AROOJ AFTAB, VIJAY IYER & SHAHZAD ISMAILY – Love In Exile
Aftab’s 2021 album was gorgeous, seamlessly blending her Pakistani heritage with jazz and earning her a Grammy. This year’s collab with jazzman Iver and top-shelf sessionman Ismaily takes things one step further with lots of improvisation, the three musicians constantly feeding off each other. (8)
BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD – Live At Bush Hall
In a bold move after losing lead singer/guitarist/songwriter Isaac Wood, they decided to go ahead (three other band members now sharing vocal duties) without playing any Wood-era songs, and they release a live album consisting of entirely new material written specifically so they have something to tour with. So, no worries about their future, they’ll keep making the List (#19 in 2022). (8)
BOYGENIUS – The Record
Destined to be Album Of The Year for Pitchfork and most other music magazines/sites years before it was even recorded, the debut album by this female singer/songwriter supergroup of sorts (Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers) is actually really good – catchy songs covering a lot of ground between Liz Phair and Simon & Garfunkel, and clever lyrics that are in places funny, sometimes sad, often touching, and mostly celebrating their own friendship. (8)
JAMES HOLDEN – Imagine This Is A High Dimensional Space Of All Possibilities
I’m a rock guy so I have no idea if this one classifies as techno or trance or ambient or whatever, but it is a magnificent throwback to early 90’s electronica and open air raves. (8)
THE HOLD STEADY – The Price Of Progress
I admit I can’t be objective with The Hold Steady, they simply mean too much to me because they almost single-handedly kept rock music alive over the past couple of decades. (11)
IHSAHN – Fascination Street Sessions
Pretty good (as expected from Ihsahn) 3-song EP, the first song sounding like a slightly blackened Opeth, the second one like a NWOBHM Emperor, and the third one, a cover of a 20-year-old Swedish synthpop hit and featuring Jonas Renske, (unsurprisingly) like Katatonia. (8)
LANA DEL REY – Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
Containing several references to her undisputed masterpiece, “Normal Fucking Rockwell”, this is probably her second-best album and could’ve given “NFR” a run for its money if not for a couple of tracks too many. (8)
LANKUM – False Lankum
Irish folk band experiments like Radiohead and plays with an intensity more reminiscent of Godspeed You Black Emperor. A small masterpiece. (8)
LITURGY – 93696
As a band, Liturgy certainly could always be more accurately described as “important” than as “enjoyable”. This album, however, feels VERY important, and quite intriguing once you get past the unintelligible screaming, the only thing that remains from the band’s black metal roots. (8)
NICKEL CREEK – Celebrants
One of the bands responsible for making bluegrass a relevant genre again, Nickel Creek make a decent comeback album that doesn’t really add anything new to their hefty legacy. (7)
SAXON – More Inspirations
A follow-up to 2021’s covers album, this one features songs originally done by Animals, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Alice Cooper, ZZ Top, Who, Uriah Heep, Rainbow, Kiss, Nazareth, and Cream. Totally unnecessary but fun. (7)
SCREE – Jasmine On A Night In July
Like Ennio Morricone doing Space-Age Bachelor Pad music, this guitar-led experimental jazz trio has lots of fun here, and you will too. (8)
