Songs of the year, Number 1: Florence + The Machine - King

The first of the five singles released from the Dance Fever album, 'King' was released in February and quickly established itself as both a calling card for the upcoming album, and a statement of intent. 

It opens with the lines

We argue in the kitchen about whether to have children

About the world ending and

The scale of my ambition

And how much is art really worth

In the press release to accompany the song, Welch spoke of finding herself at a kind of personal crossroads. Of having to reconcile her career as a musician with her life as a 35 year old woman who would like to have children one day. 

That to be a performer, but also to want a family might not be as simple for me as it is for my male counterparts. I had modelled myself almost exclusively on male performers, and for the first time I felt a wall come down between me and my idols as I have to make decisions they did not.

There is a real sense of anger when she sings:

I am no mother

I am no bride

I am King

The song also works on another - possibly unintended - level in that it provides a swaggering salute to other unmarried childless/child free women: A constituency rarely acknowledged by popular music, and one that tends only to be acknowledged in the negative sense. 

The ferocity of 'King' contrasts with the vulnerability of 'Morning Elvis', Dance Fever's closing song, but what both songs share is Welch's eye for detail and ability to laugh at herself. There's a wry honesty in both cases that is as revealing as it is liberating.

The usually indestructible and (on stage) inexhaustibly energetic Welch is emphatically off stage at the moment, having broken her foot (for the second time) on the opening night of Florence + The Machine's UK tour at London's O2 Arena. But 'King' serves as a reminder of her steely determination as a performer. That sense of rage wrapped in humour coupled with a persistent kind of stubbornness and will to succeed.

She will be back in late January for her second date at London's O2 Arena, and the rest of the UK tour.

Songs of the year, Number 2: Zola Jesus - Lost

In composing her sixth album as Zola Jesus, Nika Danilova did something she hadn't done before: She chose to work with collaborators, specifically from the ranks of Sun O))), Cloud Nothings and Perfume Genius. Apparently inspired by Danilova's increasingly socialist political views, and her desire for a more collectivist, collaborative society, this decision to collaborate musically has had a dramatic sonic impact on the album. The overall sound is more experimental and varied but it's still unmistakably a Zola Jesus record. 

'Lost' is an eerie, unsettlingly, echoing song that makes use of glitchy sampled breathing alongside the traditional dark synths and Danilova's hugely powerful, operatically trained voice. A brutal description of burnout, it's been suggested that the song relates to her distrust of the increased role of big tech within the music industry. 

"Everyone I know is lost" she sings, "Flare gone missing, turning dark" 

That the song feels so hopeful has a lot to do with the power of Danilova's vocal and the anthemic feel of the song. It's a real lament for a lost generation, as well as - presumably - a nod to any artist who's ever been leaned on to become their own social media manager alongside touring, performing and recording. 

In darkness there can also be strength, not to mention inspiration. 

Songs of the year, Number 3: The Regrettes - Anxieties (Out Of Time) [Official Music Video]

With their third album, Further Joy, LA punk band The Regrettes have taken their sound in an increasingly pop direction, leading to an album that feels more like Parallel Lines than Vacation and which has been very well received. 

The video to 'Anxieties (Out Of Time)' looks and feels like an homage to Atlanta, Georgia's finest the B52's, adding a sense of kitsch cheer that contrasts with the sense of awkwardness and tensions displayed by the band members throughout. For the band have created an incredibly catchy paen to the terrors of anxiety, imposter syndrome and self doubt.

"I can hear the sirens, and my visions blurry" begins Lydia Night against a background of almost harpsichord esque keyboard riffs. "Knock me down; I won't back down. Knock me down; I won't back down" she sings, mantra like, in the chorus against a rolling march of strident drums. 

The breathless style of singing Night deploys in the bridge evokes the physical sensation of anxiety equally as much as the lyrics do, and there is a constant plea to "Just. Let. Me. Breathe." With 'Anxieties (Out of Time)' the band are conveying a sense of strength through candid honesty and vulnerability, creating a powerful message wrapped up in an irresistibly catchy brightly coloured package. More power to their elbow. 

Songs of the year, Number 4: Harkin - Body Clock (Official Video)

The first single released from Harkin's second album, Honeymoon Suite, 'Body Clock' was a marked sonic departure from her self titled debut. Entirely self recorded and self produced at home during lockdown, the album relied on electronic instrumentation equally as much as, if not more than, guitars. The result was a series of intricate and precise songs that mixed electronic soundscape with the rigours and surging guitars of indie rock. 

In the case of 'Body Clock', the result is a layered soundscape with a real sense of surging urgency that not only reflects the realities of lockdown in the UK but also the sense of determination felt by Harkin to continue working and recording, despite limitations and restrictions. The accompanying video, by Pastel Castle, is soothingly idyllic and pastoral on one hand while also feeling like an immersive video game. A tour de force of ingenuity, creativity and talent.  

Songs of the year, Number 5: Aubrey Haddard - Green As Ever [Official Video]

Brooklyn singer/songwriter Aubrey Haddard released her second album, Awake And Talking, back in August. A dreamy folk pop soundscape with crystalline vocals and gorgeous harmonies, Haddard was drawing on ideas around mythology and "intangible thoughts" rather than singing directly about relationships and personal feelings. Which is not to say that she's working entirely in the abstract - the song 'Someone's Daughter' being fairly furious - but things are less direct in the main. The imagery is slightly blurred and understated.  

The standout track was the single 'Green As Ever', a gorgeous but slightly pensive piece with burnished guitars, sweet but slightly world weary vocals and great hooks. It is highly evocative of long summer days spent in wistful introspection and wanderings. "Don't tell me when the summer ends" she sings, her vocal soaring as she adds "I'll be gone."

There's a charmingly pastoral aspect to the song that evokes everything from Now the light is fading era Maggie Rogers to July Flame era Laura Veirs, early Belle and Sebastian and Camera Obscura, and 1960s US West Coast folk rock acts. The song is sweet and sad at the same time, and it doesn't overstay its welcome. It is the spirit of summer distilled into four minutes. 

Songs of the year, Number 6: Ellur - Close To You (Official Video)

Halifax singer/songwriter Ellur released 'Close To You' in the summer, and it's seaside themed video (filmed in Bridlington) coupled with a ferociously self recriminating take on infatuation made it the perfect wistful heatwave soundtrack. 

The doleful vocals contrast well with the intricate but subtle guitar work, urgent pounding drums and catchy but clever lyrics. There are echoes of nineties grunge and more recent indie singer/songwriters such as Ailbhe Reddy, but Ellur's more recent output suggests that 'Close To You' was unusual in its use of guitar and that synth driven pop might be closer to her usual sound. 

Whichever direction she goes in, 'Close To You' is still a sun soaked summer banger and future tracks are awaited with keen anticipation. 

Songs of the year, Number 7: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Burning (Official Video)

Taken from the indie rock legends fifth studio album (and their first in almost ten years), 'Burning' harks back to everything that was ever good about the Yeah Yeah Yeah's while also signalling where they might go next.

It's a taut, stylish slice of soul tinged rock that opens with hazy strings and increasingly dominant piano chords. Karen O is in soul girl punk preacher mode here and the track has a passing resemblance to the Dusty Springfield favourite 'I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten', at least initially. An abrupt shift in mood and sonic atmospherics gives it a cinematic feel to rival any of the John Barry songs for the James Bond franchise. There's also echoes of Standing In The Way of Control era Gossip. The result is a giddyingly intense white knuckle ride which sweeps the listener along in its wake.

It feels like the song at the end of the world in many ways, such is the overwhelming nature of the piece. Almost apocalyptic. Brace yourselves. 

Songs of the year, Number 8: Ibeyi - Lavender and Red Roses feat. Jorja Smith (Official Music Video)

Afro-French-Cuban twin sister duo Ibeyi released their third album Spell 31 back in May. The title is a reference to a passage in the Egyptian Book of the Dead, which is quoted within the album's soundscape. 

On 'Lavender and Red Roses' they perform three part harmonies with Walsall superstar Jorja Smith and the effect is stunningly good. Minimal beats and subtle instrumentation serve to provide a bed for the vocals, which are very much the star of the show here. Lyrically, it seems to be about the anguish and powerlessness that comes from trying (and failing) to save a loved one from an indeterminate darkness while knowing that, sooner or later, you will have to cut the chord. 

That Smith's vocals blend and weave so seamlessly with those of Lisa-Kaindé Diaz and Naomi Diaz is at the heart of the tracks success. It would be nice to hear future collaborations between the three of them in the future, either as an Ibeyi release or as a Jorja Smith release, but independently and together, all three artists are always worth a listen. 

Songs of the year, Number 9: TWICE - Gone

Premier K Pop band TWICE formed in 2015 and quickly built up stratospheric sales and giddying levels of fame in both South Korea and Japan. In recent years, they've begun to look towards the international market but have yet to reach the giddying levels of international stardom achieved by the boyband BTS.

'Gone' is taken from their 2022 EP, Between 1&2 and it begins dramatically with atmospheric strings that signal the brooding nature of the song, which appears to be about an unhappy relationship. The band are multilingual, and this is reflected in the ease with which they switch languages. The killer hook ("I see the lies on the tip of your tongue") begins in English before switching back and forth between languages. There's also an immaculate rapid fire rap, which adds additional attitude and dimension to the track, increasing its level of pure pop irresistibility. 

Fellow K Pop girl band BLACKPINK have built similar levels of global recognition to TWICE but there seems to be a preference for the boys over the girls which I don't entirely understand. Someone who knows more about K Pop than me will no doubt be able to explain it to me but, for now, I remain bemused.

Songs of the year, Number 10: Sampa The Great - Never Forget ft. Chef 187, Tio Nason, Mwanjé (Official...

An ambitious salute to Zamrock, 'Never Forget' sees Zambian born Sampa return to her roots literally and figuratively (she left Australia for Zambia at the start of the pandemic) with a fiercely proud sprawling, collaborative track that mixes hip hop with the sounds of Zambia, past and present. 

A collaboration between Sampa, her sister and singer Mwanjé, their cousin singer/songwriter, designer and director Tio Nason and Zambian hip hop artist Chef 187, the result is an incredibly moving and powerful track than transcends genre and instead becomes a cross between a tribute and a statement of intent. It has an incredibly moving sense of dignity and power that is only enhanced by its evocative and atmospheric video. 

Songs of the year, Number 11: Lucky Iris - [i'm not good at writing] love songs

A particularly irresistible ear worm courtesy of the Leeds synth pop duo, who describe themselves on their Facebook profile as making "Passive aggressive pop bops for the faint hearted". They also have a good line in charmingly self depreciating tweets.

'[I'm not good at writing] love songs' maintains the bands refreshingly candid lyrics but marries them to a strong hook and memorable chorus, guaranteeing that the resulting track will be stuck in your head for days. 

"How does one go through so much pain? Cos I'm not used to it" singer Maeve tentatively asks, adding later "Give me a break, I think I need it. I'm hard enough on myself - I don't need any feedback".

If Portland's electro dream pop band Wild Ones were still going, I'd be fantasising about a joint tour. As it is, Lucky Iris are slowly but surely building up their repertoire and their following and I look forward to whatever they decide to do next.

Songs of the year, Number 12: Nova Twins - Cleopatra (Lyric Video)

Metal queens Nova Twins scored the unlikely double whammy of both Mercury and Hercury nominations this year with their second album Supernova. It's easy to see why their modern metal sound, fuelled as it is by a combination of musical innovation, enthusiastic freshness and attitude would chime so well.

In 'Cleopatra' they swagger and boss their way through a taut three and a half minutes of riff driven rock with lyrics that embody empowerment while also taking swipes are racist stereotypes and hypocrisies. "I'm a boss bitch" snarls Amy Love, "I'm Cleopatra" and the listener can only agree.

Tremendous. 

Songs of the year, Number 13: IVVVO - Bleached Butterfly feat. Abyss X

This one off collaboration between Portuguese musician, artist and curator IVVVO and Cretan multidisciplinary artist Abyss X was keenly championed by 6Music's Maryanne Hobbs earlier this year, and received enthusiastic feedback from listeners.

The unforgiving sonic assault and stream of consciousness rapid fire lyrical delivery both hark back to No Wave artists like Lydia Lunch or the similarly uncompromising X. The result is a raw, layered and darkly sexy track which is unforgiving and unrelenting. Once heard, never forgotten. 

Songs of the year, Number 14: Kelly Lee Owens - Sonic 8

Taken from Owens' third album LP.8, 'Sonic 8' is a brooding, uncompromising, nay apocalyptic slice of sparse electro. As with Helen McCookerybook's 'Wake Up', there is a sense of something coming to the boil in this spoken word piece.

"This is an emergency" she states "This is a wake up call". Before asking "What are you gonna do about it?". 

There are references to divide and conquer and to feeling tired while wanting to be free together but she's deliberately opaque in her targets, meaning the track can be taken as a general statement about the world rather than aimed at a specific wrong or issue. As such, it's both statement and work of art.

Songs of the year, Number 15: Lynks - Hey Joe (Relax) [Music Video]

Bristol based, never-knowingly-understated 'drag monster' Lynks has been enthusiastically promoted by 6Music's Lauren Laverne in recent years. The biting satire of 'Hey Joe (Relax)' earned the self proclaimed "Best musician in the entire world" a playlist slot on the station early on in 2022. Needless to say, the sweary bits were cut or bleeped out.

By turns rude and hilarious, this enthusiastic and highly infectious slice of electro pop takes a series of clawed swipes at the wellness industry while also delivering a particularly robust 'fuck off' to an especially obnoxious ex. "Feeling are like arseholes - I don't want yours" they sing emphatically at one point. If Frankie Goes To Hollywood had not been introduced to Trevor Horn, it might have sounded like this.

Songs of the year, Number 16: Helen McCookerybook - Wake Up (and Smell the Coffee)

Helen McCookerybook's post lockdown album Drawing on my Dreams was released in October, and 'Wake Up (and Smell the Coffee)' has been a favourite of mine ever since I first heard it. 

It contains a central allegory towards societal dissatisfaction that, like the coffee, is coming to the boil. The core message is wrapped up in a very stylish slice of sophisticated anthemic acoustic pop which is powered by McCookerybook's choppy guitar work and Anne Wood's beguiling violin. 

It's not so much a song of anger as a subtle call to arms, one that's sung with understated charm. It also feels like a song that has the potential to travel far and wide, being heard and perhaps covered by other artists from a variety of different places. Only time will tell.

Songs of the year, Number 17: Hatchie - Giving The World Away (Official Video)

'Giving The World Away', as the title track of Hatchie's second album, serves to demonstrate the extent to which the Australian artist has moved away from the sunny jangly indie pop (or, as Pitchfork put it, "sparkly shoegaze") of her debut and towards a darker, more complex indie rock that owes more to early nineties baggy, indie dance and the bleaker end of shoegaze. The video for the track only echoes this so it's safe to assume that it's a conscious move, one that leads us to speculate as to what would happen if you mated early nineties Saint Etienne with similar period My Bloody Valentine, released it on Sarah records and then let Northern Picture Library loose on it. 

The muscular, layered and complex 'Giving The World Away' rises above its various influences and incorporates its different elements well. There is plenty of flange and distortion, echoes and fades, piano riffs and solid beats here but there's also Hariette Pilbeams still-charming vocals and a solid chorus that will stay in your head for days. 

A class act.

Songs of the year, Number 18: John Cale - NIGHT CRAWLING (Official Video)

When John Cale released 'Night Crawling' back in the summer he said that its inspiration was 1970's New York and David Bowie, which does come across in this somewhat singular loping slice of textured electro.  It also sounds an awful lot like the more recent works of John Grant and, as such, can be seen to be straddling both the past and the present without any obvious sonic discomfort. 

Deantoni Parks provides extra drums, and Dustin Boyer backing vocals but Cale played all the instruments and it seems to have been something of a labour of love for him. Given the shut-in nature of the past two years, it's understandable that Cale, like so many of us, would become nostalgic for a past when we could roam the streets at night, going from club to club, gig to gig. 

Cale toured in October and as such 'Night Crawling' served to act as something of a calling card and promise of what was to come.

Songs of the year, Number 19: PIT PONY - Supermarket (Official Video)

This tight-as-fuck Tyneside punk band combine attitude and competence with commanding vocals. No one has actually compared Jackie Purver to Pauline Murray yet, but she certainly has a similarly powerful voice. 

Pit Pony's debut album World To Me was released in July and the highly atmospheric 'Supermarket' was one of the standout tracks. There is a palpable sense of tension and of being haunted in the lyrics that only enhances the Stooges-meets-Joy-Division brooding guitars and urgent drums within the track. 

Despite being championed by 6Music's Maryanne Hobbs, it feels as though Pit Pony haven't yet received the attention and praise that they fully deserve. Some of that is bad luck and it will be interesting to see if touring and (we can only hope) festival bookings go some way towards redressing the balance. They definitely feel like a band who would be astonishingly good live. 

Songs of the year, Number 20: The Linda Lindas - Talking To Myself

The Linda Linda's first came to public attention back in 2021 when they played a gig at LA Public Library that included the very timely track 'Racist Sexist Boy'. Footage of the song went viral online and led directly to Epitaph signing the band.

It could have been easy for cynical journalists to write off this group of teen and pre-teen punk girls as a fad, but it quickly became apparent that the band - despite their youth - were relatively seasoned performers who had been quietly honing their songwriting and performance skills for a number of years.

Kathleen Hanna praised their cover of Bikini Kill's 'Rebel Girl' (used in the 2021 film adaptation of teen novel Moxie, itself heavily Riot Grrrl inspired) and their debut album, Growing Up, was released this year. 

'Talking To Myself', a jaunty punk pop ear worm of a song, was one of the singles and it has an exuberant charm that is reminiscent of another LA punk pop band: The Go-Go's. It came as no surprise then when The Linda Lindas released a cover of 'Tonite' which - as with 'Rebel Girl' - certainly matched the original.