It’s the end of 2022 and so naturally everyone is chatting about their recommendations of the year which I find to be a fun way to get to know people’s tastes and find a few shared interests. It’s my first time doing this, though, so I thought I’d stretch the timeline a bit and add in some of my all-time favorite things and avoid the more popular stuff people are probably already aware of. Next time I promise I’ll behave and stick to the rules.
Albums
Apparat: The Devil’s Walk – Since the early 2000’s I’ve loved Apparat’s ability to mix electronica with very emotional instrumentation.
Autre Ne Veut: Age of Transparency (Avatar Sessions) – This is the jazzy alternate version and ‘on my mind’ is probably a perfect song in my book.
Björk: Utopia – Her latest album hasn’t struck me yet but the previous one has grown on me. She’s my all-time favorite artist and yet so hard to recommend.
Cesaria Evora: Voz D’Amor – Strikes the perfect tone for a dinner party, afternoon in the sun, or whatever. Not too loud, not too quiet.
Eartheater: Trinity – I was completely captivated by everything that goes on in the song ‘solid liquid gas.’
El Remolón: Asimétrico – Los Pájaros in particular, but the whole album is great
Gabriel Garzón-Montano: Agüita – I haven’t been as impressed with someone’s unfettered creativity as with GGM.
Khruangbin: – Honestly, right now, just all of it.
Orville Peck: Bronco – A country album (what??) from the masked gay South African. I have complicated feelings about being only slightly from South Africa—hearing him sing about his heritage helps me think through some of them. ‘Hexie mountains’ is absolutely gorgeous and I might have to do a cover at some point.
Pink Martini: – Also everything. Years and years and they sound as timeless as ever. Plus they’re from around here.
Tinariwen: Emmaar, also Elwan – A recent recommendation from Rian van der Merwe and they’re excellent.
Playlists
Each year I make a playlist of ten songs that were released that year that I liked. I try to make them fit together and flow, which makes the job all that much harder, but here are a few from the past several years:
2022 – Tidal | Spotify
1. Röyksopp – The Ladder
2. Bonobo – Shadows
3. Moderat – FAST LAND
4. Khruangbin & Leon Bridges – Doris
5. Florence + the Machine – Free
6. Orville Peck – C’mon Baby, Cry
7. The Weeknd – Take My Breath
8. Lizzo – About Damn Time
9. Low Island – Goodbye Bluefin
10. The Black Keys – It Ain’t Over
2021 – Tidal | Spotify
1. Julia Michaels – Wrapped Around
2. Walk the Moon – Fire in your House
3. Jeremy Zucker – I Can’t Look At You
4. Low Island – Don’t Let the Light In
5. Middle Kids – R U 4 Me?
6. Chris Malinchak – When the World Stops Turning
7. El Remolón – Los Pájaros
8. Chris Morrissey – Don’t Look So Serious (ed. !!!)
9. London Grammar – How Does it Feel
10. Chris Garneau – Not the Child
2020 – Tidal | Spotify
1. Orville Peck – No Glory in the West
2. Khruangbin & Leon Bridges – Texas Sun
3. Gabriel Garzón-Montano – With A Smile
4. Little Dragon – Where You Belong
5. The Weeknd – Blinding Lights
6. Perfume Genius – Your Body Changes Everything
7. Allie X & Troye Sivan – Love Me Wrong
8. GUNSHIP – Eleanor Rigby (ed. !!!)
9. The Naked and Famous – Recover
10. Apparat – Bad Kingdom (Lulu’s Version)
2010-2019 – Tidal | Spotify
One pick from each year in chronological order:
2010. Chromeo – Night By Night
2011. Florence + The Machine – What the Water Gave Me
2012. Gotye – Somebody That I Used to Know (overplayed by now, but eh)
2013. Moderat – Bad Kingdom
2014. SOHN – The Wheel
2015. Autre Ne Veut – On My Mind (Avatar Sessions version)
2016. Coast Modern – The Way it Was
2017. Beth Ditto – Fake Sugar
2018. Hellogoodbye – S’only Natural
2019. Pond – The Boys Are Killing Me
Books
I read 100 books in 2021 and virtually none in 2022, so these highlights are all pre-22.
Ocean Vuong – On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
Charlotte McConaghy – Once There Were Wolves
Benjamin Alire Sáenz – Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Benjamin Alire Sáenz – Aristotle & Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World
Neil Gaiman – The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Robert Macfarlane – Underland
Harper Lee – Go Set a Watchman
Jonathan Safran Foer – We Are The Weather
Mario Giordano – the Auntie Poldi series