Damn, that was a tough year.
I don't know about you, dear reader, but I am exhausted. The last few years have pretty much beaten the life and the hope out of me. The world around us has been so turbulent, so terrifying, and so filled with the potential for unbridled evil, that some days I have to force myself to get out of bed.
2022 was supposed to be better. But as things got going early in the year, it became apparent that the nuttiness was far from over. Every day of the first half of the year felt like society as we know it was one of those spinning plates on The Ed Sullivan Show, just starting to wobble out of control. There were weeks where I couldn't look at the news, because every headline trumpeted yet another political or international or medical disaster.
And here at home, things weren't much better. Halfway through the summer, a family emergency arose that forced my darling wife Suzie and I to make a big decision. That decision was ultimately the right thing to do, but as a result our daily lives have been turned upside down. There are very few moments to relax. We're on call from morning to night. If I was exhausted before, well, now I'm double-exhausted.
But it hasn't been all bad, thank the Lords Of Kobol. I had Suzie, who cheered me on when I couldn't cope. I had my goofy dogs and cats, who put a smile on my face every day. I had my good friends, who were always an email or text away.
And I had my hearing, so I was able to enjoy all the great music that hit the shelves in 2022. New tunes. Old favorites. Jam-packed special editions. Each new release that came my way was eagerly gobbled up, and each new song I heard provided me with a few minutes of respite from all the stress. Whether writing or cooking or doing my best Mother Theresa act, I made sure I had some music going, just to give my soul a little boost.
So here in no particular order are some standout tracks from the musical harvest I reaped in 2022.
QUEEN - "Face It Alone" (from The Miracle: Collector's Edition)
Whereas fans of artists like Bob Dylan and David Bowie and Prince seem to enjoy an endless supply of unheard songs and demos released from deep within their idols' archives, for years we Queen fans have been starving for scraps. Guitarist Brian May has said many times that unfortunately there just aren't a lot of extraneous tunes left over from their decades in the studio other than the odd non-album B-side here and there. Even though the confirmation comes from Sir Doctor May himself, that doesn't ease the pain. We want more Queen, dammit!
So imagine my surprise - and delight - when the band announced the release of a swanky Collector's Edition of their 1989 album The Miracle, just in time for the holidays! All the songs were remastered. There was a full CD of all the album tracks in raw form, complete with band banter. The Blu-Ray contained all the promotional videos, as well as vintage interviews with the band. It was, in a word, packed.
The icing on the cake, however, was the inclusion of no less than six previously unreleased songs! A few of them were demos, like the heavily-bootlegged “Dog With A Bone”. But in digging through their tapes, they discovered the almost-completed tune “Face It Alone”. When May and drummer Roger Taylor heard the track (that they'd forgotten about!), they decided to finally finish it.
As a result, thirty-one years after the death of Freddie Mercury, the world has been gifted another song graced with his unique vocals. “Face It Alone” would never have been a single - it's too slight of a song - but as a showcase for the band's more introspective side, it's sheer perfection. Perhaps Freddie was looking into the future, as he battled AIDS, and feared the solitude the disease might bring to his life? Whatever the inspiration, “Face It Alone” is a wonderful addition to the legacy of Freddie Mercury and Queen.
ALVVAYS - "Easy On Your Own?" (from Blue Rev)
It's a treat when a friend introduces you to a new band that you instantly fall in love with. (That's how I discovered Queen, for Pete's sake.) But it's even more special when you discover a band on your own, hearing the first few notes of a song that signals the beginning of a beautiful fan worship. Such is the case with me and Canadian indie poppers Alvvays (pronounced “always” but spelled with two V's because... well, I actually don't know why). While stuck in traffic during a last-minute trip to the store several Thanksgivings ago, my pissy mood was turned upside down by the opening chorus of “Marry Me, Archie” floating out of the radio. And since that fateful day, I've been a diehard fan.
With their third release, the near-flawless Blue Rev, Alvvays have found the perfect balance between wistfulness and introspection and happiness. This is one of those rare albums that you can listen to from beginning to end without skipping a single track. The urgency of “Pharmacist”, the jangly fun of “After The Earthquake”, the snarky social commentary of “Very Online Guy”... every tune is a treat. It's “Easy On Your Own?” that stood out for me, though. Once the static-filled opening crashed into the dreamy, echo-y chiming of the first verse, I knew I was in love.
Every single song is an enjoyable listen, filled with playful keyboards, creative guitar work, and the always (see what I did there?) harmonious vocals of Leslie Rankine. This is how you do indie pop, people. Blue Rev was hands-down my favorite album of the year, and I'll be listening to it well into the next.
LIAM GALLAGHER - "Everything's Electric" (from C'mon You Know)
Thanks to the insane awesomeness of their first three albums, Britpop giants Oasis ruled the music scene in the late 1990s. But then, at the absolute peak of their fame... something happened. It seemed like songwriter and founder Noel Gallagher got sick of his own unique style. From 2000, until the band broke up in 2009, Noel did his best to tamp down the powerful guitar-driven Oasis production. And with his follow-up group, the High Flying Birds, he stretched out into every style except his signature Oasis wall of sound.
It was left up to Noel's former Oasis cohorts, including lead vocalist and younger sibling Liam, to pick up the Oasis torch as Beady Eye. God bless them, they tried to recapture the glory days of Oasis, but it just never gelled. And neither did Liam's first two solo efforts, a couple of decent albums that leaned more into languid ballads than out and out blazing Britpop.
No, it wasn't until his third album, the cheekily-named C'mon You Know, that Liam both came into his own as a songwriter, and made the best parts of the Oasis sound his own. “Everything's Electric” is an absolute barnstormer of a track, stuffed to the gills with rock energy, sleek grooves, and Liam's spin on Noel's delightfully cryptic wordplay. Liam's even smoothed out his unique vocal snarl, doing his best outright singing in years. As The Kids say: Hell yes! Now this is more like it!
There's probably not a snowball's chance in hell that the Gallagher brothers will ever patch up their relationship and bring Oasis back from the dead. But if Liam can keep writing songs like “Everything's Electric”, then the loss we Oasis fans have endured for the last decade-plus won't sting quite so badly.
MARTIN SOLVEIG (WITH DRAGONETTE) - "Hello" (from Smash)
After putting it off for God knows how long, earlier this year Suzie and I finally got new phones. As one of the perks of our new provider's promotional package, we were given three free months of Apple+. And the first show we watched was the show everyone had been talking about for the last year: the Jason Sudeikis-starring soccer comedy Ted Lasso. The verdict? We liked it! Maybe our family and friends over-hyping how gut-bustingly “must see TV” the show was tempered our enjoyment, but ultimately we found Ted Lasso to be an above-average comedy with some really appealing characters.
There was one episode, however, that transcended all the amiable comedy, and affected me on a very visceral level. Loyal Assistant Coach Beard (played to Buster Keaton-levels of unflappability by Brendan Hunt) finally had had enough of his job, his team, and his on-again off-again relationship. Without a word to anyone, he headed out aimlessly into the nighttime streets. Like poor Griffin Dunne in the classic After Hours, Coach Beard endured a chaotic run-ins with strangers and a series of life-threatening misadventures, eventually winding up at a noisy laser-lit nightclub. As the blaring techno-pop music built to a crescendo, the normally stoic assistant coach m finally snapped... and let himself be carried away by the music.
Watching him energetically gyrate among all the neon and smoke, I had a strong flashback to my own semi-dancing catharsis in the spring of 1989, during those last few weeks before I left my college life behind. I could relate to Coach Beard's physical attempt to deal with all the stress that had built up inside him. Just like me, he didn't dance so much as flail, expelling all the tension and anger he'd not allowed himself to vent. When that amazing scene was over, I was just as wiped out as Coach Beard.
That emotional release wouldn't have been nearly as powerful, however, if it hadn't been accompanied by the perfect song. “Hello” is a chirpy, pulsing, electronic club-pop anthem that wraps itself around the most reptilian part of your brain and won't let go. Normally, this kind of song isn't my jam. But every note empathically connects me to Coach Beard and his predicament, and I find myself exorcising my own existential crises each time I loudly sing along.
Bonus video from Ted Lasso:
TEARS FOR FEARS - "Break The Man" (from The Tipping Point)
Although the whole point of this column is to express my thoughts and feelings through writing, I'm not ashamed to admit that words fail me when it comes to explaining how happy I am that Tears For Fears are back. Despite being together off and on as a band for over four decades, TFF (that's what us fans call them) have only released five albums as a duo. That includes The Tipping Point, their first album in seventeen years!
Over the last decade, Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith have endured a slew of setbacks both personal and professional, and those stressful times manifested themselves in the tone of their new music. They're no longer two naïve kids railing against their harsh childhoods... these are post-middle-aged men who've experienced more than their fare share of life, both good and bad. The ten songs on The Tipping Point run the gamut of the human condition, ranging from introspective to existential to heartbroken and back again. “Break The Man” was a standout for me, because the story it tells - how Roland's new partner taught him how to be a better person - reminds me of how far I've come as a human being thanks to the tireless efforts of my long-suffering wife.
Here's hoping we don't have to wait another cicada hibernation period before TFF graces us with more great tunes!
PVA - "Untethered" (from Blush)
If the state of mental and emotional terror I was living under throughout most of 2022 had a soundtrack, it would be this song playing on an endless loop. No lie, when I first saw the video for “Untethered”, linked in a Paste Magazine “New Music” email article, I almost cried. In this three-minute-plus clip, the band captured an accurate representation of what the inside of my brain has looked like for the past several years.
As synthesizers buzz and pulse with dark electronic menace, spasmodic strobe lights illuminate the chain link fencing lining the walls of the serial killer basement in which vocalist Ella Harris twitches and convulses, every line she delivers appearing to wrack her body with pain. And the pounding rhythms, along with the chaotic squeals of electronic music, never let up... if anything, they become more and more intense as the song continues. Every time I listen to “Untethered”, my chest tightens. My breath comes in shallow gulps. I find myself on the verge of screaming. By the end, I'm curled up in the fetal position.
Who knew a simple pop tune could capture the angst and fear I've been feeling for the past few years? I guess it's ironic that a song which affects me in such a strong, panicky way is my favorite of 2022. It's been said, however, that true art evokes a reaction - either positive or negative - in the observer. Well, if that's the case, then I crown “Untethered” the “Mona Lisa” of the darkwave genre.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to pick myself up off the floor and hit play again...
And the hits just kept coming! Australian chanteuse Hatchie captivated me with the languid, sultry “Quicksand”. Guided By Voices rocked me yet again with “Alex Bell”, one of the purest indie rock/pop jams Robert Pollard and crew have released in a long time. New York art-poppers My Favorite returned in excellent storytelling form with the seven-minute-plus “Dean's 7th Dream”. LA-based nu-gaze darlings Milly finally released their first full-length album, featuring the melancholy single “Illuminate”. And synth pop elder statesman Howard Jones, still tickling the synth ivories (plastics?) after four decades, released the energetic “Who You Really Want To Be”. All these songs and more kept me going through the dark times of 2022.
There was also a lot of deluxe edition goodness that brightened my days. Ultravox continued their series of Midge Ure-era super deluxe edition (or “SDE”) reissues with an excellent package for their 1982 album Rage In Eden, including yet another set of Steven Wilson remixes. My favorite jazz artist, the inimitable Vince Guaraldi, finally received some remastering love with the release of the A Charlie Brown Christmas SDE. (Apparently, it's the second-best selling jazz album of all time. Who knew?) The late George Michael was honored with a stuffed (and expensive as hell) SDE for his 1996 album Older. And although it wasn't a big deluxe repackaging, R.E.M.'s seminal first EP Chronic Town was finally released on CD for its fortieth (!!!) anniversary, boasting new liner notes from legendary producer Mitch Easter. These beefed-up sets provided me with hours of listening and reading pleasure over the past year.
But there's bad news for my wallet, because 2023 promises to be another three hundred sixty-five days of musical gluttony. For starters, prog legend Peter Gabriel is gracing the world with i/o, his first new music in two decades! I'm expecting Guided By Voices to drop their yearly pair of indie rock albums. The insanely talented British indie pop collective known as The Go! Team will be delivering Get Up Sequences Part Two just in time for Valentines Day. And in April, Billy Corgan and Smashing Pumpkins will grace fans with Atum, a sprawling three album, thirty-three song rock opera sequel to Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness.
Speaking of Smashing Pumpkins, I'm hoping that we'll finally get a release date for the eagerly-awaited SDE of the final album recorded by the original lineup, 2000's MACHINA/The Machines Of God. I also hope that Prince's estate will get their reissue schedule back on track, and offer up the long-rumored Diamonds & Pearls SDE. Will Ultravox deliver a Quartet SDE by the end of the year? Will R.E.M. celebrate the fortieth anniversary of their genre-defining 1983 debut Murmur with a packed SDE? Will the long-delayed B-52's boxset finally appear? Does the existence of a Steven Wilson remix/remaster of ABC's pop masterpiece The Lexicon Of Love point to a deluxe reissue in 2023? Mysteries abound!
As it stands, the only deluxe edition that I know for sure is headed my way is something I've been wanting for ages: a remaster of the self-titled debut album from A Flock Of Seagulls! It's three discs of B-sides, remixes, and live tracks, along with a brand new interview with founder Mike Score. (He was the guy with the legendarily cool hairdo.) And it will be in my sweaty little hands by Valentine's Day. That's better than any cheap box of candy!
Originally, this article was going to end with a reversal of the gloom and doom from the opening. I was going to point out how things actually got better as 2022 was coming to an end. On the world stage, people rose up to shake off the oppressive yoke of the small-minded men and women who prize power over governing. Here in the good ol' U S of A, Covid boosters allowed people to live a little again. And me personally, I won a couple of screenwriting contests, one of which allowed me to publish my winning screenplay as a book.
For the first time in over five years, the cloud of doom I felt hanging over the world had lightened. It wasn't gone completely, but it definitely eased up. After many months of nail-biting uncertainty, I was tentatively hopeful that we'd ride this growing wave of goodness into 2023. So I was going to channel all that positivity into an uplifting message to start the year with.
And then, three days before the end of December, I had to put my dog to sleep.
Right before Thanksgiving, we had to rush Lily Grace, our sixteen year old chihuahua mix, to the emergency vet. They found a possibly cancerous growth in her abdomen that was bleeding and at risk of bursting. We had her on medicine while we waited for her surgery date to arrive. But she didn't make it. So Suzie held our little girl in her arms as the doctor eased Lily out of this world and into the next.
I'm not one to give up. I've taken my share of knocks over the years, and found the inner strength to carry on. But right now... Right now, I am just overwhelmed with sadness. Lily was our constant companion, our little “mocha shadow”, who roamed the house all day long protecting her family. Her big dark eyes were the first thing I saw staring at me every morning. And when I turned out the light at night, the last thing I saw was Lily sound asleep between me and Suzie. Lily was a huge presence of a dog stuffed inside a fifteen pound package.
And now that bright little soul is gone. As a result, the world around me is completely colorless. Yes, I know time will soften the blow - this isn't the first pet I've had to say goodbye to. But at this very moment, I don't see how this pain is going to leave me. For the foreseeable future, every day is going to be a painful slog.
Damn, this is going to be another tough year.
Lily Grace. Rest in peace, little one.
BIO
Don Stroud is not the famous actor and world-class surfer of the same name. He is the non-famous California transplant who became an award-winning screenwriter and film editor. He loves cats, sushi, comic books, movies, music, and Cherry Coke. What's that, dear? Oh yes: and his long-suffering wife. You can follow his ramblings on Twitter and Instagram.