As the year comes to a close, it’s time to look back on the best albums and songs of 2022. With so many acts releasing high-quality music during the pandemic, I thought this year would be sort of a down year. As I began to look back, I was very wrong. There were some amazing records released this year, so the countdown will be in 2 parts. This post will have 20-11, plus honorable mentions, and next week will have 10-1. As always, I picked a record and a song from it that I think you should check out (click the song name for the video). Additionally, in the video, I explore some of the themes we saw throughout the top records in 2022!

Please press the PLAY icon below for MisplacedStraws Best of 2022, Pt. 1 –
Honorable mentions –

20 – Muse – Will of the People

Song – “Ghosts (How Can I Move On”
19 – Kings of Mercia – Kings of Mercia

Song – “Everyday Angels”
18 – Six X Six –Six X Six

Song – “Yearning To Fly”
17 – Eric Gales – Crown

Song – “I Want My Crown”
16 – Eliza Neals – Badder to the Bone

Song – “Queen of the Nile”
15 – Pattern Seeking Animals – Only Passing Through

Song – “Rock, Paper, Scissors”
14 – Cleanbreak – Coming Home

Song – “Before The Fall”
13 – Iconic – Second Skin

Song – “Fast As You Can”
12 – Queensryche – Digital Noise Alliance

Song – “Behind The Walls”
11 – Ellefson/Soto – Vacation in the Underworld

Song – “The Reason”