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Andy Vaso writesCHIRP Radio’s Best of 2022: Andy Vasoyan
Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2022. Our next list is from DJ Andy Vasoyan.
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief (4AD)
A sprawling masterwork, Big Thief's Adrienne Lenker soars to incredible heights (with only a few occasional missteps) on what is probably going to be a universal inclusion on most top 10 lists. "Simulation Swarm" is the song of the year 2022.
Heaven Come Crashing by Rachika Nayar (NNA Tapes)
Reft and reaving, HCC finds Rachika Nayar ingesting a patchwork of genres and gushing out an album with all the best tendencies of post-rock, neoclassical, and ambient. There are bands with 3 guitarists and decades-long discographies that will never make something as compelling as the title track.
Cherry by Daphni (Jialong)
15 years ago you could call something IDM without being laughed at, but that's exactly what Cherry is - intelligent dance music.
Producer Dan Snaith of Caribou turns Cherry into the danciest, most fun brain tingler record this year: keep your ears perked for nods to italo-disco, tech house, and BEING A BANGER.
Quiet the Room by Skullcrusher (Secretly Canadian)
An album defined as much by its embrace of silence and space as its descriptive, forlorn imagery, Quiet the Room is exactly that - a meditation on quiet spaces, and the surprising, osmotic ways that loneliness, sadness, and the unknowable other can fill those up.
11:11:00 AM by Pinegrove (Rough Trade)
Never quite reaching the outstanding confessional songwriting of their 2016 pinnacle, Cardinal, this release by Pinegrove is still a deeply compelling, righteously honest statement by a band that lives and dies by laying their hearts on their sleeve. Earnestness is the name of the game, and Pinegrove still play it well.
I Don't Know Who Needs To Hear This by Tomberlin (Saddle Creek)
The "problem" with artists who make predominantly sad music is that, as they succeed, often their lives are less rich with fodder for songwriting (ahem, Ben Gibbard of Death Cab). VERY RUDE, right? But on her sophomore record, Sarah Beth Tomberlin manages to expand her lens of introspection to include moments of happiness, finding transcendence and generosity while still grappling with the bittersweet emotions that define her best work.
God's Country by Chat Pile (The Flenser)
PURPLE MAAAAAAAAAAN (the most visceral record this year about the jagged, grinding, predatory state of American society in 2022. also Grimace.)
Anais Mitchell by Anais Mitchell (BMG)
Perhaps no modern songwriter has such a strong grasp on the fundamental building blocks of a truly "good" folk song as Anais Mitchell, who continues to put out albums stuffed with bangers that could be lead singles on albums by less consistent artists. Find a track as bare-bones and goddam workmanlike as "Now You Know" that's still this compelling, sad, and relatable, I dare you!
Things Are Great by Band of Horses (BMG)
Taking the top spot in the "these guys are still a band?!" category, Band of Horses puts out a record as briny, swelling, and fun as anything this year. As sarcastic and half-empty as the title, Things are Great has a good time with the fact that, at a macro level, humanity is definitely not having a good time.
It's your too-clever-for-his-own-good friend on a funny rant that you can tell hits a little close to home, set to a perfect approximation of '00s indie songwriting and rising choruses.
Sucker Supreme by Rosie Tucker (Epitaph)
ROSIE TUCKER IS HAVING FUN GOSH DARNIT! A genuine "the kids are alright" Gen Z record, Rosie Tucker brings their swagger, confidence, and the sense of play that you can only have when your lower back genuinely isn't a concern.
They make be having their hearts broken, but in the flavor of unrepentant youth, they are still optimistic about it (with some zingers and clever lyrical turns along the way).
Honorable Mentions
Municipal Waste - Electrified Brain
City of Caterpillar - Mystic Sisters
Danger Mouse and Black Thought - Cheat Codes EP
Stella - Charmed
Next entry: CHIRP Radio’s Best of 2022: Ninja
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