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<h1>Music Spotlight: My Top Album 2022</h1>
<p>The hype is real. I only recently wrote last years, so I bet your hype
is nonexistent but for me I was writing that knowing full well there were
some bangers waiting to be unleashed in this year end review!</p>
<p>If you hadn’t read my previous post for 2021 the link is at the
bottom:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The winner was “KANGA - You and I Will Never Die”</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>The album pool</h2>
<p>As always the criteria:</p>
<ul>
<li>it was released in 2022</li>
<li>it wasn’t a single</li>
<li>if it was an EP it has to be substantial and intentional</li>
</ul>
<p>And the albums are…</p>
<ul>
<li>Amining for Enrike - The Rats and the Children</li>
<li>And So I watch You from Afar - Jettison</li>
<li>Astronoid - Radiant Bloom</li>
<li>Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror</li>
<li>Cult of Luna - The Long Road North</li>
<li>Dance With the Dead - Driven to Madness</li>
<li>Elder - Innate Passage</li>
<li>Emma Ruth Rundle - EG2: Dowsing Voice</li>
<li>Giraffes? Giraffes! - Death Breath</li>
<li>God Mother - Obeveklig</li>
<li>Jay Hosking - Celestial spheres (and various other releases)</li>
<li>Long Distance Calling - Eraser</li>
<li>Ludovico Technique - Haunted People</li>
<li>MWWB - The Harvest (Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard)</li>
<li>MØL - Diorama (Instrumental)</li>
<li>Psychostick - … and Stuff</li>
<li>Russian Circles - Gnosis</li>
<li>SIERRA - See Me Now</li>
<li>Starcadian - Shadowcatcher</li>
<li>Tina Dickow - Bitte Små Ryk</li>
<li>Toundra - Hex</li>
<li>Waveshaper - Forgotten Shapes</li>
</ul>
<p>2022’s playlist (+ 2 albums from bandcamp not on Spotify):</p>
<ul>
<li>
<a rel="external noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"
href=
"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2TCd910OyZcTjQ8l8Dc0Jy?si=efd0dc6286b84062">
[spotify] senders' Releases 2022 Spotify Playlist</a>
</li>
<li>
<a rel="external noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"
href=
"https://emmaruthrundle.bandcamp.com/album/eg2-dowsing-voice">[bandcamp]
Emma Ruth Rundle - EG2: Dowsing Voice</a>
</li>
<li>
<a rel="external noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"
href=
"https://jayhosking.bandcamp.com/album/celestial-spheres">[bandcamp]
Jay Hosking - Celestial spheres</a>
</li>
</ul>
<h2>The Top 5</h2>
<p>In alphabetical order:</p>
<ul>
<li>Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror</li>
<li>Elder - Innate Passage</li>
<li>Emma Ruth Rundle - EG2: Dowsing Voice</li>
<li>Jay Hosking - Celestial spheres (and various other releases)</li>
<li>Tina Dickow - Bitte Små Ryk</li>
</ul>
<h2>Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror</h2>
<p>Some metal infused synthwave, Carpenter Brut managed to release a
catchy and heavy banger of an album. Featuring a few guest performers,
each of these tracks are unique and catchy in what I would consider a
very “same-y” genre. It’s nice having an infinite supply of retro synth
tracks to drive to, but sometimes it’s hard for one to really break
through into “oh shit yes!”. Typically, Starcadian is the one to do that
for me, as they add an extra layer to their tracks through their music
videos (each track being an “ear movie”).</p>
<p>Throughout the year I found myself coming back to a few tracks over
and over - especially when I was showering or doing some other short
activity and I just wanted something upbeat and fun as heck!</p>
<p>Some call out featured songs are The Widow Maker featuring Gunship,
Imaginary Fire featuring Greg Puciato, and Lipstick Masquerade featuring
Persha. I looped these three songs quite a bit. But there are quite a few
more to checkout.</p>
<h3>Favorite Track</h3>
<p>This is tough, as I looped those three songs quite a bit - each
bringing their own unique energy. So I’ll pick all three - my list my
rules:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>The Widow maker - feat. Gunship This track is representative of
the genre. It’s synthwave to the core.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Imaginary Fire - feat. Greg Puciato This is a metal track with
synths. Greg Puciato (of The Dillinger Escape Plan fame) is one of my
favorite vocalists and is immensely talented. This is probably my
favorite because I can’t get enough of his vocal style - the screams
and the clean vocals!</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Lipstick Masquerade - feat. Persha This is a modern 80s track.
This is what retrowave was designed around and while tracks like The
Widow Maker are more typical of the genre, this is the song they all
are basing their sound off of. This is kill pop song.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Special Commendation - Non Stop Bangers</h3>
<p>You throw this album on and it hits you with just banger after banger.
I can’t keep myself from dancing. Even as I listen back as I write this
gemlog I am grooving in my chair! Like Kanga last year, this is just a
series of tracks that just make you dance.</p>
<h3>Album Link</h3>
<p><a rel="external noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"
href=
"https://open.spotify.com/album/37PW0ipoWcjx3APS1MN0ql?si=HE0-siOqTsqVlJrlL9MWTw">
[spotify] Carpenter Brut - Leather Terror</a></p>
<h2>Elder - Innate Passage</h2>
<p>I toot’d a bit about this album, a later release in the year, this
took this year end review and flipped it on its head. I thought it was
wrapped up already with a separate release this year, but this makes the
decision so hard.</p>
<p>Elder came at us with what feels like a return to form. Having
previously released Omens in 2020 and a collaboration album in 2021,
Innate Passage takes the best parts of those two albums and builds on-top
of more “classic Elder” albums like Lore. Elder has carved out their own
niche in the genre making a blend of psych rock and stoner metal, with
each release leaning harder and harder into psychedelic realms. Innate
Passage has this almost ethereal feeling - especially in their opening
track Catastasis.</p>
<p>I think, however, they’ve left the doom and stoner metal behind. Dead
Roots Stirring and Elder (self titled) were certainly “Doomy” and in that
“doom/stoner” metal overlap. Lore, Reflections of a Floating World are
both still very “stoner metal”. But is playing psychedelic-metal with a
big muff automatically stoner metal? I think since Omens they’re
probably, as a band, firmly outside of the stoner metal field - and more
soundly in some psychedelic/prog metal genre?</p>
<p>They introduce themselves as such in their website actually!</p>
<figure>
<blockquote>
<p>genre-pushing rock band that melds heavy psychedelic sounds
with progressive elements and evocative soundscapes.</p>
</blockquote>
<figcaption>
<cite>— <a rel="external noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"
href=
"https://beholdtheelder.com/elder-bio/">https://beholdtheelder.com/elder-bio/</a></cite>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>“Merged In Dreams - Ne Plus Ultra” is the track that flips this whole
argument on its head and shows that regardless, they’re still very much a
metal band and one that you’ll absolutely be head banging too, horn up
\m/.</p>
<h3>Favorite Track</h3>
<p>I think “Merged In Dreams - Ne Plus Ultra”. A nearly 15 minute track
that has everything in it you expect from Elder.</p>
<h3>Special Commendation - Excellent Vinyl Record Cover</h3>
<p>I LOVE their record covers when they do the circular inserts. You can
display this vinyl with having 3 separate views through the port, which
while purely aesthetic - it’s very nice!</p>
<p>The quality of the vinyl release was great, though I find any
non-black Vinyl has a 33% chance of being slightly warped upon arrival. I
am going to stick to traditional black vinyls from now on sadly. It’s too
freaking often</p>
<h3>Album Link</h3>
<p><a rel="external noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"
href=
"https://open.spotify.com/album/5XClGjeje4c3qPjbtT898K?si=PFgsT8S_TD6hu4dwbFp3Jw">
[spotify] Elder - Innate Passage</a></p>
<h2>Emma Ruth Rundle - EG2: Dowsing Voice</h2>
<p>Her second album in her “Electric Guitar” series - Emma Ruth Rundle
(ERR from here on out) has released “Dowsing Voice” a haunting follow-up
to last years Engine of Hell. Holy holy HOLY hell, this album is an
impactful, artistic, just WOW. It’s hard to describe. I was listening to
it for this review and my partner, sitting behind me relaxing, said “What
the hell are you listening too, this is scary!”. And scary, emotional,
and difficult it is. ERR stretches the use of the “electric guitar”
title, as the focus here is the additional layers and voices added on-top
of the main tracks.</p>
<p>An experimental release that, at this time is only available on
bandcamp, is one I don’t put on frequently, but when I do am fully
captivated. If you like artistic records - please check this out.</p>
<h3>Favorite Track</h3>
<p>Probably: Keening into Ffynnon Llanllawer - I love the guitar(?) part
and the wailing/vocalization. It’s haunting. As a recording is
amazing.</p>
<p>Though “In the Cave of The Cailleach’s Death-Birth” is the /best/
track. Put some headphones on and give this a listen! Just amazing.</p>
<h3>Special Commendation - Album Art</h3>
<p>This album, IS ART, but the album art is just… really suiting the
music.</p>
<h3>Album Link</h3>
<p><a rel="external noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"
href=
"https://emmaruthrundle.bandcamp.com/album/eg2-dowsing-voice">[bandcamp]
Emma Ruth Rundle - EG2: Dowsing Voice</a></p>
<h2>Jay Hosking - Celestial spheres (and various other releases)</h2>
<p>This is an interesting pick. Having released JUST in time for this
year, this is an album I have been engaging with in many, many ways.
Firstly, I am a patron of this performer via Patreon. They make music
videos (audio only performance videos of the songs) that they compile
into albums. Last year’s album is probably my actual favorite and likely
SHOULD’VE snuck into the top 5 because of the final track alone, which
was an emotional and just epic banger of a track (Linked at the bottom of
this review).</p>
<p>Celestial spheres is a compilation of 8 synth jams. Jay bills these as
semi-improvisational, and while the YT channel is a synth nerds dream of
these informative performances, the songs stand on their own. This one is
no exception. Using various different pieces of hardware synths,
grooveboxes, drum machines and traditional instruments - each track is
unique while still carrying this /energy/ and style. It’s so easy to hear
Jays tracks and know it’s him.</p>
<p>I’ve been following him for years and really enjoy the music he makes,
and the community he’s built up around his music. Due to the disconnected
nature of the singles (releasing effectively as YouTube videos prior to
the album drop) it’s difficult to ultimately rate these in these lists
since I don’t get a chance to really enjoy them /as an album/ until the
end of the year (the past two times happened like this where they came
out around the end of the year). And on my playlist “Future, Tense” is
present as it’s a “2022” album according to Spotify, but was out on
bandcamp in 2021, and that’s when I was gifted it by Jay.</p>
<p>So yeah - this whole section is like “disclaimer disclaimer” but if
you like groovy, typically instrumental synth music - check it out.</p>
<h3>The various other releases</h3>
<p>This year Jay released a few albums actually which I didn’t want to
include separately. If you enjoy this album (which was mostly comprised
of 2022 music, so was the primary focus) check out the other albums:</p>
<p><a rel="external noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"
href=
"https://jayhosking.bandcamp.com/album/cinematic-works">https://jayhosking.bandcamp.com/album/cinematic-works</a>
<a rel="external noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"
href=
"https://jayhosking.bandcamp.com/album/away-music-for-a-productive-day">https://jayhosking.bandcamp.com/album/away-music-for-a-productive-day</a>
<a rel="external noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"
href=
"https://jayhosking.bandcamp.com/album/home-music-for-a-productive-day">https://jayhosking.bandcamp.com/album/home-music-for-a-productive-day</a></p>
<h3>Favorite Track</h3>
<p>Without out a doubt it’s Nychthemeron. It’s truly a wild track, with
so much happening in it. I suspect it was his favorite too since he made
an actual music video for it:</p>
<p><a rel="external noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"
href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka-xE3Qo3dA">[youtube] Jay
Hosking - Nychthemeron (Official Music video)</a></p>
<h3>Special Commendation - Each track has a live performance attached to
it!</h3>
<p>If you enjoy videos - these each have a corresponding YT video linked
at the bottom of the bandcamp page.</p>
<h3>Album Link</h3>
<p><a rel="external noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"
href=
"https://jayhosking.bandcamp.com/album/celestial-spheres">[bandcamp]
Jay Hosking - Celestial spheres</a></p>
<h2>Tina Dickow - Bitte Små Ryk</h2>
<p>Tina Dickow (sometimes credited as Tina Dico, depending on the
release) is a fantastic Danish singer songwriter. Since her first solo
album she’s really found a way to elevate what is just folk indie pop.
Her songwriting, arrangements, and performances are always so rich. She
knows when to strip the song back - like Chefen Skal Ha' Fri - while,
has certainly a lot happening beneath the lyrics - mixes them back a bit
to let the layered vocals cut through as the song builds. Each song has
so much to listen to! Picking out various instruments, layers, yet every
song would work performed just her and her acoustic guitar. I find her
style of pop music to be very engaging for that reason. I don’t often
listen to this style of music, but the production behind each track is so
good it hooks me in. That and her beautiful voice - which drew me in
first.</p>
<p>It’s a bit harder to talk about this album given the language barrier
(I do not speak Danish!) Which is a shame, since her lyrics are often
what I love about some of her previous albums. I’ve read the translations
and done my own as a learning exercise, but there is a layer missing
which is a shame given how strong this album is as whole.</p>
<p>I’ve spoken about Tina before in two previous gemlogs (<a href=
"gemini://senders.io/gemlog/2021-04-27-music-spotlight-awesome-eps.gmi">Music
Spotlight: Awesome EPs</a> and <a href=
"gemini://senders.io/gemlog/2021-05-18-5x5-playlists.gmi">5x5
Playlists</a> (both gemini:// links)) and is one of my absolute favorite
artists of all time. I’ve been slowly collecting her entire discography,
which can be tricky, given a lot of copies are out of print and the
remaining stock/used copies are often in Europe. (And that 5x5 playlist
is very telling given most of those artists have been featured in my top
albums lists and were winners! Is this foreshadowing?!)</p>
<h3>Favorite Track</h3>
<p>I shouldn’t have introduced this section - it has been so hard each
time! I think the title track, Bitte Små Ryk. It’s got everything there,
and is representative of the albums sound.</p>
<h3>Special Commendation - Lovely</h3>
<p>This whole album is lovely. There is emotion here too, and while I
don’t speak the language its often very clear. But I love Tina and her
music. It’s lovely and hits this spot in me thats just warm.</p>
<h3>Album Link</h3>
<p><a rel="external noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"
href=
"https://open.spotify.com/album/6YV4Gomk4iy0dUyVqPDN7T?si=e3wO7G3XTI-ZIwhOSCswJA">
[spotify] Tina Dickow - Bitte Små Ryk</a></p>
<h2>My Top Pick</h2>
<p>This year has been especially hard, since I spent so much time
listening to 2021s releases which are some of my favorite of all time.
And between 2021 and 2022 (and mentioned in my 2021 spotlight) nearly
every one of my favorite artists released an album. So I have been
blessed with a lot to listen to.</p>
<p>Anyone following me on mastodon may have seen Tina Dickow just owning
my entire wrapped campaign, but with Elder releasing their album after
the data collection stops for wrapped, that certainly isn’t telling the
whole story.</p>
<p>And it wouldn’t be a top album list if I didn’t mention Starcadian
being consistently in the top 10 year after year, just narrowly missing
the top 5 - though technically, this release was in my 2020s list, as it
was available then, but had since been pulled, and was released
“officially” in 2022. Looking at what I can see it’s the same tracklist,
but the “inspired by” credits are entirely gone from the 2022
release.</p>
<h3>Elder - Innate Passage</h3>
<p>Each year picking the winner is hard. Part of the reason I do this is
I don’t really add stuff to the list I don’t like. A LOT of music comes
out each year, and I add what I listen to. I don’t listen to music I
don’t like - so by nature of the process - each album is a “top album”
for me.</p>
<p>But the top 5 is usually a mix of “omg obvs” and “yeah turns out I
threw that on way more than I expected” (Carpenter Brut). But its really
always a fight between those “obvs” - this year was Elder and Tina
Dickow. Their releases were seriously top tier and repeat listens.</p>
<p>Tina came in with the advantage of releasing in April, and Elder JUST
released theirs at the end of November. But I did some math on my
mastodon breaking down the comparison. Elder came at us with a longer
albums, under half as many tracks, and over 2x the average song length
(about 10min/track).</p>
<p>They didn’t waste a single second (neither did Tina) but just being
such an accessible album - just direct pure energy and power - BOOM! It
was great.</p>
<h3>This should’ve been a tie</h3>
<p>Honestly, I was ready to call it a tie. I am actually writing this
minutes before posting it, because that’s how undecided I am and how
close this is.</p>
<p>Tina Dickow deserves the number one slot any other year, and both her
and Elder’s albums I hope to see more of in the next few years! Both are
classic albums in their discographies (both albums of which I own and
spin regularly). I forced myself to pick, and just knowing me, my tastes,
and all the stuff I said above - I went with Elder. But seriously, listen
to this record - Tina manages to pack so much musicality in carving out a
unique sound and just amazing style. I love her <3 :)</p>
<p>And if her music isn’t your jam - check out her guest tracks on the
Zero-7 stuff - angelic voice.</p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>I am REALLY disappointed I had to choose between Elder and Tina Dickow
this year. Similarly, last year I had Raised by Swans, ERR, and Kanga!
And our winner in 2020 was Bell Witch. These ARE my top six favorite
musical artists currently active.</p>
<p>I’ll talk about music trends and my tastes later on. But I just wanted
to emphasize how much of a banger these last 3 years have been musically
and I am grateful I get to share these with you here.</p>
<p>I am really excited for 2023!</p>
<h2>This year’s playlist (2023)</h2>
<p><a rel="external noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"
href=
"https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4zgdFBZslkcEq0xYFyME7U?si=4bc2bf7d015c4254">
[spotify] senders' Releases 2023 Playlist</a></p>
<h2>Links</h2>
<p>If you use gemini:// you can check out my previous posts (until/unless
I decided to port those over too)</p>
<ul>
<li>
<a href=
"gemini://senders.io/gemlog/2022-11-30-music-spotlight-top-album-2021.gmi">
[gemini] Music Spotlight: Top Album 2021</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href=
"gemini://senders.io/gemlog/2021-03-21-music-spotlight-top-album-2020.gmi">
[gemini] Music Spotlight: Top Album 2020</a>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Thanks for reading! I don’t always crosspost - I am trying something
out :)</p>
</article>
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<i>January 03, 2023</i>
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