The 2022 David Music Poll Results
1) Beyoncé, Renaissance (35 votes)
2) Taylor Swift, Midnights (32)
3) Florence + the Machine, Dance Fever (18)
4) Harry Styles, Harry’s House (15)
5) Lizzo, Special (13)
6) SZA, SOS (11)
Carly Rae Jepsen, The Loneliest Time (11)
8) Beach House, Once Twice Melody (10)
MUNA, MUNA (10)
Wet Leg, Wet Leg (10)
Runners Up: Maggie Rogers, Surrender (9), Ethel Cain, Preacher’s Daughter (7), Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cool it Down (6), Orville Peck, (6), Big Thief, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You (6)
Notes: This was always going to be a two-way race . . . and it ended up being a surprisingly close one. That said, it wasn’t that much of a race – many people put both Beyoncé and Taylor on their lists. This is Beyoncé’s third time on the list, and the second on top. Taylor now has the record for the most appearances in the top ten, at six. Surprisingly (to me), Beach House now ties Radiohead and The National with its fifth appearance in the top ten. Carly Rae Jepsen has now been on four times, Lizzo and SZA twice. Wet Leg is the only debut act to hit the top ten this year, though keep your eye on Ethel Cain in the honorable mention category; I suspect we’ll see her again.
This year we had 74 respondents to the poll!
My list, Rising to a Fever Pitch
Essential Albums:
Florence + the Machine, Dance Fever
Maggie Rogers, Surrender
Carly Rae Jepsen,The Loneliest Time
Julia Jacklin, Pre Pleasure
Tegan and Sara, Crybaby
Taylor Swift, Midnights
MUNA, Muna
Honorable Mention
Bartees Strange, Farm to Table
The Beths, Experts in a Dying Field
Beth Orton, Weather Alive
Death Cab for Cutie, Asphalt Meadows
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cool it Down
Essential Songs
Florence + the Machine – Free
Taylor Swift – Anti Hero
Maggie Rogers – Want Want, Shatter, and That’s Where I Am
Maisie Peters – Cate’s Brother
Carly Rae Jepsen – Surrender My Heart
Some thoughts:
My album of the year, song of the year, and concert of the year all go to Florence + the Machine – the whole album is a post-lockdown rush, especially the song “Free”. And in concert, Florence leaned into that, as a high priestess of reflective revelry. After that my list is . . . a lot of old favorites (and, it must be said, a lot of white women of a certain age). The highs of Maggie Rogers’ album – I can’t figure out my favorite single, so I listed three – are much higher than the lows of the more mediocre songs. The Carly Rae Jepsen managed to be a surprise since the best single wasn’t released as an early single (in an alternate universe, “Surrender My Heart” would have been as big as “Anti Hero”). Julia Jacklin took me by surprise with the most singular album on my list. Tegan and Sara made me realize I can’t take their music for granted, and I appreciate how they found a midway point between their indie voice and their pop voice. Taylor Swift, as usual, left me torn – there are songs on Midnights that I love (see: “Anti Hero” and “Mastermind”) but there are a lot that I’m completely indifferent toward. That said, no other album demanded I listen to it nonstop this year like this one did, which has to count for something. And Muna gave me queer anthems and pop earworms – can’t argue with that. In the honorable mention category are two old favorites doing solid work, and two not-debuts-but-still-new-to-me artists who remain in steady rotation months after their albums came out. All in all, not a bad year for music.
Bryant P’s Order of the Phoenix
Phoenix, Alpha Zulu
Carly Rae Jepsen, The Loneliest Time
Beyoncé, Renaissance
Taylor Swift, Midnights
Florence + The Machine, Dance Fever
James Vincent McMorrow, The Less I Knew
Len, Airborne to Run
I love seeing your poll every year, and this year I made a point of paying closer attention to the music I've been listening to so I would have something to add. Unfortunately, while some of it was new to me, none of it is new. These are the albums that formed the soundtrack for my 2022:
My Album of the Year (it's older):
The Airborne Toxic Event, The Airborne Toxic Event
Most Listened to Albums:
The Airborne Toxic Event, The Airborne Toxic Event
Thirsty Merc, Thirsty Merc
Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited
David Bowie, Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Us3, Hand on the Torch
Miles Davis, Some Kind of Blue
Flogging Molly, Swagger
Best Discoveries from Previous Years:
The Airborne Toxic Event, The Airborne Toxic Event
Thirsty Merc, Thirsty Merc
Us3, Hand on the Torch
Various Artists, Band Slam (Original Soundtrack)
Michael T lets it Bey
1) Beyoncé, RENAISSANCE
(A distant second)
2) Taylor Swift, MIDNIGHTS
Mike R, Renaissance Man
MY (PERSONAL, SUBJECTIVE) TOP 20 ALBUMS OF 2022:
- Beyoncé, Renaissance
- MUNA, MUNA
- Florence + the Machine, Dance Fever
- Zach Bryan, American Heartbreak
- Maggie Rogers, Surrender
- Rina Sawayama, Hold the Girl
- Carly Rae Jepsen, The Loneliest Time
- Taylor Swift, Midnights
- Phoenix, Alpha Zulu
- Orville Peck, Bronco
- Tove Lo, Dirt Femme
- Dazy, OUTOFBODY
- Kendrick Lamar, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
- Ghost, Impera
- Don McCloskey, The Chaos and the Beauty
- Confidence Man, Tilt
- Titus Andronicus, The Will to Live
- Wet Leg, Wet Leg
- Congrat, The Crane Game
- Gang of Youths, angel in realtime.
BONUS 21ST ALBUM THAT ISN’T AN ALBUM:
- Literally just the song “Cate’s Brother” by Maisie Peters
Everything’s Coming Up Rosalia for Fiona S
No particular order:
Beyoncé, Renaissance
Taylor Swift, Midnights
Rosalia, Motomami
Tears for Fears, The Tipping Point
The Weeknd, Dawn FM
Christopher K’s Batty Choices
Bing bang boom:
Album of the Year: Spiter, Bathe the Babe In Bats' Blood
2. Leather Lung, Dive Bar Devil EP
3. Funeral Chic, Roman Candle
4. Vital Spirit, Still As The Night, Cold As The Wind
5. Acid Witch, Rot Among Us
6.Grand Harvest, Consummatum Est
7. Undeath, It's Time...to Rise From The Grave
8. Clutch, Sunrise on Slaughter Beach
9. Witchery, Nightside
10. Alucard, Nocturne in the Moonlight
11. Tormentor Tyrant, s/t
12. The Bobby Lees, BELLEVUE
13. Dance With The Dead, Driven to Madness
Elizabeth E’s Very Special Episode
Most essential:
Lizzo, Special
Essential:
Taylor Swift, Midnights
Maggie Rogers, Surrender
Harry Styles, Harry's House
Beach House, Once Twice Melody
The 1975, Being Funny in a Foreign Language
Dylan M’s Bey Watch
Casual listener here. But what an honor.
1. Beyoncé, RENAISSANCE
(2. Omar Apollo, Ivory)
Paul G Discovered the Hours…
My most essential album for the DMP this past year did not come out this past year. (It came out in 2003!) But this is the one I listened to more than any other. In fact, way more. Like, it was on permaloop. The Hours soundtrack. Philip Glass Philip Glass Philip Glass Philip Glass Philip Glass Philip Glass Philip Glass Philip Glass Philip Glass Philip Glass Philip Glass got me through the year. The repetitions just soothe, me, what can I say? As for how to listen to this beautiful album, I recommend this thing called a CD. The CD has a slight, pleasant hiss to it—or mine does. Or maybe my CD player is just really crappy.
My #2 album was another oldie: The Grand Budapest Hotel soundtrack, Alexandre Desplat. Also repetitive, also soothing, even magical.
There was also a lot of incidental listening to Lewis Capaldi while I was chauffeuring around my daughter.
Happy 2023, Radioheads!
Hell is for Children, and Zach F
I'm reaching the age now where I've got friends who say (explicitly or implicitly) that there's really no good music being made anymore. I couldn't disagree more. There's always good music being made; as long as there are people left in any corner of the world, there always will be. This is a source of great comfort. I found this year particularly strong.
Most Essential:
Mitski, Laurel Hell
Also Essential:
Taylor Swift, Midnights
Santigold, Spirituals
Bomba Estereo, Deja (technically released end of 2021 but slipped by me)
The Smile, A Light for Attracting Attention
Beach House, Once Twice Melody
Arooj Aftab, Vulture Prince
Spoon, Lucifer on the Sofa
Carmen Villain, Only Love From Now On
David G’s Got the Fever
Florence + the Machine, Dance Fever
Boychik, Boychik
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cool It Down
Lo Moon, A Modern Life
Big Thief, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Wet Leg, Wet Leg
Beyonce, Renaissance
Julie Odell, Autumn Eve
Ezra Furman, All of Us Flames
Los Bitchos, Let the Festivities Begin!
I also liked the new Regina Spektor, Anna Mieke, Ethel Cain, the Sky Ferreira single and the Caroline Polachek EP!!
Phil B, Wild About Harry
Essential Album: Harry Styles, Harry's House
Other Essentials Album: Beyoncé: Renaissance
Essential Single: About Damn Time, Lizzo
Other Essential Single: As It Was, Harry Styles
Best Track on Any Album -- Harry's House, Harry Styles, Track 7, Matilda
Roberto R, Still in the Groove
I'm officially out of touch this year and my only vote goes for Madonna, 50 Number Ones LOLOLOLOL
Hope this gives you something to laugh at!
Alex K-N’s Full Muna
1. Muna, MUNA
2. Beyonce, RENAISSANCE
3. Kelly Clarkson, KELLYOKE
4. Lucius, SECOND NATURE
5. Rina Sawayama, HOLD THE GIRL
6. Maggie Rogers, SURRENDER
7. SZA, SOS
8. Ethel Cain, PREACHER'S DAUGHTER
9. Omar Apollo, IVORY
10. Tove Lo, DIRT FEMME
Kelley S, Weyes Child
- Weyes Blood, And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow
- Skullcrusher, Quiet the Room
- Julien Baker, B-Sides
- Porridge Radio, Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To The Sky
- Wet Leg, Wet Leg
- Big Thief, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
- Woods of Desolation, The Falling Tide
- Brutus, Unison Life
- Maria BC, Hyaline
- Sadness, tortuga
- Hatis Noit, Aura
- Raum, Daughter
- Olhava, Reborn
- Tapani Rinne, Open
- Yuki Murata, Sunny Spot Story
- Ekin Fil, Dora Agora
Daniel H Swears on the Bible
Lambchop, The Bible
Stars, On Capleton Hill
Junior Boys, Waiting Game
Horsegirl, Versions of Modern Performance
Chime School, s/t
beloved songs:
Pedro The Lion, “First Drum Set”
Metric, “Doomscroller"
albums I thought were mediocre back in the day whose glories revealed themselves to me this year:
Portishead, Dummy
Black Box Recorder, England Made Me
Deb H has a point worth sharing here
Can I just nominate Joni Mitchell's appearance at the Newport folk festival and call it a day?
Carrie N Hits the Dance Floor
TOP (two-way tie): Florence + the Machine, DANCE FEVER
Beyonce, RENAISSANCE
Other essential albums:
Rosalia, MOTOMAMI
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, COOL IT DOWN
Taylor Swift, MIDNIGHTS
Harry Styles, HARRY’S HOUSE
Lizzo, SPECIAL
I’d give Best Song to either “King” by Florence, “Bizcochito” by Rosalia, or “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift.
And best lyric/line: “it’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me.” ICONIC.
Aimee’s Queen Lizzo
My top two picks for album of the year:
Lizzo, Special
Taylor Swift, Midnights
Singles that will always remind me of 2022, for a variety of reasons (mostly thanks to TikTok:)
Kate Bush, Running Up that Hill
SZA, Kill Bill
Steve Lacy, Bad Habit
ABBA, Angeleyes
Latto, Big Energy
Paramore, Hard Times
Steve M’s Music Spree
1) Kids on a Crime Spree, Fall in Love Not in Line
2) Anna Erhard – Campsite
3) Starter Jackets, Dead Malls
4) Big Joanie, Back Home
5) Peaness, World Full of Worry
6) The Orielles, Tableau
7) Reginald Omas Mamode IV – Stand Strong
8) Yard Act – The Overload
Maya M’s Special Announcement
Favorite albums:
1. Lizzo, Special
2. Taylor Swift, Midnights
3. Beyoncé, Renaissance
4. Jukebox the Ghost, Cheers
Favorite song:
The Dolly Parton/Kelly Clarkson 9 to 5 duet
Favorite song about how stupid NFTs are:
Million Dollar Bills by Jukebox the Ghost
Kevin K Ran Off with the Spoon
Kevin’s Top Ten Albums of 2022
1. Spoon - Lucifer on the Sofa
2. The Mountain Goats - Bleed Out
3. Christian Lee Hutson - Quitters
4. BODEGA - Broken Equipment
5. Wet Leg - Wet Leg
6. Belle and Sebastian - A Bit of Previous
7. Sloan - Scratch the Surface
8. Phoenix - Alpha Zulu
9. Kevin Morby - This Is A Photograph
10. Nova Twins – Supernova
I also want to provide a link my 2022 Mixtape (90 minutes) on Spotify! Give it a listen and let me know what you think.
Kathleen P Gives this band a Leg up
Wet Leg, Wet Leg
Steve Lacy, Gemini Rights
Beyonce, Renaissance
Plains, I walked with you a ways
Andy P’s Got Styles
1) Harry Styles, Harry’s House
2) Taylor Swift, Midnights
3) Omar Apollo, Ivory
4) Lizzo, Special
5) Maggie Rogers, Surrender
Goldy M Goes with the Flo
Best Albums:
1. Florence and the Machine, Dance Fever
2. Taylor Swift, Midnights
3. Duncan Sheik, Claptrap
4. Conan Gray, Superache
Best Songs:
1. Steve Lacy, "Bad Habit"
2. Taylor Swift, "Karma"
3. Florence and the Machine, "Girls Against G-d"
4. Conan Gray, "Disaster"
5. Lizzo, "2 Be Loved"
Terribeth S’s Mighty Surrender
1) Maggie Rogers- Surrender
2) Taylor Swift-Midnights
3) 1975- Being Funny in a Foreign Language
4) Harry Styles-Harry’s House
Emma L Goes South
Best single: Phoebe Bridgers, Sidelines
Best album: Amy Ray, If It All Goes South
Runner ups are as follows:
-Tegan and Sara, Crybaby
-Plains, I Walked With You a Ways
-Dry Cleaning, Stumpwork
-Big Thief, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Scott T’s a Son of a Beach
Essential Album from 2022
Beach House, Once Twice Melody
Essential Albums discovered in 2022
Vogue.Noir, Strange Days (2018)
Motorama, Dialogues (2016)
Johan Tronestam, Arthur Went Above the Clouds (2016)
Mr. Kitty, Ephemeral (2019)
Clan of Xymox, Spider on the Wall (2020)
Wave Walkers, Kronos21 (2021)
Justine Thee L
Megan Thee Stallion Traumagazine
Beyonce Renaissance
Gianfranco L, Sitting on the Dock of the Bey
2022 Albums:
1. Beyoncé, Renaissance
2. Taylor Swift, Midnights
3. Charli XCX, Crash
4. Rina Sawayama, Hold The Girl
5. SZA, SOS
2022 Soundtracks:
1. Labrinth, Euphoria: Season 2 (Original Series Soundtrack)
2. Adiescar Chase, Heartstopper: Season 1 (Original Series Soundtrack)
3. Jay Wadley, Fire Island (Original Soundtrack)
4. Danny Elfman, Wednesday: Season 1 (Original Series Soundtrack)
5. David Buckley, The Sandman: Season 1 (Original Soundtrack)
6. John Debney, Hocus Pocus 2 (Original Soundtrack)
Best theme song of the year:
1. Cristobal Tapia De Veer, Renaissance (White Lotus Theme Song)
Made me cry:
1. Rihanna, Lift Me Up
Hope no one ever stops dancing to:
1. Donna Summer, Last Dance
Still sticking with me:
1. Olivia Rodrigo, Sour
2. Beyoncé, Homecoming (Live)
Collin R, Raising Cain
TOP ALBUM
Ethel Cain, Preacher's Daughter
Honorable Mentions
Pinegrove, 11:11
Perfume Genius, Ugly Season
Björk, Fossora
Beyoncé, Renaissance
Rosalía, MOTOMAMI
FKA Twigs, CAPRISONGS
SZA, SOS
Carly Rae Jepsen, The Lonliest Time
TOP SONGS
1. Ethel Cain, "Sun Bleached Flies"
2. Pinegrove, "Respirate"
3. Rosalía, "SAOKO:
4. Shygirl, "Coochie (a bedtime story)"
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Perfume Genius, "Spitting Off the Edge of the World"
Matthew U, Salve to the Machine
Before, my most essential picks, I guess there’s no way around what is at the top of most lists. I won’t call it my number 1, but maybe it’s a kind of prelude to the list to admit it is pretty great:
0. Beyonce, Renaissance
And on with my picks, in sort of an order:
1. Florence + the Machine, Dance Fever
2. Orville Peck, Bronco Chapters 1 & 2
3. Metric, Formentera
4. Omar Apollo, Ivory
5. Ethel Cain, Preacher’s Daughter
6. Ingrid Andress, Good Person
And bonus, favorite corny country music line: “I tell myself that I should quit but I don’t listen to drunks” - Parker McCollum, Handle on You
Josh L Goes Big
Allow me to begin with another protest vote for Phoebe Bridgers, Punisher, on the grounds that "did 2020 ever really end?" Also, I am confident that the Boygenius will be the album of the year for 2023, so a whole four years taken care of right here!
But, to follow the rules for 2022:
Big Thief, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You.
Honorable mentions: Dry Cleaning, Stumpwork and Grace Ives, Janky Star.
Unnecessary gloss: Yes, I was late to Big Thief, and so this long-awaited album is getting some lifetime-achievement bump. And yes, it's also a weird, sprawling, flawed album, but I think that honesty and freedom is part of its greatness. Or its extreme worthiness, at least. Adrienne Lenker is her generation's Neil Young; a brilliant songwriter who is powerfully original, genre-switchy, and unafraid to throw a bad song about a dog on a beautiful album or, you know, a cheesy flute part or a Jew's Harp solo.
Songs of the year:
Big Thief, "Simulation Swarm,"
Phoebe Bridgers, "Sidelines,"
Dry Cleaning, "Gary Ashby,"
Amy Ray, "Chuck Will's Widow."
Long live the music poll!
Eugene K, Energized by the Bunny
In no particular order (even tho they’re numbered)
1. Bad Bunny - Un Verano Sin Ti
2. Pusha T - It’s Almost Dry
3. Jay Wheeler - De Mi Para Tii
4. FKA Twigs - Caprisongs
5. Rauw Alejandro - Trap Cake, Vol 2
Favorite singles (some from 2021 or 2020, but I first heard them in 2022):
1. 2:50 Remix - MYA, TINI & Duki
2. Miénteme - TINI & Maria Becerra
3. Dando Vuelta - Akriila
4. Marte - Sofía Reyes & Maria Becerra
5. AYNEA REMIX - FMK, Maria Becerra & Beret
Favorite concert
TINI - The Tini Tour 2022 (in Bogotá)
Aaron H’s BIG shoutout
1. Betty Who, BIG!
2. Carly Rae Jepsen, The Loneliest Time
3. Lizzo, Special
4. Harry Styles, Harry's House
Sarah D’s Listening to Experts
My number 1 essential album is: The Beths - Experts in a Dying Field
Runners Up:
Taylor Swift - Midnight
Harry Styles - Harry’s House
Discoveries from previous years:
My binge watching of Peaky Blinders led me to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and both Blinders and the fantastic series Bad Sisters led me to PJ Harvey (who actually grew up near where I lived in Dorset in the 90’s).
Also belatedly discovered the awesome ska band Dance Hall Crashers.
Preach, Shelly R!
Top album of 2022:
Ethel Cain, Preacher’s Daughter
You give me a concept album with religious iconography, murder and cannibalism, all with a southern gothic vibe and don’t expect me to love it?
4 Other Essential Albums of the Year:
• Ghost, [Message From The Clergy]
• Beyoncé, Renaissance
• Urban Heat, Wellness
• Stromae, Multitude
5 Top Songs of the Year:
• “El Apagón” - Bad Bunny
• “I Am” - Jamie Bower
• “The Good Old Call” - Carpenter Brut
• “Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)” - Concrete Blonde
• “Sands of Time” - The Veer Union
Brant R’s Big Pink
My Essential Albums of 2022:
Wild Pink, ILYSM
Wet Leg, Wet Leg
The Beths, Expert in a Dying Field
Charli XCX, Crash
Nilüfer Yanya, Painless
Alvvays, Blue Rev
Dehd, Blue Skies
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cool It Down
Superchunk, Wild Loneliness
Metric, Formentera
Rival Consoles, Now Is
Natural Brown Prom Queen, Sudan Archives
Beth Orton, Weather Alive
Beach House, Once Twice Melody
Some of My Essential Tracks of 2022:
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Different Today”
Metric, “All Comes Crashing”
The Beths, “Expert in a Dying Field”
Gift, “Lost for You”
Wet Leg, “Being in Love”
Andrew Garden, “Sore Loser”
My Idea, “Baby I'm the Man”
Dehd, “Hold”
Caroline, “Patience Etc…”
Nilüfer Yanya, “Stabilise”
Charli XCX, “Crash”
Phoenix, “Season 2”
Lizzo, “About Damn Time”
Bret McKenzie, “Tomorrow Today”
Smut, “Janeway”
Alvvays, “Tom Verlaine”
Superchunk, “Wild Loneliness”
Beach House, “Hurts to Love”
Braxe + Falcon with Panda Bear, “Step by Step”
Wild Pink “ILYSM“
Yo La Tengo, “There’s No Goodbye Between Us”
Belle and Sebastian, “Working Boy in New York City”
Elder Albums I Found Essential in 2022:
Archie James Cavanaugh, Black and White Raven [1980]
Cinerama, Va Va Voom [1998]
Concrete Blonde, Bloodletting [1990]
Julee Cruise, Floating into the Night [1989]
Tyrone Davis, Turn Back the Hands of Time [1970]
William DeVaughn, Be Thankful for What You Got [1974]
Erasure, The Innocents [1988]
Hoops, Halo [2020]
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Homebase [1991]
Bill LaBounty, Bill LaBounty [1982]
Loggins & Messina, Kenny Loggins with JIm Messina Sittin' In [1972]
John Cougar Mellencamp, Nothin' Matters and What If It Did [1980]
Steve Miller Band, Fly Like an Eagle [1976]
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy [1970]
The Radio Dept., Clinging to a Scheme [2010]
Teenage Fanclub, Shadows [2010]
T. Rex, Tanx [1973]
Ween, Chocolate and Cheese [1994]
Nilüfer Yanya, Miss Universe [2019]
Melissa W’s House Party
I am still basic as hell but let's do this:
Harry Styles, Harry's House
Taylor Swift, Midnights
Discovery/memory from previous year:
David Gray, White Ladder (the 20th reunion tour, postponed by the pandemic, was nostalgia-epic this summer at Pier 17)
It Doesn’t Break Nico M’s Soul
8 of my top 10 plays on my Apple Replay Playlist don't lie...
Beyonce, Renaissance
John A’s Radiant Way
TOP 10:
Warpaint, Radiate Like This
Fontaines D.C., Skinty Fia
Sault, Untitled (God)
The Smile, A Light for Attracting Attention
Angel Olsen, Big Time
Sharon Van Etten, We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong
DIIV, Live at the Murmrr Theater
Momma, Household Name
Panda Bear/Sonic Boom, Reset
Beach House, Once Twice Melody
Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):
Alvvays, Blue Rev
Band of Horses, Things Are Great
Spoon, Lucifer on the Sofa
Bjork, Fossora
Midlake, For the Sake of Bethel Woods
Little Simz, NO THANK YOU
Jockstrap, I Love Jennifer B
SZA, SOS
Just Mustard, Heart Under
Yard Act, The Overload
Animal Collective, Time Skiffs
Daniel Rosssen, You Belong There
Best Discovery from a previous year:
The Verve, A Northern Soul (1995)
Doves, Lost Souls (2000)
Andrew F from A to Bey
Beyonce, Renaissance
Miranda Lambert, Palomino
Ashley McBryde, Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville
Jinny W, Still Broadening My Horizons
1. Columbia Broadcasting Symphony and other orchestras, Lenox Avenue: The Music of William Grant Still. Bay Cities CD released in 1991, and apparently re-released in 2018. William Grant Still (1895-1978) composed more than 200 works and was the first African American composer to be recognized in classical music rankings. Until 1950, his Afro-American Symphony was the most performed symphony by any American composer. I played his "Wood Notes" in a community orchestra in the 1980s. Musicians and recording companies are now trying to catch up. Lenox Avenue is a good starting point.
2. Johnny Gandelsman, This is America: An Anthology 2020-2021. Limited Edition Triple CD with 40-page booklet. The Bandcamp app includes unlimited streaming of the Anthology, plus download in MP3, FLAC and more. Gandelsman, a violinist with the Brooklyn Rider Quartet, commissioned 22 young American-based composers to rise to the challenges of the Covid pandemic, George Floyd's murder, millions of acres burned, election embroilment, increasing unemployment, civic exhaustion. The results are many-voiced, producing more questions and vibrant insights about who we are.
3. Randall Goosby, Roots. Decca 2021. Goosby, violin, and Zhu Wang, piano, both young and dazzling, made the album during the pandemic. The African American composers they've chosen have more than paid their dues. Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson's history moved from Princeton to Alvin Ailey to Max Roach to the Symphony of the New World; Goosby plays his 1979 Blues/Forms for Solo Violin. Florence Price's three pieces stir the heart and raise the voice: Why was much of her work allowed to lie abandoned in a storeroom after her 1953 death until its discovery in 2009? William Grant Still's sculpture-inspired Suite for Violin and Piano may be our new Gershwin, although Gershwin is here, too, as well as bassist-composer Xavier Dubois Foley. Fact: The piano's lower range has 34 notes that the violin can't play. Collaborating pianist Zhu Wang utilizes them to virtuosic and poignant advantage.
Gabriel D, Emotional Creature
In no real order, some albums I've loved this year. OK I guess the Beach Bunny is probably my overall number one album because I have vivid memories of listening to it on the ferry to and from Cape Cod and feeling very alive and engaged with it:
- Beach Bunny - Emotional Creature
- Taylor Swift - Midnights
- Tegan & Sara - Crybaby
- Ethel Cain - Preacher's Daughter
- Florence - Dance Fever
- Maggie Rogers - Surrender
- Hatchie - Giving the World Away
- Sugababes- The Lost Tapes
- RY X - Blood Moon
Albums which deeply disappointed me this year:
- The Mallrat album (load of crap)
- The Shygirl album (meh)
- The Regina album (snooze)
Some of my fave songs of the year:
- Mariah the Scientist - Spread Thin
- Chappell Roan - Casual
- Azealia Banks - I Rule the World
- Beach Bunny - Love Song
- Florence - Free/My Love/Choreomania (I sort of think of them as one long song)
I think empirically the song of 2022 is clearly Ethel Cain American Teenager though.
Dan P’s Swiftly Tilting Planet
Here’s my list:
1. Taylor Swift, Midnights
2. The Weeknd, Dawn FM
3. Orville Peck, Bronco
4. Maggie Rogers, Surrender
5. First Aid Kit, Palomino
6. Muna, Muna
7. Léon, Circles
8. Röyksopp, Profound Mysteries III
9. Harry Styles, Harry’s House
10. Tove Lo, Dirt Femme
Teri Y Has the Time of His Life
Carly Rae Jepsen, The Loneliest Time
Year & Years, Night Call
MUNA, MUNA
I don't feel like I gave Florence + The Machine, Dance Fever a fair shot... off to go correct that now.
Coe B Burns for Burna
2022 was all about Burna Boy for me! LOVE, DAMINI was my jam!
Seriously, nothing even came close.
Jaci M Gets Inspired
this year I’ve swiftly chosen ten singles that I’ve liked a lot.
There are probably ten I liked better but if I stop to consider I won’t end up sending anything. Here they are:
Genesis Owusu - Get Inspired
Telenova - Why Do I Keep You?
Tones and I - Eyes Don’t Lie
Hilltop Hoods - Show Business (Ft. Eamon)
Julia Jacklin - I Was Neon
Julia Jacklin -Love, Try Not To Let Go
Lime Cordiale - Colin
Skeggs - Stranger Days
King Princess - Little Brother [Ft. Foushee]
King Stingray - Lupa
Andrea R’s Taylor-made list
Taylor Swift, Midnights
Beyonce, Renaissance
Blue Rev, Alvvays
Beach House, Once Twice Melody
Muna, Muna
Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny
SOS, SZA
Cassandra P continues the Renaissance fervor
Most Essential Album
Beyoncé, Renaissance
Other Essential Albums, in no particular order
Bad Bunny, Un Verano Sin Ti
Sza, SOS
Michael R. Jackson, A Strange Loop (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cool It Down
Nas, King’s Disease III
Megan Thee Stallion, Traumazine
Lizzo, Special
Rosalía, Motomami
Essential Singles
Paramore, This Is Why
My Chemical Romance, The Foundations of Decay
This is not Goodbye, Jonathan V
For me, 2022 was about revisiting some favorite artists from the past, and exploring ones I'd missed the chance to hear before. I listened to a lot of "new to me" music, but not a lot that was actually new.
Favorite albums of 2022 that were actually from 2022, ranked:
Odesza, THE LAST GOODBYE
Various Artists, AFTER DARK 4
Sasami, SQUEEZE
Beach House, ONCE TWICE MELODY
And Sasami's CALL ME HOME was the song of the year for me, hands-down. But most of what I listened to this year was from before 2022, and in some cases *way before*. Below (still ranked) are my favorite music works that I *heard* for the first time in 2022:
Robert Ashley, PERFECT LIVES (1983) - Check this out on Youtube, it's a TV "opera," a classic of experimental musical theater and video art. I got into it because I was re-listening to Robert Ashley's espionage opera EL AFICIONADO and thinking, "Man, I just love Robert Ashley's voice, I wonder if he ever made something where you get to hear more of it..." Well, you hear more of it in PERFECT LIVES, alright: he narrates the whole thing, with that ASMR drawl of his, while "Blue" Gene Tyranny near-constantly tickles the ivories. You will only need to watch five minutes of this thing to know if (a) you hate it or (b) you will not be able to stop watching it over and over again all year. (You can probably guess which column I fell into...)
Genesis, NURSERY CRYME (1971) - Genesis underwent a gradual transformation over the years--turning its back on prog snobs, and embracing the crowd. This album is squarely from the prog snob era, when the band was still fronted by Peter Gabriel, but not overburdened by his vision. (<cough> LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY! <cough>) NURSERY is extravagant without being overwrought, and it's a LOT of fun, eminently blastable.
The Alan Parsons Project, TURN OF A FRIENDLY CARD (1980) - More ponytail rock. This is a theme album about how life is like gambling--and also,why people *like* to gamble, at roulette tables or otherwise. Like most Alan Parsons Project albums, it's darker than it sounds, with a broad range of styles. I got it on used vinyl that I had to clean with Glass Plus every time I wanted to play it, to prevent it from skipping. I must have gone through half the bottle.
Groove Armada, BLACK LIGHT (2010) - Speaking of a broad range of styles, I rediscovered Groove Armada this year, and eventually realized, hey wait a minute, I literally *never heard* this album somehow. Definitely a new favorite of mine from their catalog, featuring the bracing SaintSaviour collaboration I WON'T KNEEL.
The Books, THE WAY OUT (2010)
Girl Talk, UNSTOPPABLE (2004)
Chvrches, SCREEN VIOLENCE (2021)
Idles, CRAWLER (2021)
And this got a *lot* of play on the train, although I technically heard it back in the 1990s:
Michael Nyman, MICHAEL NYMAN AND "THE TEMPEST" (2016...kinda) - This was a re-release of two recordings Nyman did in the '90s, both of them inspired by Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST. The first was NOISES, SOUNDS, AND SWEET AIRS, a sung-through version of the play that was written to accompany a ballet interpretation. The second was the soundtrack to Peter Greenaway's fairly nutty PROSPERO'S BOOKS, a movie that needs to be seen to be believed. It was fun to revisit these, and Nyman in general--he's one of the few minimalist composers who has a distinct style of his own. I used to occasionally feel, when listening to him in the '90s, that I was being smothered with flowers--but the world has gotten much more overwhelming than his music, now it just relaxes me.
Nick E Heads to the Arcade
Some real gems this year! Which is lucky, considering how much time I spent driving.
Arcade Fire, We
Carly Rae Jepsen, The Loneliest Time
Beirut, Artifacts
Loney Dear, Atlantis
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cool It Down
Royksopp, Profound Mysteries II
Florence and the Machine, Dance Fever
Royksopp, Profound Mysteries III
Beach House, Once Twice Melody
Royksopp, Profound Mysteries
Brent G sends out an SOS
1. SZA - SOS
2. SYD - Broken Hearts Club
3. Czarface - Czarmageddon!
4. Beyonce - Renaissance
5. Taylor Swift - Midnights
6. Drake - Honestly, Nevermind
7. Lizzo - Special
8. Momma - Household Name
9. Conway the Machine - God Don't Make Mistakes
10. The Smile - A Light for Attracting Attention
Best Runner Ups:
Pusha T - It's Almost Dry
Wet Leg - Wet Leg
Cora R strikes Midnights
1. Taylor Swift, Midnights
2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cool it Down
3. Fontaines CD, Skinty Fig
Number 1 is the effect of having my kids in the car and Taylor being their favourite. Although they are both shocked how often she says ’the F word’. Harry on the other hand, no swearing, but just not as catchy. HA.
Lucy C also contributes to the Renaissance
I feel a bit discombobulated and out of the loop this year, but I'm going to go all female with my album selections for you
1). Beyonce - Renaissance
2). Beth Orton - Weather Alive
3). Cate Le Bon – PompeiI
Lawrence U’s Styles Council
Here are my top albums of 2022!
1. Harry Styles, Harry's House
2. Taylor Swift, Midnights
3. Benson Boone, Walk Me Home...
4. Meghan Trainor, Takin' It Back
5. Lizzo, Special
6. JVKE, this is what _____ feels like (Vol. 1-4)
7. Stephen Sanchez, Easy On My Eyes
8. Years & Years, Night Call
9. Glass Animals, Dreamland (+ Bonus Levels)
10. The Weekend, Dawn FM
BONUS Top Singles:
1. Kalush Orchestra, Stefania
2. Lewis Capaldi, Forget Me
3. Dean Lewis, How Do I Say Goodbye
4. Sam Smith, Kim Petras, Unholy
5. Rex Orange County, Keep It Up
Danger is Giles G’s Middle Name
1. Danger Mouse + Black Thought, Cheat Codes
2. SZA, SOS
2. Wet Leg, Wet Leg
3. The Smile, A Light for Attracting Attention
4. Nilüfer Yanya, PAINLESS
5. Angel Olsen, Big Time
6. MUNA, MUNA
7. FKA Twigs, CAPRISONGS
8. Little Simz, NO THANK YOU
9. Yard Act, The Overload
10. OHYUNG, imagine naked!
Dash G, Duke of Earl
1. Earl Sweatshirt, Sick!
2. Sudan Archives, Natural Brown Prom Queen
3. Charlotte Adigéry / Bolis Pupul, Topical Dancer
4. Kendrick Lamar, Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers
5. Black Thought / Danger Mouse, Cheat Codes
6. Pusha T, It’s Almost Dry
7. Soul Glo, Diaspora Problems
8. Black Country, New Road; Ants from Up There
9. Alex G, God Save the Animals
10. Future, I NEVER LIKED YOU
Matthue R, Im-peck-able
Most essential:
Orville Peck, Bronco
This came along and swept me away in veils of fringe. I liked his sparse, moody first album, but everything about every song on here perfectly glistens. It stirs you. Rarely have I felt so happy as I do listening to these gay country anthems, and that is not a sentence I ever thought I would write.
Otherwise essential:
Big Thief, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You
Campfire songs with a severe undercurrent of menace.
Taylor Swift, Midnights
Apologies to Miss Tay that this is no higher on my list. Zoinks, it's hard being a serious artist, especially as one is, forced to live up to one's legacy, and none the greater for it. If I were ranking just the song "Antihero," it may have placed higher, the mightiness of cramming several individually great images and motifs into 4 paltry minutes. It's not great. It's merely good. The best songs are the singles (although I love "Mastermind" [although the single cribbed line "When you fail to plan, you plan to fail" nearly ruins the spell for me]). The whole damn spiel could use an editor. Even, perhaps especially, "Antihero." It is a lesser novel by a writer I will nonetheless read everything by. But I am still here to read everything.
Twice, Between 1 and 2
My partner and I were having an argument about why I can't get into Reputation, Taylor's collection of techno (sorry, electronic dance music) thumpers, but I love Twice. Partly, I think, because these songs are both simple and constantly reinventing themselves: there's no moment of a song that is either hard to digest or understand (there's a perfectly simple hook, but there's a new one about every 5 seconds throughout each song), but also there's such a complete surrender when listening. Twice songs have 3 languages going on at once: Korean, most of which I don't understand (but I probably agree with whatever they're saying); English, most of which I do (likewise: on "Scientist," my insufficient brain hears "[Korean] [Korean] Einstein, [Korean] [Korean] Frankenstein" and, like, I get it), and the immortal and universal "fa la la la la." It's not the language of love. It's not even the language of happiness. It's the language of, I've got a song stuck in my head and you're gonna get it stuck too, and in that regard, as all others, Twice delivers.
Lizette S, Big Stepper
Top album
Kendrick Lamar, Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers
Others
Sza, SOS
Taylor Swift, Midnights
Beyonce, Renaissance
Bad Bunny, Un Verano Sin Ti
Best Discovery
Shake, You Can’t Kill Me
Will T’s Killer B
1) Beyonce, Renaissance
2) Carly Rae Jepsen, The Loneliest Time
Cecil C has gone the Fever
I’ll say Dance Fever by Florence and the Machine!
Midnights by Taylor Swift
Lia C’s Dawning of the Day
Yebba, Dawn
Lana Del Rey, Honeymoon
Florence and The Machine, Dance Fever
Nina Simone, I Put A Spell On You
The Weather Girls, Success
Caleb H, featured Actor
Ryokuoushoku Shakai, ACTOR
Night Palace, Diving Rings
Charli XCX, Crash
Tove Lo, Dirt Femme
Carly Rae Jepsen, The Loneliest Time
Florence & the Machine, Dance Fever
Alvvays, Blue Rev
Years & Years, Night Call
Various Artists, Chainsaw Man OST
Jeffrey L Reaches the Tipping Point
These are the 2022 albums I have quite loved and keep listening to a lot.
1. Tears for Fears -- The Tipping Point
2. Lizzo -- Special
3. Orville Peck -- Bronco
4. Bonnie Raitt -- Just Like That...
Ben A, Bey Here Now
Most essential:
Beyoncé, Renaissance
Also essential:
Taylor Swift, Midnights
Rina Sawayama, Hold the Girl
Insane singles from 2022:
Kelly Clarkson, Happier than Ever
Dove Cameron, Girl Like Me
Tove Lo, No One Dies from Love
Carly Rae Jepsen, Beach House
Lea Michele, Finale Act 2 (from Funny Girl)
Ashe, Angry Woman
Demi Lovato, 29
Tara A Gets a Leg Uo on the Competition
Here's my top ten albums of the year.
Wet Leg, Wet Leg
Arcade Fire, WE
Alvvays, Blue Rev
Taylor Swift, Midnights
Julia Jacklin, Pre-Pleasure
Harry Styles, Harry's House
Soccer Mommy, Sometimes Forever
The Beths, Expert in a Dying Field
Spoon, Lucifer on the Sofa
Wilco, Cruel Country
Brian M’s Land of the Braves
Mystic Braves, Pacific Afterglow
Mars Volta, Mars Volta
Nell Smith & The Flaming Lips, Where the Viaduct Looms
Madrugada, Chimes at Midnight
Brian Jonestown Massacre, Fire Doesn't Grow on Trees
Liam Gallagher, C'mon You Know
Midlake, For the Sake of Bethel Woods
Belle & Sebastian, A Bit of the Previous
Jack White, Entering Heaven Alone
Spencer Krug, Twenty Twenty Twenty Twenty One
Justin W Takes it Live
In 2022, my most essential music — by a mile — was the music that I heard live. Courtney Barnett and The Avett Brothers tops. :)
Billy M, Hungry like the Wolf
Remi Wolf, Juno
SZA, SOS
Ben L, By the Light of the Muna
No. 1:
Muna, Muna
The Rest:
Charli XCX, Crash
Years & Years, Night Call
Banks, Serpentina
Miranda Lambert, Palomino
The Range, Mercury
Rina Sawayama, Hold the Girl
Beyonce, Renaissance
Maren Morris, Humble Quest
Taylor Swift, Midnights
Carly Rae Jepsen, The Loneliest Time
Omar Apollo, Ivory
SZA, SOS
Kelsea Ballerini, Subject to Change
Kehlani, Blue Water Road
Kristin E’s Friendly Weather
Belated, but I need to post my allegiance to the Killer Bs: Beth Orton and Beach House. If I had to choose, it will always be Beth, but you of all people know that.
Beth Orton, Weather Alive
Beach House, Once Twice Melody
