Top 50 Albums of 2022

 Top 50 Albums of 2022

I was able to pack in a little over 350 albums from 2022, here's my favorites + a write-up on the phenomenal, Blue Rev

50. Let’s Eat Grandma - Two Ribbons
49. Mamalarky - Pocket Fantasy
48. The Murlocs - Rapscallion
47. The Beths - Expert in a Dying Field
46. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava
45. Arctic Monkeys - The Car
44. The 1975 - Being Funny In A Foreign Language
43. Plains - I walked with You a Ways
42. Fonteyn - Trip the Light Fantastic
41. Widowspeak - The Jacket
40. Mitski - Laurel Hell
39. Panda Bear & Sonic Boom - Reset
38. Katy J Pearson - Sound of the Morning
37. Hurray for the Riff Raff - LIFE ON EARTH
36. Animal Collective - Time Skiffs
35. Dry Cleaning - Stumpwork
34. Drugdealer - Hiding in Plain Sight
33. Fazerdaze - Break!
32. Garrett Benson - Some Have Gone and Some Remain
31. Grace Ives - Janky Star
30. MICHELLE - Heatwave
29. Kevin Morby - This Is a Photograph
28. MJ Lenderman - Boat Songs
27. Courting - Guitar Music
26. Sorry - Anywhere but Here
25. Beyonce - RENAISSANCE
24. Sylvie - Sylvie
23. Wednesday - Moving the Leaves, Instead of Piling ‘em Up
22. Black Midi - Hellfire
21. Sadie - Nowhere
20. Art Moore - Art Moore
19. Wet Leg - Wet Leg
18. Julia Jacklin - Pre Pleasure  
17. Girlpuppy - When I’m Alone
16. Sudan Archives - Natural Born Prom Queen
15. Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
14. Tomberlin - i don’t know who needs to hear this
13. Faye Webster - Car Therapy Sessions
12. Soccer Mommy - Sometimes, Forever
11. The Smile - A Light For Attracting Attention  
10. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Omnium Gatherum
9. Black Country, New Road - Ants From Up There
8. Chelsea Jade - Soft Spot
7. Aldous Harding - Warm Chris
6. Angel Olsen - Big Time
5. Jockstrap - I Love You, Jennifer B
4. Anna Erhard - Campsite
3. Weyes Blood - And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
2. Marina Allen - Centrifics
1. Alvvays - Blue Rev

 

Alvvays - Blue Rev thoughts:

When talking about Alvvays, it’s almost impossible to not mention the long lapses of time that pass between each album, seemingly becoming synonymous with the band. It’s never for a lack of trying though. After releasing their exceptional, self-titled debut in 2013, the band battled between working part-time jobs and emerging stardom. Four years later, Alvvays returned with Anti-Socialites. A follow-up that found many of the same sounds and structures of their self-title, leaving some fans wondering if a band that had mostly leaned into jangly dream-pop jams, had any surprises up their sleeves.

With the release of their 2022 album, Blue Rev, Alvvays took their lightly-layered sounds and threw the entire sound machine at it. The result, a triumphant album layered with wit, carefully constructed chaos, and haunting sentimentality. On the album’s opener, “Pharmacist,” Molly mouthes off over a faded drum beat, “I know you’re back. I saw your sister at the pharmacy.” From here, the band erupts into a wall of shoegaze-pop, as Molly battles with the reality of returning home to the ex-lover who has seemingly moved on, understating how much she really cares along the way. The track concludes with Molly stating, “I know I never crossed your mind,” before unleashing her more unerring feelings through a crunched-out guitar solo.

Molly continues this journey on the second track, “Easy On Your Own,” but only for about half of the song before turning her resentment into anger. At first, reflecting on how she tried, “dream we pull a one-eighty some day.” As she battles with her thoughts, she arrives at her own conclusion, “I waited so long for you. Wasted some of the best years of my life. And I wanted to see it through.” Mad at herself now, Molly belts out the final chorus like we’ve never heard from her before.

It’s moments like these that take a few listens to fully appreciate. While songs like the aggressive “Pomeranian Spinster” and the 80’s ballad, “Take On Me-esque,” “Velveteen” introduce the world to a side of Alvvays we’ve never seen, but immediately hit like a breath of fresh air. The 14-track album seamlessly flows, no track overstaying its welcome. If anything, leaving even more to be desired by some of the shorter tracks.

By track 11, the band arrives at what could be considered the song that encapsulates the entire album - the roaring nostalgic tale, drenched in devastating beauty, “Belinda Says.” Right out the gate, Molly can’t help but lighten the mood with a little humor for what’s about to come, “Can’t explain my ankle sprain. I didn’t really feel it.” Molly goes onto make a callback to her youth, “Blue Rev behind the rink, I didn’t really need it. Circumspect when you call collect to see if I would keep it.”  Setting up the rest of the song as it plays out like an elaborate version of “if I had just said this or done this when I was younger, things could be different.” Molly imagines herself in a life without Alvvays, one where she wonders if waiting tables and residing in the countryside with a baby would be as fulfilling. She brings it all around with a reference to Belinda Carlisle’s, “Heaven Is A Place On Earth,” saying “if what I have is heaven, then constantly yearning for what I don’t have, might as well be hell.”

When a band like Alvvays is first introduced to the world, one can’t help but wonder, “what will this band sound like down the road?” It’s impossible to imagine that after their self-titled it would be anything like the results on Blue Rev, but that’s exactly what makes the album so special. Alvvays have placed a new precedent on how bands can elevate not only their own sound but the genres within their sounds.