At first glance, my 2023 Spotify wrapped gives the impression that I might be the kind of music listener that hipsters find acceptable to invite to parties. I enjoyed 76 different genres with my top five being: Rock, Lo-Fi Latino, Alternative Country, Power Pop and Reggae. Pretty cool right?

Also, I listened for 66,417 minutes putting me in the top 3% of listeners worldwide. Cold, hard numbers for your consideration. 

However, upon closer inspection, it would appear the initial diverse results are a mirage fueled by long days at Colin’s Coffee with random channels spinning for hours and hours. 

In fact, among my top five artists, the only diversity you will find is the level of overdrive each guitar player prefers when playing. Counting down my top five…. Drum roll please..

#5 Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

#4 The Kinks

#3 Cheap Trick

#2 Bruce Springsteen

#1 The Rolling Stones

Yikes. That’s pretty boring. The only thing that could make my Spotify wrapped any whiter would be if my most played song in 2023 was “Blizzard of ‘77” by Nada Surf. Which it was. It’s literally about a white-out. I should know, I remember that storm as a kid. We didn’t have school for a week. It was very white. Both the school I attended in Worthington, Ohio, and the snow on the ground outside.

Anyway, with a 2023 Top Five like this, there is no hope of saving face in the Pitchfork community, but I’ll try by assuring them that Billy Joel, Sammy Hagar and Paul Simon were not right outside of my Top Five artists. Well, maybe Sammy if we count Van Hagar, but since Spotify doesn’t reveal those numbers we will never know. I’m sure a band considered cool slipped in my top ten (or twenty) somewhere. 

As I said last year, I think the 100 hundred top songs are kind of wonky. I get it. If I were Spotify and I was grading the Colin Gawel top songs for the year, I would just start making shit up too.  I mean, Spotify has to do 576 million wrapped lists. Is there really time to accurately determine if I listened to “Reach Out” more than “Tutti Frutti”? Click here for my 2023 top one hundred songs. Allegedly

My top five songs for 2023:

#1 “Blizzard of ‘77” - Nada Surf

#2 “Miss You” - The Rolling Stones

#3 “Marquee Moon” - Television

#4 “Help Me Find The Way” - The Twilight Hours

#5 “Start Me Up” - The Rolling Stones

Honestly, this whole list seems a little fishy but I can assure everyone that there is NO WAY “Start Me Up” was my fifth most played song of 2023. Doesn’t every single Stones fan actively avoid listening to that song one more time unless they are literally at a Stones concert? However, I did dig all those outtakes released on the Tattoo You reissue. I played that on the treadmill a bunch. The Stones are so good that they released an album of outtakes, Tattoo You, and then the outtakes to that record are better than most records.  Hot damn. 

Speaking of the Stones, despite them being my Number One band the last two years running, I wouldn’t dare call myself a real Stones fan. I know real Stones fans. They love Aftermath and Between The Buttons.  I just happen to listen to the Stones a lot. When in doubt, I click on the Stones.

But I have to say, their brand new release, Hackney Diamonds, has really grown on me. In fact, it might be their best record since Tattoo You. I know that’s what they say about every Stones record but this might be the one. It doesn’t have the high points of Voodoo Lounge or Bigger Bang, but damn if it isn’t consistent. And at a running length of 48 minutes, it’s not exactly tidy, but considering their last three studio records all clocked in over an hour, that’s a high percentage of fatty chopped out of this patty. The first single and opening track, “Angry,” might be the least interesting song on the record. Check out these five tunes to wet your whistle. 

And I should point out it’s amazing the Stones took the time and effort to record a new record knowing the casual fans won’t listen and most of their hardcore fans will give them shit about it. Hats off to The Rolling Stones. Wonder how many other bands will be releasing good records when they are 80 years old. And touring. They will be coming to a stadium near you next summer. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in attending. 

Colin Gawel founded Pencilstorm and wrote this at Colin’s Coffee. His band Watershed has a new record coming out in 2024.