Skip to main content

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

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nimzo's Top 500 Albums of All Time (2023 Edition; Part 1/2)

*Phew...* this was a hard list to put together! I decided to break this into two parts, as I wanted a longer list than I posted last year but need it to be manageable (doin' school at the same time).  This was meticulously put together and thought out. To some it may seem counter-intuitive to rank music, but over time I've developed systems to compare and rate albums based on enjoyment and the impact they've had on me. Nevertheless, this sort of extensive list is very hard to do. In any case, I thoroughly enjoyed the process of making it. A couple of little factoids about this half of the list: Percentage of male vocalists - 50%; female vocalists - 27.2%; male + female vocalists - 12.4%; instrumental - 10%; non-binary - 0.4%. Top sub-genres - Alternative Rock, Post-Punk, Indie Rock, Trip Hop, Art Pop, Industrial. Oldest album on the list -  Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus (1957). The format: #. Artist - Album   ||  genres  ||  Release Year...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ranking Chelsea Wolfe's Discography (Worst to Best)

Similar / relevant lists: Gaian Doom Boxset               Chelsea Wolfe Interview Compilation                 Radiohead Song Ranking Björk Ranking                          The Joy Formidable Ranking Chelsea Wolfe is a strong contender for my favorite artist of all time. Her and the eponymous band's style is versatile, and, contrary to the views of some detractors, not chameleonic; all of her work is very dark and often gothic, but there are many different facets and angles of her own unique darkness that she comes at in her work. Genres she has explored include ethereal wave, dark folk, doom metal, and gothic rock. In this ranking, I will list my favorite studio albums in reverse order. Underneath, I will rank my 50 favorite songs of hers. 8. Mistake in Parting  ||  Alternative Rock  ||  2006  ||  5.5/10 7. Birth ...
2 comments
Read more

25 Best Indie Folk Albums of All Time

Indie folk is a more recent genre than contemporary or avant-folk, coming to prevalence in the 1990s with Neutral Milk Hotel's landmark record In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. I believe there are still many great albums coming out in this style, thus the recent years on many of these releases.  The genre combines the melodic inclinations of indie rock and pop while retaining the poetic songwriting of genres such as chamber and contemporary folk.  25.  Parlor Hawk - Hoarse & Roaring   ||  Indie Folk  ||  2010  ||   USA   ||   8/10 24.  Jordaan Mason & The Horse Museum - Divorce Lawyers I Shaved My Head   ||  Indie Folk, Singer/Songwriter, Avant-Folk  ||  2009  ||   Canada   ||   8/10 23.  Broken Social Scene - Live at Radio Aligre FM in Paris   ||  Indie Folk  ||  2007  ||   Canada   ||...
Post a Comment
Read more