I am kind of pleased that 25 of the 101 songs in my 2022 Spotify Wrapped most-played list came out within the past three years — 73 in the past decade. Thirteen of them came out this year. Between 1969 and 2022, only the years 1973, 1975-1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1987, 1989-1990, 1992-1994, 2002, 2006, and 2011 are not represented.
I’m kind of a rabbithole guy, thanks to my ADHD. It means that I get obsessed with something almost as quickly as I get interested in it. That’s probably why there are four Badfinger songs in my playlist and multiples by White Denim, Courtney Barnett, Daniel Romano, Wet Leg, Karkwa, Queens Of The Stone Age, Kelley Stoltz, Alt-J, Neutral Milk Hotel, R.E.M., Arthur Russell, Eamon McGrath and Silver Synthetic.
There’s a good reason why my own band, Area Resident, tops my list for artist with the most plays — I had to learn the lyrics for my first gig in nearly three years. Also, I put out two albums and three singles this year.
My most-played song of 2022 was So Busted by Culture Abuse. It’s a deep cut from the Suicide Squad soundtrack from 2021, originally released as a single in 2017. It ended up in my list via Spotify “radio.” The band are no longer together, after lead singer Dave Kelling was accused of sexual misconduct.
Apart from my own stuff, the most popular 2022 song on my list was Hiroshima (12) by Eamon McGrath. His album Bells Of Hope is stunning, and he has two songs on my list — Sarajevo (22) is the other one.
Next up among my favourite 2022 songs are two off the debut Wet Leg album, Wet Dream — Too Late Now (57) and Wet Dream (94). Next was the song U&ME (76), from the latest Alt-J album The Dream. Then it’s a song from the excellent Locked Down and Stripped Back Volume 2 album by The Wedding Present. I played the hell out of the single version of We Interrupt Our Programme (90). Not far behind is the fantastic The Start Of Something (92) by VoxTrot’s Early Music, a 2022 compilation of their first two EPs from 2005 and 2006. So it’s not really new, but so what.
The rest of my Top 5 shake down like this: Never Going Home (2) by Hazel English. The Australian-born Eleisha Caripis lives in California. This is a perfect pop song. I’ve sung it in the car dozens & dozens of times. Another Aussie comes in at No. 3 — City Looks Pretty by Courtney Barnett, from her 2018 album Tell Me How You Feel. She’s just brilliant. I love her songs, I love her narratives, her hooks, her humour … She’s the whole package. She’s got at least two songs on my list.
Next is an odd one: On The Lips (4) by JD McPherson. I couldn’t really find anything else of his I liked, even though I absolutely love this one. Most of the Oklahoma singer-songwriter-guitarist’s music can best be described as rockabilly. But not this one.
Finally, filling out the Top 5 are Silver Synthetic, another band whose discography isn’t one I love, even though two of their 2021 songs made it on to my 2022 list — In The Beginning (5) and Chasm Killer (9). This one reminds me of Velvet Underground and Night Moves. The New Orleans band are on Jack White’s cool Third Man Records.
I’m always afraid women will be under-represented on my playlists, but they make up a quarter of the artists, which is at least approaching respectable.
Finally, there’s some 2022 stuff missing from my playlist which I play at home more often than on Spotify — Jim Bryson’s quiet and cool Country Wifi album, Warm Chris by Aldous Harding, Stay In Touch by Georgia Harmer, Sewn Back Together by Ombigizi, Pish Posh by Church Of Trees, Love Oblast by Blinker The Star, Michael Rault by Michael Rault, Jose Louis and the Paradox of Love by Pierre Kwenders, Harry’s House by Harry Styles, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief, Content To Point The Way by Daniel Romano’s Outfit, Blue Rev by Alvvays, and Asphalt Meadows by Death Cab For Cutie.
There also were some doozie re-issues — obviously the remixed Pink Floyd Animals box set, and The Beatles’ Revolver, but I also enjoyed R.E.M.’s Chronic Town picture disc, the MOFI edition of ELO’s Eldorado, Alabama Shakes’ first album, Blue Highlights by Joni Mitchell for Record Store Day, Tom Waits’ Blood Money, Louis-Jean Cormier’s debut album La Treizième Étage, Into The Void by Dr. Dog, Artifacts by Beirut, Prince’s 1999, Wild Life by Wings, What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye, Vague Premonition “Extra” by Elevator Through, Regimental Sgt. Zippo by Elton John and the mono remaster of Piper At The Gates Of Dawn by Pink Floyd.
I bought a lot of records this year.
Top Albums of 2022 (in no particular order)
Bells Of Hope — Eamon McGrath
Wet Dream — Wet Leg
Love Oblast — Blinker The Star
Country Wifi — Jim Bryson
The Dream — Alt-J
Locked Down and Stripped Back Volume 2 — The Wedding Present
Warm Chris — Aldous Harding
Stay In Touch — Georgia Harmer
Sewn Back Together — Ombigizi
Jose Louis and the Paradox of Love — Pierre Kwenders
Harry’s House — Harry Styles
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You — Big Thief
Blue Rev — Alvvays
Asphalt Meadows — Death Cab For Cutie
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Area Resident is an Ottawa-based journalist, recording artist, music collector and re-seller. Hear (and buy) his music on Bandcamp, email him HERE, follow him on Instagram and check him out on Discogs.
