2022 in music
Dec. 28th, 2022 10:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
latespringIt's near enough to the end of the year that I figured I'd put together a brief recap of music I liked this year! This is primarily focusing just on albums released in 2022, since I already do a monthly recap of music I listen to, but I'll be throwing a brief yearly recap in here as well to poke some gentle fun at myself.
(I'll be sorting this by scrobbles, not on metrics of which album was my favorite, since that's so hard to decide. Also including EPs as albums.)
ODDINARY by Stray Kids
I loved both of skz's mini albums this year, and their recently released replay album was also a delight. It's been so fun to listen to them this year, their whole discography is so solid. I think I like Oddinary more than Maxident, but that might be bias from seeing songs off of it live!
I love the different samples skz throw into their tracks, and Oddinary was study music for me for a while, so I listened to it the most because of that!
Music for: studying when you can't think, dancing around your kitchen and imagining you are lee felix, plotting a superpowers au.
Dance Fever by Florence + the Machine
This was a release I was SO excited for, I think Florence was the first artist I really followed in terms of "can recognize her name and discog" as a high schooler, and I still love her music. Despite what men on tiktok might say, this isn't really a departure from her usual sound. (Which I adore.) I don't need her to do something new, I just want to listen to whatever she decides to put out. It's cinematic and breathtaking and also like she's singing to you from across a kitchen table. Florence has so many lyrics that really grab me, and so I'm always hearing something new on a relisten.
Dance Fever is very much a pandemic album to me. Others on this list are definitely influenced by the pandemic, but this particular album was one I grabbed onto as a kind of anchor to get through this year. (Is this how it is? / Is this how it's always been? / To exist in the face of suffering and death / And somehow still keep singing)
Music for: long walks, painting, also dancing around your kitchen
Laurel Hell by Mitski
This is the first Mitski album I've been around for the release of, and it was really lovely! I kind of wish I had seen her in concert for this round of tours, but I've heard the audiences at her shows hasn't been good lately? So maybe it's not a big loss.
I haven't dug into the interviews she's done for this album much, so it's not an album I have a lot of thoughts on lyrically. Sonically, I really love the textures and colors she's playing with, and I think it's really rewarding on the relisten.
Music for: when it is after 9pm and you can't trust how you feel anymore, writing letters to friends, singing in the shower.
THE WORLD EP.1 : MOVEMENT by ATEEZ
Wowwww I don't know what Ateez put in this album but it's magical. I don't have a whole huge amount of commentary, I just think this is like, up there with Oddinary for my favorite Kpop release this year.
The first track tells you pretty much what you're going to get. I love this album for like, getting housework done. It flows so well as a body of music, and I cannot overstate enough they put magic into these songs. So sonically interesting!!!!
Music for: housework, planning a revolution w/ your doppelgangers?, Mad Max Fury Road
Hold the Girl by Rina Sawayama
This was very close to being my most anticipated album of the year! I love love love what Rina did on this album, and the tracks are so good!
I definitely get some of the commentary on the album kind of sounding less cohesive than SAWAYAMA did, but I didn't have an issue with that, and I think it's complexity kind of proves her album's point? I have half an essay drafted on Hold the Girl that's waiting for me to finish reading Minor Feelings.
Some really fun pop influences, some really strong rock. I like how you can pull several moods from it, and I am so grateful we got more Rina music this year!!!
Music for: having a life crisis, dreaming up plans to speak to sharks, tailoring and mending clothing
Love Me Forever by Pinkshift
This!!! Was my most anticipated album of the year!
Pinkshift are a punk trio coming out of Baltimore, and are I think my favorite band right now? They're a blast live. This album they've mentioned is composed not as a unit but more from songs they just had lying around. I keep trying to write a primer to get into their music and stalling out because honestly, their discography is not very big, and Love Me Forever is like 60% of it, so I'd recommend just going to listen to the album.
Their website describes them as being inspired by "90s grunge and 2000s pop punk." On this album, they leaned into a rougher sound, with Ashrita incorporating some screams, and the rest of the band generally drawing from more punk/rock influences, as compared to the pop-punk vibes of the single that launched their virality, "i'm gonna tell my therapist on you."
I just think it's such a solid album and I really love it! Give it a shot if you like [looks at notes] MCR, Nova Twins, Måneskin, or The Used.
Music for: studying, cathartic screaming, finally cleaning the bathroom
Hai Cheng by THE 8
Considering Hai Cheng is not an album, and is in fact just one song I listened to over a hundred times, it's inclusion here is a little funny. Still!
I can't believe this only came out in 2022? It feels like I have been listening to this for ages. Minghao has such a strong artistic vision, and Hai Cheng is no exception. I really loved this!
Music for: gazing outside when it's raining, painting, dancing in a lonely studio
The Loneliest Time by Carly Rae Jepsen
Carly Rae Jepsen is by far one of the best pop artists I know of, she is such a master of the pop song. I really liked her new album! It didn't surprise me that I did, but I'm so glad to hear more music from her.
Almost had a chance to see her but the show was at a bad time/I missed ticketing/not a venue I loved, etc etc. Another year!
Music for: your coming of age movie at any age, romancing your friends, baking alone in the sunshine
RENAISSANCE by Beyoncé
I made my parents listen to this album incessantly when we were in California and it was one of the only things that made the experience bearable. What an album!!
I love how wholly realized it is as an album, not in a way that has all the edges smoothed away, but in a way that feels like Beyonce knew exactly what she wanted from it, and executed that vision in full.
Music for: being in California, dancing with friends, celebrations
Stay Proud of Me by NoSo
NoSo was an artist I found via tiktok when one of their videos went viral. Stay Proud of Me is one of the most unapologetically vulnerable albums on this list. Also, just like Love Me Forever this is an album for the transmascs in the crowd. NoSo is pretty explicit about the album being directed toward and from their past self.
A really chill mellow pop sound!
Music for: rainy walks, personal crises, reflecting and being kind to yourself
I compile my monthly playlists into a yearly soundtrack, (2022's here) which is very representative of what I've been listening to each year! That's the actual recommendation part of this section.
The other bit of this is my final spread of scrobbles, below. They're so incredibly funny to me?? Three of MCR's four albums are in my top five (and Bullets is 11th) most played albums. I'm so full of fondness for the music I listened to this year, lastfm does not lie I listened to so much MCR this year.
I haven't mentioned her in any of the other sections, but I also listened to a lot of Vienna Teng! She hasn't released anything in years, but her old albums are great, and she mentioned she was writing a little bit of music now, so I'm tentatively looking forward to something from her in 2023/24.
I'd recommend any of the albums above and below! My tastes generally leaned glam-punk/punk/noisy kpop this year, so my top songs mirrored that.
Thank you to every friend who linked me new music this year, thank you to every artist who released a song just when I needed it. May the new year also bring you all many joys <3
Artists:
Albums:
Songs:
Top Albums released in 2022
(I'll be sorting this by scrobbles, not on metrics of which album was my favorite, since that's so hard to decide. Also including EPs as albums.)
- ODDINARY by Stray Kids - 730
- Dance Fever by Florence + the Machine - 444
- Laurel Hell by Mitski - 368
- THE WORLD EP.1 : MOVEMENT by ATEEZ - 287
- Hold the Girl by Rina Sawayama - 224
- Love Me Forever by Pinkshift - 200
- Hai Cheng by THE 8 - 175
- The Loneliest Time by Carly Rae Jepsen - 146
- RENAISSANCE by Beyoncé - 134
- Stay Proud of Me by NoSo - 134
ODDINARY by Stray Kids
I loved both of skz's mini albums this year, and their recently released replay album was also a delight. It's been so fun to listen to them this year, their whole discography is so solid. I think I like Oddinary more than Maxident, but that might be bias from seeing songs off of it live!
I love the different samples skz throw into their tracks, and Oddinary was study music for me for a while, so I listened to it the most because of that!
Music for: studying when you can't think, dancing around your kitchen and imagining you are lee felix, plotting a superpowers au.
Dance Fever by Florence + the Machine
This was a release I was SO excited for, I think Florence was the first artist I really followed in terms of "can recognize her name and discog" as a high schooler, and I still love her music. Despite what men on tiktok might say, this isn't really a departure from her usual sound. (Which I adore.) I don't need her to do something new, I just want to listen to whatever she decides to put out. It's cinematic and breathtaking and also like she's singing to you from across a kitchen table. Florence has so many lyrics that really grab me, and so I'm always hearing something new on a relisten.
Dance Fever is very much a pandemic album to me. Others on this list are definitely influenced by the pandemic, but this particular album was one I grabbed onto as a kind of anchor to get through this year. (Is this how it is? / Is this how it's always been? / To exist in the face of suffering and death / And somehow still keep singing)
Music for: long walks, painting, also dancing around your kitchen
Laurel Hell by Mitski
This is the first Mitski album I've been around for the release of, and it was really lovely! I kind of wish I had seen her in concert for this round of tours, but I've heard the audiences at her shows hasn't been good lately? So maybe it's not a big loss.
I haven't dug into the interviews she's done for this album much, so it's not an album I have a lot of thoughts on lyrically. Sonically, I really love the textures and colors she's playing with, and I think it's really rewarding on the relisten.
Music for: when it is after 9pm and you can't trust how you feel anymore, writing letters to friends, singing in the shower.
THE WORLD EP.1 : MOVEMENT by ATEEZ
Wowwww I don't know what Ateez put in this album but it's magical. I don't have a whole huge amount of commentary, I just think this is like, up there with Oddinary for my favorite Kpop release this year.
The first track tells you pretty much what you're going to get. I love this album for like, getting housework done. It flows so well as a body of music, and I cannot overstate enough they put magic into these songs. So sonically interesting!!!!
Music for: housework, planning a revolution w/ your doppelgangers?, Mad Max Fury Road
Hold the Girl by Rina Sawayama
This was very close to being my most anticipated album of the year! I love love love what Rina did on this album, and the tracks are so good!
I definitely get some of the commentary on the album kind of sounding less cohesive than SAWAYAMA did, but I didn't have an issue with that, and I think it's complexity kind of proves her album's point? I have half an essay drafted on Hold the Girl that's waiting for me to finish reading Minor Feelings.
Some really fun pop influences, some really strong rock. I like how you can pull several moods from it, and I am so grateful we got more Rina music this year!!!
Music for: having a life crisis, dreaming up plans to speak to sharks, tailoring and mending clothing
Love Me Forever by Pinkshift
This!!! Was my most anticipated album of the year!
Pinkshift are a punk trio coming out of Baltimore, and are I think my favorite band right now? They're a blast live. This album they've mentioned is composed not as a unit but more from songs they just had lying around. I keep trying to write a primer to get into their music and stalling out because honestly, their discography is not very big, and Love Me Forever is like 60% of it, so I'd recommend just going to listen to the album.
Their website describes them as being inspired by "90s grunge and 2000s pop punk." On this album, they leaned into a rougher sound, with Ashrita incorporating some screams, and the rest of the band generally drawing from more punk/rock influences, as compared to the pop-punk vibes of the single that launched their virality, "i'm gonna tell my therapist on you."
I just think it's such a solid album and I really love it! Give it a shot if you like [looks at notes] MCR, Nova Twins, Måneskin, or The Used.
Music for: studying, cathartic screaming, finally cleaning the bathroom
Hai Cheng by THE 8
Considering Hai Cheng is not an album, and is in fact just one song I listened to over a hundred times, it's inclusion here is a little funny. Still!
I can't believe this only came out in 2022? It feels like I have been listening to this for ages. Minghao has such a strong artistic vision, and Hai Cheng is no exception. I really loved this!
Music for: gazing outside when it's raining, painting, dancing in a lonely studio
The Loneliest Time by Carly Rae Jepsen
Carly Rae Jepsen is by far one of the best pop artists I know of, she is such a master of the pop song. I really liked her new album! It didn't surprise me that I did, but I'm so glad to hear more music from her.
Almost had a chance to see her but the show was at a bad time/I missed ticketing/not a venue I loved, etc etc. Another year!
Music for: your coming of age movie at any age, romancing your friends, baking alone in the sunshine
RENAISSANCE by Beyoncé
I made my parents listen to this album incessantly when we were in California and it was one of the only things that made the experience bearable. What an album!!
I love how wholly realized it is as an album, not in a way that has all the edges smoothed away, but in a way that feels like Beyonce knew exactly what she wanted from it, and executed that vision in full.
Music for: being in California, dancing with friends, celebrations
Stay Proud of Me by NoSo
NoSo was an artist I found via tiktok when one of their videos went viral. Stay Proud of Me is one of the most unapologetically vulnerable albums on this list. Also, just like Love Me Forever this is an album for the transmascs in the crowd. NoSo is pretty explicit about the album being directed toward and from their past self.
A really chill mellow pop sound!
Music for: rainy walks, personal crises, reflecting and being kind to yourself
2022 listening
I compile my monthly playlists into a yearly soundtrack, (2022's here) which is very representative of what I've been listening to each year! That's the actual recommendation part of this section.
The other bit of this is my final spread of scrobbles, below. They're so incredibly funny to me?? Three of MCR's four albums are in my top five (and Bullets is 11th) most played albums. I'm so full of fondness for the music I listened to this year, lastfm does not lie I listened to so much MCR this year.
I haven't mentioned her in any of the other sections, but I also listened to a lot of Vienna Teng! She hasn't released anything in years, but her old albums are great, and she mentioned she was writing a little bit of music now, so I'm tentatively looking forward to something from her in 2023/24.
I'd recommend any of the albums above and below! My tastes generally leaned glam-punk/punk/noisy kpop this year, so my top songs mirrored that.
Thank you to every friend who linked me new music this year, thank you to every artist who released a song just when I needed it. May the new year also bring you all many joys <3
Artists:
- My Chemical Romance - 3432
- Stray Kids - 2373
- Florence + the Machine - 1046
- Vienna Teng - 915
- Rina Sawayama - 793
- THE BOYZ - 728
- Fall Out Boy - 715
- Gerard Way - 653
- Seventeen - 642
- Mitski - 635
Albums:
- The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance - 986
- Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge by My Chemical Romance - 797
- ODDINARY by Stray Kids - 730
- Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys by My Chemical Romance - 510
- Hesitant Alien by Gerard Way - 451
- SAWAYAMA by Rina Sawayama - 449
- NOEASY by Stray Kids - 445
- Dance Fever by Florence + the Machine - 444
- The Good Life by Sammy Rae & The Friends - 392
- Laurel Hell by Mitski - 369
Songs:
- Godlight by Noah Kahan - 244
- House of Wolves by My Chemical Romance - 213
- You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison by My Chemical Romance - 184
- Charmer by Stray Kids - 184
- Hai Cheng by THE 8 - 175
- DESTROYA by My Chemical Romance - 173
- Snakeskin by Rina Sawayama - 171
- I Don't Know by Seventeen - 161
- Good Life by Sammy Rae & The Friends - 159
- Thank You for the Venom by My Chemical Romance - 147
no subject
Date: 2022-12-31 05:28 pm (UTC)I also really love Oddinary. I didn't love their second EP as much, it's missing a lot of the sonic noise I've come to love from them, but Oddinary had that to such great lengths that I can't feel too bad about not loving Maxident (I do love the construction music.)
I love your list!
no subject
Date: 2023-01-10 06:22 am (UTC)