Can you believe we’re already halfway through 2022? It seems just like yesterday I was compiling my list of top 2021 albums. Seeing as there are only 6 months left of the year, it’s the perfect time to check in on those New Year’s Resolutions. Just kidding! With the last 24 months being a complete dumpster fire, just living is a big enough resolution. However, at the least music has been pretty decent so far. Now that we’ve reached the Checkpoint, let’s take a look back at some of the 10 hits halfway through 2022!
Despite having a ton of stellar albums so far, I think it’s better if I just keep this list as singular songs. We all know the end of the year lists will be here before you know it.
I also want to point out that this is just a list of songs that I’ve really dug over the past few months. Needless to say, it’s not an end-all-be-all list. In fact, it’s not even numbered! It’s not a race ya know. We’re all doomed and dying a slow, agonizing death so why make it a competition?
Dora Jar – “It’s Random”
In a world dominated by TikTok and Instagram, any white girl under the age of 25 jumping on the scene sadly gets labeled as some sort of answer to Taylor Swift of Billie Eilish. Despite touring with the former, Dora Jar is a little more interesting with her take on genres. The back-and-forth between fingerstyle acoustic guitar and distorted power chords has some definite 90s vibes but is a lot more authentic than the likes of 2021’s darling, Olivia Rodrigo. As abstract and cynical as the lyrics are, I’ve even heard her compared to Grimes. But the less said about that brand of pretentiousness, the better.
“It’s Random” is equal parts whimsical and poised. The verses have you rolling your eyes along with the lyrics, and the chorus makes you want to trash a hotel room like any good rock anthem of the summer. Without social media scrutiny and pressure from obnoxious fandom, I can’t wait to see how Dora Jar evolves. “It’s Random” is definitely closer to Guided By Voices than Bella Thorne.
The Rectangle Shades – “Disconsolate Skies”
As a disciple of the legendary Johnny Flame (John Davis for those of you not in the Knoxville know), I’ve followed him through each band and side project for over 25 years. From Superdrag, The Used To Be, and Epic Ditch, to the prolific exploits of The Lees Of Memory. But there’s something a bit more wholesome with The Rectangle Shades. Teaming up with the vastly underrated Mike Armstrong, The Rectangle Shades sees Davis stretch his knack for southern hospitality.
That’s not to say this band is about cowboy hats and trusty steeds. “Disconsolate Skies” sits closer to the realm of Alex Chilton meets Michael Nesmith. Acoustic guitar jangles behind swirly Nashville-style electric guitars. But the droning bass flirts with Indian influence much like Rubber Soul-era Beatles. As with every Davis project, influences are treated like badges of honor and Easter eggs for the sharpest-eared listeners. “Disconsolate Skies” is warm and comforting sort of like a musical hug. I think it’s safe to say we could all use one of those, yeah?
Municipal Waste – “Electrified Brain”
After 5 long years since their last record, the torch-carrying Municipal Waste has returned to keep modern thrash alive. While it’s wonderful to see the OGs like Testament and Exodus still around (whose record ranked pretty high on last year’s year-end list), I always worry about where the metal-adjacent genres are headed with the new generation. When I heard “Electrified Brain” I realized thrash is still in good hands! It’s brutal, ugly, fast, and aggressive just like how I like it! Is this song literally about the electric chair or is it some kind of underlying social commentary? Who knows? Who cares!? It’s thrash!
Horsegirl – “Billy”
With the resurgence of guitar-based alternative rock (or whatever the kids call it these days), I usually don’t have to look far from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois for the next iteration. Even though the kids in Horsegirl probably just recently graduated high school, it looks as if they could very well lead the indie-rock revolution. “Billy” is a wall of bendy distorted guitars and droning dissonance like My Bloody Valentine meets Sonic Youth, but brought together with nonchalant hopefulness in the vocal delivery. It seriously blows my mind how good this track is without even trying.
da.daer – “Stalkerish”
In recent years, the term “experimental” typically means bands sounding like Tame Impala. While that’s cool and all but where’s the actual experimentation? The wild, weird, and avant-garde shouldn’t come from a pre-packaged sample on Garage Band. It should sound like it’s being recorded in Frankenstein’s laboratory in a Hammer film! That’s kinda what da.daer do best though.
“Stalkerish” has the attributes of throwing a hard drive full of DEVO albums in a bathtub of toxic waste. But instead of unlistenable shrill, there’s a subtle hint of melody beneath all the noise. Playing like an instrument itself, the vocals are almost hypnotic and it makes the song both horrifying and fun. If you like bands like Spray Paint or industrial music seasoned with pop (is that even a thing yet?), da.daer just might be your new favorite band.
Fantastic Negrito – “They Go Low”
As good as the music has been this year, it’s not hard to forget times aren’t great. There isn’t anyone who can sing the blues like Fantastic Negrito. Somewhere between Prince and Chris Cornell, Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz has been the music industry’s best-kept secret (or unsung tragedies, depending on how you look at it) for nearly 30 years. “They Go Low” is clearly about the injustices of life from racism, and class warfare, to civil unrest but there’s something strangely hopeful about it.
Maybe it’s the Beatles-esque piano riff in the verses or the soaring Sly & The Family Stone chorus, but “They Go Low” is as sweet as it is sour. I would call it a celebration of how far society has come in the face of divisiveness, but what is there to celebrate we’re really not free?
Sooth – “Original Sin”
On the opposite side of the coin proposed above by Fantastic Negrito, comes Sooth. A power-pop indie rock outfit from Portland. With so many people throwing thoughts and prayers around as an umbrella fix for the world’s wrongdoings, it’s only right for the spiritual, religious, and agnostic alike, to be a little self-reflective. Beneath the Yeah Yeah Yeahs-meets-The Thrills sheen of slick pop production, “Original Sin” is a thoughtful look at just how petty we can be even when we’re trying to put our best foot forward. I appreciate any artists who exhibit such self-awareness, but it’s just that much better when the output is bright, jangly, and encourages me to sing along.
Snail Mail – “Feeling Like I Do”
I’m not sure I can evade a conversation about music without name-dropping Superdrag. They’ve been my all-time favorite band since I was 13 years old. But their trajectory has always been a weird one. Outside an MTV buzz bin video in 1996, it’s only been the real heads to sing their praises. I’ve grown up feeling as if they’re my band and the small (yet well-connected) fandom is like a secret club. Needless to say, I was blown away to hear Snail Mail out there covering “Feeling Like I Do” on her most recent tour.
Best of all, she does it justice! Somewhat of a deep cut from Superdrag’s 2002 record Last Call For Vitriol, “Feeling Like I Do” is an anthem of finding the love of your life while simultaneously giving up drinking. I’m not sure if the lyrics hold the same context for Snail Mail, but she performs the song as if she wrote it herself. It not only fits perfectly with the rest of her catalog but I believe her when she sings it. That’s saying a lot coming from an unabashed Superdrag fanboy like myself!
Sky Ferreira – “Don’t Forget”
It’s hard to believe one of the best pop acts of the last decade has only put out one album and a handful of one-offs. But even without the mainstream success she deserves, Sky Ferreira remains somewhat of a household name. With her meticulous perfectionism and various starts and stops, I feel like most publications kinda want Ferreira to fail. I guess it’s just easier to push negative press these days. In saying that, “Don’t Forget” comes off as Ferreira taking aim at those naysayers. She knows she has fans out there, but she also knows the score.
“Don’t Forget” is a Til Tuesday-esque 80s bop with heavy synth, reverb-laden vocals, and held together with all-knowing vitriolic lyrics clearly about herself and the music industry. Outside all the shade, it’s also great to see how Ferreira has grown as a performer. While the vocal melody in “Don’t Forget” doesn’t require much, there’s no denying she is still in it to win it.
Raekwon & Ghostface Killah – “We Ain’t Came To Lose”
Did you have “Wu-Tang Clan doing an original song for a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game” on your 2022 bingo card? Neither did I. But to be fair, I didn’t have “a GOOD Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game” on mine either but here we are. This could’ve been some kind of soulless meme generation tie-in but I gotta admit, Raekwon and Ghostface go hard when they didn’t have to.
“We Ain’t Came To Lose” acts as a rap battle between Shredder and our favorite mutant ninjas. Trust me, it’s not as corny as you’re expecting. In fact, being able to rap about nunchucks, pizza boxes, and squishing turtles like girdles and not sound like a joke, just proves how legendary Raekwon and Ghostface are. Apparently, Wu-Tang IS for the children after all?