Newness Here’s The Anthem

Nearing, as we are, the end of the calendar year, thoughts begin to turn to the traditional “Best of…” Spotify playlist.

Normally, this is a fairly simple process: I keep a running list of good things I hear during the year, I scan through the “best of” playlists on a few websites in early December to ensure there’s nothing too excellent that I missed, and – sure enough – 20 tracks magically present themselves as the period’s finest.

2022, however, is proving something of an exception. Put simply: my longlist is too long, and I am already struggling to reduce it to the requisite 20 without landing firmly in “kill your darlings” territory (and I rather like my darlings). Plus! There’s still about a month to go.

Obviously, this is good news: lots of exciting new music, which is what we like (right?). But it’s also an awful lot of pressure – as seasoned blog observers will no doubt be aware, my end of year playlist is such a feature of the holiday season that many have come to rely on it in order to maintain the fragile balance of their emotional inner lives. Heavy hangs the head that picks the 20.

Given all of the above, I thought this was a good excuse to start up yet another one of those threads where I offer up half a dozen or so new songs that I really like and hardly anyone else will.

So, preamble dispensed with, let’s just get down to that and get it over and done with: 8 songs, 1 cruel and uncaring world. The actual playlist will follow in December, as per. There may or may not be some degree of overlap with the below, but I’m sure we’ll all live.

1. Frank Carter, The Rattlesnakes, Jamie T – The Drugs

Jamie T has had a really good year – it feels like everything he’s touched has more or less turned to gold, and this is another great tune. Head down, punky fuzz-rock with a load of shouting and a highly quotable chorus. Doesn’t outstay its welcome, in and out in 2 minutes.

2. Suki Waterhouse – Moves

As openers go, you can’t say fairer than “I can’t forget that night, you said I looked like Suzi Quatro”.

3. Carly Rae Jepsen – Surrender My Heart

I’ve found the new CRJ album (The Loneliest Time) to be a little less joyful and a little more restrained than its predecessors. However, our hero can always be relied upon to lavish us with at least one massive pop banger, and in this case it’s Surrender My Heart. In many ways, it’s simply more of what she’s done so well previously, but there’s nothing wrong with that in my book, because it makes people want to dance, and people should always be encouraged to dance.

4. Father John Misty – I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)

Regrettably, no YouTube link for this one, so it’s Spotify-only, I’m afraid.

FJM covers Stevie Wonder in rather glorious fashion. Is it better than the original? Probably not, but I really like it all the same: it’s straight down the line, with a very similar arrangement, but there’s something about when Tillman cuts through the sardonic exterior and goes for raw, direct emotion that is always affecting (for me, at least).

5. Tion Wayne – Ops

More Drill, I’m afraid. Sounds quite a lot like all the other ones, but I’m still not tired of it. Maybe 2023 will be the year.

6. Heaven Is Here – Florence Welch (IDLES remix)

This was a surprise, in that it sounds less like a bunch of hairy men smashing up a left-leaning bookstore, and more like a sexy party with strobe lights and ladies and everything. Takes a while to get going, but has a deeply exciting final minute and makes sensibly sparing use of the lead vocal. Very good.

7. Fred Again – Delilah (Pull Me Out Of This)

Yet another total slapper. The great hero of 2022.

8. Dangermouse, Black Thought, Michael Kiwanuka – Aquamarine

Agreeably chill, faintly old school sounding hip hop, with chorus vocals from an Afterword-friendly artist. Don’t think it’ll make the 20, but it seemed too nice to keep to myself, so here you go.

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