20 Musical Moments of 2023
by Rob Hakimian
You’ve heard about the best albums and songs, but what about the moments within those albums and songs that force the hooks even deeper? Here are 20 that’ll stick in my mind long after we see the end of 2023.
Here’s the playlist to listen along:
Brighde Chaimbeulโs bagpipe solo in Caroline Polachekโs โBlood and Butterโ
Caroline Polachek had reportedly been been obsessively listening to The Reeling by Scottish bagpiper Brighde Chaimbeul while mulling over the direction of her own new record.
Not many artists would then think of trying to insert a bagpipe solo into their modern pop record โ and even fewer would make it work like this. But that is the magic of Caroline Polachek and the talent of Chaimbeul.
I was fortunate enough to see Chaimbeul join Polachek onstage for this song in London, and let me tell you – it rocked.
Sofia Kourtesis names a song after the neurosurgeon who saved her mother
This one isnโt so much a specific moment in the song itself; I just want to highlight the all-round healing story behind Sofia Kourtesisโ โVajkoczyโ.
Kourtesisโ mother needed brain surgery to save her life but several doctors had refused to do it due to the risk. Kourtesis posted a clip of this song on her Instagram and said that if world-famous neurosurgeon Peter Vajkoczy would operate on her mother then she would name the song after him.
Long story short: he heard her plea, he successfully completed the operation, Kourtesisโ mother still lives and they all went to Berghain together. Oh, and the surgeon now has a heck of a banger named after him.
Carly Rae Jepsen gives in to the French touch
Carly Rae Jepsen has proven herself a pop magpie across her albums to date – it was only a matter of time that she would wind up at 90s French house. โPsychedelic Switchโ wholesale lifts the French touch hallmarks of classic Daft Punk and pairs it with an addictive, saccharine vocal. Itโs far from original, but damn itโs addictive.
Brandon McDonald busts her lungs straight out the gate
โSkin Meadowโ, the opening track of Home Is Whereโs new album the whaler, early on features Brandon McDonald repeating โskin meadow skin meadow skin meadow skin meadowโ before ejecting a manic โwaaaaaaaaahโ – and my goodness its fun to shriek along with every last ounce of breath you can muster. Then you can relax and sail along to the songโs bewitching singing saw.
Lankum clear away the pain
Sequencing can augment a song and I picked this moment specifically to highlight the brilliant juxtaposition of the opening two tracks of Lankumโs False Lankum. Opener โGo Dig My Graveโ is all drone and high drama, telling the tale of parents finding their daughter hanging in her bedroom. That pain and turmoil is wrung out to the nth degree – but then Lankum magically sweep it all aside with the gorgeously hovering โClear Away In The Morningโ. It literally sounds like dawn on a new day, the sound of pain receding into the past.
Fever Ray calls out their childโs bully
โThis is for Zacharias, who bullied my kid in high school: There is no room for you, and we know where you live.โ
Fever Ray ensures that no one will ever mess with one of their loved ones again after sending out this message in โEven It Outโ, backed up by menacing production from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
MAMA I CANโT LEAVE YOU HERE IN HELL
Joe DโAgostino has long written sprawling, narrative-driven songs and paired them undulating guitar riffs to add to the drama. This idiosyncratic MO is still present and impactful on the latest Empty Country record, and is perhaps best encapsulated in the peak of opener โPearlโ.
Empty Country build a narrative of the titular young woman promising to get her beloved mother to a life free of misery, the guitars gradually building towards a torrential downpour. And when it comes, itโs paired with one of DโAgostinoโs most epic ejaculations: โMama, I can’t leave you here in hell / Anywhere I go I’m still myself / I’m a tunnel caving in / And a goddamn great Americanโ. Itโs capped off by a harmonica melody that would make The Boss proud, just to emphatically underline the moment.
Bruiser Wolf steals the show on โY.B.P.โ
Danny Brownโs new album Quaranta found the upstart rapper using the passing of his 40th birthday to reflect on his past. Album highlight โY.B.P.โ revolves around what itโs like to be โYoung black and poor being raised in Detroitโ, and itโs guest Bruiser Wolf who delivers the most memorable verse.
With a buoyant voice that sounds like Lil Rel Howery, itโs easy to at first miss the amount of cutting references he packs into his short verse. He picks out several Detroit heroes from sport and music but admits heโs much likelier to end up like gun-toting quarterback Rodney Pete than Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders. He then ties the loop ever so neatly with his killer final line, referencing the state of Michigan, its sport history and murderous reputation with the simple observation: โItโs hard to fit in the murder mitten like OJ gloveโ.
Can you hate yourself and still deserve love?
While the entirety of Protomartyrโs โPolacrilex Kidโ is electric, the moment of magic comes at its finale. After a few minutes of rampaging guitars and staccato vocal ejaculations, Protmartyr loosen up with some pedal steel and give Joe Casey space to ask whatโs really on his mind: โCan you hate yourself and still deserve love?โ
The answer never comes, despite the repetition. But just putting that question out there is honest and brave and valuable.
If this is all there isโฆ I think weโre gonna be fine
Across her second full-length, London songwriter Anna B Savage rides the highs and lows of confusing early adulthood. Sheโs unafraid to scour the depths of her depression and reveal the hollowness she feels. It all builds up to the closing โThe Orangeโ, where she finds a gorgeous, honest peace.
โIโm a bit of a magpie / I collect memories / Moments that shine just for me,โ she sings. โIf this is all that there is, I think Iโm gonna be fine.โ May we all be so graceful when considering our own existential worth.
And I been young
Weโve all been young. Perhaps some of you reading this are still young. In which case, George Clantonโs โI Been Youngโ is only going to grow in impact in the years to come for you. A retro-futuristic melange of washed-out soundscapes and trip-hop esque beats makes the perfect canvas for Clantonโs reflections on life slipping through his fingers. With all those nostalgia sensors already lit up in your brain, all he needs to do is sing โAND I BEEN YOUNGโ and it hits right in the gut.
LโRain’s perfect micro skit
You donโt hear many skits on records any more, but LโRain put out the perfect one on this yearโs I Killed Your Dog called “What’s That Song?”. It’s a brief 20-second clip of someone asking โwhatโs that jazz song that goes da-doo-da-doo-da-dooโ while a jazz band fades in behind, playing the song along perfectly in tandem with the forgetful person before fading out againโฆ itโs very satisfying and amusing.
Armand Hammer name a song something only Black fans can use
One of the best songs on Armand Hammer’s epic album We Buy Diabetic Test Strips is titled something that non-Black writers are best to avoid typing – let alone speaking out loud. The track, subtitled โ(Blocked Call)โ, features a word that, while technically not a racial slur, is so intrinsically linked with bigoted views that it is deeply unacceptable. But Armand Hammer, being the tricksters they are, not only name a song after it โ but include the word in one of the most memorable hooks theyโve ever released. It makes for awkward mumbling when played live. But it just makes the song slap more.
Nourished By Time oozes joy on Yaejiโs โHappyโ
I was a behind the curve learning about Nourished By Time, so I was introduced to Marcus Brownโs marvellous voice via his guest spot on Yaejiโs โHappyโ. While a perfectly good song on its own, Nourished By Timeโs additions simply elevate it to another level. His voice is just so warm and rich compared to Yaejiโs that it makes an excellent counterpoint through the intro, and then when he gets to ooze in with his own verse โ I just melt. It truly does make me and my ears very happy.
Laurel Haloโs snatch of Coby Sey
โBellevilleโ, one of the highlights of Laurel Haloโs orchestral/ambient/instrumental record Atlas, features a guest spot by honey voiced London singer Coby Sey. Except, if you blink youโll miss it. It literally lasts about five seconds – a strange squiggle of texture amidst the songโs gliding subaqueous piano. It truly is nothing more than a moment, but itโs a glorious one โ and proof that Laurel Halo has meticulously composed every single second of Atlas.
THE LAND THE WATER THE SKY
Titling your album The Land, The Water, The Sky is pretty grandiose, but Black Belt, Eagle Scout wanted to pay tribute to the homeland of her people, the Swinomish, and thatโs exactly what she does. The whole record seems to be building to the final words, resounding out at the very end of closer โDonโt Give Upโ: โTHE LAND / THE WATER / THE SKYโ. In that moment, you can hear that the power of her voice is drawn directly from the land sheโs singing about and its belted straight into the heavens. Sheโs captured the land, the water and the sky in a perfect piece of art.
Olivia Rodrigo subverts expectations in a bleachers-ready romp
When you see a young pop star has a song called โGet Him Backโ you imagine itโs about someone pining over a broken heart โ but Olivia Rodrigo has other ideas. Yes, there are moments where she admits she wants to kiss him again, but for the most part โGet Him Backโ is about exacting teenage revenge: make him real jealous and make him feel bad. She vacillates entertainingly between these two polarities with her trademark humour, and augmented by a stadium-sized chorus that could supercharge an army of cheerleaders, itโs an undeniable winner.
Sometimes a drink feels like family
Mitskiโs return with the country-esque The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We was quite a surprise after the synth-pop extravaganza of Laurel Hell. But even in this more stripped-back setting, Mitski knows when to deploy maximalism and does so to great impact on album opener โBug Like An Angelโ. Just as she forlornly admits โsometimes a drink feels like familyโ a bright beaming chorus of voices appears out of the shadows to join in โFAAAMIIIILY!โ Itโs both charming and discomfiting – are these voices real? Are they advocating for Mitskiโs drinking problem? I donโt know the answers, but it sure as hell sounds good.
Kelelaโs return
While โWashed Awayโ made the perfect comeback single and is the ideal opener of Raven, her first album in six years, itโs when the beat and bass kicks in on second track โHappy Endingโ that we feel like Kelela is truly back. A streamlined future RnB banger, it provides her ample space to display both the richness and malleability of her voice, all while being utterly addictive, irresistibly sensual and a bona fide floor filler.
U.S. Girls salutes the new mothers
New mothers donโt get enough attention in popular music. Meg Remy aka U.S. Girls was the mother to two young babies during the making of her new album Bless This Mess and sought to shine a light on the trial of breast feeding with โPumpโ. Over a skronking and glistening disco-tinged pop beat she sends encouragement to all those struggling to feed their young ones with their mammaries: โUse the pump!โ she repeats in a motivational exercise video style. The song later devolves into a chorus of glamorous singers simply repeating โpump, pumpโ. Not being female, I canโt attest to whether this song is actually encouraging or not, but from where Iโm sitting I donโt know how it wouldnโt be!
