My Favorites from 2022

Fontaines D.C.'s homage to their Irish heritage is not just a love letter to their country but also a scathing critique of the nation's shortcomings and failure to overcome present-day obstacles. By far my favorite aspect of the band's music is frontman Grian Chatten's vocal approach with his thick Irish drawl and his blunt lyricism. Nowhere is this heard better than "I Love You". The track starts with a hazy goth rock instrumental and a great refrain from Giran which, by the halfway point explodes into a vigorous declaration where Giran recounts the political turmoil and proverbial skeletons in the closet that has plagued the Irish Parliament. "Roman Holiday" is another great cut with dreamy reverb-drench guitars and a bass riff that never fails to have me humming it throughout the rest of my day. This song is another great lyrical highlight for me where Giran recounts his experiences as an Irishman living in London with his fiancée, the capital of the nation that has historically suppressed Ireland which has left a sour taste for the people of both countries, mostly the Irish. A fantastic lyrically introspective project in addition to the band's best instrumental to date, especially the incredible closing track!

A continuation of the Weeknd's exploration of 80s-style synthpop but with a bleak neo-noir aesthetic with incredible co-production from *the* Max Martin and also, remarkably, Oneohtrix Point Never. The contributions from pop's greatest songwriter and an underground progressive-electronic wizard undoubtedly make this The Weeknd's best project to date. "Out of Time" is a psychedelic slow-jam with an awesome slowed-down Japanese City Pop sample which sounds just a couple of degrees short of a vaporwave song, thanks OPN. I love Abel's bittersweet lyrics about lost love and how it stands on its own but also fits seamlessly into the overarching story of the album of essentially being stuck in a purgatory state after death. "How Do I Make You Love Me?" is a punchy synthwave anthem that I think stands toe-to-toe with "Blinding Lights" thanks to Abel's performance range and, once again, the instrumentals. In an industry that is over-saturated with 80s nostalgia, The Weeknd's foray into this genre is leaps and bounds better than what anyone else is doing and his material should not be skipped. 

A fantastical and ethereal double album packed to the brim with the best Dream Pop of the year. This album is strange as it's more of a collection of 4 smaller chunks that were released progressively throughout 2021 and the beginning of 2022, however, you can not really argue with how incredible the overall listening experience is. Being nearly ninety minutes in length with 18 songs seems intimidating at first but believe me, this album is sequenced so immaculately that it genuinely feels as though you are watching a whimsical slice-of-life film. "Over and Over" might just be my favorite Beach House song in their catalog, a patient ethereal ballad where in its last leg illuminates with synths so drenched in reverb and bass it literally feels as though you are engulfed within an infinite chasm. "Hurts to Love" is a melancholic synth-pop cut with twinkling lo-fi embellishments and a killer chorus that I can't help but sing along to. Beach House really knocked it out of the park with pretty much every song here being a contender of their best.

One of the most harrowing listening experiences I have had this year stemmed from this album. It's a weird comparison to make but I feel like this is the 2020s revision to System of a Down's Toxicity. Not necessarily in tone as this album is way more dirge-like and lacks any of the humor and quirk that Serj and Daron bought to their commentary in 2001. But I make the comparison as I feel this album similarly tends to focus on topics and asks questions about U.S. society with the most scrutinizing lens. There is no fluff or beating around the bush on this record. Just listen to the song "Why" which is all about asking why homelessness continues to plague the developed world, particularly in the U.S. And then there's "Slaughterhouse" which is a scathing rant on the meat-farming industries and the atrocities enacted on those animals by corporations. The singing and vocal performance on this album however are bone-chilling, particularly on the closer, it is definitely not for the faint of heart but I feel it really grounds the messages of the album even more effectively. 

In a year full of throwbacks to dance-pop-isms of the past, Beyoncé's contribution to this current trend was by far the most effective at blending the sounds of the past with present-day pop production. The pacing of this album is something to behold with a majority of the tracks blending right into the next as if Beyoncé is on the decks at a sports-stadium-sized dance club. "MOVE" is a highlight for me with its heavy Afrobeats instrumental and Grace Jones's attitude-rich feature is really the icing on the cake of Beyoncé's rich vocals. "PURE/HONEY'' starts as a call to action for all the divas with a revving ballroom house beat which then transitions to a shimmering and soulful disco tribute with a killer bass line and sugary background vocals. I also love the intro "I'M THAT GIRL'' which is surprisingly very eerie and experimental for a mainstream album. It's a braggadocious mission statement with a reggatón beat and airy ambient synths, all the while a boastful vocal sample from Beyoncé cycles underneath it all. A great love letter to various dance scenes, but greatness is to be expected when Beyoncé is at the helm.

The debut record from Philly hardcore punk band, Soul Glo, was one of the most intense and insane punk records I have ever heard. This record is 39 minutes packed with raw and abrasive guitars, unrelenting drums, and manic screams all stuffed into brisk songs that are full of very meaningful and verbose lyrics. Topics range on this record from generational familial trauma in "(Five Years And) My Family" to the criticisms and consequences of trickle-down economics in "Driponomics". This is a great modern hardcore record that harkens back to groups like Fugazi and Minor Threat, hardcore punk with intellectual depth and thought-provoking messages throughout, all the while headstrong with conviction and energy to keep pushing forward.

I am relatively new to Grindcore as a genre but this album is a great gateway into this world of brisk bursts of manic energy. I love the attention to detail and density of these songs despite their brief lengths of 60-90 seconds. I always manage to find some neat aspect of a song whether it be a sick drum switch-up or even a violin part that's layered within the screaming and searing guitar riffs. I love the song "Grieve" with the imposing bricks of distorted guitar riffs and droning violin riffs. Its morose atmosphere is appropriate for the song title. "Weeping Willow" is another highlight for me with its dynamic blast beat drumming and the insane stretching violin solo at the end. I also love how despite loud and technical this record is, it is produced so effectively. Nothing ever sounds muddy even with all the distortion! I really found myself appreciating hardcore styles of music because of this album and I would highly recommend it if you are curious about getting into this style of music but don't know where to start. 

The anticipated debut from England's avant-pop dua was certainly the talk of the town this year and it definitely deserves all the hype. This album is full of quirky, glitchy ballads which somehow also feel so lush and warm with instrumentation, the perfect balance of modern electronic production with classical influences. Take the song "Concrete Over Water", which starts minimally with a fuzzy synth accompaniment to Georgia Ellery's soaring vocals until it transitions into a dizzying chorus with chants and arpeggiated synths that spiral around the listener. I also really like the song "Jennifer B" with its chopped and sequenced vocal samples that are chatting away in the background of Georgia's flaunty poetry. I am so excited to see where the duo will go next if this was just the beginning! 

The third album from Brixton's own black midi is the speedy follow-up to last year's Cavalcade. Hellfire brings the band's most punchy and concise songwriting to date, all culminating into a brisk and dizzying 39-minute length. The 4-track run from the self-titled intro to "Welcome to Hell" is by far the best consecutive track run off any album this year. The band pulls no punches with the speedy arpeggios of "Sugar/Tzu" or the flamenco guitar and handclaps of "Eat Men Eat", and further along we get the maniacal ramblings of the 6-minute cut "The Race is About to Begin". This album contains the band's best storytelling to date with the closer, "27 Questions" being my personal favorite. I find this album to be the perfect mix of their original abrasive sound with the jazzy palette of their second, bringing together the best of both worlds and delivering on an album without a single dull moment to spare.