Mid-Year 2022 Lists (Best of 2022 ... So Far) • Page 2

I’m actually listening to Saba now. It’s really good so far.

 

Word, the Saba record is great. I was pretty attached to his debut so it kinda took me a minute to really sink my teeth in, but I may even prefer it now

 

Dent by Signals Midwest is my favorite of the year so far. Max has become one of my favorite songwriters over the past few years and the band is so tight on this one.

 

Runaway AOTY so far is Big Thief. I think a double-album is always risky, but they’ve proven they can handle it. It does such a great job of blending all of the styles they’ve dabbled in before while adding new layers to their sound. It’s not easy to put songs like Red Moon, Flower of Blood, Blurred View, and Simulation Swarm all on the same album and have it work, but it does. It’s an album that feels ambitious while also not taking itself too seriously, and really encapsulates everything I love about the band. They crushed it.

The new Angel Olsen is also great. I haven’t spent as much time with it as I would have liked, but it’s a great sound for her and just an overall beautiful record. It feels like the type of album she’s been working up to her entire career. Still too early to say if I think it’s my favorite from her, but it’s at minimum a contender.

Beyond that I also really like:
Mitski - Laurel Hell
Beach House - Once Twice Melody
Sharon Van Etten - We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong

None of those three albums are the best thing those artists have done, but they’re all extremely solid additions to artists with nearly impeccable catalogs, which is a good place to be in.

Really excited to hear Soccer Mommy, The Beths, Julia Jacklin, and Death Cab later this year

 

Top three but it isn’t number one

 

Oh yes, this record grabbed me as well! It's awesome, and to be honest I only started to dive into them after it came out and I recognized it's actually Max singing, whereas I had checked some of his solo stuff out before thanks to Adam Beck on drums.

 

I think Impossible Sum is my favorite album of the past few years, maybe longer. It’s the closest thing to The Weakerthans that I’ve probably ever heard. I just love it so much.

 

so far Black Country, New Road - Ants From Up There is undefeated to me. listen to it almost every week and it's only getting better, haven't been this enamoured in a long time. some other favourites so far:

Gang of Youths - angel in realtime. duh, I'm a ride-or-die for this band but the album is truly special

Sharon Van Etten - We've Been Going About This All Wrong. it's hard not to compare everything she does to epic and Are We There which are masterpiece tier albums for me. that being said everything she does is fantastic even if it doesn't reach those same heights, this is another insanely consistent release from her

Angel Olsen - Big Time. didn't know much about her before hearing this but it's great. country is not really me thing but every now and then I am pleasantly surprised

Caracara - New Preoccupations. don't have much to say about it that hasn't already been said, shit slaps

Conway the Machine - God Don't Make Mistakes. maybe a bit inconsistent but the best tracks on this are absolute monsters. lyrically the best hip-hop I've heard all year for sure

Saba - Few Good Things. just that last three song run, man

Denzel Curry - Melt My Eyez See Your Future. WALKIN ROUND THE HOOOD LIKE IM JOHN WAAAYNE

Spoon - Lucifer on the Sofa. just some sexy late night jams, easy and breezy. "Wild" is the heater of the year

Tears for Fears - The Tipping Point. kinda wild how good this one is for so many reasons, anyone sceptical just needs to hear "Rivers of Mercy" to be convinced. Curt Smith also has the best vocal pipes of any 60-year-old man I've ever had the pleasure of hearing

The Smile - A Light for Attracting Attention. Radiohead but fun. I joke, but also, I kinda don't

 

Check out Angel’s other shit. She doesn’t have a bad album and they all sound different than Big Time

 

will definitely do so when I have the time. I heard a bit of All Mirrors and it was... interesting haha, very different

 

Oh true, it does bear some resemblance. It's funny, cause I only got into Weakerthans like 2-3 years ago as well.

 

Oh yeah Sharon and Denzel albums were killer

 

subbing to post next week

 

Gonna wait for Alexisonfire and Day Wave to drop this week until I start this list. My 2022 backlog is huge right now too.

 

A big caveat is that I haven't heard the Pusha T album yet. I wrote a sentence about three "overlooked" albums like OP asked.

01. Kamp & Fid Mella - 2URÜCK OHNE 2UKUNFT (Austrian Rap)
02. Rosalia - MOTOMAMI

03. Margo Cilker - Pohorylle

A great country record that I think a lot of people on here would love.

04. Cho - THNX (Dutch Rap)

05-10 in no order:

Kehlani - blue water road

A great R&B record. Not her best one, but then again her best one is the best R&B album of a whole ass decade.

Casper - ALLES WAR SCHÖN UND NICHTS TAT WEH (German Rap)
Zach Bryan - American Heartbreak
Hef - Hefvermogen 2 (Dutch Rap)
Benny The Butcher - Tana Talk 4

Dave East - HDIGH

Just a fun rap album like they used to make them, i.e. one for the streets, one for the ladies, etc.

 

Gonna play some catch up this week and probably wait til after the 24th

 

What big releases next week are people talking about? Is the Beyonce album coming?

 

These are my faves:

1) Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain

The best album released this year by a wide margin. Big Thief takes all the best elements of their music and elevates them to the highest level, making a cohesive double album that is all killer no filler.

2) Hurray for the Riff Raff - Life on Earth

This album reminds me a lot of Waxahatchee, specifically Saint Cloud era Waxahatchee, which is obviously a good thing.

3) Mom Jeans - Sweet Tooth

I did not like Mom Jeans second album and had reservations going into this one, but it totally blew me by surprise and is such a good record. They really leveled up after the disappointment of the second album for me. If you liked anything from their first album, this record is for you.

4) Aldous Harding - Warm Chris

Despite having heard the name before, I never gave Aldous Harding a listen until this album, and boy was I missing out. This album is just really great indie pop/rock from New Zealand.

5) Prince Daddy & The Hyena - Prince Daddy & The Hyena

I have loved everything this band has put out, especially 2019’s “Cosmic Thrill Seekers”, and this album is no different. Just a great emo/pop punk record that takes everything good about Prince Daddy and puts it all together. I know some people have issues getting past Kory’s voice, but I think it works really well here.

Other albums I think people should check out that are criminally underrated on here:

Nilufer Yanya - Painless

Thus album is really interesting indie rock from the UK. It’s not a straightforward indie rock album but I really enjoy the way it all sounds. It got universal acclaim upon release too, which is always great to see an album like this be received so well.

Cate Le Bon - Pompeii

This is the latest album from Welsh singer Cate Le Bon. I had listened to her briefly previously but not in depth. If you like art pop that goes in some cool directions, this album is definitely for you. This album was also very highly acclaimed by the critics/press.

Destroyer - LABYRINTHITIS

This is the thirteenth studio album from Dan Bejar aka Destroyer, a member of The New Pornographers. It was my first full introduction to his music and I really enjoyed it. Very solid indie rock stuff going on here.

Sadurn - Radiator

This reminds me of Katy Kirby, which for me is absolutely never a bad thing. I love the melodies and instrumentation and lyrics. Basically, it’s all perfect to me.

Horsegirl - Versions of Modern Performance

These kids are the future. Three of them are freshman in college and one is a senior in high school. If you like 90s indie rock, especially bands like Pavement, this album is 100% for you.

Jeanines - Don't Wait For A Sign

Really solid indie pop from NYC. Reminds me a lot of The Beths, who I love.

Tomberlin - I don’t know who needs to hear this..:

For fans of boygenius and similar artists. While I prefer her first record to this one, there are still some very beautiful songs on this one and the new songs were even better when heard live.

Heart to Gold - Torn

Really great indie rock/emo/punk rock music from Minneapolis.

Other albums I liked I don’t feel I need to write about because lots of people are fans here:

Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers
Charli XCX - Crash
Saba - Few Good Things
MJ Lenderman - Boat Songs
Earl Sweatshirt - Sick!

 

I don't really have rankings figured out yet, but my top tier looks like:
Drug Church (definitely my AOTY)
Denzel Curry
Camp Cope
Harry Styles
Wet Leg
Anxious
Dashboard Confessional
Black Country, New Road
El Ten Eleven
Vince Staples

Runner ups: Nilüfer Yanya, Prince Daddy, The Regrettes, A Wilhelm Scream, Oso oso, Underoath, Mitski, Pillow Queens, Orville Peck, Gang of Youths, Spoon. Metavari, Charli XCX, The Weeknd

Looking forward to: Bey, Bayside, Camp Trash, The Dangerous Summer, Death Cab, Grimes, Lizzo, Pianos Become the Teeth, Russian Circles, Senses Fail, and holding out hope for MCR!

 

Cold Years - Goodbye to Misery
Gregor Barnett - Don't Go Throwing Roses in My Grave
Caracara - New Preoccupations
Valleyheart - Heal My Head
Anxious - Little Green House
Dan Andriano & The Bygones - Dear Darkness
Gang of Youth - angel in realtime.
Father John Misty - Chloe and the Next 20th Century
Joyce Manor - 40 oz to Fresno
Frank Turner - FTHC (really don't love this album but listened to it a ton)


Anticipating: Beach Bunny, The Dangerous Summer, The Wonder Years, The Beths, Pool Kids, Pianos Become the Teeth, The Killers?, Bayside?, Charly Bliss?

 

there's been a lot of records I really this year, but so far nothing has given me that big "can't listen to anything else" feeling.

(in somewhat chronological order) stuff I've enjoyed the most:
Palace
FKA Twigs
Hippo Campus
Pom Poko (EP)
Spoon
Big Thief
MAITA
Basement Revolver
Widowspeak
Babehoven (EP)
Oso Oso
Yumi Zouma
Camp Cope
Kevin Devine
Christian Lee Hutson
PUP
Pillow Queens
Father John Misty
Pictoria Vark
Wet Leg
Vince Staples
Tomberlin
Hatchie
Sadurn
Sharon Van Etten
Warpaint
The Smile
Jordana
Rachel Chinouriri (EP)
Angel Olsen
Bloomsday
Bartees Strange
Westside Boogie

 

Big Thief - Dragon
Caracara - New Preoccupation
Oso Oso - Sore Thumb
MJ Lenderman - Boat Songs
My Idea - Cry MFer
Hovvdy - billboard for my feelings
snow ellet - glory days
Soul Glo - Diaspora Problems
Aldous Harding - Warm Chris
Black Country, New Road - Ants From Up There
Bartees Strange - Farm to Table
Benny the Butcher - Tana Talk 4
Earl Sweatshirt - Sick
Jack M. Senff - Low Spirit
Double Gainer - Such is My Life
Pup - THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND

 

Top 10:

1. Mom Jeans.: Sweet Tooth
2. Omar Apollo: Ivory
3. Harry Styles: Harry's House
4. Pup: THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND
5. Father John Misty: Chloe and the Next 20th Century
6. Mitski: Laurel Hell
7. Maren Morris: Humble Quest
8. Florence + the Machine: Dance Fever
9. Flume: Palaces
10. The Weeknd: Dawn FM

Top 20:
Orville Peck: Bronco
Miranda Lambert: Palomino
Charli XCX: Crash
Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows: Destroy Rebuild
Post Malone: Twelve Karat Toothache
Oso Oso: sore thumb
Kehlani: blue water road
Wallows: Tell Me That It’s Over
Sofi Tukker: Wet Tennis
FKA twigs: CAPRISONGS

Some others I liked a lot but haven't spent a lot of time with:
Wet Leg: Wet Leg
Camila Cabello: Familia
Vince Staples: Ramona Park Broke My Heart
Mt. Joy: Orange Blood

 

Current Top 10
1. Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
2. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Omnium Gatherum
3. Soccer Mommy - Sometimes, Forever
4. Mom Jeans. - Sweet Tooth
5. Caracara - New Preoccupations
6. Denzel Curry - Melt My Eyez See Your Future
7. Out of Service - The Ground Beneath Me
8. Pusha-T - It's Almost Dry
9. Dashboard Confessional - All The Truth That I Can Tell
10. The Weeknd - Dawn FM

Ten More:
PUP - The Unraveling of PUPTHEBAND
Angel Olsen - Big Time
Gunna - DS4EVER
Gang of Youths - angel in realtime.
Black Country, New Roads - Ants From Up There
Oso Oso - sore thumb
A Wilhelm Scream - Lose Your Delusion
Future - I NEVER LIKED YOU
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Unlimited Love
State Champs - Kings of the New Age

 

Top 10:

1. The Weeknd - Dawn FM
2. Boldy James - Killing Nothing
3. Charlie Simpson - Hope Is A Drug
4. Omar Apollo - Ivory
5. Vince Staples - RAMONA PARK BROKE MY HEART
6. Pusha T - It's Almost Dry
7. Col3trane - Lush Life
8. Nick Mulvey - New Mythology
9. Lucky Daye - Candydrip
10. Denzel Curry - Melt My Eyez See Your Future