Matt’s Favorite Songs of 2022

Another year: gone. See ya, 2022! Hello to 2023! And, with the change of calendar? How about another look back? That’s right, it’s time for the yearly check on the last twelve months of music. Today, the list of My 30 Favorite Songs of 2022. I appreciate that you’ve clicked on this list, and I hope you’ll find something good here.

(Someday, I might finish writing my Favorite Albums of 2021 blog post. Who knows. And then maybe a Favorite Albums of 2022 list? That’d be crazy. Life was crazy this year.)

Broadly, 2022 was more of late-year 2021: a feeling of dread and uncertainty, balanced out by jubilation and togetherness. More pandemic woes, more virus variant anxiety, more sickness, more fear and risk (for a second straight year, please consider getting a Covid vaccine).

Specifically, though? My life went for a couple different loops.

I was sick during a few stretches of the year. At first it was an unknown cold (apparently not Covid, per a bunch of testing). Then, midyear, Covid finally caught me. I don’t recommend it! My Covid was paired with a couple follow-up infections, a seemingly-unending series of headaches, coughing, congestion, and general discomfort.

The big highlight (“highlight,” ugh), a gallbladder infection. At first, the problem presented as food poisoning or a stomach bug, albeit an extra-long battle to keep food down. Eventually, I had searing pain and made a trip to the hospital. That led to emergency gallbladder removal, and a month-plus of recovery. To echo the Covid note: I don’t recommend having severe gallbladder problems!

I’m very thankful that I’ve recovered from the respiratory illnesses, and the abdominal distress. I’m also grateful that the timing wasn’t too bad.

Because, reader: 2022 was the best live music year of my life. Momentum from 2021 carried over into an outrageous run of 2022 concerts. I went to 37 different shows or festivals, and saw nearly 100 different artists. 

I went to LA for the first time, and indulged in some mid-00s indie nostalgia at the Just Like Heaven festival. I visited Chicago, and soaked up the Pitchfork Music Fest. I made a bucket-list trip to Red Rocks, for a mind-melting show by The National. I caught Pavement, Fleet Foxes, and AFI. I saw Spoon three different times in a single calendar year. I saw Paul Freaking McCarney. A Beatle!

Live music is the best. I love the energy, the spontaneity, the togetherness and shared energy of an audience. I love the feeling of being in-the-moment. I love finding a new song to treasure, or a new band to adore.

I didn’t only find great music at concerts, though. 2022 was overfilled by fantastic new songs, albums, records, EPs, and music videos. I binged new classics from old favorites. I learned about bonkers new guitar players. I got hyped over huge new pop tracks, and I loved hearing underground emo bands blossom. It was overwhelming, and utterly joyful.

My 30 Favorite Songs are listed below. Like in years past: I’m sharing my favorites, not some judgment on best. I don’t know if there’s a best song, and my pick for best is probably different from yours. I think the 2022 Fluxblog Survey List is the right place for across-the-board coverage of 2022 (that, courtesy of Matthew Perpetua).

For each pick on my list, two sections. First: I try to explain why I liked (or loved) the song. Second: some thoughts on why you might enjoy the music. There’s a link-out to the YouTube version of each song (if you click on the title). And for completeness, I put the Spotify playlist of the entire list right below this introduction.

I hope you’ll find something good here. Thanks for reading. Take care of yourself, and take care of the people around you.

(Arbitrary list rule: one song per artist. Because reasons.)

30. “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” by Taylor Swift

Why I Like It: I like the drums (or drum machines, or whatever’s doing the rhythm), the National-approximation in pop form. I like the way Taylor Swift stretches that “ooooo” in the pre-chorus. I like the idea of “memories [that] feel like weapons.”

Why You Might Like It: You’re wary of privatization, and that carries over to your popstar preferences. That is to say: you like it better when Taylor Swift songs are National-ized.

10 Years Later: St. Vincent in Columbus, May 8, 2012

Ten years ago yesterday, my musical and cultural life got a massive jolt: I saw St. Vincent for the first time, and witnessed a singular performance of an incredible track. Measured by visceral impact, the live version of the non-album single “Krokodil” is among the most important songs I’ve heard. A big burden, and this song shoulders the load.

I moved to Columbus in 2011, from rural Upstate NY. In New York, my hometown has two (2) traffic lights, and I can literally hear cows mooing in the morning. This part of New York is quiet, secluded, and a half-hour drive to the nearest Walmart or movie theater. Columbus? It’s Ohio’s capital, one of the fifteen largest cities in the United States. Columbus is full of highways and distinct neighborhoods and sports venues and restaurants and festivals. Columbus is a real, sizable place even if you ignore the supermassive university in town.

The cultural change and the population base afforded me access to a regular live music scene. This was a first in my life: bands would actually come to play in the place where I lived! I didn’t have to drive hours away! Unthinkable!

One of my earliest Columbus shows came on May 8, 2012. The concert was at the Newport Music Hall, a 1,700-cap, well-worn rock club on High Street. Shearwater opened the night, and Jonathan Meiburg’s band filled the space with their beautiful, dramatic indie rock. “The Snow Leopard” is a real showstopper; I love the balance between hypnotic piano, pounding drums, and Meiburg’s beautiful voice. I recommend Shearwater to anybody. They put on a great show.

Then came the headliner: St. Vincent.

Recap and Thoughts from the 2017 Women’s Frozen Four

This March marks the five-year anniversary of the 2017 NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey Championship. The Clarkson Golden Knights, the number two seed in the tournament, hosted and won their first-round match against ECAC rival Cornell. Then, Clarkson traveled to St. Charles, Missouri, to play in the 2017 Frozen Four. The Golden Knights emerged victorious, beating two WCHA powers en route to the team’s second national championship.

After the games, I wrote and shared a recap at Buckeye State Hockey. That blog has since disappeared from the internet. However, I saved my reflections offline and decided this was a good time to repost the article.

Below is the original write-up, lightly edited for formatting at this blog.

Friday and Sunday, St. Charles, Missouri played host to the 2017 NCAA Women’s Frozen Four. The weekend was the culmination of a season of play across the midwestern and eastern parts of the United States. The first semifinal game was between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Boston College Eagles, the second between the Clarkson Golden Knights and Minnesota Golden Gophers. The final was a match between Wisconsin and Clarkson, with 2 seed Clarkson upsetting the top team to win the title, 3-0.

With friends, I journeyed west to attend the games and arrived in time to catch puck drop on the Clarkson-Minnesota game. I’m a Clarkson alum, and I credit (or blame) the men’s and women’s hockey teams with getting me hooked on the sport. That nostalgia and community pride made a seven hour drive from Columbus seem like an obvious choice.

Matt’s Favorite Songs of 2021

After twelve months, another year is over. 2021 is done. With the start of a new year, it’s time for my annual look back on music. Today, a list of My 25 Favorite Songs of 2021. I’m grateful you’ve bothered to click on this list, and I hope you’ll find something to enjoy.

(A programming note, I’ll get to my Favorite Albums of 2021 sometime. Writing doesn’t happen quickly. Life and work commitments don’t just evaporate when I want to think about music. Alas.)

Just like last year, you already know the story looming over a 2021 review: the pandemic. For a second full year, everything is still deeply impacted by the disease. The twist this time? Ebbs and flows. 2021 didn’t feel as brutally hopeless as 2020. 

A key difference: more knowledge, and access to better protective tools. I’m specifically thankful for vaccines, for both physical health and peace of mind (please consider getting vaccinated). Midway through the 2021, solid vaccination rates meant relaxed containment protocols. Masks went away, everyone seemed genuinely relieved.

And then the mutations, the variants. And then masks came back, and restrictions returned. And then, after a year of safety (or luck), my family had a brief scare with Covid. A relative fell ill, and spent an agonizing time in the ICU. Thank God, he has since recovered.

The give and take felt meaningful in my life, too. I had moments of solitude again, when I retreated away from others. I spent hours biking around Michigan, time at the lake, and days out in the garden.

Yet the vaccine-driven reawakening brought great news for music. A return to live concerts! And I was overjoyed. I saw Modest Mouse again! I saw Spoon! I saw LCD Soundsystem! I saw the freaking Rolling Stones! These shows brought me back to the best of music, the instantaneous rush, the communal feeling. The concerts were life-affirming.

Luckily, my music experiences weren’t limited to live shows. 2021 was full of excellent new songs and records. I learned more about midwestern emo (apparently I have a thing for “bubblegrunge,” says Spotify). I enjoyed folksy reflective songs. I made loud playlists for bike rides. I got swept up by post-punk, and pop-rock. I felt ready for music to find me, and ready to accept new sounds into my life.

My 25 Favorite Songs of 2021 are listed below. Just like usual, I’m going with favorites. I don’t know enough to say if these are the “best” of the year. I don’t hear every artist, and my tastes are different from your tastes. If you want a more comprehensive look at 2021, check out the 2021 Fluxblog Survey list from Matthew Perpetua.

For each song in the list, there’s a two-part writeup. First, I’ve tried to explain why I enjoyed the track. Second, some reasons why you might appreciate the song. Each title has a link to the song on YouTube, and I’ve dropped a Spotify playlist with all 25 songs just below.

I hope you find something worthwhile. Thanks for reading, and take care of yourself.

(Arbitrary rule: one song per artist. Because I said so.)

Matt’s Favorite Albums of 2020

And now, some nine full months into a new year, a final look back. Here are my Favorite Albums of 2020. I hope this post finds you in good health, and I hope you’ll forgive the delay. Nothing about this is timely. I still felt compelled to finish the project.

As is my wont, I’ve written about my favorite records. I won’t pretend to be some definitive voice, and I won’t pretend that I’ve heard every album. There’s so much music. These are the sounds that caught my ears.

Be well. Go get vaccinated. Take care of each other. Thanks for reading.

Honorable Mentions: Notes on a Conditional Form by The 1975, Ghosts V: Together by Nine Inch Nails, Earth by EOB, Alphabetland by X, Hannah by Lomelda, Don’t Shy Away by Loma

10. Italian Ice by Nicole Atkins

Why I Like It: I love that Nicole Atkins finds a way to balance the 1950s, the 1960s, and the present. I love the timeless appeal of doo-wop and soul sounds, and I love the fullness afforded by modern production. Atkins builds on the foundations of Frankie Lymon, and goes further than Paul McCartney to add rich textures to the nostalgic noise. Take “Domino,” a song that hits a sweet spot for me. The skeleton is built on Atkins’ vocal emotion, and the groove from the rhythm section. The whole experience gets elevated by perfect woozy squiggles, and beautiful plinking bells. Elsewhere on the record, I love the guitar stabs, the piano thuds, and the tight drumming. Italian Ice sets and maintains an excellent nighttime mood.

Matt’s Favorite Songs of 2020

Good riddance to 2020. Somehow, some way, December is over. That means it’s time for an annual look back on music, a reflection on the sounds of the past year. Today, a list of My 25 Favorite Songs of 2020. I’m glad you’re reading this list, and I’m hopeful you’ll find something worthwhile.

(As a programming note, my Favorite Albums might get posted next week. Then some 2010-2019 Decade Review writing, because that’s still outstanding. I’m punctual as ever on these lists. That’s life.)

A review of 2020 means everything you already know: the past twelve months were excruciating. You already know about the pandemic. The nightmare hasn’t ended. A few cases became millions of sick people, death appeared in every corner of life. It’s hard to wrap my head around the scale. 

You also already know about the politics. The (now former) president ignored the health crisis, and showed off his staggering stupidity. Then, the (now former) president supported violence and bigotry during a national outcry for racial equality. A possible positive light: that particular president is now former. He lost the 2020 election in embarrassing, decisive fashion. Thank God.

I was (thankfully) spared the worst pandemic horrors. As of now, my family has avoided debilitating illness, and my employer acted swiftly to cut in-person attendance. I learned to live under a mask, and learned to schedule grocery trips at off-peak hours. I spent more time outside, tending to my tomato plants, stoking a charcoal grill, and biking all around southeast Michigan. 

Above all else, I spent a lot of time alone. The solitude can be unnerving. However, in the back of my mind, I’m always wondering: Am I standing too near this person in the deli? Am I asymptomatic? Are they too close to me? What if they get me sick? It’ll take a while to feel “normal” again.

Music, like all things, was completely toppled in 2020. In 2019, I went to 23 different concerts or festivals. Now? I’ve gone more than 12 months since my last show. It’s a strange disruption, a loss of connection. And I say this, knowing that my live music predicament is minor: artists depend on touring revenue to survive, venues depend on tours to stay open. I’m worried that the impact of 2020 will harm the music landscape for years to come.

Recorded music was good, though. I managed to find space for songs and albums. Old favorites (like The Decemberists) kept me warm. New arrivals pushed through, and caught my ear. I learned to appreciate Taylor Swift. I got pulled into some post-punk. I enjoyed some loud dang guitars, and righteous rap.

My 25 Favorite Songs of 2020 are listed below. As usual, I’ve focused on my favorites. I don’t know if these are the “best” songs; I don’t listen to enough, and my tastes are not your tastes. For a more complete list, check out the 2020 edition of the Fluxblog Survey.

For each of the songs below, I’ve included a blurb on why I enjoyed the track, and some reasons you might enjoy the music. Each song is linked to its YouTube version, and I’ve posted a Spotify playlist with all 25 songs at the end.

I hope you find something to enjoy. Thanks for reading, and be well.

(Arbitrary list rule: one song per artist. Because that’s how it goes around here.)

Quarantunes Volume 1: Old-New Favorites and Ambient

We are now five months into the American coronavirus quarantine. The deep unfamiliarity of 2020 has made this year seem detached from all prior experience. In particular, March and April seemed to drag into several months, perhaps years of normal time. Everything was different. Modes of comfort and entertainment were postponed and cancelled. The sudden shift to work-from-home meant a lack of human interaction for literal weeks. The evening news became a barrage of horror as thousands died every day. 

I view this time dilation and stress as linked. In 2009-10, Radiolab reported a story with neuroscientist David Eagleman. Paraphrasing Eagleman, our minds are normally sieves, and the mundane doesn’t take up residence. When we experience some great stress, our brains record everything about that event. Upon recollection, the stress-event seems so much longer, as there’s so much more memory available (at least compared to usual life).

That’s where I was through the first two months of the American pandemic: hyper-aware of everything, with days dragging on for weeks, weeks lasting months, and months like years.

As this all happened, this time distortion left me with lots of space for music. Yet just as everything else was off the rails? So too were my listening habits. Early on, I couldn’t find a band or a sound to fit the mood. I kept listening to Spoon out of necessity, even though that didn’t quite fit my feelings. I also didn’t find much value in new music. I was told to Fetch some tools, and didn’t immediately (although: I do appreciate the record). I wanted to love the new Ed O’Brien album, and I think I enjoy it. I’ll need to revisit with fresh ears to really know.

Thankfully, a few of my explorations worked out. I’ve decided to share two of my Covid-era music finds in this post. One was a warm blanket from the Pacific Northwest, an unexpected secret entry to a beloved band. The other, a sometimes-calming, sometimes-terrifying push to try ambient music.

Let’s start with the old favorite, from a new angle. 

20 Years of The Moon & Antarctica

When Modest Mouse released The Moon & Antarctica this week in 2000, I totally missed out. I was eleven, probably obsessed with whatever 90s pop-rock that lingered into the early days of the new decade. I didn’t know the context of the release, the story of a band moving to a major label, or how an indie group took an astounding artistic leap without compromising their distinct vision. I had no idea that OK Computer finally had its only peer.

To be honest though: I didn’t even know Modest Mouse (or Radiohead, for that matter). Like many kids my age, my first glimpse into Issaquah happened with “Float On” and “Ocean Breathes Salty” in 2004. Those singles came with music videos playing between “Take Me Out” and “American Idiot” on Fuse. I loved those songs and the videos, so I bought Good News for People Who Love Bad News on CD. The entire album hooked me. I loved the waggling tremolos, furious banjos, and strange insights of a man with a wild yawping lisp. I wanted to climb the Tetons, and ride along in those “Black Cadillacs.” I wanted to learn more about Modest Mouse.

So I worked backward. Sometime before graduating high school, I found and bought a copy of the 2004 reissue of The Moon & Antarctica in the CD section at the Walmart in Rome, New York.

I had no idea what I was about to hear.

Matt’s Favorite Albums of 2019

And now, some five months into 2020, here are my 10 Favorite Albums of 2019! I have no doubt that this is exactly the time you needed a retrospective look at the previous year. All our preconceptions and expectations on 2020 have held up wonderfully so far, right? Right?

The 2019 albums list follows what I’ve done in the 2019 songs list, which echoes the posts from the past few years: I’m picking my favorites. I don’t know what’s best, this is all subjective.

(And if you missed it before, here’s a link to my Favorite Songs of 2019. I think it’s a fun list.)

I hope you are listening to health experts and (some of) your governors, and making it through 2020 as well as you can. Particularly: if you need help (or just need someone to rant toward), and you think I can help? Reach out. Leave a comment or hit me up on Twitter. This year is dumb. We can survive.

Honorable Mentions in no particular order: Remind Me Tomorrow by Sharon Van Etten, Thrashing Through the Passion by The Hold Steady, New Hell by Greet Death, Boat by Pip Blom, Basking in the Glow by Oso Oso, Try Again by Ahem

10. Texas Piano Man by Robert Ellis

Why I Like It: I like Ellis’s voice, how he places his words in a sorta-falsetto that gives a great sense of personality and emotion. I like the playfulness of his piano, the way the keys lock into the drums and bass on “Passive Aggressive” to create a rhythm. And I like how Ellis is able to execute the piano concept coherently without repeating himself. Each song is distinct: a little bit of country twang, a touch of Billy Joel, a hint of The Beatles, and they all fit together nicely.

Matt’s Favorite Songs of 2019

Happy New Year, and welcome to 2020! We’ve finished another twelve months of life, so it’s time for another round of music review. Today, my latest contribution to the internet list economy: My 25 Favorite Songs of 2019. I’m sure this was the exact list you were waiting to see. I’m glad you’ve found it. I made it just for you.

(2019 also marks the end of the decade! I’ll have more on that later.)

2019 was a year of relative stability for me. The outside world seemed at once chaotic and unchanged, while my personal life seemed to normalize. My “new” job became a more regular part of my life, and Michigan felt less foreign. As I settled in, I found time to travel for graduations and weddings, I traveled to Upstate New York to hike up mountains, and turned to hockey twitter to learn about making a halfway-decent pizza.

2019 brought tons of great music into my life, too. The songs (see below) and albums (forthcoming) were great. Even better? The live music. Thanks to the location stability, I went to a personal-high number of shows. Turns out, Southeast Michigan attracts a lot of touring musicians. I saw and heard music in small bar venues, giant amphitheaters, cavernous arenas, outdoor festivals, and gorgeous theatres. These concerts were life-affirming and captivating, easily the highlight of my year. I plan to revisit some of those experiences in a post on this blog soon.

On my songs list, I’m continuing a four year tradition: I’m listing tracks that are my favorite of the year, and not necessarily the “best.” I can’t possibly keep up with everything, and my ears are different from your ears. If you want a semi-comprehensive list, you should check out the Fluxblog Survey Mix.

On that note, I love a good, idiosyncratic list. That style of curation helped me find great music this year, so I want to give credit to Stereogum, Pitchfork, Fluxblog, Steven Hyden, Ian Cohen, and NPR’s All Songs Considered. That’s not an exhaustive group. It’s pretty representative of my current music-reading habits, though.

For each of the songs below, I’m including reasons why I liked the songs, reasons why you might enjoy the tracks, links to a YouTube version of the music, and a Spotify playlist with all 25 songs. Thanks for reading!

(Arbitrary list rule: Only one song per artist. Why? Because!)

25. “Sideways” by Ahem

Why I Like It: I like the dynamics, the build from medium-volume guitar chug to full explosion of sound. I like the crashing cymbals. I like the vocal harmonies. I like how the whole song is a power-pop-punk burst of joy.

Why You Might Like It: You enjoy 90s pop-punk. You’re looking for some energy without all the brooding anger.