Best Of 2022

You can’t have enough lists (or free hugs) so here’s our very own Year-End-Best-Of-2022 list.
I’m no fan of ratings of any kind – and it changes every day of course – so each category has a winner and everything else sorted alphabetically. The winner isn’t necessarily »The Best«, but certainly the most played here. 

C O M P I L A T I O N S

||||||||||||| Various Species Of Musicians Gathered Together With A Tune |||||||||||||
Jack Kerouac • 100 Years Of Beatitude
+ Chrome Universal • A Survey Of Modern Pedal Steel (Imaginational Anthems Vol. 11)
Climb Aboard My Roundabout • The British Toytown Pop Sound 1967-1974
Dark Exotica • As Dug by Lux & Ivy
Lux & Ivy Say Flip Your Top
Heroes & Villains • The Sound Of Los Angeles 1965-1968
Ocean Child • Songs Of Yoko Ono
Ost-Kraut Teil 1 & 2 • Progressives aus den DDR-Archiven 1970-1982
This Was Your Future • Dave Brock presents Space Rock (And Other Psychedelics) 1978-1998
The Virginia & West Virginia Box • 1950s & 1960s Oddball Labels 

N E W M U S I C

||||||||||||| The Sunday Painter Greets The Lemonade Dawn |||||||||||||
Nits • Neon
+ Bjørk • Fossora
Brian Eno • Foreverandevernomore
Nina Hagen • Unity
Half Man Half Biscuit • The Voltarol Years
Kula Shaker • 1st Congregational Church Of Eternal Love And Free Hugs
Proclaimers • Dentures Out
Marcel Riesco • Patiently
The Routes • The Twang Machine
Leah Weller • Freedom

You see I don’t pay much attention to so-called »career-best« albums that are a »return to form« or a »promising debut«. Take The Nits – here’s a band 48 years into their career, still with the original core line-up, and a new album full of melodic tunes, chamber pop with weird soundscapes and minimalistic lyrics that tell whole lives in six lines. And like almost any of the 10 albums in this category it says »We really don’t care what you expect from us at this time«.
This is music that entertains you (in one way or another), makes you curious to play it again, and sometimes even puts a smile on your face – whether it’s a newcomer like Leah Weller and Marcel Riesco, or veterans like The Proclaimers.
Speaking of the P-twins – they’re probably as uncool to the Afterworders as Bono and Putin combined, but »Dentures Out« brims with ringing melodies, sarcastic lyrics, and even some steel guitar (and a little help from the Manics’ camp). At the end of this short sharp set I always want to shake their hands and give them a hug.
Which you certainly wouldn’t try with Nina Hagen, who miraculously returns on the label which brought us Neu! and Holger Czukay. Miss Hagen is still in a bad mood, and bonkers as usual, covering religion, Dylan, feminism and politics, sometimes all in the same song as in weird mash-up »Atomwaffensperrvertrag« (say that again!). On some songs you’d swear the old Nina Hagen Band of 1979 is back.
And what about those other weirdos Kula Shaker? Well, what can you say against an »Arthur’s Nut Gone Teenage Opera« – again, they clearly don’t give a damn what you expect. This is royally barmy, like the Dukes Of Stratosphear giggling into Toytown.
Much giggling was also the first reaction when I stumbled on The Routes’ album of Kraftwerk covers. But even after listening to it almost daily for months it’s still surprising (and lots of fun!) to hear how perfect these tunes are when played by twangy surf guitars, down to the last counter-melody in the background.

||||||||||||| Shadow Letters On Dark Veiled Buildings |||||||||||||
Porcupine Tree • Closure/Continuation
+ Tim Bowness • Butterfly Mind
The Cult • Under The Midnight Sun
Rosalie Cunningham • Two Piece Puzzle
Kreator • Hate über alles
Magma • Kartehl
Motorpsycho • Ancient Astronauts
O.R.K. • Screamnasium
Devin Townsend • Lightwork
Voivod • Synchro-Anarchy

The return of The Porcupine Tree came in typical Steven Wilson fashion – (nearly) everything was in place, but the sum total was different: this album was as much about quirky drum rhythms and dark moody soundscapes as it was about the proverbial »trains, guitars and death«. One thing that was missing was the melodic »Revolver« bass of Colin Edwin, who delivered his own »Screamnasium«, an album of doom ambient Prog/Metal.
Most entries in this category could be labelled as »exactly how we expected, but better«. Best example is Kreator, who’s new album I saw filed in a shop as »Melodic Death Metal«: proper Wacken stuff with crashing drums and angry screaming guitars. And strangely catchy melodies.
Probably even radio-friendly stuff came from the erratic Devin Townsend (following straight after an ambient album earlier in the year) and Rosalie Cunningham, who could be a MOJO favourite if only she would dress a bit brighter.
Steven Wilson buddy Tim Bowness continued his exploration of what happens when you take 80s/90s David Sylvian’s sound and expand it to prog and psychedelic (instead of free jazz).
Another entry in the »un-cool on the Afterword« genre are The Cult who clearly don’t bother anymore with what people think or expect of them. Their album re-arranges all the ingredients you associate with the brand name, and sounds surprisingly adventurous and fresh.
The mighty Voivod not only brought us a box set this year (collecting all of their early Noise Records stuff) but a new album as well: imagine Van Der Graaf Generator as a Norwegian Jazz Metal band and you’re halfway there.
Busiest band of the year must be Magma – their social media news seemed to plug a new gig every two or three days throughout the year. And their album was, well: a new Magma album, what else! Some of it could even be played on the radio – in France at least…

||||||||||||| For Quieter Moments In Violet Sunshine |||||||||||||
Hans Abrahamsen | Lapland Chamber Orchestra • Schnee
+ A.R. & Machines • Another Green Journey (Live At Elbphilharmonie Hamburg)
Robert Fripp • Music For Quiet Moments
Nils Frahm • Music For Animals
Gas • Der lange Marsch
Sean Shibe • Lost & Found
Pretty Lightning • Dust Moves
Michael Rother & Vittoria Maccabruni • As Long As The Light
Rich Ruth • I Survived, It’s Over
Tedeschi Trucks Band • I Am The Moon (Crescent)

When you’re sitting on the roof watching the night sky above the city you can’t always listen to »Sailor’s Tale«, so a new album from A.R. & Machines comes in handy. Here’s Achim Reichel, born on the Reeperbahn, support act for The Beatles, and a household name in Germany for his rock and Schlager hits, and he’s reviving his ambient Krautrock project from 1970 with a series of concerts at Hamburg’s new Opera House. And it’s just great – chugging, echo-y guitar licks over a groovy beat.
More stately rhythms come from Pretty Lightning – the album title is the cue: »Dust Moves« is Ry Cooder reimagined as cosmic desert exotica for a Morricone soundtrack.
Another fitting description is on the Tedeschi Trucks platter: this is how Duane Allman would have sounded if he’d been friends with Mike Love and into meditation. With a bottle of Tequila on the side.
Sometimes though it’s a bit more complicated. I had overlooked the Rich Ruth album for a while (surely just another Third Man album of quirky »rock«…?), but it’s brilliant in a truly weird way. And still has lots to discover after constant plays during the last few weeks. Just imagine Eno & Lanois’ »Apollo« soundtrack being remixed and rejigged by Lee Scratch Perry or Adrian Sherwood – it’s that crazy, and calmly relaxing at the same time.
Another newcomer on the list is the amazing Sean Shibe. His second album »Lost & Found« is somehow filed under »Classical – New Music« in Berlin shops – but it’s him on solo electric guitar (a Fender Mexican Stratocaster) playing music by Chick Corea, Hildegard von Binger and Moondog, all with a clear, ringing tone much like John Martyn, but there’s also bits of fuzz noise and other Fripperies. Highly recommended for a Sunday morning (Guitar porn alert: it takes half a page in the booklet to list his effects pedals!)
»Schnee« on the other hand is the real classical stuff, a minimalist composition about snow, performed by an orchestra from Lapland, no less. But ten years ago this could have been released on David Sylvian’s SamadhiSound label: it has that glimmering night sky mood of »Gone To Earth«, with piano and cello notes falling like snowflakes and gently adding up to frosty melodies.

||||||||||||| Time Is Walking On Velvet Highways |||||||||||||
Tuba Skinny • Magnolia Stroll
+ Gaye Su Aksol • Anadolu Eideri
Jake Blount • The New Faith
Calexico • El Mirador
Congotronics International • Where’s The One?
Souad Massi • Sequana
Leyla McCalla • The Thermometer
Meridian Brothers • Meridian Brothers & Grupo Renacimiento
Oumou Sangaré • Timbuktu
Vieux Farka Touré & Khruangbin • Ali

Still, the question remains: what IS the best Klezmer vocal on a Death Metal soundtrack?

R E I S S U E S

||||||||||||| Yankee Sails On Divine Exposures |||||||||||||
Robert Fripp • Exposures (25 CD/3 DVD/4 BR)
+ The Beach Boys • Sail On Sailor 1972 (6 CD)
The Beatles • Revolver (4 CD)
David Bowie • A Divine Symmetry (4 CD/BR)
The Flaming Lips • Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (5 CD/BR)
Van Der Graaf Generator • Interference Patterns (13 CD/DVD)
Wilco • Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (8 CD)
Neil Young • Harvest (3 CD/2 DVD)

||||||||||||| Madman Sulks In The Trend Asylum |||||||||||||
Richard Gibbs • No Use To Grieve (LP)
+ The Associates • Sulk (3 CD/LP)
The Cure • Wish (3 CD)
Elton John • Madman Across The Water (3 CD/BR)
Joni Mitchell • The Asylum Years (4 CD)
The Trend • The Trend Is In! (LP)
Walter Wegmüller • Tarot (2 CD/4 LP)
Frank Sinatra • Watertown (CD)

||||||||||||| Forgotten Odds & Courtly Dances |||||||||||||
Lovey’s Band • Encore Lovey! The Historic Trinidad String Band Recordings 1912 & 1914 (3 CD)
+ Blondie • Against The Odds 1974-1982 (8 CDs)
Celtic Frost • Danse Macabre: Discography 1984-1987 (5 CD)
Miles Davis • Bootleg Series Vol. 7: That’s What Happened 1982-1985 (4 CD)
King Crimson At 50 • In The Court Of The Crimson King (4 CD/2 DVD/2 BR)
Les Rallizes Dénudés • 77 Live (2 CD)
Voivod • Forgotten In Space: The Noise Records Collection (5 CD/DVD)