‘22 Wrap Up: No Robots Allowed -By: Johnny Mystery

You gotta be somewhat ambitious to write up a rock and roll best of list in our brave new world. It’s not that there aren’t any good tunes out there. Just don’t look to top 40 radio. A.I. seems to be in charge of pop now, though from what I’ve heard not much intelligence is involved. Good rock and roll has gone underground, which just makes it cooler than the sterile droid pap that’s infecting the airwaves. Here’s some stuff I’ve found by some new bands and some people you know. They all put this music out in 2022. 

From Stockholm comes “Stupidity,” featuring guest guitar man Keith Streng from our friends, The Fleshtones. They stopped in Troy last month and played a killer set. It was their U.S. tour promoting their new album “Waking Up the Band.” Loud and energetic? You bet. Best thing from Sweden since Volvo. Get that record pronto!

“Kings Of Confusion” by The Coolies. Great single from a band featuring Hall of Famers, Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go’s, Clem Burke of Blondie, as well as members of The Muffs. It’s loaded with great vocals, guitar hooks and danceable rhythms. You’re gonna want more.

“Only The Strong Survive” by Bruce Springsteen. The Boss is embracing his R&B roots and you’ll be glad he did. It’s an entire collection of covers that he does justice to in his own way. Check out “Do I Love You,” The Walker Brothers- “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore.” He knocks it outta the park with “Night Shift” by Commodores.  The Stones did their blues tribute a few years back, so I hope this is a trend. When is Aerosmith going to stop being a lounge band in Las Vegas and make the R&B record I know they have in them?

The Fabulous Heydeys- “Cut From a Different Cloth”. Should I be so bold as to name this record of the year? I just did. Go find it and you decide. You’re welcome.

Mimi And the Miseries-“Stop Following Me Around”. Four young ladies from Bristol, England who play Farfisa driven, snotty garage and don’t really care about your feelings. You gotta love that. No pretentious stuff here.

Brian Ray-“On My Way To You”. I’ve been a fan of Brian for a while. This is his latest 45 and it’s just great. He is also a member of the duo, The Bayonets, as well as lead guitarist for Paul MacCartney’s touring band.  A busy cat.

Mickey Leigh’s “Mutated Music-Variants Of Vibe”. Great new album by Joey Ramones little brother. Check out “I Gotta Message for You.” Continuing the family traditions.

The Grip Weeds-“All Tomorrows Parties”. The Grip Weeds are back with a cover of a Velvet Underground classic. You can trust a band like them with a task like this. Nico would approve.

The Woggles- “Flesh Hammer”. Another great 45 by one of my favorite bands on the planet. You wanna see them live sometime. You can thank me later.

Midnight Oil- “Undercover”. One of the coolest bands from Australia with a singer who looks like he belongs in an apocalyptic movie. M.O is back and sounding better than ever.

All this music is out there waiting to be enjoyed and these artists deserve your support. Give it to them. Happy New Year and I’ll see you in 2023. Let’s hit the bins!!!!