Discover and listen to 110 interesting records from 2022
Please excuse the self-indulgence. I usually post a personal end-of-year list on Twitter and Facebook, but this seems a lot neater and more organised place to do it. And I’ve added Bandcamp links so that you can hear what I’m talking about, too.
A few notes before we pile in. First, this is an EXTREMELY personal selection; there’s a much better survey of the significant albums of 2022 here, MOJO’s Top 50 Albums Of 2022, a list voted for by MOJO’s editors and writers.
Second: yes, I know it’s kind of crazy to have 110 favourite new records in one year. But I did genuinely enjoy all these albums, and I hope it’s useful to give all of them a platform so you can dip in and sample a few good things you might have missed. I’m sure there are plenty more I’ve forgotten; my apologies in advance.
Third: yes, it was hard and weird to try and rank 110 albums. In truth, the order gets pretty arbitrary after the Top 30 or so. How the order works, more or less, is based on what I’ve played most in the past 12 months. I’m not making any objective claims for greatness, exactly, it’s all just a digest of the music that’s given me pleasure in 2022. An aide-memoire to myself, and one that maybe might give you some pleasure, too.
Again, thanks for humouring me. From the top…
1 EIKO ISHIBASHI – DRIVE MY CAR (NEWHERE)
https://eikoishibashi.bandcamp.com/album/drive-my-car-original-soundtrack-with-bonus-tracks
2 OREN AMBARCHI – SHEBANG (DRAG CITY)
3 JEREMIAH CHIU AND MARTA SOFIA HONER - RECORDINGS FROM THE ÅLAND ISLANDS (INTERNATIONAL ANTHEM)
https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/recordings-from-the-land-islands
4 JEFF PARKER – MONDAYS AT THE ENFIELD TENNIS ACADEMY (EREMITE)
https://eremiterecords.bandcamp.com/album/mondays-at-the-enfield-tennis-academy
5 BITCHIN BAJAS – BAJASCILLATORS (DRAG CITY)
6 BILL CALLAHAN - YTI⅃AƎЯ (DRAG CITY)
7 ARCTIC MONKEYS – THE CAR (DOMINO)
8 DANGER MOUSE/BLACK THOUGHT – CHEAT CODES (BMG)
9 KURT VILE – (WATCH MY MOVES) (VERVE)
http://www.ververecords.com/release/kurt-vile-watch-my-moves/
10 DANIEL BACHMAN – ALMANAC BEHIND (THREE LOBED)
11 WILCO – CRUEL COUNTRY (DBPM)
12 JAKE XERXES FUSSELL – GOOD AND GREEN AGAIN (PARADISE OF BACHELORS)
https://jakexerxesfussell.bandcamp.com/album/good-and-green-again
13 JOAN SHELLEY – THE SPUR (NO QUARTER)
14 REVELATORS SOUND SYSTEM – REVELATORS (37D03D)
15 RICH RUTH – I SURVIVED IT’S OVER (THIRD MAN)
16 POLE – TEMPUS (MUTE)
17 HORSE LORDS – COMRADELY OBJECTS (RVNG INTL)
18 HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER – GREETINGS FROM CHARLESTON! (MERGE)
https://hissgoldenmessenger.bandcamp.com/album/greetings-from-charleston
19 SAM PREKOP/JOHN MCENTIRE – SONS OF (THRILL JOCKEY)
20 NATHAN SALSBURG – LANDWERK NO. 3 (NO QUARTER)
21 OREN AMBARCHI / JOHAN BERTHLING / ANDREAS WERLIIN – GHOSTED (DRAG CITY)
22 JEFF PARKER – FORFOLKS (INTERNATIONAL ANTHEM)
23 JACK WHITE – FEAR OF THE DAWN/ENTERING HEAVEN ALIVE (THIRD MAN)
https://officialjackwhite.bandcamp.com/album/fear-of-the-dawn
24 CASS MCCOMBS – HEARTMIND (ANTI-)
25 PSYCHIC TEMPLE – PLAYS PLANET CARAVAN (BIG EGO)
26 MICHAEL HEAD & THE RED ELASTIC BAND – DEAR SCOTT (MODERN SKY)
27 SWAMI JOHN REIS – RIDE THE WILD NIGHT (SWAMI)
28 LUCRECIA DALT - ¡AY! (RVNG INTL)
29 CHRIS FORSYTH – EVOLUTION HERE WE COME (NO QUARTER)
https://chrisforsyth1.bandcamp.com/album/evolution-here-we-come
30 CAROLINE – CAROLINE (ROUGH TRADE)
31 DRY CLEANING – STUMPWORK (4AD)
32 MAKAYA MCCRAVEN – IN THESE TIMES (INTERNATIONAL ANTHEM/XL)
33 PLOSIVS – PLOSIVS (SWAMI)
34 JON SPENCER & THE HITMAKERS – SPENCER GETS IT LIT (BRONZERAT)
https://jonspencerthehitmakers.bandcamp.com/album/spencer-gets-it-lit
35 ELKHORN – DISTANCES (FEEDING TUBE)
36 JAKE ACOSTA – REHEARSAL PARK (HUSKY PANTS)
37 BEYONCÉ – RENAISSANCE (RCA)
38 WET TUNA – WARPING ALL BY YOURSELF (THREE LOBED)
https://threelobed.bandcamp.com/album/warping-all-by-yourself
39 SARATHY KORWAR – KALAK (THE LEAF LABEL)
40 LAMBCHOP – THE BIBLE (CITY SLANG)
41 MARTIN COURTNEY – MAGIC SIGN (DOMINO)
42 ANDREW TUTTLE – FLEETING ADVENTURE (BASIN ROCK)
43 ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER – ENDLESS ROOMS (SUB POP)
https://rollingblackoutscoastalfever.bandcamp.com/album/endless-rooms
44 PRINS THOMAS – 8+9 (PRINS THOMAS MUSIKK)
45 LEYLA MCCALLA – BREAKING THE THERMOMETER (ANTI-)
https://leylamccalla.bandcamp.com/album/breaking-the-thermometer
46 DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS – WELCOME TO CLUB XIII (ATO)
https://drivebytruckers.bandcamp.com/album/welcome-2-club-xiii
47 ELI WINTER – ELI WINTER (THREE LOBED)
48 GHOST POWER – GHOST POWER (DUOPHONIC SUPER 45S)
49 ELVIS COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS (THE BOY NAMED IF) (EMI)
https://elviscostelloandtheimposters.bandcamp.com/album/the-boy-named-if
50 DANIEL VILLAREAL – PANAMA 77 (INTERNATIONAL ANTHEM)
51 ALABASTER DE PLUME – GOLD (INTERNATIONAL ANTHEM)
https://alabasterdeplume.bandcamp.com/album/gold-go-forward-in-the-courage-of-your-love
52 BRIAN HARNETTY – WORDS AND SILENCES (WINESAP)
53 TY SEGALL – HELLO, HI (DRAG CITY)
54 IMARHAN – ABOOGI (CITY SLANG)
55 BINKER AND MOSES – FEEDING THE MACHINE (GEARBOX)
https://binkerandmoses.bandcamp.com/album/feeding-the-machine
56 EARTH ROOM – EARTH ROOM (RELATED STATES)
57 NILS ØKLAND - GLØDETRÅDAR (HUBRO)
58 DANIEL ROSSEN – YOU BELONG THERE (WARP)
59 NEIL YOUNG WITH CRAZY HORSE – WORLD RECORD (REPRISE)
60 OUMOU SANGARÉ – TIMBUKTU (WORLD CIRCUIT)
61 ELIJAH MCLAUGHLIN ENSEMBLE – ELIJAH MCLAUGHLIN ENSEMBLE II (TOMPKINS SQUARE)
https://tompkinssquare.bandcamp.com/album/elijah-mclaughlin-ensemble-ii
62 THEOXENIA – (ADVENTURES IN) STASIS (BANDCAMP)
63 BEN LAMAR GAY – CERTAIN REVERIES (INTERNATIONAL ANTHEM)
64 SAM GENDEL - BLUEBLUE (LEAVING)
65 ANAÏS MITCHELL - ANAÏS MITCHELL (BMG)
66 KENDRICK LAMAR – MR MORALE AND THE BIG STEPPERS (TOP DAWG)
67 EIKO ISHIBASHI - FOR MCCOY (BLACK TRUFFLE)
68 DAPHNI – CHERRY (JIAOLONG)
69 CHRIS ABRAHAMS – APPEARANCE (ROOM40)
70 HORACE ANDY – MIDNIGHT ROCKER/MIDNIGHT SCORCHER (ON-U SOUND)
https://horaceandyon-usound.bandcamp.com/album/midnight-rocker
71 THE SMILE – A LIGHT FOR ATTRACTING ATTENTION (XL)
https://thesmile.bandcamp.com/album/a-light-for-attracting-attention
72 TAPER’S CHOICE – VOLUME TWO (BANDCAMP)
73 HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF – LIFE ON EARTH (NONESUCH)
74 MOOR MOTHER – JAZZ CODES (ANTI-)
75 MOHAMMED MOSTAFA HEYDARIAN – SONGS OF HORAMAN (CENTRIPETAL FORCE)
https://songsofmohammadmostafaheydarian.bandcamp.com/album/songs-of-horaman
76 BILL ORCUTT – MUSIC FOR FOUR GUITARS (PALLILALIA)
https://billorcutt.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-four-guitars
77 BONNY LIGHT HORSEMAN – ROLLING GOLDEN HOLY (37D03D)
https://bonnylighthorseman.bandcamp.com/album/rolling-golden-holy
78 AARON DOOLEY – TRAPPED IN PURGATORY (ISLAND HOUSE)
https://aarondooley.bandcamp.com/album/ih-003-trapped-in-purgatory
79 DOUGLAS ANDREW MCCOMBS - VMAK<KOMBZ<<<DUGLAS<<6NDR7<<< (THRILL JOCKEY)
https://brokeback.bandcamp.com/album/vmak-kombz-duglas-6ndr7
80 ROMÉO POIRIER – LIVING ROOM (FAITICHE)
81 MOLLY TUTTLE & GOLDEN HIGHWAY– CROOKED TREE (NONESUCH)
82 AUNTIE FLO/SARATHY KORWAR – SHRUTI DANCES (MAKE MUSIC)
83 VIEUX FARKA TOURÉ – LES RACINES (WORLD CIRCUIT)
84 JOSEPH ALLRED – THE RAMBLES AND RAGS OF SHILOH (WORRIED SONGS)
https://worriedsongs.bandcamp.com/album/the-rambles-rags-of-shiloh
85 MARY HALVORSON – AMARYLLIS (NONESUCH)
86 TOM SKINNER – VOICES OF BISHARA (BROWNSWOOD)
87 THE WEATHER STATION – HOW IS IT THAT I SHOULD LOOK AT THE STARS? (FAT POSSUM)
https://theweatherstation.bandcamp.com/album/how-is-it-that-i-should-look-at-the-stars
88 NDUDUZO MAKHATHINI - IN THE SPIRIT OF NTU (BLUE NOTE)
89 DEZRON DOUGLAS – ATALAYA (INTERNATIONAL ANTHEM)
90 PANDA BEAR & SONIC BOOM – RESET (DOMINO)
91 CARLOS NIÑO & FRIENDS – LIVE AT COMMEND, NYC (RVNG INTL)
https://carlosnino.bandcamp.com/album/carlos-ni-o-friends-live-at-commend-nyc
92 PARK JIHA – THE GLEAM (GLITTERBEAT)
93 ANTELOPER – PINK DOLPHINS (INTERNATIONAL ANTHEM)
94 BJÖRK – FOSSORA (ONE LITTLE INDEPENDENT)
95 WEYES BLOOD – AND IN THE DARKNESS, HEARTS AGLOW (SUB POP)
https://weyesblood.bandcamp.com/album/and-in-the-darkness-hearts-aglow
96 ONEIDA – SUCCESS (JOYFUL NOISE)
97 MAPACHE – ROSCOE’S DREAM (INNOVATIVE LEISURE)
98 TOMMASO MORETTI – INSIDE OUT (BACE)
99 KALI MALONE – LIVING TORCH (PORTRAITS GRM)
100 NAS – KING’S DISEASE III (GOOD MUSIC)
101 ROBERT STILLMAN – WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE AMERICAN? (KIT/ORINDAL)
https://archaicfuturerecordings.bandcamp.com/album/what-does-it-mean-to-be-american
102 JEREMY CUNNINGHAM / DUSTIN LAURENZI / PAUL BRYAN - A BETTER GHOST (NORTHERN SPY)
103 PLAID – FEORM FALORX (WARP)
104 BILLY STRINGS – ME/AND/DAD (ROUNDER)
105 HERMANOS GUTIÉRREZ - EL BUENO Y EL MALO (EASY EYE SOUND)
https://hermanosgutierrez.bandcamp.com/album/el-bueno-y-el-malo
106 MARY LATTIMORE & PAUL SUKEENA – WEST KENSINGTON (THREE LOBED)
107 SAM PREKOP – THE SPARROW (TAL)
108 PUSHA T – IT’S ALMOST DRY (GOOD MUSIC)
109 THE DESLONDES – WAYS AND MEANS (NEW WEST)
110 ARP – NEW PLEASURES (MEXICAN SUMMER)