There were a lot of great songs to choose from this year and above are my selections. The songs included are mostly from indie bands but there are a few hip hop and R&B songs included as well.
As always, I hope that listeners will hear some familiar songs but will also find new favorites in some of the lesser known artists.
After some editing, here is a playlist of my top 100 choices for the best songs of last year. It was an interesting year for music as the world slowly (or in some places quickly) attempted to go back to some kind of normal.
Three artists from last year’s selections make a return appearance with new work- Madison Cunningham; Black Country, New Road; and Rico Nasty- who took the energy up a notch on a Fred Again.. club banger.
Alt-J, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Built to Spill and Nina Nastasia, returned with new work. Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead reunited to form a new band- The Smile.
It felt impossible not to love the energy of F.N.F (Let’s Go), GloRilla and HitKidd’s single lady anthem, or Flo Milli’s self celebration Conceited.
The playlist is a little more California-centric than others out there, which makes itself especially obvious in selections by J. Rocc, Erin Rae, and The Moonjacks.
As always the playlist leans heavily toward indie bands, however there are also some R&B songs included- like potential future classics from artists Jacob Banks, Lee Fields, and Lady Wray.
Songs about economic worries, creative struggles, grief, and, of course, love songs are in every year’s playlist and this year is no exception.
There were a lot of songs to love in 2022, hopefully this list introduces you to a few more.
2020 was a crazy year, to say the least, and this playlist reflects that. Many songs that made it to this year’s list seem tailor made for the frustrations, anger, and loneliness of 2020; while others are just joyous and fun. A few artists from last year’s “best of” playlist also make a repeat appearance this year.
We lost several excellent artists this year. The last recorded song by John Prine (who passed away due to complications from COVID last April) was released in 2020 and is included in this playlist.
Here’s hoping for a return to live music in 2021 and a better year for us all.
Playlists can be like a time capsule, capturing the energy of a specific time period. Anxiety, money, greed, politics, criminal justice, television, and social media were common themes. Of course songs of heartbreak, nostalgia, hope, and navigating your way through tough times are always present- and they are here too. This year there were songs that stood out musically, and others that were just fun.
We also lost a lot of great artists in 2019. Two of them with songs that came out this year, Nipsey Hussle and David Berman, are included in this playlist.
One note- There were several famous artists with great songs this year who were not included on this playlist to make room for artists whose work is less well known, but not less great.