2023 in Review

Pretty normal year this year, which is weird. For better or worse, everyone seems to have moved on from the pandemic, even though we all sense that something has changed forever, and that we probably shouldn’t be ignoring the next foreseeable disaster coming around the bend.

Personally, I’ve continued to be very lucky, and I am grateful for that. Work was a big focus, as I moved into a director role—probably my peak, if I’m being honest, since I’ve never had much interest in a title starting with “C.” We had a health scare with the dog, which was one of the worst days of my life, but she seems to be fine now. My passions stagnated, and I should work on writing and art more, because I know it’s unrealistic to wait for a magical retirement when I have all the time in the world, plus a brain and body humming with youthful vigour. I already have signs of gout and important events completely wiped from my memory, so it ain’t happening, unless ChatGPT can dig up an eternal youth potion in the next few years.

Anyway, here’s my summary of the media I consumed in 2023. Sometimes I like to look back on these posts to help remember what the year was like. Maybe you’ll find some new recommendations.

Music

As usual, this is an uncurated list of the albums I listened to most, courtesy of Last.FM. First, some honourable mentions for albums that came out late in the year, late last year, or didn’t make it on the list for whatever reason.

Honourable mentions:

Peter Gabriel – I/O – I got really into prog rock this year. Partly just because old Jethro Tull and Genesis albums are cheap on vinyl, but I also grew to love it. Peter Gabriel did something even more pretentious than expected this year: two albums with the same songs, only slightly different from each other. But they’re damn good songs! And there’s something compelling about comparing the different versions, like a peek into Gabriel’s mind as he tinkers with slightly variations, can’t decided between them, then just says fuck it and releases both.Demi Lovato – REVAMPED – Like Miley’s live album last year, I just love pop songs with a harder edge. Here, Demi Lovato completes her turn to metal by hardening some of her best songs.In This Moment – GODMODE – One of my favourite bands. I like this one, but it didn’t do it for me as much as their last few.Duran Duran – Danse MacabreParamore – This Is WhyFall Out Boy – So Much (for) StardustCarly Rae Jepsen – The Loveliest TimeK. Flay – MONOAvatar – Dance Devil DanceQueens of the Stone Age – In Times New RomanSteven Wilson – The Harmony Codex

And here are my top 10 most listened-to albums:

10. Ayron Jones – Chronicles of the Kid – Uncomplicated rock, just a talented guy making music. Good enough for me.

9. Sleep Token – Take Me Back to Eden – Apparently another band with a mask gimmick, but the music itself holds up, playing with genre to stand out from most hard rock this year.

8. The Smashing Pumpkins – Atum – Can’t decide if this is awful or wonderful. At least they’re doing something different.

7. Greta Van Fleet – Starcatcher – Don’t tell Led Zeppelin, but I kinda like Greta just as much.

6. HARDY – the mockingbird & THE CROW – Has a special place in my heart because it was the road trip soundtrack for Meg and I this year. Even if you don’t like country, it’s worth a listen; the first half is genuine cheesy country, and the second half infuses metal into it. This guy sounds like a total asshole, but his redneck experiment is irresistible.

5. M83 – Fantasy – Dreamy and endlessly relistenable.

4. Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation – Miley is always on this list. I preferred her 80s rock phase, but this is good too.

3. Nothing But Thieves – Dead Club City – I love how these guys are evolving into something a little different with each album.

2. Yves Tumor – Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) – A title like that sticks with you, and so does their deeply weird music. Just got this on vinyl, too.1. Depeche Mode – Memento Mori – They’ve managed to remain decent as a duo after Andy Fletcher died.

Television

I watched a lot of reality TV this year. I’m getting too old to feel guilty about turning my brain off once in a while, so I won’t call them guilty pleasures, despite some of these being worse than ever. I should spent more time with my brain turned on though.

AloneThe BearBlack MirrorThe CurseDown for LoveThe Fall of the House of UsherI Think You Should LeaveJury DutyThe Last of UsLove in the WildMrs. DavisOnly Murders in the BuildingPerfect MatchThe RehearsalShrinkingSiloSelling Sunset / The OCSuccessionWhat We Do in the ShadowsMoviesThese are the movies that came out in 2023 (or late 2022) and that I rated 4+ stars on Letterboxd, so go there for full reviews. Bold ones are 4.5 or 5 stars.BeastBottomsFallGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3Infinity PoolNopeViolent NightWhen Evil LurksThe Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar65Asteroid CityBlackberryBodies Bodies BodiesThe BoogeymanClockThe Devil on TrialDualDungeons & Dragons: Honor Among ThievesThe FlashHellraiser (2022)It’s a Wonderful KnifeThe KillerKnock at the CabinLeave the World BehindM3GANThe MenuMissingMoonage DaydreamNo Hard FeelingsNo One Will Save YouThe NorthmanOppenheimerPamela, A Love StoryPearlRebel Moon Part OneThe Royal HotelSanctuarySharperThe Super Mario Brothers MovieTalk to MeThey Cloned TyroneGames / AppsHere are all the games and game-related things I played and liked this year. Add me on Xbox or Playstation or Nintendo or wherever to play with me.Baldur’s Gate 3 (Playstation) – I’m constantly in awe of this game. It’s just so clear that the people making it actually give a shit, putting together great writing, visuals, and gameplay in a way that has compelled me to spend 125+ hours on one game without getting bored.Meta Quest 3 – An amazing piece of hardware. Let’s see if Apple’s Vision Pro brings mixed / virtual reality mainstream in 2024, or if it remains a weird niche for dancing furries.Starfield (Xbox) – Flawed, dated, but that Bethesda formula is still addictive.Marvel Snap (iOS) – Still playing this addictive mobile card game every time I shit.Peloton – I’ve started doing longer rides while watching Netflix on this thing. Hoping it’ll help me live longer and reverse the damage this holiday season did to my physical body.Strava – Mostly for biking and hiking, trying to get a real-life high score.Wealthsimple – It’s so fun to see the little numbers go up and down.Dungeons and Dragons – This campaign has been going for over a year now. Nice to be back into a long-term game with friends.Books

Here’s my year in books from Goodreads. Damn, this is worse than I thought … I only read 6 books in 2023. They’re thick ones, but still. Gotta fix that in 2024.

Okay, another year complete, good job! Looking back on this post, I see a theme: I should spend less time watching reality TV and more time reading / writing. Call that a resolution for when the arbitrary number on the calendar changes. Tune in a year from now to see if I make any effort whatsoever or if I immediately forget this the moment I hit post. Bye.