The Best Music of 2022
The songs, albums, and artists that stuck with me this year
I used to make a habit of writing a blog post with my favorite albums of the year. I didn’t listen to that much new music in 2022 though, so I’m going to highlight a few songs and albums I loved from the last 12 months. Take a look below:
Best Album:
Heal my Head — Valleyheart
In the mid to late 2000s, as I aged into adolescence and began to truly discover my taste in music, I found a generation of bands signed to Tooth & Nail Records that deeply resonated with me. Bands like The Classic Crime, Emery, and — my personal favorite — Anberlin quickly dominated my music rotation and even to this day I often find myself returning to their best work. I loved the heaviness of the instrumentals and the grounded nature of the lyrics, and as anyone who has looked back on the music of their youth can relate to, the allure of nostalgia is strong.
Enter Valleyheart, a band that follows many of the musical and lyrical conventions of previous Tooth & Nail bands while building on this foundation in meaningful ways. Kevin Klein is a deeply talented lyricist and his soul-searching ruminations on faith are as intriguing as they are heartfelt. I’d describe this album as a mix of alternative, emo, and shoegaze, a blend that somehow feels at home next to previous Tooth & Nail bands, but is also a meaningful evolution to the label’s signature sound.
But if you’re looking for a reason to listen to this band, check out the title track, “Heal my Head.” It’s a poignant self-reflection, a world-weary cry for help, and one of the most beautiful songs to come out in 2022. The song starts slowly, building into an exuberant, desperate final chorus punctuated by Klein’s excellent vocals. For me, this album is equal parts shot of nostalgia and excellent music on its own rights.
Valleyheart is also an excellent band based on their own work alone. Even if the past legacy of Tooth & Nail means nothing to you, this album is more than capable of standing on its own.
Runner up:
All the Stories Left to Tell — Domestic Terminal
The first time I heard the opening guitar notes on “Melt Beneath the Sun,” I knew this album would be special. It took a few listens for it to really click, but this excellent mix of indie rock, emo, and shoegaze is nothing short of fantastic and only falls below Heal My Head by the smallest of margins. From the beautiful, dreamy bridge of “Chalk Dust,” to the guitar melody on “All the Stories Left to Tell,” to the desperation of “When the Oceans Ran Dry,” every second of this album is carefully crafted.
My experience was that it didn’t completely grab me right out of the gate, but drew me in a little closer after each subsequent listen. It’s something special. Sometimes, the albums that take the longest to really sink in provide the most satisfaction later on. In any case, All the Stories Left to Tell is a masterful project that gets better with every listen.
Honorable Mentions:
Leave Me For the Crows — Somewhere South of Here
It’s impossible not to compare this punk band to the Menzingers, but that’s a lazy comparison if it doesn’t go any further than that. “Trying” is a contender for song of the year and there are several excellent others on the tracklist as well. As of this writing, the album is available for name-your-own-price on Bandcamp (but please pay at least something).
The Hum Goes on Forever — The Wonder Years
The Wonder Years have always been a passionate, high-energy punk band with introspective lyrics. That descriptor can be applied evenly to any of their albums, but it risks obscuring the massive evolution and growth the band has displayed between nearly every album. The guys are older now, and vocalist Dan Campbell has traded singing about the anxieties of 20-something life for singing about the anxieties of parenthood. The result is a fantastic blend of aggressive instrumentals and mature lyrics.
At its highest highs, The Hum Goes On Forever can stand against any other album from 2022. Just listen to the guitar riffs on “Low Tide,” the haunting vocal delivery on “You’re the Reason I Don’t Want the World to End,” or the frenetic verses on “Wyatt’s Song (Your Name)”. The Wonder Years always have some new instrumental or lyrical flourish to show off on a new album and this year’s effort is one of the years best.
Best Song:
“Heal My Head” — Valleyheart. I won’t go into more praise here after what I wrote above, but this song was my favorite of the year
Other Great Songs:
- “No Rule” — Manchester Orchestra. A standalone single that would have felt right at home on their last album.
- “Something in the Orange” — Zach Bryan. Perhaps the single most catchy song of the year, plus one that’s simple enough for me to strum along to on my guitar.
- “All the Stories Left to Tell” — Domestic Terminal. A song that is decidedly not simple enough for me, but tons of fun nonetheless.
- “Circles” — Anberlin. Anberlin is back with a new EP, and this song is the best from it. Welcome back, old friends
- “Weird Goodbyes” — The National. Supposedly the harbinger of a new album. Has a neat mix of electronic beats to go with Matt Berninger’s signature vocals.
The Best Album from 2021
The Million Masks of God — Manchester Orchestra
I didn’t write a music post last year, so let me take a few lines to sing the praises of Manchester Orchestra’s The Million Masks of God. It’s a phenomenal listen from start to finish, with a title based off of a G.K. Chesterton poem, thoughtful lyrics and aging and parenthood, and some of the best songs the band has ever written. A Black Mile to the Surface (which released in 2017) catapulted Manchester Orchestra to even loftier heights of songwriting and skill, but The Million Masks of God takes that progression even further.
Out of all the music I’ve listened to both this year and last, this is the album I consistently keep coming back to. “Bed Head” just may be the best song I’ve ever heard. Manchester Orchestra typically takes a few years between albums, but here’s hoping the next one won’t carry too long of a wait.
The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.
