Favorite Songs of 2022: Songs 1-11

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.

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).

Favorite Songs of the 2010's - Songs 26-50

Over the past month or so, in addition to listening to and posting my favorite songs of 2019, I spent some time reflecting on the now-past decade's music and my favorites among all of those published over the last 10 years. Going back through my lists (which began on Facebook in 2010, but did not make it into blog form until the next year), I was struck by how much things have changed in terms of the increase in platforms on which music (especially that to which I am drawn) and the sheer volume of music being produced. 

Ten years ago I was dependent on ... what? ... internet web stations as far as I can recall to hear "alternative" music in Charleston. Today I have Spotify, Apple, our local community radio station WTSQ, NPR, and KEXP to feed me, almost daily, the new music I sift through to find the songs and artists that I like. It's a daunting and exhilarating task that I alone have imposed on myself and I like to think that it keeps me young - at heart anyway.

After compiling my list of 50 favorite songs of the 2010's and having recovered from my holiday crush of posting, I decided to share the list with you. Where I don't include a video of a song, I'll provide a link in the song name, will let you know where they were ranked (if at all) when I first posted them, and provide links to those past lists. A further conceit: I will signify the artists that I've had the pleasure to see in person with an asterisk by their name.

As always, thanks for indulging me in my pursuit of new music - or, in this case, not so new. 

26.  Rollercoaster by Bleachers.

"We took the bones out from the road
Those endless nights that we traveled we stole
You let your clothes fall to the floor
And lit a fire while I waited for more."

Bleachers made the list four times in the decade, but this song, number 28 in 2015, is my favorite of the lot. Plus, the video had to be one of Bleachers' offerings featuring the recurring theme of front man Jack Antonoff getting his butt kicked.

27.  This Life by Vampire Weekend.

"Baby, I know hate is always waiting at the gate

I just thought we locked the gate when we left in the morning

I was told that war is how we landed on these shores

I just thought the drums would all be loud warnings."

Since This Life was included in my last post (number 3 in 2019), I won't go on about my favorite Vampire Weekend song of the past 10 years ("Unbelievers" made the list in 2013 and their cover of "I'm Goin' Down" topped my favorite covers of 2019). I note that for songs from the past year, I probably underrated some since they haven't had the opportunity to stand the test of time the way that others have.

28.  Grand Canyon by The Wind + The Wave.

"Don't die, you're just a baby, yeah you're way too young

You haven't lived till you've been to the Grand Canyon

It's the damndest thing

Oh, it's the damndest thing."

My favorite song of 2016, "Grand Canyon" hasn't held up quite as well as some other list-toppers have. But not for want of trying -- still makes me be-bop every time I hear it. While you're at it, check out the similarly movement-inducing "Raising Hands Raising Hell Raise 'em High."

29.  Some Nights by fun.

"Well some nights, I wish that this all would end

'Cause I could use some friends for a change

And some nights, I'm scared you'll forget me again

Some nights, I always win, I always win."

While I declared it my third favorite song of 2012, it's the highest of songs from that year on this list. Perhaps I was scared off by its popularity (almost 194,000,000 YouTube views). fun. also featured Jack Antonoff (that's him playing guitar in the video, and not getting beaten up).

30.  Cumberland Gap by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit*. 

"I ain't cut out for war, unless I know what I'm fighting for

And there's nothing here but churches, bars, and grocery stores.

Ain't much money in the old-time mandolin

So I cash my check and I drink 'til I'm on my ass again."

One of four Isbell songs featured in the 2010's (including "Hope the High Road" which I had number 12 in 2017, as opposed to Cumberland Gap, which landed at 25), I believe this song now better exemplifies Isbell's oft angry but always loving depiction of Appalachia. The other Isbell songs from the past decade? 24 Frames (thirtieth in 2016) and Super 8 (number 26 in 2013).

31.  Bushwick Blues by Delta Spirit.

"When we first met

We spoke so brief

When you sang a sonnet

I hummed sweet relief."

My second favorite song in 2011, Delta Spirit seems to have fallen off the map, but according to the band's website, they are touring this spring.

32.  Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men*.

"There's an old voice in my head

That's holding me back

Well tell her that I miss our little talks."

Little Talks is another former top song (in 2012) that hasn't fared as well over the years, perhaps influenced by the fact that I didn't much care for any of their songs that followed. I do still enjoy the interplay between the female and male singers though.

33.  Light Me Up by Bronze Radio Return.

"If you’re feeling good

Is all I need to know‘

Cause you light me up

Oh, you light me up."

Another song that I can't really defend lyrically, but is impossible not to bounce to from the first chord to the last (and the little "Alright now" makes me smile every time). Light Me Up was number 13 in 2015.

34.  Shark Smile by Big Thief.

"Ninety miles down the road of a dead end dream

She looked over with a part smile

Caught up in the twinkle, it could take awhile

And the money pile on the dashboard fluttering."

A sad yet funny, tender yet brutal, road song, Shark Smile was my fourth favorite song in 2017.

35.  Sprawl II (Mountains beyond Mountains) by Arcade Fire*.

"They heard me singing and they told me to stop

Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock

Sometimes I wonder if the world's so small

Can we ever get away from the sprawl."

One of two previously unranked songs on this list, Sprawl II was part of Arcade Fire's epic 2010 release The Suburbs. I had only limited exposure to Arcade Fire before "prepping" for Bonnaroo in 2011. Their set at that festival still ranks as the best concert I've ever seen. 

36.  Gold Rush by Death Cab for Cutie*.

"Now that our haunts have taken flight

and been replaced with construction sites

oh, how I feel like a stranger here

searching for something that's disappeared."

Another frequent list occupant ("Black Sun" was number 22 in 2015, "You Are a Tourist" number 12 in 2011), Ben Gibbard's lament to urban renewal was both the antithesis of Sprawl II, number six in 2018, and my favorite Death Cab song of the 2010's.

37.  Pretty Pimpin' by Kurt Vile.

"I woke up this morning

Didn’t recognize the man in the mirror

Then I laughed and I said, 'Oh silly me, that’s just me.'"

If Kurt truly has a disassociation problem, he is the most connected person every to suffer from it. Pretty Pimpin' was Number 7 in 2015, and has done nothing but grow on me since.

38.  Riptide by Vance Joy.

"There's this movie that I think you'll like

This guy decides to quit his job and heads to New York City

This cowboy's running from himself

And she's been living on the highest shelf."

Also a former number one song (in 2014), Riptide has not aged particularly well for me, although as with almost every song on this list, I do recognize it instantly and feel a little jolt of happiness whenever I hear that ukulele start.

39.  Seventeen by Sjowgren.

"If you want a second to breathe

I'll give you all of my love

I'll give you all that you need

Don't worry

I'm not in a hurry

Not going nowhere

I'm not going nowhere, yeah."

A four-time list denizen (twice in 2018, with "High Beam" at number 15 and "better off" at 29, and "Now & Then," 2017's number 13, along with Seventeen, number 5 in 2015), Sjowgren ("Show-grin") remains largely a mystery in terms of composition of the band. I like a little mystery at times ...

40.  Don't You Look Back by Augustines.

"All right
This kiss ain't got no hope

But I'm gonna get it right

This kiss ain't got no hope

You see

We go up then down again

This'll be the end."

While Delta Spirit may or may not be defunct, Augustines certainly are, having called it quits in 2016. They do share something in common with Delta Spirit, however - a band name change. Delta Spirit was once known as The Delta Spirit, while Augustines were originally We Are Augustines. I regret that I never saw them live. Don't You Look Back was my third favorite song of 2014, followed by Nothing to Lose But Your Head (number 23, also in 2014), and This is Your Life (27th on the list in 2016).

41.  Motion Sickness by Phoebe Bridgers.

"I hate you for what you did
And I miss you like a little kid
I faked it every time but that's alright
I can hardly feel anything
I hardly feel anything at all."

You can "Me Too" tweet all you want, but turning a creep's craft on him, with better lyrics than he ever wrote to boot? That is genius. Was my 21st favorite song in 2018, I'm given the opportunity to right that wrong now.

42.  Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man.

"It's time to give a little to the
Kids in the middle, but oh 'til it falls
Won't bother me."

A Grammy winner on my list? I'm nonetheless comforted by: 1. the socialist lyrics (the popularity of the song juxtaposes well with its message); and 2. The Beastie Boys reference. Feel It Still was my eighth favorite song in 2017.

43.  Bondurant Women by The Texas Gentlemen.

"There was a genuine act of celebration
On the corner of the freight train station
And the sweating man gave a benediction
Said you're looking for a giant (?) foundation."

Deserves inclusion based on the video alone. Number five in 2018.

44.  Born in Love by Horse Feathers.

"Some color came from grey

It's gone from worse to good then great

Something realigned

Was it destiny, not fate?"

Another from 2018 (Born in Love was number 10), which trails only 2015 (12) and is tied with 2017 (7) for the most songs from one year on this list. Every list needs at least one pretty love song.

45.  Circadian Rhythm by Silversun Pickups.

"Another night alone, a temporary dream

I came in through your window sleepwalking

Standing arm and arm, still so out of reach...

Well, there's nowhere left to go

Stay with me, stay with me."

Creepy Silversun Pickups, equally as effective as bemused Silversun Pickups (It Doesn't Matter Why, number 24 in 2019) and artsy Silversun Pickups (Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings), number 27 in 2012), Circadian Rhythm was my seventeenth favorite song in 2016.

46.  Quarter-Life Crisis by Judah & The Lion.

"I used to feel so strong, now I feel like a loser

This truth is hard to speak, but I could use the freedom

Oh, I can't do this all alone."

Another from last year's list, Quarter-Life Crisis was at number four. I'm long past the opportunity to have a mid-life crisis let alone a quarter-life one, but understand Judah's angst just the same.

47.  Smart by Girl in a Coma.

"Hold your head up though you’re shaking

I’ve never felt a rush like this, 

not quite like this."

Another defunct band ... maybe it's me? Smart was number six in 2011.

48.  You Go Down Smooth by Lake Street Dive*.

"And I am afraid to need you so

And I am too sober not to know

That you may be my problem, not my love

'Cause you go down smooth."

Do you think I'd pass up the chance to listen to Rachael Price's voice another time (or six or seven)? Of course not.  You Go Down Smooth was my fourth favorite song in 2014.

49.  Crying Wolf by Caleb Hawley.

"You always said you wanted me to be honest
So I made u a promise to tell u the truth
I thought you'd understand so that's why I said it
But now I regret it
Baby what are we gonna do?"

No list of mine would be complete without at least one blue-eyed soul song. Crying Wolf was number 18 in 2015.

50.  basking in the glow by oso oso.

"Cut me up, I've said enough
Learned this lesson far too much
It'll only bring you down
Carrying someone around
In your head, in your head."

The last on the list from 2019 (basking in the glow was number five) and the last ... period.

Stay tuned for the top 25!

Favorite Songs of 2017: Songs 1-11

As another year draws to a close, so too does our list. I hope that you've found some new artists to enjoy (or perhaps avoid) in the coming years. I believe that this year's list is particularly strong, especially at the top.

1.  Old Friends by Pinegrove.

"Walking out in the nighttime springtime

Needling my way home

I saw Leah on the bus a few months ago

Saw some old friends at her funeral.

My steps keep splitting my grief

Through these solipsistic moods

I should call my parents when I think of them

Should tell my friends when I love them."

When I discovered this song nearly a year ago, it immediately went to the top of my list and has stayed there ever since. The lyrics are perfect -- sad and hopeful, smart and simple, contemplative and life-affirming. The language advisory at the start of the video? Completely legitimate.

2.  Die Young by Sylvan Esso.

"I had it all planned that way before you met me

Was gonna leave early and so swiftly

Maybe in a fire or a crash off a ravine

People would weep: 'How tragic, so early.'

I was gonna die young

Now I gotta wait for you, hun."

A lovely, albeit slightly twisted, love song. All credit to my comely spouse for first discovering this song and these artists for me. The original version (from the excellent album "What Now") is fantastic, but the "live" version here is, I believe, even better (and I highly recommend the EP "Echo Mountain Sessions" as well). That voice! That sax!!

3.  Love Is Mystical by Cold War Kids.

"Oh, can't you hear the future is calling

For heaven's sake

It's either hell or high water

Let's get outta this place." 

I'm a graduate of the "you can never go wrong with hand claps and a 'woo hoo hoo' chorus" school of music appreciation. The other half of the dueling Kids on this year's list (joining Middle Kids from the last post).

4.  Shark Smile by Big Thief.

"It came over her at a bad time

Riding through Winona down the dotted line

Held us gunning out

Ninety miles down the road of a dead end dream.

She looked over, with a part smile

Caught up in the twinkle, it could take awhile

And the money pile on the dashboard fluttering."

A beautiful and sad song. Big Thief singer and guitarist Adrianne Lenker described it in a press release as "the story of a car accident in which one dies and one lives. She recalls her lover leading up to the moment of the wreck, wishing she'd been taken into the next realm, too."

5.  Off She Goes by Bad Suns.

"Where, where do you go

When the light leaves your eyes?

And you're just out of reach

Like a tree-bound kite

What's on your mind, as you're staring behind?

And I'm on my own in your arms tonight

Yeah I'm on my own in your arms tonight."

Not the most profound song on this year's list. But maybe the catchiest.

6.  Unforgiving Girl (She's Not A Single Version) by Car Seat Headrest.

"This isn't sex

(I don't think)

It's just extreme empathy."

As you may have guessed from last year's list, I'm a big fan of Car Seat Headrest. The above lyrics may be my favorite couplet (if that term can be applied to three lines) of any song this year. Besides, how can you not like a group whose front man (Will Toledo) looks more like McLovin than Russell Hammond?

7.  a million other things by pronoun.

"but you gotta come home

(come back baby, come back first)

you gotta come home first

(come back baby, even if it hurts)

cuz there's a million other things we could do in the world

there's a million other things we could do in the world."

According to Spotify, the song that I listened to more than any other in 2017. I have to admit, when I went looking for a song to lift my spirits at the end of a long day, or to sing along with on the ride home, it was "a million other things" that, more often than not, I went looking for.

8.  Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man.

"We could fight a war for peace

(Ooh woo, I'm a rebel just for kicks, now)

Give in to that easy living

Goodbye to my hopes and dreams

Start flipping for my enemies

We could wait until the walls come down."

Guessing this is the most played/heard song on this year's list. It was all over playlists/streams/satellite radio this summer. I never got tired of it (although my spouse did).

9.  The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness by The National.

"I thought that this would all work out after a while

Now you're saying that I'm asking for too much attention

Also no other faith is light enough for this place

We said we'd only die of lonely secrets."

Typical brilliance from one of my favorite bands. I love the guitar work on this song.

10.  Never Been Wrong by Waxahatchee.

"I spent all my time learning how to defeat

You at your own game, it's embarrassing.

I walk around like

This is the last strike

I love being right

Especially with you."

Rock lives, thanks in large part over the past year to female-led bands. This ain't your Daddy's Go-Go's. The woman with the pink Fender can play!

11.  Gwan by Rostam.

"And all of these dreams

Keep coming back to me slowly, slowly.

And sometimes I laugh 

When I think about how well you know me

Yeah, you know me."

I like the lyrics (about maturation and friendship, I think), but the instrumentation in this song is what takes me to a quiet, happy place every time I listen.

If you don't want to wait for my list starting in November 2018, feel free to check out the great new music at All Songs Considered, KEXP, or our local community radio station WTSQ. Or you can follow me on Spotify and see if you can figure out what will be on my list next year.