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fieldsofplay · 2 years ago

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Michael Gorwitz’ Top Albums of 2022

25. Daphni – Cherry

Hello and welcome to 2022. You made it. We made it. Things kinda seem like they’re getting better, no? So what better way to kick off this annual survey than with a perfect little dance record, Daphni’s Cherry. Daphni is the pure dance alter-ego of Dan Snaith, better known as Caribou (and once upon a time, Manitoba). So if you ever wished the song craft would stop getting in the way of albums like Our Love or Swim, then Cherry is the record for you. Side projects often let artists flex muscles that don’t get enough workout in their main gigs, and thus often provide simple pleasures in unadorned forms, and Cherry is no exception. No one is reinventing the wheel here, but more importantly, nor is anyone trying to do so. The first track “Arrow” tells it all, a steady, brisk beat, a fun vocal loop, and that’s it, but really, what more do you need to get your booty shaking? More importantly, that simple purple and pink cover is just too beautiful to behold, so it had to go first to set a lovely hue for all the good music to follow.

24. Vince Staples – Ramona Park Broke My Heart

Vince Staples is approaching a similar place to Kevin Morby (see below) where his supreme consistency is starting to almost work against him. Ramona Park Broke My Heart is Staples’ fifth album, and its just as perfect as the proceeding four, which does create a bit of indistinguishability with each successive release. Unlike Morby however, Staples’ string of releases do chart more a stylistically-varied path, even if it’s a bit circular. Summertime ’06 was the stark Clams Casino produced statement of purpose, Big Fish Theory was a fascinating detour into club beats, FM! was experiment in minimalism. Last year’s self titled was the first without a formalistic construct, and thus felt closest to Summertime ’06, and this year’s Ramona Park is more of the same. However, that same remains some of the best hip hop around. The one-two of “Papercuts” into “Lemonade” are some of Staples’ best songs. If this is what it sounds like to be in a rut, why not revel in a place of such excellent output.

23. Toro y Moi – MAHAL

MAHAL is emblematic of a fun phenomenon, namely, where you pick up a release from artist you once cared about, but not a ton and haven’t checked in in a minute, and you’re pleasantly surprised that they’ve still got it. Toro y Moi was simultaneously kind of a chillwave also ran, and also someone who seemed like would be around after the hype-wave crested. MAHAL is definitely not chillwave, but it’s definitely good. It has a 70s skronk to it, and a summer bounce, like T. Rex it’s equally good for a sunny road trip and to chill out to.

22. King Gizzard – Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava

Jam bands (whom I do not like) often try to cloak their musical meanderings in the intentionality of jazz, as if to say “we’re not bullshitting here, we’re engaged in serious praxis,” when in reality, they’re just hitting the bong, then the record button, and just going with whatever wanders out of their instruments. This year’s King Gizzard album (I’m not typing that whole title out, banner year for long-ass album names, shouts Sufjan!) is dangerously close to being a jam-band record, but I’ll point to one key stylistic divergence. Unlike a jam band pretending its playing a version of jazz, King Gizzard here are working in funk, with all the looseness, energy, and yes, jams, that that genre entails. For generations, funk has given artists room to spread out, find a groove, and lock in, taking the listener along for the funky ride. Am I splitting hairs? Perhaps. But if you swapped out of the vocals on “Ice V” I think you’d be hard pressed to tell it wasn’t a deep cut from Sly’s Family Stone.

21. The Reds, Pinks and Purples – Summer at Land’s End

When I write these lists I normally try and serve two masters: the first is the larger story of music in a given year, the second are my own idiosyncratic predilections. Summer at Land’s End is definitely me looking in the mirror and doing finger guns, and hey, its my list, so why not? One of my favorite forgotten records of the last 20 years is Wild Nothing’s Gemini, and while Summer at Land’s End lacks that record’s uptempo jangle, it traffics in the same gauzy reverb guitars and sad structures. As pop music and R&B continue to steamroll the “discourse,” I continue to light a candle for these little off kilter guitar albums.

20. Sorry – Anywhere But Here

Sorry got a lot of hype two years ago for their debut 925. Honestly, it never did much for me, it just kinda sounded like a band that liked the Yeah Yeah Yeahs as much as I did (not a knock, well it’s kind of a knock, but liking the Yeah Yeah Yeahs is cool). Normally, that means I wouldn’t have paid much heed to their follow up, but when I heard it was breakup album, I was interested enough to give the band another go (I don’t know what it says about me that I thoroughly love a good breakup album, but here we are). Less interested in being “experimental” for its own sake, and more focused on channeling those artsy influences into rock solid songwriting, Anywhere But Here takes Sorry’s conflicting interests in pop and trip hop and channels them into a rain soaked album (there’s literally a song called “Screaming in the Rain”) that surmounts the sum of its parts rather than always breaking apart into arch referents. Take “Baltimore” for example, a tiny piano intro is passed along to bass and guitar, with the vocals hopping along in lock step with the bass in classic post punk fashion. On Anywhere But Here, Sorry live up to the initial hype.

19. Kevin Morby – This is a Photograph

As briefly discussed above with Vince Staples, Kevin Morby is fully a victim of his own consistency at this point. This is a Photograph is arguably the best album he’s ever released, and if that’s the case, why is it down here at 19? The reason is by putting out great albums of similar sounding (or, at least, structured) music every single year, it becomes impossible for any one release to break through not only the crowd of music in a given year, but even amongst his own catalogue. If this was Morby’s third release instead of his eighth (!) it might top this list, it’s that good. Gelling all the elements that have come to define prior Morby releases, This is a Photograph stands as his best statement of freewheeling americana. “Stop Before I Cry” actually moves me to tears, it’s that beautiful.

18. Wild Pink – ILYSM

Wild Pink’s ILYSM is an interesting pair with Morby’s This is a Photograph. Billed months before it came out as the band’s Yankee Hotel, that advanced praise actually proved to be a bit of a disservice, setting the expectation bar at unreachable heights. However, unlike Morby’s eternal consistency, ILYSM actually does take some big swings at stylistic experimentation, which of course, are what generated those Yankee Hotel comps in the first place. Opener “Cahooting the Multiverse” sets the stage perfectly, opening portals to different universal variants of this band’s maudlin country pop. The music cuts out for a few off-kilter beats, backup singers join in, and the music warbles through processors. “Cahooting” presents several different versions of a Wild Pink track, all withing the same song. The title cut employs a robotic chorus to chant the album’s mantra (“I LOVE YOU SO MUCH”), and the whole song comes off as the most interesting War on Drugs song in several years.

17. MJ Lenderman – Boat Songs

While Lenderman’s main act Wednesday made waves with Twin Plagues, it was their cover album Mowing the Leaves Instead of Piling ‘Em Up that caught my ear, and on his solo album Boat Songs he continues the drift into more countrified sounds evinced on Mowing the Leaves. While his lyrics—fixated as they are on ‘90s sports icons—have garnered a lot of attention, I sometimes find them too cute by half. What makes Boat Songs truly great is the way Lenderman is able to make big sounds out of low fidelity. He gets a lot of comparisons to Jason Molina, and you can hear why. These are capital “G” guitar songs that share Molina’s reverence for Neil Young and Dinosaur Jr., but whereas Songs:Ohia tracks usually collapsed back into themselves, Lenderman’s tend to burst outward from the speakers, taking the listener along for a ride through his twangy tales of Dan Marino and actual Dolphins.

16. Beach House – Once Twice Melody

Beach House have no business being relevant in 2022. Perhaps it’s just because I’m old and they’re not actually relevant, but I’m still seeing lots of love for Once Twice Melody on the year end lists (though again I could just be reading the lame lists). Except for the brief period when the band employed an actual human drummer, the band has spun gold from nothing more than Victoria Legrand’s narrow vocals & lush synths, stuttering drum machines, and Alex Scally’s slide guitar. As all of the great bands of their (read: my) generation have slowly faded away into irrelevance (Deerhunter, Animal Collective) or broke up (the Walkmen) somehow Beach House remain at the same level they were at when their self titled debut first made me swoon way back in 2006. I’m not going to go so far as to say Once Twice Melody is their best album (Teen Dream still holds a special place in my broken heart), but the fact that its in the conversation is a testament to their unparalleled abilities. “Another Go Around” is not only one of the best songs of their career, but a perfect encapsulation of this record’s place in 2022.

15. The Soft Pink Truth – Is it Going to Get Any Deeper?

The Drew Daniel half of Matmos continues his excellent recent run of form with the cheekily titled Is it Going to Get Any Deeper? Whereas his last full length, the stellar Shall we Go Sinning so that Grace May Increase?, was devotional music disguised as house music, the equally questioning Is it Going to Get Any Deeper? worships at the altar of the dancefloor. While I can’t imagine actually dancing for the entire 11 minutes of opener “Deeper,” this is house music in the sense of envelopment, of losing one’s self, if not always in the sea of the dancefloor, then at least in the gently undulating currents of the throb of the music itself.

14. Pusha T – It’s Almost Dry

King Push is back. Splitting production between Pharrell (😍) and Kanye (☠️) It’s Almost Dry is fascinating as it shifts back and forth between Neptunes-style slinky bangers (“Let the Smokers Shine the Coupes”) and vintage Kanye’s trademark chipmunk soul (“Rock n Roll”). It’s Almost Dry is Pusha’s strongest release since 2013’s My Name is My Name, if not his Clipse days. From top to bottom, this album is filled with songs that live up to the strength of the production. While many knock his continued lyrical fixation on coke dealing, “Diet Coke” was probably one of the biggest songs of the year. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Beyond merely continuing a proven recipe, on It’s Almost Dry Pusha elevated his craft to its highest levels, constantly pushed there by Pharrell and Kanye’s first rate production.

13. Palm – Nicks and Grazes

These days it seems like the most interesting ideas in what used to be called good old fashioned indie rock are coming out of Philadelphia, but on seeing Palm live this year I realized the Philly band have more in common with Baltimore’s Animal Collective. It isn’t necessarily that Palm sound like Animal Collective (they don’t really), but Palm meld ecstatic exuberance with odd time signatures and vocals that are more tonal layers than sense conveyors that is spiritually, if not sonically, akin Animal Collective in their heyday. What was so cool about that Palm show was that it was readily apparent that this was a bunch of kids who grew up post Animal Collective and managed to import their spirit without aping their sound. Sometimes seeing the torch passed from generation to generation can you make you feel ancient, but other times it makes you thrilled to see the youth pick up the spirit of something you once cherished and make of it their own. So long as there are weirdos making fun music who barely seem to know how to play their instruments, there’ll be bands like Palm.

12. JID – The Forever Story

In a year where Kendrick Lamar put out a (bad) record, it was JID who to my uneducated ear put out the most technically interesting flows. While speed is impressive (see: Twista), and JID can unfurl 20 words in the time it takes zanax rappers to get out a single syllable, these aren’t speed trials devoid of rhythm or sense. While a bit overstuffed at 15 songs with an hour runtime, on The Forever Story JID continues to match top notch chops with first rate story telling. In a year in which Kendrick put his first foot wrong, give JID a chance instead.

11. Panda Bear & Sonic Boom – Reset

Speaking of Animal Collective, even though Time Skiffs was well-reviewed, I had long ago given up on them doing anything of interest, which is totally fine seeing as they put out five consecutive albums that completely rewrote the possibilities of “folk” music. (2003’s Here Comes the Indian through 2009’s Merriweather Post Pavilion). It’s arguable that the most important album of that run wasn’t even put out by Animal Collective proper, but was Panda Bear’s seismic Person Pitch (2007). While he continued to release great solo albums, often produced by Sonic Boom, like his main act, Noah Lennox seemed to be gradually receding from the center of cultural relevance. While Reset doesn’t rewrite the fabric of pop music like his previous towering achievements, it does make you remember why we all fell in love with Panda Bear in the first place. Pared down to pop perfection, songs like “Getting’ to the Point” and “Edge of the Edge” remind you that when Panda Bear gets his Brian Wilson on, there is almost no one who can write a better pop song.

10. They are Gutting a Body of Water – S

Despite possessing the worst band name of 2022, They are Gutting a Body of Water put one of the year’s most interesting albums. If you liked last year’s release from Spirit of the Beehive (a very narrow group of people) then S is precisely for you. Without sounding much like them, They are Gutting a Body of Water remind me a lot of the Unicorns, but maybe that’s just because their lead singer also put out a hip-hop album this year. (Th’ Corn Gangg Anyone??? [This is a joke just for Brad Romsa if he is reading this]). On S, They are Gutting a Body of Water (I can’t believe I have to keep typing that out, but I hate acronyms so here we are) are constantly shifting shapes, but most of the songs are sonically tied together by shimmering processed guitars that sound like they came from Broken Social Scene’s early records. The songs that aren’t outright instrumentals often featured chipmunked vocals, or shoegazy coos that barely constitute “vocals” proper. If you’re looking for 2022’s most sonically adventurous rock record, look no further than S.

9. Axel Boman – Luz

Along with Kornel Kovacs (whom I love) and Petter Nordkvist (not familiar), Boman founded the influential Swedish label Studio Barnhus. With Luz, Boman put out my favorite electronic album of the year. Like the aforementioned Kovacs, and DJ Koze, Boman traffics in house music shot through with psychedelia. The normally steady rhythms of house tend to bend and shift across the course of his tracks, as the music takes you more on a voyage of the mind rather than getting your hips moving. Take, for example, penultimate track “Grape.” What starts out as a bouncy Herbert homage, gradually picks up cascading vocals, and then stuttering jungle, until finally dissolving as the sea of rhythms it had gradually built up begin to recede like the tide. Each track on Luz is a journey, so why not see where it takes you.

8. Anteloper - Pink Dolphins

2022 not only was a big year for jazz, it was a big year for Jeff Parker (see below). On Pink Dolphins, the sadly dearly departed trumpeter Jaimie Branch and percussionist / electronics guy Jason Nazary (who combined constitute Anteloper) paired with Parker in the role of producer, to stunning effect. If not for They are Gutting a Body of Water, Pink Dolphins would probably be the strangest record I’ve heard this year. The review I read compared the album to Live-Evil era Miles Davis, and that was basically all I needed to know. Pink Dolphins is like a new age version of that Miles, and I’ve also read the album’s sound described as aquadelica (aquatic psychedelica). The pairing of Anteloper and Jeff Parker is a match made in heaven, as he helps the duo push their sound out to the moon, where Branch’s trumpet functions more like a stab of noise rather than a source of melody. On “Earthlings” the driving force of the song is Nazary’s scattershot drum beat paired with a haunting bass line, as a series of electronic effects and Branch’s understated but effective vocals swirl around like a whirlpool. Her trumpet doesn’t cut through the swirl of noise until about 4 and ½ minutes into the song. It is terrible to comprehend that Pink Dolphins is the last thing we will ever get from Branch, but at least it’s a hell of a way to go out.

7. Beyonce – Renaissance

We can keep this one short. You don’t need me to tell you anything about Beyonce. All I need to say is someone derisively said of lead single “Break My Soul” that “it sounds like C+C Music Factory.” My only complaint with Renaissance is that I wish it sounded more like C+C Music Factory.

6. Yard Act –

The Overloard

Yard Act are the most british band on this list, by a mile. There is just some sort of bratty nonchalance that only the Britsh can pull off, and The Overloard is soaked in it. While most post punk—especially the vein currently back in vogue—is defined by dark brooding, Yard Act practice a different type of post punk always very close to my heart, the minimalist, strutting, arty variety perfected by The Fall, Wire, and Buzzcocks several decades ago. So long as there is someone somewhere sipping a coffee, smoking a cigarette, reading a book (Kafka?) over the top of wayfarers perched archly at the end of their nose, but more importantly, always aware of the ludicrousness of such a pose, there will be bands like Yard Act. According to internet-based statistics, “Dead Horse” was my most played song of the year, and there is no surprise there. It’s everything I love in a song and nothing else.

5. Big Thief – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You

For a folk-rock outfit that doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel, Big Thief’s permanent position towards the top of this and most other lists year after year is fairly outstanding. It’s not that their sound has changed from Masterpiece to Capacity to U.F.O.F./Two Hands to Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You, but their sound has somehow gotten better with each successive release. A sprawling double album in the truest sense of the word, Dragon New Warm Mountain is where it all should have gone wrong. Their familiarity should have grown a little tiresome as they drowned in the sea of their self indulgence. Instead, the name of their first album notwithstanding, Dragon New Warm Mountain stands as their clear masterpiece. Like the Beatles on the White Album (which has become my favorite Beatles’ record as I’ve aged), here the double album format allows Big Thief to focus a little less on perfecting their folk gems and allows them to spread their wings a bit. Like the Beatles, rather than resulting in a slip-shod series of half baked results, the looseness of the double album allows their genius to shine through all the brighter. Top to bottom, start to finish, this thing is absolutely stuffed with perfect little songs. For my money (which is none, because this is free) of all their small gems, “Certainty” is the best they’ve ever penned.

4. Destroyer - Labryinthitis

Well Dan Bejar, you’ve done it again. I have no idea what number Destroyer release this is (I just checked, it’s the project’s 13th!) but with Labryinthitis Bejar continues his recent run of excellent form. Destroyer never really puts out bad records, but his sea of releases has crests and troughs just like any body of water controlled by the moon. To my ear, those peaks occur every three or four albums or so (Streethawk, Rubies, Kaputt), and while I really enjoyed Have we Met, I think Labryinthitis is his best release since Kaputt. Mixing the electronic textures of Ken and Have we Met with Kaputt and Poison Season’s chill, Labryinthitis is a culmination of all of Bejar’s recent preoccupations (see “June.”) If “The Last Song” were not only the cap to this excellent album, but to an outstanding career, it would be a fitting testament. And as someone who once thought “I used to live in New York” constituted a personality, there is no biting line than “you wake up / you stand up / you move to LA / you’re just another person that moves to LA.”

3. Cola – Deep in View

There’s a pretty easy test for whether or not you’ll love Cola as much as I do: does the phrase “the slow Strokes” appeal to you? If so, this is your band. Formed out of the ashes of the occasionally great Ought, Cola take Ought’s nervous, angular guitar rock, give it a nice glass of white wine on a balmy day, and unwind that pent up energy into the best chilled out strummers this side of Julian Casablancas and Albert Hammond Jr. At one point I declared Deep in View to be the “album of the summer,” and now with a little perspective I stand by my own dashed off opinion. This is music for driving around with the windows down and nowhere in particular to go.

2. Jeff Parker – Mondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy / Forfolks

If Alex G had the best album of the year (spoiler alert!), no one had a better year than Jeff Parker. In addition to producing Anteloper’s Pink Dolphins as discussed above, he also put out two outstanding, and completely different, albums under his own name. While I enjoyed Suite for Max Brown, Forfolks is the record that really got me into Jeff Parker (not counting all his excellent records with Tortoise of course). Comprised almost entirely of looped acoustic guitars, it somehow sounds the most like Django Reinhardt of anything put out since the days of that unequaled gypsy. While Forfolks is excellent, and would have made this list somewhere in here, Mondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy is Parker’s best achievement in a year filled with his excellent music. Comprised of recordings from a two year period (presumably on Monday nights) at the LA cocktail bar (to which I have never been, but now hold in almost religious esteem based on my time listening to this record), Mondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy is one of the most hypnotic jazz albums I’ve ever heard. Fitting in perfectly with Nala Sinephro’s excellent album from last year, this is ambient jazz of an entirely different variety. The product of a quartet—Jay Bellerose on drums, Anna Butterss on bass, Josh Johnson on saxophone, and Parker of course on guitar—locked in to one another with laser-like focus, on these four recordings you can hear the air in the bar hum with the energy of their playing, and also the tinkling of the bar patrons’ glasses from time to time, which gives the album a lived in energy. These songs are somehow simultaneously taught and languid, electric and unplugged, looping and driving. Mondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy is the product of four players at the absolute heights of their powers, and probably the best “modern” (i.e. post 70s Miles) jazz record I’ve ever heard.

1. Alex G – God Save the Animals

Without having gone back through my records, I’m not sure a single artist has ever topped these lists more than once, but with God Save the Animals, Alex G has once again proven himself to be the best around (and lets be fair, if I was publishing these lists in the mid Aughts, I would have put every Sunset Rubdown release at number one). It isn’t that God Save the Animals is somehow different from, or better than, House of Sugar, but instead it feels like a continuation of the slight turn Alex G took on that exceptional record. While all his albums have trafficked in the same basic building blocks (pitch shifted vocals, acoustic guitars, little pieces of Elliott Smith without ever really sounding like Elliott Smith) on House of Sugar things got just a little bit weirder, and the results were absolutely stunning. With God Save the Animals, I continue to be stunned. While these songs seem fixated on God / the divine, Alex G never loses his connection to the here and now. Before the album even came out my friend John sent me a live version of “Miracles” and told me it brings him to tears, which is perfectly understandable. What is strange is that another song on the same album, “After All,” has the same effect on me. To my ear, it’s not only the most beautiful song on the record, but one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. In an album filled with God, blessings, and miracles, the truly divine thing is we continue to get more albums like this from Alex G.

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moorearoundtheworld · 2 years ago

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Top Albums of 2022

Well what can I say, almost a third of the way into 2023 and I am finally getting around to sharing my top albums of 2022 list. My apologies to the throngs of fans who have been waiting with bated breath to hear who makes the top 5! In reality, I really should just be saying thanks for reading, those fair few of you who are interested, I mainly do this for myself as a way to relive not just the year in music but the year itself. It is always interesting to think about where and when I first listened to a song or a record and why something connected with me at that particular point in time. Sometimes it is a situation I was going through or a song that just fits like a soundtrack to an activity or place or some songs are just hits and would have connected no matter what.

It is an interesting time for the music industry as artists are still gripped by pandemic experiences, but their ways of dealing with things are starting to get more variable. There are some albums celebrating life rather than being all introspective about it, while many are just moving on to the art they have been making for years. Themes that I trended toward personally were songs with narrative and poetic elements and as always honesty and vulnerability. The streaming era has brought more autonomy to many musicians out there and the listening party or livestream era has allowed them to connect more directly with fans around the world in a way never thought previously possible. I just hope they are finding a way to make money off of all these things too! Anyway, on to the main event, the list! Here are the links to the playlists, the snapshot “Top Tracks” is 60 or so songs that defined the year for me, one from each album and a few others thrown in for fun and then the mega “Top Albums” playlist is all 560 or so songs from all 55 albums in the list below, I hope you find something new and fun for you!

Top Tracks

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Bn123mfaKMiDscyOdjCus?si=3d179d6af2ca4f47

Top Albums

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7FutetZ44iCsMagTchGpGH?si=0fddf5a2ac9e486a

55. Marcus Mumford-(self-titled)

Marcus Mumford’s first solo effort at times feels like a really sparse Mumford and Sons record. He gets a boost from the likes of Brandi Carlise and Phoebe Bridgers but just the guitar lines on “Grace'' alone is enough to set it apart from his band. In the end it is a great opportunity for Mumford to explore his individual journey through life and share it with us.

Top Track-Grace

54. Maggie Rogers-Surrender

Rogers sophomore release features a bit more wisdom and variety from the 27 year old recent Harvard Divinity School grad, from the driving single “That’s Where I Am” to her Florence and the Machine collaboration “I’ve Got A Friend” Rogers tremendous vocals float above it all.

Top Track-That’s Where I Am

53. Typhoon-Underground Complex No. 1

The first in what appears to be a series of albums musing on resentment, this more spare version of Typhoon represents an interesting shift in the bands post-covid era and a sort of concept record that tells individual stories of folks dealing with some tough things.

Top Track-Mind of God

52. Blood Root-I’m Not Trying to Start A Fire Anymore

The debut album from female solo artist Blood Root is as spare as the information about her out there on the internet. Simple synth lines with a light drum and strum of a guitar frames her strong and sometimes layered lyrics that often have a dreamy feel to them.

Top Track: Tether

51. Alison Sudol-Still Come The Night

The latest effort from the former Fine Frenzy turned Fantastic Beasts movie star is a celebration of her happiness. She has moved more into the Folk/Indie realm as compared to her previous form and while I miss some of the melodic nature, the poetic feel of this form is a welcome replacement.

Top Track: No Other

50. Whitney-SPARK

A new more upbeat sound from the Chicago duo turned roommates turned best friends who spent the pandemic and since living in a Portland bungalow, making music that turned out somewhat psychedelic, somewhat folky but over all an expression of perseverance through whatever life throws at you.

Top Track-COUNTY LINES

49. alt-J-The Dream

The London based trio’s fourth studio album is another pandemic inspired record that the band says grew a bit more experimental than their previous works since gaining international recognition and touring and such. Having time to just write and record led to an album that jumps back and forth between driving alt hits and strange sing-songy ballads, overall a pretty fun ride.

Top Track-U&ME

48. EXES-Don’t Give Up On Me Now

The second release from the alt pop duo is a sparse spare exploration of life and love lost, with song titles like “Stuck” “Still” and “You” you can probably guess what most of the content is going to center around, delicate vocals surrounded by minimal drums and a few strums on the guitar makes for a wonderful sonic experience.

Top Track: it was supposed to be us

47. Anna of the North-Crazy Life

The third effort from Norwegian singer-songwriter Anna Lotterud is a gentle electro pop romp, Anna’s soprano vocals are light as air but when layered with fun bass lines, whistles and even bird sounds on the opening track, it all ends up being a really celebratory experience.

Top Track:Nobody

46. The Chainsmokers-So Far So Good

These guys probably need no introduction, according to Spotify the 80th ranked artist in the world with 34 million monthly listeners, a pretty amazing climb for the American dj producer duo. Of note about this album is the lack of collaborative artists, relying on their own production and autotune vocals to do the heavy lifting and while I miss the variety especially lacking any kind of duet feel, it is still a big time album.

Top Track: Riptide

45. Paolo Nutini-Last Night In The Bittersweet

It has been 8 years since Nutini released an album and probably more like 15 since most of us heard from him, but the Scottish singer of “New Shoes” is back with a new sound. It is a complete reinvention of his musical self that most probably wouldn’t even recognize and I appreciate the boldness. This album verges more on classic rock than pop through its 16 tracks and is worth a listen if only to remind yourself that people can change.

Top Track-Through The Echoes

44. Judah & the Lion-Revival

The fourth studio album for the alt-folk group sees them go from a trio to a duo with the exit of banjo player Nate Zurcher, as the name suggests the band sees this as a renewal after Zurcher left, Akers spent some time solo, and that whole global pandemic thing. It is definitely a more upbeat and positive record while being a bit less rock and a bit more folk, they even try to capture a bit of the Tik Tok craze with a Fleetwood Mac cover on one track.

Top Track: HAPPY LIFE

43. Passenger-Birds That Flew Ships That Sailed

The somewhat unbelievable 14th studio release for British singer-songwriter Michael Rosenberg sounds much like his previous work. This album explores human impermanence with Rosenberg’s guitar and string arrangements surrounding his unique vocals. Notable is the surprise self release nature of the record with no press tour or label backing and his commitment to donate the proceeds to an initiative to fight plastic pollution in the ocean.

Top Track: Blink of an Eye

42. Seven Lions-Beyond The Veil

The California based producer Jeff Montalvo calls this is his first official album which is a little strange for an act that has been amassing a huge cult following for over a decade. The album is full of big building dance/trance hits with help from the likes of Lights and Vancouver Sleep Clinic that fit into your house party or your gym routine.

Top Track: Call On Me

41. The Lumineers-Brightside

“Where we are, I don’t know where we are, but it will be ok” starts the third track on the Lumineers fourth album and it feels like a good mantra for what we have all been through these last few years. The Denver based folk rock mega artists latest album presents a mainly positive view on things which is refreshing and fun.

Top Track: AM Radio

40. BROODS-Space Island

The Kiwi electro pop duo put out their fourth full length this year and it is a much more diverse sound than we have heard from them in the past. This album focuses on heartbreak and grief and subsequently comes out a bit more thoughtful and dreamy, “Distance and Drugs” and “I Keep” still have that driving sound that previous fans will recognize but the rest of the album shows a broader range that new ones may appreciate.

Top Track: Distance and Drugs

39. The Early November-Twenty

“This both is and isn’t a new Early November Record” says the pop-punk band’s current Spotify bio as Ace Enders and Co mark their 20th year as a band. Ace has spent much of that 20 years moving back and forth between different solo efforts and bands but his signature thoughtful lyrics and delicate yet powerful punk sound have endured. This is evidenced by how cohesive this record sounds for being a mix of re-recorded old songs and new ones. While I think most would agree the sound is more in tune with the early 2000s, there is a maturity that can still exist in today's music scene.

Top Track: Make It Happen

38. The Head And The Heart-Every Shade of Blue

The fifth album from the Seattle based Folk Rock band marks their first since the departure of frontman Josiah Johnson and while the sound is much the same that fans would expect there is definitely more an element of vocals by committee with more choral harmonic lines and more falsetto in the male vocals. The album itself has something for everyone with 16 tracks to choose from, you're bound to find at least one you like!

Top Track: Virginia (Wind in the Night)

37. Pinegrove-11:11

New Jersey based alt-country outfit put out their fifth record this year as well, their post pandemic album is an up and down shuffle of poetic lyrics and tingey guitars. Frontman Evan Stephens Hall’s signature twang is the center of everything and while I don’t always love that sound in my music it works well in conjunction with the somewhat unorthodox drumming and variety of instrumentation involved in the band's work.

Top Track: Alaska

36. Matt Nathanson-Boston Accent

The prolific folk rocker put out his 12th studio album this year and while I dont think any of the singles hit like his biggest songs, the style remains. This record looks somewhat backward at his roots in Massachusetts and examines his leaving at the age of 18 heading out to California to further his career, but as always through the lens of heartbreak and busted relationships.

Top Track: German Cars

35. Murder By Death-Spell/Bound

Twenty years of spooky folk rock from this Indiana based group has brought a mature, thoughtful sound from one of the bands I have followed the longest, the first time I saw them was at a house show in Bloomington in 2005. Prolific tourers I have seen them in most places I have lived and they never disappoint. Their unique mix of strings, guitars and Adam Trula’s haunting vocals defines the band's sound and is more than present on this record.

Top Track: Never Be

34. Punch Brothers-Hell on Church Street

I have to be honest, I did not know this was a cover album until I started writing this list, but that didn’t keep me from enjoying Punch Brothers’ latest album, a full album cover of Tony Rice’s iconic 1983 bluegrass album which for an added layer of complexity featured its own cover in the final track on the album, “Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald” which features as a fun cover-inception on the Punch Brothers record. This album features former Nickel Creek plucker Chris Thile’s light hearted vocals and modern fast and furious strumming of the multiple bluegrass instruments involved is a great tribute to Rice and a fun listen even if you hadn’t heard the original.

Top Track: Pride of Man

33. Adam Melchor-Here Goes Nothing!

The New Jersey native turned LA resident put out his debut album this year to great praise from the pop-folk community, building a cult following for his vulnerable and a little weird sounding singer-songwriter style. Melchor bears it all in songs that are too sad for Charlie Puth (according to a hilarious story he told during his live show) with his high tenor voice and gentle acoustic guitar oft framed by horns and piano plinking, a great start to what will surely be a fun career to follow.

Top Track: Turnham Green

32. Kayleigh Goldsworthy-Learning to be Happy

While it is technically her second full length, this really feels like a debut 7 years after her first album came out, add in a global pandemic and it might as well be a lifetime. The NY native (via LA, Nashville and Philly) who describes herself as a former “hired gun” singer for various acts over the years, is coming into her own as an artist with a sound that is kind of a light version of Paramore, but with a bit more disdain for an industry that is still mainly male dominated.

Top Track: Boomerang

31. Riley Pearce-The Water & The Rough

The debut album from Australian alt-folk artist Riley Pearce feels kinda like a dreamscape, recorded in a cabin on the coast and infused with sounds of the surroundings, Pearce uses sparse but thoughtful production to surround his lightly graveled baritone and acoustic guitar to put you in a gentle state of stasis. While some of his tracks like “Furniture” and “Us” are very approachable with broad appeal, the record is filled out with numerous more instrumental driven songs that try to invoke a feeling rather than telling you how to feel.

Top Track: Us

30. ayokay-Digital Dreamscape

LA Based DJ/Producer Alex O’Neill’s sophomore release is a shot in the arm of electro-pop fun, even when the subject matter of the songs is a bit dreary the light airy pop driving beat keeps things going and engages the listener in a year when we are still hearing so many pandemic records that sound isolated and small. This is typified by “Less Alone” which features O’Neill’s friend from high school in Michigan, Quinn XCII, telling him that things are better at home when they are there together, and isn’t that true for all of us?

Top Track: Amnesia

29. The Wonder Years-The Hum Goes on Forever

Power-Punk staples The Wonder Years released their pandemic album this year which revolves mainly around lead singer Dan Campbell’s experiences with a new perspective on life having a kid while the world shut down. Campell’s typical difficulty with surviving in this world remains, but is peppered with a new desire to continue living for someone in this world, all of that emotion is wrapped up in Van’s Warped Tour style punk rock driving drums and guitar licks with his powerful half screeched vocals always at the center.

Top Track: Summer Clothes

28. ODESZA-The Last Goodbye

The fourth effort from the Washington based duo has really brought them into the forefront of the electronic scene and the industry in general. Building a loyal following for the last few years The Last Goodbye brought ODESZA a grammy nomination and a headlining spot at this year’s Bonnaroo. This is a big and bold record that has real peaks and valleys that keep you engaged on a full listen not just one or two good tracks. An appearance from my guy Olafur Arnalds really helps their street cred in my books.

Top Track: Light of Day feat. Olafur Arnalds

27. Lights-PEP

The Canadian electro-pop star put out her fifth album this year and has continued her move into more and more electronically driven music. Her bold colorful look is matched by big beats and songs about taking action and autonomy over her life. Something tells me that we won’t see an acoustic version of this album like she has done in the past with her own songs and Drake’s, I could be wrong but for now we should enjoy the positive powerful electro-pop wave she is riding.

Top Track: Prodigal Daughter

26. Stars-From Capleton Hill

With their first new album in 5 years one of my favorite bands from my formative music listening years, the Canadian indie-pop standouts have come to something of an end with this record. Their narrative lyrics have followed an imaginary pair voiced through Amy Milan and Troquil Campbell’s back and forth duet style for decades and this record becomes something of an end of this dialogue. Surrounded by synths, upbeat drums, and driving bass lines it doesn’t feel like an end but rather a celebration of the story.

Top Track: Pretenders

25. Said The Sky-Sentiment

The sophomore release from Colorado based DJ/producer Trevor Christensen is a big buoyant electro-pop record with a little edge thanks to appearances from the likes of artists like The Maine, State Champs, and Motion City Soundtrack. Christensen shows plenty of range over 15 tracks with heart wrenching songs like “Emotion Sickness” and the closing track “Walk Me Home” which features frequent collaborators Illineum and Chelsea Cutler’s almost painful vocals building into a huge flourishing finish that defines the record.

Top Track: Go On Then Love

24. Old Sea Brigade-5am Paradise

The third release from the Georgia born, Nashville based singer-songwriter is the rare second release since the pandemic on this list. Old Sea Brigade aka Ben Cramer has been busy in the last few years putting together his indie-folk musings through his deep baritone and poetic narrative lyrics encompassed by spare drums that feel like they could fall apart at any moment but then picks back up with a driving almost pop feeling track like “Monochrome” which keeps things moving and draws you into the journey the album takes you on.

Top Track: Old Blooded

23. NOTD-NOTED…EP

I'm kind of breaking the rules here including an EP, but it is 6 tracks long and just couldn’t be left off of the list. This Swedish pop production duo’s 6 song EP features Quinn XCII, Nightly, and The Band Camino, every song is under 3 minutes and is a complete banger. These guys have been remixing other artists' work for years but now that they are putting out their own music I would expect big things in their future.

Top Track: Never A Good Time

22. Tyson Mostenbocker-Milk Teeth

The San Diego native’s third full length comes with a bit more production value than his previous records, a slightly bigger sound on many songs but the center of his poetic rarely rhyming and always honest vocals remains the same. He throws out some great lines like “They seemed so comfortable that time on the Horcrux hunt” and “You broke your back, in the snow, last season at Whistler but on the Blackcomb side though.” I always enjoy his approach to narrating his life through song.

Top Track: Buyer Confidence

21. Hudson Mohawke-Cry Sugar

You may or may not recognize this name from producer credits on a couple of tracks of Kanye’s “Life of Pablo” but the Scottish producer/DJ is a renown artist in his own right. Mohawke, aka Ross Brichard’s brand of electro-pop/hip hop is a little glitchy and sometimes strange but with an air of nostalgia that somehow gives a nod to what came before while pushing the genre forward, and with 19 tracks and over a hour of music on this album there is an access point for most fans of any associated genre.

Top Track: Come A Little Closer

20. flor-Future Shine

“I felt better, it has to be this weather, or could it be that we put the whole world through the shredder” is the opening hook of flor’s third album that predictably has grown out of the pandemic but despite the world being shredded is a buoyant celebratory pop rock album from the high school friends now finding fame in the middle 20s. Lead singer Zach Grace’s falsetto vocals effortlessly ring out over the sometimes slightly funky guitar and bass, it's nothing revolutionary but it is a lot of fun.

Top Track: Big Shot

19. Donovan Woods-Big Boy Hurt

This is another rule breaker but Woods hasn’t put out an album since early 2020, and this latest 6 song EP is just such a great distillation of his style and an honest and open presentation of stories of his life that I couldn’t leave it off. The Canadian singer songwriter and self proclaimed “big sad guy” revisits his past failures and tries to wrestle new meaning out of them or find meaning in reviewing and sharing his experiences with us. These 6 songs in particular represent a return to a more spare acoustic style that defined his earlier career which I am a total sucker for.

Top Track: I Won’t Mention It Again

18. Frank Turner-FTHC

I would hazard a guess that few artists are more excited about being back to playing live music again than Frank Turner. His ninth studio release brings him back to his punk rock roots but presented in his self aware and often self deprecating honesty with songs about his struggles with anxiety and drug abuse and even a song about his relationship with his father has improved since she became Miranda. The bigger energy has been great for getting back out and playing for audiences and he put on a great show when I saw him.

Top Track: Haven’t Been Doing So Well

17. Caamp-Lavender Days

From the crack of a carbonated beverage can in the intro of the second track I knew I was going to enjoy the Ohio folk foursome’s fourth album. Lavender Days is a fun folky romp with acoustic guitars, banjos, organs, stomping drums and a song relating yourself to an otter, what more could you want? Over the 12 tracks on the album they do slow it down pretty often and take quite a bit of time to be introspective about relationships and where things are going, but never lose sight of enjoying the moment.

Top Track: Believe

16. Oh Wonder-22 Make

The follow-up to their break up album “22 Break” the fifth record from the London based Electro-pop duo is a celebration of their relationship. Surviving the pandemic together is no small feat and in the end it strengthened their resolve now as a married couple and more mature artists and the best part is how excited they are about the music. It has a ways to go to overtake their debut album in popularity and the loving nature of the majority of tracks doesn’t hold the same bite as some of their previous work, but as a stand alone it is a really fun album.

Top Track: Fuck It I Love You

15. Sylvan Esso-No Rules Sandy

From one married electro-pop duo to another, Sylvan Esso’s fourth effort verges slightly further into experimental sounds with a few more instrumental breaks and funky sample sounds but Amelia Meath’s distinct vocals are always the central driving force. This album was the soundtrack to my 3 day trip to Aruba last summer and was the perfect slightly weird companion for drives across the 21 mile long island.

Top Track: Echo Party

14. Fly By Midnight-Silver Crane (Deluxe)

Well I gotta be honest, this one breaks every rule in the book, this album came out last year, but I totally missed it somehow, so I am using the Deluxe release in 2022 to talk about one of my favorite discoveries of the year. The NYC based self described “retro-pop” duo has an easy listening feeling with high production value and broad appeal, they are heading out on a national tour this year and I would expect their fan base to grow heading into their next release.

Top Track: The Ad Above Your Head

13. Bad Suns-Apocalypse Whenever

Maybe a sign of how long it is taking me to get this list out, but this album came out 14 months ago and it feels like a bit like the California pop rock trio’s songs have been in my head for a while now, from the super catchy “Baby Blue Shades” to the self aware “Life Was Easier When I Only Cared About Me” this record is full of ear worms and hits that keep coming and that doesn't even count the bonus track on the Deluxe version “Maybe You Saved Me” which features PVRIS as a powerful duet foil.

Top Track: When The World Was Mine

12. Death Cab for Cutie-Asphalt Meadows

It's hard to believe that Death Cab released their 10th studio album this past year and that they would continue to enjoy such a high level of success after Chris Walla’s 2015 departure. Asphalt Meadows is increasingly centered around Ben Gibbard’s poetic vocals featured prominently in the spoken word “Foxglove Through the Clearcut'' and the spare “Fragments From the Decade” but completes the album with the somewhat positive “I’ll Never Give Up On You.” If you were a fan before, you will still enjoy this album but if you haven’t previously been a part of the Death Cab club this is a very accessible album worth checking out and if you want a more subdued version the acoustic version of the album released recently is a great addition.

Top Track: Asphalt Meadows

11. First Aid Kit-Palomino

This album improved the most for me on my yearly relisten, whether I didn’t listen to it enough initially or I was just more interested in it later in the year I really enjoyed the harmonies and swelling instrumentations. Once upon a time I would have said that their music was an interpretation of 90s folk-country, but they have grown into a genre and a following of their own that is a great soundtrack to any long drive down a lonely highway or a desert sunset.

Top Track: Angel

10. Holly Humberstone-Can You Afford To Lose Me?

If you see any photos of Holly Humberstone you know she has mastered the sad girl look and that shows through in her music. Why is she so sad, well she grew up in Grantham, a small town in rural England with a castle just outside of town where I studied abroad as a bright eyed college sophomore and while Harlaxton was magical to us, Grantham was not exactly a sparkly shining bastion of musical support. Luckily Holly survived with her love of acoustic rock intact and has combined that with slightly off-tone electronics to produce a dark-pop debut with all the honesty and self depreciation you can stand.

Top Track-Scarlet

9. Muna-Muna

The self titled third album from the California based electro-pop trio is in some ways a reinvention of themselves, again. After being dropped by RCA records at the start of the pandemic, being picked up by Phoebe Bridgers’ “Saddest Factory” record label has brought the band to being even more out with their presentation of gender and sexual identity. And while they had every reason to be super sad and self loathing they went the opposite way with their pandemic experience with their first foray out of lockdown being a big bold record with lots to say. They still take some tracks on the record to slow things down and be introspective, but overall the strong beat of their synth-pop wins out and brings you up and up with them.

Top Track: Silk Chiffon feat. Phoebe Bridgers

8. Bear’s Den-Blue Hours

The fourth release from British folk pop duo Bear’s Den is an ode to the moments when we are deepest in thought about ourselves and our place in the world. Their careful orchestrations of guitars, strings, piano and other sounds help you to be thoughtful about the tough concepts that they are dealing with. Though the subject matter can be a little heavy at times the airiness of the vocals and space within the music keeps it from dragging you down and their themes seem to culminate in positivity in the end.

Top Track: Gratitude

7. Taylor Swift-Midnights

Taylor is probably the one artist on this list who needs no introduction, the megastar takes aim more at herself than others in this record which features a darker sound on most tracks, even the spry “Bejeweled” features a deep 80’s style bass line as the underpinning for the plucky synth. For better or worse her fame makes even her most scathing rebukes of herself instantly memeable in a way that sometimes dissociates them from the powerful honesty they represent. It's hard to say that I identify with one of the world's biggest artists, but I'm not a big fan of Ticketmaster either, and the fact that I think most of us can find some commonality in some of what she is presenting definitely plays a huge role in her success.

Top Track: Midnight Rain

6. Noah Kahan-Stick Season

The self-proclaimed “Jewish Ed Sheeran” was surprisingly fun to see in person as he toured his third album recorded entirely at home in Vermont during the pandemic. Kahan sings frequently of his battles with anxiety and depression and has a knack for writing music that people can relate to even if he is talking about his tiny town in New England. Somehow kids all the way across the country in Utah are belting out the lyrics as if they are their own and that is even more welcome to those of us transplants who identify with his “Northern Attitude.” His version of folk-pop is infectious and honest with extremely broad appeal that is fun and thoughtful at the same time.

Top Track: Stick Season

5. Hippo Campus-LP3

They have given a lot away with the name of the album, but their third full length is a sonically different avenue for the Minneapolis indie-pop 5 piece. Moving to a bigger more mainstream pop-rock sound they likely captured a larger audience but kept some of the weirdness that grew their initial fanbase. Overall it is a really fun album that once they get past the intro track keeps the pace up till the last few when they get a little more sentimental. They claim to keep wanting to change their approach so it will be interesting to see where the next album goes.

Top Track: 2 Young 2 Die

4. Eighty Ninety-The Night Sky

These musical brothers sometimes feel like a coffee shop duo and sometimes feel like a full pop rock band, their first album is just 8 tracks following years of successful single releases including 2016’s “Thirty Three” which has been streamed almost 18 million times. This album focuses on what else but unrequited love and seems to follow the path of finding someone, losing them and longing for them as time goes on, in this case even when you have moved on to someone new. It's a sad but relatable tale told through partially whispered vocals and an array of gentle guitar plucks.

Top Track: The Night Sky

3. Henry Jamison-The Years

Jamison’s poetic and spare singer-songwriter style has always appealed to me and the Burlington VT native’s third full length release builds on this reputation. His narrative style that sneaks in a rhyme every once in a while draws you into the story he is telling, even if it isn’t always immediately clear what the subject matter is. He rewards re-listening by squeezing in what initially feels like too many syllables into a single phrase and skipping spaces unexpectedly. It takes a time or two (at least for me) to catch the full story of what he is trying to portray which makes it all the more rewarding in the end.

Top Track: To Ash feat. Nico Muhly

2. The 1975-Being Funny In A Foreign Language

The fifth full length release from the Manchester, UK four piece is probably their most accessible album to date with just 11 tracks, all songs, no instrumental interludes, it almost feels like a “normal” record. But then again it is still a The 1975 album so it transverses back and forth across genres from funky pop tunes to acoustic love songs. Matt Healy’s almost jokingly poetic lines like “She said Central Park is Sea World for trees” and “I was Rambo and he was Paul Blane” come out of nowhere sometimes and keep you on your toes as you try to find the meaning. But the best lyric of the year has to be “I like my men like I like my coffee, full of soy milk and so sweet it won't offend anybody,” he is something of a lyrical genius in my mind, blend that with a tight band who can nimbly move back and forth between styles without missing a beat and you get a tremendous sonic experience.

Top Track: Part of the Band

1. Gangs of Youth-Angel in Real Time

The only negative thing I have to say about this album is that I wasn’t able to see it performed live because the North American tour was cut short. Quickly becoming one of my favorite bands, the Australian outfit put out an amazingly introspective exploration of not only dealing with your own grief but a pretty wild story about the lead singer David Le’aupepe’s father as well as a comment on race in Australian society just for good measure. All of this is wrapped up in a package of alt-pop reminiscent of The National but with more stringed instruments and a little more grit, gravel and emotional heft. If you have ever lost someone close to you, you will recognize a lot of the feelings here, if you haven’t yet dealt with that journey in your own life, this is an interesting way to start to learn about how you might deal with that for you and those around you.

Top Track: Brothers

#top albums of 2022 #gangs of youth

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