For more than a decade, I’ve made it a tradition to compile my favorite albums of each year come January, using the months prior to revisit and reevaluate hundreds of albums. 2022 felt like a massive year for music, with a lot of big names disappointing while a lot of newer bands rose up to deliver incredible releases.
So yet again, here are my favorites from the past year, with a Spotify playlist included at the bottom. – Alex Wood
1. Big Thief – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Dragon New Warm Mountain is an album so massive and stylistically kaleidoscopic that literally anyone, regardless of taste, could finds something they love within it. The songwriting feels timeless and eternal, all-encompassing – yet the band never wears the countless influences on their sleeves. Adrianne Lenker’s vocals carry a sincerity as unique as her delivery, while Buck Meek’s harmonies hold a constant but restrained presence. The lyrics can range from mortality and the meaning of life to trivial daily tasks or nature, yet all seem transcendental. Despite clocking in at an hour and 20 minutes, Dragon New Warm Mountain is an exhilarating listen, leaving the listener never wanting to miss a single note or word.
2. The Smile – A Light For Attracting Attention
Though A Light For Attracting Attention finds Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood stepping away from the band, The Smile hardly feels like a side project. It shows growth and invention in a way that only those two together could create. Joined by the immensely talented and versatile drummer Tom Skinner and production from Radiohead regular Nigel Godrich, there was simply no way this album could fail the band’s dedicated fanbase. Heavily utilizing the complicated and rhythmic electronic sounds Radiohead made famous, the use of tricky time signatures and layering techniques sucks the listener into each track, always building to something even more mesmerizing. The album’s a massive accomplishment, an unmatched combination of songwriting, production and technical prowess.
3. Zach Bryan – American Heartbreak
2022 was a huge year for country, bluegrass and Americana music, but nothing hooked me like Zach Bryan. The two-hour long American Heartbreak somehow flies by as you listen, carried primarily by the strength of Bryan’s songwriting and his earnest delivery. The songs are packed with catchy melodies and infectious choruses, backed with a simple yet effective backing band that lets the singer truly shine. The lyrics come together to tell not only Bryan’s story, but the story of everyone surrounding him in life, family and friends. As you soak the songs in, you feel like you’re watching Bryan as he pours his heart out in a dive bar, simply from the heartfelt honesty of his delivery.
4. Kevin Morby – This Is A Photograph
Songwriter Kevin Morby has slowly expanded his refined sound over the years, leading to his best album to date. On This Is A Photograph, Morby knows where to effectively leave space in songs, and when to fill it. His melodic guitar picking drives each track alongside his drawl of a somewhat lackadaisical vocal delivery, though the addition of saxophone, harmonica, harp, piano, finger snaps and more move through the background to add texture and density, along with additional female vocals. The lyrics are straightforward yet captivating, seemingly letting you into the songwriter’s mind with ease. With great pacing and momentum throughout the album as a whole, This Is A Photograph is Morby’s most fully realized work yet.
5. Destroyer – Labrynthitis
Dan Bejar, better known by his stage name, Destroyer, has never been an artist to sit still. Incorporating everything from glam-rock to folk to ambient music to electronics, each album released has felt like a singular creative vision. A statement. It’s possible this has never been as true as with Labrynthitis, From the get-go, the songs focus on texture, layers of electronics, guitars and rhythm backing his soft, inquisitive croon. The lyrics match this perfectly, a sort of fever dream in spontaneous prose. As soon as you think you understand, the floor falls out and you’re in an entirely new dimension, a new creative level of Bejar’s. Not only one of the best albums of the year, but one of Destroyer’s best ever, Labrynthitis crams more unabridged creativity into its duration than most artists can muster up in a lifetime.
6. Sudan Archives – Natural Brown Prom Queen
Few albums have ever stopped me in my tracks the way Natural Brown Prom Queen did. On first listen, I literally stopped what I was doing to try to comprehend what was going on. And just like that, I was instantly sucked into the world of Sudan Archives. The multi-instrumentalist songwriter, singer, rapper and producer had such an astonishingly clear vision of a sound, that she makes one of the most complex albums of the year sound easy. Hard-hitting beats fall into soft violin harmonies. Rapping turns to spoken word, which then turns to singing. It leaves you guessing what’s next, yet it’s never what you guessed. The lyrics are direct but clever, all delivered with incredible conviction. A true work of art, Sudan Archives is peaking at a level higher than any of her peers, if there even is such a thing.
7. Spiritualized – Everything Was Beautiful
Nothing if not consistent, J Spaceman’s Spiritualized returns with another incredible package of epic space-rock songs. In this case, epic may be an understatement. Everything Was Beautiful recalls the band’s best work, particularly the ’97 opus Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space, without simply repeating the sound. Gigantic orchestral swells, walls of electric guitars, punk-inspired breakdowns, spastic drum fills, wailing horn sections, gospel choirs – it’s all there. What separates this from the past few Spiritualized albums is a sense of positivity, both lyrically and in the chords themselves. For once, the protagonist seems to be in a good place. This is powerful music, carefully constructed and layered to a point near perfection.
8. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava
Admittedly, I can understand music fans not putting in the work required to even scrape the surface of King Gizzard’s fanbase’s commitment. The band released four albums in 2022, three of which fell within a four-week period, and 23 albums during the last decade. This was one hell of a year for Gizzard fans, though. Both the best and most consistent of these is Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava, which finds the Australian psych-rockers reaching yet another peak. A barrage of guitar riffs, solos and noises match the urgency of the remainder of the band, the drummer and bassist moving with constant momentum as vocals, flutes, keys, pedal effects and more work their way in and out of the lengthy jams. The lyrics, as always, are hallucinatory, if not cryptic. But the most impressive part of it all is the unrelenting energy, even as the band changes directions. Possibly the band’s most trippy album to date, the inventiveness and musicianship alone make Ice, Death… worth your time.
9. Viagra Boys – Cave World
One of the strangest albums on this list, Cave World is a tough one to describe in words. Known for incorporating dark humor and satire into their sloppy, abrasive punk sound, the COVID lockdown gave the band plenty to work with, and plenty of time to do it. Lyrically, the album largely acts as a parody of the political far-right’s internet-based conspiracies. Vaccines inserting microchips, children turning into animals, adrenochrome – the band almost celebrates the silliness of it all. Musically, the band can jump between sludgy punk, the brown-ness of early Ween, Devo-style New Wave, and so much more. What ties the album together is the aggression, both instrumental and vocally, which matches the subject matter perfectly. Are Viagra Boys for everyone? Of course not. But I guess that’s the point.
10. Spoon – Lucifer On The Sofa
After a short foray into electronic-leaning records, indie-rock staple Spoon returns to a straightforward rock sound, one that almost recalls their earliest days, but makes sure not to come too close. Deliberate yet gritty, the songs lean on spastic, electric guitars and a chugging rhythm section, maintaining high energy throughout. Britt Daniel’s notorious vocal delivery is at its best here, spitting the words out as if to match the bite of the guitars. Perhaps Spoon didn’t reinvent the wheel on this one, but they didn’t need to. And it’s nice to have them back.
11. MJ Lenderman – Boat Songs
12. Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
13. Ashley McBryde – Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville
14. Arcade Fire – WE
15. Titus Andronicus – The Will To Live
16. Plains – I Walked With You A Ways
17. Alvvays – Blue Rev
18. Snarky Puppy – Empire Central
19. Billy Woods – Aethiopes
20. Wet Leg – Wet Leg
21. Jockstrap – I Love You Jennifer B
22. Built To Spill – When The Wind Forgets Your Name
23. black midi – Hellfire
24. Buddy Guy – The Blues Don’t Lie
25. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Omnium Gatherum
26. Fontaines D.C. – Skinty Fia
27. The Orielles – Tableau
28. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Laminated Denim
29. Wilco – Cruel Country
30. Pool Kids – Pool Kids
31. Sault – 11
32. Tedeschi Trucks Band – I Am The Moon: III. The Fall
33. SZA – SOS
34. The Lounge Society – Tired of Liberty
35. Panda Bear & Sonic Boom – Reset
36. Danger Mouse & Black Thought – Cheat Codes
37. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Changes
38. Pusha T – It’s Almost Dry
39. First Aid Kit – Palomino
40. Bonny Light Horseman – Rolling Golden Holy
41. Jack White – Fear Of The Dawn
42. Father John Misty – Chloë And The Next 20th Century
43. String Machine – Hallelujah Hell Yeah
44. Tedeschi Trucks Band – I Am The Moon: IV. Farewell
45. Tedeschi Trucks Band – I Am The Moon: I. Crescent
46. Bill Callahan – YTI⅃AƎЯ
47. Charley Crockett – The Man From Waco
48. Beach House – Once Twice Melody
49. Björk – Fossora
50. Earl Sweatshirt – SICK!
51. Makaya McCraven – In These Times
52. Mitski – Laruel Hell
53. Yard Act – The Overload
54. Nikki Lane – Denim & Diamonds
55. Elvis Costello – The Boy Named If
56. Ryan Adams – Devolver
57. JID – The Forever Story
58. Rayland Baxter – If I Were A Butterfly
59. Ty Segall – “Hello, Hi”
60. Angel Olsen – Big Time
61. Eddie Vedder – Earthling
62. Tedeschi Trucks Band – I Am The Moon: II. Ascension
63. The Mountain Goats – Bleed Out
64. Andrew Bird – Inside Problems
65. The Beths – Expert In A Dying Field
66. Nilüfer Yanya – PAINLESS
67. Naima Bock – Giant Palm
68. St. Paul & The Broken Bones – The Alien Coast
69. Lucius – Second Nature
70. Wild Pink – ILYSM
71. The Nova Twins – Supernova
72. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Cool It Down
73. Death Cab For Cutie – Asphalt Meadows
74. The California Honeydrops – Soft Spot
75. Black Country, New Road – Ants From Up There
76. Nduduzo Makhathini – In The Spirit of Ntu
77. Daniel Romano – La Luna
78. Sault – Untitled (God)
79. Denzel Curry – Melt My Eyez See Your Future
80. Marcus King – Young Blood
81. Pillow Queens – Leave The Light On
82. Horsegirl – Versions of Modern Performance
83. Tomberlin – i don’t know who needs to hear this…
84. Soccer Mommy – Sometimes, Forever
85. Molly Tuttle – Crooked Tree
86. Animal Collective – Time Skiffs
87. Pinegrove – 11:11
88. The Tallest Man On Earth – Too Late For Edelweiss
89. Kikagaku Moyo – Kumoyo Island
90. The Diasonics – Origin of Forms
91. Hippo Campus – LP3
92. Black Angels – Wilderness of Mirrors
93. Dawes – Misadventures of Doomscroller
94. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Endless Rooms
95. Jack White – Entering Heaven Alive
96. Porridge Radio – Waterslide, Diving Board
97. Chat Pile – God’s Country
98. Aldous Harding – Warm Chris
99. Ali McGuirk – Til It’s Gone
100. Psychedelic Porn Crumpets – Night Gnomes
101. The Black Keys – Dropout Boogie
102. Shannen Moser – The Sun Still Seems To Move
103. Boldy James – Killing Nothing
104. Drug Church – Hygiene
105. Cate le Bon – Pompeii
106. Yelawolf & Shooter Jennings – Sometimes Y
107. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Unlimited Love
108. Murder By Death – Spell/Bound
109. Pixies – Doggerel
110. Hot Chip – Freakout/Release
111. Roc Marciano – The Elephant Man’s Bones
112. The Kernel – Listen To The Blood
113. Adeem The Artist – White Trash Revelry
114. Sylvan Esso – No Rules Sandy
115. Alex G – God Save The Animals
116. Sharon Van Etten – We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong
117. Delvon Lamar Organ Trio – Cold As Weiss
118. Ryan Adams – FM
119. Brendan Benson – Low Key
120. Theo Croker – LOVE QUANTUM
121. Larkin Poe – Blood Harmony
122. of Montreal – Freewave Lucifer f<ck f^ck f>ck
123. alt-J – The Dream
124. Greensky Bluegrass – Stress Dreams
125. The Magic Beans – Unzipped
126. Whitney – Spark
127. Beth Orton – Weather Alive
128. Caamp – Lavender Days
129. Hailey Whitters – Raised
130. White Lung – Premonition
131. Cheekface – Too Much To Ask
132. Boldy James – Mr. Ten08
133. The Vacant Lots – Closure
134. Bruce Springsteen – Only The Strong Survive
135. Swamp Dogg – I Need a Job… So I Can Buy More Autotune
136. !!! – Let It Be Blue
137. Kiwi jr. – Chopper
138. Kurt Vile – (watch my moves)
139. Marco Benevento – Benevento
140. Ian Noe – River Fools & Mountain Saints
141. The Cactus Blossoms – One Day
142. Tropical Gothclub – Tropical Gothclub
143. Meat Wave – Malign Hex
144. Lyle Lovett – 12th of June
145. Broken Bells – Into The Blue
146. Arctic Monkeys – The Car
147. Cory Henry – Operation Funk
148. Open Mike Eagle – Component System with the Auto Reverse
149. Band Of Horses – Things Are Great
150. Shovels & Rope – Manticore