Albums of 2022

[SweeperDee]

Pitchfork with giving Blue Rev number 3 overall.

[Yoss]

On 07/12/2022 at 04:01, SweeperDee said:

Pitchfork with giving Blue Rev number 3 overall.

See they've got a KEXP session gone online this week. They're usually worth watching.

 

[SweeperDee]

On 09/12/2022 at 06:12, Yoss said:

See they've got a KEXP session gone online this week. They're usually worth watching.

 

Just think it’s outstanding tbh. Whole album is like a modern inversion of MBV’s Loveless. Hard going to evolve a genre like Shoegaze and also apply your own stamp to it. Fucking incredible. 

[vikingTON]

Duncan Chisholm - Black Cuillin

9/10

Not quite as epic a start to finish thematic album as Sandwood, but a typically glorious listen nevertheless. The addition of electric guitar for Blue Cuillin on the Island is a nice development and by the end I'm wanting album no. 8 already please. 

Looking forward to the Celtic Connections performance next month. 

[Yoss]

2022 has been terrific, after a couple of quieter years. Here's my top ten - in alphabetical rather than any other order.

Black Midi - Hellfire
Charlotte Adigery and Bolis Pupul - Topical Dancer
Dama Scout - Gen Wo Lai
Hurray for the Riff Raff - Life on Earth
Jockstrap - I Love You Jennifer B
Otoboke Beaver - Super Champon
Richard Dawson - The Ruby Cord
Rosalia - Motomami
Stella Donnelly - Flood
Wet Leg - Wet Leg

Doffs of the cap also to BCNR, Grace Cummings, Nilufer Yanya, Porridge Radio, yeule and probably a bunch of others I've forgotten, as well as others that deserved more than the one or two listens I gave them before moving on or forgetting about them.

[funky monkey]

A good year of vinyl buying for me. Top 18 (!), in no particular order -

 

Sea Power - Everything Was Forever

Brian Jonestown Massacre - Fire Doesn't Grow On Trees

Wet Leg - Wet Leg

Spiritualized - Everything Was Beautiful

Suede - Autofiction

Tess Parks - And Those Who Were Seen Dancing

Goat - Oh Death

Dry Cleaning - Stumpwork

Nightingales - The Last Laugh

Special Interest - Endure

Poster Paints - Poster Paints

Stella Donnelly - Flood

Ezra Furman - All Of Us Flames

Yeah Yeah Yeah's - Cool It Down

Black Angels - Wilderness of Mirrors

Warmduscher - At The Hotspot

Black Midi - Hellfire

The Surfing Magazines - Badgers Of Wymeswold

 

Just missing out, albums from Simple Minds, Pixies, Belle & Sebastian and Loop. Great re-issue of QotSA debut too, what a record that is.

 

 

[Savage Henry]

Here’s my top 10, cut and pasted from an email group I belong to. 
 

1. Lee Bains + The Glory Fires - Old Time Folks: There are definitely more consistent albums on my list, but I haven’t spent more time with any record for quite a many year.  I’m just a bit bummed - to say the least - that we’ve seen the last of the Side Bar hang out line up of Lee, Adam, Blake and Eric. 
2. Beth Orton - Weather Alive: The best 2am album of the year.  Take one dose of the Bristol scene and two pinches of John Martyn. 
3. The Trend - Sgt. Pepper II: if Weezer weren’t in one of their absolutely unlistenable periods, this is the the kind of two minute pop punk perfection they should be producing.  Also the bloke seems to be the nicest chap in the world and sends a handwritten letter to everyone who buys a record.  
4. The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness - The Third Wave Of: do you miss the BMX Bandits and Teenage Fanclub? Nary an original note on the record, but none the worse for that.  Basically Glasgow if Glasgow was in California.  
5. First Aid Kit - Palomino: Again, there’s not a Laurel Canyon sound classic that these women haven’t cribbed, but it’s lovely and fun. 
6. John Calvin Abney - Tourist: if John Moreland’s record left you a little cold, try this instead.  This guy can really play.   
7. Fontaines DC - Skinty Fa: melodies to the fore.  Much better than their rushed second album.  These guys are all over the shop in the U.K., and we’re all better off for it.  Wish they’d stop pretending to have discovered James Joyce though.  
8. Weakened Friends - Quitter : there’s only three of them but they have such a full sound.  Just smashing fun.  RIYL Illuminati Hotties and the ilk that took over SxSW in 2019. 
9. The Blind Suns - Crisis Mode: David Lynch meets Wanda Jackson from my Polish/French chums.  Their darkest record yet. 
10. Linqua Franqa - Bellringer: This past SxSW was my favourite yet.  Savage Henrietta and I stumbled into an Athens, Georgia unofficial showcase at the Side Bar (as opposed to the official Athens, Georgia showcase at the Side Bar) and she seemed to have organised it herself.  Worker solidarity hip hop with Billy Bragg humour.  

[betting competition]

In no particular order:

Beach House – Once Twice Melody
Black County, New Road – Ants From Up There
Gwenno – Tresor
Hurray for the Riff Raff – Life on Earth
Jockstrap – I Love you Jennifer B
Jill Lorean – This Rock
Just Mustard – Heart Under
Katy Pearson – Sound of the Morning
Wet Leg – Wet Leg
Yard Act – The Overload  

I've done this quickly so no doubt I've forgot about a few albums. On a positive I've listened a lot to quite a few albums this year than the last 3 or 4 years.

Wanted to add Dan Deacon hustle soundtrack in but thought soundtracks shouldn't go in the list.

Thanks to this forum for recommending Hurray for the Riff Raff

 

Edited December 19, 2022 by betting competition

[Oscar Wilder]

Good year for me... 

1, Baby Strange - World Below 

2, The Interrupters - In the Wild 

3, Bob Vylan - The Price of Life 

4, Arcade Fire - WE 

5, Frank Turner - FTHC 

6, Martha - Please Don't Take Me Back 

7, Yard Act - The Overload 

8, Wet Leg - Wet Leg 

9, Ribbon Stage - Hit with the Most 

10, Fontaines DC - Skinty Fia. 

Favourite reissue of year 

Joe Strummer, - 002 The Mescaleros years. 

Favourite CD only release 

Louis Dunford - The Morland & The Popham, eps. 

[GrahamJags]

Final top 10 for me:

1. Yard Act - The Overload

2. Carly Rae Jepsen - The Loneliest Time

3. Craig Finn - A Legacy Of Rentals

4. Wet Leg - Wet Leg

5. Gentle Sinners - These Actions Cannot Be Undone 

6. Kathryn Joseph - For You Who Are The Wronged

7. Gang Of Youths - Angel In Realtime

8. Katy J Pearson - Sound Of The Morning

9. Just Mustard - Heart Under

10. Lee Bains & The Glory Fires - Old-Time Folks

 

Honourable mentions for Nude Restaurant by 1990s (which would've been in the list if it wasn't recorded 10 years ago), Coyote by Joe Purdy, Being Funny In A Foreign Language by The 1975 and Headlights USA by Gold Star. 

[FBadgers]

Spoon - Lucifer on the Sofa was the album of the year

[BallochSonsFan]

I havent done a top 10 albums for this year as I'm still working my way through some purchases/Christmas gifts. There are also a few albums I don't have that would probably feature highly. But here's what impressed me musically in 2022, along with a couple of things that didnt.

Album of the year: Angel Olsen - Big Time. Switches between classic country and stripped down tracks that showcase Olsen's voice brilliantly. Nothing has touched it all year for me. Absolute stand out album.

Other brilliant releases in the past 12 months:

Tomberlin - I Don't Know Who Needs To Hear This.

Alela Diane - Looking Glass

Stella Donnelly - Flood.

Laura Veirs - Found Light

Albums that I intent to catch up with at some point in the next few months:

The Local Honeys - The Local Honeys, Larkin Poe - Blood Harmony, Courtney Marie Andrews - Loose Futures, Alvvays - Blue Rev and Julia Jacklin - Pre Pleasure.

 

Gig of the year - Felice Brothers at St Lukes. An absolutely fantastic live band. By rights, neither of the 2 remaining brothers in the band should still be capable of performing. There's not a substance that Ian and James haven't indulged in. But when they're clean(ish) and focused then they just absolutely knock it out the park. An incredible energy, particularly when Jimmy gets the accordion on and Ian starts singing "Aerosol Ball". One of the finest live acts around.

Other notable highlights:

Stereo Naked at The Glad Cafe

Laura Veirs at Summerhall

Angel Olsen at The Usher Hall

This Is The Kit at The Old Firehouse

 

Discovery of the year: Tomberlin. Her 2022 effort that I've mentioned above was her 2nd album, following up her 2018 effort "At Weddings". I'd heard the name and knew that she was reasonably well rated. I'd read about her in the usual music magazines and noted the name without going to a whole lot of effort to find out more (see also Soccer Mommy and Snail Mail, both of whom I really need to get into in 2023). Saw her supporting Angel Olsen and she was absolutely brilliant. Very much Elliott Smith vibes from her really sparse songs. Her 2 albums were more expensive than they should have been from the merch stand. To be honest, I only bought them because I'd queued for them and was ready to pay for them. I'm really glad I did.

Re-releases of the year: Fabienne Delsol. Delsol re-released all 4 of her albums this year. I have 3 of them. Amazon managed to lose the 4th, so I'll need to try and get it (Reflex Records in Newcastle had it before Christmas) at some point. I'm a huge fan of Ye-Ye and 60s French pop in general. Fabienne Delsol switches effortlessly between her native French and English vocals. Her music is straight out of a cool late 60s/early 70s Parisian cafe. You can practically see Anna Karina in some bar having just picked Delsol's music on the jukebox.

 

It hasn't all been highlights. 2 huge disappointments this year and both of them are live music related. Joint worst gigs of 2022 are The Courettes at McChuills and Sarah Shook at The Hug n Pint. I'm not including Heartless b*****ds at Mono in here. Heartless b*****ds was down to me. I hadn't heard their latest album and wasn't prepared for how different it sounded to their earlier releases. On reflection? Heartless Basterds' more recent work is absolutely fine and perfectly enjoyable, even if it doesnt make use of Erika Wennerstrom's incredible voice. The venue was rather sparse and there was a distinct split between those who were expecting new HB and those of us dreaming of a live version of their cover of "Done Got Old" by Junior Kimbrough. The 2 sets of fans in the crowd mixed like oil and water. But that doesnt come close to the problems with The Courettes and Sarah Shook. Neither were the fault of the artists. The Courettes are an unashamedly raw and raucous garage rock band, who'd sound perfectly at home on a Nuggets compilation. They make a wonderful racket on record and an equally infectious one on stage. At least they would if you could see and hear them properly. McChuills in May was hot, sweaty, far too full and unless you were at the very front then it was impossible to spot the diminutive Flavia Couri strutting her stuff. They still sounded good, but its a fleapit of a venue that wasn't suited for that heat and those numbers. The only hope is that if they continue to build their cult and loyal following then a better venue will be in the offing for their next visit. The same can be said of Sarah Shook and The Disarmers. Touring her latest effort "Nightroamer", the band were booked into the cramped and often uncomfortable Hug n Pint venue. Its no fault of Sarah or her band. They were tight. They performed with energy and flair. Shook is a fantastic front person. Its just that you couldn't actually hear her as her vocals were lost in a truly dreadful audio mix. It sounded terrible. The majority of the crowd felt the same way and whilst they didnt give the band a hard time, the frustrations with the terrible sound were clear. I'll also add Sarah Shook's album as a bit of a frustration. It's not really a low point, but on several songs her voice sounds over-produced and a little artificial when she changes pitch. Its a real shame - her voice is great and doesnt need any computer-based help via Pro Tools. I'm also really disappointed with a poor Celtic Connections line up in what was supposed to be their big 30th anniversary year. I just can't bring myself to go to see Lucinda Williams (her voice has gone) and despite their being only a handful of folk I want to see (Aoife O'Donovan doing 2 nights, including her take on Springsteen's Nebraska album), they still managed to clash Nickel Creek and Rozi Plain. CC just seems really half arsed this year.

 

Song of the year: I absolutely fell in love with this song the second I heard it. I must have listened to it at least 100 times this year. Laura Veirs' cover of the Elliott Smith song "Between The Bars" ran it close. I'll admit that when she sung it live in Edinburgh this summer, there was more than a few grains of dust in my eye. I can't have a cover as my song of the year though, so it really had to be Angel Olsen - All The Good Times.

All in all? A fairly decent 2022 that included some great albums and a few really good gigs that helped me be more positive about live music. And it's always great if you can see Lemonheads with Evan Dando not completely out of it. Roll on 2023, kicking off with a chance to see The Delgados live and a few Celtic Connections shows.

 

[Savage Henry]

I saw the Felice Brothers on their rescheduled tour too. They were really tight, unlike the ramshackle mess they used to be with Christmas Cornflake or whatever he called himself on bass.    Also bought an Ian Felice painting this year - fairly certain it’ll be a great investment as he’s brilliant.  

[GrahamJags]

On 31/12/2022 at 20:26, BallochSonsFan said:I

Gig of the year - Felice Brothers at St Lukes. An absolutely fantastic live band. By rights, neither of the 2 remaining brothers in the band should still be capable of performing. There's not a substance that Ian and James haven't indulged in. But when they're clean(ish) and focused then they just absolutely knock it out the park. An incredible energy, particularly when Jimmy gets the accordion on and Ian starts singing "Aerosol Ball". One of the finest live acts around.

This was also my gig of the year. The Felices can be hit or miss, and I couldn’t be fucked at all that night (pretty sure it was a Monday), but they were absolutely outstanding. 

[Savage Henry]

18 minutes ago, GrahamJags said:

This was also my gig of the year. The Felices can be hit or miss, and I couldn’t be fucked at all that night (pretty sure it was a Monday), but they were absolutely outstanding. 

The new bass player isn’t strung to the moon.  I think she’s a big part of that.