Around this time of year I usually put together a list of my favourite albums of the year, shouting into the void yet keeping this silly blog alive. However, my musical sonar didn’t ping all that often across the last 12 months, so – gasp – Hold the Front Page was in severe danger.
Instead of pulling the plug, I’ve instead decided to broaden the search parameters. So here’s 12 (yes 12! Lucky you) of my general favourite pieces of media that I consumed across 2023.
12 – The Bear Season 2 (TV Series)
Overall, I didn’t love Season 2 of this modern classic quite as much as I did the first – which is a bloody high bar let me tell you – but The Bear’s sophomore entry hits one of the highest peaks I’ve ever seen in television.
The double bill of Fishes and Forks, episodes so good I can remember their title, summarises the show. Real characters in engrossing situations punctuated by wins and losses that you feel right alongside them. I recommend it to everyone.
11 – Albert Camus – A Happy Death (Book)
It’s the most pretentious entry on the list everyone, gather round! Reading this sat by a swimming pool attached to a private villa in the middle of Tuscany (thanks again Emma, sick wedding) is the most I’ve felt at peace in years.
Philosophy disguising itself as a novel is one of my favourite things in life generally, and Camus is the master of this niche art. Questioning what it means to live a good life, and the roles that money and time play in being able to do so, I could’ve happily stayed in his musings for hours more. Note to self Dan, more of this next year please, you love it.
10 – Metroid Dread/Hollow Knight (Video Game)
Back to our regularly scheduled programming. Metroid-vania as a gaming genre has always been one that has somewhat escaped me, regularly getting frustrated by the core mechanic of covering ground twice or even thrice over armed with new abilities or knowledge. These two games have utterly converted me, so I’m lumping them together as I had an absolute blast binging them both back-to-back across December.
If you forced me to choose just one I’d probably go Hollow Knight, I went down a total lore rabbit hole with that game and Silksong rocketed right to the top of my most anticipated list as a result.
9 – Jimi Hendrix Experience – Live at The Hollywood Bowl (Album)
Boy do I love Hendrix, and with the rather gaping whole in my new music catalogue this year, I dived back into an old favourite. The pain of being a Hendrix fan is that the few records in his discography never really come down in price. The joy of being a Hendrix fan, however, is that he recorded so many shows and jam sessions that a cheap and just as excellent compilation can be found in just about any marketplace you stumble across.
Any new material therefore, is a rare middle-ground treat. Jimi’s magnetism still shines through the old recordings, and the opportunity to hear this genius in action will literally never lose its charm.
8 – The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (Film)
*Chanting* Wes, Wes, Wes, WES!!! Another messianic figure in the Page/Ranyell household/flat, the combination of director and the fact that some long-fancast actors were joining his perfectly-symmetrical fray – namely the wonderful Richard Ayoade and Dev Patel – meant that the release of these Netflix specials was a major event of the year.
The smaller shorts were filled with joy – “The way he walked was so like a rat” might be the line delivery of the year – but the main course, Henry Sugar’s story itself, was 40 wonderful minutes that felt like 5 as we were so wrapped up in the production, performances and composition. If these were all released as an anthology it would stand tall amongst even Wes’ best efforts.
7 – The Orielles – Live at the Stoller Hall (Album)
Ahh, my babies are back. Well, to be fair, they never really went away, touring their latest album Tableau into its second year. I saw The Orielles twice this year, once in Cardiff and once right on my doorstep in little old Falmouth. Sandwiched between the two was the release of this live performance, and my word the fomo was still real.
Accompanied by a string section, fresh life is given to old classics and the new favourites are played in their full glory. Bobbi’s Second World, Beam/s and Sunflower Seeds played consecutively show just how far the band have come across each album, and are 15 minutes of my personal heaven.
6 – Pikmin 4 (Video Game)
Much like the aforementioned Metroid-vania titles, Pikmin has always been a franchise I’ve wanted to fall in love with on more than a surface level. The latter isn’t hard – seriously, look at those little guys, who could resist – but after trying and failing to get into Pikmin 2 as a nipper because of its terrifying time limit, Pikmin 4 felt like an entry in the series made just for me.
The perfect blend of difficulty, ideal sense of progression and that classic Pikmin sense of humour (Sweet Stumble-Not this Christmas anyone?) meant that I absolutely charged through all 40 hours of content this microscopic world had to offer. Great fun.
5 – Masayoshi Takanaka – Brasilian Skies (Album)
After watching a YouTube video about the origins of iconic 80’s video game music in which a set of heavily influential 80’s K-Pop albums were recommended – which makes sense in a way that I had weirdly never considered but is actually super obvious – I was first introduced to the man with the best name in the ‘biz.
I bloody love an instrumental album, especially to work to, so Brasilian Skies easily slipped into my rotation. But throw in the fact that a lot of these tracks are straight-up bangers in themselves, and we’re now talking about music that gets a play most weeks, with no plans to change.
Star Wars Samba has even become a family favourite somehow, and a special shoutout goes to Jun Fukamachi for creating a similarly frenetic energy. I only want my library to keep growing.
4 – Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (TV Series)
Hello childhood! My goodness the way I immediately regressed to my teenage self when this was announced. I kept my ear close to the ground for updates, and with both Edgar Wright and Brian Lee O’Malley involved, the entire original cast returning, and – arguably most excitingly – Anamanaguchi creating a new soundtrack, expectations were high. It did not disappoint.
I reread the entire graphic novel in advance of the release date, and I’m so glad I did. Taking an entire day off work the day of release, the smile on my face only grew with each passing episode, each passing surprise. It’s actually so good I haven’t finished it yet, instead saving the last few episodes for when I’m in the perfect mood to savour returning to a world that means so much to me.
3 – Past Lives (Film)
I honestly don’t know where to start. Some films feel so special that you don’t really talk about them, just revisit every once in a while to be transported back to that unique feeling only they can conjure, and Past Lives joined that list for me late this year.
The highest compliment I can pay Past Lives is that it gave me serious Her vibes, transcending the medium to speak to you on a very personal level. Everyone will take something different from these couple of hours, but the human story it tells is simultaneously universal. Do yourself a favour and get your heart broken by this asap.
2 – Succession Season 4 (TV Series)
A term that is often overused, but this whole show was jaw-droppingly good television. I am not clever enough to properly analyse this masterpiece, but I know it scratches an itch in my brain like nothing else ever has. In short, it’s my favourite show ever and ended on an appropriately stratospheric high.
Only takes second place because I didn’t get to experience Connor’s Wedding completely cold, and I’m holding a grudge against Twitter despite it definitely being entirely my own fault.
1 – The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Video Game)
Seriously, how did they do it again? Shockingly I wasn’t really that excited for TotK until the last trailer – that saxophone player went absolutely nuts what can I say – despite loving the 2017 original. 130 hours finding every shrine, fully exploring the Depths (the Depths?! Hello?! A whole third map???) and being entirely engrossed for every single second later, and here we are at the number one slot.
This formula is the purest form of gaming I’ve ever come across, properly inhabiting a new land, exploring every inch and genuinely feeling like you’re making a difference in it. The sequel only deepens this connection with the world, and I lost track of the amount of times I shouted “Aren’t I clever?!” across my time in Hyrule as a result of the sandbox-type creating, trialling and conquering it encourages.
Spread over three months, beating this game is genuinely one of the biggest things I did this year.
I’m not sure if that final sentence is as triumphant as I first envisioned, but there we are. 2023 might genuinely be best remembered in my head as a year with crap weather, so having the bits on this list to keep me entertained and distracted has been a real warm spot for me.
Revisiting them all has been just as much of a blast, so I’m glad this blog still exists as a space to journal these silly thoughts down. See you in 2024!
‘Til the next time,
Dan
Hold the Front Page 