12 Songs: Best of 2022
Somehow, I get sucked into reading Rolling Stone’s annual “Top 50 Albums” list every year, usually with complete and utter indignation. I root for the underdog, despite knowing damn well the system is poised to place corporate entities like Beyonce Inc. at the top of the heap every year. Their choices seem to reflect a side of the music industry that measures critical success in streams, downloads, dollar signs and royalties, which is a shame, because the amount of attention and praise that #1 spot gets is substantial enough to be life changing for smaller artists.
With these thoughts in mind, here’s our collection of favorites from 2022, including but not limited to tracks from the following. —Jackson Todd
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In These Times - Makaya McCraven. Catchy R&B melodies fuzed with avant-jazz obscurity. Think Marvin Gaye meets John Coltrane, but on the dark side of the moon. Linear and predictable at times, impossible to follow at others. Just how we like it.
Oog Bogo - Plastic. Halfway through 2022, L.A. rippers Oog Bogo surprised everyone with Plastic, a drastic left turn from the ghostly ambience of their previous release EP 2. Fistfulls of fuzz guitar clash beautifully with layers of moog-weirdness, directly evoking the spirit of obscuro-punk favorites like Kleenex and Los Microwaves. Read our interview with the band here.
Split System - Split System. By far the most impressive debut to come out of Australia’s flourishing garage rock scene in the last few years, Split System’s self titled release sees the Melbourne supergroup bursting onto the scene already in full form. Each track is a masterclass in raw, nasty, rock and roll riffage in its own right, but album opener The End just might take the cake for riff of the year.
The Smile - A Light For Attracting Attention / Live at Montreux Jazz Festival. Part of the reason why we suspect Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood’s new Radiohead offshoot The Smile works so well is that they’ve essentially decreased the number of chefs in the kitchen, allowing for what could be considered a more distilled and focused take on the Radiohead sound. It’s like if Lennon and McCartney had went and started their own side project after Abbey Road; it might not have been better than the Beatles per se, but it certainly would’ve been different, perhaps more psychedelic and less melodic, as is the case with The Smile. Add Sons of Kemet drummer/percussionist extraodinaire Tom Skinner to the equation and you get an end product greater than the sum of its individual parts.
Oh Sees - A Foul Form. Fun fact: seconds after having its photo taken, the skull you see on the cover of A Foul Form was smashed to pieces.
Sure, I can’t actually attest to the truth of this statement, but I wouldn’t be surprised given what an absolute fucking whiplash of a listen the record is. Oh Sees’ 27th (!) release is an exercise is sonic shapeshifting; it sees the group doing their best Crass impression while staying true to their own unique musical identity. This time around, lead man John Dwyer’s guitar tone has been switched from stun to kill, while double drummers Paul Quattrone and Dan Rincon fire on all pistons, exerting enough horsepower to keep the entire L.A. power grid running for a month.
Proceed with caution; A Foul Form is meant to maim, mutilate, and eviscerate.
