JohnnyoftheWell
Hugh G. Puddles
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2022 Q2: recap_of_Well

Hello hi, the year is halfway finished. Damn. Been a good'un so far in my book, definitely a cut above 2021 and possibly edging it out over 2020. What happens next? Could it be the strongest year since 2018 *or earlier* ?? Tbc. Meanwhile here is my list of shit you've missed and shit you've heard from the year so far - hope you find something to enjoy, hit me up if there's anything I missed! All is unranked
1Anathema
Judgement


>>>>>ACE STUFF YOU [maybe] HAVEN'T HEARD YET
2Asian Glow
Stalled Flutes, means


Emo / lo-fi / post-rock

Asian Glow's wilderness of trepidation (...) now comes with a zillion more levels and some of the best folktronica in the game right now - this record is a rush and a saturation and an overload and you should love it.

FFO: Parannoul, the Microphones

Check: Look Close, Nose the Reflection
3Dai Dai Dai
Maybe Perfect


Noise Pop, Breakcore

The most cracked group in idol drop probably their finest work to date. Maybe Perfect is broken as all fuck and doesn't quite hit their highest highs, but it makes up for it with versatility (read: an absolutely riot of an anything goes tracklist). 30 mins of shiteating grinblasting chaos.

FFO: Lauren Bousfield, Machine Girl

Check: Lase
4Dissidente
The War on Two Fronts


Skate punk, melodic hardcore

Ripping riffin pissed as all hell chug-happy skakepunk YES, all you guitarmusic kids get on this immediately.

FFO: Belvedere, A Wilhelm Scream

Check: first two songs bby
5Earthless
Night Parade of One Hundred Demons


Heavy stoner shit

Demonic stoner paradise mmmhm yeah baby let those jams FLOW thru the night.

FFO: [I don't listen to enough shit like this tbqh] Green Milk From the Planet Orange, Les Rallizes Denudes

Check: opener. There are 3(!) songs.
6Hatis Noit
Aura


Acapella / modern classical

Astonishing vocal powerhouse taps into all manner of styles and layerings, brings a storm. Not a record that fares best in prose - check my review if you want more, but soak this up without thinking too hard.

FFO: Julia Holter's good albums, (sigh) Bjork

Check: Angelus Novus, Inori
7Honningbarna
Animorphs


Hardcore

Ripping noisy hardcore. Danceable. Fun. Bangers. Extremely sput-viable.

FFO: United Nations (sigh) Turnstile

Check: Jeg Har Lyst, Ah Blis
8Macaroom
Inter Ice Age 4


Ambient pop / indietronica

Still chewing over this, but it's a pretty cogent next step for them. Much closer to ambient pop than anything else they've done; less gratifying, more atmospheric but overall probably their most cohesive record (excepting track 6, which we don't talk about). Two of their best non-album tracks find themselves reworked here, mostly for the better. Lovely.

FFO: Piana, Hinako Omori

Check: Yakan-Hikou, Nemurini
9Material Girl
i85mixx21-22


Experimental hip-hop

Fuck me, writing on this record is exhausting. Incredible record that works between hip-hop, jazz and jungle and somehow gets the best out of all three. Also a stirring emotional journey, and makes several wilfully awkward vocal choices as such. Well worth heavy repeats for anyone prepared to take it as more than superficial.

FFO: Injury Reverse

Check: opener
10Mondo Grosso
Big World


J-pop, J-hip-hop, house, R&B, the other ones

Probably the best straight-up pop record of the year so far - this thing covers all bases with disarming consistency. House, hip-hop, shoegaze, R&B, sugarshit - it's all there, and it all bops.

FFO: POP

Check: Forgotten, Crypt
11Otoboke Beaver
SUPER CHAMPON


Hardcore

Kyoto foursome return tighter and fiercer than ever. Some fantastic savagery, some manic hilarity, some *both of above*, all in barely over 20 breakneck minutes.

FFO: Midori, (fuck idk) Ging Nang Boyz

Check: PARDON, I am not maternal
12Pan Daijing
Tissues


Ambient / drone

Opera/drone project ft. vocal fuckage and dense atmos and acoustic-digital tradeoff fuckage. Very good.

FFO: Julia Holter (Aviary), Fire! Orchestra, actual ambient shit

Check: second and third parts
13Say Sue Me
The Last Thing Left


Dream pop / surf rock

Cutest record of the year, probably. Say Sue Me take their songwriting chops up like a zillion levels and dish out an adorable blend of dream pop and surf rock that I mostly love quite a lot. Lovely.

FFO: Lightning Bug, The Raveonettes

Check: We Look Alike, The Last Thing Left
14Shapeshifter (JPN)
Dark Ritual


Grind / hardcore / sludge / noise

17 minute fuckfest with delicious pacing and crisp prod. Mmmyes

FFO: Magrudergrind, Brutal Truth

Check: Hereditary, Hollow
15Springtime (AUS)
Night Raver


Noise rock

Gareth Liddiard and co. raise some fresh hell on this. We're treated to proper noizboiz fire and brimstone, masterclass storytelling, and slow-motion cardiac arrest in turn. Fantastic EP, easily one of the year's finest.

FFO: Tropical Fuck Storm, (sigh) Swans

Check: ...it's an EP, pal. Last track if you need a tease.
16Yaya Kim
a.k.a YAYA


Art pop, dark cabaret, trip-hop

One whip wielding cabaret-ready banger after another - for 2.5hrs. One of the easiest musical journeys of this length I've taken and *well* above the level of every other bloated double album that the critical circuit has been jerking it to this year. Recommended as widely as poss

FFO: Lee Sang Eun, Fiona Apple (When the Pawn...), Shiina Ringo (Kalk Samen), Portishead (s/t)

Check: Anger is My Power, Samsara
17Yune Pinku
Bluff


Breakbeat, house

4 catchy bops in 2 solid genres. Great songwriting, great prod, great tones, absolutely zero excuse not to peep this. Excited to see where she goes from here.

FFO: Doss

Check: DC Rot, Bluff
18Anathema
Judgement


>>>>SOLID STUFF YOU'VE ALREADY HEARD
19Black Country, New Road
Ants From Up There


Indie chamber post rock bollocks

This has been so lauded by certain people who really should know better that I was tempted to put it in the bottom tier, but it is ultimately Very Good Stuff. Best Arcade Fire album since Neon Bible, smartly written, sensitively performed yaya. Some of the late game crescendoes aren't all that, but it's a strong showing from this bunch of hipster fucks.

FFO: Arcade Fire, The Killers, Coldplay

Check: Concorde, The Place Where He Inserted the Blade
20Cave In
Heavy Pendulum


Grunge, stoner/sludge metal

To be honest, I may have overrated this off the strength of its production and overall consistency of songs - it's got a lot of corn and is almost certainly overlong, but it's still a damn good time.

FFO: Alice in Chains, Mastodon

Check: Searchers of Hell, Wavering Angel
21Cloakroom
Dissolution Wave


Nu-gaze nu-grunge nu-emo darlings dish out their most succinct record to date and mmm it hits the spot.

FFO: Nothing, Hum

Check: Dottie Back Thrush, Dissolution Wave
22Cult of Luna
The Long Road North


Post metal

It's a Cult of Luna album, it gets a token mention. It is maybe the most token mention this band have ever gotten from me. You've probably heard this by now if you need it in your life.

FFO: Isis, Amenra

Check: Blood on Stone
23Dir en Grey
Phalaris


Progressive metal / true death metal

As practically everyone has agreed by now, the new DEG is not the best DEG - but boy, does that opening run rip. Drops off around the middle, but this as entertaining as any of the whiplash ~~metal~~ craziness with this band's name on it.

FFO: (sigh) Opeth, the good Mike Patton albums

Check: Schadenfreude, 13
24Drug Church
Hygiene


Post hardcore

Angsty loud band makes good loud angsty album. Yus.

FFO: PUP, Quicksand

Check: Million Miles of Fun
25The Gathering
Beautiful Distortion


Alternative rock

Lovely comeback from the best band in the game. Not their best by a long shot, but enough to prove they've still got it. Looking forward to soundtracking many an autumn daydream to this.

FFO: Anathema, Goldfrapp

Check: Black is Magnified, In Colour
26Gospel
The Loser


Post-progcore

Solid skramz band makes solid prog album. The keys are silly at points, but not silly enough to ruin what's ultimately a damn strong record.

FFO: City of Caterpillar, Off Minor

Check: SRO, Warm Bed
27Melody's Echo Chamber
Emotional Eternal


Psychedelic

Lovely prod, lovely arrangements, lovely songs, lovely MELODIES, delicious breezy psych and a compact runtime yes please.

FFO: The Flaming Lips, (sigh) Tame Impala

Check: Looking Backward, the Hypnotist
28Perfume Genius
Ugly Season


Art pop / modern classixxxal

Beautiful spread of styles, super engaging piece that has somehow filtered almost all the right people. Maintains a "soundtrack" sensibility at zero cost of its kinetic dance side. Solid shit.

FFO: Julia Holter, Talking Heads, Pan Daijing

Check: Eye in the Wall, Photograph
29Rolo Tomassi
Where Myth Becomes Memory


Mathcore / Post-post rock

Rolo Tomassi kick out crescendocore and usher in intense back-and-forths. Their new album is a vision, almost their finest to date and a solid improvement on TWD. This is the one time we should all get down with the core kids this year.

FFO: Pupil Slicer, (sigh) Spiritbox

Check: Mutual Ruin, Prescience
30Saidan
Onryō II: Her Spirit Eternal


Black metal

garascore of the year. Cheesy metal barnstormers done exactly right, lovely prod too. We at Sputnik overhype a lot of mediocre black metal borefests, but I promise you this one is the real blast.

FFO: (UH) Sacramentum, early Children of Bodom

Check: Girl Hell 1999, opener
31Spoon
Lucifer on the Sofa


Indie

Surprisingly mature compilation of small dick energy indie cliches. Solid performances all round, several highly memorable tracks - recommended all round.

FFO: The Strokes, The Veils

Check: My Babe, Lucifer on the Sofa
32Utada Hikaru
Bad Mode


J-pop / R&B / Anglo-pop

I might have undervalued this one a little bit. Japanese superstar Utada Hikaru may not be pushing the boat out all that much (with a few significant exceptions), but this is mostly another solid tracklist of comfort R&B jams + a much-appreciated introspective longboi + a BOP!

FFO: Tinashe, Lee Bada

Check: Find Love, Not in the Mood
33Yeule
Glitch Princess


Glitch pop

Near perfect snapshot of skincrawling dissociated bedroom meltdown. Glich pop masterpiece; massive moment of affirmation for all traditional associations with that label. Unflinchingly uncomfortable self-portrait of beautifully marginal identity. Best pop in the game when it bothers with pop. Still the record to beat this year.

FFO: Macaroom, Tujiko Noriko, Hannah Diamond

Check: Friendly Machine, Bites On My Head
34Anathema
Judgement


>>>OTHER WORTHWHILE GEMS
35Asian Glow and Weatherday
Weatherglow


Noise pop / emo / lo-fi

Explosive creative energy all round on this collab. Not so much in the way of robust songwriting, but the highs are high and the Vibe is infectious and wonderful
36Biteki Keikaku
BITEKI


J-pop / indie pop

C l a s s y jpop + way too much makeup. Big vibes
37Della Zyr
Vitamins and Apprehension


Shoegaze / dream pop

Damn, this is a little on/off, but it's a wonderful debut and packs a few moments of wonder. Definitely an artist I'll be watching - wonderful to hear more acoustic sounds in shoegaze
38Foxtails
Fawn


Skramz / emo

The only skramz + strings you need in your life right now
39Grace Cummings
Storm Queen


Folk / country

More of a playlist raid album than something you'll want on repeats, but the good bits here have Force
40Hinako Omori
a journey...


Ambient ""pop""

It is a JOURNEY mmmyes! Lovely - gorgeous vocals. Beautiful sounds
41Kraus
Eye Escapes


Shoegaze

More Kraus is good Kraus. It all still sounds the same, but who's to complain. Not quite on par with last year's record.

Fuck I just remembered I need to check the new Animal Ghosts UH
42Moon Pics
Memoria


Shoegaze

Lovely generic shoegaze warmhug mmmm
43Napalm Death
Resentment is Always Seismic...


Grind / industrial

Super fun ep, big fuckage
44Shearwater
The Great Awakening


Indie

Slow grower, slow murky mood, strong vibes, overall solid stuff. Has been described as """artsy""" lol beware
45Side Out
Change of Turn


Skate punk / melodic hardcore

Yes please more speedin riffin skatepunk
46Skee Mask
A


Ambient techno / breaks

Outtakey outtakes from techno champion with good outtakes
47Smams
UD1


Breakcore

Lovely creative warphouse from this obscure project whose *new* new album I still need to hear YIKES
48Soichi Terada
Asakusa Light


House

Good wilfully basic house, strong nightwalk energy
49sonhos tomam conta
insolação


Shoegaze / emo

Wasn't sold on the new STC full-length, but this EP has a lot of the best things I've heard from her
50Vaura
Vista of Deviant Anatomies


Experimental industrial fuckshit

Experimental project remembers how to experiment. Exciting.
51Anathema
Judgement


>>OVERHYPED
52Ado
Kyōgen


J-pop

Ado has the hype, mainstream clout and talent to be the future of J-pop but damn, this grab bag of (mostly) familiar tropes is way too long and (mostly) way too well behaved
53Animal Collective
Time Skiffs


In?die

Band should have stayed buried
54Blut Aus Nord
Disharmonium - Undreamable Abysses


Black metal

Irritating as hell drum production, huge immersion breaker. A lot of interesting aesthetic ideas here, but it's a one trick pony and the drum issue sinks the whole package.
55Burial
ANTIDAWN EP


!!!AMBIENT!!!

...so how much of this do *you* remember?
56Gang of Youths
Angel in Realtime


Indie bollocks

Proper wet blanket material; a limp addition to the largely worthy canon of dead-dadcore
57Kaizo Slumber
The Kaizo Manifesto


Baby breakcore

lame nerd shit
58Pinegrove
11:11


Indie

The most milquetoast band in indie makes a new record
59PUP
The Unraveling of PUPTheBand


Pop punk

A lot of crit has (rightly) been levelled at the production on this, but those songs? Seriously? Band has lost it - their scathing lyrics sound rote and their hooks are mostly lazy. Hope this will initiate a wake-up call.
60Tomberlin
i don’t know who needs to hear this...


Indie folk

Strong contender for the most boring record I have heard this year
61White Ward
False Light


Blackgaze / baby's first doomjazz

see: blurb to 30
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