We've come to the top of the list a little later than most years past, but hopefully not too late for you to appreciate my favorite eleven songs of 2022.
1. Returner by Gang of Youths.
"Now I live by a motto, just like Assou-Ekotto
And it's 'F___ you and pay me,' it's a line I respect.
A below-average shooter, I'm hardly Batistuta
But the vision, the motivation I get."
We complete our Australian-centric list, naturally, with another artist from Down Under. Gang of Youths have made the list several times before. This is my favorite song from their excellent album Angel in Real Time because of the above lines and their soccer references, as well as the Pacific Islands chorus. Because my friend Charlie, also a GOY fan, says this is his least favorite of all on the record, I'm going to break the rules and give you a second song, a number 1.b., if you will, which is likely the most-played song from Angel in Real Time - In the Wake of Your Leave.
2. Rubberneckers by Christian Lee Hutson.
"I'm a self-esteem vending machine
A doctor's office magazine.
A funhouse at the county fair
A staircase to nowhere.
If you tell a lie for long enough,
Then it becomes the truth.
I am going to be okay some day,
With or without you.
With or without you."
The next three songs are all in the running for my favorite lyrics of the year. I believe that it's hard to find a word in this song that is out of place. If you listen closely to the chorus, you'll likely hear the voice of an artist mentioned in the first edition of this year's list with the promise that she'd reappear. She also produced Hutson's album Quitters, along with her frequent collaborator Conor Oberst.
3. Blush by Matt Nathanson.
"And when the sun is getting lower
And your wildest days are done.
And they ask you about a photograph
From back when you were young.
Baby, you don't have to tell 'em
What you did when we were us.
But when you think about it
I hope you blush,
Just a little bit.
When you think about it
I hope you blush."
Another song about lost love, but one fondly remembered. The "We looked good, we looked good, we looked good" chorus makes me smile everytime I hear it. And I also really like the words, and the feel, of this song overall as well.
4. Canola Fields by James McMurtry.
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| James McMurtry at Mountain Stage. |
"And there's not much moving on the romance radar
Not that I'm craving it all that much.
But I still need to feel, every once in a while
The warmth of a smile and a touch.
In a way back corner of a cross-town bus,
We were hiding out under my hat.
Cashing in on a thirty-year crush.
You can't be young and do that,
You can't be young and do that."
The (now long ago) aforesaid old favorite I got to see in 2022, at Mountain Stage. As already mentioned, I have a hard time deciding whether these lines are my favorite ones of 2022, or whether one of the two songs immediately above contain them.
5. American Teenager by Ethel Cain.
"I do it for my daddy
And I do it for Dale
I'm doing what I want and, damn
I'm doing it well.
For me, for me,
For me, for me."
Quite the backstory for Hayden Silas Anhedonia a.k.a. Ethel Cain (according to Wikipedia, anyway). Her voice reminds me of an American Dolores O'Riordan (of The Cranberries). A lovely, haunting song.
6. Country by Good Morning.
"Yeah, I think it's a little bit different now
I got a boyfriend and I got a psych.
I know that one really cares about me,
And, at least, that the other one tries."
Yet another Australian band, although honestly they sound very American to me (again - guess I just need to give up trying to figure that out). A really catchy song with great lyrics about a lost friendship - but I love the instrumental intro and outro best of all.
7. Time Escaping by Big Thief.
"Desert ground so cold and clean
Spreading out like a magazine
Reading the dirt like gossip.
What do the weeds say? They say:
'Everything, everything, everything falls through
Each dimension breaks in two
Like the two hands clapping ...
Like the two wings flapping.'"
So many really good songs on Big Thief's double album Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You. This is my favorite, but if you're inclined, check out "Certainty," "No Reason," and "Little Things" too.
8. Love Is Yours by Flasher.
"It's like a knock on the door,
I've never heard it before,
You have me opening, oh so naturally.
It's better than the real thing,
I'm seeing 2020,
You got me missing what I didn't know I need."
One of several songs (numbers 2, 5, 6, and 11 are the others, to be precise) from artists in the Top 11 that I didn't know before 2022, but am glad I do now. Flasher sounds like a cross between The Dandy Warhols and The New Pornographers to me.
9. Here to Forever by Death Cab for Cutie.
"Oh, these days it's so hard to relax
You gotta hold a gun to my back
To make me smile
To make me smile."
Sounds like our old friend Ben Gibbard spent the pandemic contemplating his mortality. Completely understandable.
10. Free by Florence + The Machine.
"I'm always running from something
I push it back, but it keeps on coming.
And being clever never got me very far,
Because it's all in my head.
And 'You're too sensitive,' they said.
I said, 'Okay, but let's discuss this at the hospital.'"
Florence has appeared on the list several times before - she's back and strong as ever. I don't think I've ever said this before, but that harpist can jam! "And for a moment, when I'm dancing ... I am free." If only we all could be.
11. Rewind by Daybed.
"And I hoped maybe time would slow
Feels like the end of a road
With all the friends I used to know."
And here I thought Hometown was an obscure choice. This song now has 144 YouTube views (and at least four are mine). I love the music on this one (particularly the banjo). Apparently Daybed = Reagan Smith, the banjo player of The Oh Hellos (which, I guess, explains why the banjo is so good).
