Jimmy "Explosive Diarrhea" B's Favorite 2022 Albums and More

I feel like 2022, in a small way, helped erase some of my disgust at bands and labels for not releasing music when we were all locked down in 2020 and 2021. Musical distractions would have been beneficial to our collective sanity. My list this year contains quite a lot of the new releases we should have gotten much sooner.

I apologize in advance to anyone that decides to look at this list. I usually try to keep it short, but I found it impossible to make decisions this year.

In no particular order, here are the bands and albums I obsessed over in 2022.

The Virgin Prunes, If I Die, I Die (1982). The guitar player for the Virgin Prunes was in U2 and is the brother of The Edge. He left for the Prunes. He must have kicked himself every time he turned on the radio in the 80s through 2000s. If I Die, I Die is a little uneven, but it has a great side A; "Ulakanakulot/Decline and Fall" is amazing. If you have no interest in listening to an entire album by an 80s post-punk band, at least listen to this song. I believe it will blow your mind.

Bauhaus, Five Album Box Set (2013). I am painfully embarrassed at not knowing Bauhaus. This is one of those times when my close mindedness in the 80s fucked me. I saw Bauhaus over the summer at a festival in Los Angeles, and I was shocked at how great their music is. As soon as I got home from the airport I ordered the box set, which contains their first four albums as well as a disc of singles and B sides. I recently read that Peter Murphy has a five-disc box set of solo albums. I will be chasing that down soon as well.

The Black Angels, Wilderness of Mirrors (2022). I won't say much about this album. It sounds like The Black Angels.

Djinn, Transmission (2021). Djinn annoyed the shit out of me when this album was initially released. I found it online within a week of it being released and it was already out of print. I hate it when bands press a tiny number of records and they sell out immediately. Djinn re-pressed the album in 2022 and this time I was able to snag one. Djinn is a side project for one or more people from the band Goat. It is quite different from Goat. I am calling it an experimental (but not unlistenable) jazz album.

Jade Warrior, Jade Warrior (1971). I saw Jade Warrior albums in magazines, online, and in record stores for decades without having a clue what they were about. I assumed they were a NWOBHM band, so I ignored them. I was wrong. Jade Warrior, at least on this album, is very similar to Jethro Tull. There are some hard rock moments, prog. rock moments, and a flute throughout. I will definitely be looking for more albums by Jade Warrior.

The Bad Plus, The Bad Plus (2022). I rarely like piano jazz. I have made exceptions for McCoy Tyner and The Bad Plus. The Bad ones are a jazz trio that has always been comprised of bass, drums, and piano. Sometime during the never-ending pandemic, their piano player left. Rather than hiring another tickler of the keys, they hired a string strummer. The addition of the guitarist has, in my opinion, made what I already thought was the best band in modern jazz into the best band in modern jazz fusion. I can't wait to see what they do next.

Thumbscrew, Multicolored Midnight (2022). I know I have said this before in my yearly obsession list, but I love Mary Halvorson's guitar playing. Thumbscrew seems to put out an album each year; Mary does a solo album every year as well. I don't think this album is any better or worse than other Thumbscrew records, but I am always stoked to listen to Mary play.

Ahab, The Call of the Wretched Sea (2006). I thought about buying this album for several years. I generally have a hard time getting excited about funeral doom. I prefer more melodic doom like Pallbearer or the heavy metal classics. Ahab has me wondering what other funeral doom gems are out there. In brief, Ahab play a thunderous and ponderous version of doom, with very interesting guitar parts that contribute to the hypnotic aspect of the music, and dare I say, give it a slight psychedelic flavor.

Satan, Earth Infernal (2022). I will be very curious to see if this album makes anyone else’s list for 2022. Satan is one of those bands that have never put out a bad album - they might not be capable of making a shitty record. I believe Earth Infernal is their best album to date. For those that have never heard them, they play metal. It's not thrash or power metal. It's just straight up metal, and it is fucking great.

Goat, Oh Death (2022). Oh Death is a step forward for Goat. Goat ventured a little more into progressive rock territory on this one. If I had to pick one album as the best of the year, it would be a two-way tie between this one and The Bad Plus album mentioned above.

REZN, Chaotic Divine (2020). I saw REZN open for Russian Circles in 2022. I had watched some REZN live clips on YouTube before the show and made the decision to skip them. Fortunately for me traffic was much better than expected, and I got lucky with a parking spot outside the venue. I managed to catch nearly all of REZN's set. They rocked. I picked up Chaotic Divine at the band's merch. table, and now I am telling you about how great this band is. Although, I must admit, they have a stoopid name.

Russian Circles, Gnosis (2022). I always expect a lot from Russian Circles and they have never let me down. Gnosis continues the heavier direction Russian Circles has taken on their last few albums. It also seems like the guitar is more prominent than in the past.

Kreator, Hate Uber Alles (2022). 2022 was a great year for metal. The last metal album I will include on this list is Hate Uber Alles. If you, like me, enjoy what Kreator has done over the past few records, then this album will not surprise or disappoint you.

Evil Blizzard, Everybody Come to Church (2015). I took a chance on Evil Blizzard because one of the band members is a former member of Hawkwind - I am too damn lazy to look up who it was. In 2022, I picked up two albums by Evil Blizzard and this record was the better of the two. They have a slight Killing Joke quality to their music, and like Killing Joke, I have no idea what to call what they do. Is it metal? Not really. It's not punk? Whatever it is, it is interesting and quite entertaining.

Tilok Gurtu, Bad Habits Die Hard (1995). If you are curious what David Gilmore has been up to lately, he is playing guitar in Trilok Gurtu - no, not that David Gilmour, the other one; the one from The Crazy Saints. Anyhow, this is some great jazz fusion.

Non-album highlights from the year.

I only attended a handful of concerts in 2022. Most of them were stellar. First, I saw Russian Circles and REZN play at Revolution Hall in Portland, Oregon. Both bands were fantastic. Additionally, the crowd was unusually well behaved for a Portland audience. Nobody stuck their fucking phone in my face. Die cell phone recorders and picture takers!

The best show I saw in 2022 was Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets at a small theater in Seattle. Nick played tunes from the older Pink Floyd albums with an emphasis on Syd Barrett songs. The Barrett era is my favorite from The Pink Floyd. It was great.

I hate the overuse of the phrase "bucket list," but I finally got to see The Who in 2022. It was an emotional experience for me. The only band left at the bottom of the bucket is Hawkwind. Hopefully I can take care of that one in 2023.

I purchased a copy of the Triumph documentary, Rock and Roll Machine, in 2022. Frankly, I was a little disappointed. I wanted the film makers to delve a little deeper into the relationship of the band members, before, during, and after the breakup. I also would have liked to know why they made those shitty albums in the late 80s. There was also no discussion of the albums Triumph made without Rik Emmett.  It was still great to see them interacting and playing together.

Honorable Mentions

Sex Pistols, Never Mind the Bollocks (1977). This is yet another album where I was late to the party.

MSSV, Main Steam Stop Valve (2020). Mike Watt!!!!!!!!!!

OSI, Office of Strategic Influence (2003). This one had to grow on me.

Dry Cleaning, Stumpwork (2022) I normally would run from an album where the vocals are spoken, since it makes me think of Lou Reed who I cannot stand. But, this is a very good record.

Jamie Saft, Black Shabis (2009). This album is quite strange.

My Sleeping Karma, Atmas (2022). 

Laurence Vanay, Gateway/Evening Colour (2013). Laurence Vanay is another name for French jazz artist, Jacqueline Thibault. This album was originally released in the early 70s. I’m not sure how to describe it. I guess it could be called light jazz fusion.

 

 

 

Scott’s Favorite Records and Music-Related Items in 2022

By Scott

King’s X, Three Sides of One (2022). 

When this album appeared in September, I could hardly believe it had been fourteen years since their last one, and it put me in a weird mood thinking about all the things that’ve happened since then. But then I got down to listening, and it felt like being in the presence of old friends. Three Sides of One is more than a nostalgic treat, though; it’s great on its own and, surprisingly, among King's X’s heaviest and most hard rocking. I love the title, too: King’s X is one of those power trios whose individual members each make a distinct, unmistakable, and irreplaceable contribution to their overall sound, and these three guys have been at it for a long time. 

Porcupine Tree, Closure/Continuation (2022). 

Another long-awaited release, the band’s first since 2009’s The Incident. Like that album, this one has a meandering proggy sound, and the songs are less compact and catchy than on certain previous Porcupine Tree albums or even some of band leader Steven Wilson’s solo albums. Closure/Continuation takes a little while to sink in, but it rewards repeated listens. I suppose it isn’t clear if this will be the last Porcupine Tree album or the beginning of a new era—hence the ambiguity of the title—but I say, keep’em coming.  

Devin Townsend, Lightwork (2022). 

Just about anything Devin Townsend releases will end up on my favorites list, and while I’m still digesting Lightwork, I’m starting to think that this is one of his best ever. Townsend’s restless style can be eclectic to a fault, and often he’s too prolific for his own good. But Lightwork is focused and purposeful, and even restrained in places, in a way that never restricts Townsend’s omnivorous sound. The companion album, Nightwork, is totally justified: it has more metal than Lightwork and more of everything else, too, without seeming like a hodgepodge of studio leftovers. (I’ll add an honorable mention here for his Galactic Quarantine, a 2021 live album recorded, amazingly, by musicians in four different places, with a great set list that includes Strapping Young Lad songs alongside solo stuff.) 

Meshuggah, Immutable (2022). 

There are moments when Meshuggah sounds like a physics experiment about to go terribly wrong, and there are moments when, despite all the odd time signatures and extreme polyrhythms, their music just washes over you like the cold, dark, crushing ocean. Immutable evokes that latter mood more often than the former, even though you might still give yourself a headache trying to count out the measures. But this album is a reminder, for me, of how a band whose unique sound could easily have become a gimmick long ago instead keeps putting out amazing work. 

Chris Smither, Call Me Lucky (2018). 

Smither has been around for a long time, but I just started listening to this album recently. His version of the Beatles’s “She Said She Said” got my attention—I’ll take it over the original—but the whole thing is great, especially his eerie, bleak version of “Maybellene.” Smither sings with a weary wisdom that you can’t fake (even though many singer-songwriters try), and I foresee spending 2023 going through his discography. 

The Naxos Early Music Collection (2019). 

Every year I make a resolution to expand my limited knowledge of classical music, and every year I pretty much fail to do anything about it. But in 2022, I went back a little further, historically, and found myself listening to this hefty box set of medieval and Renaissance music, along with another Naxos box set of Monteverdi’s madrigals. I mostly listened to this stuff at night, with headphones, while I was falling asleep, and I can tell you that weird things happen when you drift off, then suddenly wake up again while listening to Gregorian chants or something else that was composed half a millennium ago. I wouldn’t say I love everything in here, but it’s been an interesting journey. 

Crowbar, Zero and Below (2022). 

Speaking of music that ought to survive for half a millennium. Crowbar’s motto should be, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. It ain’t, so they didn’t! 

ZZ Top, Tres Hombres (1973). 

Growing up, I knew ZZ Top through their hits, and I always thought they were kind of cool and kind of cheesy. I never felt compelled to investigate them much further. But last year, I bought one of those budget box sets with their first 10 albums, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed their earlier stuff. Tres Hombres in particular has been in heavy rotation. “La Grange,” of course, is one of their most famous songs, but the openers “Waitin’ For the Bus” and “Jesus Just Left Chicago” make as good a one-two punch as I’ve ever heard. I’ve really come to appreciate Frank Beard’s tight, propulsive drumming on these 1970s albums, too. 

Sturgill Simpson, Cuttin’ Grass, Vol. 1 & 2 (2020). 

Artists did a lot of things to tread water during the pandemic, and Simpson had the good idea to record bluegrass versions of a bunch of his songs. These two albums are hugely enjoyable, and I’ve found myself listening to them more often than even his most recent proper album, The Ballad of Dood and Juanita. 

Elvis, directed by Baz Luhrmann (2022). 

I didn’t expect to like this movie as much as I did, but Luhrmann’s hectic, overstuffed style is a perfect match for the Presley myth—and this movie really is about Elvis the mythic figure, the cultural icon, and not so much the historical person. It goes well with Elvis Presley: The Searcher, a 2018 documentary that at times feels like an Official Product of the Presley Estate but at others feels elegiac, even ghostly, thanks to the way it was assembled and the music by Mike McCready.   

Hinckleyhadavision’s Favorite Music 2022

By Hinckleyhadavision

Benjamin Dakota Rogers is an artist that stands out to me this year. I’ve been enjoying a series of cover songs he put out with his own take on some country classics. I like his original work as well. 

I’ve also been enjoying Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers, and a few others. 

The work of the group The Highwomen is really awesome. I love their rendition of the song “The Highwaymen.”

Billy West’s 5 Songs, Artists, and Albums that Filled the Void in 2022

By Billy West

Hey there, Billy here. I’m hoping that the end of your year is going exactly as you want it to be going. If not, that’s okay, there’s always next year! After all, filling the ever-growing void that life feeds is challenging. For me, these were the top 5 artists, albums, and songs that helped filled my void in 2022:

1. Nas, Illmatic, “Life’s A Bitch”: My most played song of the year was Nas’s “Life’s a Bitch.” I got back into Illmatic in late 2021 and that carried right into 2022. Today’s rap doesn’t hit the same when Nas yells out, “Life’s a bitch and then you die!” followed by some smooth jazz set to a solid beat. Additionally, Illmatic was featured in season four of Netflix’s Ozark, an excellent crime thriller that is definitely worth checking out if you’re into that sort of thing. Ozark used this song very well, which I appreciated. All of this is to say that, as the kids haven’t said for 30 years, this song is a bop. 

2. Arctic Monkeys, The Car: AM’s latest album continues the orchestrated sound that they found in Tranquility Bass and Hotel Casinos. If we’re all being completely honest here, who isn’t going to get a little whimsical and wistful when listening to Alex Turner sing to such beautiful music? The Car really made you feel like you were in a car. Incredible. Bravo Mr. Turner.

3. Steve Lacy, “Bad Habit”: My song of Summer 2022. Couldn’t stop listening to it. I belted out the lyrics in the shower over the sound of my wife and her boyfriend in the other room. Great summer!

4. Dan Romer, Station Eleven Soundtrack / “Doctor Eleven”: I’m not usually a soundtrack guy, but I watched way too much TV in 2022. Station Eleven, a fantastic show on HBO Max, was scored beautifully by Dan Romer. If there’s one song I’d have to pick from the album it would be “Doctor Eleven.” The song is so hopeful and builds up to short bursts of happiness—kind of like my life except much less hopeful.

5. MIKE, New York’s best up rapper right now is MIKE. I heard him bumping in a vinyl store in Manhattan and couldn’t get his unique voice and sound out of my head. When I walked out of that vinyl store, I was suddenly wearing a Yankees hat and a Knicks jersey. He was my favorite discovery of the year and helped take the sting off of not getting to see a naked guy on the subway during my weekend in the Big Apple. Maybe next year!

Hopefully you enjoyed this and discovered (or rediscovered) some good tunes. I normally write about TV and other things related to whatever it is I feel like writing about, which you can check out on my Substack (and even subscribe to if you’d like): https://billywest.substack.com/.

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.

Five-Inch Taint’s Favorite Records of 2022

By Five-Inch Taint 

Albums of the year listed in alphabetical order:

 

Al-Qasar, Who are We?

Beach House, Once Twice Melody.

Birds In Row, Gris Klein.

Blackbraid, I.

Willi Carlisle, Peculiar, Missouri (especially the song “Tulsa’s Last Magician”).

Daeva, Through Sheer Will and Black Magic.

Dead Cross, Dead Cross II.

Dream Unending, Song of Salvation.

Elder (Edler, misspelled on spine), Innate Passage.

Escuela Grind, Memory Theater.

Gnome, King.

Loney Hutchins, Appalachia and Buried Loot.

Innumerable Forms, Philosophical Collapse.

Jau-Bi, Nafs at Peace.

Arlo McKinley, The Mess We’re In.

Mindforce, New Lords.

The Otolith, Follum Limina.

Ripped to Shreds, Jubian.

Sleepwulf, the song “Satan Is King.”

Soul Glo, Diaspora Problems.

Undeath, It’s Time…To Rise From the Grave.

The Vandoliers, The Vandoliers.

Weyes Blood, And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow.

Wiegedood, There’s Always Blood at the End of the Road.