2022: The Year In Music

2022 – Liz Truss acts as UK Prime Minister for just forty-five days. 158 die in a crowd crush in South Korea. Russia wages war in Ukraine. Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch in British history, passes away at the age of ninety-six. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is shot and killed. Roe v Wade is overturned in America, removing constitutional protection for abortion. And Elon Musk bought Twitter. I forgot how rough this year was for news … so let’s hope the music can pick us back up!

I’ll be looking at the popular and highest-rated songs / albums of the year, giving my opinions on their musicality and longevity as well as an overall verdict for the year as a whole.

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

2021: The Year In Music

2010: The Year In Music

1984: The Year In Music

1969: The Year In Music

Billboard Top 10 (Popular) Singles

Source: Wikipedia

10 – Cold Heart [Pnau Remix] (Elton John & Dua Lipa)

An odd, standard remix of an Elton John classic. Oh, and Dua Lipa does some vocals.

I can see why it was a hit, since there was so much star-power behind it, but I hate when people lazily remix songs like this. It’s good for clubbing but it doesn’t stand up as a piece of music.

9 – Super Gremlin (Kodak Black)

Probably the worst title to a song I’ve ever read. The music itself doesn’t fare much better.

It gets off to a bad start with the high-pitched vocals, and then the Trap beat does nothing for me.

8 – Ghost (Justin Bieber)

I must be living under a rock. This song has over 2 billion streams and I’ve never heard it.

“Ghost” is unbelievably boring. The production and songwriting are incredibly stale.

7 – Big Energy (Latto)

The best part about “Big Energy” is the “Genius Of Love” sample, because it reminds me of a much better song.

6 – First Class (Jack Harlow)

I never understood Jack Harlow’s hype. His lazed delivery doesn’t do it for me, and songs like “First Class” have no substance whatsoever.

5 – Shivers (Ed Sheeran)

An oddly nostalgic Ed Sheeran song – it sounds like a song he’d write in the 2010’s.

“Shivers” isn’t one of my favourite Sheeran songs, but it’s fairly catchy.

4 – Easy on Me (Adele)

One of the most boring Adele songs. Her vocals are good but that’s the only noteworthy thing about it.

3 – Stay (The Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber)

This is the kind of fun modern Pop I can get behind.

“Stay” has a solid chorus hook and some nice synths. I can’t ask for much more.

2 – As It Was (Harry Styles)

I remember the really simple riff giving me a headache back in 2022. In hindsight, “As It Was” is catchy but nothing special.

1 – Heat Waves (Glass Animals)

“Heat Waves” is so far above the competition it hurts.

It’s more than just catchy – it’s been stuck in my head since 2022. I must have heard this chill synth track a hundred times and I’m not yet bored of it.

FAVOURITE – “Heat Waves” (Glass Animals)

LEAST FAVOURITE – “Super Gremlin” (Kodak Black)

Top-Rated Songs

Source: http://www.besteveralbums.com

10 – The Dripping Tap (King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard)

“The Dripping Tap”, like a lot of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard songs, isn’t available on Spotify. It’s been a while since that’s happened during my retrospectives.

These guys make for such an extraordinary band. They release 18-minute songs as singles, they release albums so often, and the musical quality and experimentation is at such a high level.

For this song in particular, they fuse a lot of Rock and Soul into their Psychedelic sound.

9 – Surround Sound (J.I.D feat. 21 Savage & Baby Tate)

I think the gorgeous sample at the start got my hopes up too high for this one.

There’s some good rapping on “Surround Sound”, but I was expecting a more melodic song.

8 – Snow Globes (Black Country, New Road)

“Snow Globes” is unfortunately tucked in between two of the greatest songs of the decade, but it’s still incredible.

It has enough gravitas to be an album closer. It builds slowly and devolves into glorious chaos by the end.

7 – Father Time (Kendrick Lamar feat. Sampha)

I love the subtle piano in “Father Time”. Kendrick’s lyrics are as profound as ever, and the production has a softness to it which lulls you in.

6 – United In Grief (Kendrick Lamar)

The opening track to “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” sets a different tone than other Kendrick albums.

There’s a ferocious drumbeat in “United In Grief” and Kendrick has an amazing flow, yet there’s still a downbeat, morose tone to the track. It’s a tonal whiplash I can get behind.

5 – Simulation Swarm (Big Thief)

A very laid-back song with a lovely acoustic guitar riff. “Simulation Swarm”, however, doesn’t excite me nearly as much as the other songs in this top ten.

4 – Concorde (Black Country, New Road)

“Concorde” is a bit of a slower-paced song than the rest of “Ants From Up There”, which gives Isaac Wood a chance to shine on vocals.

He brings incredible emotion with his voice, and the backing band do such a good job propping him up.

3 – Mother I Sober (Kendrick Lamar feat. Beth Gibbons)

My god. I was not expecting “Mother I Sober” to hit as hard as it did.

It’s softly-spoken and intensely profound, with an amazing feature from Portishead’s Beth Gibbons. The lyrics are more personal than I’ve ever heard from Kendrick – it feels like he built the entire album around this.

2 – Basketball Shoes (Black Country, New Road)

After the climactic track “Snow Globes”, I was surprised there was another song to go on the album.

The first half is unbelievably gorgeous, and the second half is a dichotomy of euphoria and emptiness. It’s a masterclass in how to make a 12-minute song engaging and unforgettable.

1 – The Place Where He Inserted The Blade (Black Country, New Road)

This is such a magical, theatrical song.

“The Place Where He Inserted The Blade” is about relationship trauma and betrayal, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard an artist sound so hurt. This song had me hooked across the whole seven minutes and I never wanted it to stop.

This is one of those songs which is perfect. Perfect lyrics and vocals, perfect structure and storytelling, and the instrumentation is flawless. A true highlight in this decade of music.

BEST SONG OF 2022 – “Basketball Shoes” (Black Country, New Road)

I had to flip an imaginary coin between this and “The Place Where He Inserted The Blade” to decide it. All I know for sure is that Black Country, New Road truly dominated this year.

Top-Rated Albums

Source: http://www.besteveralbums.com

5 – Hellfire (black midi)

“Schlagenheim” was a good taster of black midi’s weirdness, but “Hellfire” is when they truly hit their stride.

Every song is so dense with lyrics and musical experimentation. “Welcome to Hell” is my favourite black midi song with its harsh themes and riffs, and songs like “Sugar/Tzu” are glimpses of what Geordie Greep would go on to write in his solo career.

4 – Blue Rev (Alvvays)

Yeah … I don’t think I’m a fan of Alvvays’s style. They appeared in one of the previous yearly retrospectives and I don’t remember being wowed by them then either.

Every song has this muddy, choked production which drowns the song in noise. Some Shoegaze bands strike a right balance but this doesn’t do it for me.

3 – Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (Kendrick Lamar)

I’m going to call it now – Kendrick is the GOAT rapper. I’ve listened to all of his albums up to “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” for the sake of these retrospectives and they’ve all really impressed me.

It’s a double album and it never dips in quality. Even the slower tracks like the interludes and “Crown” have their place, but highlights like “United In Grief”, “N95” and “Mother I Sober” are some of Kendrick’s best works to date.

As an added bonus, they even include the song “The Heart Part 5” in the digital version. That’s one of my favourite Rap songs of all time.

2 – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You (Big Thief)

Big Thief make some really intelligent, beautiful music. Unfortunately, this kind of stripped-back and simple Country music just isn’t my thing.

I can appreciate the craftsmanship, however.

1 – Ants From Up There (Black Country, New Road)

I’d heard many great things about “Ants From Up There” since its release in 2022, but believe it or not I hadn’t heard a single song from it until now.

Wow. Every song was fantastic. Every. Song. It’s so rare for an album to be such an amazing representation of what music can be. Every member of the band does an exceptional job, but Isaac Wood’s lyrics and vocals are extraordinary.

It may be a while until we see any “Best Albums Of The 2020’s” lists, but you can be sure “Ants From Up There” will be fighting for the top spot.

BEST ALBUM OF 2022 – “Ants From Up There” (Black Country, New Road)

Final Thoughts

The hits were rough but I really enjoyed (most of) the high-rated songs and albums. On the whole, a pretty good year for music.

Overall Grade: B

Aaaand that’s my list! If you liked this post and want to support me, please consider giving me a one-time donation. Even a few pence (or whatever currency you use) is fantastic! I’ve never monetized this blog before, but it would be great if I could do this comfortably and not have to worry about the yearly website domain costs. Thank you so much!