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The CHIRP Blog
Mike Bennett writesCHIRP Radio’s Best of 2022: Mike Bennett
Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2022. Our next list is from DJ and Board Member Emeritus Mike Bennett.
Another year, and way more music to listen to than time to listen to it. I just went through the list I made of 2022 albums and EPs that I listened to this year (at least once, and most of these at least a few times), and my count came out to 245. Yeah, it was a great year for music, as I liked them all, and there are so many more things I played at CHIRP in our rotation that I never got around to fully giving a shot. (Or records I got as I was wrapping up this list, like the new SZA and Lous and The Yakuza). While I get that one should not be ranking things when it comes to art, making lists is a natural for anyone who has a sense of order (or is beholden to Nick Hornby's High Fidelity). These are the records I enjoyed the most, the ones I just kept going back to, and made it to the top of my large pile.
#1 Topical Dancer by Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul (Dewee/Because)
This Belgian duo mixes techno, R & B and funk with witty and incisive topical lyrics to make music you can think to and dance to at the same time. It never becomes strident, because it’s laced with humor, sometimes silly, often cutting. At various times, I heard things that reminded me of Laurie Anderson, LCD Soundsystem, and (an admitted influence) Talking Heads. This is all topped off by the infectious personality of Adigéry, whose singing is extremely compelling.
DJ Duggery Presents the Frontiers of Weird writesCHIRP Radio’s Best of 2022: Comus Rivera
Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2022. Our next list is from DJ-in-Training Comus Rivera.
This was without a doubt a funky year for music. Maybe it's because some of the stuff that's deeper in the weeds just so happened to manifest in front of me, but I found a lot of new sounds that threw me in every direction. Speaking of, some of my favorite releases over this last Sol rotation were...
#1 Body N. Will by Kumo 99 (Self-Released)
Kumo 99's Instagram headline reads "99 ways to die, choose one". Well, if I had to choose, it'd be in the middle of the jungle-breakbeat-eurocore rave that I imagine a Kumo 99 concert must be. I don't know how this jawn first found it's way to me, but the second the opener, Body N. Will, came on I was hooked. If you like too-cool-for-school deep electronic that draws from a million genres while still managing to have a whole lotta fun, I can't recommend this album enough!
moimoi writesCHIRP Radio’s Best of 2022: moimoi
Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2022. Our next list is from DJ moimoi.
Are these the BEST albums of the year--who knows? I didn't listen to everything that came out. But these are my favorites--in some cases, favourites--of 2022, listed by the very specific genre categories I most enjoyed this year:
Blue Rev by Alvvays (Polyvinyl / Transgressive)
Favourite Canadian Jangle. Runners Up: Tallies - Patina and Kiwi Jr. - Chopper
Gomez & Cleo writesCHIRP Radio’s Best of 2022: Stephen Perkins
Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2022. Our next list is from volunteer Stephen Perkins.
2022 has been an exciting year both for the debut of recorded material and live concerts from both new and so-called legacy acts.
With CHIRP once again being at the forefront of creating community in and around Chicago and music, many of us have enjoyed a welcome respite after almost two years of Covidity in 2020 and 2021 dampened our spirits to varying degrees. I ventured out to a larger extent and had the opportunity to see acts including Kraftwerk, Moderat, Adia Victoria, Oh Sees, Amyl and the Sniffers, Blondie, The Damned, Deadmau5, L7 and countless others and Pitchfork where Dry Cleaning stole the show.
Made of the Earth by Nightshift (Trouble in the Mind)
A Scottish, avant-pop unit, Nightshift has dropped Made of the Earth. Nightshift features Eothen Stearn (2 Ply and Difficult), Chris White (Spinning Coin), Andrew Doig aka Robert Sotelo of Order of the Toad and Georgia Harris (Slippy & Pelvis). Their sound can be described as hypnotic, polyrhythmic, emotive, and at times noisy, while the themes that they address are humanistic while embracing an optimistic and utopian view, as they explore confusion and the absurdities of life.
trombone.alex writesCHIRP Radio’s Best of 2022: Alex Leong
Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2022. Our next list is from volunteer Alex Leong (a.k.a. trombone.alex).
Mint Chip by Kamikaze Palm Tree (Drag City)
Perhaps an acquired taste, Kamikaze Palm Tree provide a healthy dose of dance beats, dissonance, and WTF?