The Global Texan Chronicles TOP SINGLES 2022
The Global Texan Chronicles Top Singles 2022 are available at the GTC
by Walter Price
With so many beautifully constructed songs available in this post-pandemic world, to single out just a handful is more than a daunting task. Tracks by The Electric Alley, Lord Friday the 13th, Amy Ellen, Fire Tiger, and Anita Lester made this short list even harder to decide on. But here we are, at the end of a year and era that changed the way songwriters, producers, and arrangers viewed all that surrounded them. And, we the listeners, were the recipients of their hearts and souls laid bare. And, in my humble opinion, the GTC Top Singles 2022 perfectly exemplify one of the best years for indie artists.
Global Texan Chronicles TOP SINGLES 2022
JULEZ and the ROLLERZ Sorry I’m Just A Waste of Time
Jules Batterman / Rachel David / Shea Carothers / Hannah Hughes / Emi Borja
Julez and the Rollerz are undoubtedly an important part of the future of Rock N Roll. Just like Skating Polly, Broken Baby, Fire Tiger, and The Linda Lindas. And their single “Sorry I’m Just A Waste of Time” is one of those indelible tracks that refuse to leave your cranium. In my GTC review, I said, “Are ya feeling a lil bit self-conscious or angsty, kinda wanna kick it at home alone and blast out a few “I’m sorry!!” texts. Not only are you not alone in your current state of low-key self-denigration, but LA’s purveyors of super sweet punk-pop Julez and the Rollerz have dropped an infectious sing-along single “Sorry I’m Just A Waste Of Time” that’s poised to soundtrack you through and out of these very moments.” And what a lingering and honest beauty this powerpop song is. And you can dance to it…WIN
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MATT YORK Gently Used
Matt York / Dillon Warnek
Bostonian singer-songwriter Matt York is walking in the footsteps of all the great storytellers before him. Cash, Jennings, Jones, Robbins, and the like. And over the decades, many have tried this way of writing and performing but very few have the authentic respect for the history of the genre and the ability like Mr. York does. And look no further than his single “Gently Used” from the LP of the same name. I’ll advise grabbing a tissue or two, someplace between beautiful and heartbreak the cinematic storyline here will grab ahold and not let ya go.
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GLASS HEART STRING CHOIR Divinity
Katie Mosehauer / Ian Williams
Maybe I like to cry. Or perhaps it’s the way great songwriters and composers craft their songs in such a way that nudges those under-the-surface feelings to express themselves that I’m addicted to. And year after year almost no one moves quite the way Glass Heart String Choir does. Maybe a little to much inside baseball here, but as I navigated my Mother’s passing—I played GHSC’s “Divinity” on repeat until almost all of the tears had passed. It’s a song I’ll hold near and dear for as long as my memory allows.
To quote my GTC review “Glass Heart String Choir (Katie Mosehauer and Ian Williams) has always created within what some refer to as The Lacuna Effect. That space between dreams and reality and their delicate new single “Divinity” doesn’t stray too far from what fans have come to expect. But with this track, the weight of many of life’s inevitable circumstances has inspired this balance between tribulation and hope.”
Glass Heart String Choir makes music for people who want to feel something.
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EAMONN DOWD & THE RACKETEERS Crystal Clear
Eamonn Dowd / Thomas Pontén
With the second release from his Seven Day Singles project, Eamonn Dowd dropped the slow-burn single “Crystal Clear”. A haunting honky-tonk track, for those with a memory, that will take you back to a time when singer-songwriters like Billy Bragg or Robert Earl Keen sang to us melancholic bare-bones lullabies. Now based in Sweden, the well-traveled troubadour, Dowd, is releasing what may be his most important works to date. His straightforward cinematic lyrics and his signature raw approach to storytelling not only draw you in but paint pictures that will stick around awhile. Dowd is old school and that’s a great place to be.
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LYDIA PERSAUD Good For Us
Canadian indie pop star on-the-rise Lydia Persaud’s 8-track album “Moody31” is as timeless of a jazzy dim-the-lights R&B album you’ll need as the year draws to a close. With introspective and tactile lyrics and smooth vibes throughout, it’s a set that should help to propel her next albums/singles into the far reaches of the hemisphere. Take, arguably my favorite, single on the album, “Good For Us”, which I wrote about last March, “The smooth empowering new single “Good For Us” by Toronto-based singer/songwriter Lydia Persaud has a vibe that transcends time. It has a little funky R&B from the 1970s, splashes of the neo-soul revival of the 90s, and sparks of sweet vibed bedroom pop of the now. A really cool sound that stands as the foundation for a track that’s about making the right decisions for yourself, breaking free from codependencies, and feeling confident along the way.”
On “Moody31”, Persaud has proven that she’s a phenomenal songwriter and vocalist, and — she’s just getting started…
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PHOTOS: Julez and the Rollerz by Rick Perez // Matt York by unknown // GHSC courtesy of GHSC // Eamonn Dowd via Facebook // Lydia Persaud by Joshua Rille
While you’re here…take a minute and hear…
My Dear Wendy – FireBug – Bourbon House