Albums of the year: 2022

[The Picnic Wasp]

I am totally and utterly embarrassed at the shallowness of my musical knowledge that this thread has exposed. Fair play to Mr Nop for the need to put his list in alphabetical order. I should really get onto Amazon tonight and buy all of the above. I resisted buying Envy Of None. Can't say that I liked anything of it that I heard. Haven't even bought the new PT although I will. I like most of Senjutsu and will pick it up at some stage but Spotify and YouTube have made me a bit lazy about adding to my narrow library. New Year's resolution just decided. Buy a turntable and get some vinyl. I bought the Rogue Male LP a while back but still haven't anything to play it on.

[Slim]

One I forgot - Clutch: Sunrise on Slaughter Beach

Good record but, like the last one (Book of Bad Decisions) not as convincing as 2015's Psychic Warfare which is the record that pulled me in.

[Matt2112]

One I inexplicably and inexcusably forgot:

Richard Marx - Songwriter

20 tracks equally divided by 4 genres: pop, rock, country, ballads, with some crossovers amongst them - but absolutely no duffers.

The pop songs would dominate the airwaves globally if Ed Sheeran had sung them, although they still would be wasted on him.

The rock songs recall Foo Fighters and Nickelback, and the stomping, rousing down-tuned radio rocker We Are Not Alone (co-written by Marx with his son) is one of my songs of the year.

I'm not a massive fan of country, so I was a little apprehensive about this section, but it turns out to be completely comprised of gems; and, of course, it's the very slick and commercialised kind of country to the point in a couple of songs where it barely sounds 'country' at all.

The ballads begin with an extremely classy number written with Burt Bacharach, then move to more familiar Right Here Waiting territory, before a nice little bluegrassy, Alison Krauss-esque track rounds things off.

This is an outstanding record by a truly exceptional singer-songwriter and the best thing he's done since his zillion-selling pop-rock masterpiece, Repeat Offender.

[Thenop]

I am totally and utterly embarrassed at the shallowness of my musical knowledge that this thread has exposed. Fair play to Mr Nop for the need to put his list in alphabetical order. I should really get onto Amazon tonight and buy all of the above. I resisted buying Envy Of None. Can't say that I liked anything of it that I heard. Haven't even bought the new PT although I will. I like most of Senjutsu and will pick it up at some stage but Spotify and YouTube have made me a bit lazy about adding to my narrow library. New Year's resolution just decided. Buy a turntable and get some vinyl. I bought the Rogue Male LP a while back but still haven't anything to play it on.

I'd advise a listen first...some of these are quire not what you'd expect.
My 7 most recommended:
Blut Aus Nord    -    Disharmonium - Undreamable Abysses - Frenhc Black metal space like mond boggling. Try before buy for sure. Find it on Bandcamp for a listen: https://blutausnord.bandcamp.com/album/disharmonium-undreamable-abysses
Brutus            -    Unison Life - Belgian female vocals, has my song of the year on it: "What Have We Done. If you listen to only 1 song on my list, listen to that one. Find it on Bandcamp here:https://wearebrutus.bandcamp.com/album/unison-life
Megadeth        -    The Sick, the Dying...the Dead - needs no introduction I guess, thrash of the highest level.
Messa            -    Close - Italian Doom, but different, this is not your uncle's Black Sabbath LP, female vocals, this album is very much a vehicle for her talent. Find it on Bandcamp here: https://messaproject.bandcamp.com/album/close
Motorpsycho      -    Ancient Astronauts - They have done it again, one of my bands I can always fall back on.
Ruby the Hatchet -    Fear is a Cruel Master - US, again female vocals, deeply rooted in the early '70s rock scene, hard rockin' spell binding. Find this, again, on Bandcamp: https://thehatchet.bandcamp.com/album/fear-is-a-cruel-master
White Ward      -    False Light - Ukranian modern Black Metal, but so much more than that. Also find on Bandcamp: https://whiteward.bandcamp.com/album/false-light