Favorite Songs of 2022: Songs 12-22

I believe this is a particularly strong second set of songs this year. Songs 12-17 all spent some time in my Top 11 at various points in 2022. Enjoy!

12. Running with the Hurricane by Camp Cope.

"And if is the bottom,

I can show you what to do

There's no other way to go

There's no other way to go ...

The only way out is up.

And I'm keeping up."

Not the first time this band from Down Under has been on the list. But a little less "punkish" this time, and perhaps even a little Southern twang thrown in for good measure? I think Camp Cope is keeping up and growing up.

13. Blue Hours by Bear's Den.

"Why won't you just stay with me? Why do you lie?

Why's there always something keepin' you up at night?

Don't act like you're so hard to find

I know where you hide, I know where you hide ...

In the blue hours."

One of my new discoveries this past year (along with the already-mentioned Caracara and at least two yet to come), I really like Bear's Den, particularly their lead vocalist (and that bass line). I was surprised to learn Bear's Den are from England - they sound very much like an American band to me.

14. Tennessee Dust by Henry Grace.

"Riverman shining shoes

Singing Appalachian blues

Drinking black coffee.

Was a fire in his soul

And it rang like rock and roll

Roared like a freight train."

Took us a long time to get to the first Americana song on this year's list. I hope you agree it was worth the wait. I like it enough that I even forgive Henry for singing "App-ah-lay-chan" not "Ap-puh-lah-chn."

15. Tonight by Phoenix (feat. Ezra Koenig).

"I take all the blame

Is it hard to understand?

When it's all the same

I've played all the games

And lost almost everything.

Now I talk to myself and it's quite surprising."

Much like the Arcade Fire song in the last installment, it's so refreshing to hear a Phoenix song that sounds like Phoenix. And bringing Ezra Koenig (of Vampire Weekend fame) along for the ride doesn't hurt a bit either.

16. That's Where I Am by Maggie Rogers.

"I found a reason to wake up

Coffee in my cup,

Start a new day.

Wish we could do this forever

And never remember

Mistakes that we make."

Another real love song, about friends who became something more than that. Haven't done the research, but I'm guessing that this is probably the most watched video of any song on the list this year.

17. Did You Say Such a Thing by John Mellencamp (feat. Bruce Springsteen).

"What people say about me

Don't amount to much

I guess some may be true

But who can you trust

Did you say such a thing?

How come you said such a thing?

This year's The Boss singing backup entry, which is definitely becoming a regular thing. I'm a longtime admirer of both. This entry demarks the line on the list, which appears at a different place every year, between those songs that I liked and those that I really, really liked.

18. Colorglut by Caracara (feat. Anthony Green).

"Is this a wedding or a funeral? I can't tell by the attire

Hunting for a beat

Like Serengeti beasts

I was listening to Dirty Projectors in a Volvo by the freeway funeral pyre."

The opposite of Bear's Den - I would have guessed that Caracara are from England, except for the fact that they spell the song name Colorglut, not Colourglut. Sure enough, they're from Philly. Can't not include on the list a song that references Dirty Projectors (and a Volvo).

19. Somebody Desperate by The National.

"That wasn't me

I don't know who that was

That was somebody desperate

Someone in love."

A pretty, sad song, not about love lost, but instead love never found.

20. Kissing Lessons by Lucy Dacus.

"I asked her how to win my man

And she said, 'I know just the thing'

Gave me lipgloss and a hair toss

And, after school, a lesson in kissing."

The she-who-was yet-to-be-named in my first edition of the list, my significant other and I got to see Ms. Dacus live twice this year. The first in Charlottesville, when she played guitar (and still rocked!) from a couch for most of the concert because of a bad back.

21. Just Around the Corner by JD McPherson.

"I'm so glad I live

Right around the corner from you

So happy I don't know what I will do

Please don't go

Find somebody new

Oh I'm about to live right around the corner from you."

I didn't realize until posting the list on Facebook that this is in fact a cover. Since I didn't have a separate covers list this year, we're leaving it where it's at. Always love to hear from JD and his rockabilly style.

22. Alaska by Pinegrove.

"When we landed in Orlando

And the local time was 11:11

The pilot had his eyes closed

Through that opalescent open road."

Seemingly fully recovered from their unfortunate hiatus, Evan Stephens Hall and friends were back with a familiar sound, and some confounding lyrics.

The Top Eleven is on its way soon - stay tuned!

Favorite Songs of 2022 - Songs 23-33

We made it! Most of us mostly intact. 'Twas a slim year for me, live music-wise, but did get out a little bit, enough to see one of my favorite artists twice and an old friend at Mountain Stage once. But more about that later.

We begin my list of favorite songs of 2022 with a recent list favorite. Hope you enjoy!

23. Sidelines by Phoebe Bridgers.

"Watching the world from the sidelines

Had nothing to prove

'Til you came into my life

Gave me something to lose."

Perhaps second only to she-who-is-not-yet-named, Ms. Bridgers has appeared most frequently on the list in the last few years. I like this song a lot, but perhaps not as much as ... 22 others this past year. The release of this song gives us some hope that we'll hear more from Phoebe in 2023. But in the meantime, she's busying herself with production work - and you'll find out more about that in the last iteration of this year's list.

24. Wild by Spoon.

"Trippers and askers, they surrounded me

All them describing how they'd like me

All them wanting somethin' special

Bring 'em roses, sing them blues."

Sounds like someone's not all that comfortable with ... comfort. Always admire Spoon for keeping true to themselves, yet being fresh at the same time. Comforting, one might say. Check out their album "Lucifer on the Sofa." For the name, if nothing else.

25. Scab Song by Dora Jar.

"I've got a brain in my head

I've got a brain in my head and it thinks as hard as Einstein ever did

MC squared equals E

That's the theory of relativity

And how are you relative to me."

This year's silly pop song entry, about ... a scab on Dora Jar's leg. Don't judge me.

26. The Lightning I, II by Arcade Fire.

"I heard the thunder and I thought it was the answer

But I found I got the question wrong

I was trying to run away but a voice told me to stay

Put the feeling in a song."

So nice to hear an Arcade Fire song that sounds like Arcade Fire. Makes me feel all ... 50 again.

27. A Real Thing by The Beths.

"Picking up the tires from the side of the road

Gonna push back the coming tide

Laying down beside them like I'm in on the joke

Wake me up when the world is fried."

One of several songs on this year's list that sound like the female-lead power pop bands of the '80's. but with better musicianship. This song appears to have a decidedly un-'80's theme, though -- guessing the "Real Thing" is global climate change.

28. Talk by beabadoobee.

"A crowded place, waitin' for you

Am I lost? Why can't I find you?

A silhouette that's in my head

You don't exist, you're my imagination

You don't exist, you're just a bad decision."

Seems as though 2022 (or more likely 2021) was/were bad year(s) for relationships - love gone bad songs abound on this year's list. Another song that puts me in mind of The Go-Go's or the Bangles.

29. Soberish by Liz Phair.

"I already told you

It was love at first sight

And that's a frightening notion.

I'll hold the light

And you can read me what we owe."

A middle-aged love song. But a love song nonetheless, for a change, from "alt-rock icon" Ms. Phair.

30. Sweet Memory by Geographer.

"Sweet memory

Burning like a candle 

At the bottom of the sea

I don't believe in love, and

It doesn't believe in me

All I have is my sweet memory."

One of those "happy sounding sad songs." Geographer returned to the list last year after a long absence. And now here he/they are again, a year later.

31. Reprise by The Lumineers.

"Callin' on your neighborhood

Tell me who to like

Everyone's a friend

Every now and then

Tell me who to like."

"Reprise" as in a different version of "Brightside," the first song on The Lumineers' latest album, also called Brightside. I like this version better. My friend Dave likes Brightside better. And I'm okay with that.

32. Hometown by The K's.

"Hometown, playing all his favorite songs.

In the sun, in the sun, in the sun.

Put 'em on, put 'em on, put 'em on, put 'em on."

Admittedly, I've gotten a little lazy and depend on google to tell me what the exact lyrics are for a song. Or most of them, anyone. Hometown is apparently sufficiently obscure to not warrant their publication. So the above lines are a guess. Seems clear I like this song mostly because of the driving guitar, not the lyrics, huh?

33. Stay Out of It by Michigander.

"It feels like everybody's talking

But nobody's ever listening

And it breaks my heart because I know I can't

Stay out of it."

Michigander is/are Jason Singer (good name for a singer!), originally from Kalamazoo in the Mitten State. As if the name wasn't enough to put Michigander on my radar, I love the bouncy beat, and, yes, the singing.

Stay tuned for the second edition of the list coming soon.

Favorite Songs of 2021 - Songs 1-11

One would be tempted to bid 2021 a less-than-fond good riddance ... if we hadn't already done that with 2020. So let's just appreciate the new music that our seemingly endless pandemic brought us. Including three albums (which happen to contain the first three songs on my list) that could have filled out the Top Ten all on their own.

1. Stop Making This Hurt by Bleachers.

"But if we take the sadness 

Out of Saturday night

I wonder what we'll be left with

Anything worth the fight?

I wanna run from the darkness

Wanna shout at the light

It's coming over me now

Two, three, four, five oh God we barely survived!"

I went back-and-forth a lot between this and number two on the list for much of the second half of the year. Stop Making This Hurt, however, was the one song that I never skipped on any device throughout the year, and it's the one that compels me to crank up the volume more than any other. And so, here are the Jersey boys, with their horns and Jack's goofy dancing. Long may they rock. I also recommend giving a listen to Don't Go Dark and How Dare You Want More from the LP Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night (along with the already nominated Chinatown).

2. Not Dead Yet by Lord Huron.

"I've been out way too long

Heading right for the edge

If she asks about me

Tell her I'm not dead yet."

The boys from Michigan return to their western/rockabilly roots on their new album Long Lost and I for one am glad for it. I believe that Lord Huron now holds the distinction of having two Number Two songs on my list through the years (Until the Night Turns was second in 2015). So close ... I also recommend to you Mine Forever, Long Lost, Love Me Like You Used To, and I Lied from their 2021 offering as well.

3. Hot & Heavy by Lucy Dacus.

"You knew that I wanted you to bend the rules

How did I believe I had a hold on you?

You were always stronger than people suspected

Underestimated and overprotected."

The above lyrics are perhaps my favorites of the year. If not them, then the ones I will gift you immediately below. Lucy's latest album Home Video (which, as the title suggests, is based on memories from her past) is chock full of them. Check out VBS and Brando from that LP as well, at the minimum. The video's fun too and consistent with the Home Video theme. I'm sure it was made in RVA (but didn't look it up to confirm).

4. Family Farm by The Hold Steady.

"When she was combing through the carpet I could not resist her charms

She brought me to a fortress she called the family farm

Out along the towers there were guards with heavy arms

I guess there was some tension with the neighbors."

So do you prefer Lucy's wry observation or Craig Finn's deadpan understatement? Tough call for me. The boys from Brooklyn (by way of Minneapolis - the midwest is the setting for many of their tracks) are back with another set of lyrically brilliant songs courtesy of Mr. Finn in their new album Open Door Policy. Give Lanyards a listen as well.

5. Empire Builder by Typhoon.

"You and I know we both know that

Everybody's angry

Everybody's lonely

Maybe it's hopeless

And maybe love is not enough

But let's not rule out the possibility."

Definitely a pandemic song. Perhaps an apocalyptic song. At least Kyle Morton's still got a bit of hope. Typhoon recorded their album Sympathetic Magic remotely, no small feat for a notoriously large ensemble. The entire LP is very good, especially (in addition to Empire Builder) And so What if You Were Right.

6. Fire and Brimstone by Sean Rowe.

"I had a dream

Last night

When I was lying

On my bed

And the whole world

Was standing still

And the moon

Was turning red."

My New Year wish: that, for one day in 2022, I can sing like Sean Rowe.

7. Dino's by Gordi and Alex Lahey.

"There was a greatest hits on the stereo

There was a nun drinking her doubt

There was a young boy making promises

To a Dolly Parton cardboard cutout."

A pretty ode to ... a Nashville dive bar (okay, I admit that I looked up the location). Both Gordi and Alex hail from Australia. I'm glad that they found their way to Tennessee, at least for one evening.

8. Seventeen Going Under by Sam Fender.

"I was far too scared to hit him

But I would hit him in a heartbeat now.

That's the thing with anger

It begs to stick around.

So it can fleece you of your beauty

And leave you spent with nowt to offer

Makes you hurt the ones who love you."

A song of teenage rage (and an abusive father, I'm guessing). But with the redemptive vision of someone who "got out" reflecting on the person he was, the one he could have become, and the one that he became instead.

9. Questions by Middle Kids.

"And I got questions

And you got answers

And I'm not sure

 if they're fact or fiction

And I got questions

And you got answers

And I'm not sure

 if they're even worth asking."

The Kids are back with another stellar effort, part of their 2021 album Today We're the Greatest. Not much doubt where they stand with regard to whomever this song was written about. Cellophane (Brain) is also worth a listen from their newest LP.

10. Faith Healer by Julien Baker.

"Faith healer

Come put your hands on me

A snake oil dealer

I'll believe you if you make 

Me feel something."

The third member of boygenius didn't quite make the top of my list, unlike her cohorts Lucy Dacus and Phoebe Bridgers. But her 2021 album Little Oblivions was well regarded by people whose opinions count more than mine (in other words, just about everyone's). This is my favorite song from that effort. We're all searching for something, aren't we?

11. New Fragility by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. 

"On a holiday, you said you just need to get away

Taking some midnight ride out to Long Beach Island

Stranded, half-naked on a strange man's couch

No hearts are broken when there's no one to let down."

All the low notes of a break-up (or, more exactly, post-break-up) song. That last line gets me everytime.

Here's to (hopefully) seeing some live music in 2022 - that would be a good way to restart, wouldn't it?