We're back for the second half of the countdown, but first here's a recap of the first half for those just tuning in

25. Lookout Kid - Arcade Fire
26. Pushin P - Gunna
27. Jiggalo - Mike Dimes
28. Loved You A Little - The Maine
29. Call Me Little Sunshine - Ghost
30. Why So Toxic - GFM
31. We Dont Talk About Bruno - Encanto
32. Love on the Run - Broken Bells
33. Firefly - Shygirl
34. Here To Forever - Death Cab For Cutie
35, GED - Lute
36. Wolf - Yeah Yeah yeahs
37. Strangers - Dangermouse, Black Thought, Run The Jewels, A$AP Rocky
38. Cuff It - Beyonce
39. De tes yeux bleus perles - Celeste
40. Take My Breath - The Weeknd
41. Date Night - White Lung
42. Gorilla - Little Simz
43. Master The Hurricane - Visions of Atlantis
44. Want Want - Maggie Rogers
45. The Dying Song - Slipknot
46. Pyramiden - Syk
47. Chaise Longue - Wet Leg
48. Magic - Vince Staples
49. This Is Why - Paramore
50. Permanent Rebellion - LS Dunes


A pretty mighty list so far, what shall come next?

I try to listen the way I wanna be listened to



24. Coming Correct Is Cheaper by Soul Glo

-Soul Glo are one of the people I caught up with very late in the year, though the album itself came out back in the spring. They just didn't pop up on my radar until recently. Which is weird since this is 100% right up my alley. It is chaos, a mix of hardcore punk and varios other genres. Like Turnstile and Dillinger Escape Plan had a baby. Their song titles and lyrics and very creative and often funny too (if you can understand what he's saying that is.)

Fuck your revelation and fuck your weak conviction, I am finally exposing the truth



23. Damn Excuses by Underoath

-I love me a good album opener and this sure is a good one. Like many people who went to high school in the 00s, I was very into Underoath's top tracks like A Boy Brushed Red Living In Black and White and Writing on the Walls, but fell out with them as a got older. 2022 just happened to be the year of the emo revival, and these emocore veterans needed to prove they still had what it took to keep pace. And thus we come back to how much a good album opener means. As soon as Damn Excuses hits, both at home and seeing them live, everyone is pulled right back into the Underoath experience.

I thought I had more time than I do ... So we're gonna have to be satisfied with this quite frankly weak sauce 2 song update. At least those two songs have enough hyped packed into them that it might as well be a seventeen song update.

Since yesterday was such a short update, here's a bonus - countdowns from the past! I posted 2016 and 2015 last year, so let's move on to 2014. This is just for the albums since I didn't save my song lists for whatever reason (probably cause I forgot and/or because albums are more important.)

50. Do It Again by Royskopp and Robyn
49. Seeds by TV On The Radio
48. Strange Desire by Bleachers
47. A Better Tomorrow by Wu-Tang Clan
46. Unraveling by We Were Promised Jetpacks
45. New Crown by Wolfmother
44. The Satanist by Behemoth
43. Once More 'Round The Sun by Mastodon
42. 48:13 by Kasabian
41. I Never Learn by Lykke Li
40. Voices by Phantogram
39. Honor Is All We Know by Rancid
38. Morning Phase by Beck
37. High Hopes by Bruce Springsteen
36. Heartstrings by Leighton Meester
35. Shattered by Reigning Sound
34. Everyday Robots by Damon Albarn
33. The Both by The Both
32. Bazaar by Wampire
31. Wasted Years by Off!
30. Manipulator by Ty Segall
29. Ghost Stories by Coldplay
28. G I R L by Pharrell Williams
27. The Outsiders by Eric Church
26. Rips by Ex Hex
25. Hesitant Alien by Gerard Way
24. Oxymoron by Schoolboy Q
23. The Weird And Wonderful Marmozets by Marmozets
22. Cadillactica by Big K.R.I.T.
21. After The Disco by Broken Bells
20. Turn Blue by The Black Keys
19. My Everything by Ariana Grande
18. Here And Nowhere Else by Cloud Nothings
17. Little Machines by Lights
16. Education, Education, Education And War by Kaiser Chiefs
15. Mastermind by Rick Ross
14. Songs Of Innocence by U2
13. Lost In The Dream by The War On Drugs
12. Royal Blood by Royal Blood
11. Sheezus by Lily Allen
10. About Last Night by Sleeper Agent
9. Commonwealth by Sloan
8. The Physical World by Death From Above 1979
7. Sonic Highways by Foo Fighters
6. My Krazy Life by YG
5. Everything Will Be Alright In The End by Weezer
4. Lazaretto by Jack White
3. RTJ2 by Run The Jewels
2. They Want My Soul by Spoon
1. 1989 by Taylor Swift


This was the first year that a pop album topped the list (unless you wanna consider Beastie Boys pop in which case I may have to slap you.) Spoon was running the game the whole year but Taylor's breathtaking 1989 was obviously the right choice and I'm glad past Flava'd knew that. Though Royal Blood's debut is the one thing in hindsight that could have challenged it. Not sure why its sitting there at 12 instead of 2. And yes, Songs on Innocence is the U2 album that Apple forced into everyone's library.

Anyways, more songs from the present incoming!

You're like an ocean breeze, comin' and goin' just as you please, separated by a degree



22. Beg For You by Charli XCX with Rina Sawayama

-Somewhat letting go of her signature hyperpop style, Charli dug deep into the past for inspiration. Sometime that influence lead to places very familiar (Used To Know Me shares the same sample/beat as Beyonce's Break My Soul .. cept Charli did it second first.) Beg For You is very much like September's song Cry For You, cept Charli did it better. Just the idea of Charli and Rina sneaking in a quicky before parting from each other ... Well it inspires some things out of me too.

Now the winter frost is gone, Now is our chance to live the life we want



21. A Little Bit Of Love by Weezer

-Weezer had the very ambitious plan to release a new EP for to coincide with the beginning of every season in 2022. In case the Easter Bunny playing ukulele didn't give it away, Little Bit of Love was on the Spring version. And it does feel perfect for it. Months and months of hardship (via cold or heartbreak) and then boom, suddenly everything is nice again. There's no better feeling really. That's why Spring is the best season, it was the best EP and it had the best song. Case closed. Now we just need to figure out how to tilt the Earth so Ohio will always be springtime.

She's the kinda girl that'll make you wanna go faster now, she's the kinda girl that'll make you steal your child



20. Here Ever After by Red Hot Chili Peppers

-It was 2020, Red Hot Chili Peppers had just announced the their original guitarist John Frusciante was rejoining the band for a huge return album and even bigger summer tour. Then ... well we all know what happened. Two years later RHCP finally did make their big return, having the Strokes accompany them whilst promoting their new albums. Yes, albums, they made two, each one containing 17 songs. So that was a lot of RHCP this year. Nothing was better than Here Ever After though. Combines the funky nature of Frusciante's first stint with the band (80s / early 90s) and his second stint which focused more on his excellent guitar playing (99-06). Really reminds me of Tell Me Baby, which may be my all time favorite from (or Otherside which is not like HEA at all.) It's mostly about chasing the wrong type of woman over and over ... But when you're a rock star how can you resist such things?

Well 3 isn't much better than 2 but it'll have to do. It's honestly taking just as much time to decide what song comes next than to do the whole write-up. Too many great songs this year that shouldn't be so low, but there's no way to sacrifice the songs higher up. You'll see as we progress! Until next time, Flava'd out.

As we crawl towards the top ten, my mouse is getting more and more erratic. I guess I know what to ask for Christmas next year!

Also, here's another list from the past to chew on whilst I take my sweet ole time on the 2022 countdown.

45. "Prism" by Katy Perry
44. "Regions Of Light and Sound Of God" by Jim James
43. "Magna Carta ... Holy Grail" by Jay-Z
42. "Mosquito" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
41. "The Wack Album" by The Lonely Island
40. "Sleeper" by Ty Segall
39. "A Color Map Of The Sun" by Pretty Lights
38. "Old" by Danny Brown
37. "Comedown Machine" by The Strokes
36. "B.O.A.T.S. II-MeTime" by 2 Chainz
35. "Run The Jewels" by Run The Jewels
34. "Miracle Mile" by STRFKR
33. "Bankrupt!" by Phoenix
32. "Major Arcana" by Speedy Ortiz
31. "Save Rock And Roll" by Fall Out Boy
30. "Awayland" by Villagers
29. "The Terror" by The Flaming Lips
28. "Nomad" by Bombino
27. "Head In The Dirt" by Hanni El Khatib
26. "In Rolling Waves" by The Naked and Famous
25. "Hesitation Marks" by Nine Inch Nails
24. "Days Are Gone" by Haim
23. "Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action" by Franz Ferdinand
22. "The Next Day" by David Bowie
21. "Sunbather" by Deafheaven
20. "Beyonce" by Beyonce
19. "Sleigh Ride" by Fuzz
18. "Sound City: Reel To Reel OST" by Dave Grohl and Friends
17. "The Greatest Generation" by The Wonder Years
16. "Shaking The Habitual" by The Knife
15. "Pure Heroine" by Lorde
14. "Heartthrob" by Tegan and Sara
13. "13" by Black Sabbath
12. "The Bones Of What You Believe" by CHVRCHES
11. "Reflektor" by Arcade Fire
10. "The 20/20 Experience" by Justin Timberlake
9. "Common Courtesy" by A Day To Remember
8. "Random Access Memories" by Daft Punk
7. "Amok" by Atoms For Peace
6. "Paramore" by Paramore
5. "B-Room" by Dr. Dog
4. "...Like Clockwork" by Queens Of The Stone Age
3. "The Marshall Mathers LP 2" by Eminem
2. "Yeezus" by Kanye West
1. "Modern Vampires Of The City" by Vampire Weekend


This might be my favorite albums list I've done. The top ten is so stacked that Reflektor, Chvrches debut, Lorde's debut, RTJ's debut, and peak Tegan and Sara were all left out of it. Yeezus is a top 25 all-timer for me and it wasn't even enough for #1. Loved this year for music, though weirdly I have a hard time picking a favorite movie from the year (does the Anchorman 2 Alternate Cut count?)

I'm failing upwards again, I might pull it off if I don't fuck this up before it pays off



19. PUPTHEBAND Inc. Is Filing For Bankruptcy by Pup

-PUP, aka Pathetic Use of Potential, has a ton of gallows humor to add to their awesome punk guitar riffs. This album is called The Unraveling of PupTheBand, and this is the final track on it. You'd think it would complete the unraveling, but in the typical humorous Pup way of looking at things bankruptcy seems to solve all their problems. Another funny line "I used to be reckless and too broke to eat, now all my friends have bidets in their en suites."

Deep in the city, where no one sleeps at night, witness callous conversation balanced on a knife



18. Sweet by Static Dress

-This was the unofficial rock breakout act of 2022, the only one to have their album appear on anydecentmusic's top ten of the year. To me it sounds like a mix of Deftones and Taking Back Sunday, two artists that I did not ever think would mix well. While Push Rope and Desinter would have also made good choices, the relentless onslaught of Sweet stuck out to me as the top choice from the album.

Wishin' they’d get home in a hurry 'cause we the last of a dyin' pack of lions, nightmares of the cast



17. Thun by Nas

-This is the last of the Really Good Albums I heard right at the end of the year (though Nas released KD3 over a month ago so that is mostly my fault.) And even though KD2 was really good and made top ten albums last year, KD3 blew me away. Was hard to pick a favorite song, but I get so hyped right at the opening bar of this song. THUN! I also love the part where he mocks restarting his infamous feud with Jay-Z. I wonder if this should be even higher, but the top 16 were all big parts of the entirety of 2022, and I just can't move any of them down. Still, it's just amazing that Nas is even capable of putting out a song that is top ten worthy after 30 years in the game. Usually only rock artists have that type of longevity. Oh and he had an awesome co-headlining tour with Wu-Tang Clan this year! What can't Nas do?

Another three amazing songs down and even though I know what's coming next, I still can't believe these three missed the top ten. What could possibly have beat them? Tune in tomorrow to find out a couple at least.

I have heard 3 of these songs so far, one of which is a Beyonce song I know I listened to when the album came out but can't remember in the slightest

Just waiting to see who wins between Taylor and Carly

Is that more or less than usual? I think you'd probably like most of the non-metal songs I posted though!

You'll have to wait a bit longer for this. 0

I am wide awake in the middle of the night again for reasons though. So let's have a quickie!

'Cause I know it's a slippery slope, but I don't wanna give up hope, Damn, why's it gotta be this hard just to open up my heart?



16. Dare To Love Me by Avril Lavigne

-Avril is back in peak shape, riding the pop-punk revival to one of her best albums ... Perhaps the best? That'll take some time to decide though. She made the whole full of fun pop-punk songs, yet it was this ballad hanging out near the very end of the album that stood out as my favorite. Which is actually somewhat appropriate since my favorite song on her first album, the one she's trying to recpature, was also a balled in I'm With You. Though D2LM actually reminds me more of Demi Lovato's 'Skyscraper' than IWY. I love the way her voice breaks during the pre-chorus. It shows her vulnerability and really hits the feels.

Shadows sway to light up my life, trace the answers, tears have never made me change from violent delights



15. Rotoscope by Spiritbox

-After a massive breakout in 2021 with their Eternal Blue album, Spiritbox probably could have just sat tight for a year, making bank off the songs they already had. However, they decided to release a 3 song EP instead of saving them for their next album. How cool of them! Rotoscope starts in a very electro-rock way, I'd compare it most to 'Yellowjackets' from their past. It does heavier and heavier as it goes along though, and about halfway through Courtney breaks out her signature scream. The break down then proceeds to send the crowd into a frenzy. You can tell how big their influence has already been by all the girl metal bands that got pushed this year (though none made quite the same impact.)

We were fighting hard against the current right when we needed you the most



14. Atonement by Conquer Divide

-And here's an all girl metal band here! Some good looking gals at that. I 'member hearing this for the first time on Sirius in my frend's car and immediately demanding to know why i hadn't already heard of them. They just shrugged. Typical. Anyways, this song is really cool. Love the dual vocals between the main singer and main screamer on the chorus and breakdown. I wish they had put on the album to accompany this. Instead there was just a Christmas song (Santa Tell Me) and a cover of Bad Habits. Oh well, hopefully next year they'll be back here and on the albums list too.

And that's it for the late night / early morning update.

Even though apple says one more song is listed in the metal / hard rock categories, I would say that Spiritbox and Conquer Divide have the top two songs from that genre. Crazy considering that how Beartooth, Turnstile, Spiritbox, Ice Nine Kills and Evanescence all had such a big impact on the 2021 list. But again, just goes to show how the genre balance changes from year to year. Next year those five could all be on their next album cycles and may possibly dominate once again. We can hope!

I'll be back when I wake up again.

Alright let's do this. No more lists from the past. We're focusing on the present (and a little bit of the future) as we plow towards the top ten!

I think about a joke that didn't land, I'm never gonna sleep again



13. Every Bottle (Is My Boyfriend) by CMAT

-CMAT, Courtney Marie Alice Thompson, uses all four of her names (who does that to a child?) to write, in my opinion, possibly the best lyrics of the year on her self-titled debut album. For that, she wins my award for Best New Artist of 2022. Her sound is a pretty unique one too. It borders on the weird alternative from like a St. Vincent, yet keeps it toes just under the line to remain fun pop songs as well. And you all know how much I love songs that sound delightfully pleasant on the surface but are then miserably dark when you listen to the words.

No matter how far I run, I always end up back here



12. In The Mirror by The Interrupters

-Last seen in the top 5 of 2018s countdown (what a great time that was!), The Interrupters fall a bit short of the top ten this time, but have overall improved as musicians in my opinion. How? Well their album is much more consistent. 'She's Kerosene' was the only choice to make four years ago, and it didn't have the one song per artist rule holding it back, but 'Raised By Wolves' and 'As We Live' would also be great choices to put on a year end list. This song is mostly just about reckoning with your past instead of running from it. Growth ... ya know? My personal regrets that I may have to write a song about are that I passed up on seeing them live in the summer, since I had not yet heard the excellent new album. That is a lot less tragic than Aimee's domestic struggles, but hey, that's why I'm making lists instead of making songs.

I know some Vaccinista tote bag chic baristas sitting in east on their communista keisters, writing about their ejaculations



11. Part Of The Band by The 1975

-Choosing one song from The 1975's incredible new album (a contender for #1 of the year!) was tough. Do you go with the fun and bubbly song about mass shootings (Looking For Somebody To Love) or maybe the self-titled opener which is usually the weakest song on the record but is somehow so damn good on this one? I dunno, but I do know that I love the way that Matt spins his words on Part of the Band. The line I posted above is an all-time classic tongue-twister, but we also have "She was part of the air force, I was part of the band, I used to bust into her hand" and "Am I ironically woke? The butt of my joke? Or am I just some post-coke, average, skinny bloke calling his ego imagination?" Just great stuff in here and Jack Antonoff (who put this out seven days before also putting out Midnights) fits in with their style perfectly.