Best New Songs of 2023 (So Far): Song of the Year Contenders (vulture.com)

BEST OF 2023 MAR. 7, 2023

The Best Songs of 2023 (So Far)

By Justin Curto and Alex Suskind

省流：有拉拉打雷的《A&W》

Yes, we know, it’s not even spring. But that won’t stop us from celebrating the best songs (so far, of course) from this young year. For the first round of selections, there was, surprisingly, a lot to choose from. Our initial crop includes a Lana Del Rey epic, a “cloud rap meets psych rock” experiment, a disco anthem, and some supergroup harmonies. Make sure to check back throughout the rest of 2023 as this list will be continually updated.

机翻：是的，我们知道，现在甚至不是春天。但这不会阻止我们庆祝这个年轻年份的最佳歌曲（当然是迄今为止）。对于第一轮选择，令人惊讶的是，有很多选择。我们最初的收获包括Lana Del Rey史诗，“云说唱遇上心理摇滚”实验，迪斯科国歌和一些超级团体和声。请务必在 2023 年剩余时间内回来查看，因为此列表将不断更新。

• “A&W,” Lana Del Rey

The first half of “A&W” is Lana Del Rey at her purest: a chronicler of dark Americana, eight albums distilled. The singer-songwriter goes inside the mind of a sex-addled California girl, murmuring and mumbling in the sweet spot of ’70s soft pop she’s found since working with super producer Jack Antonoff. A line like “This is the experience of being an American whore” could veer toward caricature if Del Rey weren’t as committed as she is here. “A&W” then takes an unpredictable turn: The bass begins to wobble, the drums kick in, and before you know it, she’s flipped “Shimmy Shimmy Ko-Ko-Bop” into a rap about a manipulative man named Jimmy. She’s closer to self-parody at this point, but as Del Rey — and the character she’s singing about — knows, there’s no excitement without a little risk. — Justin Curto

机翻：《A&W》的前半部分是Lana Del Rey最纯粹的：黑暗美国编年史家，八张专辑提炼。这位创作歌手进入了一个性感的加州女孩的内心，在她与超级制作人杰克·安东诺夫合作以来发现的 70 年代柔和流行音乐的最佳点喃喃自语和喃喃自语。像“这是成为美国妓女的经历”这样的台词可能会转向漫画，如果德尔雷不像她在这里那样坚定的话。然后，“A&W”发生了一个不可预测的转折：贝斯开始摇晃，鼓声开始，在你意识到之前，她把“Shimmy Shimmy Ko-Ko-Bop”变成了一个名叫吉米的操纵男人的说唱。在这一点上，她更接近自我模仿，但正如德尔雷——以及她所唱的角色——所知道的那样，没有一点风险就没有兴奋。— 贾斯汀·库托

• “Free!,” Maxo

On “Free!,” the second single off Maxo’s Even God Has a Sense of Humor, the Los Angeles rapper yearns for a moment untethered from daily anxieties. He worries about providing for his family, about not being able to rely on his friends, about not screwing up “everything I touch.” “Them dark thoughts gon’ pick at my brain / Sometimes it’s hard to run when yo foot in the chains,” he raps over a jazzy sample. Maxo tries to get out of it (“My bones always pick me up”) before landing on a hook that feels like a question, plea, and mantra wrapped in one: “I’m just trying / Aye, I’m just tryna be free.” — Alex Suskind

机翻：在Maxo的第二首单曲“Free！”甚至上帝都有幽默感“中，这位洛杉矶说唱歌手渴望摆脱日常焦虑的束缚。他担心养家糊口，担心不能依靠朋友，担心不要搞砸“我接触的一切”。“他们黑暗的想法会'挑我的大脑/有时当你脚在锁链上时很难跑，”他在爵士乐样本上说唱。马克索试图摆脱它（“我的骨头总是把我抱起来”），然后落在一个钩子上，感觉就像一个问题、请求和口头禅：“我只是在努力/是的，我只是尝试自由。

• “Raven,” Kelela

“Raven” envelops you like a slow-moving cloud. Here, the titular bird (a possible stand in for Kelela herself) is freshly resurrected after a painful episode: “Through all the labor / A raven is reborn / They tried to break her / There’s nothing here to mourn.” Kelela puts that last line into literal practice as co-production from her, AceMo, Fauzia, and Asmara mutates from a lone drone-bending effect into a four-on-the-floor club thumper drowned in jumbled vocals and muddy tones. After a long absence — the song is off Kelela’s first album in nearly six years — “Raven” feels like a defiant mission statement: She’s back in the fold and ready to take what’s hers. — A.S.

机翻：“乌鸦”像缓慢移动的云一样笼罩着你。在这里，这只名义上的鸟（凯莱拉本人的可能替身）在经历了痛苦的插曲后刚刚复活：“通过所有的劳动/一只乌鸦重生/他们试图打破她/这里没有什么可哀悼的。凯莱拉将最后一句台词付诸实践，因为她、AceMo、Fauzia 和 Asmara 的联合制作从一个孤独的无人机弯曲效果变成了一个四楼上的俱乐部重击器，淹没在混乱的人声和泥泞的音调中。在久违之后——这首歌是凯莱拉近六年来的第一张专辑——“乌鸦”感觉就像一个挑衅的使命宣言：她回到了折叠中，准备接受属于她的东西。— A.S.

• “Ain’t No Harmin’ Me,” the War and Treaty

Tanya and Michael Trotter, who perform as the War and Treaty, have a knack for turning the smallest amount of time into a moment. At the 2021 ACM Awards, for instance, the couple stole the show with just a few lines during Dierks Bentley’s bluegrass cover of U2’s “Pride (In the Name of Love).” That sort of raw passion doesn’t always translate to an original song recorded in a studio, but it does on “Ain’t No Harmin’ Me.” The single leans closer to the country side of their southern soul blend with Michael’s rugged opening cry recalling Chris Stapleton. The song quickly builds to a vocal face-off between Michael and Tanya with each belt more impressive than the last. It’s a show of vocal strength that can’t be touched, let alone harmed. — J.C.

机翻：谭雅（这个翻译是认真的么）和迈克尔·特罗特饰演战争和条约，他们有一个诀窍，就是把最小的时间变成一个瞬间。例如，在 2021 年 ACM 奖上，这对夫妇在 Dierks Bentley 的蓝草封面 U2 的“骄傲（以爱的名义）”中只用了几句台词就抢走了节目。这种原始的激情并不总是转化为在录音室录制的原创歌曲，但它在“Ain't No Harmin' Me”中确实如此。这首单曲更接近他们南方灵魂的乡村一侧，与迈克尔粗犷的开场呐喊让人想起克里斯·斯台普吞。这首歌很快就形成了迈克尔和坦尼娅之间的人声对峙，每条腰带都比上一条更令人印象深刻。这是一种声音力量的表现，不能被触摸，更不用说伤害了。- J.C.

• “Pearls,” Jessie Ware

Before her metamorphosis into, as she sings on “Pearls,” “a perfect prima donna,” Jessie Ware was a soul singer with a voice that could go toe to toe with British peers like Adele and Amy Winehouse. Well, Ware still has the voice. “Pearls” is her most impressive vocal workout since 2017’s “Midnight” — this time delivered with the breezy touch of a self-assured star. Like last year’s “Free Yourself,” it’s clear that Ware’s turn toward the dance floor has given her new freedom as a performer. Here, she’s more fun, playful, and sexy — on a song about having just that sort of night. “I’m a lady, I’m a lover, a freak and a mother,” Ware sings, now able to show all those sides through this music. — J.C.

机翻：在她蜕变成之前，正如她在“珍珠”中唱的那样，“一个完美的初代女”，杰西·韦尔是一位灵魂歌手，其声音可以与阿黛尔和艾米怀恩豪斯等英国同龄人并驾齐驱。好吧，韦尔仍然有发言权。“珍珠”是她自 2017 年的“午夜”以来最令人印象深刻的声乐锻炼——这一次以自信明星的轻快触感传递。就像去年的“释放自己”一样，很明显，Ware转向舞池给了她作为表演者的新自由。在这里，她更有趣、更俏皮、更性感——在一首关于拥有那种夜晚的歌曲中。“我是一个淑女，我是一个情人，一个怪胎和一个母亲，”韦尔唱道，现在能够通过这首音乐展示所有这些方面。- J.C.

• “Radio,” Margo Price feat. Sharon Van Etten

On “Radio,” a short but sweet B-side from Margo Price’s 2023 album Strays, the “whatever genre you want to slot her in” singer collides with Sharon Van Etten’s pleading warble. “Don’t get confused about how I feel / Don’t let ’em fool you about what is real / I think thе whole world’s going crazy,” Price tells us. The track alternates between some minimal production in the verse — a pulsing synth tone, a few drum-machine bleep bloops — and a big and bright full-band riff: “People try to push me around / Run my name straight in the ground I can’t hear them, I tuned them out,” the duo sings in unison; the hook is so good they don’t even bother with a bridge. — A.S.

机翻：在玛戈·普莱斯 2023 年专辑《流浪者》中简短但甜美的 B 面“中，”你想把她放进去的任何流派“歌手与莎朗·范埃滕的恳求莺声相撞。“不要对我的感受感到困惑/不要让他们欺骗你什么是真实的/我认为整个世界都在发疯，”普莱斯告诉我们。这首歌在诗句中的一些最小制作之间交替——脉动的合成器音调、一些鼓机哔哔声——和一个大而明亮的全乐队即兴演奏：“人们试图推我/把我的名字直接放在地上，我听不到他们，我把它们调出来了，”二人齐声唱道;钩子非常好，他们甚至不打扰桥。— A.S.

• “Running Out of Time,” Lil Yachty

You get put in music-writer jail for saying something is a vibe these days, but sorry: This song is a vibe. “Running Out of Time,” the lead single from Lil Yachty’s new quasi-left-turn psych-rock album, is a funk track with a slap-happy bass line and a synthy horn. On its own, it would feel a bit rote, but the rapper’s gift for quirky top-line melodies ties the whole thing together. “Stayyyy up all night / Stayyyy up and watch the sun” warble Boat and an uncredited Justine Skye like they’ve got a few of those industrial-size fans pointed at their faces. Call it cloud rap by way of Maggot Brain. — A.S.

机翻：你因为说一些东西是一种氛围而被关进音乐作家监狱，但对不起：这首歌是一种氛围。“Run Out of Time”是Lil Yachty新的准左转心理摇滚专辑中的主打单曲，是一首放克曲目，带有快乐的低音线和合成号角。就其本身而言，它会感觉有点死记硬背，但说唱歌手对古怪的顶级旋律的天赋将整个事情联系在一起。“Stayyyy 整夜起床/Stayyyy 起床看太阳”莺莺燕燕的船和一个没有信誉的贾斯汀斯凯就像他们有几个工业大小的粉丝指着他们的脸。通过蛆脑称之为云说唱。— A.S.

• “$20,” boygenius

The appeal of a supergroup like boygenius is bringing together three artists who excel in the same mode: writing poignant and visceral lyrics set to delicate rock. But being among close friends also allows Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus to explore new sides of themselves. That’s clear on “$20,” one of three lead singles from their upcoming full length — and one of the most upbeat songs any of them has ever made. It’s a jaunty vignette of younger years, the sort of song that feels, in the best way, bound to soundtrack an indie coming-of-age movie. “$20” started as a solo write by Baker until she felt like it made more sense to bring it to the group. In its final moments, as the three sing a chaotically beautiful harmony, it’s hard to imagine it as anything but a boygenius track. — J.C.

机翻：像boygenius这样的超级组合的吸引力在于将三位在相同模式下表现出色的艺术家聚集在一起：写出凄美而发自内心的歌词，设置为精致的摇滚。但与亲密的朋友在一起也让朱利安·贝克、菲比·布里杰斯和露西·达库斯探索自己的新面。这在“$20”中很明显，这是他们即将推出的全长中的三首主打单曲之一 - 也是他们有史以来最乐观的歌曲之一。这是一首年轻时的俏皮小插曲，这种歌曲以最好的方式感觉必然会为一部独立成长电影配乐。“20美元”最初是贝克的个人作品，直到她觉得把它带到小组更有意义。在最后的时刻，当三人唱出混乱美丽的和声时，很难想象它只是一首男孩天才的曲目。- J.C.

• “Find Out,” Liv.e

On “Find Out,” Liv.e’s internal monologue is rife with conflict. Over a sly flip of Red and Meth’s ferocious “Da Rockwilder” — along with a slight nod to Paul Simon — the singer delves into a moody examination of self. “I’m steady losing my cool / Can I go on go through / Being in love with you?” she asks over flecks of saxophone and what sounds like a reverbed woodpecker effect. Her description of the song gives a bit more insight into her thinking — in a statement, she called the track “having a realization of what it means to really love yourself” — without giving up the entire game. Liv.e doesn’t deal in absolutes here: “I hope you know I love you like no other / I guess you’ll find out find out baby / The hard way.” — A.S.

机翻：在“找出来”中，Liv.e的内心独白充满了冲突。在Red和Meth凶猛的“Da Rockwilder”的狡猾翻转中 - 以及对Paul Simon的轻微点头 - 这位歌手深入研究了对自我的喜怒无常的审视。“我正在逐渐失去冷静/我可以继续下去/爱上你吗？”她问萨克斯管的斑点，听起来像是啄木鸟的混响效果。她对这首歌的描述让人们更深入地了解了她的想法——在一份声明中，她称这首歌“意识到真正爱自己意味着什么”——同时又没有放弃整个游戏。Liv.e在这里没有处理绝对：“我希望你知道我像其他人一样爱你/我想你会发现找到宝贝/艰难的方式。

• “Sea Lions,” Samia

“Sea Lions” is Samia in all her idiosyncratic glory. “Screaming porn kills love,” she coos, “outside your window with the Adventist.” It’s vivid yet odd, the mode where she best commands attention as a writer. The second half, which has no lyrics at all, sees the tempo pick up as Samia slides and stretches her voice around an LCD Soundsystem–like drop before it gives way to a clip of a word-association game. Like the breakup she had been singing about, it’s difficult to find meaning in it but equally hard not to try. — J .C.

机翻：“海狮”是萨米亚所有独特的荣耀。“尖叫色情会扼杀爱情，”她嘀咕道，“在你窗外和基督复临安息日会在一起。这是生动而奇怪的，是她作为作家最能引起注意的模式。下半场完全没有歌词，当萨米亚滑动并在LCD音响系统周围伸展她的声音时，节奏加快了，然后让位于单词联想游戏的剪辑。就像她一直在唱的分手一样，很难在其中找到意义，但同样很难不尝试。- J.C.

第一次做这种专栏投稿，如有问题往多多指正。

maybe，maybe有时间把上述的歌曲做一个音乐合集视频