Hello, everyone. Welcome the second last of my year end lists for 2022. This is being posted a lot later than I hoped it would, but better late than never.

Anyway, today I’m talking about The Top 50 Best Albums of 2022! Okay, really it’s just my top 50 favourite albums of 2022, not ‘the best’ … but ‘The Top 50 Best Albums of 2022’ is a catchier title.

I listened to a ton of albums in 2022, and I mostly focused on listening to ones I had higher expectations for … and not only that, but it was a great year when it comes to the music I was listening to! So, I want to make it clear that I love every album on this list, and for different reasons, so even though I tried to make the order accurate, it’s not going to be perfect, and that’s okay. There’s a part of me that wants to ask you not to comment stuff like, ‘Really? You put this album at #33 but this album at #34?’ But that’s part of the fun of year-end lists in my opinion, so if you want to comment that, feel free to do so!

So, yeah, I legitimately love every album on this list, and most years I expect that to be the case, with maybe 1 or 2 more that miss the list … but this year, there were 5-10-ish … so, yeah, I had to make some very difficult cuts from this list, and there are a few things it could mean if one of your favourite albums of the year isn’t on here: a) I didn’t hear it, b) I love the album and it almost made the list, but just missed it barely, c) I like the album but don’t really love it, or d) I listened to it and just didn’t like it … not everyone has to agree on everything. (Those four reasons are not listed in any particular order.)

And yeah, my choices for this list are not necessarily the ‘obvious’ picks that you see all over year-end lists for 2022. There are a lot of super critically acclaimed albums that aren’t on here, and there are also going to be some controversial picks, because music is subjective. Again, these are my personal favourite albums of the year, not an objective list.

For an album to be eligible for this list, it must have been released sometime from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022. Also, I’m only including studio albums, not EPs, live albums, etc.

I also want to mention that there’s a good chance some of my lyrical analysis is not accurate at all, as I’m not very good at understanding lyrics, and I’m especially not good at writing about lyrics. So, I’ll mostly be talking about the way these albums sound, and when I do talk about lyrics I might totally miss the point of the lyrics. Just keep that in mind.

So, now that all of that is out of the way, let’s get started with #50!

#50 …

We’re starting off this list with the second album I ever reviewed! And 2022 was the year I started to get into ambient music, with this album being a big part of the reason why!

#50 – LP.8 by Kelly Lee Owens

So, this is a mostly mellow album that still feels quite intense, with a lot of eerie elements to it in songs like “Quickening” and “Sonic 8”.

But there are also some really calming tracks like the beautiful “Anadlu” as well as “Nana Piano”, both of which are contenders for my favourite song on the album.

At times it can get a little bit boring, but it’s only at a few moments throughout the album. Overall, it’s a great record (or, I guess, a great LP lol) that has a lot of variety to it, and while my review of the album wasn’t very good in my opinion (it was only my second album review on my website), the album absolutely is!

#49 …

This is the first metal album on this list, and if you’re not into metal, you probably won’t like this album. But as a metal fan myself, I certainly like it!

#49 – The Blazing Sun, A Fiery Dawn by Slowbleed

I couldn’t find the lyrics to this album when I searched for them, but I already mentioned that I’m very bad at understanding the meaning of lyrics. But when it’s so hard to hear what the lyrics are, it feels worth mentioning that I didn’t read them, because I have no idea what the lyrics are.

But this album sounds so good! It’s just some really great, intense metal music that is super heavy musically and I absolutely love it!

It’s also very well mixed, and the snares sound fantastic! The album also has a couple short instrumental tracks which I really like.

Again, I understand why some might not like this, but I absolutely love it!

#48 …

Some people might be surprised to find out that Weyes Blood’s newest album, And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow, didn’t make this list. It was really close, but it didn’t quite make it.

I don’t want to make this too much about the comparison, especially because I absolutely love both albums for different reasons, but here’s an album in a similar style that did make the list:

#48 – Big Time by Angel Olsen

Like I said in my review of the album, I understand why some might find it boring. It’s very mellow, and while I like some of the vocal melodies here, they’re not super catchy.

But when the instrumentation is so well-layered, it pushes this already good album to greatness for me.

Angel’s vocals on this album are absolutely incredible, especially on the amazing closing track, “Chasing The Sun”.

And these songs are so well crafted, with gorgeous pianos, lots of great chord progressions, beautiful vocals, and amazing production. And the percussion fits in really well, with one example being the snare in the chorus of “Right Now”.

Again, I get why it might be boring to some people, but it definitely isn’t to me!

#47 …

So, I often mention not being as big a fan of hip hop as a lot of people are, and it explains why so many of the really critically acclaimed hip hop albums of 2022 aren’t on this list. But there are exceptions …

#47 – Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar

First of all, unsurprisingly, this isn’t my favourite Kendrick Lamar album. I’m guessing a very small percentage of critics would call this their favourite Kendrick Lamar album.

But this is still a great album … I mean, yes, it’s long, and there are notable flaws, and I get why some people were extremely disappointed by it, but when there are so many great instrumentals with Kendrick’s great flows and mostly great lyrics, the album clicks for me!

This album has a lot of variety on it sound-wise, with “N95” being a fantastic banger early in the album before the album goes in some really unexpected places. The album definitely isn’t an easy listen, and it goes to some really dark places, but there’s enough great flows and melodies to keep it somewhat fun to listen to. It’s not all fun—some of it is just heartbreaking—but there’s a lot of positivity here, too, and I think Kendrick balances these emotions throughout the album really well.

Also, while it’s not my absolute favourite on the album, “Purple Hearts” is probably the most underrated song here in my opinion, and I can’t believe it didn’t get more critical acclaim. I mean, people don’t have to like the song, but it still baffles me. All three artists absolutely kill it on this track, and the production is fantastic!

So, yeah, not Kendrick’s best album, but still great!

#46 …

This album is a style of ‘indie rock’ or ‘folk rock’ or something like that (I’m bad at giving albums genre labels) which isn’t typically a style I love, but there are exceptions:

#46 – Running with the Hurricane by Camp Cope

I love the production on this album, which sounds kind of messy on the surface, but there’s something magical about the way the instruments sound together here, despite the kind of demo-like feeling of the sound.

“The Mountain” is a gorgeous song where the drums have a real crunch to them, but it doesn’t take away from the beautifully layered instrumental. And “Sing Your Heart Out” is a fantastic closing track with some great piano melodies.

Going back to what I said about the ‘messy’ production, the title track is beyond amazing, with the gorgeous layering in the instrumentation which helps the song really soar like it’s trying to, and it’s such a fantastic song that I’d love to see become a massive hit! (And yes, I know, the odds of this becoming a massive hit are very low … but I hope it does.)

I still haven’t heard Camp Cope’s first two albums, but after hearing this album, now I really want to!

#45 …

This type of mellow, almost grunge-like alternative rock (if it can be considered rock) isn’t usually a style I love, but this album is an exception:

#45 – Together by Duster

Even I don’t fully know how to explain why this is here … I mean, I can say that about a lot of the albums on this list, but especially this one. It’s just got this really eerie feeling to it, and if you want to understand it better, I’d recommend listening to it.

Again, I wish I could say more, but it’s one that’s kind of hard for me to explain. Great album, though.

#44 …

Again, I’m not a huge hip hop fan, but when the lyrics and flows are this great on one of the best produced hip hop albums I’ve heard from 2022 … yeah, this is making the list:

#44 – DRILL MUSIC IN ZION by Lupe Fiasco

Lupe Fiasco’s newest album takes a little bit to really get going, which is why it isn’t higher on the list, but once it does get going, it delivers some of my favourite hip hop of 2022! And honestly, some of my favourite music of 2022 in general!

Not only are Lupe’s flows really great here, but there are a lot of great melodies, like in the choruses on “PRECIOUS THINGS” and “SEATTLE”, both of which are sung by Nayirah, whose vocals sound great in those songs!

And yeah, the production is fantastic, too, but I also really like a lot of the lyrics. Again, I’m not very good at analyzing lyrics, but there is a lot here lyrically that I like. For example, on “PRECIOUS THINGS”, where Lupe raps about hands, but there’s a lot being said, and it’s really interesting.

Also, the first verse of “ON FAUX NEM” is fucking great!

#43 …

So, I mentioned that there are controversial picks on this list, and this is one of two albums that I feel are controversial not due to being on the list, but instead due to not being higher on this list. We’ll get to the other one later, but this is one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the year that I’m sure is topping lots of Best Albums of 2022 lists.

And honestly, I don’t like it as much as their 2021 album, which is one of my favourite albums of that year … but this is still great!

#43 – Hellfire by black midi

Alright, let me explain … no, I don’t think the mixing is as great as is it is on Cavalcade, and it does get kind of boring at points, and it doesn’t feel like it all goes together into a full album experience as well as Cavalcade does … also, no song on this album is as mind-blowingly amazing as “Slow” (not that I expected there to be a song here I love as much as “Slow”, but I feel like mentioning it anyway). Also, the album’s not as musically tight as Cavalcade.

But still, it has the intensity of black midi that I love, with lots of fantastic moments in the instrumentation, and it’s got some really interesting lyrics. I mean, yeah, it’s ugly, but that’s the whole point … it’s painting an ugly picture of both reality and fiction, with some lyrics being futuristic. Yes, there’s a real lack of empathy here, but when the music is this messy, too, it helps it come across as painting a picture instead of actually sending a bad message.

Overall, I didn’t love this album as much as so many people did, and I kind of have a bit of a feeling I’ll like their next album less, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re a band who will have peaked early, at least for me. I would love to be proven wrong, but I have a strange feeling that from this point on in the near future, I might start to like their new albums less (totally random guess, I know) … but, I mean, it’s black midi, and there’s a very real chance they prove me wrong. And while I’m not the biggest fan of the direction they’re going in, the great melodies in the instrumentation and the awesome musical builds (as well as so much more) help this album click for me a lot.

One thing I can say is that no matter what black midi do next, they’ve put out some amazing music these last few years, and I’m so grateful for that!

#42 …

I keep saying I’m not a big fan of hip hop … but hip hop albums keep showing up on this list:

#42 – 5 to the Eye with Stars by R.A.P. Ferreira

Not only are there a lot of great lyrics here, but I also love the flows on this album.

It’s really well produced with great instrumentals. I love the variety in the instrumentals on this album, and the percussion sounds great, too!

Again, I’m not very good at analyzing lyrics, but there is a lot here in the lyrics that I really like, including some lyrics which seem to possibly be about the music industry. And there’s so much more to this album that really got me thinking, even though I don’t fully understand all the lyrics.

If you’re more of a fan of hip hop than I am, there’s a good chance you’ll end up liking this even more than me, so I highly recommend it!

#41 …

This album is a lot to take in. I mean, it’s over an hour long, and there are some heavy topics discussed on this album … but for me, when the lyrics are so incredible, and the album has so many great hooks, I think it earns that running time.

#41 – angel in realtime. by Gang of Youths

angel in realtime. is a very deep album lyrically, as Dave Le’aupepe tells a fascinating story following the death of his father, in which he eventually finds out lots of secrets his father kept, including another family Dave didn’t know about.

Also, there are so many great songs here!

In “forbearance”, Dave apologizes for past mistakes, but he also realizes he can’t change what he’s done, so instead he’ll try to do better in the future.

I also want to mention “the kingdom is within you”, which is a tribute to Pasifika migrants, and the lyrics here are incredible, as well as that roaring guitar that erupts in the second verse!

Speaking of roaring guitars, that guitar solo on the bridge of “the angel of 8th ave.” sounds so amazing I can’t even put it into words!

Overall, this is a fantastic album with great storytelling which is super emotional and very detailed. And when it’s also got so many great hooks and melodies … yeah, this is really something special!

#40 …

Up until recently, I wasn’t really a fan of instrumental music. This album is almost entirely instrumental, and it’s a big part of the reason I’ve gotten into instrumental music!

#40 – A Memory of Something Vast and Elemental by Spunkshine

I still haven’t gone back and listened to any more of Spunkshine’s music, but this album has made me very excited to do that!

Not only is it really well-mixed, but the instrumental melodies are fantastic and sound great when produced the way they are, with the right amount of reverb to add that spacey feeling to these tracks.

And when you combine the production with the melodies, and the great mixing, you get this fantastic electronic album which doesn’t give me a ton to say, but makes me want to keep going back to it, and it’s a great listening experience!

#39 …

While I’m not the biggest fan of country music, there are definitely some exceptions, and this album really wowed me!

#39 – River Fools & Mountain Saints by Ian Noe

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this … but it really turned out great! The guitars sound fantastic, Ian Noe is a great vocalist, and there are lots of great melodies! I also really like a lot of the lyrics here.

This album is full of really well-crafted country songs with great storytelling on a variety of topics, and when it sounds this fantastic, too, it really stands out!

“POW Blues” is my favourite track here with it’s really interesting lyrics that tell the story of a prisoner of war trying to escape, and also some really great melodies and percussion! But that’s not to take away from the excellent guitar melody on “Burning Down the Prairie” or the clear-sounding rhythm guitar on “Tom Barrett”.

#38 …

Here’s an album that balances out the mellow and the heavy really well:

#38 – The Long Road North by Cult of Luna

I mean, I get why some people might not like this album. If you don’t like really heavy metal, there’s a good chance you won’t like this.

But as a metal fan, not only do I love the intensity in the metal parts of the album, but I also love the mix of heavy and mellow here. “Into the Night”, for example, is a fantastic mellow track with some great vocal melodies and fantastic production, with a really dreamy feeling to it which I think is pulled off so well!

But the metal parts of this album, in my opinion, are even better! The roaring guitars paired with the super powerful snares just sound absolutely amazing, and there’s so much to love melodically in the guitars.

This album is very long, but when it’s this well produced with so many great guitar melodies, a little more than an hour of this album is absolutely worth it!

Again, if you’re not into metal, you probably won’t like this album … but to me, this really hit hard!

#37 …

In one of my mini review posts in 2022, I reviewed The Beths’ newest album, Expert in a Dying Field, and I gave it a 3.5/10. And as someone who cares a lot about production in music, I’ll even say I mostly like the production on that album. Sure, there were elements in the production I didn’t like, but my main issue with the album was that so little of it stood out to me aside from the production. I mean, I respect the album a lot, it sounds like an album that had a lot of effort put into it, but most of it just really bored me personally.

This album has a similar sound to Expert in a Dying Field, but not only do these songs stand out to me way more, but while I mostly like the production on that album, I like the production here even more!

#37 – Emotional Creature by Beach Bunny

This is the kind of alternative rock (whatever that means) that I really love! The mixing is incredible, with no instruments standing out much as too quiet or too loud, and it’s full of great vocal melodies, too!

Lili Trifilio is such a great vocalist, and her vocals are so well-mixed, really giving the songs some real power, especially with the guitar distortion! And the snares sound amazing, too!

One of the album’s biggest highlights for me is the song, “Fire Escape”, which is a short song, clocking in at under two and a half minutes, but it still kind of feels like a multi-part song, and the distorted guitars combined with the great drumming add some fantastic crunch, which sounds even better with these awesome chord progressions!

I also love the pure joy of the closing track, “Love Song”, the absolutely amazing hook on “Entropy”, and the way Lili shows frustration on arguably my favourite track here, “Scream”, which features a scream that was a great addition to the track!

This is a pretty short album that is very replayable, and I’m really happy I gave it a chance. Great album!

#36 …

So, this one’s … interesting. On the surface, I could understand why this could be viewed as an annoying, uninteresting ‘alternative rock’ album. And if you don’t like this, I get it. But let me explain why this is here …

#36 – Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To the Sky by Porridge Radio

From just a casual listen, I get why this might be really boring. I mean, I wouldn’t say it is for me, because there are so many great melodies and great moments in the instrumentation … but you know what? I totally get why some might find this boring even when paying more attention to it. But for me, it’s not boring at all!

And maybe it’s partially because 2022 was such a complicated year for me, and there were lots of times when I was going through a lot of complicated emotions (which all of us do sometimes), but it hits hard for me, and again, these are my favourite albums of the year, not the ‘best’, whatever that means.

I think these complicated emotions shine through on tracks like “Birthday Party”, possibly the best example of an ‘obviously annoying’ song from an album on this list if it doesn’t hit this hard for you, but for me it does. I don’t think it’s annoying … I think it’s more annoyed, if that makes any sense. Or maybe frustrated is the right word.

And yeah, the production sounds kind of messy throughout this album … but to me, that’s one of its strengths, when you consider how much frustration there is here. And maybe that’s hypocritical of me because there are other albums where I don’t like the production nearly as much in part because of the messy production when you could also totally argue it fits the album, but for whatever reason this album really stood out to me in a positive way, and the messy production isn’t super messy … just enough to add to the experience of the album!

#35 …

If you read a lot of my reviews, you’ve probably noticed I complain a lot about production.

Okay, maybe ‘complain’ isn’t the right word, but what I’m saying is that there are a lot of people who don’t listen for production, mixing, etc. And that’s totally fine. Different people like different things, and that’s a good thing! I wouldn’t want everyone to agree on all music!

But I get why some might find it annoying when I go on and on about production/mixing elements that hold an album back for me. I’m sure it makes some people want to read my reviews more, but if it makes you want to read them less, that’s totally fair.

But I will say this: there are reasons I point out production/mixing elements that I don’t like. Because when I tell you how much I love the mixing/production on this album, it feels like I’m saying more than it otherwise would.

I don’t know if that made any sense, but either way, this album rules!

#35 – MUNA by MUNA

I mean, I could just go on and on about how great the mixing on this album is, with the percussion sounding incredible with those punchy snares adding so much power to these tracks, when there are already so many glorious synths and great basslines, leading to some really magical synth-pop tracks, like the opener “Silk Chiffon”, which starts off mellow before exploding in the chorus with an awesome chord progression and some magical synths that aren’t super loud, but add so much to this chorus!

And while some of the more acclaimed tracks here like “Runner’s High” aren’t huge standouts on the album for me, I still like every song on this album, and that’s something I can’t even say for some of the albums that are even higher on the list!

For me, some of the bigger highlights include “Solid”, which has one of my favourite hooks on the album, and also “No Idea”, which might seem off-putting musically at first with those really loud snares and the drop that I could totally see someone finding annoying … but for whatever reason, it’s one of those songs where on paper, it ‘shouldn’t’ work, but for whatever reason, it does!

And I can’t forget to mention “Anything But Me”, in which the narrator pretty much tells the narrator’s ex, ‘I’m done with the relationship, but if you need anything, let me know.’ And it’s just such a nice sentiment.

If you’re into synth-pop, I highly recommend this album! It’s got a great balance of fun and emotional, and it’s so well mixed and well produced, too!

#34 …

I feel like my music taste is kind of all over the place. By that, I mean that even if you hear me talk about music all the time, it would probably be hard for you to accurately guess how I feel about an album, even if you’ve heard the album … but there are some albums where if you know my music taste well, you’d pretty much know how I’d feel about them, and you’d be right.

And then there’s rare albums like this, which you probably wouldn’t expect me to like … and yet:

#34 – Raw Data Feel by Everything Everything

This is a synth-pop album partially written by AI, which has lots of bouncy production (something that usually annoys me) and other ideas that ‘should’ feel out of place … and yet, for whatever reason, Everything Everything find a way to make it all work on their sixth studio album, Raw Data Feel. And a big part of it for me is the percussion being mixed super well, and fitting the songs super well.

I think the band does a super good job on this album of filling in empty spaces without it sounding overdone to the point where it’s too noisy.

I could also mention how catchy the vocal melodies are on this album, some oddly enjoyable repetitiveness on songs like “Teletype” and “Cut UP!”, that awesome buzzing synth groove on “HEX”, and the incredibly tight production throughout this album … but despite me having somewhat of an explanation, I’m not even entirely sure why this album clicks for me as much as it does. But why should I care? I’m happy to listen to this regardless!

#33 …

Time for more metal …

#33 – Hymn to the Woeful Hearts by Pure Wrath

This is the kind of black metal that really clicks for me! Great guitar melodies, great vocals that are really well mixed so that the focus is still on the instrumentation, but the vocals still add some real intensity, and the chord progressions are great, too! And I also love how the drums switch up throughout the album!

Lyrically, this album is very bleak, and the music fits the lyrics really well. It’s a heartbreaking listen, but it’s absolutely worth hearing in my opinion, at least if you’re into metal.

I mean, I have to be in the right mood to listen to this, but it’s so hard-hitting, and it was quite a special album to me in 2022 and will continue to be going forward. Great stuff!

#32 …

And while we’re on the topic of metal …

#32 – Still as the Night, Cold as the Wind – Vital Spirit

Wow, those snares are so hard-hitting! And the album is mixed super well, letting those snares have that much power! And it’s worth mentioning that the snares aren’t always very loud here … and at times the snare is pretty quiet but it still sounds really powerful in the mix.

This album is also full of guitar melodies that fit really well with the drums, and it sounds so amazing!

There’s a lot to this album lyrically, and while I’m not very good at analyzing lyrics, it’s worth mentioning. It’s heartbreaking and absolutely not at easy listen—with lyrics about colonization that go into a lot of detail—but I highly recommend you hear this album!

What a great debut album! I’m really excited to hear more from this band!

#31…

In 2021, this artist made an album that I didn’t see get a lot of critical acclaim, but personally, I really like that album … and, I mean, I wasn’t really expecting this album to be as good as that one … but instead, I think it’s even better!

#31 – HOLY FVCK by Demi Lovato

Yeah, I know, a lot of people haven’t been a fan of lots of mainstream pop artists making pop-punk recently … and for me, whether or not I like these albums depends on the album, and Demi Lovato might have made my favourite of them that I’ve heard!

Demi absolutely kills it here vocally, as their vocals fit the song super well on pretty much every track here, and they hit the high notes incredibly well!

I should also mention how great the production is, with the snares sounding great, and the production feeling very tight for the most part, letting the guitars have the real power that really helps this album click! And also, there’s so much here melodically that I love, for example, on a song like “CITY OF ANGELS”.

But I should also mention the lyrics, where Demi sings about fame, addiction, and much more, and while it’s a lot to take in, I think it’s really quite amazing. This is an album that balances fun and emotional super well, and if you haven’t heard it, I highly recommend that you do! I get that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I think it’s worth a chance. But, of course, I’ll leave that up to you.

#30 …

So, this is quite a bleak album, and it’s very intense, with an aggressive musical and vocal style that I totally understand being off-putting to some … but for me, this hit really hard!

#30 – Trouble The Water by Show Me the Body

So, if you don’t like metal and hard rock, this probably won’t be your cup of tea. But personally, I found it really hard-hitting, with the incredible guitars, and the drums standing out in the mix without feeling overpowered.

There’s a big variety of sounds throughout this album, with songs like “Radiator” being very different from the metal style throughout a lot of this album.

Overall, this is a really hard-hitting album that is very bleak, and not an easy listen, but one that’s absolutely worth hearing in my opinion, at least if you’re into hard rock/metal.

I’ll have more to say about some of the lyrics in my list of my favourite songs of the year, but we’ll get to that later. For now, let’s keep talking about my favourite albums 2022 had to offer …

#29 …

This is one of the first albums I fell in love with in 2022 … and I understand why some people might find it way too intense, but in a year as difficult for me as 2022 was, this kind of music clicked for me a lot. In my opinion, this deserves all the critical acclaim it got!

#29 – Fawn by foxtails

I love the intensity in the instrumentation on this album, and it’s super well mixed, with the percussion sounding fantastic!

Those snares are so hard-hitting without feeling overpowered, and it sounds absolutely awesome!

The vocals are fantastic, and there are so many great melodies in the instrumentation, especially the strings.

In 2022, this kind of intense, bleak listen hit really hard for me … I mean, not every intense, bleak album from 2022 clicked for me, but when it’s mixed so well with such awesome instrumentation and vocals … well, this one absolutely clicked! It’s a really hard-hitting album, and if you can handle screaming in music, I highly recommend it. It’s really something special.

#28 …

So, going back to what I said about the ‘obvious’ picks, I’m not going to put all of the most critically acclaimed albums of the year on this list just because I want to be ‘cool’ or whatever. And while this isn’t one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the year, I don’t see it being a particularly controversial pick, and it’s a style of music that often gets a lot of critical acclaim, and this album did, too, even if it’s not one of the most ‘obvious’ picks for a best of 2022 list. And yeah, I often like this style of music, but like any style of music, it depends on the album … and this is an example of this sound being done in a way that really clicks for me:

#28 – You Can’t Kill Me by 070 Shake

Haunting, eerie, glitchy pop … if this can even be considered pop. Either way, 070 Shake took this sound and turned it into a fascinating listening experience that evokes many different emotions through its sound alone, with the lyrics adding even more to the experience.

This album is full of catchy melodies, great production and mixing which really helps the percussion stand out, and I love the variety on it, too!

Also, “Come Back Home” kind of blew my mind, and (spoiler alert) it’s pretty much a lock for my favourite songs of 2022!

This kind of avant-garde music isn’t always my cup of tea, and I’m not going to go, ‘Oh, it’s critically acclaimed! That means I must love it!’ And I’m full of controversial music opinions, but I’m also not going to do whatever I can to be controversial … I’d rather talk about the albums from 2022 that clicked the most for me personally, and this is among them! Great stuff!

#27 …

I had never reviewed an album by (an) artist(s) I know in real life until I reviewed this album (yes, I know, I only started my website in May of 2022, but it’s still worth mentioning), and while there was a part of me that told me I had to like this album because I know the artists, I was able to put aside that bias … it just so happens that the album is phenomenal!

#27 – Title the Document by Spade

I was very briefly in a band once with both members of Spade (Spade Hoile and Steve Wright), but that’s another story.

I want to talk about the album, which I think is absolutely fantastic!

The album is full of great melodies in both the vocals and instrumentation, it’s produced incredibly well, with fantastic drums (both the rhythm and the mixing), and both vocalists sound great here! There’s also a lot to love lyrically, including the lyrical progression throughout the album, becoming more optimistic as the album goes on.

Every track here, to me, is at the very least decent, and most of them are awesome!

“We Live Forever” is a great, optimistic closing track with some amazing guitar distortion and guitar melodies as well as a fantastic hook, “Derealization” is a more mellow track which suddenly has this crushing chorus that absolutely rules before eventually getting to an amazing guitar solo, and “Home Is Where the Art Is” is next-level great with phenomenal drumming, great melodies, great lyrics, and also some of the best guitars I’ve heard from 2022!

I highly recommend you check out this album, especially if you’re into rock! It’s absolutely incredible!

#26 …

Alright, this is the last album in the bottom half of this list!

I often say that I listen to music more for the way it sounds than I do for the lyrics … and it’s probably true, but at the same time, it’s worth mentioning that there’s a lot of music that is held back for me due to some sort of moral issue I have with the lyrics. I mean, art is open to interpretation, and I get that a lot of the time it’s just my own interpretation and not the actual meaning of the art, but again, in my reviews, I’m mostly talking about my own perspective on the music.

And let me just say right now that I could totally understand someone having an issue with some of the lyrics on this album, and if you know me well, when you read these lyrics, you might be surprised to see this here.

It’s very important not to take every lyric on this album seriously. Now, let me explain why this is on the list!

#26 – Ghostlight by Poets of the Fall

Maybe I’m misinterpreting the lyrics, but there are some lyrics here which I very much think are about suicide. And there’s nothing wrong with writing about suicide … in fact, when done well, it’s super important! But it depends how you write about it. If it clearly sends the message that suicide is wrong, that’s great! It’s part of the reason I like Logic’s “1-800-273-8255” more than a lot of people do (although even I’ll admit that, ‘Who can relate? Woo!’ line is super cringey and holds the song back from being way better). But there are a lot of songs where I really don’t like how the writer writes about suicide, because I feel like it’s making a huge problem seem like ‘no big deal’, even if it’s not the intent. Or, in some cases, like one song in particular which landed very high on my Worst Songs of 2022 list, it kind of feels like it’s celebrating it (even though, again, I’m sure it wasn’t the intent).

So, why do I love the song “Sounds of Yesterday” when it seems to possibly be telling the story of a suicide with happy-sounding instrumentation? Well, this song works for me for the same reason as Radiohead’s “Pyramid Song”, where I interpret it as being in one’s imagination, even in the context of the song … if that didn’t make any sense, here’s maybe a better way to word it: I think I love this song for the same reason people love watching fictional murder shows. Because it’s a song, and it works for the same reason why so many fun songs about murder work. It’s not real.

And while the album ends with someone committing suicide on the closing track (at least it seems that way), it’s not glorifying it, it’s just acknowledging the unfortunate truth that some people have committed suicide. I wish that message was clearer in the song, but it doesn’t ruin the album for me.

But all that was mostly me focusing on things that don’t hold this album back for me … and there are so many things I do like about this album, such as the fantastic production and the detailed instrumentation, and I love how powerful the snares are!

And when there are so many great melodic hooks, too … yeah, this is such a great album! Almost in my top 25 of the year! And speaking of which …

#25 …

So, we’re now in the top half … and I honestly didn’t have super high expectations going into this album, and I’m not entirely sure why. Maybe it’s because despite this band being quite popular, I hadn’t seen them get a ton of critical acclaim … but wow, this was worth hearing!

#25 – Fix Yourself, Not The World by The Wombats

This came out early in the year, I listened to it not long after it came out, and it quickly became a contender for this list, and here it is.

“This Car Drives All by Itself” is such a bop with a super catchy chorus and some fantastic melodies, and it’s also mixed really well!

I also love “Wildfire”, in large part due to how much swing the chorus has to it with that awesome guitar melody!

This is a really well-produced, well-mixed alternative rock album with so many great melodies, and it’s too bad I don’t hear these songs on the radio, but whatever. I’ll just listen to it myself.

#24 …

99% of the time, if I use the term ‘snooze fest’ to describe an album, I mean it in a negative way … but what about the other 1% of the time?

#24 – Once Twice Melody by Beach House

This album is so calming, and just feels so nice to listen to! I don’t even have that much to say about it. I mean, I could mention that it’s eighty minutes long and I still don’t want it to end when it gets later in the album. And I could mention the fantastic percussion … or I could just say this album is pure magic that you have to hear to understand!

#23 …

I’m not super familiar with this critically acclaimed artist’s discography, but I’ve seen/heard a lot of critics say this album was a disappointment. This artist is on my list of artists to listen to more, and I’m really excited, because if this is a disappointment, that makes me wonder how much I might love her previous albums. But either way, despite a lot of critics not liking this nearly as much, it’s making my personal list:

#23 – Laurel Hell by Mitski

After hearing the singles from this album, I was really excited … and I don’t want to say it didn’t disappoint, because if I’m being totally honest, I kind of had a feeling I’d love it even more … but it certainly didn’t disappoint much.

This album has beautiful production, so many layers in the instrumentation, and so many fantastic melodies!

Slower songs like “Heat Lightning” and “I Guess” are really great, with those two songs being very different from each other, but I love them both! I also love a lot of the faster-paced songs here, like “Love Me More” and “Should’ve Been Me”

And when there’s so much great lyricism here, too, it makes this album even better! And yeah, it’s one of my favourites of the year!

#22 …

I remember a few years ago I used to watch The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon pretty much every day … and I still watch it sometimes. And, if you watch that show often, you probably know that The Roots are the house band on the show. And I know The Roots are known for way more than just The Tonight Show, but as someone who still hasn’t listened to their albums yet, that’s where I recognize the band from. But while I still haven’t listened to much of The Roots’ music, their lead MC, Black Thought, made a collaboration album with Danger Mouse, and it’s one of my favourites of the year!

#22 – Cheat Codes by Danger Mouse & Black Thought

I’m not going to say a lot about this album, because, again, I’m not very good at analyzing lyrics … I mean, I’ve read the lyrics, and I mostly like them (despite a few questionable lines here and there), but especially with how much of a time crunch I’ve been in to finish these year-end lists for 2022, I’m not going to talk about the lyrics much when I’m not very good at writing about lyrics anyway. And yes, I know I don’t need to be in a time crunch, but I want to have time to listen to lots of 2023 albums and get my year-end lists for 2023 out by early January of 2024.

Anyway, this is an album that uses a lot of heavy sampling, and I love how the instrumentals are slightly changed, like on the song “Aquamarine”.

This album is also very well-mixed, with the percussion sounding fantastic.

Black Thought’s flow is incredible here, too, and I want to at least say a little bit about the lyrics, some of which are political. I also like a lot of the philosophical lyrics here, like on “Aquamarine”. If you can’t tell, I’m a huge fan of that track! Spoiler alert: it’s on my Top 100 Favourite Songs of 2022. There are also so many great rhymes on this album.

There are a lot of super critically acclaimed albums from 2022 that aren’t on this list, but this album, which is often considered one of the best of 2022, is an album I absolutely love!

#21 …

As a fan of post-punk, even I’ll admit that a lot of it feels really over the top, like it’s trying too hard to be creative (that might be totally unfair … I’m not saying it IS trying too hard, just that it kind of feels that way). But here’s a post-punk album that doesn’t do anything too out of the ordinary (at least musically … again, I’m not very good at analyzing lyrics), but is still super creative …

#21 – Archive Material by Silverbacks

Rarely do I find an album in which I love the mixing as much as this one … especially the percussion! But also, the guitar and bass sound fantastic together!

But this isn’t just making the list because of the mixing. There’s lots of great, catchy hooks, like on “A Job Worth Something”, “Recycle Culture”, and “Econymo”, to name a few.

I should also mention the use of hand-claps (or at least something that sounds like hand-claps) on the song, “Rolodex City” … hand-claps in music often annoy me, but in this case, it sounds awesome, and I’m not sure why!

Also, if you want an example of a song in which I love the use of reverb, “Central Tones” is a big example of that!

If you’re into post-punk, I highly recommend this album!

#20 …

So, going back to what I said about MUNA’s self-titled album … look, I’m not trying to take away from how much I love that album. Which of these two albums I’d rather listen to depends on the time. But that being said, this one has a similar magic to its sound … and in my opinion, it’s even better!

#20 – Giving The World Away by Hatchie

It feels like most years there’s a big hit song on the Billboard Hot 100 by an artist who was quite well-known already, but not for mainstream hits. I know the odds of the next one being any one specific artist are very low … but wouldn’t it be awesome if it’s something from this album? Imagine “The Rhythm” as a mainstream hit that gets played on the radio! As someone who listens to pop radio a lot, that would be awesome!

But anyway, this album is phenomenal! And it doesn’t even give me a ton to say, it’s just such a great synth-pop album which is such a joy to listen to, and it’s full of fantastic hooks and amazing production!

If you’re into synth-pop with great melodies, I highly recommend this album! It’s really special!

#19 …

One of many music critics whose YouTube channel I watch a lot is Mark Grondin of Spectrum Pulse. And I’ve got to say, watching his videos has gotten me into a lot of great music this year, including some albums on this list, like Archive Material by Silverbacks and Ghostlight by Poets of the Fall … as well as some others. I’ve got to say a big thanks to Mark for introducing me to so much great music, and that includes this album:

#19 – Aeroplane by Patricia Taxxon

This album only features one song with lyrics, and it’s another reason why I’ve gotten into instrumental music recently.

I love the ways it changes throughout, and it’s a mostly calming listen overall, despite how experimental it is.

Oh, and also, the one non-instrumental track, “Kitty”, is probably my favourite song on the album, and is such a joy to listen to! It has such an amazing build to it and so many great melodies, and the way everything in this song comes together makes it such a magical listen!

Overall, this album really wowed me! It’s magic in music form that I highly recommend!

#18 …

I’ve seen this band get a ton of critical acclaim, and after seeing their third album is probably their most critically acclaimed album to date, even as someone who still hasn’t listened to their first two albums, I really wanted to check this out … and yeah, for me it really lives up to the hype!

#18 – Blue Rev by Alvvays

So, “After The Earthquake” is probably the most critically acclaimed song on this album, and like most critics, I absolutely love that song, but it’s not even one of my top favourites here!

My favourite is close between “Velveteen” and “Very Online Guy” … but anyway, this album is full of great hooks and great melodies, and I love the production, too! I often feel like I’m not as big a fan of reverb as a lot of people are, but maybe that’s not really the case. Sure, there are albums where the reverb really holds them back for me, but here, for some reason, it really works! And also, maybe I’m totally imagining the reverb here, but there’s something to this that gives it an airy sound, which I’m guessing is reverb, but I could be wrong.

Either way, it sounds incredible, and I expect to be going back to this a lot! What a fantastic album!

#17 …

Something I’ve said a few times on this list is, ‘If you’re not into metal, you probably won’t like this album.’ But I’m not even sure that’s the case here. If you’re looking to get into black metal, this might be a great introduction:

#17 – Origins by Saor

If you’re looking for some soaring black metal with amazing guitar melodies and amazing production that helps it really soar, I highly recommend this!

I love the intensity in the instrumentation, and the vocals sound great, too! It’s super well-mixed and the instruments sound great together!

And in a way it kind of feels like it’s all building up to something … and that build in the second half of the closing track absolutely blew my mind!

I’ve seen/heard some people say this was a disappointment, and as someone who hasn’t listened to any of Saor’s previous albums, that just makes me more excited to hear them, because if this is a disappointment, I really want to know how great those albums are!

#16 …

And while we’re on the topic of metal … unfortunately, I didn’t get into as much 2022 melodic metalcore as I was hoping. A lot of what I heard in that genre really didn’t do that much for me, and as someone who loves the genre, that was very disappointing for me.

But at least I discovered this:

#16 – Obsidian by Northlane

FUCK YES! This is full of fantastic melodic hooks and detailed instrumentation that sounds absolutely awesome!

I don’t want to spoil too much about my final 2022 year-end list, but “Inamorata” is one of my favourite songs of 2022 with that incredible hook with some phenomenal guitar distortion!

But that’s not to take away from a more experimental track like “Is This a Test?”, which may be off-putting at first, but it really stands out to me as one of my favourites on the album, with some great melodies and fantastic production!

I absolutely love this kind of melodic metalcore, and in my opinion, Northlane really pulled it off with this album! Fantastic stuff!

#15 …

In my mini review of this album, I said I’d be shocked if this didn’t make my top 50 of the year … and as I expected, it’s not only on the list, but it’s pretty high on the list, too.

#15 – Datura by Boston Manor

One thing that really contributes to me loving an album/song is when I love the melodies … and also, I listen for production and mixing a lot. And Boston Manor absolutely nailed all those things here, with some super catchy vocal melodies that I absolutely love on tracks like “Passenger” and “Crocus”, and the tight production makes it stand out even more, with the snares being so well-mixed, having a ton of power, helping the instrumentation feel complete!

The album isn’t even half an hour long, but it feels like a full album experience, and an absolutely incredible one, helped by the mostly instrumental track, “Shelter from the rain”. That song is a really key part of the album in my opinion, and works as a really nice change from the sound of the rest of the album, which is an amazing sound, don’t get me wrong. The album didn’t need this track for the album to be great, but this track makes it even better!

If you’re a fan of alternative rock, I highly recommend this album! It’s super good!

#14 …

So, like I said earlier, Hellfire by black midi is one of two albums on this list where I really feel like it’s controversial not due to being on the list, but due to not being higher on the list. And this is the other of those two albums.

And it feels funny to say that considering how high this is on the list, but it’s easily the most critically acclaimed album of the year, and it’s topping tons of Best Albums of 2022 lists. And again, I love every album on this list, as well as some 2022 albums that didn’t even make the list, so I don’t want people to get the idea that I don’t like this album, or even that I don’t absolutely love this album!

I remember when this came out in early 2022, and it was such a big deal in the online music reviewing community. And I get why. I’m not even sure it feels like an album as much as it feels like an experience … and one that goes to some really interesting, dark places, but that’s part of the reason I love it so much! And yeah, I’ll have more to say and maybe what I’m trying to say here will make more sense:

#14 – Ants From Up There by Black Country, New Road

First of all, as sad as it was to hear the news, I have a ton of respect for Isaac Wood for leaving the band to focus on his mental health.

Now, about the album itself, even as someone who absolutely loves Black Country, New Road’s debut album For the First Time, I didn’t expect to love this album this much. But Black Country, New Road’s second album is an experience like no other, and one that absolutely blew my mind, even as someone who loves their first album.

This album is experimental, epic, meticulous, punchy, dramatic, heartbreaking yet still so charming, and it’s beautiful. An album that goes through so many emotions, and one that goes to some uncomfortable places, but the subject matters are so unique, and while I don’t necessarily relate to the lyrics themselves, it feels relatable, partially because of how much emotion goes into this album … but also partially because there are some truths about myself I’ve never wanted to admit, and this album to me represents acknowledging some uncomfortable truths about ourselves that we might not want to admit, even to ourselves.

Maybe none of that made any sense if you haven’t heard the album, but hopefully when you listen to this, you’ll get out of it what I and so many others have. This is truly magnificent, and while it goes to some uncomfortable places you might not be prepared for, I think it’s totally worth it. The album is so rewarding, and while I don’t see Black Country, New Road topping this any time soon—probably ever—they still made this. Also, I’m pretty confident this will go down as a classic as it absolutely deserves to! And you never know, they could prove me wrong in the future.

#13 …

So, now these top 13 are more controversial than they otherwise would have been, because some people might not be happy with me for putting all these albums ahead of Ants From Up There. And yeah, I tried to put these albums in an order I was happy with, and especially this high on the list, the order becomes more important … but just because these albums are higher doesn’t mean I would always rather listen to them over Ants From Up There. It obviously depends on the time. So, now that I’ve said all that, you can make the argument this isn’t anywhere near as good as Ants From Up There, and while that’s a totally fair argument, if I had to pick, as of right now, which one I like a tiny bit more, it’s this one:

#13 – Where Myth Becomes Memory by Rolo Tomassi

So, before I talk about the album itself, I just want to mention something funny I noticed: this album came out on the exact same day as Ants From Up There.

But about the album itself … look, I get that this style isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. It’s a metalcore album with lots of intense screaming and metalcore style guitars, which, again, it’s not rare at all for me to hear people say this isn’t a genre they like.

But for me, this hits so hard. It pulls me in so many directions emotionally, and while I have no idea what the majority of these lyrics mean, there’s still lots of amazing poetry here, and Eva Korman’s stunning vocals, both in her soothing melodic vocals and in her thunderous screams … and then the band pulls you into these walls of sound which sound like pure euphoria. (I’m not sure if ‘walls of sound’ is the right wording, but I’ll go with that because I don’t know what other description to use.)

The guitar distortion really helps the stormy feeling of these songs come to life, with those booming snares which sound pretty much perfect in the mix being the cherry on top that turns this already great album into being in my top 15 of the year.

It’s bleak listen, but there’s some optimism, too. And again, I get why this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but this resonated for me so much! And especially with some of the lines which seem to be about struggling to accept the passage of time (even though I might be interpreting those lines wrong) … yeah, that makes those walls of sound hit even harder! What a phenomenal album!

#12 …

I’ve got to say, I’m not sure I heard a 2022 album that’s more fitting to listen to early in the morning before sunrise … yeah, I know that was really random, but while I haven’t listened to it at that time of day yet (because I’m not usually up that early), I’m sure that would be a great time to listen to it!

#12 – Heart Under by Just Mustard

This is kind of an industrial post-punk album, and it’s full of super powerful snares with absolutely awesome guitars and basslines!

It really has this feeling of being a passenger in a car during a massive storm … and while that’s terrifying in real life, this album is the good version of that feeling. It’s an album that is so calming yet so dramatic, with some incredible builds throughout, finding the right times to add more intensity to the instrumentation and the right times to strip it back.

It’s a hypnotizing listen that absolutely rules, with nearly every track being legitimately phenomenal, and there isn’t a single bad track on this album. If you’re just playing this in the background, I doubt it has anywhere near the same impact, and it would probably come across as a boring post-punk album that has almost nothing to it, but when you listen to it closely, there is so much more here! One of my favourite albums of 2022! It’s this high on the list for a reason!

#11 …

Putting this album this high feels kind of … I don’t know what the word I’m looking for is. It feels kind of … unusual for me? If you know my taste in music well, you probably wouldn’t expect me to love this enough to put it on this list, and yet not only is it on the list, it’s almost in the top 10!

But I’m not going to deny how much of a chord this struck with me.

#11 – Sun Soaking by lobsterfight

It’s kind of funny to me how this is possibly the only album from 2022 that I would say is ‘awkward’ in a good way, and it happens to be this high on this list! But there’s some real charm to this album with the combination of messy instrumentals, intense vocals that are super unique, and the lyrics which are very open to interpretation.

There seems to be a story going on throughout this album, and while I had a hard time following along, I felt like I understood it just enough to find it compelling, made even more compelling by the mystery of it!

The vocal melodies here aren’t particularly catchy, but for some reason, it really works, contributing to the really messy feeling of this album. I like how all-over-the-place it is, because emotions are all-over-the-place, and at least for me, this is an example of an album where that really works, because the sound of this album really resonates with me as someone whose emotions are always all over the place. I mean, that can probably be said about almost everyone, but there’s something about the all-over-the-place feeling of this album that really hits that spot for me!

It’s an album like none I’ve ever heard before, even though there are a lot of comparisons I could make to Ants From Up There … and I think it’s even better!

#10 …

So, you may have noticed there’s not as much hip hop on this list as there is for a lot of critics. Again, not one of my preferred genres, but that’s just me. But while some of the most critically acclaimed hip hop albums (including some that I listened to) aren’t on this list, because maybe just maybe there’s a chance that not every person on the planet has exactly the same music taste, this one did make the list:

#10 – Aethiopes by Billy Woods

Well, this is quite a complicated album … there’s a lot going on here in the lyrics, and I’m not going to try to analyze every line right now, and I’ll admit, like most of the albums on this list, I don’t fully understand the meaning of the lyrics. Again, that’s something I want to work on going forward, but I’ve been trying to get this post out sooner rather than later. And again, I listen to music more for the way it sounds than the lyrics … and this album sounds fantastic! I love the haunting vibe of a lot of these tracks, and Billy Woods’ flows are great, too!

I want to do a deeper look into this album’s lyrics when I have time, but that’s one of the things I love so much about this album. There’s pretty much an unlimited amount of interpretations of a lot of these lyrics.

There’s a lot of lyrics about colonization, slavery, and so much more, and there are so many lines which have multiple meanings to them. A lot of this album seems to have to do with the possibility of history repeating itself, and also how a lot of the ‘issues of the past’ are still very big issues to this day, even though some are big issues in different ways.

Yeah, again, this album is a lot to take in, but it’s absolutely a great one in my opinion, and one that blew my mind!

I’ve never heard an album anything like this, you probably haven’t, either, and neither of us probably ever will … aside from, well, this album itself. It’s super complicated, and I’ll admit that I don’t fully understand it, but I absolutely LOVE this album! And if you haven’t heard it, I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend that you do!

#9 …

I still haven’t listened to this band’s debut album from 2005, but this is their second album. Yes, you read that right.

#9 – The Loser by Gospel

2022 was a very busy year for me, and most of the time I spent listening to music I spent listening to 2022 music … and when I did listen to other music, I mostly listened to stuff I already knew. And that’s why I still haven’t listened to Gospel’s 2005 debut album, The Moon Is a Dead World. Fortunately, I have a plan for 2023 which will hopefully give me enough time to listen to even more albums from 2023 than 2022 while still giving me more time to do other things, including discovering more music from the past, and that album is on my list of albums I want to check out!

But anyway, this comeback surprised a lot of people, as it’s only Gospel’s second studio album, seventeen years after their first! And while I still haven’t listened to their debut, I’ve got to say, WHAT A COMEBACK!

Adam Dooling’s vocals here are incredible, with the intense screaming on this album really fitting with the bleak lyrics.

And yeah, the lyrics are very bleak … again, I’m not the best at analyzing lyrics, but one example of a song with great lyrics in my opinion is “Hyper”, which seems to possibly be describing a war, maybe even just in a dream, but as dark as it is, when the music is so good and it really fits with the bleak lyrics by sounding really eerie, it works super well in my opinion! And the song is also a total banger, with some incredible synths, and the mixing is phenomenal!

And there’s so much musical intensity here that I absolutely fucking love! Especially with the synths adding tons of atmosphere, for example at the beginning of “S.R.O.”, and I also love how it speeds up at the start of that track.

I love the jumpy feeling of some of these tracks, like “S.R.O.” which I just mentioned, and that’s also the case with “Deerghost”.

This is one of those albums where the instruments are pretty much all perfectly timed to make the intensity feel so much stronger, and the mixing is fantastic, helping each individual melody play off each other at the same time super well without any of them feeling too distracting! It’s punchy, atmospheric, spacey, and super hard-hitting!

But I think what pushes it to that next level for me, making it one of my top 10 favourite albums of 2022, is, well, personal reasons. Because when I feel like there’s a battle going on inside my own mind, and I’m feeling really frustrated … well, sometimes the best way to take out frustration is just to sit down and listen to some music. This album is a lot to take in, but a great way to take out my frustration, and it also fucking bangs! If you’re into post-hardcore or punk, I highly doubt you’ll wanna miss this!

#8 …

And this album is also very hard-hitting with lots of intense music … and it’s one of the most terrifying albums of 2022 that I’ve heard. I don’t usually mean that as a compliment, but in this case I do!

#8 – Artificial Brain by Artificial Brain

I’m not sure if I find this album heartbreaking, fun, or just insightful … maybe it’s all of those things. And I’m not sure if ‘insightful’ is the right word, but it seems to be looking ahead to the future and a bunch of things that could go wrong. Lyrically, this album is super dark, and I totally understand why some might find it way too much to take in, especially people who don’t like metal, but it hits super hard for me!

The guitar melodies, the drums, the mixing, the vocals … it sounds so incredible, and the music on this album is really fitting considering the lyrics.

I’m not sure if I’d ever heard an album before this one that is so terrifying yet so much fun, but Artificial Brain absolutely pulled it off, and there are so many fucking phenomenal songs on here!

The title track opens the album with some incredible intensity in the instrumentation, with the pummeling drums sounding incredible overtop of the incredible guitar melodies, especially when it’s mixed this well.

From that point on, it’s full of bangers with incredibly well-crafted instrumentals, and I can’t even put into words how much I love this album! And I also can’t fully put into words why I love it so much, but if you’re into metal, prepare to have your mind blown! But be careful—the monsters of Artificial Brain’s world might eat you alive!

#7 …

And while we’re on the topic of albums that get super dark, and are absolutely not easy listens …

#7 – Endure by Special Interest

A big part of the reason this is here is because of the lyrics, and like with all of these albums, my interpretation could be totally wrong, so my apologies if I totally misunderstand it.

But yeah, like I said, not an easy listen. This super hard-hitting punk album isn’t afraid to get political, and it acknowledges a lot of harsh realities. To me, it feels like an album that is trying to find ways to fix huge problems in the world, but is struggling to do so … I think part of the point of the album is the idea that, ‘Maybe it won’t have any impact.’ And that’s part of the reason it’s such a bleak, haunting listen, because when listening to this album, you kind of think, despite the moments of optimism that are here, ‘Is there any optimism here?’ And, yeah, there is, but some of it comes with the sad possibility that violence is the only option sometimes. We’ve seen so much effort to try and peacefully change things, and there’s still so much further to go … and in some issues, we’ve gone backward.

And musically, this album is fucking amazing, especially when combined with the lyrics. There are some really great grooves here that don’t distract from the bleak lyrics, like on “(Herman’s) House” with that awesome bass groove and the incredible pianos! I also love how the clicking beat sounds on this track, keeping that haunting feeling to the track.

I also love the reverb on the percussion in the song, “Love Scene”, adding to the messy feeling of the instrumentation, with those industrial sounds also sounding absolutely amazing!

The percussion on this whole album sounds amazing, with the different beats each fitting their songs really well. And the album is super well mixed, where pretty much every instrument consistently has a ton of power to it! There are lots of fantastic melodies in the instrumentation, too! And somehow, despite how heartbreaking so much of this album is, I won’t deny that at times the album is really fun to listen to, with some of the fantastic grooves and great melodies!

So, yeah, again, not an easy listen at all, but an absolutely fantastic one! Obviously it’s up to you whether or not you listen to it, but you’re probably missing out if you don’t.

#6 …

One thing about my reviews that might bug some people is that I make a lot of nitpicks … now, it’s worth mentioning that I also point out minor details I really like, and some of the ‘nitpicks’ are more critical parts of the album to me than they are to some people. Like every music fan, there are certain elements in music I care more about than others. And a lot of the time, I’ll come across an alternative rock album which has a lot of potential to be something I really love, but one element in particular will hold it back for me, like the production, or the mixing, or the melodies …

But on this album, when it comes to all the main musical elements I’m listening for, this band nails it all pretty much from start to finish; the production, mixing, instrumentation, vocals, vocal melodies, rhythm … for me to feel this positive about all of those elements in one album is extremely rare, but in 2022, this band pulled it off!

#6 – Formentera by Metric

Metric are a band I haven’t listened to a ton, and I plan to check out their full discography very soon … but after I got into their absolutely phenomenal 2018 album Art of Doubt earlier in 2022, I was super excited to hear this album. But this couldn’t be as good as Art of Doubt, right?

Honestly, I think it’s even better. None of these songs are any less than great, and it takes so many elements I love from Art of Doubt, but turns it into an album with even more musical variety and even better vocal melodies … but I also can’t deny that a big part of it is a me thing.

I turned eighteen years old in 2022, and it’s really been hitting me just how fast everything is changing … and if there’s an album from 2022 that felt like the soundtrack to that realization I’ve had, it’s this one.

But it’s an album that’s helped me embrace the changes in my life and embrace the passing of time. In a lot of ways it feels like the soundtrack to this part of my life, and me accepting that things aren’t going to be the same as they used to be. And there are so many examples I could give, but the song that really stood out to me the most in this regard is “Enemies of the Ocean”, which is not only amazingly produced with an awesome hook and tons of great vocal melodies, but it all adds up to a song that meant so much to me in 2022, and will continue to going forward. And while I’m not sure if this was intended or not, it seems like the lyrics might have to do with the passing of time, and looking back on the past thinking, ‘How has so much changed?’. But then there’s that amazingly placed final instrumental pre-chorus that just sends this song to a whole different level!

And yeah, the mixing on this album is incredible, with the snares sounding pretty much perfect! The music is so tight throughout the album, and I struggle to even find negative things to say about this album! It’s just so fucking incredible! Like I said, it’s a soundtrack to this era of my life, and if that isn’t incredibly special to me, then I don’t know what is. I’m very confident this will end up as one of my favourite albums of the 2020s … and while I didn’t expect to love it nearly as much as I do, considering my high expectations, that is saying a ton!

#5 …

This is an album that I feel needs some context to understand why it works. Because on the surface, while this isn’t the case for every track, there are a lot of songs here with some very ‘morally wrong’ lyrics … that is, unless you don’t take it literally. It’s a very complicated album, and let me explain why it works for me …

#5 – God’s Country by Chat Pile

Let me start by making this clear: this is NOT an easy listen, and not a fun listen AT ALL. It’s a messy, complicated album which I totally understand being way too much for some people.

I don’t even know where to begin with this one. Honestly, I wish I had done a full review of it when it came out so I could go into a lot more detail. And I’ll probably do a throwback review of it at some point, but for now, I’m going to try to explain why it works for me without going on and on for too long. But I will be using the term ‘fucked up’ a lot, and my apologies if it becomes too repetitive.

This album is full of harsh realities in the world, and it all builds up to the final track which might be the most difficult listen of any 2022 song that I’ve heard, and as fucked up as the song is … well, it’s supposed to be a fucked up song, and with how fucked up a lot of things in the world are, these kinds of songs hit really hard. And I’m not going to tell you what happens in this song, because I don’t want to spoil the album, but I will warn you that this song is an extremely difficult listen, and it’s rare that I say this about a song I love, but I’ll say it: this song is disgusting, horrifying, and like I said, it’s incredibly fucked up. But it’s just a song at the end of the day … actually, no, it’s not ‘just a song,’ it’s a deep look at a huge problem in this world that goes to some INCREDIBLY dark places. And it’s important to understand that what the lyrics are doing is just painting a picture of a fucked up situation.

The closing track isn’t the only fucked up track here, but it’s important to note that the fucked up elements on this album really help it click for me, because, again, there’s a lot in the world that’s fucked up, and there are moments when all I feel like doing is listening to music about it, at least trying to find some sort of silver lining when I’m feeling angry about problems in the world.

But not all of this album is fucked up … some of it is calling out fucked up things from a non fucked up perspective, like the song, “Why”, a song about homelessness which has one of my favourite lyrics of the year, ‘Why do people have to live outside when there are buildings all around us?’

Again, this album is not an easy listen at all. But seriously, it’s fucking phenomenal, it absolutely blew my mind, and while I am cautiously recommending it, I absolutely fucking love it. INCREDIBLE ALBUM!

#4 …

It’s hard for me to describe why this album landed so high on this list … I mean, that can be said about all the albums this high on the list, because music is so subjective, and different music resonates with different people. And the music that is this special to different people obviously depends on the person. So, even though this album is incredible well mixed and well produced, and full of incredible melodies … I can’t say too much about it to explain why it’s here. It just really moved me emotionally in a way that very few albums do, and I don’t even entirely know why … so, I’ll let its placement this high on the list speak for itself.

#4 – Stalled Flutes, means by Asian Glow

Well, I’ll start by saying that the production is some of the best I’ve heard from 2022, with the percussion having a bit of a fuzzy feel to it, but one that really works when combined with the right melodies, which it absolutely is in my opinion!

The strings sound absolutely incredible here, and I like how compressed a lot of the album sounds, really helping the percussion sound even better! I’m not sure if there was actually compression used or not (I’m bad at figuring those things out), but at points it certainly sounds like there was.

But why did this resonate with me this much? Honestly, I’m not really sure. So, I’ll just say this: if you’re into shoegaze, or alternative rock, or dream pop, or anything like that, I can’t recommend this album highly enough! If you don’t want to listen to it, that’s fine, but you’re probably missing out if you don’t. And even if you aren’t into those genres, albums like these are so incredibly rare, and I would still absolutely recommend it!

#3 …

And speaking of super emotional albums … and like a lot of the albums in the top 10, this isn’t an easy listen. But it’s a fucking amazing one!

#3 – Onryō II: Her Spirit Eternal by Saidan

This is one of the most heartbreaking albums of 2022 that I’ve heard, not only because of the lyrics, but because of the way the lyrics and music combine together.

It’s an album which seems to be about a cycle of trauma and abuse, where the trauma and abuse is passed from one person to another … and if it wasn’t obvious enough from what I’ve said already, this album goes to some super dark places. But it’s an extremely powerful statement on some of the biggest issues in the world, and it’s done with some absolutely incredible instrumentation as well.

The guitars and drums sound incredible together, with the heartbreaking melodies being the perfect fit for an album like this.

Again, not an easy listen at all … but one of the most powerful albums I’ve heard from 2022. It’s so fucking awful that stuff like this happens in real life, but if we give more exposure to albums like these, hopefully it’ll change things … we can at least hope, right?

#2 …

To lighten the mood now (compared to the last album, that is) … this is such a fun album to listen to! But if you know me and my taste in music well, you’ll probably be shocked to see this at #2 on my list! I’m not usually as big a fan of this kind of avant-garde, glitchy, ‘experimental’ music or whatever as a lot of people are (I put experimental in quotes because … isn’t being experimental the point of art? So, I’m not sure why it’s described as a genre). That’s not to say I don’t like any of it, but a lot of the time I listen to that kind of music and think to myself, ‘It’s … interesting. But I just don’t enjoy listening to it at all.’

But there’s an album that came out in 2022 which is probably one of the most ‘out there’ albums I’ve ever heard, and yet somehow managed to be super close to my favourite album of the entire year! And I listened to a ton of 2022 albums!

It’s a strangely fun album to listen to despite all the dark elements to it, and a lot of the sounds here which may seem off-putting at first are, for whatever reason, elements of the album that I absolutely fucking love, adding to the eerie feeling of it even more, and putting this album on another level!

But why is it this high on the list? Well … let me explain!

#2 – Most Normal by Gilla Band

But really, if I’m being honest, this is a very difficult one for me to explain. This is the kind of really ‘out there’ album that could be described as avant-garde, or glitchy, or something like that. I think ‘industrial’ is a word that describes this album well. And this style of music isn’t usually one that I really love, at least not as much as most critics.

But there’s something about this album that has this feeling to it of waking up in the middle of the night, and not knowing where you are. If that doesn’t sound appealing to you, I totally get it, but I fucking love this album!

It reminds me a lot of Hey What by Low, another absolutely fantastic album. And, of course, rest in peace, Mimi Parker. It’s fucking awful how many people have died from that horrible disease.

On a lighter note, Hey What is absolutely incredible, and it also has that feeling to it that I mentioned of waking up in the middle of the night. And I absolutely love both albums for different reasons, and which album I’d rather listen to depends on the time, but if I had to compare the two, I love this one even more!

And like with my #1 album on this list, I’m not going to say as much about it as you might think, partially because I didn’t want this list to be out much later than this, but also because both of these albums speak for themselves in my opinion. But I will just say this album is full of industrial rock sounds that I understand why some people might absolutely hate. There are some very harsh noises on this album, and if reading that makes you not want to listen to it, that’s totally fair. Really, you don’t have to listen to any of the albums on this list. That’s up to you, of course.

But yeah, if any of what I said sounds appealing to you, I highly recommend you listen to it for yourself—it’s an experience that might change your life.

#1 …

Like I said earlier, 2022 was a very difficult year for me. I’m not going to go into detail about it here—I’ve been talking to professionals to help with my mental health, and I’m going to leave getting really personal for those conversations—but you might think my favourite album of the year would be one that really resonated for me deeply in an emotional way, and that’s not really the case.

Okay, it kind of is. But even though this album is full of rage in the lyrics, and I do love the lyrics, the biggest reason this is topping the list is because it’s so much fun to listen to!

I kind of had a feeling when I heard this album back in March that nothing else in 2022 would top it … and I’m not going to say it wasn’t close. It had some close competition, that’s for sure. But at the end of the day, nothing else topped it … it’s a very political album, and there’s a lot of dark subject matter, but there’s a very optimistic feeling to it, with the upbeat instrumentation, making this album a ton of fun! So much fun to the point where it’s my album of the year!

#1 – Diaspora Problems by Soul Glo

Yes, I know, a lot of the ‘obvious picks’ for this list didn’t end up making my list. But this critically acclaimed pummeling hardcore punk album not only made my list, but it’s my album of the year for 2022!

I think the biggest reason why this is topping the list is the feeling of optimism despite so many problems in the world. And one thing that I notice a lot when I listen to music is that music resonates with me personally for different reasons than intended. What I mean by that is I don’t have to relate to the lyrics on an album for there to be a personal connection, as I interpret music in different ways than intended. Even if I know what a song is about, it might resonate with me because of some other potential double-meaning, even if I know that double-meaning wasn’t meant to be there.

And yeah, sometimes I just wanted to feel optimistic while still letting out my anger … and the best way for me to let out my anger is listening to music like this! But while listening to Gospel’s album from 2022 feels more bleak, despite this album also having lots of bleak subject matter, it’s a much more fun listen! Both albums work well for different reasons, and I’m not trying to take anything away from that album, I’m just explaining why this is topping my list.

And yeah, there’s a lot of great commentary on this album, too, with lyrics about police brutality, capitalism, and so much more, including the toll it all takes on people’s mental health. Some of the lyrics seem to be about not knowing who to trust, and feeling like you’re all alone.

But the biggest reason I love this album so much is because the music kicks ass! It’s unbelievably fun, with the incredible vocals, drumming, guitars, and everything! The way the instrumentation all goes together is absolutely incredible!

I also love how “Driponomics” suddenly shows up in the middle of the album, and it’s a rap banger that somehow doesn’t feel out of place on this hardcore punk album, despite sounding absolutely nothing like the rest of the album!

Honestly, it’s an album that needs to be heard to be believed … so, whether you’re a fan of hardcore punk or not, I highly recommend you listen to this album, and make of it what you will. If there’s one album on this list I recommend the most … I’m not sure it’s this one, but it’s certainly up there. And yeah, Diaspora Problems by Soul Glo is my personal favourite album of 2022!

…

Thanks for reading this post! Again, it was way later than I wanted it to be, and that’s despite me rushing this post a bit and not putting in as much effort as I wanted to. Hopefully my 2023 list will be better, but we’ll see. Anyway, I only have one year-end list for 2022 left!