BEST OF ’22:
ALBUMS_of_the_YEAR…
‘CADONIA’ was the latest album from MX LONELY & it found the Brooklyn-based trio waxing on “the death of mr lonely & the birth of mx” over a 7-track spread that defied all the genre tagging by simply blending them all together… from textured atmospherics to fits of noise to bruising pieces of horror-ish yet gleaming NeoGaze down to moody slackerish emo-tinged rawk.
‘HIDEOUS BASTARD’ was the stunning debut solo LP from OLIVER SIMS & it found The XX alum stepping out under his own namesake to bring 10 joyously seductive pieces of Roxy-esque ArtPop that reveled in their electro-tinged beds of retro_futurism & Bryan Ferry-esque persona… which maximized the most of Sim’s undeniable charms.
‘RESET’ was the first official album from PANDA BEAR x SONIC BOOM & it found the Lisbon-based duo creating a fucking vibe & spreading it across 9 sprawling (yet economic) pieces of Brill Building meets crate digging PsychPop that expertly disguised their turmoil & did so by dropping a double dopamine shot of recognizable nostalgia & blankets of warm melody.
‘ARRANGEMENTS’ was the latest LP from PREOCCUPATIONS & it found the criminally underrated Calgary-based quartet mercifully returning after a 4-year silence while sounding as gleefully glum as ever & they further refined their mightily morose ways across 7 stoic tracks that weaponized their mechanized Doom while remaining wholly themselves.
SOFT KILL triumphantly returned w/ ‘CANARY YELLOW’ & it found the venerable group showing no signs of slowing down as they furthered their sonic sensibilities & proved that they’ll never succumb to weak ass pigeonholing & did so by once again defying expectations while blowing minds, facing down demons & mending hearts on these latest strummed up & Mats-esque offerings.
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