The 2023 TQ Music Awards

Welcome to my 13th annual Music Awards / year in review post.

[Previous Year End Reviews: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011]

Last year I said I was officially over the hill because both my annual playlist and that my minutes on Spotify were less from the prior year. Sadly, that trend has continued in 2023. However, there is another metric that has increased for two years now, which gives me hope... the increased influence that the Eurovision Song Contest has in my annual post!

Song of the Year: “Tattoo” by Loreen

[runner up: “Cha Cha Cha” by Käärijä]

Yes - my top two tracks of the year are the top two vote getters in this year's Eurovision Song Contest. I had a blast watching Eurovision live (on Peacock!) this year and have had both songs in my Best Of playlist ever since. If I ever find myself in a karaoke bar in Sweden - I'm going with "Tattoo!"

Album of the Year: That! Feels Good! by Jessie Ware

[runner up: My Soft Machine by Arlo Parks

Jessie Ware has had a handful of albums, but her latest effort is arguably the best.  At first she was positioned as the next Amy Winehouse - but I think she's more a hybrid between Winehouse and Janelle Monae. That! Feels Good! is a timeless pop album that feels at home in a speakeasy or junior high dance. 

Concert of the Year: Explosions in the Sky at Ryman Auditorium

[runner up: Adam Pally at The Den Theatre]

More than a decade after I wrote down "See a show at the Ryman Auditorium" on my Bucket List - I crossed it off in September! My wife and I had a great long weekend in Nashville that was punctuated by seeing one of my favorite bands: Explosions in the Sky. It was perfect. Even my wife was "having a great time" at it.

Song of the Summer: "Cha Cha Cha" by Käärijä

[runner up: "Slut Me Out" by NLE Choppa]

Song Discovered Thanks to a TV Show / Movie of the Year: “Like An Eagle” by Dennis Parker (used in The Curse on SHO)

Regret of the Year: Missed shows

2023 is a year I'd like to forget, full stop. My concert going this past year is in line with that sentiment. I had tickets to as many acts (LCD Soundsystem, Jamie xx, Phoenix, Beck) as I saw (Explosions in the Sky, The National, Soccer Mommy).

Best Decision I made in 2022: The Nashville Weekend

Thank you very much for reading (or listening).

The 2022 TQ Music Awards

Welcome to my 12th annual Music Awards / year in review post.

[Previous Year End Reviews: 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011]

It’s official. I’m over the hill. My peak “music fan” years are behind me. I’m writing this on December 13 because there’s no hope that I can make up for 50 subpar music seeking weeks in the last two. My annual playlist is only 19 songs long. It hasn’t been that short since 2008 (when I kept the list to the maximum that could be burned onto a single compact disc).

Song of the Year: “Hop To It” by Marc Rebillet

[runner up: “Anxious” by Carly Rae Jepsen]

“Hop To It” isn’t even a stand alone track by Marc Rebillet. The above YouTube clip is just seven minutes that was cut out of his hour long live steam earlier this year. A stream that was sponsored by a sex toy company. But who cares about those above caveats — I love this sound. Meanwhile, I don’t know why “Anxious” was subjugated as a ‘bonus track’ instead of being on the album proper.

Album of the Year: Three Dimensions Deep by Amber Mark

[runner up: The Loneliest Time by Carly Rae Jepsen]

It was nearly impossible to pick a single track from Amber Mark’s album to feature on my annual playlist. Important to note: Our North American Idol, CRJ, released her best work since Emotion.

Concert of the Year: Broken Social Scene at Thalia Hall

[runner up: Broken Social Scene at Thalia Hall]

Broken Social Scene is one of my favorite bands and I’ve seen them multiple times. My favorite song of their is “Shampoo Suicide” (which they rarely play live), so when it was announced they were playing the entire album as a tour — I made sure to go to BOTH Chicago shows.

Song of the Summer: Hottest Record in the World by Digitalism

[runner up: Let’s Do It Again by Jamie xx]

Song Discovered Thanks to a TV Show / Movie of the Year: “Renaissance” by Cristobal Tapia De Veer (the remix/version used for The White Lotus season 2)

Regret of the Year: Missed shows
To paraphrase a dead Beatle, Life got in the way of my concert plans… The War On Drugs, Beach House, The National, and Amber Mark are all acts I literally had tickets to see and was unable to attend.

Best Decision I made in 2022: Recording a “Triller” video with my wife
There’s no way I’m posting that on a public post, but if you know me — ask and I may text it to you.

Thank you very much for reading. To close, here are the concert collages / showlog from 2022:

The 2021 TQ Music Awards

This is a post about my favorite music, not my favorite television.

Welcome to my 11th annual Music Awards / year in review post.

[Previous Year End Reviews:2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011]

I hate to admit it, but the largest reason I'm writing this is because I don't want to break the streak. This is the 11th year in a row I've written [whatever this is] and I'm confident that there are five people who read it. To four of you, thank you. I'm the fifth - because this doubles as my diary entry to help me remember. It's also worth nothing that the most important person in my life (my wife*) has no interest in reading these posts.

*2021 is the year I got married

Song of the Year:

"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" by  M Y   W I I I F E
[Runner up: “VACCINATED ATTITUDE" by Marc Rebillet]

If you were there, you know.

Meanwhile, Marc Rebillet is an incredibly fun personality I discovered from his viral video last year and think this song captured a very significant moment from my first half of 2021.

Album of the Year:
star-crossed by Kacey Musgraves

[Runner up: Planet Her by Doja Cat]

Is it bad that, in my opinion, the best album released in the year of my wedding was about a divorce? It is worse that if a war were to break out between Swifties and Grave Diggers for who is the better singer/songwriter of the duo I will be picking up a shovel despite knowing my wife is Delicate?

On the other end of of the energy spectrum is Doja Cat's album. A collection of songs best described by Kendall Roy. It was very tough to pick just one song for my Best of 2021 playlist.

By the way, I think I've peaked as far as how much new music I listen to in a given year. I've found myself more on playlists I've made of my favorite bands. Speaking of those favorites - I don't think the albums by My Morning Jacket and Beach House were their best efforts.

Concert of the Year:

My Morning Jacket at Auditorium Theatre
[Runner up: n/a]

If I had to pick any of my favorite bands to see first since *gestures to the entire world* - it would've been My Morning Jacket. It's also wonderful I was able to do it as #TeamHardTicket. They didn't disappoint in the least! 2022 looks to be a good rebound year as I've already got tickets multiple shows. Worth noting that I would've seen Tame Impala this past year, but they rescheduled their concert to a date I was unable to attend.

Song of the Summer:
"A Second to Midnight" by Kylie Minogue
[Runner up: "Leave The Door Open" by Silk Sonic

Song Discovered Thanks to a TV Show / Movie of the Year:
"We Love Each Other So Much" by Sparks (performed by Marion Cotillard & Adam Driver
[Runner up: NO RUNNER UP]

There is a movie you can watch on Amazon Prime Video titled Annette. I cannot recommend based on its intended qualities. That said, the song created an inside joke strong enough between my wife and I that it had a small role in our wedding day.

Thanks for listening. 

The 2020 TQ Music Awards

 

"How Bad Is Your Spotify?" is a project from The Pudding

Welcome to my 10th annual Music Awards / year in review post. I’ve also embedded my Spotify playlist of my favorite tracks at the top of this post.

[Previous Year End Reviews: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011]

 

Two large factors drive what I listen to in a year: older tracks from acts I'm about to see in concert and new releases (driving mainly from writing this annual post). I was only able to go to two concerts this year, which led (as The Pudding's expert AI reported) to a year dominated by listening to 2020 music. In the past years I've grown less likely to tryout new sounds, which results in my "new release radar" dominated by past finds. Thankfully many of my favorites released new music this year (e.g. My Morning Jacket, Cut Copy, Washed Out, Carly Rae Jepsen).

Song of the Year:

"Olympik" by EOB
[Runner up: “Stop, Horizon” by Cut Copy]

EOB is the side project of Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien. His debut album Earth, sat in my "on deck" playlist for a while until (friend of the blog) Ryan texted me to check out this track. I can't think of a song in recent memory that had a guitar bridge I enjoyed more. It instantly became my favorite song of the year in April and no other song was able to top it.

 

Album of the Year:
Purple Noon by Washed Out

[Runner up: Swimmer by Tennis]

Washed Out makes the music I find most relaxing. It makes total sense that Spotify told me it was my top artist (and I landed in the top 0.5% of their listeners) for this horrid year - it was needed. I awarded its previous album, 2017's Mister Mellow, my favorite album of that year as well - and I've arrived at the fact that Washed Out deserves to be in my Top Ten graphic. Sorry, Arcade Fire, you're been bounced.

I had a much more difficult time figuring out the runner-up. There were great albums by TOPS, Poolside, Jessie Ware, and a long awaited return from Land of Talk. 

Other sources have told me that a pair of albums were released by a singer/songwriter out of Nashville, but I'm only able to discuss her on our podcast.

Concert of the Year (tie):

Bag Raiders at Lincoln Hall / Best Coast and Mannequin Pussy at S.P.A.C.E.
[Runner up: there weren't any other shows!]
The two shows I attended were very separate experiences. One was a dance party that I had to coax a friend to join me knowing we'd be the two oldest in the room at the last minute and the other was a big group of friends that had months of planning ahead of it. Here's a list of acts that I had tickets in hand to see and were Covid-cancelled: Tame Impala, Foals, Local Natives, Perfume Genius, Delta Spirit, Peter Bjorn And John... I hope I can include these in my 2021 post.

Song of the Summer:
"WAP (feat. Megan Thee Stallion)" by Cardi B
[Runner up: "JU$T (feat. Pharrell Williams & Zak De La Rocha)" by Run The Jewels]
Both these songs speak for themselves.
 

Song Discovered Thanks to a TV Show / Movie of the Year:
"Jaja Ding Dong" by Will Ferrell & My Marianne
[Runner up: "Add Some Kente" by Sherman's Showcase & Viceroy]

Many people have seen Eurovison, but not enough are watching Sherman's Showcase. Go to it for the goofy parody of Soul Train, but stay for the great original songs. It was tough to select just one to highlight from this show - sorry, "Drop It Low (For Jesus)".

Thank you very much for reading. I like to close these posts out with my concert collages / showlog from the year... but it's just these two:

BONUS CONTENT: special awards for this pivotal year in our history

White Guy Acting Dumb of the Year (music related): David Guetta
White Guy Acting Real of the Year (music related): Marc Rebillet

The 2019 TQ Music Awards

“I never thought 500 people would go to see a band called ‘Mannequin Pussy.’ I love being wrong!” - Marisa Dabice of @mannequinpussy

Also, she reminds me of her (same energy): pic.twitter.com/h2Bup0Id9f

— TQ (@TomQuestion) September 12, 2019

Welcome to my 9th annual Music Awards / year in review post. I’ve also embedded my Spotify playlist of my favorite tracks at the top of this post.
[Previous Year End Reviews: 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011]


Song of the Year:
"Drunk II" by Mannequin Pussy
[Runner up: “Got To Keep On” by The Chemical Brothers]
The process of a song getting to this title usually starts with a question of, "I like this song - how will it sound live?" Thankfully, this song got a chance to prove itself in front of a sold out Lincoln Hall show (a setting that has resulted in many past tracks to earn this acclaim). It's written from a great perspective and performed with equal emotion.


Album of the Year:
Horizons by Bag Raiders
[Runner up: Outer Peace by Toro Y Moi]
I didn't put much thought into this award. Spotify told me that Bag Raiders was my most listened to artist of the year, and it made me realize how often I went to this album to just flat out feel better about whatever state I currently mired. Especially handy on morning commutes.


Concert of the Year:
Foals at The Riviera Theatre
[Runner up: Mannequin Pussy at Lincoln Hall]
Just another in a long line of shows (from many different artists) in which my top ranking of them was once again confirmed by their stage presence. They played the hits, they played my new faves, they left me already looking forward to their next show.

Song of the Summer:
"Juice" by Lizzo
[Runner up: "Sucker'" by Jonas Brothers]
I saved listening to Lizzo's new album in order to listen to it while on vacation over Memorial Day weekend. It was an instant favorite and of course - everyone had it featured on whatever summer party they were hosting.

Song Discovered Thanks to a TV Show / Movie of the Year:
"Misbehavin" by Jennifer Nettles and Walton Goggins
If you watched this show and *didn't* have this song instantly earworm into your daily life - check your pulse. We are all running around the house with a pickle in our mouth.

Regret of the Year:
Not attending the 312 Block Party to see Priests
[Runner up: losing my concert credibility by bringing my future wife to see Bon Iver at Allstate Arena]
I was Kevin McAllistering it, marathon watching something on Netflix, when I saw through someone else's post that a band I've been trying to see for a couple of years was performing down the road. It was a huge miss (both in the fact that I didn't know it was occurring until too late and not going). Later that year I went to another street fest solo in order to avoid missing another favorite only to have that band's set canceled last minute. Overall, my summer street fest planning was a huge miss this year.

Best Decision I made in 2018:
Buying a WONDERBOOM to upgrade playlist mobility
[Runner up: not fighting my future wife's insistence on hiring a live band for our wedding reception]
This is a quality product that I fully endorse.

Thank you very much for reading. To close, here are the concert collages / showlog from 2019:

The 2018 TQ Music Awards

Welcome to my 8th annual Music Awards / year in review post. I’ve also embedded my Spotify playlist of my favorite tracks at the top of this post.
[Previous Year End Reviews: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011]



Song of the Year:
"All The Stars (with SZA)" by Kendrick Lamar
[Runner up: “Lemon Glow” by Beach House]
It’s a wire-to-wire finish for this song that feels like it came out 30 months ago (January, 2018). Fun fact: when I first heard the song’s chorus I thought I heard, “All the stars the boat show” and it always makes me smile.


Album of the Year:
7 by Beach House
[Runner up: Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves]
Hearing songs from this album from a Box at the Chicago Theatre significantly aided Beach House’s rank. Don’t be surprised to see a Country star as a silver medalist – Musgraves has been a hit since her debut.


Concert of the Year (tie):
Phil Collins at United Center + Carly Rae Jepsen at Park West
[Runner up (tie): Radiohead at United Center + Radiohead at United Center]
This is a win for my heart. I met a woman in 2018 and after only knowing her for a month I purchased tickets to see an old man sit on a stool 5 months in the future. Never before have I planned that far in front of my headlights for a person. The show was held as Relationship Ransom as the only reason why we stayed together, which cemented in my head that she wasn’t an Easy Lover. I also took her to CRJ, which was one of the most fun nights of my life.

Song of the Summer:
"Give" by Blackbird Blackbird
[Runner up: "Runnin'" by Wajatta]
No good explanation for these choices, which is too bad because it’s from the two least recognizable names in this post. These songs found their way onto a playlist early in the summer and fueled my hot walks from the L.


Song Discovered Thanks to a TV Show / Movie of the Year:
"Journal of Ardency" by Class Actress
It was my most played song of the year according to Spotify. “All The Stars” was my Spotify #2, which doesn’t qualify for this award because I heard the song before I saw Black Panther. “Journal of Ardency” doesn’t qualify for Song of the Year because it came out in 2009. The song’s been on repeat ever since I heard it at the end of a Barry (HBO) episode.


Regret of the Year:
Not attending Young Galaxy's final show in Chicago
[Runner up: Not seeing Sayers or Pool Holograph perform live this year]
A close friend with a very trusted musical IQ threated the end of my life if I didn’t see Young Galaxy at Subterranean this past October. I bought tickets immediately. The night of my concert, I was literally 200 yards away – but I had to stop myself from going. It may not be so much a regret, but doing so might have threated my life (this is a large embellishment of course, I was only recovering from an event that I felt threatened my life and wasn’t strong enough for a Montreal Music Mix that have since retired to never tour again). A quick note on the runner up regret: I need to be a better friend and support local music better next year.


Best Decision I made in 2018:
My sister's birthday present (tickets to Justin Timerlake's Man of the Woods tour)
[Runner up: Selecting the instrumental playlist for my MRI]
I’ve never been to a show with my sister until JT. He could’ve been reading from a phone book and my sister would’ve loved every letter. My thoughts on the show are mixed, but the experience was the best of the year. As far my runner up choice here…

Long (another) story short: I had a brain tumor removed this year. That Young Galaxy show I missed was a few weeks after the surgery, which is why I wasn’t strong enough to attend. One of the small pieces to that story was when I spent 90 quality minutes getting an MRI of my head. I choose my “SHUT'JO SASSHOLE” playlist (which consists of lyric-less instrumental tracks) and it perfectly tuned out any noise from the machine while calming me throughout its operation. I’ll need more MRIs in my future, and more need for my favorite mixtape.


Thank you very much for reading. Here are the concert collages / showlog from 2017:

The 2017 TQ Music Awards

Welcome to my 7th annual Music Awards / year in review post. I’ve also embedded my Spotify playlist of my favorite tracks at the bottom of this post along with my Instagram log of shows I’ve attended.
[Previous Year End Reviews: 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011]

Song of the Year:
"Cut To The Feeling” by Carly Rae Jepsen

There were many, for lack of a better term, extracurricular, elements that helped me arrive at this song selection. A crazy chain reaction of events and choices led me to attend a free "secret show" blocks away from my apartment, which after waiting in line for three hours with nobody within ten years of my age, featuring a live debut of a song... The result was a visceral reaction of gratitude from an artist not sure how a song would be received.

[Runner up: “Ti Amo” by Phoenix]

Album of the Year:
Mister Mellow by Washed Out

I don't take too much stock in Spotify's analytic account of my listening year, primarily because it will always give too much weight to albums released earlier in the year (allowing a track more plays on my Best Of Playlist). However, they got it right as Washed Out was the artist I listened to most this year. Further proof: I went alone to a venue I don't like to hear the album performed live.

[Runner up: This Old Dog by Mac DeMarco]


Concert of the Year:
Explosions In The Sky at Empty Bottle

2017 was another year packed with concerts from my all-time favorites including U2, Arcade Fire, and multiple Broken Social Scene performances (if you count Feist and Do Make Say Think as BSS-adjacent). Early in the year I saw my first show at Solider Field, which was a powerful throwback set by U2 including my first favorite song of theirs ("In God's Country") that I never thought I would hear live. Walking out of that show, I was already content with seeing my Best Concert of the Year.

As great as that U2 performance was, it was bested by an intense Carly Rae Jepsen event that boasted perhaps the best concert crowd in my lifetime.

The only thing that can top those two - a show that I now rank as the greatest concert I have ever attended: the night I saw Explosions In The Sky at Empty Bottle (one of the venue's special shows celebrating its 25th anniversary). Special note to Holy Fuck as a great and fitting opener for EITS. It was an effort that would've bought tears to Coach Taylor's eyes himself!

[Runner up: Carly Rae Jepsen at Chop Shop]


Song of the Summer / Album of the Summer:
"745" by Vince Staples (Big Fish Theory)

Last year I claimed the entire Coloring Book (album? mixtape?) by Chance The Rapper as the sound of the summer, and this year is similar... The entire album is great.
[Runner up: "Ti Amo" by Phoenix (Ti Amo)]

Regret of the Year:
September 29, 2017
I knew I wouldn't go to as many shows in 2017 as I did in 2016 (which was a record high for me). Next year will likely continue the trend; I'll probably dip below 20 for the first time in a long time. Far too many shows this past year were attended solo, which isn't necessarily a bad thing - but significantly less fun. Ironically, my biggest regret of this year is NOT going alone on a night in late September. At no fault of the music, it was the worst night in my concert loving lifetime and should have gone solo.
[Runner up: October 19, 2017 for a similar "not at all music related" reason]

Guilty Pleasure Track of the Year:
"Chained To The Rhythm" by Katy Perry
Carly Rae Jepsen is the opening act for Katy Perry's 2018 tour in select cities - BUT NOT CHICAGO AND I AM NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT.
[Runner up: "I Feel It Coming" by The Weeknd]

Best Decision I made in 2017:
Creating the Volume Speaker podcast
My podcast isn't about music, but since it is the largest endeavor of my life of the past year, but now that it exists it allows me to record special bonus episodes if needed. For example, the CRJ inspired volume.
[Runner up: Buying expensive Arcade Fire tickets incredibly far in advance knowing that when the show ended I would know I would be glad I did.]

 
Thank you very much for reading. To close, here are the concert collages / showlog from 2017: