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DISCUSSION FORUM

I've holed myself up for this past week writing about considerably less dubstep than I am known to do but as an end result I have another of those big lists to share tomorrow. Here's those links to accommodate this

http://myradiostream.com/station/flashplayer.php?s=s6&p=14748
https://myradiostream.com/embed/free.php?s=loofrundry&btnstyle=default&id=465864&n=6&p=14748
http://s6.myradiostream.com:14748/

I'll be doing this at 5pm AEDT tomorrow via the usual means, see you then?
350Royal & the SerpentIM FINE
349Drake & 21 SavageRich Flex
348RIIKI REIDMeet U Again
347Dead WitchLa Niña
346Princess ChelseaLove Is More
345Gorillaz feat. Tame Impala & Bootie BrownNew Gold
344easy lifeFORTUNE COOKIE
343Mr Little JeansIn Spite of Me
342BROODS & Tove LoI Keep
341WarpaintChampion
340Lykke LiHIGHWAY TO YOUR HEART
339Martin Garrix & ZeddFollow
338Future feat. Drake & TemsWAIT FOR U
337Taylor SwiftLavender Haze
336CannonsPurple Sun
335King PrincessFor My Friends
334Nicki Minaj feat. Lil BabyDo We Have A Problem?
333Molly PaytonHandle
332Gang of Youthsin the wake of your leave
331Elizabeth M. DrummondCongratulations
330Yeah Yeah Yeahs feat. Perfume GeniusSpitting Off the Edge of the World
329Fred again.. & Swedish House Mafia feat. FutureTurn On The Lights again..
328FELIVANDButterfly Wings
327Lana Del ReyWatercolor Eyes
326Tiësto & Solardo feat. Poppy BaskcombI Can't Wait
325Matilda MannHell
324Pink Sweat$ feat. Tori KellyReal Thing
323yeuleBites on My Neck
322BeyoncéCUFF IT
321FazerdazeCome Apart
320Mall Grab & Nia ArchivesPatience
319Beach HouseThe Bells
318DMA'SEverybody's Saying Thursday's The Weekend
317Pharrell Williams feat. 21 Savage & Tyler, The CreatorCash In Cash Out
316HatchieNosedive
315AViVAThe Saint And The Sinner
314Fred again.. feat. Romy & HAAiLights Out
313DjoFigure You Out
312Oliver Heldens, Tchami & Anabel EnglundLOW
311Sofi Tukker & Mahmut OrhanForgive Me
310Tones And IEyes Don't Lie
309BROCKHAMPTONBig Pussy
308LizzoAbout Damn Time
307Pharrell Williams feat. Travis ScottDown In Atlanta
306Fontaines D.C.Jackie Down The Line
305Gang of Youthsspirit boy
304Caroline & ClaudeIDK YOU
303Baby QueenNobody Really Cares
302MitskiEveryone
301JXCKYGhost You
300Totally Enormous Extinct DinosaursBlood In The Snow
299Caroline PolachekBillions
298Pusha TDiet Coke
297HatchieLights On
296SZAShirt
295Röyksopp feat. Susanne SundførOh, Lover
294Little SimzNo Merci
293MUNAHome By Now
292Eliza & The DelusionalsGive You Everything
291JojiGlimpse of Us
290dainenew ground
289grentperezWishful Thinking
288FazerdazeThick of the Honey
287Eddie Benjamin & Alessia CaraOnly You
286Florence + The MachineKing
285Biig PiigKerosene
284Reneé RappToo Well
283Labrinth with ZendayaI'm Tired
282Arctic MonkeysI Ain't Quite Where I Think I Am
281Alicia Keys feat. Lucky DayeStay
280Biig Piig feat. Deb NeverPicking Up
279Danté Knows & Taskermy baD
278CannonsHurricane
277FLETCHERSting
276Yb.Sandra
275Hazel EnglishSummer Nights
274BudjerahWhat Should I Do?
273Ūlagold star
272Lola ScottWe Don't Make Sense
271AshliDance Again
270AURORAThe Devil is Human
269CannonsTunnel of You
268Drake feat. 21 SavageJimmy Cooks
267Beach BunnyFire Escape
266Eliza & The DelusionalsHalloween
265Future IslandsKing of Sweden
264Jess BallSpent
263BEXYThe End Of The World Again
262Beckah AmaniI Don't Know Why I Don't Leave You
261ThundamentalsLifted Up
260Royel OtisKool Aid
259Arctic MonkeysThere’d Better Be A Mirrorball
258WinterbourneLong Distance Runner
257Thandi Phoenix & Arona ManeGuarantees
256DjoEnd of Beginning
255Death Cab for CutieAsphalt Meadows
254Lola Scottit's not how it used to be
253Sputnik SweetheartHeavenly
252Billie EilishThe 30th
251Soccer MommyShotgun
250Hybrid Minds & BirdyState Lines
249MetricAll Comes Crashing
248Kendrick Lamar feat. Blxst & Amanda ReiferDie Hard
247The BethsExpert In A Dying Field
246Jaguar JonzeTRIGGER HAPPY
245Bad BunnyTití Me Preguntó
244AlvvaysTile By Tile
243King StingrayLet's Go
242DrakeSticky
241Alan Walker & Au/RaSomebody Like U
240Burna BoyLast Last
239Jude KorabShadowfell
238Fontaines D.C.In ár gCroíthe go deo
237Saint Lane feat. Lily Papasi think i've seen this film before
236Schak feat. Kim EnglishMoving All Around (Jumpin')
235MetricEnemies of the Ocean
234BOBI ANDONOVNight Crawls
233OneRepublicWest Coast
232Fred again..Jungle
231Weyes BloodThe Worst Is Done
230Beach HouseOnly You Know
229Steve LacyBad Habit
228Madison BeerI Have Never Felt More Alive
227CXLOETill The Wheels Fall Off
226Logic feat. RussTherapy Music
225Arctic MonkeysBody Paint
224WILSNTell Me
223Vanessa AmorosiCrash Now Burn
222Alex LaheyCongratulations
221Rex Orange County feat. Tyler, The CreatorOPEN A WINDOW
220Lucy DacusKissing Lessons
219Brent FaiyazPRICE OF FAME
218SAILOR GOONRuthless
217AURORAA Dangerous Thing
216Princess ChelseaForever Is A Charm
215Holly HumberstoneSleep Tight
214Voom feat. FazerdazeMagic
213TashNew Thing
212TANISHACan You Catch Me?
211renforshort with Travis Barkerwe'll make this ok
210AlvvaysPharmacist
209BlakeCPU
208Death by DenimDraped in Vapour
207merci, mercySick To My Stomach
206LEXFeel What I'm Feeling
205Romy & Fred again..Strong
204Jude KorabNight Riding
203Lizzy McAlpinewhat a shame
202Ellie Goulding feat. Big SeanEasy Lover
201HatchieGiving the World Away
200SIX60Hang On
199Kendrick LamarN95
198Just A Gent feat. Arno FarajiWho Would Have Thought
197Florence + the MachineDream Girl Evil
196Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak & Silk SonicLove's Train
195JIDSistanem
194Beach HouseHurts to Love
193WILLOWur a <stranger>
192Dove CameronBoyfriend
191merci, mercyInto You
190AlvvaysAfter The Earthquake
189MallratTeeth
188Chanel LorenF4U
187Augie MarchThe Derangement
186KAYTRANADA & Anderson .PaakTwin Flame
185Lolo ZouaïGive Me a Kiss
184Surf CurseSugar
183Methyl Ethel feat. Stella DonnellyProof
182Genesis OwusuGet Inspired
181Ivoris & r.em.edyDrive Thru
180Maggie RogersThat's Where I Am
179Jen CloherMana Takatāpui
178r.em.edy feat. BalaramQuestions
177Caroline & Claudeit's not that bad
176Beach HouseIllusion of Forever
175Matt CorbyProblems
174Dom Dolla feat. Clementine DouglasMiracle Maker
173Freddie GibbsDark Hearted
172Julia JacklinI Was Neon
171Alisa XayalithI'll Be There
170AlvvaysEasy On Your Own?
169SZAKill Bill
168PhoenixWinter Solstice
167The Butterfly EffectVisiting Hours
166edith & Taj RalphFalling Away
165Kota BanksDreamhigh
164UPSAHLKickflip
163Eddie BenjaminWeatherman
162LastlingsGet What You Want
161Kenshi YonezuKICK BACK
160MuseWon't Stand Down
159Luna Li feat. beabadoobeeSilver Into Rain
158ParamoreThis Is Why
157Methyl EthelOne and Beat
156Dallas TamairaJust Fine
155Kendrick LamarUnited In Grief
154Little SimzAngel
153Vancouver Sleep ClinicThe Flow
152Lizzy McAlpinean ego thing
151Beddy RaysMilk
150The Rare OccasionsSeasick
149Julia JacklinLydia Wears a Cross
148Tate McRaeshe's all i wanna be
147TelenovaScarlet
146Dove CameronBad Idea
145Teenage DadsExit Sign
144The BethsHead In The Clouds
143MwanjeDandelions
142BugsAlone Again
141AlvvaysPomeranian Spinster
140Kendrick Lamar feat. SamphaFather Time
139MitskiShould've Been Me
138KIAN feat. rako, goyo & DALI HARTCome Through
1370800VAPOUR
136MetricFalse Dichotomy
135Hot ChipDown
134Press ClubEndless Motion
133Dorsal FinsS.O.S (Stick of Sage)
132BOY SODALONELY
131Zach BryanSomething in the Orange
130Beach HouseAnother Go Around
129Finn Falcon with BENEELight
128EAST AV3WTFO
127BeyoncéPLASTIC OFF THE SOFA
126Tove LoHow Long
125Gena Rose BruceMisery and Misfortune
124Lizzy McAlpineorange show speedway
123Meg MacOn Your Mind
122Jessie WareFree Yourself
121Death by DenimMagic Daisy
120The BeefsIn the Blood
119Jaguar JonzeCut
118Jess DaySeven
117MetricFormentera
116Father John MistyQ4
115Maggie RogersWant Want
114MUNAWhat I Want
113HEAVY CHEST & BENEESunday926
112Arlo ParksSoftly
111SkegssStranger Days
110Joey Bada$$Head High
109Little SimzHeart on Fire
108Sputnik SweetheartLindy Hop
107JIDKody Blu 31
106Body TypeSex & Rage
105merci, mercyBlack Cloud
104Amber MarkBliss
103Johnny Orlando & BENEEfun out of it
102ElueraMadeline
101Yeah Yeah YeahsBurning

Last edited:
2022

I guess last year wasn't weird. Relatively stagnant for me but in a good way that lets me keep being who I want to be and doing what I want to do. I still don't get out very much but I did get to see Gretta Ray be excellent at what she does. The challenge is set, whoever is #1 on this list. Also in even more extremely specific to me stuff I got to chat with 38 time Jeopardy! champion Matt Amodio and now have a recording of him saying the words 'the Hilltop Hoods' which I had no reason to anticipate a year ago. Some of you will know that I've had a delightful time writing trivia this past year. Whether it's indulging in rancid wordplay or spending hours looking up interviews and old music charts in order to put window dressing on piss easy clues, it's certainly an experience.

Once again I watched a lot of movies from the very new to the very, very, very old which is always good for expanding my understanding of the world. In terms of this year, I don't have any particularly interesting opinions but I must say that "Everything Everywhere All At Once" is one of my favourite viewing experiences that hits on so many levels. It manages to be even more ridiculous and over the top than "RRR" and "Glass Onion" which I also enjoyed a lot. Also not technically movies but technically movies, but I have gone deep down the "Columbo" rabbit hole since last year. 10/10, would watch the little dude make all of his wife's favourite celebrities grow increasingly agitated until they eventually incriminate themselves.

I also am known to play a lot of video games. As of 2022 I'm literally in the credits of Furi if you're wondering what that wild ride's been up to. I finally got to play a FromSoft game while it was relatively hip and happening, and if I'm being blindingly obvious on movies, I'll also be blindingly obvious and say that "Elden Ring" is fantastic. I've had a multitude of experiences with puzzle games. "ElecHead" and "Patrick's Parabox" were cute experiences, "TUNIC" and "The Golem" were downright infuriating but I respect the hell out of the latter for being so unrelentingly difficult. I'm the latest person to join the cult of saying "CrossCode" is excellent, no notes. I'm also presently addicted to "Neon White" which I would probably be playing right now if not for this obligation. "Hypnospace Outlaw" is a uniquely brilliant experience in external storytelling, and in terms of visual novels, "Muv-Luv Alternative" made me feel everything that it promised, and "The Sekimeiya" is the most 5D Chess thing I've ever read, can't recommend it enough if you're also a massive dweeb.

Music is also very good. I might give off the impression that I only really listened to one album this year but according to my own notes it's actually more albums than I have in recent years. I'd definitely say I'm completely within my own niche again, except for some reason lately a lot of songs I like have started taking off as hits, or at least more than the usual 0.
100. Nilüfer Yanya - midnight sun

I just want to use this post to talk about "Weird Fishes/ Arpeggi" because it's certainly interesting how much it's asserted itself as perhaps the most popular song on one of Radiohead's most popular albums. As I write this it's #3 on their last fm chart which is crazy for a non-single that wasn't especially talked about at the time. It may have taken this song to find that I had a previously unrealised affection for it because this one clicked into place instantly for me. It's also funny I think because the guitar riff over the bridge is perhaps more Radiohead-esque than the main one that draws the initial comparison.
99. Violent Soho - Kamikaze

This is a bare post but do know that Violent Soho have come very close to making this list a few times now. Clearly they're getting here on the exclusivity, where this could well be the last time the opportunity presents itself. The song itself is a good hark back to somewhat old school Violent Soho, and as such it's definitely been their most instant song to click for me.
98. Paramore - The News

I was musing about this when I first heard it, that Paramore occupied an odd space in pop culture in the late 2000s. At least in Australia, there was a point where they seemed well known despite not having any chart hits, and not getting played on triple j, one of those bands that couldn't help but be brought up in conversation online, not always on the best of terms. I struggled a bit with their earlier hits which didn't seem to mesh well on melodic terms for me and often had only reluctant interest for a few years after that ("That's What You Get", "Decode", "The Only Exception" etc I think I appreciate a bit more nowadays). Anyhow, this was around a time when I was quite into all the dance punk/electro rock that was going on built with clashing guitars. This song awoke something in me when I realised firstly that Paramore are doing it here, and also that they've honestly been doing it for ages and I never noticed.

Previous entries:
2009Ignorance#41
97. Hockey Dad - T's To Cross

I'm always fascinated by how well artists distribute hooks in their songs. Sometimes they can be loaded with them but other times the stock is low, and it's a question of how they manage to fill out a whole song. "T's To Cross" doesn't re-invent the wheel at all for the first few minutes unless you take notice of the fact that the title still hasn't shown up. The outro is when it all clicks into place for me though, hammering in the main hook but also bringing back an assortment from earlier in the song, which is a fun way to close it out.

Previous entries:
2017Homely Feeling#93
2020Itch#8
2020In This State#52
96. Dove Cameron - Girl Like Me

I went through a range of emotions when I first heard this. I don't often explicitly try to meet a specific quota but I remember being somewhat unsure on a new song and thinking I'll either add it to my playlist, or I'll add this Dove Cameron song if it's any good (I don't remember what that other song is but I think I added it anyway). When the opening notes kicked in I was super disappointed that it was just another lazy sample and I was taken completely out of it, like oh this is how she's gonna try to get a second mainstream hit. I tweeted about it at the time (which I think is the last thing I've documented as saying in my 20s) but when the chorus riff hit I was in hysterics about it, while simultaneously appreciating that it really let it rip. It's the drums that do it I guess but it sounds bigger than the original song ever did in that moment. As always, ironic appreciation always slowly morphs into unironic appreciation and here we are. Also "Remember Me" slaps and Dove Cameron needs to put it back on Spotify.
95. These New South Whales - Rotten Sun

I think I joked at the time that this is the closest I've gotten to having windmill scene in my chart, but hey, maybe Fontaines will get there for real eventually. This song mines some pretty established territory, knowing that it's fun to yell out 'It's gonna take some time', or something to that effect. As a side note, no matter how many times I see this song title, the word 'Rotten' always looks like it's spelt incorrectly.
94. Ocean Alley - Deepest Darkness

What I think is most peculiar about this is that this song is just as meandering as so many other Ocean Alley songs that I'm not always the biggest fan of, but it just has that little extra touch of loudness to it that I guess they've always been missing. I see people say that this new album is just another similar outing for the band but for me it's crazy how much the first two singles just clicked with me in a way they never have before. Maybe when I get to ranking all the Hottest 100 entries again, something else will click with me.
93. Lizzy McAlpine - called you again

"five seconds flat" may well just be reaction content bait. I've noted time and time again that so many of the songs are filled with big change ups on the bridge, or subtle lyrical moments that shift the entire meaning of the song. The snippet of that other song that's going viral on TikTok again at the moment literally has "plot twist" in the title. "called you again" might be peak theatrics for just how much it swells up, and it's a cute little snapshot of that human tendency to internally rationalise a situation and how to approach it, only to disregard it anyway on instinct. Usually in my case though it's two people who avoid contacting each other out of mutual erroneous belief that we're bothering each other.
92. Ethel Cain - American Teenager

If there's a song whose position on this list might age the worst, it's this one. It's still just so fresh to me and I'm continuing to find more and more to love about it but I have to put my stamp down at some point lest I never complete these lists. It does remind me that "Don't Stop Believin'" probably is still a good song that I've just heard too much to want to go back to. It's also a song that feels like it could actually be a hit even in spite of its extremely radio unfriendly themes. Also can you tell that "State Of Grace" is my favourite song on "Red"?
91. Little Simz - Gorilla

Dumping an entire album in December is extremely rude especially when it comes to figuring out what I'm going to take from it. Made worse when it's definitely an album I like but one I feel works best as a whole rather than being littered with obvious singles. I inevitably leaned to this as the most tightly packed song on the album, which if not for that song from a couple of years ago, would work more effectively than any other song at quickly dispensing why Simz just oozes captivating star power.

Previous entries:
2019Pink Youth (with Yuna)#1
2019Wounds (feat Chronixx)#7
2019Selfish (feat Cleo Sol)#30
2020might bang, might not#77
2021Introvert#24
2021Woman (feat Cleo Sol)#82
90. KUČKA - Messed Up

I do like to claim KUČKA as a Perth artist despite the fact that she wasn't born here and hasn't lived here in years, it's the principle of the thing. Anyway how often do you get a title that so readily recalls the song because it's just a perfect fit for everything that's going on in that hook.

Previous entries:
2019Real#11
2020Contemplation#26
2021No Good For Me#93
89. PRINS - On the Low (Shh!)

Every now and then one of those whistling songs gets me hooked. It's very turn of the century pop songwriting though, with ebbs and flows that keep the chorus engaging. It even looks like a Blu Cantrell song title. I can't imagine that stage name communicates well in spoken conversation though.
88. Weyes Blood - It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody

Always here to break new ground with my crazy 'Weyes Blood is good' takes. Nonetheless it's tricky to tackle because so often a lot of her music is just excelling in the same way. The one thing that differentiates this song is that it's inauspiciously a 6 minute long lead single. It doesn't get there by having an endless array of passages, it just takes its time with what it does have.

Previous entries:
2019A Lot's Gonna Change#42
2019Andromeda#59
87. piri & tommy - words

It is I who was partially responsible for those ACI shenanigans last year. It's a really captivating song though. The lyrics are told in such a nursery rhyme fashion that they end up sticking, but it's the tight production that keeps me coming back.
86. Carla Wehbe - introvert (with extroverted expectations)

This might hit a little too close to home. Being contradictory is human nature I suppose, but I do have to stop and think about how often my desires for solitude and attention come at heads with each other. There aren't many lyrics in the song but what we do have really nails that troubling mindset. Also this sounds a bit like "We Are Young" by fun.
85. XD Project feat. Eluera - Margot Robbie

It's crazy that at the height of emoticons and chat speak, there was a video game called Pokémon XD and this was just taken seriously without being mocked very much at all. I imagine I'd have similar thoughts on this if I hadn't gotten pretty used to calling this a Xavier Dunn song, at which point who can blame someone for taking advantage of some incredible initials game. In any case, it's a nifty little tune, quite a change up from what I'm used to from Eluera but she fits this drum & bass production well.

Previous entries (Eluera):
2021Petty#7
84. Body Type - Buoyancy

I can't remember if I ever heard a second Body Type song until 2022 but I definitely remember taking not of their creative use of vocal inflections at the time. This has not at all dissipated, and it comes in new forms here. It's nice to know that it still works in the form of a much more uptempo track.

Previous entries:
2019Uma#47
83. Little Simz - Silhouette

I have to assume she's going for the minimalist surprise album vibe which is why there are no feature credits on "NO THANK YOU". Cleo Sol is actually more present than ever before with backing vocals on half of the album. This song in particular probably deserves the feature credit as the back and forth works especially well to elevate this track.

Previous entries:
2019Pink Youth (with Yuna)#1
2019Wounds (feat Chronixx)#7
2019Selfish (feat Cleo Sol)#30
2020might bang, might not#77
2021Introvert#24
2021Woman (feat Cleo Sol)#82
2022Gorilla#91
82. Tash - Complacent

This is a really peculiar track because it's R&B but with jazzy production and vocal overdubbing that belongs on a more pop sounding track. It's quite simplistic and easy on the ears though.
81. RAYE & 070 Shake - Escapism.

I'm probably about to write a simplified version of the story for Hottest 100 blurbing but I do think RAYE's story, while being an individual success in this moment, is not about to lead to overhauling the way labels manage their talent. Polydor's handling is not a great look, but also not surprising given how fickle audience support can be. It'd look a bit better if this were a hit out the gate but it wasn't, it took a solid month before most people cared to acknowledge this song existed, fair weather fandom at its finest. I'm not condemning people for not hearing the song sooner, but I just think if you need something to trend on TikTok first, maybe it makes sense why a label might be hesitant to put out an album. It also doesn't help matters that this song is currently being destroyed on the charts by another song that sounds like "Natalie Don't".

Previous entries (RAYE):
2020Natalie Don't#81

Previous entries (070 Shake):
2019Under the Moon#36
2020Guilty Conscience#30
80. Melody's Echo Chamber - Looking Backward

It's always nice to get a new Melody's Echo Chamber album because you can never be sure when that's gonna happen. "Looking Backward" is a re-assuring return that's fits the vibe of the previous album but with a more conventional structure.

Previous entries:
2012Some Time Alone, Alone#8
2012I Follow You#33
2012You Won't Be Missing That Part Of Me#55
2012Mount Hopeless#79
2012Endless Shore#85
2014Shirim#37
2017Cross My Heart#5
2018Quand les larmes d'un ange font danser la neige#41
2018Desert Horse#45
2018Visions of Someone Special, On a Wall of Reflections#98
79. alt. - WRAITH

This does hark back to when I'd hear stuff regularly on the radio that sounded like this. It's also possibly a record breaking song that takes the previous short second verse stylings of songs like "Radioactive" by Kings of Leon and poses the question, 'What if there actually wasn't a second verse?'. Honestly the whole structure of it confuses me, but I do appreciate the brief moment when the song starts to go even harder.
78. Alvvays - Pressed

I enjoy "Blue Rev" as a whole but for some reason Alvvays songs don't stick with me as strongly on their own. I don't know how many people immediately headed to this song but it is a nice little bite-sized version of the album that's far more hook-laden than its barely 2 minute run-time might suggest.
77. Mia Wray - Evidence

This is quite a left-field turn if you're at all familiar with Mia Wray's previous singles. The traction she was starting to get with "Never Gonna Be The Same" made me suspect she was leaning into a more pop/soul direction but this is something totally different. Also not remotely radio friendly what with all the language, and righteous lyrics. It's powerful stuff.
76. 亜咲花 - VOICE

We didn't end up getting any new Karnivool in 2022, so the closest I'll take is this Asaka song that leans curiously into prog territory. You can't tell me that pre-chorus tempo change doesn't sound like "Sound Awake". As always though, bless the Japanese industry that insists on making full singles like the good old days with B-sides that hardly anyone will ever hear, but can be quite a pleasant surprise to find. I also have to shout out the other B-side on this single which sounds so bafflingly like "Welcome To The Black Parade" I can't help but be in awe.

Previous entries:
2020I Believe What You Said#3
2021RED ECLIPSE#52
2021NO MORE PEAKY MODE#70
2021Seize the Day#84
75. Suki Waterhouse - Neon Signs

Might just be the unluckiest song to not make my weekly top 10. Every now and then you get a big surplus of stuff flying in at the same time and there's just not enough room. The whole thing reminds me of Fazerdaze with the tendency towards beefy guitar riffs & haze. Outside of that though it's still very catchy, to the point that I'm not even certain "Neon Signs" would make the top 5 of 'Things I'd think are the title of this song if I didn't already know'. I was robbed of another "Rabbit Hole" gosh darn it. Actually speaking of which..
74. Jaguar Jonze - LITTLE FIRES

I think when I first heard this song I'm not even sure I knew it was her Eurovision submission. Always check the running length. I hope she does get to represent Australia one year but I feel like she'd need to get more famous first. This definitely does feel like a better fit than "Rabbit Hole" I suppose.

Previous entries:
2018You Got Left Behind#16
2019Kill Me with Your Love#66
2020Deadalive#16
2020Rabbit Hole#44
2021CURLED IN#48
73. Bumpy - Hide & Seek

My interests in music have come a long way since 2010 when I called "Closer" by Ne-Yo 'one of the better R'n'B hits'. This song also suffers from odd timing in consequence of me not writing down artist names on my main chart spreadsheet, and so having to go an extra step to remind myself that this isn't the Stormzy song that came out at basically the same time. It's a playful song though, reminds me a lot of D'Angelo.
72. Denzel Curry - Walkin

I sincerely apologise to the ACI for not getting on this train at the time. I never really know what I'm gonna get from Denzel because of his penchant for oddities and corny bars, but obviously he's good at this shit. Makes it look so natural and effortless too. I have no idea when the chorus ends and the verse begins.

Previous entries:
2019Bulls on Parade#22
71. Weyes Blood - Children of the Empire

I was thinking that my immediate reaction to this was something comparable to my favourite songs on her last album. Checking just now and I can't quite find that same warmth, so there's something to be appreciated about the progression in sound. It somehow sounds even more inviting, as well as being filled with all those tense shifts in tone that are endlessly captivating.

Previous entries:
2019A Lot's Gonna Change#42
2019Andromeda#59
2022It's Not Just Me, It's Everybody#88
70. Ngaiire - Fuchsia

These are some scrabble hand kinda names. Still I appreciate this as a more lightweight offering. Just like, it's a good tune, it's likeable, she gets to sing it out, we get to groove. I write a lot of these in a short space of time, sometimes there's not much more to it.

Past entries:
2015Once#22
2021Him#17
69. Lizzy McAlpine feat. FINNEAS - hate to be lame

Like this post if you remember when this was the most popular song on the album. It was a pretty crucial one for me too, finding out if the previous single and my liking of it was a one off or if there was more to be uncovered. Suffice to say I liked it enough to end up checking out the rest of the album, and the rest of that is history of course. To me it highlights Lizzy's style of writing, where you'll get a really early on internal rhyme of 'internet' with 'internet' that can't help but stand out and snap you back into focus, but it makes you remember a lyric you might otherwise overlook. Even the title is jarring and eye-catching. FINNEAS is good too.

Previous entries (Lizzy McAlpine):
2022called you again#93
68. Beyoncé - VIRGO'S GROOVE

For me this was the immediate highlight on "RENAISSANCE" and I've been glad to see more and more that I'm not alone in this. There aren't many songs in the world I can say for certain have had me able to answer trivia questions, but should it come up again I'll always know for certain that Beyoncé is a Virgo.

Previous entries:
2003Naughty Girl#64
2003Crazy In Love (feat Jay-Z)#80
2016Formation#19
2016Freedom (feat Kendrick Lamar)#40
20166 Inch (feat The Weeknd)#57
2016Daddy Lessons#100
67. Mattyeux & Princess Chelsea - Sometimes

It's been quite a number of years since I first heard Princess Chelsea via the song "Morning Sun". I think the main thing I parsed from that was her tendency to strongly enunciate words. It comes up again here and feels central to the song's hook, where every word and syllable sticks out and hammers it in. Especially compared to Mattyeux whose vibe is completely different.
66. Maddy Jane - It's a Lot

She's gosh darn done it again. I look forward to continuing this conversation 2 years from now, but dang does she know how to write a captivating song that never dips in interest.

Previous entries:
2018Ideal#82
2020Femme#12
65. Denzel Curry feat. slowthai - Zatoichi

Every now and then I think about how I don't listen to quite as much hip-hop as I did say 5-6 years ago, where I think the main problem is that I just don't closely check in with it the same way. I'm often a bit self-conscious of when it's very under-represented on my playlist, or if its representations are kinda gimmicky. Gimmicky applies to this song, that sounds like Flume & Burial produced it. Not to mention slowthai's feature which brings a welcome but totally different energy.

Previous entries (Denzel Curry):
2019Bulls on Parade#22
2022Walkin#72

Previous entries (slowthai):
2020My High (with Disclosure)#24
2021SLUGGER (with Kevin Abstract)#41
64. Vallis Alps - Set It Off, Set It Right

I don't think I should be looked at as some kind of interesting arbiter of taste because a lot of the time what calls towards me is what's catchy and there's not much more to it than that. This is not remotely on its way to ever being close to Vallis Alps' most popular tunes, but I just can't help but love the interplay between the high and low vocals, like they're cramming so much in and it just sounds very pretty.
63. Nessa Barrett - tired of california

If I had a nickel for every zoomer influencer in this list who made a rock song with a garish sample. Actually "tired of california" is a funny one because it officially interpolates "Tom's Diner" per the credits, but listen to this and then "Knee Socks" by Arctic Monkeys and tell me the difference. Nessa actually cites Arctic Monkeys as an influence which makes the whole thing funnier. There's also probably some similarities in style and songwriting to Halsey's "New Americana". Also hey, it's a return of what I said about "T's To Cross" because my favourite part of this is when the two parts of the chorus come together. Further proof I'll listen to anything if it's catchy enough.
62. Tkay Maidza - Nights In December

Tkay's consistent quality really crept up on me when I was remaking my most entries by artist table and realised that she's had as many personal chart entries as Owl Eyes. It's never redundant either, she just explores so many different lanes and keeps excelling. Like here, managing to take wonky production but melding it into a catchy pop song.

Previous entries:
2014U-Huh#40
2015Ghost#97
2018Glide (with Hoodboi)#31
2019Awake (feat JPEGMAFIA)#32
2019IDC IF U BE DED#44
2020Don't Call Again (feat Kari Faux)#1
2020Grasshopper#18
2020Shook#74
2021Kim (with Baby Tate)#47
61. Let's Eat Grandma - Happy New Year

There's a funny phenomena where the start of the year tends to be the weakest for finding new music, since I'll be filling my palette with whatever new stuff I can find. But the parameters of the chart mean that something has to fill up those higher slots and as a result it's hard to tell if I just burnt out on this or I never liked it *quite* that much in the first place. I don't want to be backhanded though, it's joy incarnate, great use of extreme specifics in lyrics, the kind of things that I'm too embarrassed to even mention in DMs with friends, let alone put it in a song.

Previous entries:
2018Snakes & Ladders#17
2018Hot Pink#89
2021Hall of Mirrors#10
60. Vancouver Sleep Clinic - Wanderlust

I always get unnaturally fascinated whenever triple j Unearthed High comes up because every year is a new opportunity to find out which artists are no longer deemed relevant enough to prop up the competition. Especially when some of the most famous entrants never even won in the first place. When you narrow it down to just the winners though, one thing is for certain and that's the fact that you will basically never see the words Lunatics On Pogosticks mentioned unless it's in relation to two thirds of them forming Amyl and the Sniffers. In that sense the 2013 field is only famous for having Vancouver Sleep Clinic, whose name must be very agreeable to both fans and haters alike. The vocal layering here absolutely makes the song.
59. Kehlani - little story

This song makes me think of EverybodyEdits. On the surface it's completely just a sadboy acoustic guitar song but it's filled with surprising pivots along the way. Maybe if Frank Ocean made this song it'd be more popular.
58. Melody's Echo Chamber - Alma

It wouldn't be a Melody's Echo Chamber release without oddities which is why this single is actually just a bonus track on the album after a longer version of it. Have to admit in this case I prefer the concise one. I'm also bad at describing her songs, it's just an enveloping sound that comes together really nicely.

Previous entries:
2012Some Time Alone, Alone#8
2012I Follow You#33
2012You Won't Be Missing That Part Of Me#55
2012Mount Hopeless#79
2012Endless Shore#85
2014Shirim#37
2017Cross My Heart#5
2018Quand les larmes d'un ange font danser la neige#41
2018Desert Horse#45
2018Visions of Someone Special, On a Wall of Reflections#98
2022Looking Backward#80
57. Lizzy McAlpine - all my ghosts

I've been so uncertain of my opinion on this song that I think I put it down on my first cull list when I was making this list down at #350 but it stuck around long enough to land here. It's another one where the choice of motifs can't help but define the song, after all, I saw fans calling July 11th "all my ghosts day" because the song mentions 7-Eleven. Death is a common theme on the album so in that sense it fits that the song title mentions ghosts, but it's also odd since it's a rare upbeat song that actually believes in an optimistic future. The next time things sound this genuinely happy you're at the end of the album.

Previous entries:
2022hate to be lame (feat FINNEAS)#69
2022called you again#93
56. Andy Bull - Something I've Been Thinking

On the other hand, this lightweight tune hides its morbid nature in the verses. It's actually nice to see a song this introspective. Maybe it is in the title in that case but I love how mundane and true to my own experiences it is. Sometimes you can think of the most fascinating ideas and then disregard them before you even get to the point of saying it. Just something I've been thinking about lately.
55. BABYMETAL - Monochrome

I could use the same excuse with Ethel Cain that this would be higher in the list if I had more time to soak it in, but actually I did have more time, I just somehow missed when this came out for like a solid month. Anyway, just checking in to say that this funny gimmick from a decade ago is still a good bit.

Previous entries:
2014Megitsune#23
2014Gimme Chocolate!!#84
2016KARATE#4
2016Awadama Fever#21
2016Tales of the Destinies#22
2016THE ONE (English Version)#27
2016Road of Resistance#36
2016Amore#62
2016YAVA!#68
2018Distortion#12
2018Starlight#73
2019Arkadia#15
2019Elevator Girl#37
2019Shine#70
54. KUČKA - Not There

Congratulations to KUČKA for finally breaking the one song a year curse. Now I just hope she can finally decide for good as to whether or not her name is in all-caps and then we're in business. Given how much I like "Real", maybe it's not a surprise that this similarly sparse song also does the trick.

Previous entries:
2019Real#11
2020Contemplation#26
2021No Good For Me#93
2022Messed Up#90
53. Phoebe Bridgers - Sidelines

I've had a lot of time to think about Phoebe Bridgers in 2022 because I will not be the first or last person to say that Lizzy reminds me a lot of Phoebe. It's made me wonder why I haven't yet quite clicked with Phoebe's music in quite the same way (although I suppose they're both tied on EOY entries at this point). In any case that's an extremely negative way to lead into this song which I think is very good. Another one that's so simplistic on the surface but then you listen closely and realise there are loads of production tricks that keep sprinkling in.

Previous entries:
2020I Know The End#35
2020Kyoto#76
52. 絆とHeart-Wholeな仲間たち - Half to Whole -Grand Finale-

Or if you will, Kizuna and Her Heart-Whole Homies. You might remember past dealings with "Invincible Rainbow Arrow" by the same writer-producer and the same video game series! In brief, "AI: The Somnium Files" is a detective mystery game centered around entering people's dreams to uncover evidence and because it's made by the "Zero Escape" guy, it is equal parts heartwarming and downright silly. The sequel, nirvanA Initiative came out in 2022 and it is certainly a mixed bag. Some parts feel rushed, not quite living up to the original, and almost everything in the story feels like it's done to serve one of the most bizarre plot twists that's not really a plot twist I've ever seen. Almost like it was a self-imposed writing challenge that I don't think is perfectly executed but it is fun for me to think of the hurdles that went into it. With how many beats are repeated, you can't help but expect to get a big group singalong at the end that contains a massive spoiler if you pay close enough attention. When I first heard the normal version of this song (actually a full, solo version doesn't exist) I was a bit let down by the goofy production/performance but it slowly warmed on me all over again. It was funny also when I saw it jokingly called a femcel anthem on Twitter because it absolutely is.
51. The Beths - A Real Thing

I have tried to no avail to work out why this didn't end up on the album and my only guess is that it just had to be cut for length. Even without it, it's still their longest album by a decent amount. It doesn't re-invent the wheel at all, but I found it to be one of the most instantly enjoyable songs at the start of the year. Something about those chord shifts just ticked a box in me.

Previous entries:
2020I'm Not Getting Excited#49
2020Dying to Believe#56
50. WILSN - If You Wanna Love Me

You might remember WILSN from previous conversations a year ago when I pointed out that she really does sound a lot like Jessica Mauboy. I guess in that case this is her "Gotcha", a song that hilariously gets autocorrected by YouTube into Gacha, don't get any ideas Jess. Alternatively though this is just straight up a Cults song.

Previous entries:
2021You Know Better#56
49. bülow - Don't Break His Heart

This might now just be famous for me as being the song that drove one of my most inane tip of my tongue moments of 2022 that don't relate to a rock-paper-scissors video game. In case you weren't there or don't remember, I was agonising over a familiar sounding post-chorus instrumental from this song but unable to identify it. The problem with my listening is that so much of it is spread out across repeated listens of songs from the ARIA Chart, the ACI and my own chart, but I will constantly not know which combination of the 3 is relevant which makes it harder than it needs to be to track it down. It'll feel super familiar to me but no one will be able to help me. Especially in this case since it turns out I was thinking of "Dancing In The Mirror" by Glades, and the resemblance is passing at best. If you know both of these songs well I'm sure you thought of it too.

Previous entries:
2018You & Jennifer#36
2018SAD AND BORED (feat Duckwrth)#64
2019Get Stüpid#63
2019Sweet Little Lies#75
2021Revolver#25
48. Das Sound Kollektiv & IHAKA - Fuel for the Fire

This is still probably one of the most obscure songs in this list, and for once it's not Australian. Das Sound Kollektiv are Dutch, with at least one song on this album having over a million streams. Anyway the jazz in this list does not stop, but it's also a captivating song for the rapping. I am definitely in support of spreading love and not cyber abuse, and this is the first song I've heard that gives a solid 'f**k this' to the latter. Also crazy vocal pipes at the end of the song, that just comes out of nowhere.
47. Sigrid - A Driver Saved My Night

Honestly I don't know if anything in particular makes this stand out in Sigrid's catalogue or what drew me to it. It is peculiar as a concept though probably underwritten as a song as well. Certainly though I can relate to relaying my current mood based on what song I might be stuck listening to.
46. Telenova - Why Do I Keep You?

Honestly this is a pattern I noticed way back in 2008. There were two songs in particular I liked, "Again and Again" by Harlequin League, and "We Are The People" by Empire of the Sun, and taking the best of both worlds in the middle was "Roll Again" by Tom Ugly, a song I liked *a lot*. The latter element is of course that particular guitar strum rhythm and here it is again still working its magic in this Telenova song. That's not everything that the song has in its favour though, as this usually low key trio really soar for the song's pre-chorus (which is also incidentally when the guitar lick disappears).

Previous entries:
2021Tranquilize#55
45. Doul - Free

Doul is Japanese but has very western rock influence in her music. Nirvana is the main one. For me what shines through here is how much this could easily be a Pretty Reckless song, she looks and even sounds quite a lot like a young Taylor Momsen.
44. Melody's Echo Chamber - Where the Water Clears the Illusion

This was pretty predicated to end up on this list because I think throughout 2022 it's the song I went out of my way the most times to listen to before actually downloading it properly. I don't think I'm alone in seeing it as an album highlight given that it rapidly overtook all but one of the singles in total streams. Now this all might be because this song more than anything else harks back to the self-titled debut album, or maybe because all the lyrics are in English this time. I think really though it's just got an undeniable hook.

Previous entries:
2012Some Time Alone, Alone#8
2012I Follow You#33
2012You Won't Be Missing That Part Of Me#55
2012Mount Hopeless#79
2012Endless Shore#85
2014Shirim#37
2017Cross My Heart#5
2018Quand les larmes d'un ange font danser la neige#41
2018Desert Horse#45
2018Visions of Someone Special, On a Wall of Reflections#98
2022Alma#58
2022Looking Backward#80
43. Metric - What Feels Like Eternity

I feel like most Metric albums have that one song which is just a straight up rocker with no frills that ends up in the top 10 of my chart at some point. This sticks out a bit more than usual given that "Formentera" is a very synth heavy album, but it's also probably the most blatantly catchy song on the album too.

Previous entries:
2003The List#6
2003IOU#28
2003Combat Baby#56
2005Patriarch On a Vespa#6
2005Poster of a Girl#71
2007Grow Up and Blow Away#61
2007Raw Sugar#99
2009Sick Muse#2
2009Gimme Sympathy#3
2009Satellite Mind#23
2009Gold Guns Girls#37
2009Front Row#79
2009Help I'm Alive#93
2010Black Sheep#36
2012Speed The Collapse#15
2012Lost Kitten#22
2012Synthetica#57
2018Dark Saturday#10
2018Risk#35
42. CASS - vulnerable

I always want to say 'Why is this not huge?' but the answer is always inevitably 'nobody heard it'. Still I think this sounds incredible. Chunky but tasteful synths and great vocal runs on top of it, that sort of thing is my bag, baby. Also this song is about 3 minutes and 31 and a half seconds, you know what other song is roughly that long? "Reminiscing" by Madison Avenue.
41. The Buoys - Red Flags

I've always thought that this sounds like something I can't place. Something about all the tempo shifts and staccato flow, it could be some pop rock song from the '80s but I have no idea. In the here and now though, immensely replay friendly, never outstays its welcome. Cannibalism is a red flag though btw.
40. Magdalena Bay - All You Do

It feels weird calling this my favourite Magdalena Bay song since it's hard to shake it from the association of just being a bonus deluxe track from an already very good album. That issue set in the moment it became their highest charter on my chart but over time I've grown to accept it with how this song has just not gotten old for me. How can you not love all those little flourishes. I'd get really uncomfortable if I wasn't eased up by the synth sparkle after 'is good' in the chorus.

Previous entries:
2021Chaeri#69
39. Kehlani - everything

I don't really think it's fair to judge on a single listen but I have to admit, with the two songs I knew on this Kehlani album being as good as they were, I had really high hopes for the album that I didn't really get. Maybe it'd click with familiarity, but either way, I've still got these songs.

Previous entries:
2022little story#59
38. 亜咲花 - Natsuyume noisy

I was gonna say that this list is occasionally full of songs from TV shows I've never watched (there might be a funny one in the next snippets) and possibly never heard of, but now I've looked it up and I know I have friends who've talked about Summer Time Rendering before. Anyway, exciting news because if you couldn't tell, this has the same producer as "I Believe What You Said", which is a train I'm happy to continue following around for future End Of Year lists. Also it sounds a little bit like King Dedede's theme from Kirby which is a case I'm happy to indulge in extreme nostalgia for.

Previous entries:
2020I Believe What You Said#3
2021RED ECLIPSE#52
2021NO MORE PEAKY MODE#70
2021Seize the Day#84
2022VOICE#76
37. Lizzy McAlpine - firearm

You will probably be wanting to make a particular comparison on this song and I couldn't blame you because I do all the time. Maybe down the line if Lizzy gets super famous and this gets singled out and popular on the streaming services people will start to call it a rip off even though it was written too long ago for that to even be possible. I gotta say though I feel like this song soars for me in a way that other song never quite made its mark on me, outside of the initial shock. The guitar still sounds good in the mix here! Obviously the song I'm talking about is "Hole In My Heart" by Luke Friend.

Previous entries:
2022all my ghosts#57
2022hate to be lame (feat FINNEAS)#69
2022called you again#93
36. SG Lewis with Tove Lo - Call On Me

Banger. Also one of few songs where just naming it is making a political stand because it's set to appear on both artists' albums with opposite credits. I can pretend to be pragmatic and say that SG Lewis's 'version' dropped first, but clearly I must hate Tove Lo deep down. It's music's own version of the 'So you hate waffles?' tweet.

Previous entries (SG Lewis):
2020Feed The Fire (feat Lucky Daye)#79
35. Sloan Peterson - Sick & Selfish

This is a pretty special promotion because I can scarcely think of many artists who've appeared on my actual chart so many times without ever making it to these here big leagues. Sloan Peterson does it with style here thanks to this song that's so catchy, most people don't even pay attention to the lyrics. But they should pay attention because they're both a statement on isolation in our world and also in the world of frequently having moderately sized chart hits for me. In all seriousness though I love a good hook that actually benefits from massive repetition.
34. WILLOW - <maybe> it's my fault

I have to admire when I'm taken aback by just how hard a song goes sometimes. In this case too, it does so while managing to stick the landing and not just relying on that initial shock value. I had similar feelings with "Lipstick" last year and this manages to outdo that as well. In this house we stan nepo babies.
33. Mitski - Love Me More

It's always rough when an artist that's popular on TikTok releases a new album to very little fanfare. Maybe it's a reminder of how fickle fame can be, or rather how much work goes into making sure big named artists don't fall into the same fate. With Mitski it feels like a case of it just not really being what people wanted with the sonic palette so they dipped pretty quickly back to the oldies. For sure, "Love Me More" is a far cry from the songs that made me fall for her, but it certainly commands a mighty presence.

Past entries:
2016Happy#97
2018Geyser#1
2018Why Didn't You Stop Me?#30
2018A Pearl#32
2018Washing Machine Heart#39
2018Remember My Name#57
2018Me And My Husband#99
2020Cop Car#9
2021Working for the Knife#57
32. Metric - Doomscroller

I had a very humoured reaction when I first saw this song was released. I might have seen Metric retweet some comments about it but I still had a double take when I saw the time stamp on Spotify. However, like many others, once I actually dug into the song, it became more fascinating in the way that its run time was used. Kind of like a new "Jesus Of Suburbia" in that it does manage to stay engaging the whole way and sometimes I don't even realise how much time has passed.

Previous entries:
2003The List#6
2003IOU#28
2003Combat Baby#56
2005Patriarch On a Vespa#6
2005Poster of a Girl#71
2007Grow Up and Blow Away#61
2007Raw Sugar#99
2009Sick Muse#2
2009Gimme Sympathy#3
2009Satellite Mind#23
2009Gold Guns Girls#37
2009Front Row#79
2009Help I'm Alive#93
2010Black Sheep#36
2012Speed The Collapse#15
2012Lost Kitten#22
2012Synthetica#57
2018Dark Saturday#10
2018Risk#35
2022What Feels Like Eternity#43
31. CHISEKO feat. Your Girl Pho - Care

I won't lie, this is probably the most obnoxious sounding song that I fell in love with last year. Pin it with "The Bike Song" which I also can't explain.
30. Beach House - Masquerade

I don't often see people talking about "7" by Beach House but I maintain that it's absolutely one of my favourite front to back listening experiences. In part because it managed to make Beach House sound fresh, despite always inevitably sounding like Beach House. "Masquerade" really exemplifies them pushing this cold, dark sound further and I probably like it more than anything on that album. Also a good reason why Disc 3 is probably my favourite on "Once Twice Melody", but I'll probably change my mind tomorrow.

Previous entries:
2010Walk In The Park#61
2012Myth#3
2012Lazuli#5
2012Wild#60
2012Troublemaker#71
2012Wishes#88
2015Space Song#11
2015Elegy To The Void#27
2015The Traveller#52
2015Sparks#61
2017Chariot#99
2018Drunk In LA#37
2018Dive#63
2018Black Car#79
2018Lose Your Smile#83
2021New Romance#50
2021Superstar#58
2021Once Twice Melody#87
2021Pink Funeral#90
29. Lil Yachty - Poland

I heard about this song not long after it leaked because it just had a top tier comment section on YouTube. It took me a moment to find it because I kept finding videos of it that barely went over a minute long and I wanted to find the whole song. In any case, I don't know how other people react to this song but for me it was one of the funniest things I heard all year. I wasn't even necessarily laughing at it. I might have been laughing with it, but just everything about it was an absurdist's wet dream. I couldn't stop going back to it for weeks. I disagree fervently with anyone who thinks the song is too short, honestly I think it could go shorter and still keep all the key components in. In any case, congratulations to Lil Yachty for managing to make two completely unrelated words hilarious forever for me.
28. Chores & Jezzabell Doran - Crave Me

Gonna keep this one short so you can finish reading the "Poland" blurb in time but this sure is my favourite Australian dance collaboration about craving someone. Wouldn't mind hearing Owl Eyes sing this one for a change.
27. Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers - Girl Sports

I know what you're thinking, "The Opener" is great, but what if it also shredded? Somehow though this might be even more righteous anger, given an unprecedented amount of 'f**k off's you get here. On the other hand though it does pain me just how much material you can mine out of genuine shitheads.

Previous entries:
2020Desk Chair#97

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26. Mizuki - We're Not Friends

I derive solid amusement out of Mizuki sharing her name with a character from "AI: The Somnium Files", so I guess technically she has two entries in this list. And y'know, it's not unfair to say that video game Mizuki is also kind of moody like this! This is one that really crept up on me and I ended up liking a lot more than I expected though.
25. JVKE - golden hour

It's a good sign when songs go viral because they're good, or because someone thinks they're good, I dunno you watch his TikTok and decide for yourself. It feels like a brag to say I was into it before it was popular but honestly that's just more me stunned at these turns of events because it's such a rare thing that's happened multiple times recently. As I write this, this song is just outside the Billboard top 10 and it's so weird to me but you gotta appreciate how huge it sounds. Like an enhanced "Mine" by Bazzi.
24. Rich Brian & $NOT - VIVID

I have to admit that despite the fact I've heard them on other songs before, I have trouble working out who's on when on this song. Probably Rich Brian has enough vocal range that he could imitate $NOT if he wanted to, or at least there's more variance between his own different vocal runs than there is between him and his guest. In any case this is basically just a BROCKHAMPTON song in disguise, and it's a really good one.

Previous entries ($NOT):
2021SLUGGER (with Kevin Abstract)#41
23. Villainy - The Launch

You thought I was almost exclusively listening to slow R&B jams but I'll have it on good authority that I still love a big loud dumb rock song. It manages to simultaneously sound exactly like Jimmy Eat World and exactly like My Chemical Romance, so late 2010 me is losing collective shit over it. Just need some Band of Horses and we got a stew cooking here.
22. Hatchie - Quicksand

I got fairly worn out on this song early in the year and didn't really go back to it so I was suspecting it might be hurt in this ranking. Maybe it still was! In any case though going back to it to make this list definitely reminded me of why I was so enthralled at the time. Great production, super catchy, what more do you need?

Previous entries:
2018Adored#78
2019Stay With Me#20
21. Kendrick Lamar - The Heart Part 5

Like a lot of people, I think I was caught off guard by how good this ended up being. It serves as a solid reminder of why the album was so sought after. I definitely enjoy the Baby Keem collaborations but this is just so engaging lyrically, musically, visually.

Previous entries:
2012Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst#9
2012good kid#16
2012m.A.A.d city (feat MC Eiht)#20
2012Money Trees (feat Jay Rock)#25
2012Real (feat Anna Wise)#41
2012F**kin' Problems (with A$AP Rocky)#44
2012Backseat Freestyle#64
2012Swimming Pools (Drank)#65
2012Poetic Justice (feat Drake)#95
2014i#7
2014Never Catch Me (with Flying Lotus)#24
2015The Blacker the Berry#1
2015King Kunta#8
2015These Walls (feat Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat)#10
2015Alright#24
2015Wesley's Theory (feat George Clinton & Thundercat)#43
2015How Much A Dollar Cost (feat James Fauntleroy & Ronald Isley)#50
2015Complexion (A Zulu Love) (feat Rapsody)#65
2016No More Parties In LA (with Kanye West)#31
2016Freedom (with Beyonce)#40
2017DNA.#6
2017LUST.#7
2017HUMBLE.#15
2017Don't Don't Do It! (with N*E*R*D)#42
2017XXX. (feat U2)#75
2018Tints (with Anderson .Paak)#48
20. Melody's Echo Chamber - Personal Message

Familiarity is always key. I don't know if you've ever done this yourself, but when this single came out, I listened to it, didn't get much out of it and moved on. Then months later I was listening to the album, and found that one of the songs was really standing out to me. It was an odd moment of realisation when I saw that it was this song of all things, but I was happy to have it finally click. Most of all it's that high pitched chorus that does it for me, takes it to a higher plane or something.

Previous entries:
2012Some Time Alone, Alone#8
2012I Follow You#33
2012You Won't Be Missing That Part Of Me#55
2012Mount Hopeless#79
2012Endless Shore#85
2014Shirim#37
2017Cross My Heart#5
2018Quand les larmes d'un ange font danser la neige#41
2018Desert Horse#45
2018Visions of Someone Special, On a Wall of Reflections#98
2022Where the Water Clears The Illusion#44
2022Alma#58
2022Looking Backward#80
19. Warpaint - Stevie

This definitely caught me off guard and I'm not even sure I can explain why. I've always been more into Warpaint's rockier, upbeat moments, less so the mellow stuff they've been doing more lately. This song sounds like the exact archetype of one that wouldn't click with me but it just does.

Previous entries:
2010Undertow#18
2013Love Is to Die#1
2014Son#52
2014Disco//Very#86
18. Blake - You Don't Decide

This song makes me want to make jokes about "Mysterious Ways" by U2 even though it's not even using the same words. The other thing I said about this when I first heard it, is that it sounds like a middle point between "Bags" and "Petty", which turned out to be an apt pedigree for how much I ended up liking it.
17. Kendrick Lamar - Mirror

I don't know if it's true for anyone else but this song hits really close to home for me. At least when it comes to well-doing both on a small and large scale, it's hard to not feel disappointed in yourself. Or for in Kendrick's case, it's about holding up all the mighty expectations that have been thrust upon him which as you know, brought about many years of not releasing music. You could even see the album itself as part of this apology, where instead of tackling big societal issues like on previous albums, much of "Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers" is an out loud therapy session, because at the end of the day, sorting out our own mental demons is more important for us.

Previous entries:
2012Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst#9
2012good kid#16
2012m.A.A.d city (feat MC Eiht)#20
2012Money Trees (feat Jay Rock)#25
2012Real (feat Anna Wise)#41
2012F**kin' Problems (with A$AP Rocky)#44
2012Backseat Freestyle#64
2012Swimming Pools (Drank)#65
2012Poetic Justice (feat Drake)#95
2014i#7
2014Never Catch Me (with Flying Lotus)#24
2015The Blacker the Berry#1
2015King Kunta#8
2015These Walls (feat Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat)#10
2015Alright#24
2015Wesley's Theory (feat George Clinton & Thundercat)#43
2015How Much A Dollar Cost (feat James Fauntleroy & Ronald Isley)#50
2015Complexion (A Zulu Love) (feat Rapsody)#65
2016No More Parties In LA (with Kanye West)#31
2016Freedom (with Beyonce)#40
2017DNA.#6
2017LUST.#7
2017HUMBLE.#15
2017Don't Don't Do It! (with N*E*R*D)#42
2017XXX. (feat U2)#75
2018Tints (with Anderson .Paak)#48
2022The Heart Part 5#21
16. dodie - Got Weird

It's me, hi. This has ended up surprisingly high on the list but honestly I've never stopped being captivated by the song. It's remarkably playful and silly (the lyric video will do nothing to sway you on this either), but it's also so cleverly put together. It's filled with so many sparse elements that you can hear a lot of silence in-between, as well as catching everything that does come into the mix. A lot of fun as a result.
15. The Beths - Silence Is Golden

As you know, I get up when I want, except on Mondays when I get rudely awakened by the lawnmower man, so I relate very strongly to this. In all honesty though I'm particularly sensitive to noisy environments. This is all a fairly accurate response to it but also I just love how it all sounds.

Previous entries:
2020I'm Not Getting Excited#49
2020Dying to Believe#56
2022A Real Thing#51
14. Kendrick Lamar feat. Beth Gibbons - Mother I Sober

I feel bad for laughing at it but I remember a really funny tweet about pulling up at a traffic light with this song blaring on the speakers. As you know, I'm definitely a boomer so this was the collaboration on the album I was most interested in. No idea what exactly I expected but it definitely met a standard I was hoping for.

Previous entries:
2012Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst#9
2012good kid#16
2012m.A.A.d city (feat MC Eiht)#20
2012Money Trees (feat Jay Rock)#25
2012Real (feat Anna Wise)#41
2012F**kin' Problems (with A$AP Rocky)#44
2012Backseat Freestyle#64
2012Swimming Pools (Drank)#65
2012Poetic Justice (feat Drake)#95
2014i#7
2014Never Catch Me (with Flying Lotus)#24
2015The Blacker the Berry#1
2015King Kunta#8
2015These Walls (feat Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat)#10
2015Alright#24
2015Wesley's Theory (feat George Clinton & Thundercat)#43
2015How Much A Dollar Cost (feat James Fauntleroy & Ronald Isley)#50
2015Complexion (A Zulu Love) (feat Rapsody)#65
2016No More Parties In LA (with Kanye West)#31
2016Freedom (with Beyonce)#40
2017DNA.#6
2017LUST.#7
2017HUMBLE.#15
2017Don't Don't Do It! (with N*E*R*D)#42
2017XXX. (feat U2)#75
2018Tints (with Anderson .Paak)#48
2022Mirror#17
2022The Heart Part 5#21
13. Dora Jar - Bump

I hope I can find another Dora Jar song that hits the same way this song does. The first Paper Mario game I played was The Thousand Year Door so this is an experience I'm all too familiar with. The important thing is that songs that sound like this still get made because it sounds impeccable.
12. BABYMETAL - Divine Attack - Shingeki -

To follow on with what I was saying before though, I don't think this band would have come along so far if not for how much of a powerhouse vocalist they've got under the wing. I think I was a little concerned because of how weirdly pitched Su sounded like on the Bring Me The Horizon collaboration, but she's in better form than ever before here. Absolutely steals the show on this one.

Previous entries:
2014Megitsune#23
2014Gimme Chocolate!!#84
2016KARATE#4
2016Awadama Fever#21
2016Tales of the Destinies#22
2016THE ONE (English Version)#27
2016Road of Resistance#36
2016Amore#62
2016YAVA!#68
2018Distortion#12
2018Starlight#73
2019Arkadia#15
2019Elevator Girl#37
2019Shine#70
2022Monochrome#55
11. BENEE - Never Ending

I've gone and done it again. I've gone and become obsessed with a song that sounds more than a touch indebted to "No Surprises" by Radiohead. But as we know, "OK Computer" came out before "Believe" by Cher so we can only imagine a timeline where Thom Yorke started playing around with vocoder. Just like Cher though, it becomes so overbearing that it can't help but be part of what makes the creative process click.

Previous entries:
2017Tough Guy#91
2018Soaked#2
2019Want Me Back#19
2019Evil Spider#46
2019Find an Island#60
2020Happen To Me#47
10. Elizabeth M. Drummond - Underground

You might have known that Elizabeth was in Little May, but I'm also just now discovering that Annie Hamilton was as well, in case you also think "Exist" from 2021 is a banger. This is also one of the biggest single to single glow ups I've had because her previous song "Congratulations" just got to #76 for me while this is currently riding at the top spot. Anyway this song reminds me a lot of "Breaking Down" by Florence + The Machine, but just a touch less Christmassy.
9. My Chemical Romance - The Foundations of Decay

A lot of people love My Chemical Romance, but I have to imagine only a small subset of them can tie back a specific memory of their own musical discovery to hearing them for the first time by sheer happenstance. OK maybe a lot of them can but mine was so coincidental that I often wonder how I'd feel if things were even a touch different. I am primed to be invested here and they did not disappoint. It's such a radically different sound than what I'm used to, and it's gotta be one of the wildest sounding songs that aren't by Kendrick Lamar to make the ARIA Chart this year.

Previous entries:
2004Helena#13
2004I'm Not Okay (I Promise)#28
2004To the End#51
2004The Ghost of You#83
2005Thank You for the Venom#90
2006Welcome to the Black Parade#6
2006Dead!#16
2006Famous Last Words#30
2006The Sharpest Lives#33
2006Teenagers#41
2006House of Wolves#51
2006This Is How I Disappear#63
2006Mama#75
2010Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)#15

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8. Sigrid - It Gets Dark

Sigrid says she wants to go to space on this song and I dare say she gets there. It's inadvertedly responsible for one of the funniest personal moments for me in 2022 when I saw a decade old video called 'How to play chess properly' that out of nowhere used the same sample used on this song. Sigrid's huskier tones play well on this song too, giving the right ferocity for the hook. I also love the bridge where the song goes full on Britpop guitar solo for some reason. Such a weird idea for a single but I suppose triple j liked it a lot.

Previous entries:
2022A Driver Saved My Night#47
7. Meg Mac - Matter Of Time

Not to spoil any future projects but when I last heard "Grandma's Hands" I found it considerably better than I remembered, and I'm checking just now to see that this was long before Meg Mac had a surprise uptick in my personal rankings in 2022. It's just a cover but I think its dramatics are the closest comparison in her catalogue that I know, in terms of what she's doing here. I also really love the lyrics here. I can't prove it's the intent, but the first verse calls to the notion of how getting through life, we're forced to bottle up & hide our own insecurities. The repeated lyrics feel like personal re-assurance.
6. Carla Wehbe - is forever off the table?

No one's talking about how suspicious it is that "NOPE" dropped 2 weeks after this music video. Carla even has a cowboy hat in it! This was an interesting pivot though considering that the only other song of hers I'd known before this was synth heavy and sounds nothing like this. Clearly the most unlucky song for me this year, not just for having a 4 week reign at #2 but for having a clearly marked path to #1 that was rudely usurped en route. Anyway this song is clearly just a means to exhibit having found a good melody and ramming it so hard into the ground and then-some, complete with frequent variations on the presentation. I'm entranced the whole way though, it's got me wondering if forever might be off the table.

Previous entries:
2022introvert (with extroverted expectations)#86
5. Beach House - Modern Love Stories

I decided not to put this on my chart at the time but I did bookmark it as potentially top 10 or top 5 of the year in the midst of this. It says a lot when I can say a new Beach House song has me in awe like this. Like, you think you've heard everything they could possibly have to offer but then you get to the end of "Once Twice Melody" and it's just the perfect send off, no notes.

Previous entries:
2010Walk In The Park#61
2012Myth#3
2012Lazuli#5
2012Wild#60
2012Troublemaker#71
2012Wishes#88
2015Space Song#11
2015Elegy To The Void#27
2015The Traveller#52
2015Sparks#61
2017Chariot#99
2018Drunk In LA#37
2018Dive#63
2018Black Car#79
2018Lose Your Smile#83
2021New Romance#50
2021Superstar#58
2021Once Twice Melody#87
2021Pink Funeral#90
2022Masquerade#30
4. Mr Little Jeans - Intentions

I have a very dumb habit when using message boards where I will very frequently avoid search tools if I can help it. I would rather dive through multiple pages of threads to see if one I'm looking for exists than just immediately get the answer. It's really dumb, but on the other hand, it's the only reason I ever heard this song. I used to be pretty across the Mr Little Jeans news but her rate of releasing new music slowed down a lot so I didn't even know she put out a second album. I was looking for a thread on Popjustice and as I went through in my inefficient way, that's how I found out about this album which I put on out of past loyalty. It's pretty good, but there wasn't anything I was rushing to go back to until right near the end of the tracklist was this song, previously released as a single. This was instant love. I joke about it having the "My House"/"Day Drunk" etc flow but it does stick in your head. The song has only continued to grow on me since as it sounds so warm and comforting. It's even got those big synth stabs like something out of "Nightswim", though if I'm being honest, it sounds better here.

Previous entries:
2011The Suburbs#74
2013Oh Sailor (feat The Silverlake Conservatory of Music Youth Choir)#28
2014Lady Luck#91
3. Shanae - illusions

I've told this story before but if we're talking about instant love, then this considerably takes the cake. It took about 5-6 seconds into my first listen to suspect I had stumbled upon something special and everything after that was just icing on the cake. I then got a bit confused after finding out that Shanae used to be called MADAM3EMPRESS, a name that was so familiar to me though I wasn't sure why. Taking a better look now, I realise that 2 years ago I knew her song "Locking Eyes" and just barely snuck it onto last year's list at #342, so maybe this is the ultimate glow up. Maybe 2023 will be the year of Dead Witch. This might mark my full transformation into R&B guy but gosh I just love every second of this song. I can only hope that whatever she follows it up with has the same potency.
2. Lizzy McAlpine - ceilings

It took a few weeks before I got around to listening to "five seconds flat" last year. I'm not sure what I was expecting based on the singles I'd heard. They probably gave me some misleading context since the album starts off with the previous singles "doomsday" and "erase me" which are very different. I really loved those tracks though, it's a really great way to be thrilled about a new album when it starts off so strongly like that (and then get to be the reverse of hyped upon finding out both those tracks came out the year before). Let's say for arguments sake, "doomsday" could be at #22 on this list and "erase me" could be at #4. I'm okay with accepting that maybe Jacob Collier is a genius after all. In any case I liked the album quite a bit and would go back to it from time to time, often wondering if maybe I could pluck another song to put on my chart to better represent that.

"ceilings" is not a song that would come to mind first. Largely in part because I always had trouble remembering which song it even was, so I can't recall how much I liked it initially. I knew it was a fan favourite though, the top comment on the album's short film is someone yelling about its appearance being so brief (it's playing on the radio for like 10 seconds in the middle of another song). Given how meticulously Lizzy seems to plan things out, I have to wonder if the popularity of this song was at all expected (presently though, the announcement of a second international tour being named after this song that's conveniently started blowing up not long after seems a bit more planned).

Something I mentioned before is the way this album weaves in constant twists that recontextualise everything before them. "ceilings" is almost certainly the most famous example of that now, but it was already pretty notorious before that as well. It's already pretty heart-wrenching but that simple flip from 'the start of a movie' to 'the end of a movie' is a great way to punctuate it. In any case, one magic night in August, it all clicked for me and I've been obsessed, and spamming my Twitter feed with statistical updates ever since.

Previous entries:
2022firearm#37
2022all my ghosts#57
2022hate to be lame (feat FINNEAS)#69
2022called you again#93
1. Lizzy McAlpine feat. Ben Kessler - reckless driving

Everything has to start somewhere though. I actually don't know if "reckless driving" was the first song I heard from this album, because by my own account, "all my ghosts" was on New Music Friday too. I'm just not sure I made it that far down the list that week. I'd typed up enough release schedules to have heard of her though, it's easy to remember an artist's name when they have another artist you like's name inside their own name.

The unspoken MVP in this whole sequence of events is Philip Etherington, who produced the album. There's a long storied history about this song that I've listened to both of them discuss on podcasts & vlogs and the interesting thing about it all, is that outside of guest verses, there's only one set of lyrics in the entire album that Lizzy didn't write herself. It was Philip who came up with the bridge for this song ('don't wanna scrape you off the pavement...') which reportedly made everything click. Not only for the song itself, but for me. I probably didn't pay much notice to the song at all until it got to this part and the sudden shift in dynamics had me captivated. The whole song just spirals out from there into chaotic brilliance. I've listened to just the last minute of this song more times than I can count, and even without that it's still my most listened to song in years.

This is a song about miscommunication and contrasts. If you watch the video, you'll see both parties reminiscing in very different ways, focusing on the negative & positive respectively. It's like the movie Rashomon, or like how I could paint myself out to be extremely privileged, poor, happy or miserable in my childhood depending on how I frame it. The lyrics of the song paint this as well. Ben's lyrics are poetic and lovelorn, glossing over the trouble like it's no big deal, while Lizzy's are blunt, direct, and callous despite the irony of representing the voice of reason. The only time they see eye-to-eye is when the verse lyrics start to mirror each other but they're still taking a different meaning from it. Something something, confirmation bias, we all get so stuck in thinking what we want to think that we lose the ability to truly assess a situation fairly.

As far as music is concerned, Lizzy has been my 2022. There's a tendency as you get older to have more and more trouble gravitating to new artists (given most of the artists who've been dominating the charts lately, it seems the Spotify generation is feeling this too). But like if I were to name my favourite artists, there'd be very few that I'd only first heard of in the last 10 years. I feel like part of this comes through the experience of witnessing the hype & deflation cycle one too many times, where you've been excited about new artists in the past only to see them not really go anywhere and fizzle out. It makes you permanently cynical of the next big thing, especially if they're just retreading something you've heard before. I'm so glad I discovered Lizzy's music though because it gives me that sense of excitement I haven't felt in years, and I love both of her albums ("Over-the-Ocean Call" and "Pancakes for Dinner" stand out for me on the first one but it's all good). Her listenership has grown dramatically in the time between me starting to create this list and me writing this entry so I hope many more people can have this same experience I've had, and that Lizzy can get everything out of this musical journey she's clearly been working so hard at for years now. Delightful.

Here's that obligatory update to the most entries image, no surprises here (I did not include Lizzy's cover of "No Surprises" she did) https://i.imgur.com/nQz0MLj.png

Previous entries (Lizzy McAlpine):
2022ceilings#2
2022firearm#37
2022all my ghosts#57
2022hate to be lame (feat FINNEAS)#69
2022called you again#93


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