Tony's Top Hits and Albums of 2022 (#COMPLETE!)

[blondini]

So i sorted out my songs and albums into A and B lists - i counted 26 A songs and 41 B songs. For albums, i have 11 A's and 35 B's!

Starting off with the Hits ranked below 50 - no big write-ups to start with with some exceptions. Those that follow my charts should have guessed my top song already.

HITS

67 The Kunts - F*ck The Tories YOUTUBE


66 Brooke - That's Rich YOUTUBE

Ireland's Eurovision entry was a dance-pop banger - not her highest.

65 The 209 ft Ami Alex - Invisible YOUTUBE

Ricardo Autobahn (Spray / Cuban Boys / Daz Sampson) and a Lancashire Hotpot with a melancholy dance track that deserves more than the few likes it has on YT (in the various versions).

64 Ethel Cain - Strangers YOUTUBE


63 The Daniel Wakeford Experience - Spock, Mr. Spock YOUTUBE

Star of Channel Four's The Undateables with his best yet.

62 Daria Zawialow ft Sokol - Laura YOUTUBE

Trigger warning: video has depictions of domestic violence.

61 Wallows - At The End Of The Day YOUTUBE

Lovely synth-pop with their retro harmonies produced by Ariel Rechtshaid that was ignored not just by the streaming masses but the band themselves at festivals. Only peaked at #10 on my chart!!

60 Weyes Blood - God, Turn Me Into A Flower YOUTUBE


59 Catie Turner - Step Mom YOUTUBE


58 Yeah Yeah Yeahs ft Perfume Genius - Spitting Off The Edge Of The World YOUTUBE

Only peaked at #9 on my chart!!

57 Meg Myers ft Luna Shadows and Carmen Vandenberg - HTIS YOUTUBE


56 Carly Rae Jepsen - Surrender My Heart YOUTUBE


55 Anna Of The North - Nobody YOUTUBE


54 Carly Rae Jepsen - Western Wind YOUTUBE

Sublime chill-pop / yacht rock made with Rostam. Peaked at #7 on my chart (2 places lower than SMH!). Her album didn't make my YE.

53 Abby Roberts - Paramaniac YOUTUBE

TikTok make-up star turned acclaimed dream-pop artist who supported Halsey.

52 Trementina - I Can Show You Wonders YOUTUBE

Shoegaze / dream-pop from Chile. Like My Bloody Valentine meets The Primitives.

51 Nessa Barrett - Dying On The Inside YOUTUBE

This song was probably hampered because nobody wanted to glamorise the subject matter: eating disorders. She didn't even put it on her album. It's unfortunate because it's a great track.

[blondini]

HITS

50 Orbital and Sleaford Mods - Dirty Rat YOUTUBE


49 A Void - Sick As A Dog YOUTUBE
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French/Anglo trio who sound like early Hole and have a captivating frontwoman in Camille Alexander.

48 Flume ft Caroline Polachek - Sirens YOUTUBE


47 Ami Alex - Things That You Should Know YOUTUBE

The singer from #65 again. If you like Dido's more electronic side you should love this - a ballad with atmospheric textures.

46 Brooke - Attention YOUTUBE

Another dance-pop banger, an earlier release from 2020. More "classy" than That's Rich?

45 Black Honey - Heavy YOUTUBE

The group that had my surprise top album of 2018 have never made my YE Hits list till now. A video directed by and starring the stunning trans woman from Drag Race UK, Dakota Schiffer.

44 Tove Lo - Grapefruit YOUTUBE


43 Princess Chelsea - Love Is More YOUTUBE

Great indie-pop that lovers of St Etienne or Peter, Bjorn and JOhn would like. The exuberance comes through in the vid.

42 Dubstar - Token YOUTUBE


41 Sophie Cates - Nasty YOUTUBE

New discovery this year. But it was her earlier material that really got me...


ALBUMS

SPECIAL MENTION
Sugababes - The Lost Tapes SPOTIFY
Dropped on Christmas Eve when i'd closed my charts down! I'm treating it as a compilation. They aren't releasing singles from it so i can't even chart Today which is a stunner.

46 Little Simz - No Thank You SPOTIFY

45 Fred Again.. - Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9 2022) SPOTIFY

44 Jack White - Fear Of The Dawn SPOTIFY

43 Bear McCreary - The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power: Season One (OTVST) AMAZON (with bonus tracks) / SPOTIFY

42 Erasure - Day-Glo (Based On A True Story) SPOTIFY
An experimental release that is better than The Neon, the pop album it spins off from.

41 MWWB - The Harvest SPOTIFY

[blondini]

HITS

40 Bjork - Ovule YOUTUBE


39 The Wombats - Worry YOUTUBE
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Lowest placed number one on the list.

38 Tiffany - You're My Everything YOUTUBE


37 Lola Kirke - Better Than Any Drug YOUTUBE

If you like Kylie's disco country mix...

36 Kim Petras - Throat Goat YOUTUBE


35 Caitlin Rose - Nobody's Sweetheart YOUTUBE

Like when Kirsty MacColl did country.

34 Silver Sphere / Sophie Cates - I'll Go Goth YOUTUBE

Sophie's earlier alter ego. Lovely sparky synth.

33 Silver Sphere / Sophie Cates - Handle Me YOUTUBE

More of a mainstream sounding pop number.

32 Ethel Cain - American Teenager YOUTUBE

Taylor Swift with a death wish. Obama likes it so click the damn thing!

31 MWWB - The Harvest YOUTUBE

Epic doom metal / dream-pop mixture from the group formerly known as Mammoth Weed Wizard b*st*rd (stil called that on Spotify). Sadly the album (#41) was a letdown.

ALBUMS

40 Rosie Carney - I Wanna Feel Happy SPOTIFY

39 Rina Sawayama - Hold The Girl SPOTIFY
She needs to push Holy as a single.

38 Royksopp - Profound Mysteries II SPOTIFY
The only one of the three volumes to make the list.

37 Princess Chelsea - Everything Is Going To Be Alright SPOTIFY

36 Imogen Heap and Dan O'Neill - Chordata Bytes I SPOTIFY

35 Imogen Heap and Dan O'Neill - Chordata Bytes II SPOTIFY
Instrumental albums.

34 Jeff Beck and Johnny Depp - 18 SPOTIFY

33 Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror SPOTIFY

32 Dubstar - Two SPOTIFY

31 xPropaganda - The Heart Is Strange SPOTIFY
Claudia and Susanne from Propaganda with Stephen Lipson.

[blondini]

HITS

30 Charli XCX - Used To Know Me YOUTUBE
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You'd think using the sound of Robin S' Show Me Love would have given her a big hit. Sadly not.

29 SRSQ - Used To Love YOUTUBE

Only peaked at #7 but spent 19 weeks on chart (in part due to a live clip featuring the stunning trans woman guitarist on Ethel Cain's album and then thanks to the belated video)!! "Seerskew" is the creation of Kennedy Ashlyn and this epic chill-pop tune fits the David Lynch / Sky Ferreira vibe.
I put it above Charli on purpose.

28 Leftfield - Pulse YOUTUBE

I must stress that the full length version - the actual release - is the best but it's not on YouTube - SPOTIFY

27 Wooze - Cowardly Custard YOUTUBE

No video, sadly. This has their usual angular funk rock and marries it with throwbacks to Oingo Boingo's Weird Science.

26 Ellur - Best Face On YOUTUBE

More great introspective pop from the best rock star's daughter there is.

25 Caroline Polachek - Welcome To My Island YOUTUBE

Her best stab at being an actual popstar - watch for it catching fire in the New Year.

24 Nina Nesbitt - Alskar YOUTUBE

My Christmas number one is a lovelorn ballad and her album (not listed) title track which translates as "love" in Swedish.

23 Kim Petras - Running Up That Hill YOUTUBE

Planned and recorded months before Stranger Things and released for Gay Pride Month, this is a great punchy dance-flecked version. The live clip posted uses the backing track so that will do as a video.

22 Hatchie - Nosedive YOUTUBE

A non-album track that has the "goth-disco" vibe of a cheerier Curve / SPC ECO.

21 Bjork ft Kasimyn - Atopos YOUTUBE

Barmy track which alternates between bopping and barping. Also longer on the actual release (as is Dirty Rat at #50).

ALBUMS

30 Youth 83 - Progress Way SPOTIFY

29 A Void - Dissociation SPOTIFY

28 Soft Cell - *Happiness Not Included SPOTIFY

27 SPC ECO - Hide Me In Space BANDCAMP

26 The Wombats - Fix Yourself, Not The World SPOTIFY

25 Banks - Serpentina SPOTIFY

24 Lola Kirke - Lady For Sale SPOTIFY
Mix of country, disco and rock from sister of Jemima.

23 Ethel Cain - Preacher's Daughter SPOTIFY
Another trans woman triumph - Ethel Cain is the alter ego of Hayden Anhedonia (and she had official sanction by Florence Welsh). If Lana liked guitars, if Anna Calvi was more sedate.

22 SRSQ - Ever Crashing SPOTIFY

21 Anna Of The North - Crazy Life SPOTIFY
Great synth-pop.

[blondini]

HITS

20 The Birthday Massacre - Cold Lights YOUTUBE


19 Charli XCX ft Rina Sawayama - Beg For You YOUTUBE


18 Taylor Swift - Bejeweled YOUTUBE


17 Romy and Fred Again.. - Strong YOUTUBE
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I hope this picks up in the New Year lull as it deserves to be as big as Everything But The Girl's dancefloor hits.

16 Charli XCX - Every Rule YOUTUBE

I know this wasn't as loved on the forums but it's her more "indie" side that i love, too (while still adhering to pop cliche in the lyrics).

15 Bjork ft Sindri Eldon - Ancestress YOUTUBE

Tribute to her late mother with her son on guest vocals.

14 Jessie Ware - Free Yourself YOUTUBE

I don't need to describe this - #6 on the UKMix Parade Chart of 2022!

ALBUMS

20 Kim Petras - Slut Pop (MA) SPOTIFY
Probably the shortest release to ever make my YE top 20 albums - 15 mins 51 secs.

19 A Place To Bury Strangers - See Through You SPOTIFY

18 Caitlin Rose - Cazimi SPOTIFY
The Stand-In was one of my fave albums of 2013. 9 years later she's not quite on the same level but still great Americana / country.

17 Kyla La Grange - While Your Heart's Still Beating SPOTIFY

16 Blurred City Lights - Micropolis BANDCAMP
A duo featuring Dean Garcia of Curve and SPC ECO.

15 Tove Lo - Dirt Femme SPOTIFY
Possibly her best set. The critics love her, us music fans love her. Maybe one day the rest will catch up...

14 Zella Day - Sunday In Heaven SPOTIFY
Still going over a decade later and only us cult of fans follow her. More of that winning mix of rock and grooves with a great vocal - see also Lola Kirke, Maggie Rogers.

[blondini]

HITS

13 Hatchie - Twin YOUTUBE


12 Sky Ferreira - Don't Forget YOUTUBE
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We're still waiting for a proper video and that album.

11 Taylor Swift - Anti-Hero YOUTUBE (lyric video) / YOUTUBE (Roosevelt Remix)

Now this needs explaining. I'm not posting the video as it is ruined by the unfunny "comedy" interlude. That version would have only got this to 26 anyway, it is the brilliant Roosevelt Remix that gets it this high.

10 Charli XCX - Hot Girl (Bodies Bodies Bodies) YOUTUBE

And i'm on my own with this one too, sadly. Made for a horror film (which i've not seen yet), this harks back to her underground Vroom Vroom sound and mentions Tony in the lyric!

9 Silver Sphere / Sophie Cates - Boys In Bands YOUTUBE

Just genius. As with Charli below, highest of her 4 entries.

ALBUMS

13 Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein - Stranger Things 4 (OTVST - Score) SPOTIFY

12 White Lies - As I Try Not To Fall Apart SPOTIFY
Lowest place CD (and the only one in this section) in the YE list.

11 David Buckley - The Sandman (OTVST) SPOTIFY

10 SPC ECO - Be The Change BANDCAMP
Ever busy, Dean Garcia has three entries in this list (27, 16 and this).

9 Maggie Rogers - Surrender SPOTIFY
I should have bought on this on CD by now - my bad.

[blondini]

HITS

8 Mandy Moore - In Real Life YOUTUBE
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Timeless soft rock classic as soon as i heard it. It is just not fair that her ex still has more success than her in music.

7 Hatchie - Lights On YOUTUBE

Sexy time! #3 hit behind...

6 Hatchie - The Rhythm YOUTUBE

...this #2 which harks back to the early 90s indie dance of Primal Scream and the like.

5 Tangerine Dream - You're Always On Time YOUTUBE

The release version is longer. This was the year they were officially recognised as dance music by the OCC and this is an exceptional track that fans of Bicep and Boards Of Canada should (and did) love.

4 Let's Eat Grandma - Watching You Go YOUTUBE

Still regarded as an indie duo and only supported by indie stations, they actually made two singles that were full-on pop. Including this one which is about real tragedy in Jenny's life. 7 weeks at number one.

ALBUMS

8 Bjork - Fossora SPOTIFY
I own all the top 8 on CD.

7 Let's Eat Grandma - Two Ribbons SPOTIFY

6 Mandy Moore - In Real Life SPOTIFY

5 Charli XCX - Crash SPOTIFY
A good year for her regarding charts around the world. Constant Repeat! Constant Repeat! I am a bit miffed that she has a digital only deluxe...

4 Taylor Swift - Midnights SPOTIFY
...as does Taylor. But this one is better in both respects. Maroon is the tooon!!

[blondini]

HITS

3 The Birthday Massacre - One More Time YOUTUBE
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They never made any videos for the singles from this album. But this is possibly their most radio-friendly release ever. A rare male co-vocal near the end gives it the League / Modern flavour.

2 Hatchie - Quicksand YOUTUBE

This is her best single so far, it came early in the year and i really didn't think it would be topped. The video has her looking way too happy for such a sad song though - it's like Steps' Tragedy! The music does lift you up, though.

1 Let's Eat Grandma - Levitation YOUTUBE

A duo that really impressed this year and this timeless pop song with an effectively simple video spent 9 weeks at the top. In classic Frankie style they followed it with YE #4 and had 16 wks top in total!

ALBUMS

3 Tangerine Dream - Raum SPOTIFY
It's not quite up there with some of the Edgar era classics like Force Majeure but a great set it is.

2 Hatchie - Giving The World Away SPOTIFY
With 4 YE top 20 entries, you might have expected this to be top but she hasn't quite mastered the classic 10 star album yet.

1 The Birthday Massacre - Fascination SPOTIFY
They did it again, following their own path and being followed by their loyal fans. Stars and Satellites is the standout of the non-singles.

[TheThorne]

Great to see so much love for Hatchie one of my favourite newish bands although I do prefer their debut

[blondini]

Great to see more love for Hatchie. Hatchie is not a band, though. It's the pseudonym of Harriette Pilbeam. She performs with a band but they aren't called Hatchie.

www.theguardian.com/music/2022/apr/19/the-double-life-of-hatchie-i-toured-with-kylie-then-came-home-and-worked-in-a-cafe