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 2019 - Songs 12-22

On we roll with the list, which features rockers old and new.

12.  Groceries by Mallrat.

"And if you wanna get groceries
And if you wanna get close to me
Just gimme some, gimme some, gimme some sign
I think that we're supposed to be."

Mallrat is one Grace Kathleen Elizabeth Shaw, an Australian musician (and rapper according to Wikipedia). Will her love be unrequited? Perhaps we'll find out on her next album.

13.  Old Black Magic by Josh Ritter.

"I can't sleep for crying
I cry all the time
Everybody's got an angel
I got mine
Wings of a crow
Overshadowin'
I got that old black magic rolling in."

One of my favorite artists backed by The 400 Unit and produced by Jason Isbell (who, I'm guessing, plays lead on the studio version)? Oh heck yes.  The studio version is here:

14.  Western Stars by Bruce Springsteen.

"Here in the canyons above Sunset, the desert don't give up the fight
A coyote with someone’s Chihuahua in its teeth skitters 'cross my veranda in the night.
Some lost sheep from Oklahoma sips her Mojito down at the Whiskey Bar
Smiles and says she thinks she remembers me from that commercial with the credit card."

In addition to the many fine covers of The Boss this year, we also had the good fortune to listen to his 19th album. This song seems to be from the perspective of an aging actor in Westerns -- for which there doesn't seem to be much call these days. Far from a coincidence that it comes from Springsteen in his 70th year of life.

15.  Mercury in Retrograde by Sturgill Simpson.

"Mercury must be in retrograde again
But at least it's not just hangin' around, pretendin' to be my friend
Oh, the road to Hell is paved with cruel intention
If it's not nuclear war, it's gonna be a divine intervention."

Mercury is truly (but of course, "truly" being a relative term since it only appears that way to us) in retrograde this year, but that's not what our friend Sturgill is singing about. This is actually one of the quieter songs on what is a rather pronounced turn to the loud for Simpson. Check out "Sing Along" and "Last Man Standing" to see what I mean.

16.  everybody knows by pronoun.

“I've been trying to make some sense of things
I know deep down don't make any at all
And the things I thought would build me up
One-eighty'd now and make me feel so small.”

Much like another list favorite, Sjowgren, pronoun would dribble out a few songs a year for us. Until 2019, when Alyse Vellturo graced us with her first album “i’ll show you stronger.” And what a treat it was. I recommend to you “stay” and “wrong” on the album as well - but this is my favorite.

17.  Left Alone by Houses.

"I wake up dreaming everyday
It's just like living but it doesn't feel the same
'Cause the sky up above me starts falling down on me
Like a shovel full of graveyard dirt."

Houses' "Fast Talk" was high on my list last year. I like this song almost as much ...

18.  Forever Half Mast by Lucy Dacus.

"We're in a state of disarray, united by our darkest days
Aching from the growing pains, they always say it's just a phase
America, the tried and true, red and white and black and blue
Tell me, who did this to you? If it was me I hardly knew."

Last year's list queen, Ms. Dacus spent this one rolling out one song at a time in celebration of various holidays (including Bruce Springsteen's birthday). This was her take on the Fourth of July, which expresses the ambivalence a lot of us are feeling these days toward the country that we love. A friend described Lucy as a "teacher's pet" for me. Absolutely accurate.

19.  Heavy Like the World by Guided by Voices. 

"It's a lonely world I've heard
I might have the knot pull through
It's so difficult to do
I might have to get one too."

When I first heard this song, I was convinced it was a certain aging but far from over-the-hill alternative rocker -- Bob Mould of Husker Du, Sugar, et al. fame. Then I learned that Guided by Voices are actually contemporaries of Mould, and are from of all places, practically our backyard -- Dayton, Ohio. I'm ashamed to admit I hadn't heard of them until a few months ago.

20.  Dope Queen Blues by Adia Victoria. 

"It's a culmination
Of my ruination
We are lost
In vain."

The subject matter is a little lost on me, but the vocals aren't. And then the sax kicks in ... Ms. Victoria's album was produced by Aaron Dressner of The National, which certainly isn't a negative (in my book) either.

21.  Moderation by Florence + The Machine. 

"Can't hold it back, I can't take the tension
Oh, I'm trying to be good
Want me to love you in moderation
Well don't you know, I wish I could."

Given the way she puts her soul into every song, it's easy to believe that moderation is not in Florence Welch's playbook.

22.  High Highs, Low Lows by Stephen Kellogg. 

"But most of your critique
Doesn't sound that much like me.
But I wonder if it sounds
A bit like you."

The second artist on this year's list that I heard at a most excellent Mountain Stage. C thinks it sounds like a Lyle Lovett song. High praise in my book.

Favorite Songs of 2012 - Songs 1-10

1. 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.
Soon it will be over and buried with our past.
We used to play outside when we were young, and full of life, and full of love."

As with 2011's Number 1, Little Talks is one of the first "new" songs I heard in 2012, and it remained my favorite all year. Horns, interplay between male and female voices, and a bunch of folks yelling "Hey!" - what's not to like?

2. It's Time by Imagine Dragons.

"So this is what you meant.
When you said that you were spent.
And now it's time to build from the bottom of the pit
Right to the top.
Don't hold back."

The lyrics seemed especially fitting on New Years' Eve, facing an abyss and the promise of a new year at the same time.

3. Some Nights by fun..

"But I still wake up; I still see your ghost.
Oh Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for most;
Oh, what do I stand for? What do I stand for?
Most nights, I don't know. Anymore."

Love the harmonies, but love the rat-a-tat-tat snare drum even more.

4. Trojans by Atlas Genius.

"Take it off; take it in.
Take off all the thoughts of what we've been.
Take a look; hesitate.
Take a picture you could never recreate."

A song about love lost, but not forgotten.

5. Ho Hey by The Lumineers.

"So show me family.
All the blood that I will bleed.
I don't know where I belong.
I don't know where I went wrong.
But I can write a song . . ."

Heard it a lot. Still not tired of it.

6. Money Saves by Delta Spirit.

"They all said what you had, you let it go.
Like managing a hurricane, let it blow.
With your money save, your money save.
Well I alone yes I alone with you."

Not very fond of the new album as a whole, but think this song is great. The video is just a teaser, not the whole song.

7. The Myth of Youth by Geographer.

"Everything was simpler then.
Nothing gained, no one losing.
We held the future in our hands.
Now we've got nothing but the present."

A lovely song, not of love lost, as much as love just slipping away. Not an authorized video, but it is on YouTube.

8. Gimme Twice by The Royal Concept.

"Oh one thing that's in mind is that The Strokes's in town;
You'd rather sip through all your fancy wine
Then come alive once more.
Oh but this time I decide."

They do sound a little like The Strokes, but more like another previous list-topping group. Can you guess who?

9. Shackled and Drawn by Bruce Springsteen.

"Gambling man rolls the dice, working man pays the bills.
Still fat and easy up on bankers' hill.
Up on bankers' hill the party's goin' strong.
Down here below we're shackled and drawn."

My favorite song from The Boss's excellent latest album. Another video from a concertgoer.

10. East Harlem by Beirut.

"Sound is the color I know, oh,
Sound is what keeps me looking (for your eyes).
And the sound of your breath in the door,
And, oh, the sound will bring me home (again)."

Is that a flugelhorn I hear?