Earworms & Song Loops’ 100 Best Songs of 2022 — Part 3 (51-75)

Orchestral Pop, Power-Pop, Punk-Pop, Alt-Pop, Soda Pop and Popping Paper (the last two should be musical subgenres)

Photo by Callum Blacoe on Unsplash

This 100 best songs project has become something akin to going to your favorite ice-cream parlor and attempting to taste 100 different flavors in four weeks in four weekly visits. Even if I only taste 25 flavors in a visit, by the time week 3 arrives, I’m eyeball deep in lactose intolerance.

That makes it all sound far more flatulent than I intend. I do love sharing the music that I love, but the sonic buffet seems to go on and on and everything looks and sounds amazing but I’m so full and all I want is a nap.

But no napping until I get through songs 51-75!

This mix should be fun and get your head a-boppin’, with tunes leaning in the poppy (the subtitle should have given that away), the melodic, the sweet, the loud (but not too loud) and the rollicking.

Drugdealer — Madison

With a name like Drugdealer, you wouldn’t expect the music to sound like Aja-era Steely Dan. But that’s what you get with Hiding in Plain Sight, Drugdealer’s smooth as silk 2022 album of late-70s soft rock magic. “Madison,” my favorite on the album, has a bit of a Boz Scaggs-vibe with a touch of Elvis Costello’s “Alison.” If the songs weren’t filled with hooks galore, it would fall flat and seem schticky. As a lover of yacht-rock, this is manna from heaven to me. And hopefully you too.

C Duncan — Bell Toll

C Duncan is a Scottish composer and song-writer who is more known for writing soundtracks for European TV shows. Alluvium is his 4th album of lush, orchestral pop. I get a bit of Sufjan Stevens but with a slightly more cinematic vibe. There are lots of layers going on in his songs, with super intriguing chordal shifts that reward repeated listens.

TOPS - Waiting

TOPS continues with the lush, clean, sophistipop vibe of the previous two tracks. “Waiting” shows this Montreal-based quartet in a more wistful mood, as is their entire Empty Seats EP.

Miles Kane — Tears Are Falling

Miles Kane somehow was new to me in 2022, though he’s been recording the sort of snarky power-pop songs that are right in the center of my wheelhouse since 2011. Kane gives his Brit-Pop a little more Soul touch than other artists, which can be heard on his 2022 album Change the Show. Album opener “Tears Are Falling” sounds like a lost T-Rex track, with Kane channeling his inner Marc Bolan. The entire albums is solid, with lots of memorable melodies and gorgeous harmonies.

Young Guv — Couldn’t Leave U If I Tried

Young Guv was a fantastic discovery for me in 2022. “Couldn’t Leave You if I Tried” sounds like The Byrds by way of The La’s. It’s filled with jangly choruses and layered vocals that sound like a soul balm. It’s hard to be depressed and listen to this. It’s quite possible the most perfect pop song in many a year.

Metronomy — It’s Good To Be Back

Metronomy is another band with a long track record that for some reason I’m only just now discovering. Their earlier work (9 albums since 2006) is supposedly less bouncy and bright than Small World, their latest release. Whatever it all sounds like, I can tell this may become a favorite band. I’ve got some catching up to do.

The Wombats — Everything I Love is Going to Die

The Wombats aren’t known for their Buddhist-leaning lyrical content. Their radio-friendly Brit-Pop has not been critically lauded but I really like them. With a song titled “Everything I Love Is Going To Die,” it sounds quite zen, but the next line in the song is “…So baby keep your big mouth shut and stop wasting my time.” So a bit of a mixed-message. But it’s got a beat you can dance to and that is often good enough in my book.

Brendan Benson — I Missed the Plane

Co-leader of The Raconteurs along with Jack White, Michigan-native Brendan Benson has put out eight excellent solo albums. The latest, Low Key, is another tight collection of perfectly constructed rock-pop. “I Missed the Plane” has a mid-70s classic rock vibe that feels like the perfect summer soundtrack (that was released in the winter).

Tony Molina — Leave This Town

Tony Molina is a master at writing the epic pop-song and never breaking the 2-minute mold. In The Fade, his latest, is 14 perfect songs in 18 perfect minutes. As a man of short stature, I was always told that the best things come in small packages. Tony Molina proves this to be true.

Dazy — Split

Dazy, similar to Tony Molina, is a 1-man band who crafts indelible, reverb-heavy pop songs that rarely break 120 seconds. Dazy’s 2022 album, Out of Body, is filled with pound your fist in the air anthemic tunes that deserve a much wider audience.

Extra Arms — Fun Guy

I discovered Extra Arms on a power-pop website (sweetsweetmusicblog.com) that features the best new songs of the genre. Lots of great power-pop artists and bands to discover and enjoy, but Extra Arms was my favorite, with a harder edged sound than some of the more bubble gummy bands.

Cheap Star (feat Matthew Caws) — Flower Girl

I feel like I discovered Cheap Star on that same Power Pop website where I learned of Extra Arms. But maybe not. Either way, “Flower Girl” is another confection of perfection. Lovely group singing with gorgeous harmonies that is impossible to not bop your head to.

Ball Park Music — Pleb Rock

Ball Park Music is an Australian rock-pop band that continues the run of edge-free alt-rock pop. BPM seem like the sort of young folks who would be lovely to have a beer (or a soda pop) with on a sunny day.

The Beths — Knees Deep

I already fawned over The Beths and their song “Expert in a Dying Field” a few weeks ago, so I’ll pick a different song here. Again, this great band from New Zealand has that perfect blend of nostalgic pop mixed with catchy pop. And it’s a fun video too. Though I would never do bridge jumping if you paid me 10,000 dollars.

The Linda Lindas — Remember

The Linda Lindas were all the rage several months into the pandemic, with the quartet of mixed-race Junior/High School girls posting Youtube videos showing off their Ramonesian punk-rock chops at live concerts at school libraries. Now, in 2022, their debut album has dropped and it’s chock full of catchy, energetic tunes that reward repeated listens. I love all the songs but I especially love the drum breaks in “Remember” and its catchy chorus.

Wet Leg — Being in Love

The only band to have a bigger hip-factor than the Linda Lindas in 2022 has got to be Wet Leg. “Chaise Longue” was omni-present on all the online new-music sites and YouTube especially. Their self-titled debut proved they were more than just one-song hipsters. There’s the minimalist vibe of “Chaise…” and album opener “Being in Love,” but other songs widen their sound quite a bit, with touches of new wave, surf rock, and “Wet Dream” has a definite Yeah Yeah Yeahs vibe going.

Ex-Vöid — Boyfriend

From the ashes of indie-darlings Joanna Gruesome comes Ex-Vöid, a 90s-vibing alt-rock band with male-female vocals, jangly guitars and hooks galore.

Alvvays — After the Earthquake

Alvvays latest album Blue Rev is all over the best-of-2022 lists in the music mags. I tend to avoid the songs/albums that are getting plenty of press, but in this case, it’s more than warranted.

PLOSIVS — Thrown Clear

I shouldn’t be surprised no one has heard of PLOSIVS (at least no one I know — and haven’t seen them on any best-of lists) but I am. PLOSIVS is a bit of an indie-indie supergroup, with Rob Crow (Pinback), Jon Reis (Hot Snakes, Rocket From the Crypt), Atom Willard (Against Me), and Jordan Clark (Mrs. Magician). It’s punk rock with a unique angular edge. I’ve always loved Rob Crow’s vocals so this hopefully-more-than-a-one-off band is super exciting for me.

The Clockworks — Advertise Me

Love Clockworks. I had them in my 2021 playlist as well. This Liverpoolian punk band tackles a lot of the political issues of the day, both local to England and around the world, with smart lyrics and insistent music that builds and builds in intensity on most every song. Still waiting for a full album, but I’ll take the singles the keep releasing. “Advertise Me” is a great anthem.

Lipstereo — Little Spaceships

Of course Lipstereo is Australian. It seems that a large majority of my favorite new band discoveries this year have come from down under. No full albums yet, but if their 4-song EP Modern Mythology is a sample from what’s coming, 2023 could be their year. They have a bit of that early aughts Arctic Monkeys/Strokes vibe.

The Rills — Spit Me Out

The Rills actually sound more like Arctic Monkeys than Lipstereo. I do have a soft-spot for those angular guitars and heavily accented vocals. As will be clear in my next pick below.

Fontaines D.C. — Jackie Down the Line

Fontaines D.C. seem to have made great inroads into building a true international presence in the rock scene. It’s a great sign for the future of rock and roll if Fontaines D.C. become the new standard. This live version on Jimmy Fallon is great, and their entire album Skinty Fa is amazing.

Yard Act — The Overload

Yard Act continue this list with more brash, accented, politically-minded songs. These lads are from Leeds and released their debut album The Overload in January of 2022. The albums has been winning all sorts of awards and making noise in the UK charts. I can see why.

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets — Acid Dent

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets are a more accessible version (read, less genre hopping) of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Both bands are Australian, both push the boundaries of psychedelic rock and both put out great albums in 2022. KG&LW get enough attention so I’m going with the PPCs.

Phew! We did it!

---

Like I tell myself when writing these lists, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. I know that’s a lot of new music there. But hopefully you’ll get a bit of a break in your last week of 2022 and can spend some time playing a few of these essential cuts!

As always, I’d love to know what you think/thought of any of these tracks, and what songs were your favorites in 2022?