Top 30 Songs of 2022

[transformers2]

#29
John: Dug the guitarwork, but the vocals fell flat-especially for something that's so bluesy.

Leestu: If I never had to listen to a Beach House song again, I'd consider myself a blessed individual. Their entire sleepy indie dance music aesthetic drives me fucking nuts and this track was no exception. Whatever the hell they did with the vocoder here should be considered a felony.

Shryke: Figured at least one tune from this record would make your list. It did absolutely nothing for me, but it was still divine to hear something that didn't repulse me after suffering through a Beach House track.

six: Bjork is such an unapologetic weirdo that I can't help but admire her. The mix between her soaring vocals and the Nordic wind instrument troupe meets Reykjavik BDSM Club rave production is kind of jarring, but it never failed to be interesting.

[Chienfantome]

#29

John
Jack Broadbent, Midnight Radio
Pleasant song, but nothing that really catches my attention.

Leestu
Beach House, Runaway
Catchy and yet delicate song, very good.

Shryke
Tears for Fears, Rivers of Mercy
I didn't even know Tears for Fears had released a new album. It's a childhood band for me as my dad really liked them, so it's always nice to listen to them, it was a soft song.

Six
Bjork, Fossora
Well, didn't know there was a new Bjork album either
Odd and surreal seems like a good description indeed. At first I thought I didn't really like it, but the song does find its way towards something fascinating. Although at around 3 minutes, it lost me a bit.

Tranny
The Smile, Thin Thing
Not my favorite from The Smile, but definitely interesting. I can't believe I liked your first two tracks, Tranny.

[transformers2]

#29

John
Jack Broadbent, Midnight Radio
Pleasant song, but nothing that really catches my attention.

Leestu
Beach House, Runaway
Catchy and yet delicate song, very good.

Shryke
Tears for Fears, Rivers of Mercy
I didn't even know Tears for Fears had released a new album. It's a childhood band for me as my dad really liked them, so it's always nice to listen to them, it was a soft song.

Six
Bjork, Fossora
Well, didn't know there was a new Bjork album either
Odd and surreal seems like a good description indeed. At first I thought I didn't really like it, but the song does find its way towards something fascinating. Although at around 3 minutes, it lost me a bit.

Tranny
The Smile, Thin Thing
Not my favorite from The Smile, but definitely interesting I can't believe I liked your first two tracks, Tranny.

Well my friend, I can you tell that run of enjoyment is going to end VERY shortly

[Chienfantome]

Well my friend, I can you tell that run of enjoyment is going to end VERY shortly

I enjoyed it while it lasted

[Shrykespeare]

#29

JohnErle - Jack Broadbent - with those first few opening bars, I thought I was in for a retooling of "Stray Cat Strut". Not sure if I'd call it a jam... more of a preserves.

Leestu - Beach House - at the risk of infuriating Tranny further, this was good. You had me at a OMD and DM. I heard a few Beach House songs in 2022, but I missed this one. Good one.

Six - Bjork - "Army of Me" is still one of my favorite songs of all time, but this... well, Bjork is one of those artists who need to be taken in small doses. This was a tune that could have been composed by none but her, that's for sure. An interesting listen, but not going to go back to it.

Tranny - The Smile - This was really fucking cool, Tranny. The music was almost Reznor-ish. Add that to Yorke's Xanax-popping voice, and you've got a winner. I"d be curious if you think I'd enjoy the rest of the album. (For a hint, most Radiohead tends to be hit or miss with me.)

[Shrykespeare]

#29

Shryke: Figured at least one tune from this record would make your list.

Actually, there were (kind of) two. The title track of the album made my Top 100 (at #53) last year, as it preceded the release of the album.

[JohnErle]

Soul Glo - It starts off nice, but as Tranny can testify, anyone who screams when they should be singing sounds ridiculous to me.

lozeak - Way too Avril Lavigne for me.

Kendrick Lamar - If that's what passes for progressive in the hip-hop community, then the hip-hop community is even more transphobic than I'd assumed.

King Gizzard - Like virtually every King Giz song I've ever heard it has its moments, but it's poorly produced and twice as long as it needed to be.

Beach House - This is a jam. Glad you decided to include it after I dropped it on a technicality.

Tears For Fears - Pleasant enough, but a bit bland and nothing I need to hear again.

Bjork - The disparate parts eventually coalesce into something vaguely resembling a jam, but it's ultimately too arty-farty for my tastes, although the fartiness may be due to the oboe.

The Smile - Not my favourite from the album, but it's a jam.

[Leestu]

#29

John
Jack Broadbent, Midnight Radio
I enjoyed its retro bluesy crooning charm

Shryke
Tears for Fears, Rivers of Mercy
I tried the album out, found it too plain for my tastes...they sound like they're making music for 60 years olds like them, which is fine, but I'm not interested in that

Six
Bjork, Fossora
Well it's taken a while as she has been slowly working towards it, but I think Bjork has finally lost me with this album...although it does rank higher than Tears For Fears on my listening log...admittedly this song was the best on the album and has its good points even if I think it doesn't come together all that well

Tranny
The Smile, Thin Thing
Not one I would have considered from the album but it is a top 15 of the year album for me so still a very good song, just one amongst other very good songs

[Shrykespeare]

SONG #28


JOHNERLE

Kevin Morby, This Is A Photograph

Dude kinda creeps me out lying in the grass and staring at me like that, but the song is a jam.





LEESTU

Fontaines D.C., Jackie Down the Line

The third album from Fontaines, D.C. is my favourite of theirs so far with their gothic take on post-punk via indie rock. This was the lead single from the album, and the first, but not the last ,Fontaines song in my top 30.





SHRYKESPEARE

The Faim, Flowers

My street is indisposed
Our house just got foreclosed
One bag put to the road
Living off that prayer we never spoke
Two years of motel light
Outgrew the tourist eye
Cheap wine warms up the night
Living by the words to never mind

From Leestu’s neck of the woods comes The Faim (French for “The Hunger”), a four-piece band from Perth, Australia led by Josh Raven. From their second album Talk Talk comes this lively pop-punk outing with a fair amount of 80s swagger. Sometimes all it takes to hook you is a great riff, and “Flowers” has it. I can’t help but wonder if “living by the words to never mind” is actually a reference to Nirvana’s breakthrough album…





SIX

Bodega, Territorial Call of the Female

A track I just recently discovered, from the NY punk band who share a label with the awesome Parquet Courts. This is a fun, classic punk rock tune with a beefy bassline.





TRANNY

In Flames, State of Slow Decay

Perhaps baited by the formation of a well-received supergroup called The Halo Effect that features 4 of their former longtime members in 2021 and a vocalist who did session work for them before starting his own influential band, In Flames made a surprising return to the Gothenberg melodic death metal sound they helped create and the results is a ferocious, energized ripper of a song that effectively opened up a portal to their late 90's/early 2000's heyday.

[Chienfantome]

#28

John
Kevin Morby, This Is A Photograph
Never heard of the creepy guy, but I kinda like this song. Yeah, I really like it. I like how it evolves, the rhythm. Pretty cool song. I'll listen to this one again.

Leestu
Fontaines D.C., Jackie Down the Line
Wow, what an accent. Even worse than Six'. Post-punk most of the times isn't my cup of tea, but it's stsill a pretty good song I think.

Shryke
The Faim, Flowers
I never knew there was an Autralian band with a French name. Funny. The song is listenable, but nothing I want to listen to again.

Six
Bodega, Territorial Call of the Female
The kind of song that would tire me if it lasted more than 3 minutes, but short like this, it's pretty fun.

Tranny
In Flames, State of Slow Decay
And so it begins... No thank you, young man.

[JohnErle]

#28

Fontaines DC – Solid, but unremarkable. It was on my 2022 playlist, but well outside the top 30. It feels more like a filler track than a lead single.

Hungry Australians – If I heard it in the car I probably wouldn't change the channel or drive off a cliff to avoid it, but I'll never listen to it on purpose.

Bodega – Fun little no-nonsense punk tune. It's a jam.

In Flames – Kill it. Kill it with fire.

[numbersix]

John: Just the same riff, but it's nice and well paced and the rest of the song builds well. Good stuff

Leetsu: Took me a while to warm this track, but I got there eventually. Love it now, and one of the highlights of an exceptional album. More on that later.

Shryke: Not for me. Highly over-produced

Tranny: Not my kind of metal.

[transformers2]

#29

JohnErle - Jack Broadbent - with those first few opening bars, I thought I was in for a retooling of "Stray Cat Strut". Not sure if I'd call it a jam... more of a preserves.

Leestu - Beach House - at the risk of infuriating Tranny further, this was good. You had me at a OMD and DM. I heard a few Beach House songs in 2022, but I missed this one. Good one.

Six - Bjork - "Army of Me" is still one of my favorite songs of all time, but this... well, Bjork is one of those artists who need to be taken in small doses. This was a tune that could have been composed by none but her, that's for sure. An interesting listen, but not going to go back to it.

Tranny - The Smile - This was really fucking cool, Tranny. The music was almost Reznor-ish. Add that to Yorke's Xanax-popping voice, and you've got a winner. I"d be curious if you think I'd enjoy the rest of the album. (For a hint, most Radiohead tends to be hit or miss with me.)

There are definitely times where it (naturally) completely mirrors Radiohead, but it's ultimately its own thing and if you dug "Thin Thing", you'll probably like the whole record. Six alluded to the fact that he has a different song by them coming up, I have another one as well (we'll see if they're the same one) and it wouldn't be a shock if more of their stuff popped up on another list, so you'll have a more concrete idea shortly.

[transformers2]

#29

Shryke: Figured at least one tune from this record would make your list.

Actually, there were (kind of) two. The title track of the album made my Top 100 (at #53) last year, as it preceded the release of the album.

Oh alright. I just remember us having a conversation on an FB message early last year and being floored that Tears for Fears had put out a new record.

[Shrykespeare]

#28

JohnErle - Kevin Morby - There's something distinct about his style, kinda like Bob Dylan meets Beck, but I've never been a big fan of either.

Leestu - Fontaines D.C. - I have heard this song before, but only once. It's good in a minimalist way, and it kind of reminds me of The Smiths. The lead singer doesn't have Morrissey's appeal to me, though.

Six - Bodega - I liked this. The atmospherics and the vibe make me hark back to classic B-52's, only with more crunch guitars.

Tranny - In Flames - With your growly-demon songs, I tend to tune out the voices and concentrate on the guitars. They killed it on this song.