Year-End Lists

Aquarium Drunkard: 2022 Year in Review. "As always, our list is unranked and unruly," they write about their 200+ entries.

[see also 2023 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012]

• Mondays at The Enfield Tennis Academy
  Jeff Parker ETA IVtet
• Bajascillators
  Bitchin Bajas
• Words & Music, May 1965
  Lou Reed
• Music For Four Guitars
  Bill Orcutt
• For McCoy
  Eiko Ishibashi
• Jazz Codes
  Moor Mother
• Maida Vale Sessions
  Broadcast
• Microtronics - Volumes 1 & 2
  Broadcast
• Mother Is The Milky Way
  Broadcast
• Shebang
  Oren Ambarchi
• Ghosted
  Oren Ambarchi / Johan Berthling / Andreas Werliin
• Comradely Objects
  Horse Lords
• Mariage
  Wau Wau Collectif
• High School
  Tim Heidecker
• Step on Step
  Charles Stepney
• The OZ Tapes
  Les Rallizes Dénudés
• Evolution Here We Come
  Chris Forsyth
• The Spur
  Joan Shelley
• Kumoyo Island
  Kikagaku Moyo
• Live in Cuxhaven 1976
  Can
• Pompeii
  Cate Le Bon
• Kveldsragg
  Gisle Røen Johansen
• Occam XXV
  Éliane Radigue & Frédéric Blondy
• Mil Coisas Invisíveis
  Tim Bernardes
• Terror Twilight: Farewell Horizontal
  Pavement
• Clouds Of Joy
  Badge Époque Ensemble
• Labyrinthitis
  Destroyer
• Gold
  Alabaster DePlume
• A Light for Attracting Attention
  The Smile
• Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
  Kendrick Lamar
• Gung Ho
  Kolumbo
• "Hello, Hi"
  Ty Segall
• I Just Want To Be A Good Man
  Pastor Champion
• Big Time
  Angel Olsen
• Agadez
  Etran de L'Aïr
• Cruel Country
  Wilco
• Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Edition)
  Wilco
• Planets
  Masaru Imada Trio + 1
• Landwerk No. 3
  Nathan Salsburg
• Toast
  Neil Young with Crazy horse
• Citizen Kane Jr. Blues 1974 Live at The Bottom Line
  Neil Young
• Shuckin' Sugar
  Karen Dalton
• Maybe Next Time
  Carl Didur
• Flaming Swords
  Fievel Is Glauque
• Pink Dolphins
  Anteloper
• Like A Fable
  Shintaro Sakamoto
• In These Times
  Makaya McCraven
• Reset
  Panda Bear and Sonic Boom
• The Bible
  Lambchop
• West Kensington
  Mary Lattimore & Paul Sukeena
• Meaningless
  Jon Brion
• Deep in View
  Cola
• Water & Tools
  Jairus Sharif
• Niineta
  Joe Rainey
• No Condition Is Permanent
  Celestine Ukwu
• I Survived, It's Over
  Rich Ruth
• Michael Rault
  Michael Rault
• Microcosmos
  Lou Turner
• Luke Schneider Presents Imaginational Anthem vol. XI : Chrome Universal - A Survey of Modern Pedal Steel
  various artists
• Success
  Oneida
• YTI⅃AƎЯ
  Bill Callahan
• Revelators
  Revelators Sound System
• Themselves
  Al Riggs
• Plays Planet Caravan
  Psychic Temple
• Estrela Acesa
  Sessa
• This Is A Photograph
  Kevin Morby
• Eli Winter
  Eli Winter
• Vade Mecum
  Glenn Jones
• Hermit's Grove
  Wax Machine
• Everything Was Beautiful
  Spiritualized
• Wild Loneliness
  Superchunk
• Ghost Riders
  various artists
• After Hours
  Delicate Steve
• Re Eff
  Julien Gasc
• Perform the Compositions of Sam Wilkes & Jacob Mann
  Sam Wilkes & Jacob Mann
• Shufflemania!
  Robyn Hitchcock
• Luminous
  Golden Brown
• Unravelled: 1981-2002
  Tall Dwarfs
• Heartmind
  Cass McCombs
• People Helping People
  No Age
• Teeth Marks
  S.G. Goodman
• The Zug
  Yves Jarvis
• Moten/López/Cleaver
  Fred Moten / Brandon López / Gerald Cleaver
• The Bees
  Frog Eyes
• Noon
  Twain
• Perfect Middle Hall
  Cactus Lee
• Pray 4 Tomorrow
  Dumb
• I’m the Sky: Studio and Demo Recordings, 1964–1971
  Norma Tanega
• David Nance-Pulverized And Slightly Peaced:
  David Nance
• Bert At The BBC
  Bert Jansch
• Aomawa: The 1970s Recordings
  The Pyramids
• Clockwatching
  Seawind of Battery
• Crime of Passion
  Dividers
• Music for Neighbors
  The Trypes
• Ndikho Xaba and the Natives
  Ndikho Xaba
• Echo's Reach
  Isla Craig
• Hard To Be A God
  Whitney K
• Styrofoam Winos Play Their Favorite M. Hurley Songs
  Styrofoam Winos
• FRKWYS Vol. 4.5: Nowhere in the Night
  Psychic Ills and Gibby Haynes
• Revelations
  Albert Ayler
• The Early Home Recordings
  Sandy Denny
• Protector
  Aoife Nessa Frances
• After the Bend
  Flanger Magazine
• Music From Grizzly Man
  Richard Thompson
• Color Green
  Color Green
• Something Happening / Always Happening
  JPW
• Big Time Things
  Office Culture
• Oceans of Time
  Gloria de Oliveira & Dean Hurley
• Living Sky
  Sun Ra Arkestra
• Az Yashir
  Ayal Senior
• II
  The Sonora Pine
• What Does It Mean to Be American?
  Robert Stillman
• It's More In My Body Than In My Mind
  Ralph White
• Something About Dreaming
  Ralph White
• They Only Wanted Your Soul
  The Reds, Pinks & Purples
• Anyway
  Lee Baggett
• Atenção!: Novos Sons do Brasil
  various artists
• And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow
  Weyes Blood
• No Island
  Winged Wheel
• Blue Skies
  Dehd
• Activities
  Anna Butterss
• Mono Retriever / Pepsi Vacuum
  Dummy
• Homage
  Natural Flavors
• Songs from a Stolen Guitar
  Simon Joyner
• In/Out/In
  Sonic Youth
• A Legacy of Rentals
  Craig Finn
• Wilds
  The Soundcarriers
• How Is It That I Should Look at the Stars
  The Weather Station
• Pieces Of Driftwood
  Maxine Funke
• Slow Fawn
  Sam Cohen
• Fleeting Adventure
  Andrew Tuttle
• Songs in Heat (1982)
  Dredd Foole & the Din
• Good and Green Again
  Jake Xerxes Fussell
• Attic Room
  Small Sur
• Boredom Euphoria
  Joys Union Group
• Canti di guerra, di lavoro e d'amore
  Silvia Tarozzi & Deborah Walker
• Listening Music / Anfang
  Marc Emory
• Oceans Of Milk And Treacle
  Mike Cooper
• Skywriting
  Zachary Cale
• Wires Turned Sideways In Time
  Duncan Marquiss
• Ting
  Seth Kauffman
• Against The Odds: 1974-1982
  Blondie
• Kibitzer
  Vintage Crop
• Outsiders
  Anna Tivel
• Chronophage
  Chronophage
• The Sea Will Outlive Us All
  Misha Panfilov
• Momentum
  Misha Panfilov
• Neanderthal Rock
  Penza Penza
• Mirage
  Molly Lewis
• Havasu
  Pedro the Lion
• Back to the Woodlands
  Ernest Hood
• American Rituals
  Cheri Knight
• FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE
  Brian Eno
• Wyld Love Songs
  David John Morris
• Words and Silences
  Brian Harnetty
• SUSS
  SUSS
• Distances
  Elkhorn
• Magic Sign
  Martin Courtney
• Live at the Aztlan Theatre 7​/​16​/​2022
  Prairiewolf
• (watch my moves)
  Kurt Vile
• Time Skiffs
  Animal Collective
• Strike
  Lining Time
• Jaiyede Sessions Volume 1
  London Odense Ensemble
• Bleed Out
  The Mountain Goats
• The Line of Time and the Plane of Now
  Shira Small
• Farmer's Angle
  Belbury Poly
• Everywhen We Go
  Mike Baggetta / Jim Keltner / Mike Watt
• I'm Not Here
  Alex Izenberg
• Panamá 77
  Daniel Villarreal
• Lulanga Tales
  Nyati Mayi & The Astral Synth Transmitters
• Choice Tapes Vol. 1
  Taper's Choice
• Choice Tapes Vol. 2
  Taper's Choice
• Choice Tapes Vol. 3
  Taper's Choice
• Choice Tapes Vol. 4
  Taper's Choice
• Lucky Nights
  Mila Webb
• Birthingbodies
  Fuubutsushi
• The Mermaid's Purse: Live at Chatham College, 1976
  The Entourage Music & Theatre Ensemble
• The Patience Fader
  Pan•American
• Warm Evenings, Pale Mornings: Beside You Then
  Caleb Dailey
• The Pavilion Of Dreams
  Harold Budd
• Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You
  Big Thief
• Folksongs & Ballads
  Tia Blake & Her Folk Group
• Paradise
  Healing Potpourri
• Versions of Modern Performance
  Horsegirl
• Optimism
  Jana Horn
• Smokin the Dummy
  Terry Allen and the Panhandle Mystery Band
• Passing
  Matthew J. Rolin
• Medicine Singers
  Medicine Singers
• Fortune Goodies
  Minami Deutsch
• Over Fields And Mountains
  Branko Mataja
• Full Circle
  The Advisory Circle
• The Wizard Of Is
  Pearls Before Swine
• The Music of the Beatles as Channeled in 1958 by the Echo Lake Home for the Potentially Clairvoyant
  various artists
• Soft Focus: Volumes One and Two
  Wednesday Knudsen
• Warping All By Yourself
  Wet Tuna
• Piece for Cello and Saxophone
  Terry Jennings
• Mirrored Night
  ML Wah
• Recordings from the Åland Islands
  Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer
• The Rambles & Rags of Shiloh
  Joseph Allred
• Hold on Magnolia/Stealing Time/Further Down the Road (singles)
  Sylvie
• Sean Thompson's Weird Ears
  Sean Thompson's Weird Ears
• En Är För Mycket och Tusen Aldrig Nog
  Dungen
• Modern Folk One
  Modern Folk One
• Poolside
  One Eleven Heavy
• Pierre Barouh and the Saravah Sound
  various artists
• Education & Recreation
  Surprise Chef
• Hiding in Plain Sight
  Drugdealer
• Centrifics
  Marina Allen
• Searching in Grenoble: The 1978 Solo Piano Concert
  Mal Waldron
• Picture Music
  Picture Music
• Roscoe's Dream
  Mapache
• The Third Wave Of...
  The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness
• Xaybu: The Unseen
  Sélébéyone, Steve Lehman, Maciek Lasserre
• Different Places
  Enno Velthuys
• To Live & Die In Space & Time
  Lynn Avery & Cole Pulice
• Bizzarrophytes
  Carl Erdmann
• Retreat Into Fantasy/Soundtracks
  Wasted Cathedral
• Come Around
  Carla dal Forno

Tone Glow: Our Favorite Albums, 2022 as voted by their writers and grouped by the number of votes each received

[see also 2023 • 2021]

Received Six Votes

• Living Torch
  Kali Malone

Received Five Votes

• God Save the Animals
  Alex G

Received Three Votes

• Fast Trax 3
  454
• Drumming Up Trouble
  Alvin Curran
• Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You
  Big Thief
• Hellfire
  black midi
• Comradely Objects
  Horse Lords
• Plonk
  Huerco S.
• The Hands of Grace
  Ishmael Reed
• "1, 2"
  Lauren Tosswill
• Shebang
  Oren Ambarchi
• Raid on the White Tiger Regiment
  Sunik Kim
• The Actress
  Vanessa Rossetto

Received Two Votes

• Dummy Corporation
  Actress
• Krökta Tankar och Brända Vanor
  Amateur Hour
• Pink Dolphins
  Anteloper
• Music For Four Guitars
  Bill Orcutt
• Bajascillators
  Bitchin Bajas
• Forget Your Own Face
  Black Dresses
• Crest
  Bladee and Ecco2K
• Hypochondriac
  Brakence
• 2 Slizzy 2 Sexy (Deluxe)
  Cash Cobain & Chow Lee
• Man Plays The Horn
  Cities Aviv
• Almanac Behind
  Daniel Bachman
• A Dogg's Influence
  Duwap Kaine
• Occam XXV
  Éliane Radigue & Frédéric Blondy
• Chasing the Phantom
  Dewa Alit & Gamelan Salukat
• Flaming Swords
  Fievel Is Glauque
• Florist
  Florist
• Dark Humor
  Jana Rush
• World in World
  Julia Reidy
• field anatomies
  Laura Cocks
• Face The Music
  Lolina
• Se Ve Desde Aquí
  Mabe Fratti
• Paste
  Moin
• New Jeans
  NewJeans
• Composer "Portrait" Series #1
  Olly Wilson
• "Akisakila" / Attitudes of Preparation
  Pat Thomas, XT, Will Holder
• ⑥
  Ryu Hankil
• Diaspora Problems
  Soul Glo
• Common Metals
  Staubitz and Waterhouse
• Landscape and Voice
  Toshiya Tsunoda

Steve Erickson: The Best Music of 2022, as published by Gay City News along with a list of songs from other albums and some notable reissues from LGBTQ artists

[see also 2021 • 2020 • 2019]

• Pink Dolphins
  Anteloper
• Tana Talk 4
  Benny the Butcher
• Hellfire
  black midi
• Flaming Swords
  Fievel Is Glauque
• All Of Us Flames
  Ezra Furman
• Being Funny in a Foreign Language
  The 1975
• 11
  Sault
• Midnights
  Taylor Swift
• Bad Mode
  Hikaru Utada
• Lyfë
  Yeat

Runners-up

• White Trash Revelry
  Adeem the Artist
• The Afrorack
  Afrorack
• Un Verano Sin Ti
  Bad Bunny
• A Bit of Previous
  Belle and Sebastian
• No Reino Dos Afetos
  Bruno Berle
• Expert in a Dying Field
  The Beths
• Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You
  Big Thief
• Antidawn
  Burial
• The Portrait You Painted of Me
  Alison Cotton
• KOA II Part 1
  Kabza De Small
• I Love
  (G)I-dle
• Warm Chris
  Aldous Harding
• Amaryllis
  Mary Halvorson
• Belladonna
  Mary Halvorson
• N'Djila Wa Mudujimu
  Lady Aicha & Pisko Crane's Original Fulu Miziki of Kinshasa
• Xaybu: The Unseen
  Sélébéyone, Steve Lehman, Maciek Lasserre
• No Thank You
  Little Simz
• Flowers Rot, Bring me Stones
  Moundabout
• Muna
  Muna
• Bronco
  Orville Peck
• Ugly Season
  Perfume Genius
• Space Beyond the Solar System
  Raw Poetic
• Once Upon A Time
  Romance
• Motomami
  Rosalía
• Nothing To Declare
  700 Bliss
• Hideous Bastard
  Oliver Sim
• Ramona Park Broke My Heart
  Vince Staples
• Oddinary
  Stray Kids
• Multitude
  Stromae
• SOS
  SZA
• Finally, New
  They Hate Change
• DFTK
  Yung Kayo

Sasha Frere-Jones: 2022 in Music

[see also 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

• soliloquy for brian
  caroline mckenzie
• Azurescens
  Ssabae
• Living Room
  Roméo Poirier
• East Portal
  East Portal
• Butterfly DNA
  Yunzero
• Sent from my Telephone
  Voice Actor
• Järnnätter
  Civilistjävel!
• Bajascillators
  Bitchin Bajas
• slicing space-time into objects
  Xu
• Something More Beautiful Than Perfection
  Xu
• Music For Four Guitars
  Bill Orcutt
• Repeater
  Water Damage
• Deep in View
  Cola
• Aethiopes
  Billy Woods
• You Belong There
  Daniel Rossen
• Live at Commend, NYC
  Carlos Niño & Friends
• The Ruby Cord
  Richard Dawson
• Two Sisters
  Sarah Davachi
• The Parable Of The Poet
  Joel Ross
• Ugly Season
  Perfume Genius
• We've Been Going About This All Wrong
  Sharon Van Etten
• Born At The Disco
  Jennifer O'Connor
• KWALK
  various artists
• WINO-KET
  various artists
• Renaissance
  Beyoncé
• A Brain Wholly Outside
  Lalén Ríos Luna
• Surface of the Earth
  Surface of the Earth
• Red Ribbon
  Yuta Matsumura
• To Illustrate
  various artists
• Ghost Riders
  various artists
• Alto//Piano
  Everest Magma
• Shebang
  Oren Ambarchi
• Force of the Wind
  SOYUZ
• Returns
  Warm Currency
• Ballads
  Time is Away
• Piece for Cello and Saxophone
  Terry Jennings
• Disharmonium - Undreamable Abysses
  Blut Aus Nord
• ¡Ay!
  Lucrecia Dalt
• Storm Queen
  Grace Cummings
• Orange
  CS + Kreme
• Motomami
  Rosalía
• TikTok LIVE Performance
  Rosalía
• Once Upon A Time
  Romance
• Immunotherapy
  Nozomu Matsumoto
• Collection Particulière
  Omertà
• The River Doesn’t Like Strangers
  Chelsea Carmichael
• Rehearsal Park
  Jake Acosta
• caroline
  caroline
• Chasing the Phantom
  Dewa Alit & Gamelan Salukat
• In Amber
  Hercules and Love Affair
• Ghosts
  Haress
• The Liquified Throne of Simplicity
  Širom
• Wet Leg
  Wet Leg

Jason Parham: The 12 Best Albums of 2022, as published by Wired

[see also 2021 • 2019]

1. Renaissance
   Beyoncé
2. Ramona Park Broke My Heart
   Vince Staples
3. Gemini Rights
   Steve Lacy
4. Um, Hello
   LAYA
5. 11
   Sault
5. Untitled (God)
   Sault
6. Spirituals
   Santigold
7. Fantasy Gateway
   Cuco
8. Shape Up
   Leikeli47
9. Un Verano Sin Ti
   Bad Bunny
10. Luv 4 Rent
    Smino
11. Black Girl Magic
    Honey Dijon
12. The Forever Story
    JID

eight more albums (in alphabetical order) that are worth your time

• Age/Sex/Location
  Ari Lennox
• Cometa
  Nick Hakim
• Dance Fever
  Florence + The Machine
• God Save the Animals
  Alex G
• Honestly, Nevermind
  Drake
• Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
  Kendrick Lamar
• My Shadow
  Quinton Brock
• Natural Brown Prom Queen
  Sudan Archives

Julie Gentile: Eight of the Best Queer Albums of 2022, as published by Autostraddle

1. Ugly Season
   Perfume Genius
2. Nymph
   Shygirl
3. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You
   Big Thief
4. Preacher's Daughter
   Ethel Cain
5. Black Girl Magic
   Honey Dijon
6. Big Time
   Angel Olsen
7. Clearing
   Hyd
8. Muna
   Muna

Honorable Mentions

• Hold the Girl
  Rina Sawayama
• Blue Water Road
  Kehlani
• Bronco
  Orville Peck
• Ivory
  Omar Apollo

Clémence Polès: Top Ten Albums of 2022

[see also 2023 • 2019 • 2018]

• Stumpwork
  Dry Cleaning
• Motomami
  Rosalía
• God Save the Animals
  Alex G
• Boat Songs
  MJ Lenderman
• Conduit
  Coby Sey
• Painless
  Nilüfer Yanya
• Star in the Hood
  Klein
• Paste
  Moin
• Sent from my Telephone
  Voice Actor
• An Insult to the Sport
  They Are Gutting a Body of Water & A Country Western

Notable mentions

• Songs About Housework
  Su Lyn
• Killing Nothing
  Boldy James & Real Bad Man
• Forbidden Feelingz
  Nia Archives

Brittany Spanos: Best Music of 2022, as published by Rolling Stone

[see also 2021 • 2020]

1. Renaissance
   Beyoncé
2. Midnights
   Taylor Swift
3. Harry's House
   Harry Styles
4. Dawn FM
   The Weeknd
5. Being Funny in a Foreign Language
   The 1975
6. Honestly, Nevermind
   Drake
7. Dance Fever
   Florence + The Machine
8. Caprisongs
   FKA twigs
9. The Loneliest Time
   Carly Rae Jepsen
10. Holy Fvck
    Demi Lovato

No Depression: Favorite Roots Music Albums of 2022

[see also 2023 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016]

1. I Walked With You A Ways
   Plains
2. The New Faith
   Jake Blount
3. Anaïs Mitchell
   Anaïs Mitchell
4. Age of Apathy
   Aoife O'Donovan
5. Feel Like Going Home
   Miko Marks
6. Breaking The Thermometer
   Leyla McCalla
7. Crooked Tree
   Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
8. Kingmaker
   Tami Neilson
9. Done Come Too Far
   Shemekia Copeland
10. Big Time
    Angel Olsen
11. Life on Earth
    Hurray for the Riff Raff
12. The Spur
    Joan Shelley
13. Teeth Marks
    S.G. Goodman
14. Lucifer on the Sofa
    Spoon
15. Rolling Golden Holy
    Bonny Light Horseman
16. The Flowers That Bloom in Spring
    Kieran Kane & Rayna Gellert
17. Get On Board: The Songs of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee
    Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder
18. Birds in the Ceiling
    John Moreland
19. Peculiar, Missouri
    Willi Carlisle
20. I Don't Know Who Needs To Hear This...
    Tomberlin

Spectrum Culture: Top 20 Albums of 2022

[see also 2019 • 2018]

1. Weather Alive
   Beth Orton
2. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow
   Weyes Blood
3. A Light for Attracting Attention
   The Smile
4. Blue Rev
   Alvvays
5. Natural Brown Prom Queen
   Sudan Archives
6. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You
   Big Thief
7. Renaissance
   Beyoncé
8. Once Twice Melody
   Beach House
9. Fossora
   Björk
10. Ants From Up There
    Black Country, New Road
11. This Is A Photograph
    Kevin Morby
12. Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
    Kendrick Lamar
13. Preacher's Daughter
    Ethel Cain
14. Melt My Eyez See Your Future
    Denzel Curry
15. El Mirador
    Calexico
16. Take It Like a Man
    Amanda Shires
17. Life on Earth
    Hurray for the Riff Raff
18. SOS
    SZA
19. Ugly Season
    Perfume Genius
20. Surrender
    Maggie Rogers