Top 20 Music Albums of 2022 by 
ForegroundNoise 
The third year in a row I've consciously tried to make a AOTY list. Still a couple of things to listen to left, but pretty sure this will be my top 20. Despite 2022 having two of my favourite albums of the decade so far early in the year, the rest of it never managed to live up to its strong start – was barely able to cobble together 20 albums that were good enough for this list. What's shocking too is that there was almost nothing in the short release (<30 mins) category worth noting here, other than Marina Herlop's Pripyat and Ka's fantastic twin albums that dropped in September.
2022 Ratings (118, Avg Rating = 5.68)
- Chart updated: 21 hours ago
- (Created: 01/07/2022 14:54).
- Chart size: 20 albums.
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____________________________________________________________________________
art rock • post-rock • chamber pop
(Ninja Tune, 58:46)
9/10
"You walk up on the raised edge
Hands out for balance
Slipping, you almost grab mine, but you find your feet
And I never wanted so much someone to fall"
To outside observers, Black Country New Road's early trajectory might have seemed like an elaborate inside joke. The video to breakout single "Sunglasses" was comprised entirely of stills from go-pro footage found online, record deals from typical rock labels were rejected in favour of dance music imprint Ninja Tune, and the cover art to their debut For the First Time was a photo from the copyright-free stock image website Unsplash (replete with watermark and all). Preempting critics by crowning themselves "the world's second best Slint tribute act" was a title so densely packed with self-consciousness, it threatened a post-ironic singularity.
Yet even as the band's self-effacing social media presence eschewed the humourless press junket attached to indie rock bands of decades past, it became undeniable just how proficient BCNR really were. Their inclusion of klezmer music with a violin and saxophone separated them from the meat-and-two-veg guitar and drums of the post-post-post-punk circuit. Instrumental detours that pushed ten minutes felt necessary rather than indulgent. Despite the heavy doses of irony the band doused themselves in, the fanfare surrounding them had become inescapable.
So when their second album Ants From Up There was announced, the jettisoning of this tightly-choreographed identity caused concern. Lead single "Chaos Space Marine" was named after a tabletop wargaming faction, and was coupled with artwork whose unappealing quality could no longer be pinned on being sourced from Unsplash. The song itself shedded the experimental edge of their previous sound in favour of group vocal "yeahs" and rousing strings reminiscent of Funeral-era Arcade Fire. Wasn't this path well-trodden already? And more worryingly, hadn't we seen where it led to? The commitment to kitsch that had once been endearing, suddenly felt in danger of growing stale.
These fears were unfounded. Ants From Up There is unequivocally an album about love – a surprising revelation given frontman Isaac Wood's usual sardonicism. Almost entirely absent on For the First Time, love's only mention came via a foolhardy declaration during a black midi concert. The moment is trivialised, ridiculed even. Love, in Wood's eyes, is something to be held at arm's length and regarded with suspicion.
Not so here. Love is presented not in the abstract, but in its singular form – love bottled and treasured through countless gestures passed over almost as quickly as they are offered up. Perhaps the most heart-wrenching lyric on the entire record is at the same time devastatingly domestic: "Everytime I make lunch/For anyone else in my head/I end up dreaming of you".
Much of the reason this album has provoked such a visceral reaction (on both sides of the fence) lies in its uncompromising depiction of adolescent romance. Between the revealing comparisons to Billie Eilish and the reverent motif of a concorde, Wood's beloved is simultaneously the girl next door and a god on earth; the kind of idolisation we might be urged to baulk at, had we not ourselves been guilty of committing. Wood's lyrics uniquely capture the drudgery presented by post-Brexit Britain (at one point Berlin is cast as the site of metropolitan escape), and how in the face of economic uncertainty, a natural defence mechanism is to retreat into the security of a relationship. And of course, how impotent it feels to discover that isn't secure either.
Just days before the album's release, Wood shared a statement that he would be leaving the band "in spite of six of the greatest people I know", citing struggles with his deteriorating mental health. Apart from anything else, Ants From Up There is an exhaustive testimony to the kind of toll documenting his breakup may well have had. As monumental closer "Basketball Shoes" draws the record to an end, it seems inevitable that Wood should be the only figure left lying in his bed.
Keeping the door open for Wood to return, the band confirmed their intentions to continue, though they would no longer be performing any material from their first, nor their imminently arriving second album. The decision had the unintended consequence of consigning Ants From Up There to the past before it ever existed in the present, instantly rendering it a relic to an era already lost. The only available sentiment was nostalgia, each song trapped in amber upon immediate contact with the air. The threat of dissolution right at their ascendency meanwhile, recalled spectres of other cult-favourites that never outlived their first two records: Joy Division, Neutral Milk Hotel – Slint.
The decision ultimately seems the right one; it would've rung hollow to have heard anyone else sing words so inexorably tied to Wood's lovelorn sincerity. Nor did it appear they needed to – after cancelling their US and April tours, the remaining six members had effortlessly written a dozen new songs that became their setlist for the rest of the year.
Last month I was lucky enough to see them at Kensington's Bush Hall in the first of a trio of filmed performances for an as-yet-unknown project. On its eve, a cryptic email invited ticket holders to the debut production of When the Whistle Thins, the latest work from fictional "master playwright" Hubert Dalcrose that concerns a group of farmers gathering for a harvest. Attendees were reassured they would not be required to arrive in costume, though the band themselves were donned in appropriately rustic attire (the dungarees unlikely raised eyebrows among the art school kids in attendance).
The point of the theatrics remained inscrutable, if a playful reminder of the band's signature cheek, while the songs themselves easily matched the feverish ecstasy of their previous work. As my eyes passed over the deliberately crude backdrop of rolling hills however, I caught myself yearning for a sincere iteration of a band otherwise known for their wry sense of humour. The irony wasn't lost on me.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 02/17/2022]
art rock • post-rock • chamber pop
(Ninja Tune, 58:46)
9/10
"You walk up on the raised edge
Hands out for balance
Slipping, you almost grab mine, but you find your feet
And I never wanted so much someone to fall"
To outside observers, Black Country New Road's early trajectory might have seemed like an elaborate inside joke. The video to breakout single "Sunglasses" was comprised entirely of stills from go-pro footage found online, record deals from typical rock labels were rejected in favour of dance music imprint Ninja Tune, and the cover art to their debut For the First Time was a photo from the copyright-free stock image website Unsplash (replete with watermark and all). Preempting critics by crowning themselves "the world's second best Slint tribute act" was a title so densely packed with self-consciousness, it threatened a post-ironic singularity.
Yet even as the band's self-effacing social media presence eschewed the humourless press junket attached to indie rock bands of decades past, it became undeniable just how proficient BCNR really were. Their inclusion of klezmer music with a violin and saxophone separated them from the meat-and-two-veg guitar and drums of the post-post-post-punk circuit. Instrumental detours that pushed ten minutes felt necessary rather than indulgent. Despite the heavy doses of irony the band doused themselves in, the fanfare surrounding them had become inescapable.
So when their second album Ants From Up There was announced, the jettisoning of this tightly-choreographed identity caused concern. Lead single "Chaos Space Marine" was named after a tabletop wargaming faction, and was coupled with artwork whose unappealing quality could no longer be pinned on being sourced from Unsplash. The song itself shedded the experimental edge of their previous sound in favour of group vocal "yeahs" and rousing strings reminiscent of Funeral-era Arcade Fire. Wasn't this path well-trodden already? And more worryingly, hadn't we seen where it led to? The commitment to kitsch that had once been endearing, suddenly felt in danger of growing stale.
These fears were unfounded. Ants From Up There is unequivocally an album about love – a surprising revelation given frontman Isaac Wood's usual sardonicism. Almost entirely absent on For the First Time, love's only mention came via a foolhardy declaration during a black midi concert. The moment is trivialised, ridiculed even. Love, in Wood's eyes, is something to be held at arm's length and regarded with suspicion.
Not so here. Love is presented not in the abstract, but in its singular form – love bottled and treasured through countless gestures passed over almost as quickly as they are offered up. Perhaps the most heart-wrenching lyric on the entire record is at the same time devastatingly domestic: "Everytime I make lunch/For anyone else in my head/I end up dreaming of you".
Much of the reason this album has provoked such a visceral reaction (on both sides of the fence) lies in its uncompromising depiction of adolescent romance. Between the revealing comparisons to Billie Eilish and the reverent motif of a concorde, Wood's beloved is simultaneously the girl next door and a god on earth; the kind of idolisation we might be urged to baulk at, had we not ourselves been guilty of committing. Wood's lyrics uniquely capture the drudgery presented by post-Brexit Britain (at one point Berlin is cast as the site of metropolitan escape), and how in the face of economic uncertainty, a natural defence mechanism is to retreat into the security of a relationship. And of course, how impotent it feels to discover that isn't secure either.
Just days before the album's release, Wood shared a statement that he would be leaving the band "in spite of six of the greatest people I know", citing struggles with his deteriorating mental health. Apart from anything else, Ants From Up There is an exhaustive testimony to the kind of toll documenting his breakup may well have had. As monumental closer "Basketball Shoes" draws the record to an end, it seems inevitable that Wood should be the only figure left lying in his bed.
Keeping the door open for Wood to return, the band confirmed their intentions to continue, though they would no longer be performing any material from their first, nor their imminently arriving second album. The decision had the unintended consequence of consigning Ants From Up There to the past before it ever existed in the present, instantly rendering it a relic to an era already lost. The only available sentiment was nostalgia, each song trapped in amber upon immediate contact with the air. The threat of dissolution right at their ascendency meanwhile, recalled spectres of other cult-favourites that never outlived their first two records: Joy Division, Neutral Milk Hotel – Slint.
The decision ultimately seems the right one; it would've rung hollow to have heard anyone else sing words so inexorably tied to Wood's lovelorn sincerity. Nor did it appear they needed to – after cancelling their US and April tours, the remaining six members had effortlessly written a dozen new songs that became their setlist for the rest of the year.
Last month I was lucky enough to see them at Kensington's Bush Hall in the first of a trio of filmed performances for an as-yet-unknown project. On its eve, a cryptic email invited ticket holders to the debut production of When the Whistle Thins, the latest work from fictional "master playwright" Hubert Dalcrose that concerns a group of farmers gathering for a harvest. Attendees were reassured they would not be required to arrive in costume, though the band themselves were donned in appropriately rustic attire (the dungarees unlikely raised eyebrows among the art school kids in attendance).
The point of the theatrics remained inscrutable, if a playful reminder of the band's signature cheek, while the songs themselves easily matched the feverish ecstasy of their previous work. As my eyes passed over the deliberately crude backdrop of rolling hills however, I caught myself yearning for a sincere iteration of a band otherwise known for their wry sense of humour. The irony wasn't lost on me.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 02/17/2022]
Year of Release:
2022
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,422
Rank in 2022:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
53
Buy album
- #Sponsored
____________________________________________________________________________
post-industrial • opera • experimental
(PAN, 54:54)
8.5/10
"Why do I have to
Why do I have to
Why do I have to"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 02/08/2022]
post-industrial • opera • experimental
(PAN, 54:54)
8.5/10
"Why do I have to
Why do I have to
Why do I have to"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 02/08/2022]
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____________________________________________________________________________
avant-folk • free folk
(Glitterbeat, 77:10)
8.5/10
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 05/18/2022]
avant-folk • free folk
(Glitterbeat, 77:10)
8.5/10
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 05/18/2022]
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- #Sponsored
____________________________________________________________________________
art pop • glitch pop
(Rough Trade, 44:13)
8/10
"She tortured me still
With the darkest spell
Fought about like forever and ever
She pulled on my hair,
Whispered in my ear
'You fucking love
You love to fuck
To fuck it up'
Fucking listen to her sing"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 10/26/2022]
art pop • glitch pop
(Rough Trade, 44:13)
8/10
"She tortured me still
With the darkest spell
Fought about like forever and ever
She pulled on my hair,
Whispered in my ear
'You fucking love
You love to fuck
To fuck it up'
Fucking listen to her sing"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 10/26/2022]
Year of Release:
2022
Appears in:
Rank Score:
623
Rank in 2022:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
____________________________________________________________________________
art pop • experimental
(Matador, 52:14)
8/10
"Our body is stretched
And holding one breath
And sharpen the palm
And sever the flesh
Harvest the pit
And spit out the rest"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 06/26/2022]
art pop • experimental
(Matador, 52:14)
8/10
"Our body is stretched
And holding one breath
And sharpen the palm
And sever the flesh
Harvest the pit
And spit out the rest"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 06/26/2022]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
____________________________________________________________________________
experimental hip hop • abstract hip hop • jazz rap
(Total Works, 82:56)
7.5/10
"Ears of a virgin, we on the front streets splurging
Pour some libations, for the trap door workers
Run a living to the river, they was great surgeon
By the pyramids, creeps in the night, lurkers"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 02/22/2022]
experimental hip hop • abstract hip hop • jazz rap
(Total Works, 82:56)
7.5/10
"Ears of a virgin, we on the front streets splurging
Pour some libations, for the trap door workers
Run a living to the river, they was great surgeon
By the pyramids, creeps in the night, lurkers"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 02/22/2022]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
____________________________________________________________________________
abstract hip hop • experimental hip hop
(Backwoodz, 36:40)
7.5/10
"When the revolution was over, they gave 'em half what they promised
Let's be honest
And the ones who bust they guns went home to tin cups of tea that same plate of porridge (Let's be honest)
Wake up thinking 'bout the ones they left in the forest
It's no church in the wild
My uncle told me they can't bury that many bodies they burned 'em in piles
It was dark
I could see his teeth, it wasn't a smile"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 11/24/2022]
abstract hip hop • experimental hip hop
(Backwoodz, 36:40)
7.5/10
"When the revolution was over, they gave 'em half what they promised
Let's be honest
And the ones who bust they guns went home to tin cups of tea that same plate of porridge (Let's be honest)
Wake up thinking 'bout the ones they left in the forest
It's no church in the wild
My uncle told me they can't bury that many bodies they burned 'em in piles
It was dark
I could see his teeth, it wasn't a smile"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 11/24/2022]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
____________________________________________________________________________
screamo • post-hardcore
(Red Creek, 42:54)
7.5/10
"You punished me with a smile
You punished me with a smile
I once was your slave, once your lover, once a fraud, once your mirror
A smile to hide the insides, as if our insides had limits
A smile to hide the insides, as if our insides had limits
I'm drooling, I'm sweating, I'm pissing, I'm shitting my feelings on green carpets of love
In your Eden of teeth"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 12/09/2022]
screamo • post-hardcore
(Red Creek, 42:54)
7.5/10
"You punished me with a smile
You punished me with a smile
I once was your slave, once your lover, once a fraud, once your mirror
A smile to hide the insides, as if our insides had limits
A smile to hide the insides, as if our insides had limits
I'm drooling, I'm sweating, I'm pissing, I'm shitting my feelings on green carpets of love
In your Eden of teeth"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 12/09/2022]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
____________________________________________________________________________
alternative R&B • art pop
(Stones Throw, 53:42)
7.5/10
"We're not fighting
We're just discovering our fate in this
I'm not crying
No, I'm just a kid who's fell on her head again"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 11/24/2022]
alternative R&B • art pop
(Stones Throw, 53:42)
7.5/10
"We're not fighting
We're just discovering our fate in this
I'm not crying
No, I'm just a kid who's fell on her head again"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 11/24/2022]
Year of Release:
2022
Appears in:
Rank Score:
417
Rank in 2022:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
____________________________________________________________________________
sound collage • ambient • tape music
(n/a, 39:06)
7/10
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 05/09/2022]
sound collage • ambient • tape music
(n/a, 39:06)
7/10
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 05/09/2022]
Total albums: 20. Page 1 of 2
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Top 20 Music Albums of 2022 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| Billy Woods | 2 | 10% | |
| Quinn | 1 | 5% | |
| Sudan Archives | 1 | 5% | |
| Lilien Rosarian | 1 | 5% | |
| Daniel Rossen | 1 | 5% | |
| Black Country, New Road | 1 | 5% | |
| Lucrecia Dalt | 1 | 5% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
10 | 50% | |
| |
4 | 20% | |
 |
1 | 5% | |
 |
1 | 5% | |
 |
1 | 5% | |
 |
1 | 5% | |
 |
1 | 5% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 20 Music Albums of 2022 chart changes
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| Best Artists of 1968 | |
|---|---|
| 1. The Beatles | |
| 2. Jimi Hendrix | |
| 3. The Jimi Hendrix Experience | |
| 4. Van Morrison | |
| 5. The Zombies | |
| 6. The Kinks | |
| 7. The Velvet Underground | |
| 8. The Rolling Stones | |
| 9. The Band | |
| 10. Simon & Garfunkel | |
| 11. Johnny Cash | |
| 12. The Byrds | |
| 13. Aretha Franklin | |
| 14. Frank Zappa | |
| 15. Pink Floyd | |
| 16. The Doors | |
| 17. The Mothers Of Invention | |
| 18. Big Brother And The Holding Company | |
| 19. Os Mutantes | |
| 20. Cream |