🎹 Music for this post is the music for this post.
My third year into this journey, I look forward to writing this piece more than ever. It is, however, always more difficult than the others. This year saw music recover from the shroud of our post-pandemic doldrums, with some exceptional albums that are worth your attention. It seems that many EOY 2022 lists have placed Beyoncé’s Renaissance at the top, ostensibly because of its post-pandemic-dance-your-butt-off feel and its admirable nod to many LGBTQ+ artists. That album is, though, lacking in many areas that bring me joy: variety, melody, and suspended chords. Truth be told, too, I would rather hear “I Feel Love” than a sample from it in “Summer Renaissance.” Yes, I’m older than the average Beyoncé fan, but that doesn’t stop me from loving more than my fair share of music from our younger generations. Without further ado, here are my favorite six albums from 2022:
1. The Smile – A Light For Attracting Attention
https://www.thesmiletheband.com/
While the world hasn’t seen a proper Radiohead album since 2016, Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood have created an album that is as exciting to absorb as anything their entire band has ever created. The album is a complete thought — something that invites you to hit play at track one and leave the buttons alone. There’s a sense of well-tuned control in Thom and Johnny’s mix of polyrhythms and composition on this one; it’s got the same sort of approachable balance that made OK Computer a classic, with a set of fresh statements about our current state of affairs that you’d expect.
2. Wet Leg – Wet Leg
It was as clear a year ago as it is today: this is a great album from a great new band. It’s fun, catchy, witty, musical, and everything else you want in rock and pop music. Wet Leg is Devo for the modern age, and deserving of more than the “Indie Pop” label. The world needs more pop music like this, because we need to be able to joke about the state of things while allowing our ears to be tickled.
3. Weyes Blood – And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow
My goodness. The second part of what promises to be an outstanding trilogy, And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow is deserving of far more attention than it’s been getting. Natalie Mering is precisely one-half Joni Mitchell and one-half Aimee Mann, blending not just those voices but their artistic sensibilities. It’s a delightful fusion. Each song is a journey, and your ears will be taken to unexpected places if you allow the songs to simply flow. I can’t wait to hear part three.
4. Harry Styles – Harry’s House
This is the best pure pop album of the year (and of the decade, so far), hands-down. My hope is that it and reinvigorate the genre, which has lacked proper bridges and engaging melody for far, far too long now. Welcome back, pop.
5. Wilco – Cruel Country
Inasmuch as I am a diehard music fan, and diehard music fans are expected to like certain bands, Wilco is not a band that I’ve cherished. It’s always been about Jeff Tweety’s voice. I have certain tolerances for out-of-tune singing in rock music (Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and classic Bob Dylan being my borders), but in classic Wilco, Jeff Tweedy never even seemed to care about being in tune. Well, as it turns out, he does. While it would be great (for me) if Wilco could go back and re-record Sky Blue Sky and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in the vein of Taylor Swift, Cruel Country is ample compensation. It’s as fine an album as they have ever done, with Tweedy’s best singing ever, fantastic ensemble playing (helped, no doubt, by being present in the studio as a proper band), some of the best songwriting the band has ever seen, and topped off with an outstanding audiophile recording quality. Plus, Many Worlds might be the best song of the year, period.
6. Phoenix – Alpha Zulu
If Harry Styles led the year in great pop music, Phoenix provided the follow-through, with superb pop hooks and collaborations with the likes of Ezra Koenig. A warming end to the year, with promises of melody ahead. I look forward to 2023; I’ve a feeling it will be the best year for music in ages.
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