Let’s do this.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Beach House — Once Twice Melody (EP)
Why: Feels a little like cheating to put this one on here since I know I’ll end up with the full album on my 2022 list, but these EPs have been absolutely wonderful this year.
Knocked Loose — A Tear in the Fabric of Life (EP)
Why: Just absolutely brutal metalcore in the vein of Converge.
Pinegrove — Amperland, NY (Live Album)
Why: Solid live showcase of some of their later material, and I like the versions of these songs more than the album versions for the most part.
Five Pebbles — forgetmenot (EP)
Why: Amazing shoegaze project that combines dream pop, noise, and electronic into one massive monster of awesome.
Various Artists — Through The Soil (Compilation)
Why: Sprawling compilation album of sad boy and sad girl album with some absolute gems scattered throughout.
THE LIST
50. Superbloom — Pollen
Why: 90s. Just listen.
Genre: Grunge
For Fans of: Pearl Jam, Superdrag, Enormous Walk-In Closets Filled to the Brim With Nothing But Plaid
49. Iglooghost — Lei Line Eon
Why: An absolute pivot from his maximalism showcased on Neo Wax Bloom, yet still captivating and deconstructive.
Genre: UK Bass
For Fans of: Andy Stott, SOPHIE, Discovering The Mystery of Stonehenge
48. Kraus — View No Country
Why: Soft and beautiful. Like bathing in static.
Genre: Shoegaze/Dream Pop
For Fans of: MBV, Yo La Tengo, Listening to Noise Machines to Fall Asleep
47. McKinley Dixon — For My Mama and Anyone Who Look Like Her
Why: Jazzy and soulful showing introspection and reflection propelled by an impressive technical delivery.
Genre: Hip-Hop
For Fans of: Boldy James, Terrace Martin, Those Gushers Commercials Except When You Turn This Record On Your Head Is Replaced By A Saxophone
46. L’Orange & Namir Blade — Imaginary Everything
Why: L’Orange is one of the best producers in hip-hop right now and everything he touches is absolute gold. Namir does a fantastic job over top of the beats as well with some solid observational lyricism.
Genre: Hip-Hop
For Fans of: Oddisee, Apollo Brown, Milk Crate After Milk Crate of Records
45. The Joy Formidable — Into the Blue
Why: Just solid songwriting accompanied by walls of guitar, noise, and emotion.
Genre: Indie Rock/Shoegaze
For Fans of: Silversun Pickups, Mew, Also the Pokemon Mew
44. R.A.P. Ferreira — The Light Emitting Diamond Cutter Scriptures
Why: Out of his two records this year, Milo sounds more focused and interesting on this one. Excellent jazz rap from one of the cool cats.
Genre: Hip-Hop
For Fans of: Flying Lotus, Open Mike Eagle, Daveed Diggs’ Character on Kimmy Schmidt
43. Iceage — Seek Shelter
Why: Danish Alt-Country is a good and fuzzy mess.
Genre: Alt-Country/Post-Punk
For Fans of: Tom Waits, Parquet Courts, Eating Spaghetti While Watching Spaghetti Westerns
42. Turnstile — Glow On
Why: Though it does get a little alt-rocky for me at times, the parts that rip really rip.
Genre: Post-Hardcore
For Fans of: Every Time I Die, Title Fight, Reliving 2000s Alternative Radio but Better
41. Andy Stott — Never the Right Time
Why: Not as immediately prescient as his other albums, this one is a grower. Still, the soundscapes created are a fantastic deconstruction of modern dance music.
Genre: UK Bass
For Fans of: Machinedrum, Skee Mask, Seeing The Surface of the Planet in Solaris
40. Parannoul + Asian Glow + sonhos tomam conta — Downfall of the Neon Youth
Why: Absolute raw and crushing. Walls of sound everywhere.
Genre: Shoegaze/Emo
For Fans of: The Newfound Interest in Connecticut, Swirlies, That Twilight Zone Episode Where Mannequins Come To Life For One Day
39. The Weather Station — Ignorance
Why: It’s like lounge Talk Talk.
Genre: Art Rock
For Fans of: Weyes Blood, Helena Deland, Controlling the Weather with Musical Instruments and Grooves
38. Darkside — Spiral
Why: Not quite as funky as their previous output, Jaar and Harrington manage to make a more grounded and tangible feeling record that’s still experimental in its own way. I guess sometimes you can judge an album by its cover.
Genre: Art Rock
For Fans of: Helado Negro, Rival Consoles, Laying Down in the Front Lawn Deciphering Cloud Shapes
37. MIKE — “Disco!”
Why: Just some good lyrical lo-fi hip-hop. Texturally delicious.
Genre: Hip-Hop
For Fans of: Navy Blue, Noname, Big Shaggy Dice Hanging From Your Rearview
36. Godspeed You! Black Emperor — G_d’s Pee AT STATE’S END!
Why: The audacity to hide some of their best music in years behind a title like that.
Genre: Post Rock
For Fans of: Sigur Ros, Labradford, Driving Around Town After a Hard Rain
35. Moor Mother — Black Encyclopedia of the Air
Why: Production and delivery that expand the boundaries of hip-hop. Like jazz transmitted through a black hole.
Genre: Experimental Hip-Hop
For Fans of: Billy Woods, Ka, The Wormhole Pencil and Paper Explanation in Interstellar
34. Grouper — Shade
Why: Liz Harris does it again with an absolutely gorgeous album. Kelso (Blue Sky) might be her best song ever.
Genre: Ambient/Folk
For Fans of: Julianna Barwick, Tim Hecker, Those Dreams You Have Where You Can Fly But Then When You Try To Do It On Command You Just Jump Really Slowly Instead
33. Leon Vynehall — Rare, Forever
Why: Groovy, dark, psychedelic techno that swerves back and forth between lush and minimalist.
Genre: House
For Fans of: Nicolas Jaar, GAS, Dance Scenes in Disco Elysium
32. Injury Reserve — By The Time I Get To Phoenix
Why: Despair and desolation wrapped up in electronic agony, and yet somehow still beautifully touching.
Genre: Experimental Hip-Hop
For Fans of: clipping., William Basinski, Finishing Requiem For A Dream and Wrapping Yourself in The VHS Reel
31. Floating Points + Pharoah Sanders + London Symphony Orchestra — Promises
Why: Jazz-Classical Fusion that starts off slow and builds into something extraordinary.
Genre: Jazz/Classical
For Fans of: Alice Coltrane, Mingus, Bobby Hill Meditating In Front of His Bed
30. Steel Bearing Hand — Slay in Hell
Why: Noisy amalgamation of death/thrash metal riffs and black metal vibes.
Genre: Thrash Metal
For Fans of: Vulture, Vektor, the Weirdest Parts of Ingmar Bergman Films
29. Lukah — Why Look Up, God’s in the Mirror
Why: Production reminiscent of 36 Chambers, though more polished. Still grimy, dark, and synth-laden.
Genre: Hip-Hop
For Fans of: The Wu, Freddie Gibbs, All Gas No Brakes/Channel 5
28. Faye Webster — I Know I’m Funny haha
Why: Comfy slide guitar and melodies. Calming and lush.
Genre: Alt-Country
For Fans of: Joni Mitchell, Big Thief, Old Western Film Marathons on TCM
27. black midi — Cavalcade
Why: More focused songwriting than their previous album and yet still manages to be absolutely twisted, sending its songs off in spiraling directions.
Genre: Prog Rock
For Fans of: This Heat, Lightning Bolt, the Scribble Monster from Doctor Who
26. Mach-Hommy — Pray for Haiti
Why: Fantastic Boom-Bap-esque album that doesn’t overstay its welcome and manages to stay interesting and introspective across the entirety of its runtime.
Genre: Hip-Hop
For Fans of: Roc Marciano, Benny the Butcher, Covering a Canvas with Melted Crayons
25. Little Simz — Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
Why: Slick production that provides bombastic atmosphere for Simz’s bombastic bars. Very lush hip-hop.
Genre: Hip-Hop
For Fans of: Kendrick Lamar, slowthai, 1970s Velour
24. Slant — 1집
Why: Time travel device back to 1980s New York City. Cigarettes, leather, and Punk Rock, yo.
Genre: Punk
For Fans of: Husker Du, Refused, the Podcast Ballad of Billy Balls
23. Moral Collapse — S/T
Why: Tight compositions that absolutely rip.
Genre: Death Metal
For Fans of: Cynic, Gorguts, Beavis and Butthead Headbanging GIFs on Repeat
22. Lil Ugly Mane — Volcanic Bird Enemy and the Voiced Concern
Why: Was kind of blown away that this wasn’t the usual Travis Miller album. Hazy psychedelia that guides you into the void.
Genre: Psychedelic Pop
For Fans of: Dan Deacon, Panda Bear, Animatronic Chuck-E-Cheese Characters
21. Obsolete — Animate//Isolate
Why: Riffs, my dude. Riffs.
Genre: Death Metal
For Fans of: Blood Incantation, Vektor, Making a Moshpit in a Funeral Parlor
20. Ada Lea — One Hand on the Steering Wheel the Other Sewing a Garden
Why: Soulful, mellow songwriting with ear candy melodies and some interesting wrinkles in production.
Genre: Indie/Singer-Songwriter
For Fans of: Destroyer, Courtney Barnett, Wriggling Your Feet in the Sand Along a Creek Bed
19. Armand Hammer + The Alchemist — Haram
Why: Two incredible emcees and a legendary producer. Messy, noisy, bangin’.
Genre: Experimental Hip-Hop
For Fans of: Quelle Chris, Shabazz Palaces, Cage Matches with Jazz Instruments as Weapons
18. Laura Stevenson — S/T
Why: Gorgeous, comforting voice delivering heartfelt lyrics over arpeggio’d guitars. Pure singer-songwriter magic.
Genre: Singer-Songwriter/Indie Rock
For Fans of: Angel Olsen, Julien Baker, The Scene in Eternal Sunshine With The Kitchen Sink Bath
17. Aesop Rock + Blockhead — Garbology
Why: One of the best pairings in hip-hop, Aes and Block build off of each others strengths incredibly well. Garbology is playful in some of the best ways.
Genre: Hip-Hop
For Fans of: Atmosphere, Murs, Owning an Extensive Jansport Collection — One in Each Color
16. A Great Big Pile of Leaves — Pono
Why: These days it feels like an absolute win to just get a nice, comfy indie record. It’s like 2005 all over again.
Genre: Indie Rock
For Fans of: Minus the Bear, Mike Kinsella, …Great Big Piles of Autumn Leaves — I Mean It’s Right There In The Name
15. Navy Blue — Navy’s Reprise
Why: Absolutely phenomenal beats.
Genre: Hip-hop
For Fans of: Earl, Kenny Segal, Taking a Whole Bunch of Sepia Tone Photos
14. Wiki + Navy Blue
Why: Drumless hip-hop can be hit or miss depending on the emcee, and Wiki is one of the best in hip-hop so expect nothing but hits. Navy is also excellent at feeding off of Wiki’s best traits and strengthening them via his production.
Genre: Hip-Hop
For Fans of: Ka, Earl Sweatshirt, Cory Reading Shawn’s Poem About Angela in Boy Meets World
13. Sufjan Stevens + Angelo De Augustine — A Beginner’s Mind
Why: It’s a Sufjan record but with more folk influence and some beautiful hooks.
Genre: Indie Folk
For Fans of: Iron & Wine, Waxahatchee, The Scene In The Office Where Andy Plays Rainbow Connection On Banjo
12. Matt Sweeney + Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy — Superwolves
Why: Chock full of solid songwriting and guitar-work, plus Will Oldham’s voice never misses.
Genre: Alt-Country
For Fans of: Sturgill Simpson, Magnolia Electric Co., Riding Around in Cinematic Mode in Red Dead Redemption 2
11. Low — HEY WHAT
Why: Soundscapes that might as well be the Thanos Snap for how well they deconstruct each other into dust.
Genre: Noise Rock
For Fans of: Daughters, Duster, Getting Tossed Around Inside A Vacuum Cleaner for Infinity
10. Indigo De Souza — Any Shape You Take
Why: Great voice with some excellent riffs and a few spots that will absolutely sink their teeth into your brain forever — the ending of Darker Than Death and the bassline for Hold U come to mind.
Genre: Indie Rock
For Fans of: Lucy Dacus, Alex G, Playing Grim Fandango In 1998
9. Enforced — Kill Grid
Why: Closest thing we’ve gotten to Power Trip in recent years. Absolutely brutal and meshes 80s with modern metal expertly.
Genre: Crossover-Thrash
For Fans of: Power Trip, Municipal Waste, Shotgunning 120 Minute IPA
8. BRUIT ≤ — The Machine Is Burning and Now Everyone Knows It Could Happen Again
Why: Dynamic compositions and songwriting with just the right amount of noise and harshness to keep things from being saccharine. Ascendant and transcendent through headphones.
Genre: Post Rock
For Fans of: Mogwai, Godspeed, The 1973 Film Fantastic Planet
7. Spirit of the Beehive — Entertainment, Death
Why: I like the fuzz. It’s like being wrapped and entombed within lush cotton candy.
Genre: Psychedelic/Indie Pop
For Fans of: Candy Claws, Deerhunter, Absolutely Completely Terribly Awful Song Titles
6. Nala Sinephro — Space 1.8
Why: Stunning soundscapes that drift you off amongst the stars throughout the eight suites. Deconstructed jazz that shows the complexity of the genre through implication and subtlety.
Genre: Nu Jazz
For Fans of: Makaya McCraven, Jaga Jazzist, Planet Hopping Through Velvet Wormholes
5. JPEGMAFIA — LP!
Why: Impeccable production, layered textures throughout, and creative use of sampling. Masterful on the sonic front.
Genre: Experimental Hip-Hop
For Fans of: Injury Reserve, Open Mike Eagle, Using Bandcamp Instead of Spotify
4. Skee Mask — Pool
Why: One of the more captivating IDM records that I’ve listened to in recent memory. Reminiscent of early Aphex Twin but noisier.
Genre: IDM
For Fans of: Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, Crunchy Pixel Art of Wilderness Areas
3. Isaiah Rashad — The House is Burning
Why: While not as many highs as The Sun’s Tirade, which is one of my favorite hip-hop albums ever, this whole record captures its vibe perfectly and executes flawlessly on every track.
Genre: Hip-Hop
For Fans of: Three 6 Mafia, UGK, Grimace From McDonald’s
2. Vijay Iyer Trio — Uneasy
Why: Absolutely beautiful compositions and chemistry between the band members. Much more hopeful yet sorrowful than Iyer’s other headier projects.
Genre: Jazz
For Fans of: Brad Mehldau, Bill Evans, That Moment Lying In Bed After Taking Nyquil When It Finally Kicks In and You Feel All Floaty
1. Origami Angel — Gami Gang
Why: Songwriting that resembles the musical equivalent of ADHD — always moving, constant churning, and addictive as hell.
Genre: Pop Punk/Midwest Emo
For Fans of: Four Year Strong, Hot Mulligan, John Hughes Movies
