The unwarranted list-making has officially begun with this year's entry of music I liked from 2023. I liked a variety of sounds that came out in 2023 and had a lot to choose from for this list. Still, it's chalked full of familiar faces and it should be no surprise that Blink-182 had my favorite album because I'm a basic Stanboy when the day is done. Here's a look at the first half of the list:
50. Kenny Hoopla: You Needed a Hit// (Single)
Why this song: Short and to the point, like many songs on this list, it checks in under 3 minutes and I'm fine with that. It was able to hold off strong contenders, The Wonder Years, Knuckle Puck, Ben Folds, Death Cab for Cutie, and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness to secure the final spot. Kenny Hoopla has one other song in my top 50.
49. MxPx: This Is What You Told Me (Find A Way Home)
WTS: MxPx returned with four songs in my top 100, however, this list only yields one of those songs. It's about the middle of the road for their catalog, but a good song is bound to be in the middle when you've been a band for over 30 years.
48. Can't Swim: "can you help me?" (Thanks, But No Thanks)
WTS: Chris LoPorto has such a distinct voice that blends perfectly with the angsty tunes that Can't Swim put out on Thanks, But No Thanks. Can't Swim gets three appearances on this list, with one more on this half and another coming much later.
47. Story of the Year: Afterglow (Tear Me to Pieces)
WTS: This whole album is like a reimaging of their first hit record Page Avenue which was released 20 years ago, even with eerily similar cover art. I liked that record, so no doubt, I brought a few songs with me on this list. The nostalgia is deep on this list.
46. Silverstein: Stitches (Misery Made Me:Deluxe Edition)
WTS: Misery Made Me was one of my favorite albums in 2022 and Silverstein has been steadily rising up my list of favorite bands since they came out in 2003. "Stitches" is catchy enough, but I can see why it was a bonus track that didn't make the original album.
45. Hawthorne Heights: Lucerne Valley (Lost Lights EP)
WTS: I really wish I could've made it down to this year's Ohio is for Lovers festival in Cincinnati. Hawthorne Heights has found a resurgence in their plays in the Pool household. This would've been good enough, but this EP also boasts a song in the next half of the list.
44. Yellowcard: Three Minutes More feat Pierce the Veil (Childhood Eyes)
WTS: 2023 was the year of unexpected cameos and combos in music, but Yellowcard had already shown their willingness to work with bands like Piece the Veil when they released "The Deepest Well" with Memphis May Fire's Matty Mullins. This is the first record since they band broke up in 2016, so it was good to see them back. Overall, the album is not great, but it did provide two songs for this list.
43. AJJ: Dissonance (Disposable Everything)
WTS: AJJ (formerly Andrew Jackson Jihad) are back with their upbeat tunes and downtrodden lyrics of despair while their songs clock in under 2 minutes. It's just enough to briefly ponder existence and then move on.
42. Blink-182: Terrified (One More Time...)
WTS: The first of many songs off this record. I had been anxiously awaiting Tom's return to Blink, but when they released "Edging" I was less excited. Fortunately, for me anyway, that's one of the worst tracks on the new album and the rest is a mix of the untitled album, Box Car Racer, and Angels and Airwaves.
41. Olivia Rodrigo: All-American Bitch (Guts)
WTS: Seeing her perform this song on SNL gave it a huge bump up the list in recent weeks. I have no shame in saying I'm here for the angsty lyrics and also the not-so-subtle commentary on society.
40. Real Friends: Six Feet (There's Nothing Worse Than Too Late)
WTS: Real Friends have yet to skip a beat after lead singer Dan Lambton left on good terms. Cody Muraro has come on in and continued to make Real Friends one of my favorites of the pop-punk revival. There's Nothing Worse Than Too Late is my second favorite album and "Six Feet" is just one of many from it that appears on this list.
39. AJJ: Death Machine (Disposable Everything)
WTS: See the above description of their previous song and then amp up the despair and shorten the song.
38. Charli XCX: Speed Drive (Barbie: The Album)
WTS: The Barbie movie was not only one of the best in 2023 (that's a different list though) but it also provided a perfect soundtrack that flowed perfectly with the movie. "Speed Drive" fits right in with the fast and catchy vibes that are on the rest of this list.
37. Blink-182: Cut Me Off (One More Time... Bonus Track)
WTS: The album wasn't even out a day and then they added bonus tracks. I guess it doesn't fit the flow of the rest of the record, but it's fun, almost dancey, once you get into the chorus.
36. Rocket Pengwin: Save Me (Polar Opposites)
WTS: I first found this band when they did a pop-punk cover of "Anti-Hero" and then found this song shortly after. I love it because it's a guy and then someone in a penguin costume playing guitar. They also spell Pengwin the same as Pittsburgh's mascot, so how could I not love it.
35. Alice Merton: Waste My Life (Single)
WTS: It is an absolute must that the Pool households' favorite Canadian-German makes an appearance on every end-of-year list.
34. Story of the Year: Sorry About Me (Tear Me to Pieces)
WTS: It's just "Sidewalks" for 2023.
33. Blink-182: Anthem Part 3 (One More Time...)
WTS: Every album should open with a song that sets the tone for the rest of the album and this one does just that.
32. Olivia Rodrigo: Get Him Back! (Guts)
WTS: I love wordplay and the title is interpreted on the lines in the song that she either wants to get him back (reconnect) or get him back (seek revenge).
31. Foo Fighters: Under You (But Here We Are)
WTS: The first Foo Fighters record after the death of Taylor Hawkins sounds a lot like There Is Nothing Left to Lose era Foo Fighters and since that is my second favorite Foo record, all is good.
30. Green Day: Look Ma, No Brains (Saviors)
WTS: Green Day has been so hit or miss the last ten years but this one is so good they put it in a Taco Bell commercial.
29. Real Friends: The Damage is Done (There's Nothing Worse Than Too Late)
WTS: Like I said, I love Real Friends.
28. Blink-182: Fell in Love (One More Time...)
WTS: Some lines are kind of cringe but the overall vibe is fun enough to overcome.
27. Lil Uzi Vert: Werewolf feat. Bring Me the Horizon (Pink Tape)
WTS: Without Bring Me the Horizon this song would be forgettable but with BMTH the chorus is amped up and improved. When I talk about this record with my students, this and the song with Babymetal are their least favorites but are my favorite two. Kids these days.
26. City and Colour: Hard, Hard Time (The Love Still Held Me Near)
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