This year I have resolved to populate this website with more content at shorter intervals. What better time to start than now. I am going to start the year with a series of blog posts looking back at 2022. For this post, I will don the mask of a music blogger.
Year in Review Part I: Music
One of my favorite year end traditions is reading the lists and reviews that get published in the slow days leading up to December 31. In my misspent youth, Pitchfork’s best albums of the year was a must read for all the cool things I didn’t listen to. Quickly glancing through this year’s iteration confirms that I still don’t keep up with the cool stuff. Dang.
That doesn’t mean I didn’t listen to music this year though, here are five of my favorite tunes, in no particular order, from the year that was: 2022.
K.Flay – I’m Afraid of the Internet
I’ve enjoyed K.Flay’s unique vocal timbre and rhythm for a while now and she consistently puts out interesting and catchy stuff. She started her music journey making parody rap songs which explains why her music is supa hot fire.1See e.g. grammy nominated “Blood in the Cut” Like a lot of her music, “I’m Afraid of the Internet” wraps serious themes in a pop sensibility. The breadth of internet discourse travelled in this three minute pop song is impressive. Anonymity, porn, technological determinism, privacy, dick pics, rabbit holes, celebrity deaths and the global village, animal memes, slacktivism, depression: this song crunches it all up in between cheery ba-ba-da-ba’s.
Emmit Fenn & Mindchatter – Hips
I really can’t get enough of Mindchatter.2See e.g. “Human Shape”, also released this year. For whatever reason it seems like if he wrote it, I’ll move to it. He’s got an idiosyncratic voice which I grant, might not be for everybody, but I dare you not to dance. I filled up a lot of Microsoft Word pages bobbing my head to this song in 2022 and (hopefully) will do the same this year. They say hips don’t lie, and mine do the George Washington to this one.
Phantoms, Jem Cooke – Only You
I listen to this song on Spotify and only just now looked it up on YouTube. How does this not have more views. I agree with one of the (only!) ten comments that “This is such a beautiful track…Wish it reached more people”. It’s another fun, likeable pop song from Phatoms3See also “Need You Closer” and a track I listened to on repeat this year.
DRAMA – 3AM
You might be getting the sense that I like danceable pop songs, and you’d be right! If you didn’t think reading Harold Innis could be more enjoyable, try listening to some 2022 disco at the same time! Hit you with that one-two, ooh!
Jamie xx – KILL DEM
Hey, more dance music! This one has a loopy-tune vocal and it works so well. My brain keeps hearing “commerce and chill” throughout the song instead of the actual lyric which could be a buzzkill but I’m not listening to this song for the lyrics. I’m listening for the vibes and Jamie xx has been in the circle of trust ever since he introduced me to Ruff Sqwad – Your Love Feels. Here’s hoping 2023 has more Jamie xx vibes.
Alright! There it is, five 2022 songs for your listening pleasure. I’ll be back to list out other stuff! Until then folks!