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newmusickarl · 2 years

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Top 50 Albums of 2022: #50-41

If 2021 was a year of recovery, then 2022 was the big reunion party.

For the first time in two years we had a full 12 months of live music and festivals, with rooms and fields full of people singing their heart out without the weight of COVID restrictions bringing palpable delight. The whole year has felt like a communal cathartic release, as the full joy of being able to experience music in all its various forms properly returned. The artists felt it, the venues felt it, the touring crews felt it and most certainly us fans felt it.

As a result, I think I listened to more new music in 2022 than any other year I can remember. My Apple Music Replay tells me I've listened to 785 albums, 860 different artists, 4,901 different songs and 38,680 minutes of music – crikey that’s a lot of music, even for me! However, my own tally that I keep every year has broken this down into just over 210 albums from 2022 and around 1,100 songs from the last 12 months as well. This has given me the impossible task this month then of choosing just 50 albums and 100 songs to call my favourites of the year.

Pound-for-pound, I think 2022 has proven to be my favourite year for new music at least since 2019. Not only did we get the final big wave of lockdown albums come through, but the return of live music meant a lot of these records could actually be experienced as they were intended – amongst big festival crowds or simply in front of eager audiences hanging on every single word and chord. Whittling this mass of great music down hasn’t been easy but after much internal debate, I have landed on a Top 50 Albums and Top 100 songs list for 2022. The songs will come in playlist form later in the countdown along with a roundup of my favourite EPs and live shows of the year, but for now let’s get into the best LPs that the year had to offer.

As ever, these 50 albums come from a multitude of genres (pop, rock, indie, hip-hop, R&B, electronica, shoegaze, punk and post-punk - it’s all here!) so although there is a good chance you won’t enjoy everything on this list, hopefully there is at least something for everyone to enjoy. Of course, the variety also makes it very difficult to rank one above the other, so don’t get too hung up on the placements. Generally, I’ve favoured the albums that:

Had the biggest impact on me and the wider music world in the last 12 months

Had ambition or something unique to offer

I played the most during the year

Ultimately produced the best front-to-back listening experience

Got it? Good.

Here’s the first 10 albums that made the cut:

50. Ghosts on Tape by Blood Red Shoes

Kicking things off then at #50, we are going right back to the start of the year as Brighton-based indie-rock duo Blood Red Shoes released, for me, a career-best effort.

Ghosts On Tape is a cohesive and imaginative record, packed wall-to-wall with fun, atmospheric bangers, with the pair pushing their sound into fascinating new territory whilst still managing to bring it altogether into a tightly sewn, coherent package. It all makes for a mightily entertaining experience, like hopping on a Ghost Train you’ll just want to ride on again and again.

Best tracks: Morbid Fascination, Sucker, Comply

Listen here

49. Alpha Games by Bloc Party

2022 was the year Bloc Party got their mojo back. Whilst the band’s 2016 album Hymns still had its moments, it very much reflected a band going through a transition. With Alpha Games though, it was thankfully a different story, with this one marking their first record with Louise who is now a permanent fixture on the sticks.

Although it is far from a perfect record as it still contains a few niggles, if you’ve ever been a fan of Bloc Party’s work there is plenty to enjoy here. The songs are great and the band sound rejuvenated, with the new line-up finally finding their groove with one another. So, whilst it may not hit the heady heights of Silent Alarm, it certainly beats Hymns and as one of my all-time favourite bands, this one was always likely to make the final cut.

Best tracks: If We Get Caught, By Any Means Necessary, Of Things Yet To Come,

Listen here

48. Better With You by KAWALA

An album that grew on me massively throughout 2022, KAWALA really do have a sound like no other. This one came alive during festival season and has pretty much remained in regular rotation since that point. Here’s what I said about the album back in March:

“Centred on a consistent aesthetic of catchy Afrobeat-influenced grooves, led by the dual lead vocal harmonies of frontmen Jim Higson and Dan McCarthy, Better With You is the sound of a band getting ready to hit their stride…

This is a solid debut for KAWALA with both flashes of promise and plenty of fun tunes to be found. You do get the sense the band have another level they can hit, and although they don’t quite get there on Better With You, that is something they can explore in the future. Right now though, this is the ideal launch pad and a summer-ready debut for fans to enjoy.”

Best tracks: Sailor, Never Really Here For Long, Searching

Read my full review for Gigwise here

Listen here

47. Islands by Josef Salvat

Aussie singer-songwriter Josef Salvat has always been one of the most underrated voices in pop and he proved it again in 2022 on his shimmering third album, Islands. Darkly personal but with vibrant synths and killer hooks, there were few better pure pop records this year. Here’s what I said all the way back in February:

“Salvat is now creating as an independent, having left Sony after the release of his sophomore album Modern Anxiety. The result is a record that, despite it largely being crafted during lockdown, sounds unfettered and more liberated than any of his previous work. The moody ballads have been mostly sidelined this time around, with Salvat instead crafting an upbeat pop record that boasts vibrant production, catchy melodies and emotionally-charged songwriting.

Islands is a triumph and easily Josef Salvat’s strongest album so far. Free of major label pressure, he has finally delivered the captivating pop album you feel he’s always wanted to make. Calling back to his own words on the title track, Josef is now exactly where he needs to be—and he’s never sounded better.”

Best tracks: The Drum, Islands, Sunbeams

Read my full review for Gigwise here

Listen here

46. The Present Is A Foreign Land by Deaf Havana

Back from the brink of extinction, Deaf Havana delivered their excellent sixth album in 2022 that was as heartbreakingly personal as it was anthemic. Here’s what I had to say back in July:

“In its simplest terms, The Present Is A Foreign Land is the soaring stadium rock of Bruce Springsteen colliding with the moody, self-reflective pop of The 1975, but it is also much more than that.

Narratively the album tells the story of the band’s last three years, taking the listener through their whole challenging ordeal, unfiltered. At various stages, the brothers confess to their existential crises, relationship breakdowns, alcoholism, mental health issues and other intensely personal struggles. It can be a dark listen at times, but thankfully the uplifting nature of the music and splashes of hopefulness stop it from ever being too overwhelming.

Overall, The Present Is A Foreign Land is a magnificent rebirth – a deeply personal record from beginning to end, simply brimming with all the heart and resilience the brothers could muster.”

Best tracks: Nevermind, Kids, Someone/Somewhere

Read my full review for Gigwise here

Read my interview with Deaf Havana on the making of the album here

Listen here

45. Now or Whenever by Spector

An album that I proclaimed as “the first great record of 2022” back in January, it may have taken Spector seven years to finally release the follow-up to their glorious sophomore album Moth Boys (the record I named as my Album of the Year back in 2015), but Now or Whenever was well worth the wait. Steered by Fred Macpherson’s wildly unique, astute lyricism and Jed Cullen’s masterful guitar work, Now or Whenever is Spector delivering another soaring collection of poetic and wonderfully crafted indie anthems.

Due to the gap between their last two records and the narrative of the band changes, many publications at the time described this album as a “rebirth” for Spector, but for me this album was never that at all. This is simply one of the best indie bands of the last decade creating the great songs they always have done.

Best tracks: Funny Way of Showing It, This Time Next Year, Catch You on the Way Back In

Listen here

44. The Dream by Alt-J

I’m pleased to say that Alt-J finally emerged from the shadow of their incredible, Mercury Prize-winning debut An Awesome Wave in 2022. Now whilst fourth album The Dream may not quite stand shoulder-to-shoulder with that record, it was certainly a big step up from its two predecessors and easily their second-best outing to date.

From cinematic overture Bane, to groovy singles U&ME and Hard Drive Gold, through to the wonderfully quirky moments like Philadelphia, some of the band’s most interesting work is littered across this one. However, the record really shines for me in some of the quieter moments, with the beautifully understated Get Better and Cormac McCarthy inspired Happier When You’re Gone arguably the best of the bunch.

A big bounce back after Relaxer, The Dream is an engaging front-to-back listen with plenty flashes of both beauty and intrigue.

Best tracks: Get Better, Philadelphia, Bane

Listen here

43. Reeling by The Mysterines

Arriving earlier this year in a quieter week for new music releases, I’m so glad I found this debut from Liverpool rock quartet The Mysterines, as it proved to be one of the finest first outings all year. Packed throughout with seismic grunge riffs, big festival-ready anthems and powerful lead vocals from frontwoman Lia Metcalfe, this is a moody and assured debut that will have you moshing out in no time.

Basically, if you were to create a venn diagram with classic bands like Nirvana, Hole and Sonic Youth, and more modern ones like Arctic Monkeys and Nothing But Thieves, you’d probably find The Mysterines floating around in the middle sweet spot. Opening on the full throttle roar of Life’s A Bitch (But I Like It So Much), the four-piece spend the next 40 minutes ripping things up and packing a punch with their intoxicating bluesy rock sound. It makes for a thrilling listen, with plenty of sonic nods to classic rock bands of years gone by, but also a freshness brought about by their own palpable youthful energy.

Best tracks: Still Call You Home, Hung Up, All These Things

Listen here

42. CRASH by Charli XCX

In 2022, the career of experimental pop genius Charli XCX really did come full circle. Having made the original (and still arguably the best) lockdown record in the form of the Mercury Prize-nominated How I’m Feeling Now, CRASH sees Charli turn everything up to 11 and go all out with an album that is just pure wall-to-wall pop bangers. I did originally consider not including this, but there really is no denying just how joyously infectious this album is and, as a result, it has easily been one of my most played records of the year.

CRASH is an album that sees Charli strike the balance between hit-making machine and visionary pop artist. Although at times it can feel like it is built to sell, critics and fans of her later work will still find plenty of her own stylistic signature painted across CRASH, with splatters of modern flair and experimental production techniques amongst the big, polished 80s throwback numbers.

Also, what CRASH lacks in How I’m Feeling Now’s instant and lasting impact, Charli makes up for with fun, playful pop and very few duff moments. Singles Good Ones and You Used To Know Me are mightily catchy, the collaborations with Christine & The Queens, Caroline Polachek and Rina Sawayama all continue to pop off, and there’s plenty of quite intriguing new cuts too such as the late-night quiet rave of Move Me and the dream-pop melancholy of Every Rule.

So whilst I wouldn’t say this is her best project, it is still one of the finest pop records of the year and a solid culmination of - and testament to - Charli’s career to this point.

Best tracks: Good Ones, You Used To Know Me, Every Rule

Listen here

41. Ribbon Around The Bomb by Blossoms

Is it just me or has this album massively flown under the radar this year?

Whilst I appreciate the Stockport indie rockers have set the standard pretty high with their discography so far and the tracks here may not marry up to their catalogue’s biggest singles, Ribbon Around The Bomb sees Blossoms achieve greater artistic maturity with some of their most finely constructed songs to date.

I’m also fully convinced they simply don’t know how to make a bad record at this point, as this is another thrilling 35-minute listen that boasts catchy, instantly timeless songs from start to finish. Ode To NYC will hook you in straight away, a romantic love letter to The Big Apple driven by sweet harmonies and galloping acoustic guitars. Born Wild is another highlight, a hugely cinematic number that draws comparisons to some of The War On Drugs’ recent material. Single Care For still sounds great too, with its 70s flair and swooning, string-tinged melody.

However, it is in the back end of the track list where the best songs really start to appear. Cinerama Holy Days is a wonderful Northern Soul-inspired number, with its upbeat piano melody and cooing backing vocals. Edith Machinist will then have you checking you haven’t accidentally put The Coral on instead (in a good way), before closer Visions delivers an epic seven minutes of bluesy guitars, soaring strings and exquisitely crafted laidback grooves.

With nostalgic sounds, cinematic production and superb songwriting, in another year this one could’ve easily ended up a little bit higher.

Best tracks: Visions, Cinerama Holy Days, Ode to NYC

Listen here

The countdown continues on Sunday with #40-31!

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