Jark's Top 40 of 2022

Jark

Jark

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back by unpopular demand. this year's venue is a palazzo in Sicily sponsored by some high end gays.

the twist this year is that I will actually finish. 40 songs only, and 10-ish albums. here's one song I enjoyed a lot that didn't make the cut



beginning soon! (not the sugababes definition)
 
So when is this LAUNCHING?
davonne-bb.gif
 
It's cuz Moopy cut him out of the budget and gave it to another poster. There's so much happening behind the scenes.

Stay tuned for the Moopy newsletter.
 
Jark's Top 40 of 2023 thread to open in the first week of January to drum up HYPE and ANTICIPATION.:disco:
 
let's go!

Jark's Top 40 singles of 2022: 40-36



36. Hikaru Utada - BAD Mode
37. The Head & The Heart - Every Shade of Blue
38. Tiesto ft. Tate McRae - 10:35
39. Harry Styles - As It Was
40. Charlie Puth - Smells Like You

kicking things off with a Charlie Puth ballad, which would NOT have been on my bingo card 12 months ago. I'm not sure I even knew what a Puthy was, but Moopy's DERANGED THIRSTING lured me in (@Scarlet Grinch you have much to answer for); I stayed for the excellent pop music. Smells Like You is really quite gorgeous.

Miss Harriet returned with As It Was and became the world's biggest popstar overnight. I tried to hate it for a while but everything is a hook and the production is so addictive. the vocal is a bit flat but the struggle is real for the big pop boys. 10:35 would probably be a fair bit higher if it had come out in summer—a straight-up BANGER, Tiesto's best song since Ritual, and the latest evidence that Tate McRae is soon to take over the world. it's hot. the little "skip in the tape" effect just before the 2nd verse makes me GASP every time.

one of my favourite New Music Friday finds of 2022, The Head & The Heart had a couple of songs duking it out for a place here (Tiebreaker is great) but I went with Every Shade of Blue, which is just the most shimmery stunning midtempo. sounds especially lush at this time of year—serve with a milky Bailey's for ultimate melancholy.

and at 36, J-pop LEGEND Hikaru Utada (the best who ever did it, fact fans) came back with Bad Mode, the title track of which is a five minute sophisti-banger about getting high off diazepam to spice things up a bit. why not? the chorus comes around exactly once, which is essentially a gay hate crime. stream twice I guess!

 
Jark's Top 40 singles of 2022: 35-31

31. Years & Years - Night Call
32. Rose Grey - Prettier Than You
33. Maggie Rogers - That’s Where I Am
34. Disclosure ft. RAYE - Waterfall
35. Demi Lovato - 29

you want more? go on then!



Demi embraced her "punk rock" roots with a pretty heavy rock-pop album that took what Olivia Rodrigo, Avril and Miley had done and went a little further. the best song on it, 29 is a really clever (and for Demetria, surprisingly subtle) rebuke of an older man taking advantage of a girl 12 years his junior. lyrically this is an absolute doozy, my personal highlight being: thought it was a teenage dream, just a fantasy, but was it yours or was it mine? Teenage Dream was the biggest song of the summer when Demi was in that relationship... her mind! the chorus is massive and this really deserved to be a much bigger hit (although she couldn't even be arsed to shoot a video for it!).

RAYE lent her vocals to Disclosure's best song in years. Waterfall is a feel-good summer banger that stacks hooks on hooks. again, should've done more. Maggie Rogers came back with That's Where I Am, a very shouty number that took some time to work its way into my affections. once you navigate its weird structure and embrace the vox, it's a stunner—and that brilliant post-chorus/outro is such a moment. you're the only one I ever wanted! all I ever really wanted was you!

Rose Grey is a new discovery for 2k22 who I would guess has a really bright future. she put out 3 really great bangers (I love the way she straddles pop melodies and house production) in a row, maybe the best of which is Prettier Than You. love the shallow cruelty of the line you may be beautiful, but he's prettier than you. yes! make that man cry!

and finally, Years & Years' album basically came and went in January, but the title track really is a FABULOUS BANGER. super feel-good pop song with an unhinged post-chorus that finds Olly screaming: OOH BABY! JUST RING ME AGAIN! over and over until his little voice expires. excellent stuff.

 
I like that Tiesto one but it kind of washed over me at the time. Good pick from the Years & Years album.

A few I’m not familiar with which I’ll explore later.
 
Fairytale of Nü Jark said:
kicking things off with a Charlie Puth ballad, which would NOT have been on my bingo card 12 months ago. I'm not sure I even knew what a Puthy was, but Moopy's DERANGED THIRSTING lured me in (@Scarlet Grinch you have much to answer for); I stayed for the excellent pop music. Smells Like You is really quite gorgeous.
Click to expand...
I would NEVER encourage someone to listen to his music so don’t blame me for this.:kim:

10:35 is a bop.
 
Well I'm glad MONARCH UTADA was featured in the part of the countdown that actually gets posted <3
 
LOVE Rose and 29 (still haven't listened to that album).

I really thought Tate McRae was going to take over the world with She's All I Wanna Be but 10.35 is excellent too. I'm interested to hear where she goes next (hopefully not garbled vox ballads).
 
there's something about the construction of As It Was. it sounds a bit basic or nothingy at first, but it really gets more rewarding with every play. feels like a timeless melody.
 
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So where we GOING when the COUNTDOWN'S DONE?

But yeah, As it Was is one of those timeless pop songs that will still sound great in 20 years. It doesn't squander a single second throughout its almost 3 minutes.
 
Have been enjoying the list on the Spotify playlist I've made for it so far - obviously Rose is the HIGHLIGHT to date x
 
Jark's Top 40 singles of 2022: 30-26

30. Rina Sawayama - Hold the Girl
29. Hatchie - Quicksand
28. Taylor Swift - You're On Your Own, Kid
27. Avril Lavigne - Avalanche
26. Tove Lo - 2 Die 4



Rina was not my favourite of the alt-pop girls before this year, but Hold the Girl turned things around and no song on it hits as hard as the magnificent title track. part sweeping Disney soundtrack, part dramatic Eurovision weeper, part UK garage bop—100% TUNE. Australia's Hatchie proves once and for all that there IS culture down under (sorry I doubted, @Devil) with the frankly GLORIOUS Quicksand, a big, hazy, shoegaze-y anthem that sounds absolutely huge. that explosive, irresistible chorus packs hooks for days. has anybody outside internet gay chat lounges actually heard this song? unclear. but they should.

chucking a hot album track into the mix, #28 was going to be a Harry Styles ballad moment until I decided to kick him off the list. why? fashion crimes, and because LEGEND TAY TAY blessed us with You're On Your Own, Kid, a slow-burn synthy midtempo that builds beautifully to a gorgeous crescendo. it's over before you know it, which is always the sign of a great pop song (or a TikTok jingle). she's often excellent at self-loathing lyricism, and the jokes weren't funny / I took the money / my friends from home don't know what to say is another winner sung from someone who excels at playing the role of a loser.



Avril returned to punk-pop and made her best album in many years. mostly it was brash and bratty, but deep cut Avalanche slowed things down a bit, digging into deeper emotional territory. "I wish my life would've came with instructions!" she wails, turning her emo woes into pre-packed furniture—and why not? this is definitely one that got away. an immediate Avril classic.

reigning queen of scandipop and mother of the gays miss Tove Lo turning Axel F into the hottest bleep-bloop eurobanger of the year was another thing I didn't see coming in 2022, but christ ALMIGHTY if that ridiculous chorus doesn't get the titties a-slappin'. seeing this live among an ocean of thirsty twinks was quite the iconique experience. more, and better, to come from tove...

(it works.)

 
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