The Best of Albums of 2022 (So Far) • Page 2

Anthony Green

 

Gonna make a plug for All Get Out. Fantastic album.

 

Not enough love for Stand Atlantic on here. Easily the best pop punk record this year imo

 

"Sleep Study" by Souveneer!

 

The whole album is fantastic. That song is a ripper!

 

Respect to Barteees Strange for holding the #1 spot so far.

personally I'd bump Anxious way up, and throw Spice on the list

 

Some of it Sux (pun intended hahh) in my book, but lots of it I really love already, and I'm here for the recommendations too. Just checking out Cold Years now, I think I've seen it around here a lot of times & skipped it, but so far it's very enjoyable! Especially since I really got into Flatliners lately & probably need some more of that kind of music for summer.

I don't want to ponder over a list now, cause I'm still at work, but it seems for me it's Caracara, Bartees Strange, All Get Out, Hot Water Music, then of course Pedro The Lion, Warpaint, Signals Midwest, a few more for sure!

aaand Alexisonfire & Anthony Green out of the newer ones!

 

I was just listening to it a moment ago (again)! It is amazing! Great vocal takes!

 

Love seeing the Zach Bryan love on here. Surprised I haven't seen more. Such a great record

 

My favorite albums of the year so far:

1. MUNA - MUNA [uber-queer electro-pop/indie-pop]
2. Maren Morris - Humble Quest [alt-country]
3. Jensen McRae - Are You Happy Now? ["sad girl" indie folk-pop/alt-pop... if you enjoy Phoebe Bridgers, Charli Adams, or Maggie Rogers, you need to listen to this record. it's *spectacular*. she's also opening for MUNA on their tour right now.]
4. Dashboard Confessional - All the Truth that I Can Tell [emo for former emo kids that are now emo dads. i really think it might be Chris's best songwriting yet.]
5. Mandy Moore - In Real Life [lovely soft pop-rock -- I've literally been a Mandy fan since her very first record in 1999, and this one is probably my second fav after Wild Hope. it's really good.]
6. Placebo - Never Let Me Go [one of my fav alt-rock albums I've heard in years]
7. Sarah Shook & the Disarmers - Nightroamer [badass country punk]

Honorable mentions: Pusha T, Coheed & Cambria, Kendrick Lamar, Miranda Lambert, Harry Styles

and I just listened to Ken Yates's Cerulean for the first time, and it blew me away. I expect that'll be in my end-of-year list.

For others with similar taste, what else do I need to check out??

p.s. I'm really surprised that Jensen McRae didn't make anyone's lists. she must have really flown under the radar. please check out her record, I guarantee you guys are going to find it to be something deeply special.

 

I'm going to forget some and this order isn't perfect but my #1 is definitely my #1 based on overall impact on my life and feels...

1. Donovan Melero - Chelsea Park After Dark

Donovan Melero is the vocalist for Hail the Sun. This album is beautiful. A couple of quotes that hit me hard after a particularly painful breakup and other life things:

"Soulmates are sometimes just temporary and maybe we meet them when we need it

"The tattoos that we share are never gonna fade but the way we felt when we got them will go away."

"So if you are the catch that I have to throw back, sharks in the water will thank me at last."

Other music I liked:

Coheed & Cambria - Vaxis II
Emery - Rub Some Dirt On It
Underoath - Voyeurist
Rain City Drive - Rain City Drive
Stand Atlantic -f.e.a.r.
The Color Fred - A Year and Change
Machine Gun Kelly - Mainstream Sellout
Glacier Veins - Lunar Reflection
Belmont - Aftermath
Alexisonfire - Otherness
Charlotte Sands - Love and Other Lies
Yours Truly - is this what I look like?
Senses Fail - Hell Is In Your Head
Silverstein - Misery Made Me
Sabrina Carpenter - emails I can't send
Fame on Fire - Welcome To the Chaos
Motionless in White - Scoring the End Of the World
Valleyheart - Heal My Head
Hollow Front - The Price of Dreaming
Vagrants - Be Consumed
Simple Plan - Harder Than It Looks
Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows - D.R.U.G.S.
Windwaker - Love Language
Palisades - Reaching Critical

 

I'm posting this in a few threads, I'm not really sure where I should post this to be seen by the most people that would care... but I read an article this morning that discussed how new music consumption in the first half of 2022 is down, catalog release consumption is up, & it also discusses the whole nostalgia kick everyone seems to be on right now.

Analysis
Old Heads Rejoice! New Music is Shrinking in Popularity

Article that references with data visualizations
It’s official: New music is SHRINKING in popularity

 

I find it mind blowing that only Trevor mentioned All Get Out - Kodak. How is that not plugged on this website more? Yet generic sounding Cold Years is way up there.

Also surprised there's no mention of Paolo Nutini's first album in 12 years. Different type of music for this community, but it's been a long time since the community was strictly "absolute punk".

 

I wasn't even aware of the All Get Out release but I just started listening after reading your comment and I like it so far.

I'd be mindful of dumping on bands other people like just because you disagree. I also wasn't as blown away by Cold Wars as most here but I totally see their appeal. I heard a very Green Day type of quality to that release and I didn't think the instrumentals were generic at all, I actually found the riffs simple but enjoyable. I personally didn't connect with it for whatever reason but it's definitely high quality IMO even though it's not for me right now.

I have noticed that when Jason or Craig or some of the big names on these forums hype something everyone else tends to love it and echo their sentiments and I often don't agree so maybe those names hold some influence here?? Or maybe our tastes just suck and others are more in tune with those voices lol

 

Even though I enjoyed the record and it had some real bangers I found myself quite disappointed with it on a broader spectrum.

I suck at describing music in technical terms as to vocalize what bothered me with it but I remember thinking vocal effects were overused and the feeling like the songs were very overproduced in general compared to Pink Elephant. It felt like they were using a lot of cheap tricks in each track and the pacing/tempo of each track felt the same from song to song.

I'm a fan of them though and do have some of the new stuff on my main playlist.

 

Okay, fair opinions - yeah, I felt like some of the effects could be gimmicky, and I’ll admit that tracks 8-10 felt a bit like filler mid-tempo songs that sound too-similar to songs on Skinny Dipping, BUT outside of these, I felt like the album as a whole was excellent. I could buy into their vibe with the production gimmicks, and felt like they pushed boundaries in a genre that’s had trouble finding ways to be creative musically. And outside of 8-10, the song variety is crazy. I hear hard rock, hardcore punk, rap, a hardcore breakdown, pop punk… literally everything. I thought I’d heard it all when they dropped like 5 singles in advance, but they still kept my attention with Van Gogh, cabin fever, etc. I don’t really mind “overproduced” at all - and even if it is, it doesn’t take away from their live show at all. Tongue in cheek lyrics with catchy choruses is what this genre’s been about and they nailed it with this one. And compared to Avril, Simple Plan, State Champs, As It Is, MGK, Set It Off… it’s a pretty easy choice for me. As It Is, of all bands, might be the second best in that list. Was really surprised to have listened to them so much this year.

 

Yeah it's all subjective, no need to talk for me to talk shit. I guess that one stood out to me. When listening to Cold Years I hear Green Day, Yellowcard and Broadway Calls, so I guess it's not that surprising people enjoy it.

Also to your point, they have influence on the readers on this website and I have no idea why nothing's ever posted about All Get Out. Their old material is great as well, especially The Season.

 

hopefully this won’t continue, as new music is so good for you!

 

I think All Get Out was quite well-represented on the site, maybe if not for the list, then I definitely have seen lots of love for the album around here - which I share too - been listening to it very often lately!