THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER’S 100 BEST SONGS OF 2023 - SONGS 100-51
It's that time again for my picks of the best songs of this year. As usual, I’ve put all my picks on one playlist for easy listening. I hope everyone reading enjoys the music I highlighted in this year-end roundup post. My next post featuring my top album picks is coming up next week. So, without further ado, these are The Reclusive Blogger’s picks for the 100 Best Songs of 2023…
That’s it that’s my list for my 2023! Stay tuned for my top albums from this year! Also, sound off in the comments below on your favorite songs from the year?
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER’S 100 BEST SONGS OF 2023 - SONGS 50-1
It's that time again for my picks of the best songs of this year. As usual, I’ve put all my picks on one playlist for easy listening. I hope everyone reading enjoys the music I highlighted in this year-end roundup post. My next post featuring my top album picks is coming up next week. So, without further ado, these are The Reclusive Blogger’s picks for the 100 Best Songs of 2023…
That’s it that’s my list for my 2023! Stay tuned for my top albums from this year! Also, sound off in the comments below on your favorite songs from the year?
NOTHING BUT THIEVES RETURN WITH NEW ALBUM ‘DEAD CLUB CITY’
ALBUM REVIEW: NOTHING BUT THIEVES RETURN WITH NEW ALBUM “DEAD CLUB CITY”
From the moment you hear the first few notes play from Dead Club City, the new album from English Rockers Nothing But Thieves. You know two things, this is not your standard Nothing But Thieves musical fare, and the band has boldly dipped their toes into the world of concept albums. So this is going to be a wild ride, and it is. If you haven't heard of Nothing But Thieves, they are a quintet hailing from Southend, U.K. comprising Conor Mason (vocals, guitar), Joe Langridge-Brown (guitars), Dominic Craik (guitars, keyboard), Philip Blake (bass), and James Price (drums). In their ten years, they have amassed quite the fanbase and following, including a #1 alternative radio single here in America with Trip Switch. Now the band is on the fourth studio album Dead Club City a blistering venture into an unknown world filled with narratives, characters, and concepts all inspired by the band's struggles with the pandemic, the lockdown, and life in this new world we live in. NBT has always had a natural knack for raw honesty and extrospection (and introspection in some cases) in their lyrics. So, an album like Dead City Club truly allows them to explore and hone in on those skills.
The album opener, Welcome To The DCC (aptly titled, I might add), quickly puts the listener within the world of the DCC. Frontman Conor Masons' honeyed falsetto greets you with the lyric Welcome To The DCC repeated. All set amongst an atmospheric soundscape of textured tones and synths. The crunchy layered guitars are all very 80s inspired and hard-hitting. The album segues into the second track, the anthemic single Overcome, a song filled with blissful synths, punchy basslines, and rockier guitars. Lyrically, it's one of few tracks that lean hopeful in tone and messaging. NBTs' grit is still very apparent throughout the record as well. It's not something they lost or even shied away from. It is all over tracks like Tomorrow Is Closed, City Haunts, and Members Only. The latter two have a sludgier stomp-rock vibe to them. There are a few restrained moments on the record, like the reflective love letter Green Eyes:: Siena and the slinky R&B-influenced confessional Talking To Myself. The band also leans fully into pop and electronic music on the dance-pop number Foreign Language. Dead Club City closes on a high note with the electric and hard-rock number Pop The Balloon. It is loud, brash, and so rock and roll.
While Nothing But Thieves has been a band for ten years now. This fourth record clearly shows why they are one of the U.K.s most exciting Rock acts and live shows. Dead Club City demonstrates Nothing But Thieves' progression as a band and their skill in experimentation. It has not steered them wrong so far. While the concept album can quickly go bad, even comical for so many artists, for Nothing But Thieves, it didn't. It could be the overall evasiveness and abstract nature of what is the inner realm of the Dead Club City. Which comes across in a more choose-your-own-adventure manner, even more so with the attached visuals. Then there is the tight production from band member Dominic Craik and the on-point vocals from Conor Mason. Whatever it is that gelled together at the right time, Nothing But Thieves has easily put out one of my favorite albums of this year.
You can stream Nothing But Thieves' Dead Club City, which is out now on all DSPs, by clicking here.
Welcome to the DCC
Overcome
Tomorrow Is Closed
Keeping You Around
City Haunts
Do You Love Me Yet?
Members Only
Green Eyes :: Siena
Foreign Language
Talking To Myself
Pop The Balloon
ALBUM REVIEW: Andrew McMahon in The Wilderness - “TILT AT THE WIND NO MORE”
ALBUM REVIEW: ANDREW MCMAHON IN THE WILDERNESS - “TILT AT THE WIND NO MORE”
When Andrew McMahon first set out on a new journey within his musical career as a solo artist he had to overcome one of his biggest challenges ever… tackling Cancer. Now twenty years later when so many artists seemingly disappear, even without all the hardships, McMahon continues to rise and make some noise in the Alt Rock and Indie Pop scene under various monikers and projects. His latest as Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness is possibly his most well-known. Quite honestly the perfect creative alias for McMahon for what he has been through to come out the other side (or out of the wilderness, see what I did there?) happy, healthy, and with a family of his own, now looking back on it all with this new album, “Tilt at the Wind No More” out now on Nettwerk. The album is brimming with nostalgia, particularly Y2K nostalgia. A period of time that the album cover hints at. A pair of hands, of what I would assume is the hands of lovers, that can barely hold on amid vivid bright chaos. The cover is the perfect way to let the listener know what type of musical journey you will be taking, the kind of bold strokes of musical color that Andrew will choose to paint with.
“Tilt at the Wind No More” is the fourth album for Andrew under his Wilderness moniker and features production from Tommy English. "Lying On The Hood Of Your Car" opens up the record and is a song that quickly grabs your ear. It also has an underlying vibe of melancholy and nostalgia that sets the listener up for the rest of the album. We segue into two previously released singles, "Skywriting" & "Stars”. There are some exuberant synths and what sounds like some acoustic guitars set off in the back of the mix for good measure. These songs borrow from McMahon's earlier sounds, such as folk indie and country pop, with jangly guitars and a driving beat and bassline. "Submarine" leads us into more subdued territory as one of the few ballads on this release. "Built to Last" is the one that hones in the emotion, all without that feeling mawkish feeling like "Submarine". The use of a vocoder only adds to the hazy lo-fi fever dream. The other highlights of “Tilt at the Wind No More” include the bouncy pop confection "New Friends". We get an unapologetically fun, retro synth-wave drenched tune on "VHS". "Little Disaster" finds Andrew taking us down memory lane, grateful yet introspective. While the album for nonfans might feel a bit disjointed at times or too reminiscent of the mid-aughts radio-friendly indie pop, it is still a solid release. For fans of Andrew McMahon, they will no doubt be more pleased with this album and delighted with how many beautiful high notes this has.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER’S TEN BEST ALBUMS OF 2022
Hey geeks and music freaks! It's time for year-end music roundups. The first one up is the best songs from the year. Me like so many, find comfort within music. These are my picks for the 10 Best albums of 2022…
I hope you had time to read and ponder the first list. If not, you can catch up and read my picks for the 100 best songs of 2022 here and here. Below are my top ten picks for best albums of the year. In a year that was full of incredibly diverse soundscapes from a plethora of artists. From breakout artists tipping the needle to your establishment acts pushing their artistry. It was initially hard to narrow down to only ten albums from the entire year. That’s why I made an extended version that featured my top 15 albums in an Instagram reel video which you can view by clicking here. But first, let’s dive into that top ten.
This is the list of albums for my 2022! Also, what were your favorite albums this year? Let me know about by dropping a comment below or through a tweet!
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER’S 100 BEST SONGS OF 2022 - PART TWO
Hey geeks and music freaks! It's time for year-end music roundups. The first one up is the best songs from the year. Me like so many, find comfort within music. So I hope you can find some new songs that aim to to that as well. These are my (aka TRB) picks for the 100 Best Songs of 2022… Part two
Hey geeks and music freaks! It's time for year-end music roundups. The first one up is the best songs from the year. While 2022 personally has been up and down, ultimately leading to lots of growth. Like many, it has also been ripe with change and uncertainty for many reasons. I know the one thing many of us have come to rely on— and that's the comfort of music. The caliber of music, the creativity, and the sheer amount of music that came out this year— 2022 was calling for a supersized version. So, I hope you enjoy the first of a few year-end roundups coming in the next couple of weeks. These are my picks for the 100 Best Songs of 2022…
50. Bryce Vine - “Moonrock”
49. Noah Cyrus - “I Just Want A Lover”
48. Suelgi - “28 Reasons”
47. SOHN - “Segre”
46. Halsey - “So Good”
45. Dove Cameron - "Boyfriend"
44. Doechii - "Persuasive"
43. Denzel Curry (Feat. slowthai) - "Zatoichi"
42. Dry Cleaning - "Anna Calls From The Arctic"
41. Polyphia (Feat. Steve Vai) - “Ego Death”
40. The Weeknd - "Sacrifice"
39. Willow - “curious/furious”
38. Sabrina Carpenter - “Fast Times“
37. Empress Of - "Save Me"
36. Rina Swayawayna - "This Hell"
35. Aespa - "Illusion"
34. FKA Twigs (feat. The Weeknd) - "Tears In The Club"
33. Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Feat. Perfume Genius) - "Spitting Off The Edge of The World"
32. MUNA - "What I Want"
31. Conan Gray - "Disaster"
30. The 1975 - “All I Need To Hear”
29. Maggie Rogers - "That's Where I Am"
28. Bad Bunny - "Titi Me Pregunto"
27. IYLA - “FOH”
26. Ab-Soul - "Do Better"
25. Yard Act - "The Overload"
24. LE SSERAFIM - "ANTIFRAGILE"
23. Florence + The Machine - "King"
22. Bloc Party - "In Situ"
21. Mothica - “Sensitive”
20. Franz Ferdinand - “Curious”
19. Harry Styles - “As It Was”
18. Caroline Palochek - "Billions"
17. MICHELLE - "Pose"
16. Soccer Mommy - "Shotgun"
15. Kendrick Lamar - “N95”
14. Mitski - "Working For The Knife"
13. Lizzo - “About Damn Time”
12. Phoebe Bridgers - "Sidelines"
11. Everything, Everything - "Pizza Boy"
10. Placebo - “Beautiful James”
9. NewJeans - “Hype Boy”
8. Wet Leg - "Ur Mum"
7. Paramore - "This Is Why"
6. Bastille - “Hope For The Future”
5. Rosalia - “SOAKO”
4. Beyoncé -“Alien Superstar”
3. Arctic Monkeys - “Body Paint”
2. Nova Twins - "Cleopatra"
1. My Chemical Romance - "The Foundations Of Decay"
That’s it that’s my list for my 2022! Stay tuned for my top albums and music videos! Also, let me know what your favorite songs were this year? Is there anything on this list you disagree about? Let me know about by dropping a comment in the comments section or through emoji.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER’S 100 BEST SONGS OF 2022 - PART ONE
Hey geeks and music freaks! It's time for year-end music roundups. The first one up is the best songs from the year. Me like so many, find comfort within music. So I hope you can find some new songs that aim to to that as well. These are my (aka TRB) picks for the 100 Best Songs of 2022…
Hey geeks and music freaks! It's time for year-end music roundups. The first one up is the best songs from the year. While 2022 personally has been up and down, ultimately leading to lots of growth. Like many, it has also been ripe with change and uncertainty for many reasons. I know the one thing many of us have come to rely on—and that's the comfort of music. The caliber of music, the creativity, and the sheer amount of music that came out this year— 2022 was calling for a supersized version. So, I hope you enjoy the first of a few year-end roundups coming in the next couple of weeks. These are my picks for the 100 Best Songs of 2022…
100. LATTO - “It’s Givin’”
99. EDITORS - “Karma Climb”
98. Em Beihold - “Numb Little Bug”
97. Kae Temptest (Feat. Lianne La Havas) - "No Prizes"
96. Labrinth + Zendaya (Euphoria Season 2 Soundtrack) - “I’m Tired”
95. Ralph Pelleymounter - “Steady Love”
94. Kimbra - “replay!”
93. Carly Rae Jepsen - “Beach House”
92. Gayle - "abcdefu"
91. BIM - "O.T.R"
90. Tove Styrke - “Cool Me Down”
89. Tove Lo - “How Long” From (Euphoria Season 2 Soundtrack)
88. Jazmine Sullivan - “Roster”
87. Eddie Benjamin (Feat. Alessia Cara) - “Only You”
86. Hope Tala - “Stayed At The Party”
85. Charlie Puth - "Light Switch"
84. Ethel Cain - “A House In Nebraska”
83. Hermanos Gutierrez - “Thunderbird”
82. Pink Pantheress -"Picture In My Mind"
81. Arkells + Lights - "Human Being"
80. Meghan Thee Stallion - "Her"
79. Freddie Gibbs - “Dark Hearted”
78. Kings Elliott - “Butterfly Pen”
77. Stormzy - “This Is What I Mean”
76. Omar Apollo - “Evergreen”
75. Joesef - "Just Come Home With Me Tonight"
74. Joji - “Glimpse Of Us”
73. Sophie Ellis-Bextor + Wuh Oh - "Hypnotized"
72. Paige Bea - "4x4"
71. Stromae - “L’enfer”
70. Allison Ponthier - “Hollywood Forever Cemetery”
69. Jonah Yano - “leslianne”
68. Boys World - “So What”
67. Nina Nesbitt - “Pressure Makes Diamonds”
66. Maneskin - “The Loneliest”
65. Ed Sheeran (Feat. Lil’ Baby) - “2step”
64. Slipknot - “Yen”
63. Weyes Blood - “Grapevine”
62. Twice - “Talk That Talk”
61. ARO - "Against Mine"
60. Camila Cabello + WILLOW - “Psychofreak”
59. Giant Rooks - "Morning Blue"
58. Spiritbox - "Rotoscope"
57. Adele - "Oh My God"
56. J-Hope - "Arson"
55. Billie Eillish - "TV"
54. Dave - "Starlight"
53. (G)I-DLE - “My Bag”
52. Steve Lacy - "Bad Habit"
51. FLO - "Cardboard Box"
HEAR THIS NOW: THE MUSIC SOUNDCHECK EDITION 12
THIS IS EDITION 12 OF THE 'HEAR THIS NOW' THE MUSIC SOUNDCHECK AT TRB
Paramore is back, Arctic Monkeys dropped another brilliant song from their forthcoming album, ‘The Car’, and Sam Smith and Kim Petras team up. All these tracks and more lead edition 12 of my ‘Hear This Now’ roundup where we’ve got a bit of everything for everyone. From lilting soft melodic indie-pop to 60s-inspired Alt-Pop, then bombastic hip-hop numbers, and "Unholy” mainstream pop collabs. This is The Music Soundcheck edition 12.
You can listen to all the music mentioned here and much more in this playlist here, The Reclusive Blogger's Mixtape Melodies..
Buzzy electro-pop band VALLEY have an infectious and optimistic pop anthem out titled “The Problem Song”. Non-binary Bedroom Pop artist Khai Dreams returns with a new track and animated music video for their vibe heavy track “Bugs”. Queer singer-songwriter Darren Hayes (who you might recognize from the 90s band Savage Garden) makes statement in the power of vulnerability laying reclamation to the word “Homosexual” by naming his new album that title. Vancouver artist EKKSTACY drops his new album “Misery”, an album that explores Alternative music and dark side of it and life. You can also watch the music video for his latest single “I’m So Happy” here. For fans of the pop vocal or the group Pentatonix you can check out Scott Hoying’s debut track “Mars” here.
Lastly, there’s new music out from pop artists like North London’s Natalie Shay, Salt Lake City’s Addison Grace, and Canada’s Rêve. The last three all have a penchant for great storytelling that under pin either catchy beats, great pop hooks or euphoric melodies.