advertisement


Your albums of the year '22

The Smile- A Light for Attracting Attention.
Michael Head and the Red Elastic Band- Dear Scott.
And two latecomers, as i have only recently listened to the m enough.
Bill Callahan- Reality.
Lee Scratch Perry- King Scratch. If re-issued compilations are allowed.
 
01) Simon Joyner - Songs from a Stolen Guitar
Very nicely produced with the accompaniment of electric guitar, vibraphone, the dabs from the piano, the scratchy viola, the drums often played with the brushes only, thus remaining in the background, but thereby giving the record a subdued, but very warm atmosphere and providing the right amount of tension. But Simon Joyner is no stranger to conjuring up entire landscapes with the most sparing means and only two or three chords. Plus the scratchy, scraping vocals, and the great songs as always.
Great record from one of my old favorites.

02) Abigail Lapell - Stolen Time
Already the fourth album of the Canadian singer-songwriter. Wonderful balance between beautifully-reduced, intimate songs and a rather diverse instrumentation with guitar, piano, lap steel, harmonica, but also viola or French horns. Very atmospheric, the vocals sometimes reminiscent of Natalie Merchant. Just the right amount of retro influences that make for a seductive Seventies folk vibe.

03) King Hannah - I'm Not Sorry, I Was Just Being Me
Great debut album! A duo from Liverpool, but with a rather American sound: dark, psychedelic, mysterious and sublimly menacing and sinister. Mazzy Star, Cowboy Junkies, Portishead, P J Harvey and quite strongly She Keeps Bees (which I appreciate very much) are shining through.

04) Jake Xerxes Fussell - Good and Green Again
Jake Xerxes Fussell's new album - his fourth since 2015 and again released on Paradise of Bachelors - is once again superb. Produced by James Elkington, a bit more lushly arranged than its predecessors, but this album is again a long, quiet flow, with that voice so warm and engaging, conveying peace and soul, somehow out of time.

05) Friendship - Love the Stranger
Alt-country band from Philadelphia/Pennsylvania that I only got to know with this record, although this is obviously already their fourth record. Nice warm sound, often with pedal steel and Wurlitzer in the background; nothing is rushed here, everything meanders quietly along with enough space and time, an album of the sublime small moments.

06) Dawn Riding - You're Still Here
Again a wonderful sound with the reduced arrangements, the light dabs of horns and pedal steel and the discreetly used feedback. A very soulful record, only just behind "Last Spring" from 2019.

07) Nina Nastasia - Riderless Horse
Incredibly strong return after 12 years. A disturbingly raw and sparse album, but that's what makes it so haunting and powerful.

08) Ian Noe - River Fools & Mountain Saints
Very good album, with a very warm and full sound, instrumentally versatile and rather fully produced compared to its great predecessor. "Between the Country" in its unadorned urgency is a bit closer to me, though.

09) S.G. Goodman - Teeth Marks
Once again produced by Jim James (My Morning Jacket). The sound this time a bit more straightforward, but also more diverse than on the great, much sparser 2020 debut album "Old Time Feeling". Her southern roots still shine through every crack, though.

10) Melissa Carper - Ramblin' Souls
Completely out of time with its blend of western swing, rockabilly and country. Nice vibes, and the hooks and melodies grab me from the first note.
 
01) Simon Joyner - Songs from a Stolen Guitar
Very nicely produced with the accompaniment of electric guitar, vibraphone, the dabs from the piano, the scratchy viola, the drums often played with the brushes only, thus remaining in the background, but thereby giving the record a subdued, but very warm atmosphere and providing the right amount of tension. But Simon Joyner is no stranger to conjuring up entire landscapes with the most sparing means and only two or three chords. Plus the scratchy, scraping vocals, and the great songs as always.
Great record from one of my old favorites.

02) Abigail Lapell - Stolen Time
Already the fourth album of the Canadian singer-songwriter. Wonderful balance between beautifully-reduced, intimate songs and a rather diverse instrumentation with guitar, piano, lap steel, harmonica, but also viola or French horns. Very atmospheric, the vocals sometimes reminiscent of Natalie Merchant. Just the right amount of retro influences that make for a seductive Seventies folk vibe.

03) King Hannah - I'm Not Sorry, I Was Just Being Me
Great debut album! A duo from Liverpool, but with a rather American sound: dark, psychedelic, mysterious and sublimly menacing and sinister. Mazzy Star, Cowboy Junkies, Portishead, P J Harvey and quite strongly She Keeps Bees (which I appreciate very much) are shining through.

04) Jake Xerxes Fussell - Good and Green Again
Jake Xerxes Fussell's new album - his fourth since 2015 and again released on Paradise of Bachelors - is once again superb. Produced by James Elkington, a bit more lushly arranged than its predecessors, but this album is again a long, quiet flow, with that voice so warm and engaging, conveying peace and soul, somehow out of time.

05) Friendship - Love the Stranger
Alt-country band from Philadelphia/Pennsylvania that I only got to know with this record, although this is obviously already their fourth record. Nice warm sound, often with pedal steel and Wurlitzer in the background; nothing is rushed here, everything meanders quietly along with enough space and time, an album of the sublime small moments.

06) Dawn Riding - You're Still Here
Again a wonderful sound with the reduced arrangements, the light dabs of horns and pedal steel and the discreetly used feedback. A very soulful record, only just behind "Last Spring" from 2019.

07) Nina Nastasia - Riderless Horse
Incredibly strong return after 12 years. A disturbingly raw and sparse album, but that's what makes it so haunting and powerful.

08) Ian Noe - River Fools & Mountain Saints
Very good album, with a very warm and full sound, instrumentally versatile and rather fully produced compared to its great predecessor. "Between the Country" in its unadorned urgency is a bit closer to me, though.

09) S.G. Goodman - Teeth Marks
Once again produced by Jim James (My Morning Jacket). The sound this time a bit more straightforward, but also more diverse than on the great, much sparser 2020 debut album "Old Time Feeling". Her southern roots still shine through every crack, though.

10) Melissa Carper - Ramblin' Souls
Completely out of time with its blend of western swing, rockabilly and country. Nice vibes, and the hooks and melodies grab me from the first note.
Interesting list thanks @stefane, plenty to explore there. I discovered Jake X F this year, love his sweet, mystical folk blues thing.
 
01) Simon Joyner - Songs from a Stolen Guitar
Very nicely produced with the accompaniment of electric guitar, vibraphone, the dabs from the piano, the scratchy viola, the drums often played with the brushes only, thus remaining in the background, but thereby giving the record a subdued, but very warm atmosphere and providing the right amount of tension. But Simon Joyner is no stranger to conjuring up entire landscapes with the most sparing means and only two or three chords. Plus the scratchy, scraping vocals, and the great songs as always.
Great record from one of my old favorites.

02) Abigail Lapell - Stolen Time
Already the fourth album of the Canadian singer-songwriter. Wonderful balance between beautifully-reduced, intimate songs and a rather diverse instrumentation with guitar, piano, lap steel, harmonica, but also viola or French horns. Very atmospheric, the vocals sometimes reminiscent of Natalie Merchant. Just the right amount of retro influences that make for a seductive Seventies folk vibe.

03) King Hannah - I'm Not Sorry, I Was Just Being Me
Great debut album! A duo from Liverpool, but with a rather American sound: dark, psychedelic, mysterious and sublimly menacing and sinister. Mazzy Star, Cowboy Junkies, Portishead, P J Harvey and quite strongly She Keeps Bees (which I appreciate very much) are shining through.

04) Jake Xerxes Fussell - Good and Green Again
Jake Xerxes Fussell's new album - his fourth since 2015 and again released on Paradise of Bachelors - is once again superb. Produced by James Elkington, a bit more lushly arranged than its predecessors, but this album is again a long, quiet flow, with that voice so warm and engaging, conveying peace and soul, somehow out of time.

05) Friendship - Love the Stranger
Alt-country band from Philadelphia/Pennsylvania that I only got to know with this record, although this is obviously already their fourth record. Nice warm sound, often with pedal steel and Wurlitzer in the background; nothing is rushed here, everything meanders quietly along with enough space and time, an album of the sublime small moments.

06) Dawn Riding - You're Still Here
Again a wonderful sound with the reduced arrangements, the light dabs of horns and pedal steel and the discreetly used feedback. A very soulful record, only just behind "Last Spring" from 2019.

07) Nina Nastasia - Riderless Horse
Incredibly strong return after 12 years. A disturbingly raw and sparse album, but that's what makes it so haunting and powerful.

08) Ian Noe - River Fools & Mountain Saints
Very good album, with a very warm and full sound, instrumentally versatile and rather fully produced compared to its great predecessor. "Between the Country" in its unadorned urgency is a bit closer to me, though.

09) S.G. Goodman - Teeth Marks
Once again produced by Jim James (My Morning Jacket). The sound this time a bit more straightforward, but also more diverse than on the great, much sparser 2020 debut album "Old Time Feeling". Her southern roots still shine through every crack, though.

10) Melissa Carper - Ramblin' Souls
Completely out of time with its blend of western swing, rockabilly and country. Nice vibes, and the hooks and melodies grab me from the first note.

Great list - goes to show that interesting new music is out there…..
 
Great thread with some great album suggestions. Looking to take me into 2024 before I get through them all.

My 2022 top 10 as follows (in no particular order). A mixture of indie/folk/singer-songwriter, electronic and jazz, with a generally chilled-out theme running through, which seems to reflect my listening preference these days (Charlotte Adigéry a notable exception though - some proper dancefloor bangers on there!):

1. Bonobo - 'Fragments'

2. Silvana Estrada - 'Marchita'

3. Kennebec - 'Without Star or Compass'

4. Pedro The Lion - 'Havasu'

5. Tomberlin - 'I Don't Know Who Needs To Hear This'

6. Svaneborg Kardyb - 'Over Tage'

7. Charlotte Adigéry - 'Topical Dancer'

8. Fazer - 'Plex'

9. Daniel Rossen - 'You Belong There'

10. Florist - 'Florist'

I think 2022 was a great year for music for me and there are a handful more I could easily have added to this (Julia Jacklin, Aldous Harding and Chip Wickham to name a few). @stefane you have just reminded me that the Jake Xerxes Fussell album should really have been on my list too, but I completely forgot about that being a 2022 release when shortlisting. Lovely album.

Now to get back through these 6 pages and do some listening...
 
A few (ok, more than a few) I've loved from 2022:

Fujiya & Miyagi - Slight Variations, I don't think they've put a foot wrong over their career. Gutted I was ill and missed them on the last tour.
Pneumatic Tubes - A Letter From The Treetops, fella from Midlake releases an album on Ghost Box. It kinda reminds me of Boards Of Canada, if they used acoustic instruments - same sort of nostalgic vibe to it. Their cover of People Make The World Go Round was a surprising win too.
The Smile - A Light For Attracting Attention. Alos check the brilliant remix Dennis Bovell has done of The Smoke.
Sault - Air. TBH it's the first one that has really clicked with me - I'm getting big David Axelrod and Charles Stepney influences on it.
Bitchin Bajas - Bajascillators, one for the Reich/Riley/Berlin school fans
Gabe Gurnsey - Diablo, another cracker from the former Factory Floor member
Ibibio Sound Machine - Electricity, splendid slice of Afro tinged joyous dance music, this time with an excellent production job by Hot Chip
Working Mens Club - Fear Fear, the debut wasn't a fluke thankfully - this is a winner too.
Howard Hughes Suite - High And Lonesome, ambient pedal steel anyone? If you like Eno & Lanois' Apollo, I'd recommend you give this a go
The Utopia Strong - International Treasure
The Soft Pink Truth - Is It Going To Get Any Deeper Than This, excellent album of psychedelic deep house with disco and ambient touches. The preceding EP, Was It Ever Real is ace too.
Order Of The 12 - Lore Of The Land, Richard Norris' psych folk project
Carmen Villian - Only Love From Now On, strong Jon Hassell vibes on this (that's a very high plaudit from me)
Steve Reich - Reich/Richter, excellent soundtrack to an art installation
Arve Henriksen & Kjetil Husebo - Sequential Stream, kinda jazz, kinda electronica, more than a touch of Jo Hassell about it too.
Wet Leg, properly ace noisy pop album - worth the hype imho
 
Some late additions to my list; both Jack White albums (Entering Heaven Alive and Fear Of The Dawn). They appeared on so many lists I relented and bought the Live At Marshall St box set from Rough Trade. It’s an RT exclusive that features both albums in a nice box with a hell of a good live album from Damian Hirst’s balcony in That London. The hype sticker is excellent: “The appearance of ‘Jack White’ was nothing less than irresponsible… We received numerous noise complaints” The local authority.

The two albums are on crazy splatter vinyl unique to this pressing, the live album, which really is stupid good and amazingly well recorded, black vinyl and without the US ‘tip-on’ sleeve of the other two. The only annoyance is the two albums are missing some inserts from the standard releases (documented on Discogs, not just me). Incoherent inners too; one poly, one paper, one printed card. It isn’t unreasonable at £55 and even though not “limited” to my mind (4k copies) I can’t see it losing value over the long term.

Anyway, very good, plus a nice flat and pretty quiet pressing throughout. I think he’s actually improving from the White Stripes. An amazing guitarist IMO.
 
I had a listen to The Dangermouse/Black Thought release today, rather good with a wonderfully obscure reference to a Thelonious Monk album cover. Recommended, probably not right up there but definitely a contender.
 
NOT TiGHT - DOMi & JD BECK

Maybe not the best of the year, but no-one has mentioned it yet. Enjoyable if not hugely original. File under "Squarepusher plays tunes". Don't be discouraged by the cover photo.

This has really grown on me. The hard copy has just arrived from Blue Note on pink vinyl and it sounds great. Certainly in my top ten for the year in hindsight, and probably in the top three. @Tony L, have a listen if you haven’t already, right up you street I’d say.
 
A bit late to the party!

A couple in my top 5 in 2022 that don't seem to get mentioned are:

Gilla Band - Most normal.
Glorious experimental noise rock, and an amazing live band.

Kathryn Joseph - For you who are the wronged. Minimal, delicate, atmospheric keyboard / piano singer song writer. First saw her supporting Mogwai.
 
My two favourites from last year have been repressed on vinyl, Oren Ambarchi’s Shebang and Kali Malone’s Living Torch. Latter is the best bit of drone work I’ve heard in years, lovely.
 


advertisement


Back
Top