My top albums from 2022
Every year, a few friends and I pull together our top albums of the year. It’s an exciting time and has turned into a tradition that we all start to look forward to and ask about it in the run up to the event. This year, with the start of my Substack blog, I thought I would share a more detailed insight into my top 10 albums from 2022.
They’re in no particular order and hopefully a diverse enough list for everyone to find something they want to check out. Enjoy!
- Nilufer Yanya — ‘PAINLESS’
Yanya is an English singer-song writer born in London who I discovered this year. Her music has a beautiful, dark, bare bones feel that reminds me of King Krule but with a slightly softer and more emotive touch — her songs can be mesmerising. Some great tracks from the album include L/R, stabilise and trouble.
2. Natalia Lafourcade — ‘De Todas Las Flores’
I first came across Natalia Lafourcade in 2015 following her critically acclaimed album ‘Hasta La Raíz’. She is an incredibly successful Latin American singer and whilst I have to be honest and say I don’t know what she’s singing about (spoiler: it’s in Spanish), the compositions are amazing and it just feels like a magical experience. The production is really warm and autumnal. My favourite tracks are El lugar correcto, Caminar bonito and Muerte.
3. Beyoncé — ‘RENAISSANCE’
It has been six years since Beyoncé’s fantastic ‘Lemonade’, an album that was a huge stylistic change and exposed some of the most intimate parts of her life. 2022’s ‘RENAISSANCE’ feels different once again, flowing like one huge dance album. The samples are absolutely fantastic, mostly taken from 90s club hits. This is probably the first album of hers that most people have asked that I turn it off when I put it on (shoutout to my partner’s mum), which maybe means that it isn’t quite right for a dinner party… but if you want something for the gym, this is your album.
4. Pusha T — ‘It’s Almost Dry’
Pusha T’s arrogance is hard to match. He really does think he is the best rapper alive. I do feel that he has hit his limit in terms of how big he will get. Despite his success with Clipse, his critically acclaimed album ‘Daytona’ and his infamous feud with Drake, it’s unlikely he will ever reach the height of a Kendrick or J Cole. This is a shame, because ‘It’s Almost Dry’ (half produced by Pharrell and half produced by a now extremely controversial Kanye West) is an absolutely fantastic series of tracks, with exciting and varied production and fantastic bars. Somewhere along the way it does stop short of finding the depth required to be a classic, maybe because he doesn’t fully open up emotionally, but it is still well worth a listen.
5. Rosalía — ‘MOTOMAMI’
You wouldn’t know if you ask people in the UK if they’ve heard of her, but Rosalía is the 62nd biggest artist on Spotify. Her 2022 album ‘MOTOMAMI’ was a great continuation of her previous albums, taking Spanish music to genre-bending new places. It’s all just so much fun and I really can’t recommend this album enough. My favourite tracks are SAOKO, LA FAMA and of course CHICKEN TERIYAKI.
6. Black Country, New Road — ‘Ants From Up There’
BCNR have been a new discovery for me in 2022 and they really showcase the boundaries of rock, post-punk, folk-rock. I was really sad to hear that the lead vocalist and guitarist Isaac Wood had left the band just before the release of the album, citing issues with his mental health. The album isn’t the easiest listen but the pay off is great. I fell in love on the second or third listen and I hope they do make more music in the future. My favourite tracks are Snow Globes, Concorde and Good Will Hunting.
7. JID — ‘The Forever Story’
JID will be a superstar. He is signed to J Cole’s label Dreamville and is finally producing hip-hop as consistent as his talent. ‘The Forever Story’ follows on from 2017’s The Never Story (which is still well worth a listen). JID’s flows on this album are fantastic, with seamless change ups and different BPM flows. The beats are amazing and the stories are equally interesting. He also showcases his singing through the second half of the album and it comes off well. I wasn’t a huge fan of all the features, but JID himself is the star of the show here. Fave songs are Raydar, Sistanem and Lauder Too.
8. Weyes Blood — ‘And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow’
Natalie Mering’s voice has a special place in my heart. Andromeda is her most acclaimed song, but 2019’s Titanic Rising was great all round and really got me back into folk-pop. Her 2022 album ‘And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow’ is really only about two things — the songwriting and her voice. The album talks about love, the death of her father, loneliness through the eye of Greek mythology and feels almost religious. My favourite tracks are God turned me into a flower, it’s not just me, it’s everybody and the worst is done.
9. Hard Work — ‘Soft Play’
This feels a bit cheeky but it really is in my top 10 albums of the year. This is my partner’s brother’s band who released their first EP this year. I was lucky enough to see them live three times. With only four tracks, they’re all my favourites but if I had to pick one I would say Make You Mine. The EP is packed full of emotive and thoughtful lyrics, and great harmonies. Well worth a listen.
10. Black Thought/Danger Mouse — ‘Cheat Codes’
Tariq Trotter, also known as Black Thought, is the lead MC of The Roots but has recently been embarking on lots of solo adventures. ‘Streams of Thought’ (2018) had some of my favourite tracks of the last five years and he’s been really cementing himself as one of the most talented rappers of his generation. Here he teams up with Danger Mouse (of Gnarls Barkley fame) to produce banger after banger. There isn’t really a coherent structure or narrative throughout, but if you just want to nod your head lots and admire somone who is just insanely talented, Danger Mouse certainly provides the platform for him to do it.
One of my goals for 2023 is a slight reversal to the new music binge that my music habits often entail: I want to listen to 52 albums recorded before I was born (1992). So please do share any recommendations!
Have a lovely week!
Shiv