Spencer’s Top Ten Albums of 2022

Step aside, Pitchfork, and make way for the true top ten list.

My god, the amount of good music released this year was wild. Every year, in preparation for writing this article, I keep a Spotify playlist containing every album of interest that comes out that year. Usually this playlist contains 20 or so albums — last year’s was about 15 hours long. This year, the playlist has 40 albums and is 32 hours and 17 minutes long. As you might imagine, a difficult list to cull down into just ten at the top — I have three alternates that could easily have gone in the #10 spot instead of what I chose. But alas, that’s the job I was tasked with (by myself), and so I must do it. After much thought and deliberation, here is my top ten list of the best albums to come out this year.

Album #10: Alpha Zulu by Phoenix

Phoenix’s last album, Ti Amo, disappointed me. It was dull, and didn’t bring anything new to the table. It seemed Phoenix’s winning formula was running dry. And yet, on Alpha Zulu, they are back with a revitalization of the hooks and guitars that brought them so much fame. Recorded in The Louvre, the album is clearly influenced by classical art, from the accompanying cover art to the theme of wondering how to stand out when everyone is watching you. The obvious highlight is the song “Tonight” which features Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend. More reminiscent of Vampire Weekend’s Father of the Bride than Phoenix’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, the song is less alternative party anthem and more easygoing bop. But there are other dance-y and intriguing songs scattered throughout the album that feel more like their previous work, from the slow buildup in “Winter Solstice” to the more poppy “Artefact.” While there isn’t too much in the way of depth for this album, it is just so damn fun to listen and dance to. It’s a triumphant return to the spotlight, and I very much hope they’re able to stick around and play some more tunes for us before they decide to head on out.

Album #9: Better Days by Mr Little Jeans

I cannot understand why more people don’t know about Monica Birkenes, a.k.a. Mr Little Jeans. Her debut album, Pocketknife, was fantastic, and generated a number of indie hits, including her excellent cover of “The Suburbs” by Arcade Fire, and her original song “Good Mistake,” which is a certified banger. And now, after eight years, Birkenes has returned with her sophomore album, Better Days. Although I love the musicality of the instrumentation on this album, the real highlight is the vocals. Birkenes’s voice has a certain quality about it which draws you in and makes you want to spend more time with her. With much of the album, especially the front half, focusing on her husband, Better Days comes off as a joyful and celebratory exploration of love, looking at where things work and when they break down. While there aren’t any standout singles the way there were for Pocketknife, the album coheres so well together that there really doesn’t need to be. Everything flows together well, and makes listening to the entire album through such an enjoyable experience that you won’t want to listen to it any other way.

Album #8: No Rules Sandy by Sylvan Esso

The glitchy quality that Sylvan Esso love to weave into their albums is more present than ever on their latest, No Rules Sandy. It’s their most experimental album yet, and so definitely won’t be for everyone, but if you can pick up what they’re putting down, you will jam out. The closest the album comes to a typical pop song is the bumping “Echo Party,” but even then there are pieces of the song that are far removed from what you’d hear on any top 40 radio station. With the various interludes and unusual instrumentation, No Rules Sandy is anything but typical. Making the vocals their own kind of electronic instrument occurs numerous times on the album. With repetition à la Daft Punk’s Homework a consistent theme throughout the album, Sylvan Esso shows themselves to be always changing, never mired in the expectations set by their previous work. One consistency is the final track on the album, “Coming Back To You,” a soft acoustic song that follows in the band’s pattern of closing albums with quiet, emotion-laden melodies that neatly put a bow on the listening experience you’ve just had. It’s as if they’re saying, “Goodbye for now, but let’s meet again on the next album.” I, for one, will be first in line to be there.

Album #7: Blue Rev by Alvvays

I’ll fess up: I’m late to the game on Alvvays. I’d heard them in passing before, but had never given them a proper listen until a couple of months ago, when I heard “Archie, Marry Me” and fell in love with it. It was, of course, then a pleasant surprise to discover that the band had a new album out this year, and it was filled with bangers, front to back. Blue Rev is one of those rare albums that can be enjoyed both on just a surface level and on a deeper, more analytical one. At first glance, it’s a fun dance album that typifies what Pitchfork calls the “power pop” genre. But if you look further, and pay closer attention to the lyrics, there’s a story of the travails that come with returning home and seeing the familiar change, be it seeing how your ex’s life has seemingly improved while you’ve been left behind on “Pharmacist” and “Velveteen,” or how Belinda Carlisle neglected mentioning that in addition to heaven being a place on Earth, hell is too, and can be found within the expectations of a small town on “Belinda Says.” The more you listen to this album the more you’ll get out of it.

Album #6: Formentera by Metric

Metric tells you right up front what their album is going to be like with a ten minute opening song with pulsing beats and dancing synths entitled “Doomscroller.” From there, the energy stays at high levels. Each song is practically impossible to not dance to — and of course, they don’t ditch their signature heavy electric guitars. The vibe of the album is plastered over the middle of the album cover: lights in neon, contrasted with dark surroundings. There is an undercurrent to the album of exploring the rise of class inequality (“Scum of the Earth overpaid to rob you” and “Trickle piss from champagne glasses” on “Doomscroller” are obvious references to the consequences of unregulated capitalism and trickle-down economics, while “Tall Hallmark phrases that roll off the tongue / Reframe a regrettable outcome” on “Oh Please” takes aim at corporate attempts to avoid accountability for criminal activity). Metric is not afraid to call out what they see as wrong with the world right now, but they’re sure as hell going to sound good while doing it.

Album #5: Wet Leg by Wet Leg

Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, the Isle of Wight duo that make up Wet Leg, would like you to know that none of their songs mean anything. Their self-titled debut album does give that impression, but to great effect. The constant humorous jabs and innuendos paint a picture of a band who couldn’t give two shits about what anyone else thinks of them, as long as they’re having a good time. This album is easily the most danceable on this list. The vibe is straight out of the mid-2000’s indie scene, akin to the likes of Franz Ferdinand and early Arctic Monkeys. Energetic, with in-your-face guitars, grooving bass lines, and a driving drum beat, Wet Leg is begging to be played in full at that house party you’re throwing. While I usually consider the Grammys to be pretty meaningless, as their nominees are almost always already entrenched in the industry, somehow Wet Leg managed to get nominated for Best New Artist while actually being a new artist, and it is so well deserved. If you put on this album and a smile does not crack your face, I’m sorry but I’m not sure you’ve ever had fun in your life.

Album #4: Radiate Like This by Warpaint

Warpaint return with their first full-length album in six years, and boy was it worth the wait. Radiate Like This is the classic Warpaint sound, bundled up in ten neat songs. If you’ve ever enjoyed one of their previous albums, you will not be disappointed. After trying to get my fix with a few solo releases from individual members of the band, which, while good in their own rights, just aren’t quite the same, it’s refreshing to return to their winning aesthetics, mood, and vibes. Cool, ethereal vocals, combined with chill guitars and bass make for a relaxing album that, like the cover art, feel like a sunset on a brisk November evening. The sheer amount of swagger and sexiness that flows through each song is undeniable, with songs like “Hips,” “Melting” and “Send Nudes” just dripping with intimacy. The lyrics highlight the human need for physical closeness, in particular with small moments (the crooning of “Here I am under your clothes and stuck in your hair / Humming our favorite song right in your ear” and “Send a couple nudes, baby / Have a cup o’ noodles with me, baby” on “Send Nudes” stand out as especially strong couplets), and you feel like nothing can go wrong while listening to this album. You’re hanging out with the women of Warpaint — what more could you want?

Album #3: PRE PLEASURE by Julia Jacklin

Julia Jacklin is an expert storyteller. Each of her albums so far has been an exploration of her experiences with love and intimacy, a religious upbringing, and managing social pressures and anxiety. PRE PLEASURE is no exception, and her songwriting here is at its best. Whether on “Lydia Wears a Cross,” where Jacklin talks about enjoying the song and dance associated with going to a Christian school, but not getting anything from the deeper meanings of them, to “I Was Neon,” where she contemplates the anxieties that come from seeing her own name in lights while on tour, each song tells an intricate story with clever rhymes and reflections that make you think back on your own experiences and nostalgia. It’s worth listening to the album multiple times to catch on to all the bits and pieces of imagery she tosses into each line. She effortlessly switches between acoustic guitar, rock jams, and mellow tunes. It’s worth joining Jacklin on her trip down memory lane, through all moments painful, bittersweet, and joyful.

Album #2: Laurel Hell by Mitski

On Laurel Hell, Mistki discovers the treachery that comes with having a hit album. With Be The Cowboy (my favorite album of 2018) having been such an enormous critical and commercial success, the pressure to follow it up with something just as good or better can be devastating. Here, Mitski leans into those feelings, and puts them to words with reverberating synths backing them up. The lead single from the album, “Working for the Knife” describes Mitski’s feelings of needing to push out some work while standing on a knife’s edge of collapsing. The internal sturggles continue on “The Only Heartbreaker,” as she describes her own self-destructive tendencies in her relationships, lamenting that she is always the one who causes relationships to end, and is causing constant heartbreak. This is even carried through to the closing of the album, on “That’s Our Lamp,” which in itself is a goodbye to one final relationship. In spite of the overall despair-laden lyrics, the juxtaposed music is often upbeat and quite dance-y, making the mood of the album feel optimistic. Mitski plays around with far more electronic instruments, and fewer guitars, than her previous albums, with her primary string instrument being the piano. All this gives the impression that despite her own internal thoughts, Mitski feels that all these goodbyes and heartbreak may yet lead to a brighter future. Laurel Hell is an engaging and thoughtful album, and can also be put on at a party, no problem.

Album #1: Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar has proven himself to be one the greatest living lyricists. While for his past few albums, Kendrick has has taken aim outwards, at the circumstances surrounding his upbringing on good kid, m.A.A.d city, at the police and systemic racism on To Pimp A Butterfly, and the failings of those around him on DAMN., on his newest album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers Kendrick turns inward, examining his internal and generational trauma and insecurities. Structuring his album as one long therapy session, he starts by expressing his own denial at the grief he’s feeling, saying that he “grieves different” despite the title of the song, “United In Grief” suggesting otherwise. While not an album filled with dance anthems — the likes of “HUMBLE.” are absent here — the raw emotion that drives the album draw in the listener, and make the quiet moments the peaks. On “Mother I Sober,” Kendrick’s voice lowers to a whisper, as he talks about how the assault his mother suffered in turn affected how he was treated when one of his cousins was suspected of assaulting him. The message of the album is one of internal reconciliation, taking a hard look at yourself in order to truly know, and understand, both how you came to be, and the pain you carry, and how all the events of your life made you who you are and have affected others around you, for better or for worse. As Kendrick reaches acceptance on the closing song of the album, “Mirror,” he simply states, “I choose me, I’m sorry.”

That just about wraps it up for this year! There was so much good music I didn’t quite have space to include — from BROCKHAMPTON’s final album, to Big Thief’s fantastic double album, there was certainly no shortage of great stuff to listen to this year. And there’s a lot to look forward to in the coming year as well! Caroline Polachek is releasing a new album in February, and I have loved every that’s she’s released so far, plus Tennis and Gorillaz also have new albums coming soon! That’s not even including all of the releases we don’t yet know about. This list gets harder to make every year, and I’m sure next year will be no exception. As always, I’ve included a playlist at the bottom containing all of my picks for best albums of the year. Enjoy, and here’s to a great 2023!