Half-Year Roundup
My favorite 51 releases of 2022 so far
The year’s almost half over, so it’s time to take stock of things. I keep an Excel spreadsheet that I call “INCOMING MUSIC.” I organize it all by Artist, Album Title, Release Date, Genre, and whether it’s a promo, a purchase, or just something I downloaded from somewhere. I also make notes on Coverage: whether I include it in my Stereogum jazz column, review it for The Wire or DownBeat, write about the artist for Bandcamp Daily, or write about it for Burning Ambulance.
So far, 599 albums (box sets count as a single entry) have landed here in 2022. Of those, the 50 (51, actually, as you’ll see) that have given me the most pleasure are listed below, unranked, in alphabetical order. If I’ve written about a given album somewhere, or if someone’s written about it for BA, I’ve provided a link. A lot of them are also part of my Bandcamp collection, so feel free to check that out, too.
Abhorrent Expanse, Gateways to Resplendence (Amalgam): improvised death metal from Minneapolis, reviewed on BA by Todd Manning here
Analepsy, Quiescence (Miasma): one-man brutal death metal from Portugal
Horace Andy, Midnight Rocker (On-U Sound): new music from the legendary reggae vocalist, produced by Adrian Sherwood
Albert Ayler, Revelations: The Complete ORTF 1970 Fondation Maeght Recordings (Elemental Music): previously unheard recordings of two of the legendary free jazz saxophonist’s final concerts, covered on Bandcamp Daily here
Binker & Moses, Feeding the Machine (Gearbox): groove-based sax/drums duos, reviewed on Stereogum here
Black Sky Giant, End of Days Pilgrimage (self-released): surprisingly trancelike one-man instrumental stoner metal from Argentina
Pierre Boulez, Composer Conductor Enigma (Cherry Red): a box set of work by the French composer and advocate for modern classical music, discussed here
Buñuel, Killers Like Us (Profound Lore): third album by a heavy noise-rock project featuring Eugene Robinson of Oxbow on vocals; I reviewed this for The Wire
Johnny Chang/Keir GoGwilt, hope lies fallow (Another Timbre): violin duos, discussed here
Coco Em, Kilumi (InFiné): electronic music by a DJ/producer from Kenya, discussed here
Demiricous, Chaotic Lethal (Post. Recordings): grimy post-thrash metal; I interviewed one of the bandmembers here
Earthless, Night Parade of One Hundred Demons (Nuclear Blast): instrumental psychedelic stoner metal, played at extraordinary length; I reviewed this for The Wire
Ecstatic Vision, Elusive Mojo (Heavy Psych Sounds): instrumental stoner rock with wailing sax
Tomas Fujiwara’s Triple Double, March (Firehouse 12): double trio (two each of trumpet, guitar, and drums) out-jazz
Golgothan, Leech (Lacerated Enemy): brutal death metal with some surprisingly catchy riffs, from Louisiana
Grave Infestation, Persecution of the Living (Invictus Productions): old-school death metal with plenty of guitar wank, from Canada
Cameron Graves, Live From the Seven Spheres (Mack Avenue): live album by a fusion-meets-metal pianist; I covered this on Stereogum, and had Cameron on the podcast here
Mary Halvorson, Amaryllis (Nonesuch): one of two new albums by the imaginative and exciting guitarist; covered on Stereogum here
Marquis Hill, New Gospel Revisited (Edition): live reworking of an early album by an excellent Chicago trumpeter; covered on Stereogum here
I AM, Beyond (Division 81): sax-drums duos of a spiritual nature; covered on Stereogum here
Immolation, Acts of God (Nuclear Blast): one of America’s greatest death metal bands is still at it; discussed here
O.G. Jigg, The Land Dictates the Lay of the Stone (Earth Memory Recordings): quiet, patient chamber music with occasional synth
Klaus Lang, Tehran Dust (Another Timbre): gradually building pieces for flute, accordion, cello and organ; discussed here
Loop, Sonancy (Cooking Vinyl): comeback album from guitarist Robert Hampson’s pre-Main trance-psych group
Mainliner, Burst Osaka 2022 (self-released): live recordings from the head-stomping Japanese psych-rock power trio; discussed here
INTERMISSION! Here’s Godflesh, delivering an absolute monster performance (“Love is a Dog From Hell”!!!) at Hellfest 2022:
Nduduzo Makhathini, In the Spirit of Ntu (Blue Note): expansive spiritual jazz from South Africa; I interviewed Makhathini for Stereogum here
Mass Worship, Portal Tombs (Century Media): heavy, ugly music that’s as much noise-rock as metal; discussed here
Maule, s/t (Cruz del Sur): the blazing combination of Iron Maiden and Slayer you never knew you needed
Messa, Close (Svart): atmospheric Italian doom metal with jazzy organ and flute; I reviewed this for The Wire
Misery Index, Complete Control (Century Media): punishing, politically engaged death-grind; basically, America’s Napalm Death
David Murray, Seriana Promethea (Intakt): a roaring, surprisingly funky new trio with Hamid Drake on drums; covered on Stereogum here
OK:KO, Liesu (We Jazz): third album by a Finnish jazz quartet who’ve perfected a kind of excitable but disciplined post-bop
ORD, Hemligheter på vägen (self-released): a drumless out-jazz quartet + vocals, led by pianist Karin Johansson; covered on Stereogum here
Orthodox, Proceed (Alone): the full, original trio lineup of the amazing, exploratory Spanish doom crew is back together at last, and they’re making heavy rock again after several more jazz-oriented albums
Aaron Parks/Matt Brewer/Eric Harland, Volume One & Volume Two (self-released): low-stakes piano trio music by three longtime friends, mixing originals and standards; covered on Stereogum here
Jeremy Pelt, Soundtrack (Savant): the latest album by a consistently underrated trumpeter (he’s widely praised, but he should be revered); covered on Stereogum here
Phelimuncasi, Ama Gogela (Nyege Nyege Tapes): a vocal trio (twin brothers and a snarky female counterpart) from South Africa making gqom, which is like dark industrial hip-hop at techno tempos, with lyrics mostly in isiZulu
Adam Rudolph & Bennie Maupin, Symphonic Tone Poem for Brother Yusef (Strut): an electronic/organic soundscape from percussionist Rudolph with Maupin’s bass clarinet floating through
Cécile McLorin Salvant, Ghost Song (Nonesuch): an art-songy collection of sonic surprises from the smartest, most creative jazz vocalist around; covered on Stereogum here
Brandon Seabrook, In the Swarm (Astral Spirits): a guitar/diddley-bow/drums power trio with Cooper-Moore and Gerald Cleaver; covered on Stereogum here
Matthew Shipp Trio, World Construct (ESP-Disk’): the latest from Shipp, bassist Michael Bisio, and drummer Newman Taylor Baker; covered on Stereogum here
Linda Sikhakhane, Isambulo (Ropeadope): spiritual jazz from a South African saxophonist; covered on Stereogum here
Wadada Leo Smith, The Emerald Duets (TUM): five CDs’ worth of stark, soul-piercing trumpet-drums duos — one each with Pheeroan akLaff, Andrew Cyrille, and Han Bennink, and two with Jack DeJohnette
Matthew Stevens & Walter Smith III, In Common III (Whirlwind): third iteration of a quintet led by guitarist Stevens and saxophonist Smith, with pianist Kris Davis, bassist Dave Holland, and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington; covered on Stereogum here
Cecil Taylor, The Complete, Legendary, Live Return Concert At The Town Hall, NYC, November 4, 1973 (Oblivion): the title tells you exactly what this is; the band is Jimmy Lyons on alto sax, Sirone on bass, Andrew Cyrille on drums covered on Stereogum here
Lisa Ullén/Elsa Bergman/Anna Lund, Space (Relative Pitch): out piano trio work from three members of saxophonist Anna Högberg’s Attack sextet; covered on Stereogum here
Eric Wagner, In the Lonely Light of Mourning (Cruz del Sur): an unintentionally posthumous (but completed to his satisfaction) solo album from the legendary Trouble vocalist; discussed here
Wolf, Shadowland (Century Media): hard-charging, old-school metal; if you like Iron Maiden, if you like Mercyful Fate, you’ll like this
Iannis Xenakis, Electroacoustic Works (Karlrecords): 5CD box of pieces composed between 1957 and 1992, newly mixed and, frankly, sonically overpowering at times — even if you’ve heard this music before, you’ve never heard it like this
Various Artists, A Chant About The Beauty Of The Moon At Night: Hawaiian Steel Guitar Masters 1913-1921 (Magnificent Sounds): there are few sounds more beautiful than Hawaiian steel guitar music on a summer night
That’s it for now. See you next week!