Music: BEST ALBUM OF 2022

[Thucydides]

We have made it another year , co-vid , political turmoil and all!

I found a lot of great music in 2021, and looking forward to 2022 we have some great music coming our way:

FKA TWIGS
Pinegrove
Animal Collective
Mitski
Big Thief (double album)
Beach House
Father John Misty

there’s always some great surprise albums. Mdou Moctar came out of nowhere for me and ended up being my favourite album of the year .

what’s everyone looking forward to in 2022?

Click to read more...

 

[Mikeaveli]

Patiently waiting for the next Jockstrap release

 

[Mantis]

Whatever ††† releases will probably be decent

 

[ItsFineImFine]

I think for me it'll be the debut by English post-punk band Yard Act. They've had a slew of great singles like Fixer Upper and this is shaping up to be as good as New Long Leg by Dry Cleaning was this year.

Curious to see what DMA'S come out with they're improving in a lot of ways as a band despite going a bit more pop.

 

[Saturated Fats]

Already shaping up strong. FKA Twigs, Mitski, Anais Mitchell, Midlake, Spoon early in the year will be highlights. Even more excited for the surprise discoveries, a la Promises in 2021.

 

[Thucydides]

Add Vampire Weekend to the list as a maybe.

 

[Roo Returns]

January 14th is going to be an interesting day with Bonobo, Fit For An Autopsy, and a mixtape from FKA Twigs.

There's a post punk/metal/noise rock band from Winnipeg called KEN Mode who will most likely release two new albums next year whether as a double album or Use Your Illusion style is TBD.

Meshuggah are finishing a new album.

Higher Power, a UK alternative/hard rock band will be releasing a new album.

I think by far to me not only as a huge fan but as a general story will be the new album from the Red Hot Chili Peppers which is confirmed for May. They have John Frusciante back and they make their best music with him. The band has taken a lot of heat the past 4-5 years whether its directed at Anthony Keidis on a personal or technical level, and there's a lot of revisionist history with their legacy and how much they meant to the alt rock movement and 90s. They have a huge stadium tour lined up and it's selling pretty well. Do they become "cool again" like what happens every time there's a gap and they release something with Frusciante, or will they be "too much" for the millennial and streaming generations? Will the album speak for itself or will the aforementioned younger journalists look to tarnish it with all the low hanging fruit ("they're too soft" "not funky enough anymore" "they always sing about California" etc.) that they've been doing the last 4-5 years?

 

[plank]

Alright, let's get this sucker movin'!

Garcia Peoples - Dodging Dues 1/14/22

 

[Saturated Fats]

New LP from The Weeknd is a very enjoyable one. Not perfect, and a few songs are definitely recycled - but he continues to bridge the gap between art-house dance and straightforward pop. 'Every Angels is Terrifying' is a definite highlight.

 

[ShameOnYouZidlicky]

Father John Misty, Beach House, Black Country New Road, Danny Brown, Saba

 

[SuperScript29]

New LP from The Weeknd is a very enjoyable one. Not perfect, and a few songs are definitely recycled - but he continues to bridge the gap between art-house dance and straightforward pop. 'Every Angels is Terrifying' is a definite highlight.

Pretty good album, but definitely a step back from the last two. Other than Gasoline, all the other songs seem somewhat average, whereas in After Hours/Starboy you had plenty of hits and diverse sounds.

 

[Thucydides]

Beach House just released the next 5 songs off their upcoming double album , Once twice melody.

 

[Roo Returns]

I think for me it'll be the debut by English post-punk band Yard Act. They've had a slew of great singles like Fixer Upper and this is shaping up to be as good as New Long Leg by Dry Cleaning was this year.

Curious to see what DMA'S come out with they're improving in a lot of ways as a band despite going a bit more pop.

What did you think of the Yard Act album?

I listened to it last night and while it was decent to good, the talk/narrative sing style was a little too much watered down Sleaford Mods meets King Missile meets Rollins Band for me.

The guitarist is really talented and I think he can drive an album the way John Frusciante from RHCP and Geordie Walker from Killing Joke can but he stood too much in the background while the rhythm section did the full DFA Records meets Peter Hook thing.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

What did you think of the Yard Act album?

I listened to it last night and while it was decent to good, the talk/narrative sing style was a little too much watered down Sleaford Mods meets King Missile meets Rollins Band for me.

The guitarist is really talented and I think he can drive an album the way John Frusciante from RHCP and Geordie Walker from Killing Joke can but he stood too much in the background while the rhythm section did the full DFA Records meets Peter Hook thing.

Guitarist is good but the lyricist is the real star. I think it's fantastic, I'm disappointed they left off one of their two best songs from it (Fixer Upper) but the rest is very good. I've noticed in the live versions of these songs, he's more colourful and adds flavour but the studio ones are for sure more polished.

It is a grower though, some songs like Rich and Land of The Blind took me a while to get into the past few weeks but I've had them stuck and starting to enjoy the new ones too. Probably gonna be a good solid minimum 4/5 for me once I've had enough time and listens to judge it.

On Dry Cleaning's debut, there were a handful of songs I was into soon after launch and another handful I got into months or weeks after launch where they hit later so I expect similar here.

 

[Roo Returns]

Guitarist is good but the lyricist is the real star. I think it's fantastic, I'm disappointed they left off one of their two best songs from it (Fixer Upper) but the rest is very good. I've noticed in the live versions of these songs, he's more colourful and adds flavour but the studio ones are for sure more polished.

It is a grower though, some songs like Rich and Land of The Blind took me a while to get into the past few weeks but I've had them stuck and starting to enjoy the new ones too. Probably gonna be a good solid minimum 4/5 for me once I've had enough time and listens to judge it.

On Dry Cleaning's debut, there were a handful of songs I was into soon after launch and another handful I got into months or weeks after launch where they hit later so I expect similar here.

I agree, I think as a lyricist he's great but I'm personally not in love with his singing. And this is coming from a guy who listens to a lot of bands who don't have traditional and/or have oddball/limited singers.

For a guitarist, the ones I'm really into are the colorful ones; guys who do all kinds of interesting soft to loud and also tonally, dynamically, and electric and acoustic on an album. I mentioned Frusciante and Walker but also people like Page and McGeoh from Magazine/Siouxsie who most people on this board probably won't know.

Just a personal thing, I think Sam Shjipstone the guitarist should be looser and more wild on their next release.

 

[Thucydides]

The new Animal Collective leaked a couple of days ago. Their best album in years . I had kind of gave up on them after “painting with” but this new one is awesome.

 

[John Price]

 

[GKJ]

The new Animal Collective leaked a couple of days ago. Their best album in years . I had kind of gave up on them after “painting with” but this new one is awesome.

Between them and beach house, is it 2009 again?

 

[Thucydides]

Between them and beach house, is it 2009 again?

certainly feels like it. Haha

 

[Thucydides]

 

[Saturated Fats]

I'm not as big a fan of the Mitski album as I'd like to be. There are a few solid, upbeat songs with fun rhythm and some unique atmospheres to them - but too much of the album is muted and moody in a monochromatic way. Disappointing.

Have AC, Black Country New Road, Saba, Cate Le Bon, and St. Paul & the Broken Bones all lined up for listening this weekend.

Thusfar, 2022 has yielded one album that I'd say is almost certain to be high up my EOY list: Perfect Light by 40 Watt Sun.

 

[Thucydides]

I'm not as big a fan of the Mitski album as I'd like to be. There are a few solid, upbeat songs with fun rhythm and some unique atmospheres to them - but too much of the album is muted and moody in a monochromatic way. Disappointing.

Have AC, Black Country New Road, Saba, Cate Le Bon, and St. Paul & the Broken Bones all lined up for listening this weekend.

Thusfar, 2022 has yielded one album that I'd say is almost certain to be high up my EOY list: Perfect Light by 40 Watt Sun.

I’m about halfway through the cate le bon album. I dig it . Let us know what you think of it!
I’ll check out 40 watt sun

 

[ItsFineImFine]

This isn't album of the year or anywhere close material but that new The Sherlocks album has some pretty solid British landfill indie singles on it, the types I took for granted in the 2000s.

 

[Thucydides]

The new Big Thief leaked. This is going to be on a lot of year end lists .

 

[GKJ]

Mitski.