There was a big debate among “end of the year” music playlisters. Not that big, five people. If a song wasn’t released that year, can it be included in an end of the year playlist? Should it be included? The consensus of the 5 was it cannot and should not. I disagree.
Songs released that year should be prioritized and age of release should be weighed in, but discoveries of the year are just as important as when they were released.
Before we get to 2023’s music of the year, this year for the first time I wanted to start highlighting the music curators as well. This was the first year I actively sought them out. Usually I rely too heavily on recommendation systems, but a mix of the two is optimal.
SXSW was the most influential event. A good dozen artists are on this year’s Music of the Year playlist. NPR Music’s Best Songs of 2023 had the best end of year list. So much I’m going through all of their other Best Songs of the Year playlists. There are 9 total on Spotify. As far as quality music curators I followed throughout 2023: Saving Connie, Ladman, and Somewhere Soul. Also, shout out to my two good friends, Carl & Levi, who took their playlists as serious as I did.
As for the music, Pale Jay topped this best songs playlist. His voice, unlike most of the other many soulful vocals on this playlist, brought soul forward rather than taking it back. Strongboi had the single. Jungle was my #1 artist on Spotify Wrapped. And Jessie Ware had the best album of the year.
NFTs were my favorite tech last year, and took the cover for our Music of the Year playlist in 2022. This year, it’s AI generated. There’s a song on this playlist that was also AI generated. Can you tell which one?