20 years ago STEREOGUM was born. The American music website was named after
a lyric from the song Radio #1 by the French electronic duo Air. They call themselves
the ‘best music blog in the world’ and I (almost) agree. Now straight to their best albums
of 2022 selection.

TOP 10 (the full 50 best list below)

1. ‘Blue Rev’ by ALVVAYS (Prince Edward Island, Canada)

Stereogum: “The songs on Blue Rev are hooky and heartfelt,
a series of powder-keg explosions that burst with emotion.”

TUTV: Good, but not good enough to make me go gaga.

Single: Very Online Guy

Stream BLEU REV on SPOTIFY
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2. MOTOMAMI by ROSALIA (Spain, UK)

Stereogum: “MOTOMAMI sounds like nothing else from this present moment, but it also sounds distinctly like the present: rapidly scrolling through bite-sized earworms, embodying masculine aggression simultaneously and without contradiction to high femininity, and repurposing old traditions from the last 50 years to envision the future.”

TUTV: For 24-hour flamenco party people.
A mix of hot stuff and chill-out moments.

Single: Saoko

Stream on MOTOMAMI on SPOTIFY
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3. ‘Renaissance’ by BEYONCE (NYC)

Stereogum: “She’s one of one. She’s number one. She’s the only one. Beyoncé Knowles
has done a lot of amazing things in a pop career that’s stretched back a quarter-century,
but she’s never attempted anything quite like this.”

TUTV: Back to the 80s with Donna Summer tunes.

Single: Break My Soul

Stream RENAISSANCE on SPOTIFY
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4. ‘Sometimes, Forever’ by SOCCER MOMMY (Nashville, TN)

Stereogum: “She’s still making the same achingly vulnerable, heartrendingly pretty pop-rock we’ve come to expect from Soccer Mommy, but with weird, inspired twists around every corner.”

TUTV: A bit too smooth for my liking.

Single: Shotgun

Stream SOMETIMES, FOREVER on SPOTIFY
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5. ‘Aethioples’ by BILLY WOODS (New York)

Stereogum: “There may not be a rapper on Earth who captures — or even attempts to capture — feelings of stasis so successfully as billy woods. Aethiopes, his first of two albums this year, is not only an extraordinary meditation on cannibalism and colonialism but a futureless, borderless, mapless breadth of stillness.”

No singles released.

Stream AETHIOPLES on SPOTIFY
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6. ‘God Save The Animals’ by ALEX G (Philadelphia, PA)

Stereogum: “The entire LP is layered with magical moments.
Every second breathes life, especially the twangy, hopeful closer,
“Forgive,” a perfect conclusion.”

TUTV: Unknown to my aural radar.

Single: Blessing

Stream SAVE THE ANIMALS on SPOTIFY
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7. ‘Expert In A Dying Field‘ by THE BETHS (New Zealand)

Stereogum: “Across ‘Expert In A Dying Field’, which wraps existential angst in wry lyricism and fuzzy guitar-pop hooks, the New Zealand quartet unpacks the inherent unfairness in simply being alive in 2022, when — whether due to a pandemic, technology, or the ever-worsening economy — it can feel like the goal posts are constantly moving, but you’re not.”

TUTV: Amplified and jangly dream pop vitality.

Stream EXPERT IN A DYING FIELD b on SPOTIFY
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8. ‘Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You’ by BIG THIEF (Brooklyn, NY)

Stereogum: “This is the release where Big Thief went big: a 20-track double album recorded across four studios in four different states. Big Thief’s philosophy is simple and down-to-earth; you find the answers when you’re chopping onions, stirring tea, driving at night.”

TUTV:

Single: Change – magical!

Stream DRAGON NEW WARM MOUNTAIN / I BELIEVE IN YOU on SPOTIFY
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9. ‘Diaspora Problems’ by SOUL GLO (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Stereogum: “Over the course of a dozen electrifying tracks clocking in at just under
40 minutes, Philadelphia’s Soul Glo capture the experience of being Black in America.
This is the kind of rage and resistance hardcore was meant for.”

TUTV: Black hardcore matters. AWESOME!

Single: Jump!!

Stream DIASPORA PROBLEMS on SPOTIFY
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10. ‘Dawn FM’ by THE WEEKND (Toronto, Canada)

Stereogum: “The Weeknd has flirted with mortality across his catalog of noir-pop, but he really commits to the bit on his immaculately stylized fifth studio album. The notoriously hedonistic singer looks back on a presumed life of regrets alongside famous friends — from Quincy Jones recounting the lasting effects of childhood trauma to Tyler, The Creator promoting prenups.”

TUTV: Modern-day synth-soul sparks.

Single: How Do I Make You Love Me

Stream DAWN FM on SPOTIFY

FULL LIST – BEST 50 ALBUMS OF 2022