Jack Rafferty’s 2022 Music List

By Jack Rafferty

Show Me the Body, Trouble the Water.

Show Me the Body has basically become my favorite band at this point in my life. There is never a time where I do not want to be listening to them. I did not even realize they were putting out a new album this year until about two weeks prior to its release, and when I found out, I spent each day counting the hours. Every SMTB album just gets better, in every way. Belligerent anger, this justified fury of the oppressed, the swagger and confrontational aspects of it all, SMTB distills so many complex emotions that surge through my veins daily into the perfect form of sonic catharsis. It is the gasoline and it is the flames and it is the ashes and it is what emerges from them: stoic, uncompromising resistance, and nourishing solidarity.

Soul Glo, Diaspora Problems.

Soul Glo is the real fuckin’ deal. I’ve never heard anything like Soul Glo before, even though many say their sound is akin to Bad Brains. While I do see the elements noted in that point of similarity, I think Soul Glo is very much their own entity, and they are breathing so much life and energy in an already deeply interesting and thriving hardcore scene. While they excel in blistering speed and raw-throated vocals, they also remain constantly unpredictable in the mix-ups that are thrown in throughout each song. Horn sections, spoken word, screeching and howling, hip-hop tracks like “Driponomics,” and so much more. The lyrics especially are some of the most poignant, powerful, and unforgiving I’ve heard in a while. Poverty, depression, racial exploitation, political struggle, critiques of the shortcomings of the American left, the list goes on. I absolutely love this album and already cannot wait for another Soul Glo release. 

The Chats, Get Fucked.

Ever since The Chats released “Smoko” I’ve loved them. Me and my buddy listened to Sirius radio when we were working the backcountry of Lake Mead, and we were usually on the punk channel. They played that fuckin song so many times, and we never got tired of it. The straight-forward, no-bullshit punk attitude and aggression and fun that The Chats convey is just the thing for two tired punks patrolling the severe landscape of the Nevada desert. Since “Smoko” is about taking a well-earned smoke break and telling anyone who bothers you to fuck right off, by principle we would stop working whenever it came on. Get Fucked is The Chats at their best. They just keep taking everything that they do right, and enhancing it. I’m all about it. 

Ashenspire, Hostile Architecture.

I had never heard of Ashenspire prior to this release, but man, this one caught me off guard. Such a powerful lambast of inequality and exploitation under capitalism. Equal parts sharp-fanged and hypnotic, each song oozes with its own unique essence of darkness and class struggle. I am really looking forward to diving into their back catalog.  

The Mary Wallopers, The Mary Wallopers.

The Mary Wallopers, along with John Prine, Lisa O’Neill, Lankum, Townes van Zandt, Blaze Foley, and a few others, essentially were the musical forces that got me through the worst parts of Covid quarantine. Their revolutionary joviality was a balm in dark times. Their live-streamed performances from their basement-converted-pub were especially heart-warming, and gave a sense of closeness and community that was much needed. Fast forward to their debut album release, which happened only recently this year, and I have not stopped listening to it. Ironically, it is not much of a new listen for me, as the majority of songs on this were ones they played regularly in their performances. Regardless, I never tire of them, especially these new renditions that are steeped in their experience up to this point. Many songs here are old Irish folk songs, and they even do a cover of Hamish Imlach’s “Cod Liver Oil and Orange Juice,” a personal favorite of mine. I only wish this album would have been released sooner in the year, so I could have had more time to listen to it before writing this. 

Kendrick Lamar, Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers.

This…is a weird one. This was probably my most anticipated album of the year, this was likely the case for many people. I still uphold that To Pimp a Butterfly is the best album of the 2010s, and Good Kid, m.A.A.d City, and DAMN are nearly of that caliber as well for varying different reasons. Kendrick is one of the most important artists of this generation. His influence cannot be understated. It is for this reason that I think many of us, including myself, now place almost unachievable hype and expectations on his new projects. This is an issue that Kendrick actually explores in length on this album. This album did not meet my expectations, and I’m kind of happy about that. One thing that I appreciate about Kendrick is that he is constantly reinventing himself and his sound. He remains consistently unpredictable, and just when you think you know what he is going to do, he surprises you. There is a good amount of his discography that has taken time to grow on me, and I think Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers will do precisely that. There are elements of this album I love, and ones that don’t land with me as much. I wouldn’t say it holds its own against TPAB or GKMC, and importantly, I don’t think it needs to. The world needs to release Kendrick from its expectations. We should never shackle artists in this way. Luckily, I think Kendrick has enough confidence in himself and his artistic vision, that he does not seem likely to ever compromise that to appease others. 

Orville Peck, Bronco.

I’ve loved Orville since his groundbreaking debut, and will continue to. Per the trend that seems to be my opinion on Orville’s releases, I don’t love every song on this album, but the ones that I do love, I love. I have found that many of Orville’s tracks that do not resonate with me much initially warm up to me over time, so I’m sure it will be the case here. Orville continues to push boundaries, given much needed mainstream exposure to identities long smothered in the history of the genre, and put out quality work. 

Billy Woods, Aethiopes and Church.

Billy Woods pretty much puts out at least one album per year that makes my list. The consistency and quantity of releases is nearly staggering. Coupled with the quality that is not diminished by the frequency of its output, it is quite remarkable. Of the two released this year, I think Church is the one I prefer, but Aethiopes is also excellent in its own right. Billy remains one of the most perplexing, intriguing, and powerful forces in underground hip hop today. We as listeners are lucky to receive even one album of the quality Billy puts out, but to have one to two per year is something that I am profoundly grateful for. 

Chat Pile, God’s Country.

Chat Pile’s initial EPs, This Dungeon Earth and Remove Your Skin Please, were such interesting projects, and I listen to them often. The thing I always took away from them, though, is I think this is just boilerplate for what is to come. I think this is just Chat Pile finding their sound, figuring themselves out, and will be honed into something truly indicative of their identity and potential. I present to you, God’s Country. This is pretty much exactly what I would have asked for regarding a debut release from this band. They have taken all of the elements from their previous work and sifted through them in a way that has brought forth the best of what they have to offer. God’s Country is a virulent lambast of capitalism, of U.S. policies of systematic violence and aggression toward its people and the people of the world. They are not overcomplicated in their presentation of this, rightly so. Simple and grim and discordant. 

Black Midi, Hellfire.

God I fucking love Black Midi. They remain so utterly unique and push themselves more and more with each album. Their debut remains one of my favorite albums of recent years. Their sophomore, Cavalcade, didn’t quite reach the same heights for me, but I think Hellfire gets much closer. Midi’s capability of composing such maddeningly good prog rock is astonishing. Their songwriting has clearly matured since their debut, but importantly they have merely built upon those strong foundations, without allowing themselves to settle into them comfortably. They are anything but complacent. They refuse to become stagnant in ideas. Most notably, Hellfire sounds exceedingly less minimalist and sparse than their early work. The depth and the scope of the sound here is just fucking massive. I just have too many good things to say about this for a single paragraph. Go listen to it.

Junior Brother, The Great Irish Famine.

Another one of my favorite Irish artists, Junior Brother, has one of the most distinct sounds in folk today. An acquired taste for some, his singing style is often very off-melody and almost wailing at times, but it serves the style and identity of his music wonderfully. Slightly reminiscent of a sort of freak-folk, more-abrasive-Michael-Hurley-sound, but wholly its own. This sound has never been in greater service of a theme than the one for this album. These near-howling lamenting vocals really invoke the content of generational trauma built upon a history of colonization, extreme violence, exploitation, attempts to eradicate culture, and overall acts of oppression and genocide by Britain. Junior finds himself getting even more experimental with this album, while exploring these themes of coping with such unimaginable trauma, and also the strength required to face such things down. Junior’s voice often sounds like it is nearly crying, grappling with gender role normativity, housing insecurity with ever-increasing rent, the degradation of the mortal form, and much more. The sheer vulnerability of this album is immense. The Great Irish Famine marks a huge step in many regards for Junior Brother. 

Honorable Mentions:

Vildhjarta, masstaden (remaster).

A much–deserved remaster of one of my favorite progressive metal albums of all time. The production on the original release was by no means poor, but you could tell that there were finer elements lost in the mix, which was a shame for such lush and complicated songwriting. I was very happy when I saw this remaster released, and happier still when I listened to it, and found that it aptly amplified all the elements that needed to be, without blowing them out of proportion or distorting the original mix in any way. Merely enhancing what needed to be enhanced. Wonderful stuff. 

Richard Dawson, The Red Chord.

The Red Chord is Richard Dawson’s most ambitious project yet, with an opening track clocking in at forty-one minutes, essentially half the album runtime. While I think that there are many moments sprinkled throughout this album that are truly brilliant, and that hit me in ways only Dawson can, I still don’t think it quite measures up to 2020 or Peasant to me. I can’t really place it, but I suppose a lot of it boils down to the succinctness of those albums in their presentation of similar things and often similar melodies/structures. Dawson’s collaboration album with Circle, Henki, also did not quite strike me as those did. I would put The Red Chord approximately in the same place as Henki. There are many moments and ideas that I love, but the album as a whole just does not resonate with me as the others did. It is still an absolutely wonderful listen, and I highly recommend it.  

Sudan Archives, Natural Brown Prom Queen.

This was another release that caught me off guard, as I had heard nothing about it, and just stumbled onto it while browsing. I loved Sudan Archive’s 2019 album, Athena. She blends so many different sounds so well, and her musical identity is unquestionable. This new release, to me, is much bolder, and unabashedly steeped in self-love and celebration of black excellence, healthy body-positivity, and so much more. The production on this thing, man, it is gorgeous. I also love the diversity of instrumentation displayed here. Honestly, if I hadn’t just discovered this, and was given proper time to listen to it more, it would probably be on the top list. Don’t miss this one. 

Viagra Boys, Cave World.

I love every album by Viagra Boys. Their aesthetic alone is enough for me to love them. Their music is just so fucking smooth and also rough and full of punk sensibility. Cave World sees them working with metaphors of Neanderthals to take aim at modern iterations of the far right. This leads to a great many hilarious and impactful passages. Overall, I think some tracks really stick the landing and others not so much. Regardless, a great album.

Backwash, His Happiness Shall Come First Even Though We Are Suffering.

Backxwash is another artist that I try to keep an eye on at all times, as pretty much everything they release is absolutely superb. They combine elements of hip hop, metal, industrial, noise, and more seamlessly, in a wholly unique and utterly crushing way. There is such agony in these songs, with bone-chilling atmosphere to accompany it, and Backxwash’s voice is like molten slag, soft at times and unbelievably raw at others. 

Katie Kim, Hour of the Ox.

Stumbled upon Katie Kim while searching though different Irish artists, and what a great discovery it was. Eerie, somber, hushed, gorgeous. At times meditative, and others symphonic and vast. The use of strings on this album is fantastic, and Katie’s voice being given so much space to breathe is fantastic, for it is beautiful and emotive. I am really excited to delve into Katie’s previous work. 

Joji, Smithereens.

Joji is an odd one. Previously the internet identity Filthy Frank, known for bizarre antics and absurdist humor, Joji has thankfully broken free of this previous identity to make some surprisingly beautiful and melancholic music. Smithereens really doubles down on this style, with each song having an equally relaxing and saddening atmosphere. Overall, I think that there tends to be something unexplainable but very clearly missing from these tracks that holds them back from being great, but I do enjoy them a lot, and find myself returning to them often. 

Full of Hell, Aurora Leaking From an Open Wound.

A short release from Full of Hell, at just under seven minutes, but that doesn’t mean it is lacking in what it delivers. Full of Hell continues to be a force to be fucking reckoned with. This EP will rip your face off and throw it on the floor.

Fit for an Autopsy, Oh What the Future Holds.

I definitely feel like I’ve arrived at a place in my life where FFAA just doesn’t resonate with me like they used to. Ever since The Great Collapse, they just haven’t released music that I’ve loved unconditionally. This, however, should in no way reduce the fact that Oh What the Future Holds is a fucking great album. I certainly like this one more than their 2019 album The Sea of Tragic Beasts. This one seems to regain some of the raw ferocity that I felt was slightly lost on that album. I think deathcore in general just isn’t a genre that holds as much importance to me at this point in my life, as I almost never listen to it. I guess, then, that is a shining recommendation for FFAA, as they are essentially the only deathcore band I continue to listen to (not sure if that genre tag even really applies to them anymore, I don’t really care). Long story short, this is heavy as fuck, and also groovy as fuck. Well worth anyone’s time that loves this kind of shit. 

Older Stuff That I Loved This Year:

Knocked Loose.

I continue to listen to Knocked Loose on repeat all the time. There is no better band for when I am fucking pissed off. The rawness and heaviness of everything they have done to this point has almost no misses. I cannot wait for a new release from them.

Gulch.

Discovered Gulch this year. Why did no one tell me about Gulch? This band makes me want to beat the fucking shit out of a Proud Boy and smash walls with a hammer. If you haven’t experienced the bliss of listening to the purity of aggression in hardcore that is Gulch, go do it now. 

Mark Langegan.

Found out Mark passed away not too long ago. I was very bummed to hear this. I’ve always loved Mark’s sound. I was introduced to him through his early work with Queens of the Stone Age, but really learned to appreciate his remarkable solo work. The quiet contemplation and the rundown sadness. His gruff voice was so instantly recognizable. I’ve been trying to listen to as much of his discography as possible this year, and it has only deepened my appreciation of his body of work. He will be missed. 

Death Grips.

I don’t imagine I will have a year where I’m not listening to Death Grips on and off. The extreme frustrations that come with each day are made slightly more tolerable by Death Grips. I don’t see that changing soon. 

Roger Miller.

I listened to a hell of a lot of Roger Miller this year. Every year that passes, I love Roger’s music more. Few things can cheer me up like a Roger Miller song. Whenever I’m feeling down, I’ll put on “Dang Me,” “Chug-a-lug,” “Reincarnation,” “Do-wacka-do,” “You Can’t Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd,” and many others. Instantly I feel at least slightly better. I can’t help but smile. Roger’s songs are equally full of whimsy and heart. 

Michael Hurley.

Kind of building off of what I said about Roger, Michael Hurley always provides me a sense of solace through the silliness, but also the emotional depth of his music. Michael did release a new album, but I mainly just listened to all of his albums haphazardly throughout the year, so I figured I would just talk about him here. Armchair Boogie remains my favorite from him. I also found out that Cat Power did a very eerie cover of “Werewolf,” which was lovely. 

As usual: Townes Van Zandt, Blaze Foley, John Prine, Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Colter Wall, Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams Sr., Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Dick Gaughan, Karen Dalton, Tom Paxton, Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Woody Guthrie, and Gillian Welch

Pretty much goes without saying, I listen to these artists more than any other every year.

Other Older Artists That I Discovered This Year Worth Mentioning:

Cisco Houston, Elton Britt, Khruangbin, Leon Bridges, Dick Curless, Silvio Rodriguez, Sam Shackleton, Hayden Thompson, and Webb Pierce.