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 |
1 | | Anathema Judgement
>>>>>ACE STUFF YOU [maybe] HAVEN'T HEARD YET |
2 | | Asian 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 |
3 | | Dai 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 |
4 | | Dissidente 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 |
5 | | Earthless 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. |
6 | | Hatis 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 |
7 | | Honningbarna Animorphs
Hardcore
Ripping noisy hardcore. Danceable. Fun. Bangers. Extremely sput-viable.
FFO: United Nations (sigh) Turnstile
Check: Jeg Har Lyst, Ah Blis |
8 | | Macaroom 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 |
9 | | Material 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 |
10 | | Mondo 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 |
11 | | Otoboke 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 |
12 | | Pan 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 |
13 | | Say 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 |
14 | | Shapeshifter (JPN) Dark Ritual
Grind / hardcore / sludge / noise
17 minute fuckfest with delicious pacing and crisp prod. Mmmyes
FFO: Magrudergrind, Brutal Truth
Check: Hereditary, Hollow |
15 | | Springtime (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. |
16 | | Yaya 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 |
17 | | Yune 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 |
18 | | Anathema Judgement
>>>>SOLID STUFF YOU'VE ALREADY HEARD |
19 | | Black 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 |
20 | | Cave 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 |
21 | | Cloakroom 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 |
22 | | Cult 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 |
23 | | Dir 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 |
24 | | Drug Church Hygiene
Post hardcore
Angsty loud band makes good loud angsty album. Yus.
FFO: PUP, Quicksand
Check: Million Miles of Fun |
25 | | The 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 |
26 | | Gospel 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 |
27 | | Melody'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 |
28 | | Perfume 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 |
29 | | Rolo 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 |
30 | | Saidan 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 |
31 | | Spoon 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 |
32 | | Utada 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 |
33 | | Yeule 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 |
34 | | Anathema Judgement
>>>OTHER WORTHWHILE GEMS |
35 | | Asian 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 |
36 | | Biteki Keikaku BITEKI
J-pop / indie pop
C l a s s y jpop + way too much makeup. Big vibes |
37 | | Della 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 |
38 | | Foxtails Fawn
Skramz / emo
The only skramz + strings you need in your life right now |
39 | | Grace 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 |
40 | | Hinako Omori a journey...
Ambient ""pop""
It is a JOURNEY mmmyes! Lovely - gorgeous vocals. Beautiful sounds |
41 | | Kraus 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 |
42 | | Moon Pics Memoria
Shoegaze
Lovely generic shoegaze warmhug mmmm |
43 | | Napalm Death Resentment is Always Seismic...
Grind / industrial
Super fun ep, big fuckage |
44 | | Shearwater The Great Awakening
Indie
Slow grower, slow murky mood, strong vibes, overall solid stuff. Has been described as """artsy""" lol beware |
45 | | Side Out Change of Turn
Skate punk / melodic hardcore
Yes please more speedin riffin skatepunk |
46 | | Skee Mask A
Ambient techno / breaks
Outtakey outtakes from techno champion with good outtakes |
47 | | Smams UD1
Breakcore
Lovely creative warphouse from this obscure project whose *new* new album I still need to hear YIKES |
48 | | Soichi Terada Asakusa Light
House
Good wilfully basic house, strong nightwalk energy |
49 | | sonhos 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 |
50 | | Vaura Vista of Deviant Anatomies
Experimental industrial fuckshit
Experimental project remembers how to experiment. Exciting. |
51 | | Anathema Judgement
>>OVERHYPED |
52 | | Ado 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 |
53 | | Animal Collective Time Skiffs
In?die
Band should have stayed buried |
54 | | Blut 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. |
55 | | Burial ANTIDAWN EP
!!!AMBIENT!!!
...so how much of this do *you* remember? |
56 | | Gang of Youths Angel in Realtime
Indie bollocks
Proper wet blanket material; a limp addition to the largely worthy canon of dead-dadcore |
57 | | Kaizo Slumber The Kaizo Manifesto
Baby breakcore
lame nerd shit |
58 | | Pinegrove 11:11
Indie
The most milquetoast band in indie makes a new record |
59 | | PUP 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. |
60 | | Tomberlin i don’t know who needs to hear this...
Indie folk
Strong contender for the most boring record I have heard this year |
61 | | White Ward False Light
Blackgaze / baby's first doomjazz
see: blurb to 30 |
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