greendemon's Top 70 Albums of 2022 (COMPLETE)

[greendemon]

Welcome to Part One of my first-ever proper year-end chart

First, a caveat: I don't listen to all that many albums. Being short of attention span, I tend to focus on singles or individual songs, and usually only bother with an EP or album if I'm already pretty confident I'll enjoy spending 30 minutes to an hour listening to the same artist without getting bored Of the somewhere between 80-100 albums or EPs from 2022 which I spent time with, and which I remember (I was much better at keeping track of songs than of albums!), 70 is what I ended up with in terms of how many I felt happy ranking.

There are also a fair few albums I either never got around to, or can't remember well enough if I did, which accordingly won't be here. (But safe to say, if I didn't make the time, I probably didn't expect them to challenge for a high placement.)




1. Brutus Unison Life
2. Blood Command Praise Armageddonism
3. Sylvaine Nova
4. Hangman's Chair A Loner
5. Ghost Impera
6. Momma Household Name
7. Sonja Loud Arriver
8. The 1975 Being Funny in a Foreign Language
9. Wet Leg Wet Leg
10. Kardashev Liminal Rite
11. Alvvays Blue Rev
12. Mountaineer Giving Up The Ghost
13. Counterparts A Eulogy For Those Still Here
14. Eliza & The Delusionals Now and Then
15. Feeder Torpedo
16. The Midnight Heroes
17. Nilüfer Yanya PAINLESS
18. Foals Life Is Yours
19. Rolo Tomassi Where Myth Becomes Memory
20. Arcade Fire WE
21. Soccer Mommy Sometimes, Forever
22. Véhémence Ordalies
23. The Halo Effect Days Of The Lost
24. Blackbraid Blackbraid I
25. The Mysterines Reeling
26. Puppy Pure Evil
27. State Champs Kings of the New Age
28. Ithaca They Fear Us
29. Alexisonfire Otherness
30. The Linda Lindas Growing Up
31. Softcult Year of the Snake (EP)
32. Kavinsky Reborn
33. MUNA MUNA
34. Gaupa Myriad
35. Soul Glo Diaspora Problems
36. Celeste Assassine(s)
37. Bloc Party Alpha Games
38. Christine and the Queens Redcar les adorables étoiles
39. Lacuna Coil Comalies XX
40. The HU Rumble of Thunder
41. Pixies Doggerel
42. Arch Enemy Deceivers
43. The Birthday Massacre Fascination
44. Just Mustard Heart Under
45. Cult Of Luna The Long Road North
46. Let's Eat Grandma Two Ribbons
47. Oakman SCP (EP)
48. Dawn Of Solace Flames Of Perdition
49. Hatchie Giving the World Away
50. Pale Waves Unwanted
51. BRKN LOVE Black Box
52. Muse Will Of The People
53. Beabadoobee Beatopia
54. Hoaxed Two Shadows
55. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever Endless Rooms
56. The Interrupters In The Wild
57. Maggie Rogers Surrender
58. Silversun Pickups Physical Thrills
59. The Weeknd Dawn FM
60. Fontaines D.C. Skinty Fia
61. Ofdrykkja After The Storm
62. Soilwork Övergivenheten
63. The Sherlocks World I Understand
64. Graywave Rebirth (EP)
65. Lit Tastes Like Gold
66. Suede Autofiction
67. Stick to Your Guns Spectre
68. Hot Milk The King and Queen of Gasoline (EP)
69. Everything Everything Raw Data Feel
70. Jack White Fear Of The Dawn

[greendemon]

70. Jack White - Fear Of The Dawn



Fourth solo album from the former White Stripes frontman (and his first of two for 2022). The album is a bit of a mess honestly but some great songs (the singles in particular) get it into the top 70.

Charting songs:
Fear Of The Dawn (#32, GL1 Jan-Feb 22)
What's the Trick? (#7, GL2 Apr-May 22)

[greendemon]

69. Everything Everything - Raw Data Feel



The sixth album for Mancunian art rockers Everything Everything. I really wanted to love this (especially when I heard that the lyrics were partially generated by an AI that had been fed a selection of texts including Beowulf, LinkedIn's T&Cs, the sayings of Confucius and messages from 4chan) but it wasn't quite the album I hoped it would be. Again, fantastic singles though.

Charting songs:
I Want A Love Like This (#20, GL2 Apr-May 22)
Pizza Boy (#88, GL2 Apr-May 22)

[greendemon]

68. Hot Milk - The King and Queen of Gasoline



Third EP (I think?) for this emo/power-pop duo from Manchester. Solid EP, just haven't revisited it much hence the low ranking.

Charting songs:
Bad Influence (#49, GL2 Apr-May 22)
I Fell in Love With Someone I Shouldn't Have (#39, GL3 Jun-Jul 22)
Teenage Runaways (#72, GL2 Apr-May 22)

[greendemon]

67. Stick to Your Guns - Spectre



Seventh LP from the Californian hardcore band. I played this once when it came out, loved it, went back to it and found it had fallen a bit in my estimations - but still good enough for a low spot.

Charting songs:
Open Up My Head (#35, GL3 Jun-Jul 22)

[greendemon]

66. Suede - Autofiction



The ninth studio album for the Britpop veterans, and their first in four years. Another album I expected to love more than I did, but it still has had a few plays. Nothing quite matches up to 'She Still Leads Me On' for me - but then it is sublime.

Charting songs:
15 Again (#57, GL4 Aug-Sep 22)
She Still Leads Me On (#12, GL 2 Apr-May 22)
That Boy on the Stage (#43, GL4 Aug-Sep 22)

[TheThorne]

Yeh agree about Hot Milk, I didnt include the EP in my list but it is their weakest record yet or is it that I don't like the new direction as much. Suede is the best of the bunch so far.

[greendemon]

65. Lit - Tastes Like Gold



Seventh studio album from the long-running US pop-punk band. I checked this out on the strength of 'Kicked Off The Plane' which is one of my songs of the year; sadly nothing here comes close to it although I also enjoyed 'Yeah Yeah Yeah' and their cover of The Cars' 'Let's Go'. Being perfectly honest I think I've overrated this one a bit compared to some of the ones I ended up leaving out, but it's here now so it's staying

Charting songs:
Kicked Off The Plane (#1, GL2 Apr-May 22)
Let's Go (#52, GL3 Jun-Jul 22)

[greendemon]

64. Graywave - Rebirth (EP)



Second EP from the Birmingham shoegaze artist. Gloomy and dark shoegaze has been popular with me this year; this sounds a bit like Cocteau Twins but with nightmares.

Charting songs:
N/A

[greendemon]

63. The Sherlocks - World I Understand



Third album from the Mancunian indie rockers. Another album I played early in the year, liked a lot, but somehow never really went back to. Individually the songs are great, I think I'd have liked a bit more variety on the record itself, but this is a band that sticks to one thing and does it very well.

Charting songs:
On The Run (#16, GL1 Jan-Mar 22)
Plastic Heart (#66, GL1 Jan-Mar 22)
Sorry (#29, GL1 Jan-Mar 22)

[greendemon]

62. Soilwork - Övergivenheten



Twelfth studio album by the Swedish melodic death metal band. I really enjoyed the singles and there are a lot of good tracks here, but then there are a lot of tracks in general. It drags on a bit towards the end but still an enjoyable listen, if somewhat eclipsed by other melodeath albums from 2022 still to come.

Charting songs:
Valleys Of Gloam (#13, GL4 Aug-Sep 22)

[greendemon]

61. Ofdrykkja - After The Storm



Another Swedish artist, this was the fourth album for the black-metal-turned-neofolk band. Dark and atmospheric, which I like, but one I discovered a bit late to make more of an impact on the list (also a couple of the tracks aren't really for me). Single 'Hårgalåten' is undoubtedly the highlight.

Charting songs:
Hårgalåten (#15, GL5 Oct-Dec 22)

[greendemon]

60. Fontaines D.C. - Skinty Fia



Third studio album for the Irish band. Something of a critical darling in 2022, I have to say I don't know if I fully understand the hype for this one, but perhaps it just needs more listens. Again I enjoyed the first two singles and also 'Roman Holiday' (which I inexplicably didn't chart). It scrapes into the top 60 for now.

Charting songs:
I Love You (#39, GL1 Jan-Mar 22)
Jackie Down The Line (#48, GL1 Jan-Mar 22)

[Razzle Dazzle]

I loved Valleys Of Gloam by Soilwork, sadly their guitarist Dr David Andersson (also of The Night Flight Orchestra) along with still being a practicing doctor died of alcohol and mental illness a few month ago according to his band mates, sounds like suicide given his recent divorce, age and the recent songs he wrote like "Death, I Hear You Calling" 

[greendemon]

Jan 12, 2023 16:56:57 GMT 1 Razzle Dazzle said:

I loved Valleys Of Gloam by Soilwork, sadly their guitarist Dr David Andersson (also of The Night Flight Orchestra) along with still being a practicing doctor died of alcohol and mental illness a few month ago according to his band mates, sounds like suicide given his recent divorce, age and the recent songs he wrote like "Death, I Hear You Calling" 

Yes I know, was very sad to hear that

[greendemon]

59. The Weeknd - Dawn FM



The fifth album from the Canadian artist. As a concept album, this is a pretty great and varied record, although there are a few tracks that do nothing for me (maybe I'm getting old but anything with chipmunk vocals needs to get in the bin!) Another one that may climb in the future.

Charting songs:
Out Of Time (#46, GL1 Jan-Mar 22)
Sacrifice (#7, GL1 Jan-Mar 22)

[greendemon]

58. Silversun Pickups - Physical Thrills



Sixth album for the LA alt-rock band, though the first one I've ever heard. I was unimpressed on my first listen but it's grown on me a fair bit. 'Scared Together' is still its strongest moment but I also love 'Alone On A Hill' and 'Sticks And Stones'.

Charting songs:
Alone on a Hill (#42, GL4 Aug-Sep 22)
Hereafter (Way After) (#88, GL4 Aug-Sep 22)
Scared Together (#4, GL3 Jun-Jul 22)

[greendemon]

57. Maggie Rogers - Surrender



Second album for the US singer-songwriter. Again not an artist I was too familiar with before 2022, but I was really impressed by the singles and the album's great too, particularly the run in the middle of 'Horses', 'Be Cool' and the Florence Welch-featuring 'Shatter' (probably my highlight) back to back.

Charting songs:
Horses (#6, GL3 Jun-Jul 22)
Shatter (#11, GL5 Oct-Dec 22)
Want Want (#48, GL3 Jun-Jul 22)

[greendemon]

56. The Interrupters - In The Wild



The fourth album for the US ska-punk band. I featured them in my advent calendar so don't have too much more to add here: this was a great summery album and added some welcome variety to my rotation. Three singles made my chart, although I think I underrated 'In The Mirror' at the time.

Charting songs:
In The Mirror (#67, GL2 Apr-May 22)
Jailbird (#24, GL3 Jun-Jul 22)
Raised By Wolves (#30, GL4 Aug-Sep 22)

[greendemon]

55. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Endless Rooms



Third LP from the Australian indie rockers. A new discovery for me, this album scored no fewer than five hits in my chart (including one top 5). Another great summery-sounding album despite the occasional flashes of darkness in the lyrics. Some incredible guitar work. Another album that probably deserves a higher placement than it got.

Charting songs:
Blue Eye Lake (#29, GL3 Jun-Jul 22)
Dive Deep (#45, GL2 Apr-May 22)
My Echo (#5, GL2 Apr-May 22)
The Way It Shatters (#85, GL1 Jan-Mar 22)
Tidal River (#68, GL1 Jan-Mar 22)