My favourite albums of 2022
2023-11-02

A long overdue post, but during 2022, I listened to a lot of music. This is a list of some of my favourite albums from last year. It’s in alphabetic order, because actually ranking albums is very hard when they’re very different styles. I tried to write something about each album, but mostly it’s just that I like the music. I find it very hard to quantify why I like some music but don’t like other music, so don’t expect any in-depth reviews.

Anna Von Hausswolff - Live at Montreux Jazz Festival (Bandcamp)

Cover art of Anna Von Hausswolff's Live at Montreux Jazz Festival. It depicts a woman with a raised hand, singing into a microphone. The art is drawn in black and white. In the background there is a large iris of an eye, surrounded by roots and branches. The branches grow into the woman's face.

I love Anna Von Hausswolff. Not much else to say: whatever she does, I’m gonna like. This live album is no different.

Backxwash - HIS HAPPINESS SHALL COME FIRST EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SUFFERING (Bandcamp)

Cover art of Backxwash's HIS HAPPINESS SHALL COME FIRST EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SUFFERING. It depicts a church, but the images is black and white and quite grainy. If I had to guess I would say that the church is on fire (or that the image of the church is on fire).

An ex-colleague of mine introduced me to Backxwash. While definitely more on the abrasive side of my music tastes, it’s still a great album.

Black Flower - Magma (Bandcamp)

Cover art of Black Flower's Magma. It's quite abstract. On the left, is has the word "Black" written in white with underneath it the "Flower" written in green. The right side of the cover is made up green, red and white colors. The colors are patterned.

Some nice Belgian jazz. A long time ago, my dad introduced me to Nathan Daems (the lead artist of this band) with Nathan Daems Quintet - Praten Dialect. I’ve been a fan ever since.

Carly Rae Jepsen - The Loneliest Time (Discogs)

Cover art of Carly Rae Jepsen's The Loneliest Time. It depicts Carly, looking straight at the camera while her body is angled away from the viewer. Carly is wearing a transparent blouse. In front of her are some pears and flowers on a table.

Some great pop. Not as good as E•MO•TION or Dedication, but still good stuff.

Cassandra Jenkins & Suhail Yusuf Khan - Chale Jaana: Cassandra Jenkins & Suhail Yusuf Khan Live (Bandcamp)

Cover art of Cassandra Jenkins & Suhail Yusuf Khan's live album Chale Jaana. It depicts a man standing in the sea. A small part of the beach is visible.

2021’s “An Overview on Phenomenal Nature” was great, but these live versions are something else.

Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul - Topical Dancer (Bandcamp)

Topical Dancer's cover art. It depicts Charlotte and Bolis, connected by nylon. Charlotte is pregnant and looking at the camera, while we can only see Bolis' back.

Deewee does not miss. Funny, good beats, nice singing: this album has it all.

Eliza McLamb - Salt Circle (Bandcamp)

Cover art of Salt Circle. It is a blue watercolour drawing. It depicts a salt circle, along with two cats, a plush rabbit, some plants, a matchbox, two candles, a vial and a chain necklace.

Great lyrics, great singing.

Ethel Cain - Preacher’s Daughter (Soundcloud)

Cover art of Ethel Cain's Preacher's Daughter. It depicts Ethel sitting on a chair wearing a white dress. Her arm is resting on a side table. Above her on the wall hangs a portrailt of a man with a beard and long hair.

This one took a while to grow on me, but the concept alone makes this one of the best albums of 2022 for me.

Florist - Florist (Bandcamp)

Cover art of Florist's self-titled album. It depicts a drawn grey-yellow flower on a white drawn background.

Florist does not miss. My dad would probably classify this as “campfire music”, but I see nothing wrong with that.

Jenny Hval - Classic Objects (Bandcamp)

Cover art of Jenny Hval's Classic Objects. In the foreground are a picture of Jenny and some rocks, surrounded by some cardboard. In the background are mountains and a lightly clouded sky.

Jenny Hval has a certain directness in her lyrics that I love. So clear while simultaneously also containing a deeper message.

King Hannah - I’m Not Sorry, I Was Just Being Me (Bandcamp)

Cover art of King Hannah's I'm Not Sorry I Was Just Being Me. It depicts the two band members walking in a field at sunset. Hannah is looking back at the camera, while Craig appears to be falling over.

Great band, great music. I saw them live in 2023 and promptly bought a shirt (the design of the shirt was also quite nice).

Lucy Dacus - Kissing Lessons (Bandcamp)

Cover art of Lucy Dacus' Kissing Lessons. It depicts two drawn women in a strong embrace. The background is a pastel pink.

Just a single, but I can’t not put Lucy Dacus in here right?

MUNA - MUNA (Bandcamp)

Cover art of MUNA's self-titled album. It depicts the three band members, each in their own quarter of the cover. The top right quarter shows the stylised band name.

Queer electropop, what else is there to say? I discovered them through a cover that Marika Hackman did of Pink Light and have been a fan ever since. (Phoebe Bridgers’ appearance on Silk Chiffon also helps…)

Pinegrove - 11:11 (Bandcamp)

Cover art of Pinegrove's 11:11. The cover art depicts 4 nested squares. On the left side, the squares are dark green, light green, dark green again, and then light green again. On the right side, it is the other way around. On the smallest square, 11:11 is written in red.

I actually only really started listening to Pinegrove after being dragged to a concert of theirs by my brother, but they quickly rose to one of my most-listened artists. 11:11 is a great album and unfortunately it seems like it might be their last (so I’m very glad my brother dragged me along).

Shabason & Krgovich - At Scaramouche (Bandcamp)

Cover art of At Scaramouche. It depicts a white building (if I had to guess, of some American fast-food chain). In front of the building there are parking spots reserved for the disabled.

Krgovich really took me in with 2018’s “Ouch”, but At Scaramouche also really grabbed my attention.

Wet Leg - Wet Leg (Bandcamp)

Cover art of Wet Leg's self-titled debut album. It depicts two women with their backs to the camera. The women each have one arm around the other woman.

Imagine releasing this as your debut album. Funny lyrics, great instrumentation, and a great scream 😀.

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