Albums Of 2022 (1)

Louis Cole – Quality Over Opinion

Back in 2020’s lockdown I happily discovered the music of Thundercat and included his album from that year, It Is What It Is, in my end of year top 10. There’s a stand-out track on that album called I Love Louis Cole, but it wasn’t until summer of this year that I actually got around to finding out who Louis Cole was. However, at that point, Louis’s most recent album, Time (2018) was extremely difficult to track down. Yes, of course I could get the digital album but I really prefer physical media – I engage with it a lot better. Anyway, I couldn’t get hold of a copy anywhere, aside from some hideously overpriced imports from the US or Japan. Lucky me, therefore, that it turned out that Louis was releasing his new album in the autumn. Not only that but it seems to be his magnum opus, a near 70-minute behemoth that he really seems to have poured his heart and soul into. It begins with an artistic manifesto of sorts, which boils down to the album’s title: Quality Over Opinion – i.e. that he has committed not to sacrifice anything for what other people think. What initially hooked me to his sound were the brain-meltingly funky (and arch) tracks such as Park Your Car On My Face and I’m Tight (check out the fantastic video) – as a drummer his command of rhythm is exceptional – however, what (surprisingly) cemented this as my clear favourite album of the year were the slower songs, such as Laughing In Her Sleep, Don’t Care and Let It Happen, which are absolutely gorgeous. Ironically cheesy in a very good way. Seriously astonishingly good compositions. I’m utterly gobsmacked at how critically ignored this album has been – almost as if music journalists have felt snubbed by the album’s premise – it deserves to be heard, and lauded, widely.

Albums Of 2022 (2)

Black Country, New Road – Ants From Up There

I really didn’t expect to like this one. There’s recently been a wave of British bands – such as Black Midi, Dry Cleaning, Squid and Black Country, New Road – working in the overlap between post-rock, post-punk, folk and jazz, with a unifying feature in having ‘sprechgesang’ (‘spoken-singing’) vocals, which I find very difficult to like. There’s a strong whiff of hipsterism to it all. However, with this album accruing such uniformly positive reviews and, unusually, a strong recommendation from one of my students, even with my very conscious bias, I gave this album a proper chance. And it really sunk its hooks into me. The singer is still difficult to like – a rather strained, wobbling tenor, prone to outbursts and lyrics I fear may not stand the test of time (there are two separate mentions of “Billie Eilish style“). But the music, and the playing, is superb. A warning: dotting around listening to short little snippets probably won’t show this in its best light (I’m guilty of this when exploring new bands). Most of the tracks build slowly and gradually from little musical figures, played on a wide variety of instruments. The mood varies widely throughout, from sombre and stately to wild and chaotic. It is genuinely one of those rare albums where, once it’s all over, it is very tempting to go straight back to the beginning and hear it all again. Now to give their debut For The First Time another chance…

Albums Of 2022 (3)

Beach House – Once Twice Melody

Readers who have stuck with me over the years might remember that Beach House have featured in my end of year lists before. In fact, in the twelve years since 2010’s break-through Teen Dream, they have been on a remarkable run of form; so much so that, ironically, the impeccably high standard of their music has actually become unremarkable. I enjoyed their last album, 7 (2018) but for them it felt a little like going through the motions – even if those motions were highly listenable. So it would have been easy to take Once Twice Melody for granted; ‘yet another good album by Beach House.’ But somehow they have managed to refresh their formula, perhaps by taking on production duties themselves. Either way, this stands up as some of their very best work – even lusher than before and brimming with song-writing ideas, strong melodies, harmony and rhythm. It’s even a double album, which are often padded out with filler but not in this case – each disc could easily have been on this top 10 list on its own. So many highlights – each time I listen a different track stands out.

Albums Of 2022 (4)

The Soft Pink Truth – Is It Going To Get Any Deeper Than This?

It took a review pointing it out for me to notice that each of The Soft Pink Truth‘s releases is titled with a question, which I rather like – see also 2020’s Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase? This one apparently being a (slightly mystifying) question that a friend of his was asked while DJing. Producer Drew Daniel sets about trying to go ‘deeper’ through a luxurious, heady brew of disco-house, richly orchestrated with a large cast of live instruments. He gives the explorations time and space to breathe, creating an expansive and immersive listening experience, with much to reward repeat visits.

Albums Of 2022 (5)

Brainwaltzera – ITSAME

Bravely still flying the flag for the genre once known as IDM – a label disliked for its patronising overtone (‘Intelligent Dance Music’) but never satisfactorily re-branded, other than coming under the very broad umbrella of ‘electronica.’ Anyway, continuing the grand lineage begun by Warp Records et al in the 1990s, this combines woozy electronic sounds with crunchy beats to satisfyingly moody effect. It may not break any wholly new ground but it feels far from pastiche, with sombre guitar-led, beat-less interludes adding variety of pace to the album’s flow.

Albums Of 2022 (6)

Nilüfer Yanya – PAINLESS

I really enjoyed Nilüfer Yanya‘s debut album, Miss Universe, back in 2019; I just happened not to do an end-of-year review that year, otherwise it would definitely have had a mention. I think she’s a great song-writer and I really enjoy the insouciant confidence in her delivery. She pairs her excellent guitar work with some satisfyingly crunchy beats on tracks that have a real groove and swagger to them. If you want a good example, load up the player below and check out Midnight Sun.

Albums Of 2022 (7)

Sam Prekop & John McEntire – Sons Of

This one probably isn’t for everyone! With just four tracks coming in at close to an hour in total, it sees knob-twiddling studio boffins Sam Prekop (The Sea And Cake) and John McEntire (The Sea And Cake and Tortoise) putting together meandering electronic jams with an improvisatory feel. I do have a soft-spot for this kind of long-form music that really gives itself time to evolve and develop. Twirling synth figures churn and chatter, subtly twisting and morphing, whilst some quite propulsive beats keep things moving forward. The highlight is 24-minute centrepiece Yellow Robe, which is the most wide-ranging in tone and rhythm. There are few, if any, abrupt changes in direction, and yet one minute to another you can find yourself in a surprisingly different place.

Albums Of 2022 (8)

Eno / Hyde – Someday World

Eight years behind the times with this one, but never mind! I almost always seem to end up with at least one album in my top 10 that wasn’t actually released that year – last year I had to have a whole separate list for them. Anyway, given this is Karl Hyde (of Underworld fame) and Brian Eno (of, er, Brian Eno fame), I’m not sure how I let it pass me by at the time – obviously too many other excellent albums to be distracted by. Glad I found this eventually, though. It begins in an oddly brash fashion with some very strident MIDI-triggered synth brass and a strongly 80s-influenced sheen. Just go with it! These songs are so intricate and richly produced and the overall vibe is enormously uplifting and full of human warmth.

It doesn’t look like this one’s on Bandcamp, unfortunately, so I’m going to have use Sp*tify:

Albums Of 2022 (9)

Destroyer – Labyrinthitis

Destroyer‘s singer and prime mover, Dan Bejar, is a defiantly singular songwriter. His voice wanders around the wide region between crooner and eldritch croak, and his lines seem to be mostly dada-ist gobbledygook. So far, not too promising. However, thanks to producer John Collins, who seems to be something of an unsung genius, the weird singing performance is cloaked in the most sumptuous, engaging and sometimes bonkers accompaniment. 2011’s Kaputt, which initially I was completely non-plussed by but gradually grew to really appreciate, was all 80s soft-rock trumpets and saxophones (courtesy of a certain Mr Shabason), somehow presented with a complete lack of irony. Labyrinthitis is a tad more electronic but there’s a lot going on – from the magnificently stately build of opener It’s In Your Heart Now, through the kitchen-sink maximalism of June and Tintoretto, It’s For You to the restrained and orthodox closer The Last Song.