2022: Q1 New Music Report
The first three months of 2022 have sped by. And during that span, a ton of new music was released. This is my attempt to highlight the handful of new records that left a strong impression on me.
Abdullah Miniawy & HVAD
Notice a Tiny Scratch for the Blue Behind
From the opening seconds, Notice a Tiny Scratch for the Blue Behind sounds otherworldly. Egyptian musician Abdullah Miniawy has taken more traditional Arabic sounds, and with the help of producer HVAD, they’ve created something that’s strangely earthly and post-industrial.
Aldous Harding
Warm Chris
There’s something just slightly alien about Aldous Harding’s songs. Combining elements of folk, art pop, and jazz, the New Zealand singer-songwriter works within a sonic palette that’s generally familiar, and yet each of her releases sounds refreshingly unique. Warm Chris has been a slow burn for me, but it may now be my favorite Harding record.
Beach House
Once Twice Melody
With each Beach House record, the dream pop duo slightly alters the formula—never straying too far from what makes them special. As with any double album, Once Twice Melody is a lot to soak in, but it’s also such a consistently rewarding listen that it never becomes a slog. No one channels euphoria quite like Beach House does.
Big Thief
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Like Beach House, Big Thief went big in 2022 with a double album. Adrianne Lenker just seems to be overflowing in songs, so it’s not surprising that the indie rock band was able to put 20 together. What’s impressive is that the band so capably extends themselves stylistically. It’s easily their most diverse selection of songs, deconstructing their established brand of folky indie rock in new and interesting ways.
Black Country, New Road
Ants From Up Here
Following up one of the most exciting debuts in recent memory, Black Country, New Road pushed themselves even further on Ants From Up Here. The album is a swelling intersection of chamber pop and post-punk that propels with the same intensity and conviction as Arcade Fire’s Funeral.
Burial
Antidawn EP
The latest from the enigmatic South London producer may also be his most atmospheric. Antidawn is an album to get lost within. It’s a glitchy, ghostly, deteriorating world that Burial’s created. And while it sounds quite different from his breakthrough Untrue, it also sounds like something only Burial could have made.
caroline
caroline
On their eponymous debut LP, London octet caroline introduces themselves as a full realized project. Striking a balance between Slint’s minimalist post-punk and Dirty Three’s improvised folky instrumental rock, caroline is an emotionally consuming record that expertly utilizes quiet/loud dynamics.
Cate Le Bon
Pompeii
For as wildly influential as David Bowie’s Berlin-era records have been, very few artists have come close to matching the icy atmospheric, funky weirdness of those records. Cate Le Bon’s Pompeii is a richly detailed world of sound that completely engulfs its listener. It fits within a similar aesthetic terrain as Low or Heroes, though Le Bon is certainly doing her own thing.
Cat Power
Covers
Chan Marshall has an excellent track record with covers albums. Her 2000 release The Covers Record is practically a blueprint of how to nail a good cover song. Covers does not disappoint. She truly taps into the soul of a diverse collection of excellent songs.
Cloacas
Year of the Fox
Santa Fe’s Cloacas draws from the whimsical vaudeville and ragtime folk of a century ago, then twists it into their own strange interpretation. Embedded within the whimsy is a darker gothic element and twisted sense of humor.
Destroyer
LABYRINTHITIS
Over the past 25+ years, Dan Bejar’s Destroyer has slowly morphed from a folky lo-fi indie rock project to a weird synth-heavy sophisti-pop sound on LABYRINTHITIS. Along the path of this evolution, Bejar’s clever lyricism and songwriting style has remained a point of consistency. LABYRINTHITIS may his be the strangest sounding, most dense record to date, but beneath that exterior is classic Destroyer.
Etran de L’Aïr
Agadez
A long-running Taureg band from Niger comprised of family members, Etran de L’Aïr produces some of the most entrancing sounds of any bands from that region. On Agadez, the guitar playing is exceptional and hypnotic, while the rhythm section produces a fast-paced dance groove that’s deeply infectious.
Gonora Sounds
Hard Times Never Kill
From the opening seconds of Hard Times Never Kill, there’s an incredible feeling of joy that is expressed by Zimbabwe band Gonora Sounds. It’d be tough to feel nothing from Daniel Gonora’s sungura style of guitar playing and upbeat vocals. The entire band masterfully generates a lively atmosphere that could get any party moving.
Hurray for the Riff Raff
Life On Earth
After establishing herself as one of the best folk songwriters around, Hurray For The Riff Raff’s Alynda Segarra took a major artistic leap on her 2017 album The Navigator.Incorporating more pop elements, along with elements from her Latin roots, the album was the sound of an artist fully blossoming. Arriving five years later, Life On Earth is a successful follow-up. Building off of that new sound, it won’t surprise in the the way that its predecessor did, but Life On Earth has plenty to offer in the way of great songs.
Jake Xerxes Fussell
Good and Green Again
North Carolina folk singer Jake Xerxes Fussell makes records that sound timeless. Good and Green Again is no exception. Beautifully played and expertly arranged, Fussell’s songs are patient, warm reflections that manage to rise above the loads and loads of new folk music released every year. Maybe it’s because Fussell seems to be so lovingly devoted to the history of the folk sound while also willing to make little tweaks here and there.
Jenny Hval
Classic Objects
If you were to ask me to name my picks for the best artists of the 21st century so far, Jenny Hval would be one of the first names to come to mind. Her unique approach to art pop has resulted in an incredible run of stellar records. A brilliant lyricist who has consistently used her voice to take on the patriarchy, Classic Objects find Hval at her most personal. Sonically, she continues to build off of the dreamy atmospheric dance aesthetic of The Practice of Love.
Melt Yourself Down
Pray For Me I Don’t Fit In
When they first arrived on the scene in 2013, Melt Yourself Down benefitted from sounding so incredibly fresh. Their eclectic combination of jazz, punk, afrobeat, krautrock, and whatever else they were drawing from simply sounded totally alien and bombastic. And for the most part it still does, but they’ve also had more time to tighten up the wild array of styles they’re fusing together.
Mitski
Laurel Hell
The most raw guitar-heavy indie rock sound of Mitski’s earlier records is nowhere to be found on Laurel Hell, but it’s always been the quality of her songwriting and lyrics that made her an artist worth paying attention to. While the transition to a clean synth pop sound may be disappointing to some, Mitski’s latest utilizes that sound very well.
Nilüfer Yanya
Painless
On her 2019 debut, Miss Universe, Nilüfer Yanya presented a fresh blend of indie rock and pop. While it’s less instantaneously enjoyable than her debut, Painless may offer listeners a more rewarding experience with repeat listens thanks to its more adventurous sound.
Pedro The Lion
Havasu
Pedro The Lion has been one of the most rewarding band reunions of recent memory. On Havasu, David Bazan earnestly recalls his junior high years in a way that’s near impossible to connect with emotionally. No song released in 2022 has dug its claws as deeply into my soul as “Teenage Sequencer.” Bazan’s heartfelt tale of his first kiss, with its throbbing bass line, just tears me apart in the best way possible.
Pinegrove
11:11
Speaking of heartfelt tales, Pinegrove’s latest album is built upon a similar foundation of earnestness as Havasu. The New Jersey band has done little to alter their alt-country-meets-midwest-emo indie rock sound over the years, relying on Evan Stephens Hall’s songwriting talent to be the focus.
PJ Harvey
Let England Shake – Demos
Over the past couple of years, PJ Harvey has been releasing demo recordings of her entire legendary discography. It’s been an insightful look into the career of one of the best songwriters of the past 30 years, and no release has been more insightful than the Let England Shake – Demos.
Rokia Koné & Jacknife Lee
BAMANAN
Teaming up with California-based producer Jacknife Lee, Malian legend Rokia Koné has re-envisioned her sound. Bringing in electronics to the mix, JacknifeLee has altered the more traditional sounds of Mali without detaching it from its roots. More importantly, he allows the true star to shine. Rokia’s stunning voice is front and center, never ceasing to mesmerize.
Spoon
Lucifer On The Sofa
Over the past decade, my Spoon fandom had wained. I’ve enjoyed everything they’ve put out, but Lucifer On The Sofa stands out from their more recent output. It rocks harder, and has rekindled my love for the band.
Tropical Fuck Storm + King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
Satanic Slumber Party
For a little under 20 minutes, Australian rockers Tropical Fuck Storm and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard team up to present a wild psychedelic head fuck.
Trupa Trupa
B FLAT A
There’s tons of bands operating in the post-Wire post-punk space, but there’s something different about Poland’s Trupa Trupa. Their brand of off-kilter art rock utilizes some of the proggy experimentation of This Heat to generate anxious and unpredictable songs.
Walter Martin
The Bear
As a member of Jonathan Fire*Eater and The Walkmen, Walter Martin left a sizable impact on the sound of indie rock. Since the dissolution of The Walkmen in 2013, Martin has gone relatively overlooked as a solo artist. His lyrical storytelling and sparse arrangements aren’t going to wow the casual listener, but anyone willing to invest a little more attention will find some truly excellent songs with an expansive heart.
Yasuaki Shimizu
Kiren
Palto Flats has unearthed a lost treasure in the release of Yasuaki Shimizu’s previously unreleased 1984 album Kiren. The spiritual follow up to his band Mariah’s 1983 masterpiece Utakata No Hibi, Kiren is a similar achievement in its unparalleled funky blend of jazz, art rock, and whatever else Shimizu was drawing from. There’s nothing quite like Kiren, other than Shimizu’s other work.
Various Artists
Ocean Child: Songs of Yoko Ono
Unfairly made the scapegoat for the breakup of The Beatles, Yoko Ono has long been one of the most misunderstood and under-appreciated artists of her time. on Ocean Child, a solid roster of artists including David Byrne, Yo La Tengo, U.S. Girls and Japanese Breakfast pay homage to Yoko Ono with covers that highlight her overlooked impact on contemporary music.