Pete's Log: 2023 Music

Entry #2464, (Music)
(posted when I was 45 years old.)

I acquired a good amount of music this year. Much of it on bandcamp. Not sure how the whole bandcamp thing is going to look next year. But right now we're focusing on this year.

I also felt like making a playlist. It contains a few songs acquired last year, but I feel like it captures how 2023 in music felt to me.

  • Amyl and The Sniffers - Hertz
  • The Chats - Smoko
  • Wet Leg - Chaise Longue
  • Pacifica - Premature Rejection
  • Office Dog - Spiel
  • Sports Team - The Drop
  • The Drowns - Live like yer dyin
  • Origami Angel - Thank You, New Jersey
  • carolesdaughter - My Mother Wants Me Dead
  • Speed of Light - Teeth

The easiest way I thought of to share it was a YouTube playlist, but if you ask me nicely, I'll try to remember how to burn a CD.

Anyway, here are my 2023 acquisitions. Unless otherwise noted, these are albums. In all, 325 songs with a length of 18 hours, 26 minutes and 58 seconds.

  • Atmosphere - Okay
    Released February 2023
    I only bought the single. Jamie came across this song on Spotify and we both liked it.
  • Camper Van Beethoven - Telephone Free Landslide Victory
    Released June 1985
    I only knew the "Take the Skinheads Bowling" song and I'm not sure what made me decide to purchase the album, but I'm glad I did.
  • carolesdaughter - please put me in a medically induced coma
    Released August 2022
    After JB becoming a fan at Riot Fest last year, it felt like I should own some of her music.
  • carolesdaughter - Violent
    Released November 2020
    This is the single of carolesdaughter that JB keeps requesting.
  • The Chats - Get This In Ya
    Released July 2017
    Andrew recommended this band to me. Australian punk rock. Smoko gets stuck in my head often (hence its inclusion above).
  • Company Flow - Funcrusher Plus
    Released July 1997
    This is apparently "a landmark independent hip-hop release" from 1997. Somebody posted about it on Mastodon and I decided to broaden my horizons.
  • The Cure - The Head on the Door
    Released August 1985
    After really enjoying The Cure at Riot Fest I realized I needed to own more of their albums.
  • The Cure - Wish
    Released April 1992
    See above.
  • The Drowns - Lunatics
    Released May 2022
    Andrew introduced me to "Live Like Yer Dyin" off this album and it made me want the whole album. I later discovered I already owned one Drowns song - see below.
  • FM359 - Some Folks / A Little Sign
    Released December 2017
    My purchase of "What's It Like To Be Fifty?" (see below) included a download code for these two songs. FM359 is a folk/country/punk/americana band that features a couple members of the Dropkick Murphys. Might investigate them further someday when the mood for this sort of music is stronger.
  • Highly Effective People - The Hizhaus Sessions
    Released Nov 2022
    No idea how I came across this four-song album. Couple songs have a bit of a Fugazi sound. I enjoy it.
  • The Men - New York City
    Released Feb 2023
    More punk rock that I have no idea where I found it, but I've listened to this album a bunch. Thought of trying to include one of their songs in my playlist, but couldn't decide which one.
  • Office Dog - Spiel
    Released Aug 2023
    I introduced Jamie to Pacifica (see below) and after her Spotify played them, it suggested Office Dog and I instantly liked them. They're from New Zealand and I guess they'd be considered Alternative Rock or Indie Rock?
  • Origami Angel - Somewhere City
    Released November 2019
    We liked Origami Angel at Riot Fest this year, so I figured I'd buy some of their music.
  • Origami Angel - The Brightest Days
    Released June 2023
    See above.
  • Pacifica - Freak Scene
    Released September 2023
    Pacifica is a newish band from Argentina. YouTube recommended "Premature Rejection" to me and it's been constantly stuck in my head since then. They didn't have an album out yet at that point, so I waited for them to release one and bought it.
  • The Planet Smashers - Too Much Information
    Released May 2019
    I seem to impulsively buy "new" Planet Smashers albums when I learn about them. This one definitely sounds very Planet Smashers but doesn't have any particular standout songs for me.
  • Ratboys - The Window
    Released August 2023
    I always feel like I should support Ratboys. My favorite album of theirs remains Printer's Devil, but I do like this one more than their previous one.
  • R.E.M. - Murmur
    Released April 1983
    After yet another music discussion with Andrew I decided I needed more early R.E.M.
  • Ryuichi Sakamoto - 12
    Released January 2023
    Heard about this on NPR. I'd never heard of Ryuichi Sakamoto (or Yellow Magic Orchestra - see below) before, but after hearing the story I decided to check him out. This album was released shortly before his death and it is very minimalist and melancholy electronic album.
  • Skating Polly - The Big Fit
    Released 2016
    This album features my favorite Skating Polly song: Pretective Boy.
  • Skating Polly - Chaos County Line
    Released June 2023
    Figured I should buy their latest release after enjoying them at Riot Fest last year.
  • Speed of Light - Teeth
    Released 2023
    Another random YouTube recommendation. This band consists of three Californian teenagers. They don't seem to have released an album yet, so I purchased this as a single.
  • Sports Team - Gulp!
    Released 2022
    I heard "The Drop" on the radio and wanted to hear more. Alternative rock from England. "The Drop" is another song that's spent a good amount of time stuck in my head this year.
  • Stomper 98 - Stomper 98
    Released September 2023
    Came across them in some Pirate Press Records promotion. An Oi! band from Germany.
  • The Suicide Machines - Revolution Spring
    Released March 2020
    While revisiting an entry about seeing the Suicide Machines in 2019, I saw I had written that "apparently they have a new record coming out soon" so I went and found that record. It's better than some of their mid-career stuff, but can't match their early albums.
  • Suzi Moon - Dumb & In Luv
    Released September 2022
    Suzi Moon has a track on "What's It Like To Be Fifty?" (see below) and I think that's what made me check out more of her music.
  • Tai Verdes - TV
    Released May 2021
    Since JB was so into him for a little while, it seemed reasonable to own this album.
  • Various Artists - What's It Like To Be Fifty?
    Released December 2022
    I didn't even know Cock Sparrer, but apparently they're an English punk rock band that has now been around for 50 years. Pirate Press seems to know how to market to me. They released a gold vinyl of various of their artists (including The Drowns and Suzi Moon) covering Cock Sparrer songs to mark the 50 year anniversary. It was a one-time pressing of 1500 records and I decided to get one despite being unfamiliar with Cock Sparrer. I've enjoyed it and should perhaps check out the originals at some point.
  • Yellow Magic Orchestra - UC YMO
    Released August 2003, but it's a compilation of songs mostly released 78-81
    So I'd never heard of this band before but they seem to be one of those early electronic bands that is perhaps as influential as Kraftwerk on the genre. I learned about them through the NPR story about Ryuichi Sakamoto and picked up this compilation of theirs. It's very much "of the era" and fun and goofy.