2022 in music 12/30 '22
In vaguely alphabetical order:
Baby Velvet, Please Don't Be in Love With Someone Else — Hannah Crofts from All Our Exes Live in Texas has her solo debut. Lovely, sightly neurotic pop.
Andrew Bird, Inside Problems — What more can i say? Bird always brings the goods.
Dead Engine, Brake — (EP) Another small set of power trio rock.
Guilhem Desq & Sébastien Gisbert, Storm — Desq's manic electric hurdy gurdy is joined by Gisbert's thrumming percussion.
50 Foot Wave, Black Pearl — (EP) There was always a clear stylistic break between her two bands as well as her solo work, but the latest Throwing Muses, 50 Foot Wave, and Kristin Hersh releases sound very similar. Sludgey, abrasive, sometimes it feel like i'm still listening out of inertia.
Florence + the Machine, Dance Fever — A fuller and broader work than her previous album. Her voice is still a marvel to behold.
Grieflines, Fathoms — (EP) Electronica side project for I Like Trains guitarist Guy Bannister.
Imogen Heap & Dan O'Neill, Chordata Bytes I — Heap has taken a library of oceanic sounds from marine biologist O'Neill and turned it into electronic music.
Jean-Michel Jarre, Oxymore — Jarre had been collaborating with Pierre Henry, musique concrète pioneer, but he died in 2017. That work is now finished. It's a... grimier work, but still very Jarre.
Zola Jesus, Arkhon — Spooky, haunting vocals are her bread and butter.
Rokia Koné & Jacknife Lee, Bamanan — Malian pop, a Bandcamp suggestion that hit me right away.
Midnight Oil, Resist — My album of the year, everything the Oils are known for, a massive comeback album.
Sea Power, Everything Was Forever — Their soundtrack to Disco Elysium (an amazing video game that is accessible to any level of gaming skill) piqued my interest. A few of the DE tracks resurface here with lyrics.
Tears for Fears, The Tipping Point —Another comeback album, this one where an old rift between the band members was repaired. It's a lovely work.
I love love love that Midnight Oil album. I heard the first single when it first came out and I couldn't get over how freaking great they sound.
The older I get, the more annoyed I get when people seem surprised that someone over 50 can do something cool, relevant, urgent, or with spryness... and I realize that's probably how I sounded when I was telling folks how much I love the record. Bah.
I also love that Tears for Fears album and was happy they recorded it.
I didn't know Jean Michel Jarre had new (ish) music out, but I will check it out!
And I need to get more into Florence and the Machine. For no reason whatever, I just haven't sat down and given her a careful listen yet, but I know I'm gonna love it. Maybe I'll do that this weekend. What's your favorite album?
Jarre has been on a tear over the last 5 years or so.