Top 10 Albums 2022
Another year flies by with so many excellent music releases. So as we head into a new year, which will make place for more great music, it’s time to preserve this year’s fruits.
This year I was lucky enough to get new albums from artists that I’ve loved for a long time, but also to discover new sounds and voices. This top 10 list combines those two findings.
Continue reading to see my favourite albums of the year. You can also listen to the Spotify playlist which collects the highlights from all albums.
10. The Family - Brockhampton
This release marks the end of a remarkable era. The boy band has been through a some rough patches in the latest years, so this ending was only a matter of time. And although this album feels more like a Kevin Abstract project, it still represents what Brockhampton was all about; organic experimental beats with authentic expressive lyrics.
With Kevin being the only voice, we get a one-sided story where he delves in the band’s history and looks forward into their future trajectory. The Family feels short and underwritten, but the sentimental value of this closing project makes me go back to the Saturation trilogy. It’s been a trip, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
9. The Patience Fader - Pan-American
I listen to a lot of ambient music, but it’s rare for me to be so engulfed into one album. The Patience Fader has guided me through so many writing sessions, meditations, and wild naps. The project takes time to grow. it doesn’t have any standout tracks, but it’s all about the trip it takes you on. For me it leads me, time and again, to a place of peace and serenity.
8. Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers - Kendrick Lamar
It had been a while since Kendrick released new music. He had disappeared out of the spotlight for a while, and nobody knew what his new sound would be. So when he teased the release of a double album, I was convinced it’d be classic. The album came out while I was walking the Santiago de Compostella. I listened to it, front to back, first thing in the morning. Some parts of the album sucked me in thematically, but didn’t blow me away sonically. Songs like “We cry together” or “Auntie Diaries” actually pushed me away. I wondered if listening to someone’s raw healing journey was good for me while being on my own. After that first spin, I didn’t listen to the project for a while.
Half a year later, the album hasn’t had a second full spin yet. It’s hard to argue why I appreciate this album so much. I guess it’s more the idea than the execution that keep me coming back. For someone to go through the depths of his own demons and share that darkness with a hint of light seems awfully brave and admirable. Kendrick is a true artist that doesn’t conform anymore. This album further cements his legacy on the game.
7. Last Night in the Bittersweet - Paolo Nutini
“You’re so cool, you’re so cool, you’re so cool…” After eight years Paolo Nutini returns just like that. His songwriting varies between heartwarmingly beautiful and stone cold cool. Paolo’s range is incredibly wide on this record.
6. Asphalt Meadows - Death Cab for Cutie
Asphalt Meadows left a deep impression on me. I was unfamiliar with Death Cab for Cutie, but their sound immediately showed their maturity as a band. Songs like “Roman Candles”, “Here to Forever” or “I Miss Strangers” are impossible to get through without mouthing the lyrics. Those lyrics are highly poetic but reach a highpoint at “Foxglove Through the Clearcut”. An impressive record with a unique sound!
5. Gold - Alabaster Deplume
Alabaster Deplume is an artist like no other. His music is kinda weird, but hey, I like weird. Lyrics are rather sparse on here, but that only adds more weight to the limited ones we get. On “Don’t Forget You’re Precious” he reminds us how occupied we are with remembering useless information, but we too often forget we’re precious. His sound is soothing but insisting.
In “Fucking Let Them” we hear what sounds like a live slam performance fading into a tune that jerked me into motion. Throughout the album we hear this back and forward between quirky and thoughtful wordplays. We get a real glimpse into the mind of Alabaster Deplume. It might not be always flowing or easy to listen to, but the message of Gold is loud and clear: GO FORWARD IN THE COURAGE OF YOUR LOVE!
4. Dawn FM - The Weeknd
With Dawn FM, Abel expands his musical universe past this life and into the realms of the hereafter. The album is supposedly a follow up on After Hours (my #1 of 2020). Jim Carrey narrates the voice guiding us to the afterlife. Although I loved hearing him appear on the album, some of his moments proved to be a dealbreaker for me. This proves to be the case on “Every Angel is Terrifying”. The Weeknd builds up to a beautiful releasing moment, just to get it shut down like an ad interrupting a movie in the cinema. You don’t expect it, and because of that, you spitefully endure it because there’s no way out.
Besides this limbo-esque narrative, Abel focuses on what he does best: sing about love, the ending of it and the memories that led to it. The beats are full of synths, bright, and pop enough to gain radio time. Yet it still appeals to less mainstream audiences.
I love this second instalment for what it is, but I look out eagerly for what it’s setting up to come!
3. Naermere - Ane Brun
From the first note, this album grabbed me by the throat. Ane Brun is a Norwegian singer/songwriter, and sings, yes in Norwegian. It’s fair to say that I linguistically understand nothing. Despite the language barrier, the album oozes its fragility and beauty through so many different aspects. The instrumentals form a warm and accoustic stage for the star of the show: Ane’s lilting vocals and theatrical arrangements.
There are a couple of songs that sparked my interest to research a translation. “Fingeravtrykk” is one of those. The depth of the lyrics gave this song a new meaning. I originally had formed my own interpretation of the song based on the sound. But I couldn’t have gauged the depth that the lyrics brought to the table. True poetics, and I say that knowing that I probably read a weak literary translation.
This album gave me such a vast field of emotions to explore… and I’m not done yet.
2. Multitude - Stromae
What monster of a record! Stromae proves with this one why he’s the maestro. On Multitude he explores the person who he is, but it’s especially the coming together of different sounds that paint the full picture. The range that he delves in, is nothing short of amazing. “Santé” is incredibly danceable, “Bonne journée” is ridiculously fire, and “L’enfer” is simply jaw-dropping.
Multitude allows you to travel around the world through your music player. There are very few projects I know that are able to do that. This is Stromae’s masterpiece!
1. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You - Big Thief
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You is quite an impressive title, but it does the album justice. This is an absolutely stunning body of work. I was already enchanted by Adianne Lenker’s solo material, so when I recognized her voice as Big Thief’s lead vocalist, I was immediately hooked. I wondered what the band had to offer more than her solo work - it proved to be a lot.
DNWMIBIY is a sprawling double-LP with 20 songs. It digs into the deepest elements and possibilites of Big Thief. Adianne’s songwriting and the bands organic music interwine to create something really special.
The opening track “Change” has become the anthem of this year and lived rent-free in my head. During my vipassana I kept coming back to the lyrics of this song, since they were so relevant to the idea of impermance. “Promise Is a Pendulum” shows such openness and truth, “Certainty” captures everything Big Thief represents, and “Spud Infinity” is just so much fun! I could go on about every song and explain why it’s so good, but it boils down to this: Amazing thought-provoking lyrics, catchy quirky tunes, and a bigger picture narrative. An album to be cherished.
Extra’s:
The Car - Arctic Monkeys
Yesterday is Heavy - Lil Silva
Greenzone 108 - Greentea Peng
Fragments - Bonobo
5 to the Eye with Stars - R.A.P. Ferreira
