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dontlookdown · 1 year

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Nick’s Favourite Music of 2022

Those who have followed my work for a while know that I usually start the new year with a collection of reviews looking at my favourite songs of the year. This year, I’m only doing the one post. If my experience with burning out halfway through last years’ list taught me anything, it’s that I can’t commit to the traditional series of twenty-plus blog posts when I know full well that I don’t have the time or the energy to see it through. Maybe things will be different next year. For this year, I’m happy to compromise.

Below, you’ll find the list of my 20 favourite songs of 2022 (YouTube links in the headings, Spotify embed at the bottom), along with a few words about why I love each particular one. Let’s go!

Röyksopp – “Speed King”

I started putting this playlist together with the first and last tracks already in mind, due to their lengthy runtimes. Normally, I’d kick things off with a true opener, something loud and driving. Despite its name, “Speed King” is not that. It’s a slow, electronic burn that builds into something truly formidable. My immediate reaction upon first hearing it was “This is the Daft Punk track I’ve been waiting for since 2005,” but that backhanded compliment ignores how the way the bassline steadily bubbles away in the background is pure Röyksopp, a hallmark that you’ll find throughout their work. The duo released three albums over 2022 and, while there’s great songs on all three (especially the tracks featuring Alison Goldfrapp and Susanne Sundfør), they saved the best for last.

††† (Crosses) - “Procession”

We’re going to stay in a low-key mood for a bit with the next two songs. Considering how I fell in love with Deftones in 2020, it seemed right that I should check out Chino Moreno’s side project when they re-emerged with their first new material in nine years. The PERMANENT.RADIANT EP turned out to be the perfect taster for this group’s softer, more atmospheric sound. I particularly loved “Procession”, which is the perfect showcase for Chino’s distinct voice and a show-stopping bassline that kicks in at 2:40.

The 1975 – “About You”

I find it difficult to pin down my feelings about the 1975. They’re a band I always want to keep at arm’s length, and yet they’ve ended up my year-end lists three times now. That’s an achievement in itself, but doing it with three songs that sound nothing like each other is something else. “About You” is the most U2-ass sounding song of the year. And I like U2 a lot.

Asunojokei – “Diva Under the Blue Sky”

Here we fucking go. Asunojokei are a Japanese band that have picked up the “black metal but happy” torch from Deafheaven and ran a mile with it with their album Island. I keep getting Undertale vibes from “Diva Under the Blue Sky”. Something about the main melody feels very reminiscent of the excellent work Toby Fox did on that game's soundtrack.

The Beths – “Silence Is Golden”

A bit of blistering Kiwi indie rock to get the pulse up.

Phoenix – “After Midnight”

I was not expecting this. A beautiful reminder of what Phoenix are capable of, absolute masters of a slick, twisty pop-rock style that’s very much their own.

Fred again.. – “Jungle”

A true club banger. Turns out you can do an awful lot with a chopped vocal sample, a savage beat and a great sense of dynamics and timing.

Ibibio Sound Machine – “Protection From Evil”

I’ve got a lot of love for tracks that find ways to keep building and building upon themselves. Having a truly magnetic presence like Eno Williams front-and-centre on the microphone would’ve been enough, but having her vocals and the rhythm behind her slowly rising in intensity before colliding together with horns for the climax is downright magical.

Beyoncé – “Pure/Honey”

Never bet against Bey. There’s a reason RENAISSANCE was the near-unanimous critic’s pick for album of the year, that’s because it’s just so damn fun to listen to in full. “PURE/HONEY” splits the difference between the album’s two moods: hard-edged house to start, with shiny disco as a chaser. The way the songs shifts between those two gears makes it the perfect pick for this playlist.

The Weeknd – “Take My Breath”

I remember first hearing “Take Me Breath” and thinking “this needs something extra”. That something extra turned out to be the extended version on the Dawn FM album. Almost twice as long as the single version, it allows the backing beat room to stretch out, with the chugging muted guitar and arpeggiated vocoder properly setting the scene for song to make more of an impression. It doesn’t just benefit the song, but the album as a whole. The three-song-run of “How Do I Make You Love Me?”, “Take My Breath” and “Sacrifice” is a thrilling moment from an artist with a career full of them.

Spoon – “Wild”

“Wild” is my favourite song of the year. I knew that the second I laid ears on it. Spoon have been one of my favourite bands for a long time, and the fact that they can still come up with songs this good after 25 years is awe-inspiring. “Wild” is such a perfect Spoon-esque song, it’s honestly incredible that they hadn’t written it already.

Alvvays – “Belinda Says”

A blast of aural sunshine, with a key-change befitting of its namesake.

Camp Cope – “Running with the Hurricane”

This was a late discovery for me in December. While making my way through all of the hyped releases I’d missed, it was refreshing to come across music that was so direct and earnest. A true breath of fresh air, which I assume a hurricane would also have plenty of.

Shamir – “Reproductive”

By contrast, this was an early favourite that I rediscovered while combing through my existing collection. It always takes me a few plays to properly acknowledge the lyrics of songs. Once I noticed the streak of self-loathing running through this one, it just made the deep sadness of the music hit harder.

The Smile – “Free In the Knowledge”

Choosing my album of the year was tricky. This and the next four acts on the list were all contenders for the crown, though none jumped out as instant picks like previous winners have. In the end, I gave it to A Light for Attracting Attention by The Smile (the new band featuring Thom and Jonny from Radiohead, and Tom Skinner from Sons of Kemet), simply because I had a nice little moment to myself while listening to it for the first time. Relaxing alone in the park, in the warm sunshine, feeling at peace with everything. By the time I’d gotten to “Free In the Knowledge”, I felt a calmness I hadn’t felt in months. Other albums just can’t compete with those personal moments.

Big Thief – “Change”

One last quiet moment before things pick up again. “Change” is a cool breeze of existentialism on a warm day, the kind of vibe Big Thief have been very good at for some time now.

Black Country, New Road – “The Place Where He Inserted the Blade”

I’d said in the introductory post for my 2021 blogs that, after being slightly disappointed by their debut, I was looking forward to Black Country, New Road delivering on their next album. And boy, did they. Ants From Up There is a record that was fascinating on first listen, and keeps revealing hidden layers on repeat plays, especially when digging into the lyrics. “The Place Where He Inserted the Blade” (it’s about cooking, not killing) is a rich portrait of domestic malaise, the kind Jarvis Cocker used to dabble in. It’s sad that vocalist Isaac Wood has decided to move on, but I’m glad he’s putting his mental health first. That can’t have been an easy decision. And, once again, I’m very interested to see where the band goes from here.

Black Midi – “Sugar/Tzu”

I’d lumped Black Midi together with BC,NR and Squid (or Black Midi, New Squidi, as I liked to call the grouping) in that 2021 post, but they really couldn’t sound more different from each other. While BC,NR spent the year chasing a deliberately pastoral sound with strings and all, Black Midi made a record that sounded like an arson attack at a Cole Porter recital. Hellfire is Black Midi’s most accessible record yet (not a high bar, admittedly), and it’s helped grow my appreciation of their previous work too. If you’re in the mood for hearing three musicians (plus a brass section) playing the ever-loving shit out of their instruments, “Sugar/Tzu” is the song for you. I’m a very big fan of the little guitar break at 3:20.

SpiritWorld – “Relic of Damnation”

My ferocious appetite for metal and hardcore did not diminish in 2022, and SpiritWorld’s DEATHWESTERN was the best the genre had to offer this year. It’s loud as hell, yes, but there’s a buoyancy to this band’s music that harkens back to the thrash metal of the late ‘80s. A song like “Relic of Damnation” isn’t just interested in pummelling your ears, it also wants to propel you forward, smashing through whatever boring chore you have to finish. This band is almost single-handedly responsible for me processing as many invoices as I did this winter. I’d listen to Randy Moore make that demonic horse neighing sound with his guitar all fucking day.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – “The Dripping Tap”

This isn’t the longest song I’ve featured on these year-end lists, and it sure-as-shit won’t feel like it either. Of the five (yes, five) albums worth of music Oceanic overachievers King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard released this year, “The Dripping Tap” is the crown jewel. While I’ve found some of the band’s other work to be somewhat meandering, this song is 18 minutes of pure, focused, fast-paced psychedelic rock. It’ll take you on a wild ride without even leaving your living room, and the time flies by whenever I put it on. The way the opening verse returns with a vengeance (and the full band behind it) for the final minute feels like a real gift, and the perfect way close out both this playlist and 2022 in general.

Thanks for reading! I enjoyed writing this! If you fancy reading more from me, I’ve done similar series for every year going back to 2011 (and basic lists for 2008-2010). Just copy and paste this link (https://dontlookdown.tumblr.com/tagged/best-of-20xx) and edit the year to see them!

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luuurien · 2 years

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明日の叙景 [Asunojokei] - アイランド (Island)

Blackgaze, J-Rock, Post-Hardcore

The Taito quartet's sophomore album takes their spunky, passionate blend of jumpy J-rock and soaring black metal and expands it even further, melodic riffing and danceable drum grooves coated in distortion and Daiki Nuno's hellacious shrieks. Island's delightful genre blend is just one part of Asunojokei's mastery of their sound.

☆☆☆☆☆

Black metal has long been a place for albums with a singular and solid sound, but Asunojokei has no interest in being like anything else out there. The Taito, Tokyo quartet are unique in that their influences are quite different from most other metal bands, the rich history of Tokyo's math rock and J-rock scene deeply embedded into the way they write progressions, how they employ upbeat grooves and bright melodic riffs into their music alongside the darker sides of post-hardcore and shoegaze. Because of these myriad influences, their fantastic 2018 debut Awakening felt a tad bit unsure of itself at times, Asunojokei steeped in post-metal atmospherics and noisy effect pedals that took some of the bite away from their colorful guitar leads and vocalist Daiki Nuno's versatile performances. Now, with those early years behind them and an even balance of all the different things that makes their music click, Island takes Asunojokei to new heights, an hour of some of the best indie rock in recent years where nothing feels out of their reach and every song is a new opportunity for them to wow you once more. Rarely is a band able to cultivate a sound so expansive and one-of-a-kind that's still a ton of fun to listen to, but here Asunojokei do exactly that with endless confidence and allure. Eschewing the usual turmoil of blackgaze for a sound more luminous and hopeful, Island thrives off its ability to harness the feistiness and fortitude of hardcore without succumbing to its traditional bitterness and pure aggression. There's all sorts of fun riffing between Kei Toriki's guitar and Takuya Seki's basslines, while Seiya Saito's groovy drum work weaves between bouncy rock rhythms and furious blast beats, Asunojokei able to place songs like the soaring Footprints right next to a lovely J-rock tune like Diva Under the Blue Sky without it feeling like an abrupt change in tone, all eleven of Island's tracks delivered with the same excitement even when they're working off different foundations. Surprising as it may be, the marrying of throat-splitting wails and guttural shrieks with lush guitars and refined instrumentation on the fantastically galvanized Chimera as they switch between rumbling J-rock and black metal bliss, or the short but electrifying Tidal Lullaby that erupts from its mellow starting point into shattered, searing shoegaze, works incredibly well, the cleaner mixes and pristine mastering from Lewis Johns supporting the heavier side of their music without taking away any of the clarity and warmth from Island's sweeter sections. Balance usually isn't something blackgaze like this accounts for so thoughtfully, but Asunojokei have to in order for all the different parts of Island's sound - the math rock, the metal, the post-hardcore, even a bit of plain old dream pop - to fit together in just the right way. Above all else, the songs here sound great and are always a pleasure to listen to, and it's that comfort they provide while still providing the intensity needed to keep Island from ever growing stagnant. And Island's sun-drenched sound doesn't just affect the music - more than ever, Nuno's writing speaks of self-determination and hopefulness in the wake of sorrow, far removed from the depressive and uneasy songwriting on Awakening while keeping in mind how those past emotions affect him today. Oddly, I'm reminded of the way Parannoul took advantage of noise pop in a similar way on his 2021 breakout album To See the Next Part of the Dream, utilizing a genre oft revered for its dissonance and unease to explore feelings of desire and hope, Asunojokei doing something similar throughout Island as Nuno wants nothing more than to figure out how to help somebody through a mental spiral they can't come out of on Beautiful Name ("How can I tell you? / You see things differently"), or to come to terms with duality and the conflicting emotions he feels throughout Chimera ("The windows reflect the same blue sky as in the morning"). Never does it become an optimistic album - Island is still quite the bleak listen - but it's those glimmers of sunlight in Heavenward's switch from jetting, distorted guitars to warm jangly ones as he looks for a path forward ("'You’re never too old to start something new' / ...But if you want to believe those words just a little more, it’s time for you to go find it") that keeps the album so magical all the way through. You might never get the answers you want here, but it's the feeling of grasping at them and striving for that stability Asunojokei nails perfectly here. It's out of the norm for blackgaze, but Asunojokei's highly creative and ambitious take on the genre with Island is a roaring success. They never fail to leave you in absolute awe of what they're able to achieve, their pristine production and slick guitar work managing to weave perfectly into hardcore madness in a way few have done before them. Where they were beginning to figure out what their music was on Awakening, they now know everything they can do and how to perfect it with Island, every song tightly controlled with the bolts loosened just enough for the music to keep spinning at a breakneck speed. Asunojokei don't rest for a moment here, making every song another triumphant moment within their discography and cementing Island as one of the best rock albums this year, a glorious step forward for a band like no other. They have a skillset that allows them to be both meticulous and devastating at once, Island the blossoming of the heavenly flower they've been feeding all these years. There's not going to be any other album like this the rest of the year, and I wouldn't want there to be - Asunojokei's world is entirely their own, a precious bubble constantly on the verge of a glorious collapse. Island couldn't be any more marvelous.

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