#allkindsofgoodmusic

I had never listened to Bryan before. He’s a navy vet who has recorded a few albums without much noise. Then he had the balls to release a 34(!) song album, “American Heartbreak”, this year and it blew everything away. It’s like when Stephen Merritt released “69 Love Songs” in 1999, but in a totally different genre. “American Heartbreak” is a monumental album. I would not be surprised if in 20 years’ time it will be considered the greatest musical achievement of 2022. Not all 34 songs are great, but most of them are and a few will be classics. Some critic wrote that Bryan’s songs “take the shortest path from feeling to words”, and I think that is a good description. Roots, traditional country, americana, Bryan’s music is firmly rooted in an American tradition. He reminds me of a young Kris Kristofferson, and that is a very good thing.

Here are some examples of covers, in very different genres, that hit the mark perfectly.  

Here are some examples of covers, in very different genres, that hit the mark perfectly.  

Here are some examples of covers, in very different genres, that hit the mark perfectly.  

Finally we got a new VW album and it’s good to have Ezra Koenig back to remind us that the art of writing great pop songs is not lost yet. Koenig also proved that he can write great music without Rostam Batmanglij. “Father of the Bride” is a sprawling album and a few songs could easily have been cut. But even when VW are not at their absolute best, they are still better than practically everybody else.

This album came late in the year and won’t be on many lists, but it certainly deserves to be. I’ve had Miguel on my lists several times before simply because I feel that he is one of the best r’n’b singers out there today, and he proves it once again here. 

The Busch Trio playing Dvořák’s piano trio Op 65 live at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Waterloo, Belgium.

I really liked Olsen’s previous album and had a lot of expectations on this one, but it took me a while to get into it. But Olsen is one of few artists today that still see albums as a cumulative process where the whole is more important than it parts. This is an album to listen through, and then do it again. Olsen’s world is full of sadness, but she can also be really funny. Worth the effort.