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Shawn Campbell writesCHIRP Radio’s Best of 2022: Shawn Campbell
Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2022. Our next list is from CHIRP Founder and General Manager, DJ Saturdays 12-2pm Shawn Campbell.
I always put off making my list until the last possible minute because I'm sure I'll either forget something that came out back in January or February, or I'll miss something that came out in the last six weeks of the year that I end up loving.
So here I am with two days to go in the year getting this thing done. I've been able to look at a million other lists to make sure I haven't missed anything, and I actually did have a couple of late year records that I ended up loving. So without further ado...
Giving the World Away by Hatchie (Secretly Canadian)
While this is officially an unranked list, this second Hatchie album was definitely the one I listened to the most this year. One glistening, dreamy pop earworm after another.
Electricity by Ibibio Sound Machine (Merge)
Stylish, sweaty electro-pop-funk. I have found this band irresistible since their first album, and they don't disappoint with this, their fourth. I can't believe that I still haven't managed to see them live.
Excess by Automatic (Stones Throw)
I missed this one when it came out in the summer, but one of my music world Twitter follows recommended it toward year's end, and turns out he wasn't wrong.
Sort of somewhere between the Slits and ESG with a bit of pre-megahit Berlin thrown in.
Blue Rev by Alvvays (Polyvinyl)
I loved Alvvays from the first time I heard them, and this year, everyone else caught up as the band shined up its super catchy indie love songs and suddenly was selling out big venues. Good for them!
Blue Skies by Dehd (Fat Possum)
"Reliable" sounds like faint praise for a rock band, but over four albums, this Chicago trio has repeatedly delivered, easily moving between styles, sometimes dreamy, sometimes beachy, sometimes full-on rocking, but always worth a listen from start to finish.
See You In the Stars by Lightning Seeds (BMG)
From the first time I heard Lightning Seeds' ''Pure' on my local top 40 station in 1989, I was hooked. And more than 30 years later, Ian Broudie and whoever he happens to be playing with under the LS moniker (which these days includes his son Riley, immortalized in song back in 1992) still can deliver a set of soaring pop songs whose joy is often laced with melancholy...or vice versa.
Florist by Florist (Double Double Whammy)
Each year it seems there's one placid, pastoral record that grabs me and won't let go, and this year, it was Florist with a set of dreamy soundscapes and gentle, breezy folk pop songs. Relax, breathe deep, and listen.
11 by Sault (Forever Living Originals)
With SIX albums to choose from in 2022, Sault provided something for everyone this year, but my personal favorite was the one that was the most definitively Sault-like, if such a thing exists. Soulful jams, minimalist dance tracks, and laid back Sunday morning numbers side by side.
How the Light Felt by Smut (Bayonet)
A super late entry for 2022, Chicago's Smut dips into an array of styles, moving confidently from dreamy retro jangle that calls to mind the Sundays, to gentle singer-songwriter numbers to electro pop reminiscent of bands like Stars.
Versions of Modern Performance by Horsegirl (Matador)
What's not to love about a trio of Chicago girls not yet out of their teens eagerly building extensive record collections and from those influences, creating something entirely their own? They may be out east for college these days, but we'll still claim them as ours.
Honorable Mentions
I also really enjoyed 2022 releases from Plains, Nora O'Connor, Winter, Dazy, the Linda Lindas, Beth Orton, Beach Bunny, and Panda Bear with Sonic Boom. Hard choices as always!
Next entry: CHIRP Radio’s Top Ten Albums of 2022
Previous entry: CHIRP Radio’s Best of 2022: Mike Sirvinskas