I’m keeping things simple this year. No mile-long list of the best tunes or long-winded explanations as to why they sound so good and shone above all others in 2022. Because even though I love a passionate list, like most of you, at this point, I am officially suffering from “online end-of-year list fatigue”, the figurative flu that all music, film, and book nerds become afflicted with every December. That said, I do have a treat I hope will fire you up enough to check out these last couple of lists! In addition to a way more succinct PuR’s Best/Favorite/Most Sublime Songs of 2022 playlist (a consumable 30 tracks!), I am privileged to share PuR pal and contributor Ed Zed’s list of his Favorite Albums of 2022!
It used to concern me that my year-end list of the best songs bore zero resemblance to those posted by Pitchfork, the New York Times, Rolling Stone, and the big places. I’d think I wasn’t doing what I was “supposed to” and that I should be more concerned with the work of the big names and more drawn to the big hits (even on this piddly little blog) for my list to be “credible”. But screw all that. It’s way more fun to follow your arrow and get dirty and head down the road less traveled when it comes to finding new music. I’m an introvert who avoids the bright lights and TikToks and just prefers stepping off the main road, heading into the woods, and picking up rocks I’ve chosen myself ( like how I did that?)…all of which is my way of saying, these lists are highly idiosyncratic and born from pure love (promise). And I respect you as a fellow weirdo connoisseur and know you don’t want to hear about the same old shiz everyone else is talking about.
And so friends, I now present to you TWO (!) eccentric, heartfelt lists which I hope you still have a little room for in your best-music-playlists-to-listen-to-over-the-next-week–maybe schedule. Both were handmade for nerdy, romantic weirdos (you) by nerdy, romantic weirdos (us). We get you. Thank you for looking at Picking Up Rocks this year. I promise some seriously mad essays and beautiful music in 2023 so, please follow us if that interests you. And THANK YOU to all of you wonderful nuts who have spent time on PuR this year. You f*cking ROCK and I f*cking mean that ;)! Big love to you all!
PuR’s 30 Best Beautiful Bastard Songs of 2022 Playlist!
Melody remains my own personal Jesus and is the foundation of how the yearly PuR Best Songs list is “computed”. And with that, please enjoy these weird, endlessly wonderful songs made by gorgeously inspired humans. Hope they make you swoon.
Listen on Soundcloud:
Listen on Spotify
Ed Zed’s 10 Best Brilliantly Bitchin’ Albums of 2023!
Note from Ed: There are two in the top slot, as the depth, beauty, and unmitigated splendor of Lucrecia Dalt’s ¡Ay! and Carla dal Forno’s Come Around were truly impossible to choose between. The other eight are in no real order, because they’re all equally spectacular to me:
1.Lucrecia Dalt – ¡Ay! (listen here)
2.(but technically tied for first) –Carla dal Forno – Come Around (listen here)
3.700 Bliss – Nothing To Declare (listen here)
4.Kakuhan – Metal Zone (listen here)
5.Lea Bertucci & Ben Vida – Murmurations (listen here)
6.Anzahlung – What You Think Is All You’ve Got (listen here)
7.L4b – L4b (listen here)
8.StinkyJim – Spacial Awareness (listen here)
9.Jennifer Vanilla – Castle In The Sky (listen here)
10.Cosey Fanni Tutti – Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and the Legendary
Tapes (listen here)
PICKING UP ROCKS 