In Glide’s 20th edition of The Glide 20 (2003 thru 2022), we had our most challenging selections to date to choose the top 20 albums of the past year. As Americana has continually squeezed its way as the new indie rock, it would have been easy to pick a majority of Nashville/Austin-influenced sounds. King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard could have squeezed three albums into the top twenty and Jack White could have had two, and there was plenty of modern retro soul to consider as well. Just like a good festival billing, diversity is key and we feel this list represents a classic mixture of sounds and backgrounds.
While Glide will soon publish separate best-ofs in Hip Hop and Jazz later in December, we narrowed down what we feel are the top 20 albums of 2022 along with 20 honorable mentions that surely could have hit the top 20 as well. So…in alphabetical order… here we go!
Big Thief – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
The fifth album from American folk-rock force of nature Big Thief isn’t so much a culmination of their career up to this point as it is the beginning of a whole new chapter. They explore a stylistic mix across these twenty songs which coalesce around Adrianne Lenker’s soaring vocals that make this one their own White Album.
Boulevards- Electric Cowboy: Born In Carolina Mud
A mashup of soul, country, jazz, hip-hop, and indie with a prevailing modern funk blast that one might want to call a psychedelic punk-funk ear full. This stew is the creation of Jamil Rashad and it loads highly danceable and unrelenting grooves that conjure a cinematic mindset atop a mix of guests that include Adrian Quesada and Nikki Lane.
Built to Spill – When the Wind Forgets Your Name
On their Sub Pop debut, Doug Martsch and BTS are back with their exhilarating guitar rock yet this time there is a power trio rocking the flannel flag. Fuzzy indie rock excursions focused around billowing guitar textures and Martsch’s patented wail-singing/playing style, make this song collection the band’s most honest and rugged in years.
Carson McHone – Still Life
On her Merge debut, McHone delivers a stirring song collection that adheres to her mastery of swingin’ old-time country with indie leanings. While McHone reflects Linda Rondstadt, this album of sentimental lyrics and polished instrumental fare works wonders that give this Austin artist a crystalized sense of wonderment.
Ceramic Animals – Sweet Uknown
Charge this one up to the Dan Auerbach effect, yet this Easy Eye Sound release is a winner on the first play with its garage rock formula that takes hints of Growlers’ throwback garage rock atop a palette of big studio hooks. The band has been around a while now and we learn that with a new touch of guidance the results sum up to one of the year’s strongest rock albums.
Danger Mouse & Black Thought – Cheat Codes
A 12-song escapade of sharp bars and larger-than-life drums provided by the ever-changing producer Danger Mouse, Cheat Codes proves why The Roots’ Black Thought is still whipping out this A game. Danger Mouse’s one-of-a-kind ear for sample provides a dark canvas for Black Thought to make magic with his highbrow lyrics that evoke potent chemistry.
King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard- Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms, And Lava
We could have chosen three King Gizzard albums easily for our top 20, but this third album of 2022 for the world’s most prolific band, wins with its tenacious improvisational rock made up of seven tracks, each built on improvisatory jams in one of the seven modes of Western music with just a tempo and a title to guide them – the results live up to the ambitious effort.
Lucius – Second Nature
This first Lucius album since 2016 largely leaves behind the folk part of the duo’s musical make-up and finds them leaning more heavily into their most pop-oriented inclinations, as forecasted on the instantly catchy lead single “Next to Normal.” The stylistic cues feed directly from dance and electro-pop of the last few decades – a flash of ABBA here and a hint of Robyn there, making for tasteful pop experimentation.
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway – Crooked Tree
With her first album with the new band Golden Highway, Tuttle leads a thematic bluegrass album produced by Jerry Douglas and features guests that include Billy Strings, Margo Price, and Gillian Welch. As one of the forerunners of the modern string revival, Tuttle provides uncompromising musicianship and daring expressiveness that will permeate strongly beyond Nashville.
North Mississippi Allstars- Set Sail
The reinvented NMAS raw on their well-established Southern hill-country roots with here that matches up against nothing in their extensive discography courtesy of a revamped lineup that includes Lamar Williams Jr. Spreading the gospel in their well-versed language with added modern soul; Luther Dickinson welcomes the challenge in his ever-expansive musical vocabulary.
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever- Endless Rooms
A majestic blast of modern electro-pop/indie ruck gets displayed as the band used the pandemic to expand their sound. Endless Rooms is covered in layers of guitar effects, electro synths, and bumpin’ rhythms – makes for a glossy psych finish that can fill arenas and festival stages with a dramatic hurrah.
The Sadies – Colder Streams
On their 11th studio album and the last with co-founder Dallas Good, the Canadians elevate their chops with possessed sounds of ‘60s garage, psych and Americana come tumbling together. Their legacy as underground geniuses continues as The Sadies have made their most realized statement yet released after unimaginable circumstances.
S. G. Goodman – Teeth Marks
Like a folky version of Drive-By Truckers, Kentucky’s S.G. Goodman ardently addresses the slightly less talked about struggles emerging from a society that no longer seems to share the same basic concept of how to love your fellow human being. The songstress is packed with tuneful highway rockers and colorfully vibrant progressive Americana that opens new thematic possibilities.
Sudan Archives – Natural Black Prom Queen
The classically trained violinist and songwriter Brittney Denise Parks toys with unpredictable arrangements and finds a steady middle ground that allows her to tell her life story through tempos and vivid storytelling. The multi-dimensional artist is able to switch between slow-burning soul tracks and crafty rap flows one track after another, creating contemporary R&B flair with edgy dramatics.
Tedeschi Trucks Band- I Am The Moon (Four Parts)
This musical narrative spread out over 24 songs stands out for its big soaring epics blues cuts and righteous thematic vision. Derek Trucks stirs up themes that are relatable and universal as soaring guitars, bluesy vocals, and orchestrated pieces that blend eclecticism, stellar songwriting, and 70s prog ambition into one of the year’s most inspiring pieces of music.
Titus Andronicus – The Will To Live
Always ardent for ambition and audacity, Titus packed in their inner Springsteen on this arena rocker collection that unfolds big singalong and killer riffs. Classic rock-inspired shenanigans often fall flat, but these Jersey rockers rally with honorable anthems that make for the band’s long-awaited breakout album.
Thee Sacred Souls – Thee Sacred Souls
There certainly has been an influx of “modern retro soul: artists of late courtesy of a few choice labels, so 2022 shined many our way. Thee Sacred Souls’ self-titled debut stood out with its rich production and welcoming adherence to rock steady, making these So Cal artists pioneers of their own brand of “sweet soul” that rivals that of 50 years ago.
Toro y Moi – Mahal
Chaz Bear’s first project released through the Dead Oceans label, Mahal feels like a grab bag of Bear’s influences from What For and Underneath The Pine but more mature and reformed. This project also has more featured artists than his past projects, being joined by the likes of Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Sofie Royer.
Viagra Boys – Cave World
What was a modern-sounding, idiosyncratic post-punk band is now an outlet for the members to express themselves however they want. No holds bared. They’ve somehow gotten heavier and poppier at the same time. Somehow they can write about current controversial taboo subjects and contort them into a musical cartoon that feels like 2022: A Space Oddity.
Weyes Blood – And In the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
While there’s no shortage of baroque pop around, this recent work established Weyes Blood as a career artist as her swooning and haunting folks reflect ‘70s folk-pop combined with mysterious crescendos. Natalie Mering unravels ten different songs that reflect the vocal tunefulness of Aimee Mann and the boundary-pushing of Sharon Van Etten.
20 Honorable Mentions
Alex G- God Save The Animals
Animal Collective- Time Skiffs
Bartees Strange- Farm To Table
Cactus Blossoms – One Day
Del McCoury- Almost Proud
Denzel Curry- Melt My Eyez See Your Future
DOMi and JD Beck – Not Tight
Erin Rae – Lighten Up
Ghost- Impera
Horsegirl – Versions of Modern Performance
Hurray for the Riff Raff- Life on Earth
OFF! – Free LSD
Jack White- Fear of the Dawn
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard- Omnium Gatherum
Marco Benevento – Benevento
Plains – I Walked With You Aways
Son House- Forever On My Mind
Spoon- Lucifer on the Sofa
The Smile- A Light For Attracting Attention
Wet Leg- Wet Leg
One Response
Great list! FYI the Built to Spill Title us “When the Wind Forgets Your Name”