Top 30 Songs of 2022

[numbersix]

21

John: Not quite running unless it's underwater. Didn't quite justify its runtime, sadly

Leetsu: One of the better tracks from an over-rated album, imo. The good tracks are great, the rest is filler. This is impressive because of the heavy leaning on shoegaze.

Shryke: Not as horrible as I was expecting, because Crow's vocals aren't that prominent. But the tune itself wasn't memorable

Tranny: Even if I seperate the vocals from the music, or the music from the vocals, I struggled either way.

[Leestu]

#23

John - The Smile, You Will Never Work In Television Again
There is a lot I like about this song, the surprising post-punk vibe, the drumming and rhythm, the energy, the vocal performance...in my top 50 but didn't make my 30

Shryke - Joywave, Cyn City 3000
this is some very likeable indie pop...would pair well with some Ball Park Music and the like on a playlist

Six
PVA, Bunker
This was very cool to listen to even if it's not something I would put on much myself, much like Kraftwerk

Tranny
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Gaia
love this hodge podge of an album, revisiting some familiar territory and introducing a few new surprising directions...there were so many wow moments on first listen and this was one of them for sure...spoiler alert (that shouldn't really be that much of a spoiler) I do have a song from this album coming up, and another two made my top 100

[Chienfantome]

#22

John
Angel Olsen, All The Good Times
I like that. I'll definitely listen to it again.

Leestu
LCD Soundsystem, new body rhumba
I'm hesitating, between finding it fun or not. Not sure. A bit too long for sure.

Shryke
Cannons, Hurricane
It's alright. Not high on this but still enjoyable.

Six
Chat Pile, Anywhere
I'm not a client for this. Tiring to my ears.

Tranny
The Callous Daoboys, Violent Astrology
Well, you didn't lie about unleashing the full metal beast. It's a cinephile song for sure with references to John Wick and Die Hard, but that's not enough for me I still enjoyed the absurdity of some of the lyrics. It got me curious and made me stay longer than I would have otherwise. Heck, I played it til the end. But still, no thank you.

[Shrykespeare]

SONG #20


JOHNERLE

Adia Victoria, Ain't Killed Me Yet

I discovered Adia Victoria a few weeks too late for her to make last year's list, but when she dropped a new single in March that gave me plenty of time to include her this time around. Ain't Killed Me Yet maintains the Southern Gothic sound of her previous album, but with extra bite from the heavier bass and electric guitar. She's also the only artist on my list I managed to catch live this year.





LEESTU

Sprints, Little Fix

Sorry you are getting most of this EP, but I have no problem with lofi/DIY/muddy production. If pressed I probably prefer it to highly/over produced music





SHRYKESPEARE

beabadoobee, Talk

'Cause I'm not sure if I've seen you before
You looked familiar when I saw you
We go together like the gum on my shoes
We make out, we make out when it's too late
We go out, we go out on a Tuesday

Not many world-renowned singers come out of the Philippines, but beabadoobee is rapidly achieving that status. Born in my wife’s homeland and raised in the UK, she released her second album in 2022, Beatopia. The album ran the gamut of emotions, but my favorite was this one, with its alt-rock crunchy guitar rhythms mixed with a little bedroom pop. I like her energy, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for her in the coming months.





SIX

Wu-Lu, Blame/Ten

A slight cheat here, as they’re technically 2 tracks, but this combo is what made me discover this intoxicating music. Wu-Lu’s debut melds the experimental hip-hop of Death Grips (props to Tranny for introducing their music to me) with a more chilled side that you find in trip-hop (which is also making a cultural comeback). These tracks are highly rhythmic to the point of hypnotism.





TRANNY

Greyhaven, All Candy

"All Candy" is very much a change of pace for metal/mathcore outfit Greyhaven, but thanks to the smooth singing of vocalist Brent Mills and a little bit of the southern rock influence they naturally picked up during their Kentucky upbringing, they're able to prove that they can execute moody, hooky tracks with just much as precision as the frantically heavy ones.

[Chienfantome]

#21

John
Carson McHone, Still Life
It's rather nice but it won't stick with me I think.

Leestu
Wet Leg, Angelica
Good stuff in there. It goes a bit everywhere and it doesn't always work for me, but it has personality.

Shryke
Lucius feat. Brandi Carlile & Sheryl Crow, Dance Around It
Nothing bad, but a bit forgettable I'd say.

Six
Osees, A Foul Form
Can't say I really feel the sense of fun in there, even if it's short it drags for me. Unpleasant.

Tranny
Revocation, Strange and Eternal
Yeah, sounds like a cliché extreme metal to my ears. And it's too long !!!

[numbersix]

20

John: Liked the bluesy sound of this, and loved the vocals.

Leetsu: No complaints from me. Keep the Sprints coming.

Shryke: It was okay, but I worked with a girl who knew her and said she was both arrogant and deeply nasty to people, so that's put me off her a little.

Tranny: It was okay, heavy, but not something that will stick with me.

[Leestu]

#22

John: Angel Olsen
I get it, but it's not for me

Shryke: Cannons
now this works for me

six: Chat Pile
this was great...added to hear more

tranny: The Callous Daoboys
that was wild...what a blast...like an extreme Mr Bungle?

[Leestu]

#21

John - Carson McHone
I'll pass on this one too, although I enjoyed the last minute

Shryke - Lucius feat. Brandi Carlile & Sheryl Crow
don't want to be harsh but this was awful...and it could have been anybody guest vocalist wise (I didn't recognise their voices and I should be able to)

Six - Osees
good fun song...I've got a different song from this album in my 100

Tranny - Revocation
it was okay but dragged a bit and nothing stood out

[Leestu]

#20

John - Aidia Victoria
Liked this

Shryke - Beabadoobee
I like her 90s nostalgia...her 2020 album made my top 100 that year

Six - Wu-Lu
passed me by without an opinion either way

Tranny - Greyhaven
really liked this but wasn't ready for it to end when it did...I would have liked another minute or two

[JohnErle]

20

Sprints – I have no problem with lofi/DIY/muddy production either, but I do have a problem with aggressive over-compression, which this is guilty of, although it's not as bad as I'm In A Band. Unfortunately, the song probably wouldn't be as much fun live.

Bee-Bop-A-Lula – Mainstream radio needs something to fill up all that airtime in between inane chatter and obnoxious commercials, so this would fit the bill better than most, I suppose.

Wu-Lu – More interesting to me than most hip-hop, largely because of the drums, but probably not for me in the long run.

Greyhaven – In my 20s this probably would have been my jam, but now it just sounds dated.

[JohnErle]

20

John: Liked the bluesy sound of this, and loved the vocals.

I'm quite surprised by that reaction. Anything vaguely bluesy is usually a hard no from you.

[Chienfantome]

#20

John
Adia Victoria, Ain't Killed Me Yet
Pretty good. I like how her voice has character but also a beautiful clarity. Enjoyable tune.

Leestu
Sprints, Little Fix
Probably the best from the EP so far, makes sense it's better places in your countdown. Not the kind of track I'll want to listen often but it's alright in its genre.

Shryke
beabadoobee, Talk
It sounds like a thousand other things to my ears, even if it's not bad.

Six
Wu-Lu, Blame/Ten
Can't say I understood the lyrics so I'm only basing my opinion on the rhythm, the music, the voice, and there ain't much I found appealing in the first part. At first I thought the second part would be better, but no.

Tranny
Greyhaven, All Candy
Much easier to listen to, yes. But I don't find it original or different that so many "softcore" metal.

[numbersix]

I'm quite surprised by that reaction. Anything vaguely bluesy is usually a hard no from you.

Good point. I change my mind. I hate it!

No, I'm a big fan of Pj Harvey and Nick Cave who both embrace elements of the blues. I just think if it's too classical then you my as well listen to the artists from 100 years ago. Your song felt a little different with it's 60s drumming style and the slightly rockabilly vocals

[JohnErle]

We've had this conversation before, but I feel the same way about the music of my youth. If you're going to channel the music of the 80s, late 70s, or early 90s, then you'd better bring something new to the table or I just don't see the point. I'm much more open to a traditional take on music that pre-dates my time on this earth, like the Blues, Jazz, Folk, or Reggae. The people who invented and defined those genres are long gone, so young people carrying the torch is paying homage to what came before. Vince Clarke, Johnny Rotten, and Mick Jones are still with us, so if you're playing synth-pop or punk in 2023 you need to bring your A game.

[transformers2]

#20
John: Easily my favorite pick of yours yet. The combination of that bluesy guitar tone and those sultry Southern vocals is a home run.

Leestu: Would have zero issue if you actually picked the entire EP over the entire countdown. Punk with a legitimate scuzz factor, palpable anger and legit riffs is always alright by be.

Shryke: Pretty good. Surprised I've never heard her stuff before as this is very much in my downtempo, somber-ish pop wheelhouse.

Six: Appreciate the shoutout man. Always glad (and pleasantly surprised) when sharing music I dig leads to somebody else becoming a fan of that artist. As for this particular song, I'm going to have to reevaluate it later to get a better idea of how I feel about it. The production is really cool and the aggression of the first half worked, but the transition to the trippy second half feels kind of clunky.