by

Song of the Day #5,647: ‘It Must Change’ – ANOHNI and the Johnsons

Pitchfork’s #12 song of 2023 comes from ANOHNI and the Johnsons, an art-pop group fronted by New York-based performer ANOHNI. ‘It Must Change’ feature’s ANOHNI’s distinctive vocals over the sort of sleek and soulful musical backdrop you might find on an Al Green tune.

I first encountered ANOHNI when she duetted with Rufus Wainwright on a track from his 2004 album Want Two. At the time I read that she was transgender and believed that she had transitioned from female to male (her stage name was Antony at the time).

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #5,646: ‘Daddy’ – Nourished by Time

Pitchfork’s #11 song of 2023 is ‘Daddy’ by Nourished by Time, the stage name of singer/producer Marcus Brown. I’ll admit it took me a minute to track this one down because I thought it was a song called ‘Nourished by Time’ by an artist called Daddy.

Brown recorded his debut album in his parents’ Baltimore basement, and whether you like this song or not, the man deserves kudos for creating such a polished track as a DIY project.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #5,645: ‘Making the Band (Danity Kane)’ – Earl Sweatshirt

Pitchfork selected rapper Earl Sweatshirt’s track ‘Making the Band (Danity Kane)’ as the 10th best song of 2023, calling it a “swift shattering of every preconceived notion of what an Earl Sweatshirt song sounds like.”

Having no idea what a typical Earl Sweatshirt song sounds like, I’m not equipped to agree or disagree with that statement. Nor do I have the time or interest to explore the man’s catalog to form an opinion.

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #5,644: ‘Rush’ – Troye Sivan

Continuing my look at the songs Pitchfork has declared the best of 2023, I’ve reached #9 — Troy Sivan’s ‘Rush.’

This dance pop track was the first single from the Australian singer’s third studio album, Something to Give Each Other. Named for a brand of poppers, the song seeks to recreate the feeling of being high at a club. As Sivan said, “‘Rush’ is the feeling of kissing a sweaty stranger on a dancefloor, a 2 hour date that turned into a weekend, a crush, a winter, a summer.”

Continue reading →

by

Song of the Day #5,643: ‘All That She Wants’ – Ace of Base

The week of December 11, 1993, saw Janet Jackson holding on to the #1 spot of Billboard’s Hot 100 with ‘Again‘ and Meat Loaf in the second slot with ‘I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That).’

At #3 that week was Swedish dance pop group Ace of Base with a single that eventually peaked at #2 — ‘All That She Wants.’ The band would later score a #1 hit with ‘The Sign,’ from the same album.

Continue reading →