Top 10 Albums 2022

10. God Save The Animals – Alex G

Of all the artists I love, perhaps no one is as difficult to describe as Alex G, and on his ninth album, he continues to prove why. God Save The Animals is a lively and varied experience, brimming with ideas and unique stylistic mash-ups. While built on Alex’s signature eccentric indie folk, this album is full of left turns, be it the post-punk leanings of “Blessing”, or the hyperpop-esque use of auto-tune on tracks like “Immunity” or “No Bitterness”. Despite his lighthearted nature, Alex makes mature reflections, turning his attention toward settling down, asking “how many more songs am I supposed to write before I can turn it off and say goodnight?” Still, Alex G sounds like now more than ever, he is just getting started.

9. Janky Star – Grace Ives

There is a lot to be said about the power of writing tight, punchy, fun pop songs. Grace Ives harnesses this power, delivering a 27-minute package of catchy hooks and beats filled with thick bass and playful video game sounds. What is more, Grace manages to find lighthearted fun within the monotony of daily life, bouncing with the rhythm as she sings “lazy day, feels ok to repeat it”, or boasting her ability to recite the lines to a movie she watches “ten times a day”. Her transparently honest lyrics align perfectly with her makeshift album art and DIY sound, which makes the struggles of everyday sparkle and glitter.

8. Painless – Nilüfer Yanya

Nilufer Yanya’s follow up to 2019 Miss Universe exudes the same cool energy that made her such an indie rock standout in the past. Be it her smoky vocal delivery, or the commanding basslines that mark the groove of tracks like “L/R”, or the explosive rock energy of “Midnight Sun”, Nilufer’s music sounds confident, yet filled with the moody ethos of 90’s rock. Singing lines like “there’s nothing out there for you and me”, or “trouble don’t count the ways I’m broken”, her work comes from a difficult emotional state, but as she puts it: “until you fall it’s painless.” In this way Painless serves as a reflection before the fall, surveying the emotional baggage of one’s life and coming to terms with it. At the close of the album, the pain sets in for Nilufer as she says “In some kind of way I am lost, in another life I was not.” Importantly, Nilufer reminds us that recognizing the pain is the only way out of it.

7. Heaven Come Crashing – Rachika Nayar

Some music has the ability to feel cinematic, as though it were the backdrop for a story greater than itself. Rachika Nayar’s latest album, however, feels like it is already living on the largest screen on the planet. The epic emotional swells of this album evoke a sense of wonder, loss, reinvention, and love, all without any need for lyrics. Much like the instrumental post-rock of M83, Rachika uses wide electronic palates drenched in reverb to paint a scene in which it feels as though heaven really is crashing with the Earth. Although no story is made plainly apparent, looking at the album art, we can see two people in what can only be described as the most important moment of their lives, and through the music I would guess their path here and the path ahead are a story worth telling. Despite being a largely electronic album, Rachika has crafted a sound that feels undeniably human, both complex and meaningful.

6. Motomami – Rosalía

When it comes to making a first impression, perhaps no one knows how to do it quite like Rosalía. From the opening moments of Motomami, the bombastic, sexy energy from the Spanish singer comes to life. Blending, pop, flamenco, and reggaeton, this album is a bit of a departure from her previous work, but proves to be a delightful and varied listen all the way through. Reggaeton bangers like “Chicken Teriyaki” or “Diablo” are juxtaposed with more traditional flamenco performances on “Bulerías” or “Delirio de Grandeza”. Rosalía’s voice is especially allowed to shine on stunningly beautiful moments from “Hentai” and “G3 N15”, which give the album incredible depth. From the outset, as though anticipating criticism of her stylistic shift, Rosalía states “I’m very me, I contradict myself, I’m all the things, I transform.” True to her word, she uses the remainder of Motomami proving she is full of contradictions, and indeed contains multitudes.

5. Time Skiffs – Animal Collective

For fans of the legendary psychedelic pop band, Time Skiffs can be a few different things. In many ways, it is a return to greatness after a few albums that didn’t quite hit, finding themselves creating interesting and groovy songs that feel fresh. But at the same time, this album is a shift, and a notable sign of growth for a band that has already established themselves as a force of the indie sphere. Animal Collective has always set themselves apart with their wacky and sometimes abrasive sounds, and this part of them is not lost here; the classic explosiveness of Avey Tare’s vocals on “Strung With Everything”, or the trippy outro of “We Go Back” fall in line with the energy that made them so impactful almost two decades ago. But what really stands out is what sounds like a new ear for catchy, melodic, and sometimes absolutely beautiful songwriting. The floating melodies of “Prester John”, the synthesizer notes that always seem to be hanging on the edges of every track, or the mesmerizing closer “Royal And Desire”, all showcase a new aspect of Animal Collective: the feeling of maturity.

4. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow – Weyes Blood

Natalie Mering, better known as Weyes Blood, has always sounded confident in her space. Behind the microphone, crooning sweet notes to the backdrop of orchestral strings, horns, and harps, her voice manages to fill every track. Indeed on And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow, she is still singing with a warm and glowing quality that sounds like a beacon. Within her beautiful songs, I am always drawn first and foremost to her siren’s call. And yet, looking past her voice, what can be found on this album is a collection of some of the most breathtaking instrumentals of the year. Be it the joyous march of “Children of the Empire” or the slow-building balladry of “Hearts Aglow”, Weyes Blood’s music comes to life in full color. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the showstopping beauty of “God Turn Me Into A Flower”, a centerpiece that soars above the rest of the track list for its unbound emotive power. Under all of the lush instrumentation are deeply personal reflections, speaking of love and the relationships created in an ever-changing world. In one of her closing moments, Natalie succinctly delivers an important lesson for us all, singing “love doesn’t need to destroy you anymore.” It’s easy to listen to such sweetly delivered wisdom.

3. Dragon New Warm Mountain, I Believe In You – Big Thief

It is my most honest belief that Big Thief is a once in a lifetime band, simultaneously pumping music out at an unbelievable rate, yet always crafting it with detail and heart that towers over their contemporaries. Typically, their records are laser-focused and cohesive, such is the case on their masterpiece UFOF or its wild-spirited twin Two Hands. On Dragon New Warm Mountain, I Believe In You, an expansive twenty-track double album, their approach is the polar opposite. Across the eighty minutes of run time, Big Thief explore every genre they can get their hands on, taking hard turns from indie rock cuts like “Time Escaping” directly into the country hoedown of “Spud Infinity”, the jaw harp ode to everybody’s favorite root vegetable. Singer-songwriter folk, shoegaze, trip-hop, and even a touch of IDM can be felt on the album, and although this sounds like the recipe for a 20-car train wreck, Big Thief sound as natural as they ever have, a testament to their versatility and songwriting masterclass. At the center of it all, frontwoman Adrienne Lenker pours thought-provoking and emotional lyrics that at this point seem to come naturally to her. Her meditations on love are as sprawling as ever, exploring love as a feeling of excitement, pain, joy, and everything in between. Most beautifully on “The Only Place” she writes that even if time and space melted away into chaos, and if all material scattered, the only place that would matter would be “by your side”. To try and highlight every moment on this album worth noting would be futile, as gems come by the dozen.

2. Florist – Florist

From the opening moments of Florist, there is a certain magic that is immediately apparent. As modest synthesizers hum against the backdrop of chirping crickets in the night, we are quickly lulled into a sense of both familiarity and wonder. As this intro fades away, we move into the lovely acoustic highlight “Red Bird Pt. 2” which is carried by Emily Sprague’s intimate vocal performance. Again, the gentle glimmer of synthesizers supports the track, and this balance of lo-fi acoustic guitars with electronics characterizes the album best. In tracks like this one or the beautiful “Sci-Fi Silence” it almost feels like I’m opening an old music box and winding the lever, like a tune you forgot existed, but upon hearing it transports you to warm memories. This feeling is in no small part due to the nature of the recordings, which were taken in a woodland house in New York. The nature surrounding them and the rustic home permeate the music on every track, with crickets, rainfall, or chimes in the wind appearing across the record, inviting us to join in on the close space between Florist’s bandmates. Florist is intimate both in sound and in lyrics, with Emily reflecting on the heavy grief of losing her mother. Sometimes Emily speaks in beautifully anguished metaphor, feeling the cruelty of hearing the red bird’s song when her mother’s voice is silenced, sometimes she plainly states how she feels, asking “family, don’t let me go”. The closer you read through the lines, the more heartbreaking it becomes, but ultimately we are sent off with the most important of Emily’s reflections: “oh wait, it’s alright, I just remembered tomorrow.” The hope of moving beyond her loss seems to push her through, as she says she is “ready to be infinitely open”. I have nothing but appreciation for her openness on this record.

1. Blue Rev – Alvvays

Alvvays have alvvays been a good band. From their self-titled debut in 2014, which found them playing catchy, twee indie pop songs, to their 2017 follow-up Antisocialites, which indulged much more heavily in sleeker dream pop aesthetics, the band demonstrated that they had enormous potential. Hits such as “Archie, Marry Me” or “Dreams Tonite” had such a powerful earworm quality, they were seemingly impossible to ignore. And yet, on their first two records, Alvvays felt like they were missing just a little something, some extra bite that was difficult to define. On Blue Rev, it was instantly clear to me from lead single “Pharmacist” that they had found exactly what they needed to become a great band, and then some. The best way I can describe what sets Blue Rev apart is the creation of moments. On every track, there is a moment that elevates their music into something amazing: the blistering guitar solo of the aforementioned “Pharmacist”, the flatline and explosion of “After the Earthquake”, the perfectly placed key change of “Belinda Says”, or Molly Rankin’s vocal belt on “Velveteen” which feels pulled right out of A-Ha’s “Take On Me”; these moments are not just growth for Alvvays, but the mark of songwriting mastery. Whether working through lens of indie pop, indie rock, dream pop, or shoegaze, the band consistently sounds commanding and confident. Blue Rev is named after a cheap malt beverage Molly drank growing up in Nova Scotia, Canada, and aptly conveys how the album is equal parts full of youthful energy, and seeping with a deep nostalgia. The band’s reverb-soaked sound is mirrored by Molly’s lyrics, reflecting on old love, regrets of attending university, and the passage of time. Right on the cover, a young Mollly Rankin’s eyes pierce through us, looking a bit shocked, maybe a little scared. I’d like to think she’s getting a glimpse into the future, seeing how much has changed, and seeing that with her music, she is on top of the world.