KXSF DJs Give Us the Best Sounds From 2023

As we roll up the carpet and sweep out the ashes of another year, looking back with fondness or relief, so do we assess its accomplishments and disappointments. As 2023 was not in the least a musically torpid year, the DJs of KXSF have had much to be thankful for:

• Firstly, YOU, our listeners, who have kept our spirits bright with your interest and support and who have made the effort to bring novel and inspiring programming alive for the Bay Area and beyond so worth it! and

• Secondly, great sounds that made for great radio all year long!

While looking forward to the musical marvels of 2024, some of our DJs share their favorite sounds and events of 2023:

• Andy Chaos (Shenanigans)
• DJ Fari (Francofun, Don't Fret, Stories Uncovered)
• DJ Shadrock (Shadrock's Inferno)
• Del Sur (The Chasm)
• Casson Kauffman (Moon Wax Radio)
• Luke Poynter (The Step Back)
• DJ Kristie Tessier (Supper Sessions)
• The Creep (Creep Show, Creeping Death)
• Gage Kenady (Off the Hook)
• Radio Bob (Frequency Uplift!)
• Janelle Lynch (Supper Sessions)

Best Sounds From 2023 | Best Sounds From 2022 | Top Local Songs of 2021 | Sounds of 2020

Andy Chaos

Top Local Releases

  1. Decent Criminal — There’s More to It Than Climbing (Gunner, Best Life)
  2. Scowl — Psychic Dance Routine EP (Flatspot)
  3. Omnigone — Against the Rest (Bad Time)
  4. M.U.T.T. — Bad to the Bone (Quiet Panic)
  5. Doki Doki — Doki Doki (Asian Man)
  6. George Crustanza Billionaire Blastoff EP
  7. Kepi and Friends — Full Moon Forever (Pirates Press)

Top Releases

  1. Not — Stop the World (Wiretap)
  2. Clowns — Endless (Fat Wreck Chords)
  3. Gel — Only Constant (Convulse)
  4. Rancid — Tomorrow Never Comes (Epitaph, Hellcat)
  5. Samiam — Stowaway (Pure Noise)
  6. Decent Criminal — There’s More to It Than Climbing (Gunner, Best Life)
  7. JFA — Last Ride (DC-Jam)
  8. Scowl — Psychic Dance Routine EP (Flatspot)
  9. The Bollweevils — Essential (Red Scare)\
  10. Mess — Under Attack (Mendeku Diskak)

Top 7"s

  • Bad Cop/Bad Cop — Shattered b/w (Fat Wreck Chords)
  • Ladrones — Maquina Caotica (Die Slaughterhaus)

    • Shenanigans. Sunday, 7 p.m.

    DJ Fari

    Favorite Albums

  • The Kills — God Games
  • Karkwa — Dans la seconde

    • Favorite Song

  • Karkwa  — Parfaite à l’écran

    • Favorite Artists

  • Karkwa
  • The Kills
  • Max Richter
  • Dublin Guitar Quartet
  • Sean Shibe

    • Favorite Classical Albums

  • Max Richter: Exiles (Music of Max Richter)

    • Favorite Classical Guitar Album

  • The Dublin Guitar Quartet performs Philip Glass

    • Favorite SF Shows

  • Dear San Francisco at Club Fugazi
  • Ennio at Club Fugazi
  • As We Go with Joe Goode Performance Group at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts,
  • San Francisco Symphony + Drake
  • SF Performances’ Dublin Guitar Quartet

    • Favorite Movie Soundtracks

  • Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (Son Lux)
  • Spiderman – Across the Spiderverse (Daniel Pemberton)
  • A Thousand and One (Gary Leonard Gunn)

    • Favorite TV Soundtracks

    • Theme song to Karen Pirie (Scottish series) called the Turning of Our Bones by the band Arab Strap

    Francofun, Saturdays, 11 a.m.

    Don't Fret, Saturdays, 12 p.m.

    Stories Uncovered, Saturdays, 1 p.m.

    DJ Shadrack

    Top Albums

  • Mandy, Indiana — I’ve seen a Way (Fire Talk)
  • Oh Sees — Intercepted Messages (In the Red Records)
  • Water From Your Eyes — Everyone’s Crushed (Matador)
  • Genesis Owusu — STRUGGLER (Ourness)
  • Honestly Same — Hot Plate Only
  • Snooper — Super Snooper (Third Man Records)
  • Alabaster Deplume — Come with Fierce Grace (International Anthem)
  • Junior Mint Prince — I Saw Freak Joy
  • Galen and Paul — Can We Do Tomorrow Another Day? (Sony)
  • Sweeping Promises — Good Living is Coming For You (Feel it Records)
  • False Flag — Big Sleep (FYJFY)

    • Best Live Shows

  • Nuggets 50th Anniversary at The Chapel
  • Otoboke Beaver at Great American Music Hall
  • Lucrecia Dalt at The Chapel
  • Teke::Teke at Thee Parkside
  • Messer Chups at Bottom of the Hill
  • Le Tigre at Mosswood Meltdown
  • Civic at Bottom of the Hill
  • Big Richard at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
  • Robyn Hitchcock with Kelly Stoltz at The Chapel
  • Fuckwolf –  KXSF Live
  • SF Symphony Orchestra performing Stravinsky’s Les Noces at Davies Symphony Hall

    • Best Music Documentaries

  • Sirens by Rita Bagdadi
  • Stand By For Failure by Ryan Worsley
  • This is National Wake by Marissa Neff
  • Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande by Tim MacKenzie Smith
  • Punk Rock Vegan Movie by Moby
  • The Mojo Manifesto: The Life and Times of Mojo Nixon by Matt Eskey
  • In the Court of the Crimson King by Toby Amies
  • Little Richard: I am Everything  – Lisa Cortéz
  • Have You Got it Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd by Roddy Bogawa and Storm Thorgerson
  • Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis) by Anton Corbijn
  • Carlos by Rudy Valdez

    • Top Singles

  • Sopratutto — Nicolini
  • Man in the Mouth of a Cave — The Guy Hemper Trio
  • Accra Elecronica — African Headcharge
  • Goblin Daycare — Landloricide!
  • Hard to Love — Bully
  • Pink Shell — King Krule
  • Michael is Done — Swans
  • Fly Song — Civic
  • Movie in My Head — Pere Ubu
  • Mr. Dynamite — Killer Kin

    • Shadrack's Inferno: Thursdays, 4–6 p.m.

    Casson Kauffman

    Casson’s List of her favorite songs from each of her guests on Moon Wax in 2023 (from most recent to least)

    1. Cassandra Lewis, Ain’t Got Time Always, All Way https://www.cassandralewismusic.com/ — Interview Date: 12/07/2023
    2. Mark Sexton, The Sextones, Getaway Driver, Love Can’t Be Borrowed https://www.thesextonesmusic.com/ — Interview Date: 11/09/2023
    3. Matt Stubbs, GA-20, Still As the Night https://ga20band.com/ — Interview Date: 11/09/2023
    4. Duane Betts, Under the Bali Moon, Wild & Precious Life https://www.duanebetts.com/ — Interview Date: 11/02/2023
    5. Taylor Goldsmith, Dawes, Joke In There Somewhere (Outro), Misadventures of Doomscroller, (also check out his work on: When I Get My Hands On You, The New Basement Tapes, Lost On The River) https://dawestheband.com/ — Interview Date: 10/05/2023
    6. John Craigie, Hustlin’, Asterisk the Universe https://johncraigiemusic.com/ — Interview Date: 09/28/2023
    7. Erich Huffaker, Orchestra Gold, Bobofoli, Medicine https://www.orchestragold.com/ — Interview Date: 09/21/2023
    8. Jagari Chanda, Patrick Mwondela, Theresa Ng’Ambi, Hanna Tembo W.I.T.C.H. (We Intend to Cause Havoc!) , Home Town, Witch: We Intend to Cause Havoc! https://weintendtocausehavoc.com/?lang=en_US — Interview Date: 08/03/2023
    9. Prairie Prince, The Dreamer Nicky Hopkins, The Tin Man Was A Dreamer — Interview Date: 06/15/2023
    10. Eric Long, Going Down the Road Feeling Bad, The Kawana Sessions https://ericlongofficial.com/ — Interview Date: 05/18/2023
    11. Lester Chambers, The Chambers Brothers, Time Has Come Today, The Time Has Come https://www.lesterchambers.com/ — Interview Date: 04/13/2023
    12. Graham Patzner, Whiskerman, Devil Bird, Whiskerman https://www.whiskerman.com/ — Interview Date: 03/23/23
    13. Prairie Prince (again, because he came on twice) Wicked Game, Chris Isaak, Heart Shaped World. Oh and also listen to The Tubes, Golden Boy, Now and The Tubes, Turn Me On, Remote Control https://prairieprince.com/ — Interview Date: 03/09/2023
    14. Jeff Jolly, Desiree Jolly, Jeff Jolly Band, A Change is Gonna Come, Lucky https://www.facebook.com/jeffjollyband/ — Interview Date: 03/02/2023
    15. Emily Zisman, Whiskey Works Better, New Mythologies https://www.emilyzisman.com/ — Interview Date: 02/02/2023
    16. Ernie Vincent, Ernie and The Top Notes, Inc., Dap Walk https://corneliuschapelrecords.myshopify.com/products/ernie-vincent-original-dap-king — Interview Date: 01/19/2023

    Moon wax Radio. Thursday, Noon-2PM

    Del Sur

    FAVORITE LOCAL RELEASES

  • Cheree — Factory — (Cherub Dream Records)
  • Combo — Enter the World — (self-released)
  • The Ironsides — Changing Light — (Colemine Records)
  • Midden — Demo 2023 — (self-released)
  • Orchestra Gold — Medicine — (self-released)
  • Simulation — Demo 2023 — (self-released)
  • Ulthar — Anthronomicon and Helionomicon (20 Buck Spin)
  • Vastum — Inward to Gethsemane — (20 Buck Spin)

    • FAVORITE BLACK & DEATH METAL RELEASES

  • Arnaut Pavle — Transylvanian Glare — (Amor Fati Productions)
  • Astriferous — Pulsations from the Black Orb — (Me Saco un Ojo Records)
  • Baxaxaxa — De Vermis Mysteriis — (The Sinister Flame)
  • Black Eucharist — Inn of the Vaticide — (Stygian Black Hand)
  • Ch’ahom — Knots of Abhorrence — (Sentient Ruin Laboratories)
  • Disimperium — Grand Insurgence Upon Despotic Altars — (Sentient Ruin Laboratories)
  • Horrendous — Ontological Mysterium — (Season of Mist)
  • Malokarpatan — Vertumnus Caesar — (Invictus Productions)
  • Scolopendra — VM18 — (Nuclear War Now! Productions)
  • Spirit Possession — Of the Sign… — (Profound Lore Records)
  • Tetragrammacide — Typho-Tantric Aphorisms from the Arachneophidian Qur’an — (Iron Bonehead Productions)
  • Thanatomass — Hades — (LVX MorgenStern)
  • Thantifaxath — Hive Mind Narcosis — (Dark Descent Records)
  • Vile Ritual — Caverns of Occultic Hatred — (Sentient Ruin Laboratories)

    • BEST OF THE REST

  • Being Dead — When Horses Would Run — (Bayonet Records)
  • Black Market Brass — Hox — (Colemine Records)
  • CV Vision — Im Tal der Stutzer — (Bureau B)
  • Drumetrics — Phuzzle — (self-released)
  • Enzyme — Golden Dystopian Age — (Hardcore Victim)
  • Frankie & The Witch Fingers — Data Doom — (Greenway Records)
  • JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown — SCARING THE HOES — (self-released)
  • King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard — Petrodragonic Apocalypse — (KGLW)
  • Nmesh: Dressed for Excess: A Collection of Corporate Bangers — (self-released)
  • Powerplant — Grass (Static Shock Records) ‘Grass’ EP, by Powerplant
  • Young Helpful Trillionaire
  • The Forgetmenauts
  • LaRussell

    • The Chasm. Thursday, 10PM

    Luke Poynter

    Top local artists 2023

  • Young Helpful Trillionaire
  • The Forgetmenauts
  • LaRussell

    • Top local releases 2023

  • FAMILY BUSINESS — LaRussell
  • ‘Til Death — The Forgetmenauts
  • Blessing Me — Young Helpful Trillionaire
  • Mr. Greg and Cass Mccombs Sing and Play New Folk Songs For Children

    • Best Musical Experiences

  • Klash of the Titans (Sepultura, Kreator, Death Angel, Spiritworld) at Regency Ballroom
  • Matt Holdaway’s Army LIVE July show at KXSF
  • Animal Liberation Orchestra at The Fillmore

    • Worst Musical Experience

  • Portola Fest 2023

    • Top Old Ass Albums That I’ve Listened to on Repeat Instead of New Music

  • Screamadelica — Primal Scream, 1991
  • Heaven or Las Vegas — Cocteau Twins, 1990
  • Party Music —  The Coup, 2001

    • Who to Look Out For in 2024

  • Hypnotic Pattern
  • Three Reefs Deep
  • The Hot Takes
  • Nathan X Moody
  • Stephanie Anne Johnson
  • Agua Pura
  • Dizzy Jenkins
  • Diablura
  • The Pinoles
  • rabidgrounds

    • The Step Back. Monday 6 PM

    Kristie Tessier

    Top songs 2023

    1. Sunlight Ends — Wilco (Cousin)
    2. Weird Goodbyes — The National, Bon Iver (Laugh Track)
    3. Everyday’s a Lesson in Humility —  Suki Waterhouse, Belle & Sebastian (Single)
    4. Vampire Empire —  Big Thief (Single)
    5. Different now — Courtney Barnett, Chastity Belt (Single)
    6. Smoke Break-Dance — Mick Jenkins, JID (The Patience)
    7. Seagirl —King Krule, Raveena (Space Heavy)
    8. A running start — Sufjan Stevens (Javelin)
    9. Waile — WITCH (Zango)
    10. Island Life — Beirut (Hadsel)

    Top 10 live shows from 2023

    1. Patti Smith, August 13, Stern Grove
    2. Yeah Yeah Yeah, June 10, The Greek
    3. Beck and Phoenix, August 5, Concord Pavillion
    4. Sylvan Esso, August 30, The Greek
    5. Angel Olsen, Oct 19, The Regency Ballroom
    6. Big Thief, August 8, The Greek
    7. Walkmen, Sept 29, The Fox
    8. Wilco, Oct 14, Cheapskate Hill The Greek
    9. Fleet Foxes, My Morning Jacket August 18, The Greek
    10. Action Bronson, The Fox Oct 9

    Supper Sessions. Sunday, 5PM (Bi-Weekly)

    The Creep

    Best Heavy Metal Albums of 2023 According To The Creep (in no particular order): A Baker's Dozen

    1. Luger — Revelations of the Sacred Skull (2/10/23, Heavy Psych Sounds)
    2. Tribe of Pazuzu — Blasphemous Prophecies (3/6/23, Vic Records)
    3. Spirit Possession — Of The Sign (3/31/23, Profound Lore Records)
    4. Danava — Nothing But Nothin g (4/28/23, Tee Pee Records)
    5. Thantifaxth — Hive Mind Necrosis (6/2/23, Dark Descent Records)
    6. Cadavar — The Age of the Offended (7/21/23, Nuclear Blast)
    7. Moon Coven — Sun King (8/25/23, Ripple Music)
    8. Filth is Eternal — Find Out (9/29/23, MNRK Heavy)
    9. Vastum — Inward To Gesthemene (11/10/23, 20 Buck Spin)
    10. Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs — Land of Sleeper (2/17/23, Rocket Recordings)
    11. Blood Serpent — Bestial Extermination (12/8/23, House of Ygra)
    12. Dopelord — Songs For Satan (10/6/23, Blues Funeral Recordings)
    13. Sadus — The Shadow Inside (11/17/23, Nuclear Blast)

    Top 10 Albums of 2023 (that are not Metal)

    1. James Brandon Lewis Trio — Eye of I (2/1/23, Anti/Epitaph)
    2. Eyelids — A Colossal Waste of Light (3/10/23, Jealous Butcher Records)
    3. Jeffrey Silverstein — Western Sky Music (5/12/23, Arrowhawk Records)
    4. Oxbow — Love’s Holiday (7/17/23, Ipecac)
    5. Buck Meek — Haunted Mountain (8/25/23, 4AD)
    6. Hey Colossus — In Blood (9/1/23, Wrong Speed Records)
    7. Shame — Food For Worms (2/24/23, Dead Oceans)
    8. C.O.F.F.I.N. — Australia Stops (9/15/23, Bad Vibrations)
    9. Vanishing Twin — Afternoon X (10/6/23, Fire Records)
    10. Tube Alloys — Magnetic Point (9/1/23, La Vida Es Un Mus Discos)
    11. Chain Whip — Call of the Knife (10/13/23, Neon Taste Records)
    12. Lenhart Tapes — Dens (11/10/23, Glitterbeat Records)
    13. Population II — Electrons Libres du Quebec (10/6/23, Bonsound)
    14.  

    Creeping Death. Thursday, 6PM (Bi-Weekly)

    The Creep Show. Thursday, 7PM (Bi-Weekly)

    Gage Kenady

    Top LPs

    WHAT IS “BEST”?  Here, in no particular order, are some of the Most Interesting and/or Simply Delightful releases OFF THE HOOK played from in 2023:
  • ANAT BEN-DAVID: Conversations
  • HACK-POETS GUILD: Blackletter Garland
  • VÄLVĒ: Tiny Pilots
  • MIGJIA: Star, Star
  • ANNA HILLBURG: Tired Girls
  • GAZELLE TWIN: Black Dog
  • SOPHIA CHABLAU E UMA ENORME PERDA DE TEMPO: Música do Esquecimento
  • BAS JAN: Back To The Swamp
  • TELE NOVELLA: Poet’s Tooth
  • STRANGER STILL: The Songs Which Are
  • MARGARET GLASPY: Echo The Diamond
  • ME LOST ME: RPG 
  • CAROLINE ROSE: The Art of Forgetting
  • FANTASY LAND: Adult
  • BEN VIDA W/ YARN WIRE and NINA DANTE:  The Beat My Head Hit
  • LUCIAN BAN & MAT MANERI: Oedipe Redux
  • TINY RUINS: Ceremony

    • Best Song

  • Margaret Glaspy:  Act Natural

    • Best Concerts I Attended

  • DEERHOOF @ Great American Music Hall, May 8
  • BUFFALO DAUGHTER + BABYBABY_EXPLORES @ Cafe Du Nord, June 7
  • BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD @ The Regency, August 29
  • MARGARET GLASPY @ The Independent, November 13

    • Off the Hook: Fridays, 1 – 4 pm

    Radio Bob.

    late night 'radiobob' best-of... 20.23, 10+3, things i keep replaying x 3

    1. jaimie branch, Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)), International Anthem (jaimiebranch.com )
    2. Meshell Ndegeocello, The Omnichord Real Book, Blue Note (meshell.com)
    3. Matana Roberts, Coin Coin Chapter Five: In The Garden, Constellation (matanaroberts.com )
    4. Irreversible Entanglements, Protect Your Light, Impulse (irreversibleentanglements.com)
    5. Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids (L), Afro Futuristic Dreams, Strut (idrisackamoor.bandcamp.com/album/afro-futuristic-dreams)
    6. Orchestra Gold (L), Medicine, self/Orchestra Gold (orchestragold.com )
    7. Azu Tiwaline, The Fifth Dream I.O.T. records (azutiwaline.bandcamp.com )
    8. Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, Bark Out Thunder, Roar Out Lightning, Stretch Music/Ropeadope ( www.chiefadjuah.com)
    9. La Doña (L), You Can’t Eat Clout,  Text Me Records ( ladona415.com )
    10. Asher Gamedze, Turbulence and Pulse, International Anthem (intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/turbulence-and-pulse)

    +3

    1. Wadada Leo Smith / Orange Wave Electric, Fire Illuminations, Kabell (wadadaleosmith.com/fire-illuminations/)
    2. Arooj Aftab / Vijay Iver / Shahzad Ismaily, Love In Exile, Verve (loveinexile.net)
    3. Corinne Bailey Rae, Black Rainbows, Thirty Tigers (corinnebaileyrae.com/blackrainbows )

    frequency uplift! Every Friday at 10AM

    Janelle Lynch

    Top Albums of 2023

  • Jungle — Volcano
  • Lil Yachty — Let’s Start Here
  • Caroline Rose — The Art of Forgetting
  • WITCH — Zango
  • boygenius — the record
  • Rainbow Girls — Welcome To Whatever
  • Noah Kahan — Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever)
  • Dinner Party/Terrace Martin/Robert Glasper — Enigmatic Society
  • El Michels Affair/Black Thought — Glorious Game
  • Janelle Monáe — The Age of Pleasure

    • Supper Sessions. Sunday, 5PM (Bi-Weekly)

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