Bingo Little’s Best of 2022

It’s the time of the season when I like to sit down, make a big list of all the year’s best tunes, and then write some stuff about them. And then mercilessly foist it all on you.

2022 was, for me at least, an especially good year for music. I mean, obviously I say that every year because I’m an incurable exuberant, but this year in particular really was very good indeed. As in, it was actually a bit painful getting this down to 20 songs, and a busy December has meant I’ve had to do it in more of a hurry than I’d have liked.

I’ll post the longlist in the comments, in case anyone is interested, but this is where I ended up landing. 20 songs that lifted my heart, nodded my head and put a spring in my step across the year. Hopefully one or two of them may do likewise for at least someone else on here. And if they can’t do that, they can at least confirm a few suspicions as to the ongoing death of music.

1. Free – Bakar

A mid-year discovery that proved an ideal soundtrack to virtually every situation and mood. The organ sound, the weird clicking, and most of all that glorious cry of “follow me, follow me”. It’s a super immediate tune that both grabs the attention and improves the overall ambience of whatever room it graces. The lyrics are also pretty funny.

Yes, Bingo – But What Does It Actually Sound Like – An advert for a particularly liberating new mobile phone tariff.

2. 90s Cars – Jamie T

Jamie T finally delivered a really good album in 2022, consistent from start to finish. I could easily have chosen any one of half a dozen tracks off it, but in the end I went for 90s Cars, because one of my favourite moments of 2022 was the penny drop moment when I realised that – actually – it wasn’t an accident, he wasn’t inadvertently quoting Kangaroo by Big Star, he was covering it. But covering it in a really weird way that just nicked a big chunk of the lyric and attached it to a totally different song.

YBBWDIASL – A 90s kid’s record collection all being played at once.

3. TVI – Surf Curse

History shows that I will enjoy virtually any band with “Surf” in their name. It’s just one of life’s great rules, and it was reinforced this year by Surf Curse, who released a series of great tunes (see also: Self Portrait, Sugar), and played shows with the entire band dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. TVI is my favourite thing they’ve done though, because of the way it swings and then goes full punk, because of how many ideas it packs in, and because it does all that in a little over two and a half minutes. Also love the cry of “1-2, 1-2-3-4” before the final assault. Delightfully retro.

YBBWDIASL – I think a friend put it best: “a Doobie Brothers verse with a Ramones chorus”.

4. Surrender My Heart – Carly Rae Jepsen

CRJ’s latest opus, The Loneliest Time, enjoyed something of a mixed reaction. Sadly, it’s probably not as good as the previous two (or at least it’s nowhere near as immediate), but then that was a very high bar for her to continue clearing. Nonetheless, it still contained a number of gems, not least this – yet another pop banger in the grand Rae Jepsen tradition. It doesn’t do anything she hasn’t done before, it breaks precisely zero ground, and it has not been off the Sonos since the day of release. She makes great pop records look so very easy.

YBBWDIASL – The opposite of real music.

5. Chanel vs A New Order vs Sabrina – Fred Again

They don’t actually have this on Spotify, so I had to sub in the also awesome Lights Out, but hands down my musical moment of 2022 was this remix by Fred Again, which pares Frank Ocean’s Chanel with Moderat’s A New Error to absolutely jaw-dropping effect. Hearing this at Coachella was a genuine out of body experience; it knocked me off my feet and returns me to airborne status every time I listen to it. For bonus points, seek out the version that dovetails into Sabrina (I Am A Party) (readily available on YouTube), and which to date remains the single best example of Fred Again’s ability to somehow tread the extremely fine line between creating an almighty party vibe and triggering emotions you didn’t even know you had. “I am a party, only I am a party I don’t want to be at”. Yeesh, Fred.

YBBWDIASL – A modem malfunctioning in the background of a particularly intense group therapy session.

6. Heaven Is Here – Florence + the Machine (Idles Remix)

Two things I did not forecast for 2022: Florence making my end of year list and Idles turning out a non-guitarry remix. Every year I like to include at least one song on this list that sounds like someone is having a very sexy time driving through a tunnel. This is that song. Wisely eschewing much of the vocal, the remix instead majors on builds and drops, before finally arriving in a swarm of vaguely menacing sounding synths. I hope Idles do more of this stuff in 2023.

YBBWDIASL – The soundtrack to a supermodel’s inner monologue.

7. Maroon – Taylor Swift

Quite a bit of time this Autumn was spent listening to Taylor’s rather wonderful Midnights. Perhaps not quite as strong as some of its forerunners, it did at least experiment with a few sounds new to La Swift, while continuing to showcase her winning way with a lyric. Let’s be honest, in 2022 no one else came up with anything quite as strong as “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me”. I haven’t gone for Anti-Hero though, instead opting for Maroon, partly because I am still enchanted by the bridge (“and I wake with your memory over me, that’s a real fucking legacy”), but mainly because it reminds me so very much of Bo Burnham’s fabulous All Eyes On Me, to the extent that I half wonder if that song was a major influence behind Midnights as a whole.

YBBWDIASL – The biggest pop star in the world effortlessly throwing out another gem. And also All Eyes On Me.

8. Papercuts – Vince Staples

And so we head into the inevitable Hip Hop/Drill section of the list. The Vince Staples album (Ramona Park Broke My Heart) arrived early in 2022 and got an awful lot of play while the weather was still cold. It’s by far the strongest release from Staples so far, it hangs together beautifully and there isn’t a dud track on it, to the point where I could really have chosen anything to slot in here. I went for Papercuts in the end, because to my mind it gives the best example of the way Staples takes a classic laid back West Coast sound and lays it back a little further still. There are better, more personal, lyrics on Ramona Park, but nothing that so singularly captured the mood of the whole.

YBBWDIASL – The mid-point between Parliament and Snoop Dogg, slowed down to half speed.

9. Came In The Scene – Headie One

For whatever reason, I still find Drill music hugely exciting. Half the songs sound the same, and there’s an obvious sonic formula, but I am an absolute sucker for it. All that cartoonish menace, and the largely unintelligible slang. It reminds me of those early Wu records: such a dark, singular sound and an insight into a deep culture you know very little about. Headie One is super reliable in serving up the good stuff, and in this instance he came with several utterly brilliant couplets that had me chuckling all year: “Came in the scene beefin/we started bringing waps to the label meetings” and “Only god knows why I’m here/maybe all the fans wanna see street shit”. I’m evidently easily pleased.

YBBWDIASL – Street shit, quite obviously.

10. Logic – Tetris

Two minutes of absolute fire, Tetris is a “proper” hip hop tune designed to showcase the MC’s skills. Now that’s not normally what I’m after (for me, Hip Hop is sonically interesting and lyrically quite dull), but I really enjoy this throwback to the old school, and you’re basically in and out before you even realise it’s started. Plus, solid shout out to Tetris. We need more of that.

YBBWDIASL – Mid 90s battle rap.

11. Knock Knock – Tion Wayne, M24

More Drill. Tion Wayne continuing to mine the same sound, to much success. A lot of what I’ve written above for Headie One also applies here: the dark soundscape, the humorously British quotable lyrics (in this instance particular shout out to “Hello, it’s a glock, knock knock who’s there”), but also the ongoing references to Premier League footballers (“In a field like Sterling/Causing pressure”) and the off bar sound effects.

YBBWDIASL – Bodies (see 2021 list and 2021 in general). An awful lot like Bodies.

12. Titi Me Pregunto – Bad Bunny

Bad Bunny has a claim to being the biggest musical act on the planet right now. He sold more concert tickets than anyone in 2022, and released what was quite probably the most popular album of the year. Un Verano Sin Ti enjoyed near constant play in Casa Little, but it was Titi Me Pregunto that emerged as the standout – an absolute banger with a gloriously oddball video to lift it to absolute immortality. The song swings through three different moods, contains some gloriously jump up and down moments and coined one of the most enjoyable lyrics of the year: “In VIP, in VIP/Say Hello to Titi/We’re going to take a selfie/say cheese”. Has a strong claim to being the authentic sound of 2022. I’m hoping to get a chance to see him live next year if I can.

YBBWDIASL – You’re on holiday and wandered into the wrong barrio. This is playing out someone’s window as you frantically consult the map.

13. W – Koffee, Gunna

I retain a strong suspicion that Koffee is destined for stardom, although the album she released this year (Gifted) is a stepping stone, rather than a landmark. Lovely, laid back stuff that sounds good all year round. W was the highlight. One to keep an eye on.

YBBWDIASL – You’re on holiday and wandered into the right barrio. Someone is serving you ice cream and baked goods.

14. The Link Is About To Die – Los Bitchos

Probably my single favourite new musical discovery of 2022, Los Bitchos are four ladies from London playing what they describe as “instrumental psychedelic sunshine cumbia”. A little bit of Peruvian Chicha, a smattering of Argentinean Cumbia, a distinctly surfy vibe and one of the best band names I’ve ever heard. Their whole album (Let The Festivities Begin!) is ace, but this – the opening track – is the absolute stand out. Another act I’m hoping to go see next year.

YBBWDIASL – Incidental music from a 60s drug movie. High praise indeed.

15. Message (Better Days) – Paw Paw Rod

Yes, it’s Paw Paw Rod, back again for the third year running with yet another rubber necked good time. I’m not sure there’s another act in history with this sort of consistency – they appear to have released less than a dozen songs and literally all of them slap. Won’t change your life, but will assuredly make it incrementally better.

YBBWDIASL – All the other Paw Paw Rod tunes. If you like those, you’ll like this.

16. I Believe (When I Fall In Love) – Father John Misty

Afterword favourite (ho ho ho) Father John Misty returned this year with a pretty great album (Buddy’s Rendezvous) and an excellent 6 track live EP, the latter featuring this rather lovely Stevie Wonder cover. It doesn’t stray too far from the source material, but this is one of those instances where a voice just fits a song really nicely. Plus, after all the cynicism and snark, I always find something quite effecting when FJM drops the pretense and goes straight for the heartstrings, as here.

YBBWDIASL – I Believe (When I Fall In Love) by Stevie Wonder, obviously.

17. Let Me Drown – Orville Peck

Oof. Along with Bad Bunny and Fred Again, this has been the authentic sound of 2022 for me. Discovered early in the year and listened to at a constant clip throughout, I’ve managed to convince myself that this song is an absolute classic that just happens to be sung by a masked cowboy emanating massive Brokeback Mountain vibes. His voice is absolutely gorgeous, the strings soar, the lyrics are wonderfully poignant and even the video is just ace. I was never more moved by music this year than when Peck howls “Never knew there was hope/I slept a life time alone/Yeah we had it one time but it’s gone, now it’s gone”. Massive feelings, right there.

YBBWDIASL – Oh god, I dunno. A brilliant torch song about forbidden cowboy love? Yeah, that’ll do.

18. Buddy’s Rendezvous – Lana Del Rey

So, this was originally a Father John Misty song, before he offered it up to Lana Del Rey, who promptly took ownership with one of her better vocals. One of those songs that lays out an entire movie plot in under four minutes, full of hope and disappointment and all points in between. “Whatever happened to the girl I knew/In the Wasteland/Come up short and end up on the news”. The most Lana Del Rey lyric never written by Lana Del Rey.

YBBWDIASL – Lana Del Rey.

19. Mono No Aware – Sylvaine

Hooray for the list’s inevitable Black Metal offering! Sylvaine describe themselves as a “Norwegian atmospheric project”, which I rather feel is dressing things up a little politely. This has all the things I like – long stretches of screaming and sonic dissonance, spells of blissfully beautiful music, and a brilliant song title, highly evocative and fitting the whole thing like a glove. If that description doesn’t immediately sell you, I would consider staying away.

YBBWDIASL – Deafheaven. Deafheaven with a female vocalist joining in.

20. Spitting Off The Edge Of The World – Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Perfume Genius

Yeah Yeah Yeahs released a brilliant record this year, after a decade of flailing about a bit (note to self: find a better metaphor, given that “flailing about” is an apt descriptor for all stages of this band’s career). It contained 2 or 3 tracks that could happily have ended up on here, but ultimately this was the obvious highlight: a tune that somehow managed to sound a lot like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and a lot like Perfume Genius, despite the fact that those two acts sound nothing like each other. There’s got to be a small lament here that the new direction is shoving Nick Zinner’s awesome guitar work to the background, but it’s also great to hear Karen O’s vocals be allowed to carry proceedings – she has such a distinctive voice, and, rather like me at tennis, that compliment has no backhand. Some great lyrics here (“Cowards, here’s the sun/so bow your heads/in the absence of bombs/dry your breath”), an environmentalist motif and a truly truly great video that gave me visuals I never knew I needed. If you’ve not already heard it, enjoy.

YBBWDIASL – A genuinely brilliant band, enjoying an Indian Summer.

So, there you have it. In many ways, a list that continues to plough many of the same furrows as those from 2020 and 2021, but with (in my humble view) tremendous results. For those hardy few who give it a listen, I hope you find something to enjoy in there. For everyone else, feel free to post below the other brilliant tracks from 2022 that I’ve so glaringly missed.

Beyond that, wishing a very Merry Christmas to you and yours. Happy holidays, Afterworders, and here’s to more magic in 2023.

BL

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