s 2-hour+ set in San Francisco/Matt Berninger leaning on me during Conversation 16
- Meeting Kelcey Ayer of Local Natives and chatting for a bit about live performance
- Fleet Foxes playing Grown Ocean— this song means so much to me now
I’m very grateful to live in a place that has so much amazing live music (and that I can afford most of the tickets)!
Best Song
Longtime followers (my close friends, people I annoy via posting) know that The National are my favorite band of all time. Imagine how insufferable I was this year, knowing that my favorite band released TWO records! The First Two Pages of Frankenstein and Laugh Track released just five months apart, and with all of that music, there’s plenty to talk about. I won’t subject you to it— I only know one other person who likes the Sad Dads as much as I do. The two albums this year are fun records, but not my favorite from the band. That’s okay, they can’t all be my favorite.
But Smoke Detector? Man! Listen to this song:
Smoke Detector is unlike anything the band’s done before. Fitting it in at the end of Laugh Track is such a high-energy way to close out the album. I’ve been muttering about dogs with red helmets ever since.
Best Albums
I’m much more of a listen-to-a-whole-record-in-one-go type of person, so here are my 10 favorite records from 2023:
- Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? – Kara Jackson
- like dying stars, we’re reaching out – Runnner
- The Greater Wings – Julie Byrne
- Norm – Andy Shauf
- Sorry I Haven’t Called – Vagabon
- The Land is Inhospitable And So Are We – Mitski
- The Record – Boygenius
- The First Two Pages of Frankenstein – The National
- Time Will Wait For No One – Local Natives
- Javelin – Sufjan Stevens
I’ve come to terms with the fact that my music taste is a bit more pop-leaning and basic. I like what I like!
Best Movie
My favorite film of 2023 is All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, the directorial debut from Raven Jackson. Watching this in early December makes it a late entry to my top whatever, but this was a powerful film! It’s visually stunning and the performances are spectacular.
If you got the chance to watch All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt in theaters, I hope you were moved by it like I was. It does such a fantastic job at painting a life. I knew nothing going in and I think it made for an even better experience. When this film shows up on streaming services, turn off the lights and let it take you somewhere else for a little while.
Watching Oppenheimer in IMAX 70mm was terrific. I ended up going to the theater twice, but the second time the film reel messed up with just 10 minutes left. I haven’t seen Barbie yet. I’m sure it’s great. One of my resolutions in 2024 is to watch at least 50 movies (and log them on my letterboxd).
Best Book
I didn’t actually read any books that came out in 2023, so if you’re looking for current book opinions, look elsewhere. But I finished Dune! The copy I bought in high school has journeyed across the country with me since 2015, and I finally found the time this year to read it. It’s hard to pitch the book to people— the first 100 pages serve to set up the next 600, and for me it took a bit of effort to power through it. All that said, I really enjoyed it! Now I can finally watch Denis Villenueve’s adaptation that came out… more than 2 years ago.
Best/Worst Things I Did
In February, on a whim, I flew all the way across the country to spend a weekend in Philadelphia with a friend. The tickets were bought last minute, and I sat next to a really loud kid the entire flight.
Was it a good trip? Yeah! I got to see Cy Twombly’s Fifty Days at Iliam and one of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers paintings at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I got to spend time with someone I care about, just seeing the world through their eyes. And I saw the Liberty Bell (it’s overrated).
Would I do something like this again? No, probably not. I need to plan things better when it comes to vacations.
The friendship has since crumbled, but it was nice in the moment. Overall, it sits in a weird space for me.
Some other things:
- Attending a wedding for the first time (I bought a suit and everything!)
- Dealing with the financial consequences of getting my ceiling repaired
- Donating blood for the first time, then getting into a car accident two hours later
- Walking across the Golden Gate Bridge (and back)
- [redacted – come back later]
- Officially starting my music poster collection:
The End (of 2023)
I think 2023 was an interesting year. There were good things and bad things. I want to believe that I’m becoming a better person because of it. I’m glad to be here! I hope I get to stick around for a while longer! There’s something fun to do all of the time and that’s so exciting!
In 2024, I’m going to try to write more and do some other things. Only time will tell if I can make it happen, but I think I’m pretty good at handling whatever comes my way. See you next year!