Jonny Leather’s Favorite Albums of 2022
Listed in alphabetical order by artist, these are currently my favorite albums of 2022. A much longer list of what I’ve enjoyed during the year can be found here.
The Afghan Whigs – How Do You Burn?
[Royal Cream]
Come to hear Mark Lanegan’s ghastly voice one more time, stay to catch one of the most under-appreciated alt-rock bands of the ’90s tap into the fire, heart and soul of the group’s heyday.
Essential Tracks: “I’ll Make You See God” “Please, Baby, Please” “A Line Of Shots”
Alabaster DePlume – GOLD
[International Anthem]
A colorful exploration of self-worth within a shape-shifting odyssey of spiritual jazz and spoken word.
Essential Tracks: “I’m Good at Not Crying” “Don’t Forget You’re Precious” “The Sound of My Feet on This Earth is a Song to Your Spirit”
Aldous Harding – Warm Chris
[4AD]
The New Zealand singer-songwriter shifts between an endless supply of voices, all equally beautiful, bizarre, and equipped with cutting turns of phrase.
Essential Tracks: “Precious Babe” “She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain” “Fever”
Angel Olsen – Big Time
[Jagjaguwar]
The contemporary queen of melancholy finally fully commits to the Nashville sound and it fits like a well worn sweater on a mildly chilly Sunday in autumn.
Essential Tracks: “All The Good Times” “Right Now” “Go Home”
Beach House – Once Twice Melody
[Sub Pop]
A double album IV drip of pure euphoric bliss.
Essential Tracks: “The Bells” “ESP” “Superstar”
Bill Callahan – YTI⅃AƎЯ
[Drag City]
It’s been socially accepted that Bob Dylan is the greatest singer-songwriter of our lifetimes, but with each Callahan release that argument grows more questionable.
Essential Tracks: “Partition” “Coyotes” “Last One At the Party”
Billy Woods – Aethiopes
[Backwoodz Studioz]
On his first of two albums of 2022, the Brooklyn rapper finds himself weaving rhymes against a remarkably nuanced jazzy post-apocalyptic backdrop.
Essential Tracks: “Asylum” “Sauvage” “Heavy Water”
Black Country, New Road – Ants From Up There
[Ninja Tune]
Following up one of the most exciting debut releases in recent memory, the British chamber-pop-meets-post-punk band has produced a beautiful record that aches with swelling urgency.
Essential Tracks: “The Place Where He Inserted the Blade” “Basketball Shoes” “Concorde”
caroline – caroline
[Rough Trade]
On its stunning debut, the mostly-instrumental London-based octet sounds like a cross between Dirty Three and Slint, slowly constructing and deconstructing mournful compositions rich in texture.
Essential Tracks: “Good morning (red)” “IWR” “Skydiving onto the library roof”
Cass McCombs – Heartmind
[Anti]
On his 10th studio album, the singer-songwriter perfectly balances pop hooks with slow-burning melancholy ballads.
Essential Tracks: “Karaoke” “Unproud Warrior” “New Earth”
Cate LeBon – Pompeii
[Mexican Summer]
The impeccably-crafted, disorienting psychedelic art pop with the angular precision of ’70s Krautrock found of Pompeii is a sound that could only be made by Cate Le Bon.
Essential Tracks: “Moderation” “Harbour” “Running Away”
Dehd – Blue Skies
[Fat Possum]
This Chicago trio’s style garage rock may not be wildly original, but with an endless supply of infectious hooks and plenty of heart, it really doesn’t matter at all.
Essential Tracks: “Empty in My Mind” “Window” “Bad Love”
Destroyer – LABYRINTHITIS
[Merge]
Having firmly mastered the sophisti-pop sound, Toronto singer-songwriter continues to tinker and write the most fascinating songs of his career.
Essential Tracks: “Suffer” “June” “Eat the Wine, Drink the Bread”
Erik Gundel – Level One Mage
[Dear Life]
A kaleidoscopic collage of genres that beautifully weaves together sounds that are both organic and synthetic.
Essential Tracks: “(wanted to) so I went there with you” “like a lid on the spirit” “red crade of the night”
Jockstrap – I Love You Jennifer B
[Rough Trade]
A pop(?) debut that ceaselessly twists and turns, providing for a dizzying, unpredictable ride across a wide array of genres.
Essential Tracks: “Neon” “Greatest Hits” “Concrete Over Water”
Kae Tempest – The Line Is A Curve
[Republic]
As the state of the world and future appear more and more bleak, Tempest’s carefully constructed words of resilience provide an invigorating element of hope.
Essential Tracks: “Salt Coast” “Nothing To Prove” “More Pressure”
Let’s Eat Grandma – Two Ribbons
[Transgressive]
Begins as an infectious electro dance pop record and slowly morphs into heartfelt acoustic balladry.
Essential Tracks: “Two Ribbons” “Watching You Go” “Levitation”
Linqua Franqa – Bellringer
[Ernest Jenning]
An eloquent and fierce repudiation of systemic racism and corporate capitalism by a political activist rapper with a PhD in Language.
Essential Tracks: “Bellringer” “Wurk” “The Tree”
Panda Bear & Sonic Boom – Reset
[Domino]
The duo transforms 1960s pop samples into equally catchy contemporary neo-psychedelia jams.
Essential Tracks: “Go On” “Edge of the Edge” “Danger”
Pedro The Lion – Havasu
[Polyvinyl]
Has there ever been a more emotionally powerful autobiographical concept album about moving to Lake Havasu?
Essential Tracks: “Teenage Sequencer” “First Drum Set” “Stranger”
Porridge Radio – Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To The Sky
[Secretly Canadian]
Youthful existential dread in the package of contemporary post-punk.
Essential Tracks: “Birthday Party” “Back To The Radio” “U Can Be Happy If U Want To”
Raymond Antrobus – The First Time I Wore Hearing Aids
[self-released]
Deaf London poet articulately muses with cutting candor over a experimental minimalist sonic backdrop that mimics the altered perception of sound as experienced by the hearing impaired
Essential Tracks: “Dear Hearing World” “Miami Airport Immigration” “The N Word in the Classroom”
Spiritualized – Everything Was Beautiful
[Fat Possum]
J. Spaceman may sound like he’s on autopilot at this point but he continuously explores a celestial expanse that I have no desire to depart from.
Essential Tracks: “Always Together With You” “The Mainline Song” “Crazy”
Sudan Archives – Natural Brown Prom Queen
[Stones Throw]
As good as Athena was, it could not have prepared anyone for such a boundless and explosive genre-hopping celebration of self.
Essential Tracks: “Selfish Soul” “NBPQ (Topless)” “OMG BRITT”
Tomberlin – i don’t know who needs to hear this
[Saddle Creek]
Put this on and let the tears flow.
Essential Tracks: “happy accident” stoned” “memory”
Yasuaki Shimizu – Kiren
[Palto Flats]
The mind-boggling synthesis of electronic dance music and jazz on the previously unreleased 1984 album by the former Mariah bandleader further reinforces Shimizu as one of the most inventive musicians of eighties.
Essential Tracks: “Ashita” “Peruvian Pink” “Shiasate”