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40. Clann – Arise
If you don’t know the first two Clann albums, then you need to stop what you’re doing and go listen to them. They are desperately unique experiences, and this song released in 2023 is in the same vein. I love the gorgeous vocals and ethereal, swooning nature of this track.
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39. Fires in the Distance
– Crumbling Pillars of a Tranquil Mind
The latest Fires in the Distance album is great, but this song especially stands out for its strings and pinpricks of keyboard light. I love its feelings of darkened cinema and its wistful ending. Such a strong track.
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38. Troller – Gore
Troller released an unnerving and genius album last year, and this closer is my favorite track. It has a lumbering bass groove and a convincing and sacred chorus that has wormed its way into my mind. I love it so much.
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37. Bosco Sacro – Be Dust
This track sticks in my mind almost daily. It has the heavier moments on the album, and it gives eight minutes of evolving, building doom atmosphere contrasted with some of my favorite vocals and lyrics.
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36. Jodie Hayford – Glass Galaxy
This flowing and crystalline piece is a work of art. I love the whole album, but this sensory experience really stands out for me.
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35. Steven Wilson – Staircase
I’m a fan of the latest Steven Wilson album, but this song is the best on it, in my opinion. With its soothing and melodic verses, bass and guitar solos, and cool spoken word portion, I really like this closer.
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34. Katatonia – Absconder
This is the bonus track on Katatonia’s latest, and it is so vibrant and has good edge to it. I found myself listening to it way more than the tracks on the album proper.
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33. The Anchoret
– Someone Listening?
This has one of the most memorable hooks of the year, I’d venture. I know I’ve had it stuck in my head for months.
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32. Derrick Stembridge – Desire
This song drew me back time and again with its sexy electronic rhythms and progressive structure. I love the little accents and layers that appear over time, but it’s the strong central melody that takes the cake.
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31. The Exies – Spirits High
I’ve been a fan of The Exies for 20 years, and they’ve been inactive for several. Then suddenly and with little fanfare, this single was dropped, and it reminded me of how much I love this band. The chorus is impossibly strong and the lyrics are relatable. I hope an album is coming.
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30. That Joe Payne – My Heart
The title track was my favorite at the time of review, but this theatrical piece from That Joe Payne’s latest is the one I feel is most memorable. I love the pomp and frills and the huge chorus.
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29. Mariusz Duda
– Embracing the Unknown
This winding and transitory piece from Mariusz’s solo electronic work has sharp edges and layers after layers. He’s really good at that sort of thing, and I couldn’t get enough.
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28. IONS – Birds of Reminiscence
I love this piece from the IONS debut. It is mostly an easygoing, atmospheric beauty with various transitions back and forth between ambience and heavy riffs. As it continues, the louder parts get heavier, and the song really hits a concentrated stride in the second half. I especially like the gorgeous trumpet interlude that feels just right.
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27. Anubis Gate – Equations
I love this aggressive and electronic song from the Anubis Gate release. My favorite part is Henrik’s gruff yell in the chorus, but the whole song rocks.
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26. Johan Niemann – Less Worse Same
This piece from Johan’s solo album sounds directly out of an eerie horror movie; I love the spine-tingling keys and conversational bass, and the flow of it could go on forever for all I care.
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25. Elysion – This Time
This emotional track packs quite a wallop. I like how haunting and intimate it feels, and the spoken word portion starts the tears flowing.
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24. Dream the Electric Sleep
– After the Fallout
This is my favorite from the new DTES album. The chorus has a massive hook that instantly grabbed my brain, and the song has such rhythm and flow that it feels much shorter than it is.
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23. Ché Aimee Dorval
– What is Enough
This closer has such flair. I love the eccentric flourishes on Ché’s vocals, and I feel like the song brings an intensity to the end of the album that makes me want to restart the whole album again.
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22. Myrkur – Spine
Feeling like something from Agnes Obel, this title has lyrics that betray some raw imagery of one becoming two, down to the bone, and I love the rushing crescendos that really are quite breathtaking.
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21. Soda Blonde – Dream Big
This has to be one of the catchiest songs of 2023. I love the lyrics and their edification, but, man, that chorus and the drumming are just so addictive.
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20. Half Shell
– Prometheus in the Flesh
I listened to this album and song countless times in 2023. I love the bass-heavy style that is so excellent, and the chorus which has such familiarity and yet individuality within it.
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19. Giantsky – Seeds
This closer is a wonder. With a soft march and wholesome vocals, it leads us by the hand into something extraordinary, into something beyond. The quivering melody that arises in the second makes me cry, without a doubt, and makes me feel, I don’t know, complete? Hopeful? Like this story is only the beginning of something astonishing?
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18. Haken – The Alphabet of Me
The latest Haken album connected with me in certain parts, mainly this song, “Lovebite”, and “Elephants Never Forget”. Of the three, this one is the most addictive, though, with its pop-laden, almost bluesy style. I love it.
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17. Lord of Shadows
– Faith of Thy Beloved
This song sold me on the Lord of Shadows debut. It truly has groove and catchiness to it, but there is a moment where the spoken word is delivered seconds before the vocalists repeat the same line, and, my god, it is such a spinetingling little touch that elevates everything.
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16. Ignea – The Golden Shell
This piece from Ignea’s globe-trotting album feels very Chinese in inspiration. I love how upbeat it is, and it delivers on being a catchy, rhythmic piece that is so memorable. It feels rich and storied.
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15. The Emerald Dawn – Out of Time
Please note that the video is an excerpt of the studio track “Out of Time”, which is a 23-minute epic. There is so much to love here. Tree sounds great on vocals with her message of encouragement and edification, but it’s also the sparkling piano, amazing bass, and terrific guitar lines that make this lengthy work. The second half features Middle Eastern flavors and haunting atmosphere, and the percussion becomes a highlight, and I love how the whole song comes full circle with more fervor near the end.
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14. Hans Zimmer – Standby
Zimmer provided an outstanding score for this gem of a sci-fi film, and this song became an earworm for its swelling emotions and cinematic power.
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13. Silent Skies – Reset
The whole album is terrific, but this song has become my favorite for its strong chorus. I love, too, the sparkling and beautiful piano.
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12. Harp – Daughters of Albion
I love the mellow vibes of this album, and this song with its steady verses and harmonious chorus is my favorite overall. I love how it builds slowly into an addictive keyboard melody only twice during the track, but the build-up and payoff are so warm and inviting.
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11. Riverside – Friend or Foe?
An instant Riverside classic, this album opener is flashy with its 80’s New Wave plus Reality Dream sound; I absolutely love the roaring bass, the ethereal keys, and the kinetic drive of this song.
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10. Hozier – Abstract (Psychopomp)
I’m a fan of about half of Hozier’s music. His darker, more emotional side is the one I appreciate, and this song is a perfect example that became a favorite of 2023 for me. I love the huge chorus and desperate lyrics.
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9. Lorelei – Passive Resistance
I’m excited to hear Heike Langhan’s Lorelei debut whenever it releases, and this 2023 single made me even more anxious for it. I love how smooth and shadowy it is, and that chorus is to die for.
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8. Lo Moon – Evidence
Lo Moon’s new album is launching sometime this year, but they released this single some months ago, and it is fantastic. It’s longer and I daresay more progressive than anything they’ve done, but it hasn’t lost the whimsy and simple melodies that made me adore the band in the first place.
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7. Einar Solberg – Grotto
This one became a household favorite—my wife and kids included. This song is just so incredibly catchy and stylish, and I love the various shades of rock music under its hood.
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6. Susanne Sundfør – Alyosha
I tend to get emotional over this song. It is a tender and potent message to Susanne’s father, but it also seems to be a demonstration of her love for her new spouse, and so the song blends those two important men into one hopeful and beautiful piece with a gorgeous chorus.
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5. Haunt the Woods – Gold
This gem has such personality in its slow-burning first half—I love how the vocals jump here and there with precision. The song soars near the end with massive stringed accompaniment and emotional waves of vocals and guitars. What a song! I can’t get enough of it.
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4. Sleep Token – The Apparition
I didn’t even mention this track in my review for the album, but it has become my favorite overall. I love the chorus and the dark, synth-laden rhythm that shows its face precious few times. I sort of wish this song were about 10 minutes long because I can’t stop listening to it.
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3. Earthside – Pattern of Rebirth
This piece revels in the band’s nu-metal influences, and it grooves and riffs with utter majesty; the lyrics really speak to me and I find myself singing it constantly.
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2. ISON – Beings of Light
Featuring Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquility, this song is an utterly healing work of art. I love the guided meditation aspect, and it also features some of the heaviest riffs and I think Lisa’s best and most emotional vocals on the record. I love it.
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**1. Primrose Path – Irrelevance**
I have no idea how many times I listened to this song last year: dozens of times, at least. This single from Australia’s Primrose Path has everything I love about the band: the powerful vocals, the hard-hitting rhythm section, the dark and vicious riffs, and the progressively slanted structure. There’s no doubt in my mind that this is my favorite song of 2023—I started making this list by putting this at #1 before I even wrote down any other songs. They released three other songs last year, and they are all top tier. I can’t wait for the full album in the second half of 2024.
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The PROG Mind 