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Top 25 Best Albums of 2022: Shouting Within

2022 was a spectacular year for music. From the new Radiohead side project (The Smile) to the virtually unknown debut of Shrieking Violet, 2022 turned out to be on par with 2021 in terms of diversity and brilliance in sonic craft and experimentation. 

Below I rank my favorite albums of the year. The format is: Artist Name - Album Name  ||  Genre  ||  descriptors  ||  Country  ||  Rating. Scroll to the bottom for a playlist of my favorite song from each album.

Hope you find something you like!

Honorable mentions: Death Cab for Cutie - Asphalt Meadows, Porcupine Tree - Closure / Continuation, Ghais Guevara - There Will Be No Super-Slave, Sharon Van Etten - We've Been Going About This All Wrong, Jack White - Fear of the Dawn, Cult of Luna - The Long Road North.

25. Avantdale Bowling Club - Trees  ||  Jazz Rap  ||  mellow, poetic  ||  New Zealand  ||  8.5/10

24. Jesca Hoop - Order of Romance  ||  Indie Folk  ||  playful, lush  ||  USA  ||  8.5/10

23. Imperial Triumphant - Spirit of Ecstasy  ||  Jazz Metal  ||  complex, heavy  ||  USA  ||  8.5/10

22. Destroyer - LABYRINTHITIS  ||  Art Rock  ||  eclectic, poetic  ||  Canada  ||  8.5/10

21. Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers  ||  Conscious Hip Hop  ||  eclectic, philosophical  ||  USA  ||  8.5/10

20. Archive - Call to Arms & Angels  ||  Trip Hop  ||  peaceful, atmospheric  ||  UK  ||  8.5/10

19. Shrieking Violet - Dead Things With Teeth  ||  Post-Industrial  ||  dark, avant-garde  ||  USA  ||  9/10

18. Beach House - Once Twice Melody  ||  Dream Pop  ||  ethereal, melancholic  ||  USA  ||  9/10

17. Naked Flames - Miracle in Transit  ||  Outsider House  ||  uplifting, happy  ||  UK  ||  9/10

16. Mamaleek - Diner Coffee  ||  Experimental Rock  ||  disturbing, frightening  ||  USA  ||  9/10

15. Sunrise Patriot Motion - Black Fellflower Stream  ||  Gothic Rock  ||  surreal, passionate  ||  USA  ||  9/10

14. Hatchie - Giving the World Away  ||  Dream Pop  ||  lush, longing  ||  Australia  ||  9/10

13. Billy Woods - Aethiopes  ||  Abstract Hip Hop  ||  existential, nihilistic  ||  USA  ||  9/10

12. Ethel Cain - Preacher's Daughter  ||  Slowcore  ||  lethargic, funereal  ||  USA  ||  9/10

11. Björk - Fossora  ||  Post-Industrial  ||  avant-garde, complex  ||  Iceland  ||  9/10

10. Natalia Lafourcade - De todas las flores  ||  Singer/Songwriter  ||  passionate, poetic  ||  Mexico  ||  9/10

9. The Smile - A Light for Attracting Attention  ||  Art Rock  ||  anxious, abstract  ||  UK  ||  9/10

8. Just Mustard - Heart Under ||  Post-Punk  ||  noisy, rhythmic  ||  Ireland  ||  9/10

7. Black Midi - Hellfire  ||  Avant-Prog  ||  infernal, energetic  ||  UK  ||  9.5/10

6. Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You  ||  Folk Rock  ||  pastoral, warm  ||  USA  ||   9.5/10

5. 야야 킴 [YAYA Kim] - a.k.a YAYA  ||  Jazz Pop  ||  eclectic, lush  ||  South Korea  ||  9.5/10

4. Black Country, New Road - Ants From Up There  ||  Art Rock  ||  melancholic, epic  ||  UK  ||   9.5/10

3. Backxwash - His Happiness Shall Come First Even Though We Are Suffering  ||  Industrial Hip Hop  ||  manic, disturbing  ||  Canada  ||  9.5/10

2. Daniel Rossen - You Belong There  ||  Progressive Folk  ||  acoustic, introspective  ||  USA  ||  9.5/10

1. Anna von Hausswolff - Live at Montreux Jazz Festival ||  Neoclassical Darkwave  ||  suspenseful, mysterious  ||  Sweden  ||  10/10

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