My Favorite Music of the Year

This piece was also published on my Facebook page and runningwildfilms.com

I started a habit years ago when I worked in record stores before becoming a full-time filmmaker: I'd read reviews for new albums, listen to the ones which interested me, and collected my favorite songs of the year into a playlist. Far removed from that period of my life, I have adamantly continued the tradition all these years. So below you will find a link to my Spotify playlist for My Favorite 100 Songs of 2022. You may be a little surprised by the variety of my selections (from rock to country to heavy metal to even a rap choice here and there). You also may be shocked to find the likes of Mandy Moore in my top twenty songs of the year. Well... good music is good music.

Click Here to listen to my Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/29HSHeb2Gi9Eb5sEq2y16O?si=8518e954494c476c

And here is a list of my top twelve songs of the year and a little about why I like each one of them.

1. Salt Coast by Kae Tempest - Once again the U.K. spoken word artist cut me deep with one of her tracks and for the second time in a few years released my favorite song of the year.

2. This Ain't Going Well by Tegan and Sara - The breakup/heartbreak song of the year? It certainly hit me hard. Yep, the female duo still has it and I started listening to them in college.

3. The Amarillo Kid by Craig Finn - After several Hold Steady albums, Finn finally recorded a truly great album on his own and this is the best song on it.

4. The Wolf by Whiskey Myers - A tough country rock song that is now the number one choice for my Range Detective soundtrack if the film ever happens.

5. Honey by The Lone Below - I don't know what it is about this one but I just can't get it out of my head, especially the chorus. I've probably listened to it a hundred times.

6. An Alien in Minneapolis by Ondara - This reminded me of Tracy Chapman's best work. I love the tone and feeling of the song and could care less about its social/political meaning.

7. Mary on a Cross (slowed + reverb) by Ghost - A little bit of a cheat since this song originally came out before 2022 but this new version is epic. Ghost still has it!

8. All These Days by Johnny Marr - One of my picks from early in 2022 and it stood the test of time, staying at the top of my list all year. Also my choice for the end credits track of Days of the Hunted when it gets made.

9. Q4 by Father John Misty - Great soft rock is sadly missing in today's music landscape and Misty is scratching that itch for me.

10. Dark Hearted by Freddie Gibbs - Freddie is the only rapper I'm interested in listening to these days. Something about his work doesn't feel fabricated but dark and true.

11. Punch in the Gut by Tim Heidecker - The folk rock song of the year, loose and free and catchy as hell.

12. Love is the Disaster by Lucius - I like the sound of this song but I'm in love with the lyrics, a wise reflection of romance that rings far too true for me these days.