The year is about to be over and we go out busier than ever – after a month of trying to catch up with a crazy productive year for musicians and live venues coming out of the pandemic. With nigh-on 100 posts this December, the next couple of months also see us dedicating more time to Record Turnover – so thanks to everyone on the other side of the screen, and welcome to any new visitors.
The fourth and final part of our end-of-year lists for 2022 is the ‘album of the year’ category, excluding electronic music. This year the list is almost exclusively focused on post-punk, punk, hardcore and DIY pop. I’ve also loved albums within other genres, but if you are looking for a more eclectic selection I’d recommend you to scroll down to the bottom where you’ll find a longer playlist.
This year was Romero’s year from the very beginning. Coming out of 2020 with a ‘single of the year’, tours have taken them further and further out, landing them a stateside deal with Feel It and they finally made it to Europe. Their first album is the best powerpop since The Shivvers and it’s a no-brainer of a #1.
This year also belongs to the Cincinnati collective around Dylan McCartney and the Future Shock label. Dylan plays in three projects that are featured on the list: The Drin, The Serfs and Crime of Passing. Next year The Serfs are finally coming to Europe to play, so keep an eye out.
Top 15 releases
- Romero – Turn It On! (Feel It)
- Crime of Passing – World On Fire (Feel It)
- The Serfs – Primal Matter (Dream)
- Left For Pleasure – Human Contract (Detriti)
- Daddy’s Boy – Great News! (Drunken Sailor)
- Morgana – Contemporaneità (Low Ambition)
- The Drin – Down River In the Distance (Future Shock)
- Glaas – Qualm (Static Shock)
- Children Maybe Later – What a Flash Kick! (Sloth Mate)
- Börn – Drottningar Daudans (Iron Lung)
- V/A – Bildende Künstler*innen versuchen Musik zu machen 1 & 2 (Billo)
- Automatic – Excess (Stones Throw)
- Carla dal Forno – Come Around (Kallista)
- Self Improvement – Visible Damage (Floating Mill)
- Vidro – Glöd (Beach Impediment)
Naturally there has been a lot more great music out there this year, so here’s a playlist gathering tracks from our 100 favourite releases (both albums and singles/EPs):
Notable reissues
Thomas Leer & Robert Rental – The Bridge (Mute)
Vox Populi – Psyko Tropix (Touch Sensitive)
VA – 80s Underground Cassette Culture Vol 2 (Contort Yourself)
VA – Polyphonic Cosmos: Sonic Innovations In Japan (1980-1986) (Cease & Desist)
Shadowplay – Another Autumn Day (Low Ambition)
Euroshima – Gala (Dark Entries)
Aunt Sally – s/t (Mesh-Key)
Lungleg – Maid to Minx (Last Night From Glasgow)
Morgen – Morgen 2LP (Now-Again)
Les Rallizes Dénudés – The OZ Tapes (Temporal Drift)
Dana Gillespie – Foolish Seasons (Decca RSD)
Best Swedish releases
Treasury of Puppies – Mitt Stora Nu (Discreet)
JJULIUS – Vol. 2 (DFA)
Klara Livet – Varandra (Förlag För Fri Musik)
Kemi – s/t (Inåt Bakåt)
Astrid Øster Mortensen – Skærgårdslyd (Discreet)
