Ten Best Albums 2022
What follows are my favorite albums of 2022. I choose albums according to two criteria: 1) I keep listening to them over and over again, and 2) they stand out from the crowd. A lot of music arrives each year. Here’s what I’ve been listening to.
Topical Dancer, Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul
Imagine a slightly more politically on point David Byrne but with really clever turns of phrase. This is the one I listened to on carpool with the kids and they kept looking and were like “what?”
WE, Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire proved definitively that you can be four or five albums into your career and still release something truly original and true. I’ve probably listened to this one over a dozen times with my daughter just in the last few months.
A Light For Attracting Attention, The Smile
I’m unsure why bands who are household names decide to release under a completely different name, but basically this is just the new Radiohead album. And since I like all Radiohead, I like this one too.
Lucifer On the Sofa, Spoon
Spoon is what you might call a “working” band. But man if they aren’t my favorite classic indie rock band. That sound. If you’re unfamiliar, I also recommend basically their whole back catalog. Do a deep dive.
Wet Leg, Wet Leg
From the Isle of Wight. Probably if you heard a song off the album it was “Chase Longue.” Who knew you could help everyone learn how to pronounce it correctly and make it the refrain? I probably always pick at least one post-punk album per year. This is the one for 2022.
Radiate Like This, Warpaint
Okay, Warpaint was for a long stretch THE bedtime band for our youngest, and it’s still the vibe I’m looking for when I really want to chill. They have this sound that is so uniquely their own, and I can just put it on while writing and get into the exactly right kind of groove.
Skinty Fia, Fontaines D.C.
I kept seeing t-shirts for this band while we were on vacation this summer, which was kind of funny given how they’re from Dublin and I was in Florida, but this new album is just fire, and the opening song (“In ár gCroíthe go deo”) is a kind of homage to punk and Irish roots simultaneously.
One Trick Wonder, Ted Hammig & The Campaign
Ted’s the drummer for our church band, among other wonders, and this album is totally him and also totally his band and also totally Southern rock. The album’s got a bunch of “hooky” songs but my favorite is probably “One Trick Wonder.”
Profound Mysteries, Röyksopp
Gonna need to have some Norwegian electronica in here, and this one (which is actually a series of albums, Profound Mysteries I, II, and III) is collaborative and , with lots of match-ups with other electronica musicians.
Motomami, Rosalia
I can’t say that I’m a huge pop listener (hence why you don’t see that many truly pop albums here on my list) but Rosalia’s new album stands out for many reasons, not the least of which is the recording quality itself. Put on some headphones and it feels like you are in the room with her. Not to mention, this is just a whole universe of sound, unique and boundary-pushing. So much range, so many traditions, all seamlessly assembled into this long-play.
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Although none of the artists experimenting with releasing multiple versions of their albums make the top of my list this year, I am entirely intrigued by the concept. Taylor Swift released Midnight in multiple versions. Tyler Childers released Can I Take My Hounds To Heaven in THREE different versions. I guess artists are seeing they can stretch their wings now that they are no longer tied to a physical medium (like a CD or tape).