dmathias25 of 2022
This year I attempted to slow down my music listening and really connect with a few albums instead of consume as much as I could. It made for one of my favorite years in music. Below are my top 25, some honorable mentions, some I don't plan on returning to, and some that I need to listen to from this year. |
| 50 |  | Black Country, New Road
Ants from Up There
Beginning of "On My List to Check" |
| 49 |  | Pool Kids
Pool Kids |
| 48 |  | Late Night Cardigan
Life Is Bleak and It's My Cheat Day |
| 47 |  | Alvvays
Blue Rev
Technically I have listened to this one a few times, but I feel like I haven't given it the time it deserves. So on this portion of the list it goes! |
| 46 |  | Everything Everything
Raw Data Feel |
| 45 |  | Domestic Terminal
All The Stories Left To Tell |
| 44 |  | Lizzy McAlpine
five seconds flat
End of "On my list to check" |
| 43 |  | Foxy Shazam
The Heart Behead You
Beginning and end of "Maybe the worst album I've ever heard" |
| 42 |  | Harry Styles
Harry's House
Beginning of "Fell far below expectations" |
| 41 |  | The Dangerous Summer
Coming Home |
| 40 |  | The Dear Hunter
Antimai
End of "Fell far below expectations" |
| 39 |  | Anais Mitchell
Anais Mitchell
Beginning of "These were Fine" |
| 38 |  | Hailey Whitters
Raised |
| 37 |  | Pinegrove
11:11
End of "These were fine" |
| 36 |  | Molly Tuttle
Crooked Tree
Beginning of Honorable Mentions |
| 35 |  | John Moreland
Birds In The Ceiling |
| 34 |  | Jenny Hval
Classic Objects |
| 33 |  | Gregor Barnett
Don't Go Throwing Roses in My Grave |
| 32 |  | Owel
The Salt Water Well |
| 31 |  | Big Thief
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You |
| 30 |  | Overgrow
Walls of Mirrors |
| 29 |  | Christian Lee Hutson
Quitters |
| 28 |  | Darkher
The Buried Storm |
| 27 |  | Emma Worley
Sentimentalist |
| 26 |  | Caracara
New Preoccupations
End of Honorable Mentions |
| 25 |  | Skullcrusher
Quiet the Room
Rating: 3.7
Best Song: You are my House
RIYL: Pretty music
This has the potential to fly up this list, as it's gotten so close to clicking multiple times. One of many incredibly folk releases this year |
| 24 |  | Ian Noe
River Fools and Mountain Saints
Rating: 3.7
Best Song: One More Night
RIYL: Country with a french horn
This whole album is great, but there's a song with a french horn and it's all I ever want to listen to |
| 23 |  | Bartees Strange
Farm to Table
Rating: 3.7
Best Song: Wretched
RIYL:Like every genre
Bartees Strange is so close to creating something consistently phenomenal. This isn't quite it, but boy are there some bangers on here |
| 22 |  | Peregrine (USA-MA)
the awful things we've done
Rating: 3.8
Best Song: the sixtieth harvest
RIYL: Hotelier-core
This album hit hard when I first listened to it, but I haven't found myself in a mental state to want to return to it. Which is good, probably! |
| 21 |  | Jana Horn
Optimism
Rating: 3.8
Best Song: Optimism
RIYL: Minimal folk music
This year has been defined by folk music for me in many ways, and this was the album that kicked that trend off |
| 20 |  | Craig Finn
A Legacy Of Rentals
Rating: 4
Best Song: Messing with the Settings
RIYL: Stoned middled age men making music
Craig Finn does what he does best* (although not exactly his best) |
| 19 |  | Honey Harper
Honey Harper and the Infinite Sky
Rating: 4
Best Track: Heaven Knows I Won't Be There
RIYL: Dreamy country music
Slightly less dreamy and slightly more country than last time |
| 18 |  | Willi Carlisle
Peculiar, Missouri
Rating: 4
Best Track: Peculiar, Missouri
RIYL: Country with a capital C
The images invoked on this album both lyrically and musically make it one of the most genuine country albums I have heard in a long time |
| 17 |  | Regina Spektor
Home, Before and After
Rating: 4
Best Song: Loveology
RIYL: Regina Spektor
The fact that I'm still somewhat considering this a disappointment shows the high level Regina Spektor continues to operate at |
| 16 |  | Proper.
The Great American Novel
Rating: 4.1
Best Song: Shuck and Jive
RIYL: Pissed off political pop punk
You had me at the Mitch McConnell diss track |
| 15 |  | Somewhere South of Here
Leave Me for the Crows
Rating: 4.2
Best Song: Pines
RIYL: Angry yet melodic pop punk (-ish)
It's been rare for a new pop punk (-ish) band to grip me, but leave to a Sput user to figure out how |
| 14 |  | The Delines
The Sea Drift
Rating: 4.2
Best Song: Surfers in Twilight
RIYL: Slowcore folk music
A unique voice and approach to folk while staying ture to the genre |
| 13 |  | Jenna and the Janes
Earth Dog Year
Rating: 4.2
Best Track: Through the Bluffs
RIYL: Sweet, impactful folk
A unique voice and approach to folk while staying true to the genre |
| 12 |  | Saya Gray
19 Masters
Rating: 4.2
Best Song: S.H.T (silent hot tears/send hot tempura)
RIYL:Getting on Johnny's good list
A unique voice and approach to folk while attempting to recreate the genre |
| 11 |  | Grace Cummings
Storm Queen
Rating: 4.2
Best Song: Storm Queen
RIYL: Dark, angry folk music
A unique voice and approach to folk while staying true to the genre |
| 10 |  | Valleyheart
Heal My Head
Rating: 4.3
Best Song: Warning Signs
RIYL: Religious trauma and 2000s alt rock
Music to question your spiritual upbringing to |
| 9 |  | Noah Cyrus
The Hardest Part
Rating: 4.4
Best Song: Noah (Stand Still)
RIYL: Wishing Kacey Musgraves went in a different direction
Nepo baby alert: This has some of my favorite vocals and moments of the year. Very little is done wrong here. |
| 8 |  | CMAT
If My Wife New I'd Be Dead
Rating: 4.5
Best Song: Nashville
RIYL: Throwback to classic country with some melodrama and musical theatre thrown in
"Nashville" is potentially the song of the year and everything else on here follows close. A superstar in the waiting. |
| 7 |  | Lack the Low
God-Carrier
Rating: 4.6
Best Track: Small Windows
RIYL: Art pop, I think, although I have no idea what art pop really is
Spacey, lush, full, orchestral, etc etc etc. How many cliches can I give to an album that defies all cliches? |
| 6 |  | Wunderhorse
Cub
Rating: 4.7
Best Track: Purple
RIYL: Alternative rock that is just good alternative rock
I forgot there was a world of music where music could just be music (not that gimmicks are bad) and this is a refreshing reminder. |
| 5 |  | Gang of Youths
Angel in Realtime
Rating: 4.7
Best Song: spirit boy
RIYL: Rollicking indie rock about dead dads
Ever since 2020, you know a dead dad album with be towards the top of my list. |
| 4 |  | Orville Peck
Bronco
Rating: 5
Best Song: Hexie Mountains RIYL:
Throwback to classic country with some melodrama and musical theatre thrown in (a recurring theme)
Potentially my favorite artist falling at number four should show the strength of what's to come. A trailblazer. |
| 3 |  | Shannen Moser
The Sun Still Seems to Move
Rating: 5
Best Track: Ben
RIYL: Warm, interesting, lush folk music
This favorite contains some of my favorite lyrics of the year, which is quite the claim considering the music that was released this year. It also contains some of my favorite compositions, which is, again, quite the claim considering the music that was released this year. |
| 2 |  | The Wonder Years
The Hum Goes on Forever
Rating: 5
Best Song:You're the Reason Why I Don't Want the World To End
RIYL: Pop Punk that keeps up with you
Once again, The Wonder Years release an album that somewhat outpaces my own existence, but still leaves an incredible mark on me. |
| 1 |  | Ethel Cain
Preacher's Daughter
Rating: 5
Best Song: House in Nebraska
RIYL: Anything in the boygenius era of artists
If you want my essay, check my writing for the Staff Year End list. Simply put: The most impactful album I've heard in 5+ years. |
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