50 Favorite Albums of 2022 Part Three
Featuring mind-blowing records from Kids On a Crime Spree, John Carroll Kirby, Kevin Morby, Cate Le Bon, Denzel Curry, Trick Mist, Sharon Van Etten, Marco Benevento, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Brothertiger.
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Miss an earlier entry in the year-end list? No problemo:
12 Favorite EPs of 2022 w/ Barry Can’t Swim, Pastel, Cold Atlantic, Donny Benét, Jacques Greene, Soshi Takeda, Matthieu Faubourg, Luxury Noise, NewDad, KaySoul, TOPS, and Weather Underground.
50 Favorite Albums of 2022 Part One w/ Artsick, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Brandon Coleman, Bonobo, Spoon, Big Thief, Tony Molina, Cool Maritime, Marci and Sean Thompson's Weird Ears.
50 Favorite Albums of 2022 Part Two w/ Julian Fulco Perron, Built to Spill, Yumi Zouma, Coast to Coast Collective, Vince Staples, Kikagaku Mayo, Erin Rae, Goose, Tourist, and Laura Veirs.
The playlist is updated with three songs from each AOTY candidate. Dive in!
Listen on Apple Music 🎧
Let’s get into it, and if you enjoy something, I’d love to hear from you!
Kids On a Crime Spree - Fall in Love Not in Line
What I said in my review: Eleven years ago, Kids on a Crime Spree released their debut EP, We Love You So Bad, and recording-wise went silent, minus a few singles here and there. On Fall in Love Not in Line, singer and bassist Mario Hernandez, drummer Becky Barron, and guitarist Bill Evans pick up where they left off. Still, their bubblegum pop has more punch, thanks to the analog recording of the set at Hernandez’s home studio in Oakland.
Inspired by the Brill Buiding songwriters of the sixties and Phil Spektor’s Wall of Sound production, the sugar-sweet chugging riffs are drenched in reverb, and the hooks have a timeless quality (think End of the Century, Spektor’s outing with the Ramones). Whether turning quarantine into a classic teen love anthem on “When Can I See You Again?” or the fuzzy surf rock of “Overtaken by the Soil,” there’s more pop diversity here than on their debut EP. Barron’s drum work is especially fun, whether pounding on floor toms or exploding crash cymbals, and supports Hernandez’s tendency to let the bass lead while Evans drops in ringing textures.
Songs Ya Gotta Hear: When Can I See You Again?, Overtaken By the Soil, We’re So Good.
Fall in Love Not in Line is available on Slumberland Records.
John Carroll Kirby - Dance Ancestral
What I said in my review: LA-based pianist, producer, and composer John Carroll Kirby is not one to shy away from a collaboration, having worked with some major artists in the indie and pop world like Frank Ocean, Blood Orange, and Solange. His solo material is where these collaborations shine though, in that Kirby has a genuinely distinct new-age jazz sound that flirts with R&B, but those he chooses to bring along for the ride are sure to make their impression with each project.
For Dance Ancestral, the personnel is pulled back, but Kirby ensures that this outing is just as lush by working with Canadian DJ and producer Yu Su. Look no further than “Pan’s Dance,” a playful number that presents the woodwinds we’ve heard in his previous records, and with a woozy assist from Yu Su, the two take these ideas into new sinuous territory. Another excellent guest appearance comes on “Dawn of the New Day,” which features the legendary ambient artist Laraaji’s signature zither and vocals on the song’s hypnotic refrain and is a perfect song to set the odyssey mood of the album.
Songs Ya Gotta Hear: Pan’s Dance, Repettos for you my Lord, Frog Life.
Dance Ancestral is available on Stones Throw.
Kevin Morby - This Is a Photograph
In my review, I noted that some songs didn’t do much for me, but that may change. A perfect example of giving a record (that I already loved) more time, I’m now including “Disappearing” on the best songs playlist.
What I said in my review: While it’s easy to love the brilliant front half of This Is a Photograph, the album truly shines in its last twenty-five or so minutes. “Rock Bottom” is the most fun song Morby has released since his Ramones tribute “1234” on 2017’s City Lights. It’s great to hear some fuzzed-out guitar again, and the lighthearted romp is filled with clanking cowbells and laughs credited to Tim Heidecker and Alia Shawkat.
“Stop Before I Cry,” a love song written for Crutchfield, highlights the record’s tender finish, and “It’s Over” finds Morby reflecting on the past few difficult years. Closer “Goodbye To Good Times” is a Bob Dylan-esque acoustic number that flows through many ideas, again visiting portraits of Morby’s parents from a long-ago time with mentions of Mickey Mantle and Tina Turner to childhood memories with his sister. Supported by producer Sam Cohen’s lap steel guitar, it’s an authentic blast of nostalgia… This Is a Photograph fills me with joy that I haven’t had in a Kevin Morby album since Singing Saw. His songwriting and lyrics reach a new level here, and aside from a few songs that may still grow on me, Morby has released a cracking mission statement for the next phase of his career.
Songs Ya Gotta Hear: This Is a Photograph, Disappearing, Rock Bottom.
This Is a Photograph is available on Dead Oceans.
Cate Le Bon - Pompeii
What I said in my review: Holing up in a Cardiff house, Le Bon took things to extremes by sealing doors to give herself an “uninterrupted vacuum.” While Le Bon is a phenomenal multi-instrumentalist, Pompeii is written entirely on bass, which dominates with snaky city pop grooves throughout… Pompeii is an exercise in 80s synth work, full of Yamaha DX7s. Still, Le Bon continually casts her own sound that firmly locks the sounds into this early decade, like the cathartic “Moderation” or floating refrain of “Harbour.” Other highlights include the Station to Station-era Bowie sounds of “Running Away” and the roaming closer “Wheel,” but Le Bon’s Pompeii demands complete listens.
Songs Ya Gotta Hear: Moderation, Harbour, Running Away.
Pompeii is available on Mexican Summer.
Denzel Curry - Melt My Eyez See Your Future
What I said in my review: Denzel Curry is never one to repeat himself, morphing into something completely different with each release. While I appreciated his balls-to-the-wall effort with Kenny Beats on UNLOCKED, his latest, Melt My Eyez See Your Future, is easily his best step since 2019’s ZUU. Blending 90s throwback beats from the genre’s golden age with biting verses about living as a black man in turbulent times, the Miami rapper ditches the mosh pit for flowing introspection. Curry brings along a handful of top collaborators, including Thundercat, JPEGMAFIA, and Robert Glasper, to produce. Sure, T-Pain and slowthai show up (“Zatoichi” and its samurai feel is a highlight), but it’s great to hear Saul Williams again for a poetic verse on “Mental.”
Songs Ya Gotta Hear: Melt Session #1 (featuring Robert Glasper), Walkin, Zatoichi (featuring slowthai).
Melt My Eyez See Your Future is available on Loma Vista Recordings.
Trick Mist - The Hedge Maze and the Spade
The Hedge Maze and the Spade by Trick Mist is one of those records that I love but I think it’s best to experience it instead of talking about it. I’ve played it regularly for three months now, and with the cold temps, it’s become an even better experience. Its rawness and creativity remind me of hearing Elbow’s first outing, Asleep in the Back, for the first time twenty years ago. Vocally, Gavin Murphy operates in the same gruff territory as Guy Garvey and can spin just as good of a yarn.
What I said in my review: Built upon loops of field recordings and samples, The Hedge Maze and the Spade is uniquely Irish in its sound and delivery yet presents universal themes of loss, nostalgia, and optimism in difficult times. Suffice it to say, this one has struck a real chord, and I’ve been spinning it constantly ever since.
Songs Ya Gotta Hear: Flagbearer, Boring Bread, Willingdon Island (featuring Elaine Howley).
The Hedge Maze and the Spade is available on Pizza Pizza Records.
Sharon Van Etten - We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong
One of my favorite songwriters of the current era, Sharon Van Etten, is firing on all cylinders again with We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong. When I reviewed the record in May, I didn’t find it as immediate as Tramp, Are We There, or Remind Me Tomorrow. Letting this record digest and move past the sweltering summer when it was released, it’s been the definition of a grower and quickly working its way onto the year-end list. I will note that most “deluxe editions” that follow a record from earlier in the year are usually a waste of time. Maybe I’ll want to hear those demos to celebrate a decade, but I can almost always live without them. We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong’s quick reissue is an acceptance of this notion, as it includes stand-alone singles “Porta” and “Used To It,” both released before the record and not included. Also, including the fantastic previously unreleased song, “Never Gonna Change,” the deluxe version is well worth listening to, as all of these songs are just as good as the record and deserve your attention.
What I said in my review: We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong documents her previous few years of moving coasts, becoming a mother, and navigating relationships during the pandemic. Van Etten didn’t release any singles for the record, instead asking listeners to listen to its 39 minutes as a whole. I know that seems wild for many of you in the social media age, but it’s also the only way to make this album work by strolling through a list of human emotions. For single-worthy material, there’s the classic Sharon Van Etten acoustic brood on “Anything” and the crunchy yet glistening pep talk of “I’ll Try.” But it’s the stuttering acceptance of the penultimate “Mistakes” when Van Etten opens the curtains and lets the record breathe.
It may not be as immediate as Remind Me Tomorrow or Are We There. Still, We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong is a new mission statement and probably the most complete album for Van Etten, who recorded most of the album herself. Even after spinning it a handful of times, there’s plenty more to explore upon further relistens.
Songs Ya Gotta Hear: Come Back, Mistakes, Porta.
We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong is available on Jagjaguwar.
Marco Benevento - Benevento
What I said in my review: When the time came for Marco Benevento to name his new album built upon exuberant sketches and early morning jams, all recorded at his home studio in Woodstock - there was only one answer - Benevento, as a nod to the first solo Beatles record. Like McCartney, Benevento plays almost every note on this set of songs. Unlike Sir Paul’s first solo attempt, Benevento’s somewhat impromptu tunes are fully cooked, serving up a platter of scorching psychedelic hooks just as the summer starts to take off.
Benevento spent the pandemic mining his archives, and while the scraps tie the record together, things more often play out like greatest hits compilation for works we haven’t heard yet. Out of the gate, “Marco & Mimo” is a playful riff on West African psychedelia, featuring jovial percussion by Mamadouba “Mimo” Camara, with Benevento’s wife and children adding vocals on the simple but catchy hook. “At the End or the Beginning” could be placed on an early 00s indie compilation, and no one would assume the song is contemporary with its chunky bass and synth work sounding like something from the preliminary era of LCD Soundsystem’s career.
Songs Ya Gotta Hear: Marco & Mimo, Winter Rose, Do You Want Some Magic.
Benevento is available now on Royal Potato Family.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Cool It Down
What I said in my review: To see the impact that Karen O and Yeah Yeah Yeahs have had on indie music since their last record, one needs to look no further than their homecoming show at Forest Hills Stadium this past weekend. Opening for the group was an all-AAPI women-led lineup with Japanese Breakfast and The Linda Lindas, which would have seemed impossible for an arena show when Karen O burst on the scene. They’re even an indie band in practice now, having signed with Secretly Canadian for their latest, a label that houses many artists influenced by them. As gigantic a legacy Yeah Yeah Yeahs have, with Cool It Down, they aren’t resting on their laurels and show why they’re one of the most vital indie bands of this early century. Here’s hoping for a shorter wait for the next one, but if this is it, Yeah Yeah Yeahs are going out on top.
Songs Ya Gotta Hear: Wolf, Burning, Blacktop.
Cool It Down is available on Secretly Canadian.
Brothertiger - Brothertiger
What I said in my review: Brothertiger’s nostalgia is well-intentioned and never comes off as counterfeit like many vaporwave and outrun acts that mine from the electronic sounds of the 80s and 90s. The authenticity is earned because Jagos doesn’t rely on modern pads or patches and most of the synths and instruments found here are thirty-plus years old. He also isn’t afraid to explore the inherently cheesy vibes that these vintage gadgets present, like the keytar-esque lead on “Tangerine” or the flutes on “Arizona” that sound like a lost level from Donkey Kong Country. On the fantastic album closer “Wallow,” Jagos demonstrates his commitment by teasing Gregorian chants fit for Enigma, one of the corniest things to come out of the Pure Moods era - My only note is I wish the moment lasted longer.
Songs Ya Gotta Hear: Yesterdays (featuring Spencer Chamberlain), Heaven, Torn Open (featuring Yvette Young.
Haha, Mr. Morby definitely picks other places to live outside of the norm with the move back to KC a few years ago. Definitely recommend going back to Harlem River and Singing Saw if you're digging the new one.
Brothertiger was a debate whether to give two spots or combine albums and I decided both records released this year are completely different and deserve their own spots. I'm sure you can imagine Fundies Vol. IV is in my upcoming top ten!
Another killer list! I didn’t know a lot about Morby before he was on Song Exploder, but there’s something about the words to the title track the really got me. I was totally lost in thought. Only his describing his love for-and buying a house- in Memphis snapped me back to reality.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Brothertiger both make appearances on my list later this week. Was listening the video for “Torn Open” this morning. Pure escapist fantasy. It’s bleak up here today; it was just what I needed.