Alternative Music Playlists – Vol. 47: 2022
Listen To The List: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0lZUI53h2qZQaYRNOpVgwj?si=f8475810a9f843f4
It has become increasingly challenging to curate a list of songs that fairly represents a year in alternative music in recent years because of how we listen to music today. There are few places anymore like terrestrial radio or MTV that really act as gatekeepers or build consensus about what music is popular. That is not bad, of course, but it does mean there are fewer and fewer real “hits” outside of the pop world as people simply find what appeals to them, seek out new music from old favorites, and then curate their own playlists. This means we all get to be more in control of our own listening (which is great) but it also means there are far fewer cultural touchstones than in the past. This is only reinforced by the fact that people do not need to purchase music anymore to enjoy it. Again, this is great, but it also means that commercial success is not a very accurate indicator of how impactful and/or popular a song is. So with all of these caveats, and living in a post-modern musical world that is now almost a full 50 years beyond the punk rock explosion that really created “alternative” music (and 30 years beyond “alternative” music becoming mainstream in the 1990’s) here is my list of songs that represent 2022. There are old favorites and rising stars to be found here. There is music inspired by David Bowie’s 70’s glam, the Electronic Body Music of the 80’s, new wave, grunge, punk, indie, post-punk, hip hop, fractured pop, and all points in between. Enjoy 2022:
1. “She Still Leads Me On” – Suede
From the album Autofiction
Suede had risen as one of the most interesting of the Britpop bands of the 1990’s by combining the glam crunch of Bowie with the bedsit moping of The Smiths before they faded away into seeming oblivion in the early 2000’s. However, beginning with 2013’s Bloodsports Suede roared back to life and their amazing second act is still going strong four albums in with 2022’s Autofiction. Lead single “She Still Leads Me On” is a soaring rocker that folds elements of early New Order into their own well-defined sound and creates a melancholy majesty that fits Brett Anderson’s lyrics which are a warmly wistful tribute to his deceased mother.
2. “Weird Goodbyes” – The National (featuring Bon Iver)
From the single “Weird Goodbyes”
“Weird Goodbyes” is a richly warm and achingly beautiful ode to a lost lover who has chosen to move on. The sepia-toned ballad continues the recent trend of The National to both use electronic textures in their music and to work with collaborators. On “Weird Goodbyes” both of these choices elevate the song and make it stronger. The carefully used electronics add both an appropriate sense of atmosphere and a feeling of movement that keeps the song from bogging down, while Bon Iver’s vocals serve as a near-perfect counterpoint to those of The National’s Matt Berninger. The National continue to work within their own self-chosen sound but with “Weird Goodbyes” they show that there are still interesting nooks and crannies to explore within that sound.
3. “Tonight” – Phoenix (featuring Ezra Koenig)
From the album Alpha Zulu
French indie-pop band Phoenix rose to fame in the early 2000’s alongside similar new wave and synthpop influenced groups like The Killers and The Bravery and their 2022 album Alpha Zulu is among their best as it emphasizes the band’s ear for a hook and melody over the moody explorations of the atmosphere that sometimes gave their albums less focus. Those pop-inclinations were often brought out to the fore by their friend and sometime producer Philippe Zdar (who produced three Phoenix albums including their most successful Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix) and Alpha Zulu often feels like a tribute to their fallen friend in its sound and production (Zdar died after falling from a window in 2019). “Tonight” is a propulsive pop song that features Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend on vocals and the song is tight blend of the new wave and synthpop revival sound of Phoenix with the more rhythmic and world music driven style of Vampire Weekend. That combination of sounds works well and “Tonight” is a catchy piece of indie synthpop that could have been a mainstream hit in another time.
4. “Karma Climb” – Editors
From the album EBM
Editors started life as part of the post-punk revival of the early 2000’s and were often compared (understandably) to both Joy Division and Interpol. However, over the next two decades Editors have been quite willing to explore various styles and sounds and 2022’s EBM continues that musical exploration. The title of the record – EBM – is a clue to what the record offers in two ways. First, EBM or “Electronic Body Music”, was an alternative music genre of the 80’s and early 90’s that combined industrial music, techno, synthpop, and other genres into something that was both aggressive and danceable and bands like Nitzer Ebb and Front 242 found success within this genre. Second, EBM is an acronym for Editors and Blanck Mass. These two facts shape the album as electronic musician and producer Blanck Mass, who the band had worked with to create new mixes of the songs on their previous album Violence, is brought in as a full-status band member for EBM and he helps Editors create music that is at least reminiscent (if not quite a recreation of) the sound and idea of EBM. Songs like “Karma Climb” find the Editors wiry and wintry sounding post-punk fused to fast, hard club beats and other electronic textures. Editors had worked with synths before (their third album In This Light And On This Evening echoes the sound of Depeche Mode’s Black Celebration on several songs for example) but Editors have never sounded like they do on “Karma Climb” or across EBM. Here, Editors and Blanck Mass find a sound that follows a similar path as early New Order, as that band transitioned from the bleak post-punk of Joy Division to the club-friendly textures of New Order. Editors never really sound like New Order on EBM but the fusion of jagged post-punk with hard beats and club textures is a similar blueprint. It will be interesting to see where Editors go from here and whether their marriage to Blanck Mass is a permanent one or just an interesting detour.
5. “Boy” – The Killers
From the single “Boy”
Finding themselves unable to tour due to the Covid-19 pandemic and with the band now more firmly within the control of leader Brandon Flowers than ever (both guitarist Dave Keuning and bassist Mark Stoermer took extended leaves from the band to work on other projects) Flowers and drummer Ronnie Vannucci went to work and ultimately released two albums during the pandemic – 2020’s Imploding The Mirage and 2021’s Pressure Machine – the latter of which being an intimate and personal album that was focused on Flowers’ youth in rural, small town, culturally Mormon, Utah and the struggle between the rich spiritual faith and the worldly problems of the people living there. This backstory for Pressure Machine is relevant because “Boy” feels like an extension of the themes explored on that album. Indeed, I would not be surprised at all if “Boy” was written during those same sessions and just left off of the Pressure Machine album for not fitting in musically. “Boy” may feel like an extension of Pressure Machine’s lyrical themes, but musically it is a beat-driven synthpop banger that borrows quite liberally from Erasure’s “A Little Respect” before finishing with its almost anthemic conclusion that features a great guitar part by the returned Dave Keuning. “Boy” sounds like a fusion of the sounds of both Imploding The Mirage and Pressure Machine and is another great single from one of the most successful bands of the 21st century.
6. “Don’t Let The Lights Go Out” – Panic! At The Disco
From the album Viva Las Vengeance
Panic! At The Disco is not the emo band it was when they burst onto the scene in the early 00’s. For one thing, Panic! At The Disco is not really a band at all anymore in any meaningful way but the project of sole remaining member Brandon Urie. In fairness though, Urie always was the driving force of the band and Panic! At The Disco has been a solo vehicle in all but name for several albums now. Second, while Panic! At The Disco still draws on its emo roots Urie has moved his band in various stylistic directions in recent years, which has been the key to the continued relevance and success the band has found. 2022’s Viva Las Vengeance (an incredible title for a Vegas-based band) is built on that diverse premise and the album, while still having echoes of emo’s glory days in places, plays more like a love letter to rock and roll of all eras. Many of the songs on Viva Las Vengeance are standouts and the album is easily one of the most consistent of Panic! At The Disco’s career. One of the highlights in the aching “Don’t Let The Lights Go Out”, a soaring ballad that has echoes of The Cars, 80’s hair band ballads, 70’s glam, Vegas cousins The Killers, and some other familiar melody that tickles my memory but that I can’t quite place. Panic! At The Disco has been culling the past for inspiration since at least their Beatles obsessed second album Pretty. Odd but here Brandon Urie does it as well as ever and is also able to shape it into something that is his own.
7. “Here To Forever” – Death Cab For Cutie
From the album Asphalt Meadows
Death Cab For Cutie has been a near constant presence in alternative and indie rock circles in the 21st century. Ben Gibbard and company consistently release albums of moody, mid-tempo, literate, indie rock that draws on 80’s college rock influences as its foundation and then extends out from there. 2022’s Asphalt Meadows continues this trend and is another rewarding album that reveals its charms with repeated listens. Second single “Here To Forever”, which opens with the classic line “In every movie I watch from the 50s/There is only one thought that swirls around my head now/That’s the everyone there on the screen/Yeah, everyone there on the screen they’re all dead now”, feels like classic Death Cab For Cutie. It also perfectly encapsulates the middle age concerns and impending mortality of Gibbard, his bandmates, and much of their fanbase. Asphalt Meadows captures Death Cab For Cutie exploring their classic sound while also finding interesting new directions within it.
8. “The Tipping Point” – Tears For Fears
From the album The Tipping Point
80’s icons Tears For Fears had not put out a new album in 18 years, since 2004’s Everybody Loves A Happy Ending reunited Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith after fifteen years apart. Tears For Fears had not been completely silent during that nearly two decade break. The duo had released a few covers of songs by younger bands that were inspired by them in 2013 and had included two new songs on a 2017 hits compilation. The new single “I Love You But I’m Lost” was co-written by members of Bastille and seemed to continue the band’s interest in trying to update their sound. The initial sessions for The Tipping Point also saw the band working with an array of younger artists and producers and an early version of the album was completed but then largely scrapped by the band. Around this same time Roland Orzabal’s wife passed away and the band’s plan to re-enter the studio and work on The Tipping Point again was put on hold first while Orzabal grieved and then because of his own health issues. A silver lining to this tragedy however is that the death of his wife inspired Orzabal to write a new batch of songs and these new songs, including the title track, served as the core of a new version of The Tipping Point. The song “The Tipping Point” was released in late 2021 as the new album’s lead single (but I didn’t include it last year and the album was released in 2022 so here it is) and did quite well, cracking the Top 40 in both the US and the UK. “The Tipping Point” also showed that Tears For Fears new music echoed their classic era while also showing a growth and maturity fitting of their age and is much stronger than the few songs they released while trying to work with younger collaborators. Indeed, The Tipping Point is probably their best album since 1989’s The Seeds Of Love.
9. “Something Changed” – Interpol
From the album The Other Side of Make-Believe
Somewhere after their third album Our Love To Admire Interpol began to drift a little. The band could still put out interesting songs but they seemed unsure about how to move forward within the limitations of their sound. 2018’s Marauder found the band recapturing the spark of their early work and that renewed focus is continued on 2022’s very strong The Other Side Of Make-Believe. First single “Toni” felt like a lost classic from the band’s early days (and I strongly included including it here) but the second single “Something Changed” has a dark beauty that shines though with the best of their work while also feeling more original. “Something Changed” is built off a lurching beat and is carried by a piano part that sounds like its being played by a ghost on a piano in an old western saloon. There is a sense of the world moving on and madness setting in on “Something Changed” that is eerie, yet beautiful and the song serves as the heart of the record.
10. “Shotgun” – Soccer Mommy
From the album Sometimes, Forever
On “Shotgun”, the lead single from Soccer Mommy’s third album Sometimes, Forever we find Sophie Allison (who is Soccer Mommy) continuing her confessional, intimate songwriting style. Only this time Soccer Mommy’s musical backing is expanded beyond her typical folk meets grunge style to include other 90’s-hued influences like shoegaze, dreampop, and industrial textures. Indeed, elements of all of these sounds can be heard woven into the formula on “Shotgun” which opens the album on very strong terms.
11. “Anti-glory” – Horsegirl
From the album Versions Of Modern Performance
Horsegirl is a three-piece, all female rock band from Chicago, Illinois who made inroads with their debut album Versions Of Modern Performance. Like several other female-dominated bands of recent years Horsegirl finds their main inspiration in the grimy worlds of punk and grunge rock. “Anti-glory” feels like a song title ripped straight from the 90’s when a desire for stardom was anathema and anything that had a whiff of commercialism would rob a band of their credibility and authenticity. “Anti-glory” feels like it could be the love child of a threesome between Nirvana, The Pixies, and The Breeders (while Courtney Barnett watched from a distance) and is built on driving bass part and a fuzzy guitar lick adapted from Nirvana’s “Aneurysm”. “Anti-glory” is the best song on a solid debut and has put Horsegirl on the radar of bands to watch.
12. “Growing Up” – The Lindas Lindas
From the album Growing Up
L.A.’s all female pop punks The Linda Lindas made waves over the past few years for a few reasons. First, they were so young that they couldn’t help but seem like a bit of a novelty. Second, bands made up of all Asian and Latin women are rare. Third, songs like “Oh!” and “Racist, Sexist Boy” were actually quite good and deserving of much of the attention they received. Both those tracks are included on The Linda Lindas debut album Growing Up, but it’s the title track shows the band’s songwriting is growing up with the band. “Growing Up” is a fiery punk-pop song about relying on your friends (or bandmates or lover) to deal with all of the new challenges life throws at you. “Growing Up” certainly makes The Linda Lindas feel like the inheritors of the mantle of bands like The Go-Go’s and Blondie.
13. “Angelica” – Wet Leg
From the album Wet Leg
Undeniably, one of the breakout alternative acts of 2022 has been the British indie duo Wet Leg. Their first two singles “Chaise Longue” and “Wet Dream” were inescapable in indie circles and led to Wet Leg recording their eponymous debut album, which was released in April 2022. While Wet Leg had released several stand-alone singles (all four of which were eventually included on the Wet Leg album) the song “Angelica” was released in late February 2022 as the lead promotional single for the album. “Angelica” was a good choice for this as it is an excellent fusion of all of the elements that make Wet Leg interesting and unique. “Angelica” has sunny melodies and skewed harmony vocals combined with fuzzy garage rock, all fused with a blunt sexuality, humor, and quirkiness that recalls The B-52’s without sounding like them. Other songs that ended up on Wet Leg got more attention but I think “Angelica” may be the best of the bunch.
14. “Rebels Without Applause” – Morrissey
From the single “Rebels Without Applause”
Morrissey has largely become a social pariah by 2022 but it is hard to deny that he can still release a catchy alt-pop single and the very Smiths-sounding “Rebels Without Applause” is another in a long line of them. The song is a blatant throwback to Moz’s early days as the singer of The Smiths. The guitar riff in “Rebels Without Applause” sounds like a lost Johnny Marr classic and the whole song is produced to sound like an outtake from The Queen Is Dead. Morrissey’s recalling of his salad days with The Smiths however is not a blatant attempt to appeal to fans of that era (at least not only that) as the song itself is a tribute to the bands of the first wave alternative era that paved the way for the success of later alternative bands who reaped the benefits. Indeed, the song namechecks both Generation X and X-Ray Spex in the lyrics, both underrated and largely forgotten bands who helped to shape the sound and style of 80’s alternative (along with other groups like The Smiths, of course) who might qualify as the rebels without applause of the song’s title. “Rebels Without Applause” was meant to be the lead single for Morrissey’s new album of the same name but the release of that album is now up in the air due to an issue with his label over Miley Cyrus’ desire to have her vocals pulled from a track on the new record. So, we will see of “Rebels Without Applause” is ultimately a stand-alone single or the first track off a new album.
15. “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)” – Arcade Fire
From the album We
Arcade Fire had spent their previous few albums pushing the boundaries of their classic sound by adding it elements of world music and synthpop on recent albums. Those new elements can still be found around the edges of the music on 2022’s We but for the most part We is Arcade Fire’s attempt to return to the sound of their early records. We is only partially successful in that endeavor, the songs are written and structured to be more like those found on Funeral, Neon Bible, and The Suburbs but there is a maturity and slickness here that was generally not found on those early albums. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it means We feels like a careful move forward for Arcade Fire rather than an attempt to capture an earlier era. However, it also means that parts of the We doesn’t have the spark of the new that can be found on those early albums. One of the exceptions to that though is “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)” which starts as a simple folk song and builds up into a cinematic anthem that recalls the best moments, and more importantly captures the magic, of Arcade Fire’s early albums.
16. “Sharks” – Imagine Dragons
From the album Mercury – Acts 1 & 2
2021 saw Imagine Dragons release the EP Mercury – Act 1 which found the band stripping away much of the production and sonic trickery of their earlier records to create something simpler and, at least comparatively, more intimate than their earlier albums. They released the second album of the Mercury project in 2022 and while it has the same minimalist Rick Rubin production it is a (somewhat) more defiant and buoyant affair than its predecessor as it represents the rise after a fall. One of the highlights of Mercury – Act 2 is the second single “Sharks”. “Sharks” is interesting because it follows the usual Imagine Dragons blueprint of new wave meets hip hop meets club music, only with most of the production bombast used on previous songs like “Radioactive” or “Believer” stripped away. What is left behind on “Sharks” is a supple, slinky track that flows and grooves like Imagine Dragons while also feeling minimalist and raw. (The two Mercury albums were also united into one album titled Mercury – Acts 1 & 2 in 2022).
17. “Cracker Island” – Gorillaz (featuring Thundercat)
From the single “Cracker Island”
Gorillaz comes back with another new wave/synthpop/Britpop/hip hop/club banger with their 2022 single “Cracker Island”. Damon Albarn’s collaborative art-based side project has grown and evolved over the years until it now feels like Blur was a side project he once did and Gorillaz is his real work (and maybe that is actually true). “Cracker Island” is a funky, groove-based that finds Damon Albarn working with Thundercat to create a song that will get stuck in your head while also making you shake your booty. It’s the kind of song Gorillaz does best when Albarn finds the right collaborators (and Thundercat is a great choice) and “Cracker Island” has that same mainstream appeal that “Clint Eastwood” or “Feel Good Inc.” had back when Gorillaz had radio hits, only this time without Albarn taking second fiddle to his rap collaborators.
18. “Black Summer” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
From the album Unlimited Love
The Red Hot Chili Peppers saw guitarist John Frusciante return to the fold after a decade-long absence and the band celebrated his return by hooking up with longtime producer Rick Rubin and recording not one, but two new albums that were released in 2022 – Unlimited Love and Return Of The Dream Canteen. The first release from Unlimited Love, the first of the two albums, was “Black Summer”. Both the single “Black Summer” and the accompanying Unlimited Love went to #1 on the alternative singles and albums charts and continued to show that the Red Hot Chili Peppers were a creative and commercial force. “Black Summer” is a midtempo rocker than merges the classic Frusciante and Flea guitar and bass sound that had made the Chili Peppers popular. The unexpected twist on “Black Summer” is the unusual vocal performance by singer Anthony Kiedis where he sings the verses with a strange accent that sounds something like an Irish pirate might sound like. Some people found Kiedis’ vocal performance distracting or silly, and I can understand that viewpoint, but for me personally Kiedis’ vocal performance is what makes a relatively straightforward Chili Peppers song interesting and notable, and while strange, I personally like the song better because of it.
19. “A Wave Across The Bay” – Frank Turner
From the album FTHC
Anyone who knows Frank Turner’s backstory knows that in spite of being mostly folk-based as a solo artist his background is in punk rock and he spent time as the leader of the punk band Million Dead. His 2022 FTHC (an abbreviation for “Frank Turner Hard Core”) is an attempt by Turner to bring more of those punk roots into his music to keep him from becoming too settled in his middle-aged success. The sound on FTHC isn’t too different from his previous solo work but there are full-band blasts that add some piss and vinegar to the album. That said, the album’s best moment may be the heartfelt “A Wave Across The Bay”, which is Turner’s tribute to his friend Scott Hutchinson, the singer for the band Frightened Rabbit, who committed suicide in 2018. “A Wave Across The Bay” is direct, honest and emotional as Turner tells of seeing his friend in a dream and then offers his love and support as he says goodbye to him. Over the course of the song, it builds from a minimalist folky opening to its cathartic, powerful conclusion; proving that the harder-edged approach used on FTHC has merit as “A Wave Across The Bay” would not have near the same power without its powerful ending.
20. “There’s A Moon On” – Pixies
From the album Doggerel
The Pixies return with the third release of their second act with 2022’s Doggerel. It is unlikely Pixies will ever reach the raw power and insanity of their initial run in the late 80’s and early 90’s (and they still miss original bassist Kim Deal) but Doggerel is probably the best album they have released since their reunion. Lead single “There’s A Moon On” however does capture a little bit of their early career energy and wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Bossanova or Trompe Le Monde. “There’s A Moon On” is a rewarding listen and when Black Francis shrieks “come on!” about halfway through a little of the old spirit shines through and its glorious.
21. “Invincible” – Eddie Vedder
From the album Earthling
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam had released solo material before. But his two previous solo albums were his minimalist soundtrack for Into The Wild and an album of songs played on a ukulele. So, in some ways it is possible to look at Earthling as Vedder’s first true solo album. However, doing so is a bit dishonest as that not only negates the excellent Into The Wild soundtrack, but it also ignores the amount of famous friends found on Earthling. Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith plays on much of the album, as does former Chili Pepper guitarist Josh Klinghoffer who also serves as Vedder’s primary songwriting partner. Elsewhere Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Ringo Starr, and Tom Petty & The Heartbreaker’s keyboardist Benmont Tench all make appearances. In spite of all of these famous and talented people working with Vedder Earthling never feels like the work of anyone other than Vedder himself; it doesn’t even feel like Pearl Jam very often. The album is generally hopeful, uplifting, and defiant as it explores the various sounds and styles that have influenced Vedder over the years. Opening song and fourth single “Earthling” captures most of what Vedder is trying to accomplish here, which is warm, Earthy music that draws largely on classic rock, presented by one of the great voices and battle-hardened survivors of the 90’s alternative rock revolution.
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