Top 30 Albums of 2022

2022 was awash with Melody, anarchy, comebacks, throwbacks but ost important of all, pushed the envelope forwards yet again. Here’s to all the talent, labels, and tipsters who made it possible.

Here are our top 30 albums of the year:

30. The Heavy North - Electric Soul Machine (Full review here)

The Heavy North have achieved a great deal on this debut. The guitar solos are the big take home but, the creative flourishes with the drums and vocals begin to shine upon repeat listens. It leaves you with a sense of hope that, next time out, they could do something really powerful.

29. Kae Tempest – The Line Is A Curve

Tempest is a national treasure. Astute poetic observations from start to finish.

28. Lightning Seeds – See You In The Stars

Older and wiser but, still as vibrant as the ‘Jollification’ and ‘Sense’ days.

27. Jamie Webster - Moments

Mixing pop and politics with joyously righteous effects.

26. Enjoyable Listens - The Enjoyable Listens

The heir to Richard Hawley and Nick Drake.

25. Narcissus - A Sense of Place

Reimagining early 90s rave and hip hop for the modern day.

24. Embrace - How To Be A Person Like Other People

The euphoric anthems keep on coming!

23. Warmduscher - At The Hotspot

Bella Union’s best signing in a generation. Shaun Ryder-esque lyrics meet a drugged-up Talking Heads.

22. Andy Bell - Flicker

Bell’s creative streak is relentless at present. Flicker adds to his ever-expanding fine body of work.

21. The Mysterines - Reeling

Heavier and more badass than the debut. Their march to the top continues!

20. Skylights - What You Are (Full review here)

What was a fortuitous reformation has undoubtedly led to one of the albums of the year! This isn’t a breakout debut, it’s the sound of a band 3 albums deep commanding the respect of academy-sized audiences.

19. Suede - Autofiction

The outsiders return to their rightful place in the shadows howling at the world.

18. Maze – Chaos Interrupted

Wayward rock ‘n’ roll searching for its freedom.

17. David Long & Shane O’Neill - Age of Finding Stars (Full review here)

What started as an unplanned album has turned into a masterpiece of grief-stricken songwriting. Devastating lyrics and lost soundscapes unite on one of 2022’s albums of the year.

16. The Boo Radleys - Keep On With Falling (Full review here)

Without Martin Carr in the fold, the new lineup could have easily folded under the pressure of delivering a new Radleys album. Carr has been an exceptional solo artist after all. Nevertheless, Sice and co have paid tribute to all that they once were and pushed the band forwards with remarkable results.

15. The Shed Project - The Curious Mind of the Common Man (Full review here)

The guitars will inevitably lure people in. The licks of ‘Livin’ are so infectious it’s medically advisable to wear gloves when listening.

14. Chorusgirl - Collapso Calypso (Full review here)

In what must have been a testing time personally and creatively, Chorusgirl have come out the other side with a piece of art to be cherished!

13. The Skinner Brothers - Soul Boy II

Laconic but confrontational soon to be iconic.

12. Thousand Yard Stare - Earthanasia (Full review here)

Their previous album in many ways was a second debut album. It said everything they ever wanted to say to the world. They thought it would cap off a great few years playing live and release the odd EP. What it did is best expressed in their single ‘Measures’:

“It doesn’t matter how you arrive here / Just be sure that you are here at the end / It doesn’t matter how you arrive here / Take pleasure in the message it sends”.

This sentiment flows from every corner of the album and has allowed them to be more expressive than ever. Long may it continue.

11. The Shop Window - A 4 Letter Word (Full review here)

The Kent outfit have lit up a bleak year with this gentle yet defiant indie-pop record. Everywhere you turn there are nods to the 80s and 90s but, with astute sonic updates. Lyrically, they accept nostalgia less as a noose and more as a bridge to their untamed teenage selves and thus, provide endless tales for their souls to relive in the modern age.

10. My Raining Stars – 89 Memories (Full review here)

These more instantaneous moments breathe vitality into Haliniak’s body of work that will surely win the hearts and minds of many new fans sooner rather than later.

9. Armstrong - Grafitti (Full review here)

Classic songwriting rarely collides with guts, heart, and pop music but, Armstrong has it all.

8. Weyes Blood - And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow

Joni Mitchell meets Karen Carpenter in this beautiful debut.

7. Columbia - Embrace The Chaos (Full review here)

Somehow, they have reimagined the Stones, Stereophonics, Oasis, and Kasabian into something new on this debut. A life-affirming set of songs that will smash whatever stands in its way. For once, we alternative types beg the gatekeepers to put up barriers. It’ll only be that much sweeter when Columbia destroys them!

6. Fontaines D.C. – Skinty Fia

The most accessible record to date is met with the sound of fraying souls and demons.

5. Moses – I Still Believe, Do you? (Full review here)

‘I Still Believe! Do You?’ is blessed with The Kinks’ storytelling, Blur’s chaos, and Blossoms’ pop sensibilities.

4. The Orchids – Dreaming Kind

A stunning return from the former Sarah Records heroes. Angelic masterpiece!

3. Confidence Man - TILT

All the girls say “Ooh”. All the boys say “ahh”.

2. Charlie Clark – Late Night Drinking (Full review here)

A tumultuous cleanse of the soul that rewards creator and listener alike. Clark has built upon The National’s ability to embed melody into troublesome discourse by adding psychedelic pop to certain tracks. It’s a stunning debut from the Astrid bandmate, a piece of art in its purest form.

1. Deja Vega – Personal Hell (Full review here)

There’s no filler on ‘Personal Hell’, every track leaves an indelible mark on the soul.  ‘Precious One’ throbs with 70s debauchery and Wooden Shjips riffs to create yet more new pastures of the kaleidoscopic expedition! On and on the superlatives could go. ‘Personal Hell’ is a huge leap forwards from the debut, and whilst the live shows remain in small(ish) venues, for now, their rightful place is the upper echelons of mainstages. Over to you festival bookers of 2023.

Interview: Thousand Yard Stare

Slough’s underdogs Thousand Yard Stare released their first album in twenty eight years recently. It’s firm proof that you can teach old dogs new tricks.

We caught up with frontman Stephen Barnes just after the triumphant release of ‘The Panglossian Momentum’ (full review here).

Afternoon Stephen, how has lockdown been for you?

The album is available from their Bandcamp page.

On the whole it’s been OK. My family are safe as they can be, I’ve continued to work as a lecturer, and had the album release to keep me busy. Missing going to shows (and doing some ourselves!) Others in our business and beyond have had it far worse, so I cannot complain on missing out on a few simple pleasures. Hopefully we’ll be out the other end in some capacity soon.

What music are you currently listening to?

Been delving into the current crop of off kilter post-punk protagonists quite a lot.. Mush, Snapped Ankles, Squid, LIFE… and of course my good friends IDLES who’s upcoming album is gonna be amazing based on the recent releases. On the softer side, love The Orielles and Khruangbin at the moment. Also partial to the smoke-haze outer rims of current hip-hop like Kool AD, Shabazz Palaces and Standing On The Corner when I’m wanting a drowsier fix..

Musically, this is quite the shift. Was there a moment that sparked this for the band?

Ha, 27 years of hiatus! I get what you are saying, we’ve taken on a more textural approach these days, rather than the all out kitchen sink style of our younger years. Think the original TYS DNA is still very much there, it’s more of a progression than a shift. Where once we were all up front, now you have to dive in a bit more…

During 'A Thousand Yards - A Panglossian Momentum', you sing "you synchronise with something". The open ended nature of "something" feels like a message of hope; something that runs throughout the album. Was there a deliberate intention to rouse the soul?

Nice you picked that up, and yes, I think it was. I went for a different lyrical approach on the album, much more personal, internal, less observational of others. This particular track and its partner, Spandrels are both exploring the disconnect that can happen between people, almost unknowingly… but then realising it, and trying to fix it. So it is about hope I guess, the hope for a deeper and more meaningful connection that can get lost in modern day life.

Was "please let me know, how this ending unfolds / i want you to know we just can’t ignore this anymore" on ‘Spandrels’ a defiant reaction to a political moment?

Ha no, but as ever, I try and write so it can be open to the listener’s interpretation. This is the most personal song I have ever written, but think the sentiment can work in many ways. We have all been unsure of the future at some point I’m sure, and know when things need to be changed. It’s working out what to do for the best that makes it such a conundrum…

‘Sleepsound’ has the youthful buoyancy of TYS combined with the harder edges of your Deep Dreaming EP. Was this something you were looking to achieve?

The whole album was written with every song having a purpose, we knew what we wanted to present as a whole and needed to make the pieces to fit. Sleepsound wasn’t originally going to make the cut, we recorded another track for this ’slot’ on the album, but when we pulled it all together, Sleepsound emerged as the right fit. We might release the ‘other song’ at some point, maybe as part of an EP but maybe it’ll just stay as the one that got away. It’s really good though, so we’ll probably release it at some point!

Will we have to wait another 28 years for the next album?

Yes! We’ve slated the next album for 2048, which will be created and performed by our AR avatars! It will be available in brain implant format only! In truth, I don’t know. I think this is probably the last one. It feels fitting. We’ve scratched the itch, and we’re very happy with it, and it seems to have gone down very well, so might be best to leave it there. That said, myself and Giles are really enjoying writing together, and we’ve just written three new stellar songs, so……..

Thousand Yard Stare - Keep It Alive

Confession time, Thousand Yard Stare was a blind spot until their Shiiine On Weekender 2016. It was one of those nights where the words “wow, who the fuck is this” just kept forming in a cider induced brain.

So, when they announced a special EP only set at the Lexington, It felt somewhat fraudulent to be there despite the obsessive record collecting In the intervening years. Especially during ‘Twicetimes’ when a total stranger turns and excitedly stutters “20 years, never, 20, never heard in 20 years”.

So often, people with less obsessive tendencies around music ask “why are you going to see an old band”, now, depending on mood, they are met with cynical derision or, an inevitable Spotify playlist. On this occasion, a far bigger response is needed.

They are the musical embodiment of Matt Le Tissier. This brilliant entity, capable of so many things but mainly, dragging the underdog to a realm of glory. The classic ‘0-0 AET’ encapsulates the spirit of The Wonder Stuff into their world of psychedelic rock n roll and ‘Buttermouth’, like Le Tissier, leaves you with the sense that, if new today, would be a national treasure.

Tenuous football links aside, the abiding feeling of tonight is love. From Stephen Barnes’ video message to unwell drummer Dom (get well soon mate), to Sean McDonough’s uncontrollable hugging of other band members to their crew holding on to amps and singing along simultaneously, love oozed from them. What “became unmentionable” tangibly rose in North London on Friday, “it belongs to everyone of us”.

What began as tentative baby steps to the front became leaps of joy and togetherness for one lonely music lover. Lost in the abandon of loyal “weatherwatchers” and seeking solace in a criminally underrated band, Friday was a heartfelt expression of hope.

Keep it alive!