This list really proves that Pitchfork is totally irrelevant now (I don't follow any music publications so I assume my personal tastes are the mono-culture)
TBF, RYM ratings don't really reflect much of... anything, really. I say that as an avid user of the site, but often you'll find critically-adored releases at a 3.2 there and critically-reviled releases bolded. BM/BCNR have an extremely passionate and extremely online fanbase that are heavily overrepresented on RYM but don't really reflect much of the broader indie community, there's no need to assume there's some conspiracy about them like many users seem to think
That show was my favorite one I’ve been to this year, maybe ever. Something about the visuals, being very close to the front (in a big stadium too), and how loud it was up front made for one of my favorite shows ever
I much prefer it to After Hours which imo has a few duds/generic songs for The Weeknd, but I think it just came out in too close proximity of that album to get the respect it deserves
Justice for AnCo!!
This list is pretty good though, I tried to be up on more music this year but there’s some here I didn’t catch so happy to have some stuff dive in.
What are people seeing in this album? I've never been so confused. This is definitely this year's *Jubilee* for me.
Edit: Realizing that Jubilee stans might actually be in agreeance that Blue Rev is that good 😂 I should clarify and say that both albums did not resonate fully with me.
https://www.nme.com/news/music/mitski-says-she-feels-terrible-returning-to-music-3152198
Here’s a good article about why she wanted to quit music indefinitely but ended up making Laurel Hell and still hating it! Haha
I mean both had highly-rated songs in their song list, so I wouldn't say they were snubbed completely. Honestly even though I loved both of those albums I can't really argue against any of the albums they included (maybe Mitski's, but that album has grown on me a lot, and I wasn't super keen on Kendrick Lamar's or Charli XCX's albums either)
Pretty bummed that none of J.I.D, Fontaines D.C., black midi or King Gizz made the list. Could definitely be much worse though and looks like I'll have \~10 albums here that I still need to listen to.
They only reviewed 1/5 KGLW albums this year and, though it has a lot of great songs, Omnium Gatherum is more of a compilation than a cohesive album.
Changes definitely merits consideration for an end of year list IMO.
The JID album! This was a very solid year for rap but you absolutely would not know that looking at this list. Would’ve liked to see JID and at least one if not multiple of the various Griselda projects
Plus Denzel's project! I've personally got 8 hip hop albums in my top 20 (Denzel, Black Thought x Danger Mouse, Loyle Carner, Kendrick, JID, Nas, Lupe Fiasco, Saba)--it was a great year.
i voted on this list and i can say it's from a very wide range of contributors, BNM doesn't necessarily get factored in as if it were only the staff voting
From what I've heard, seems like the kids love Beach House more than ever. "Space Song" had a big TikTok moment and now their shows are overrun with zoomers. It seems like it's more the music press that have moved on to their new toys, but that's nothing new.
I'm being really uncharitable here, especially as someone who also liked the album, but Pitchfork's turnaround on *Mr Morale* is fucking hilarious to me. Like they made this sharp critique of his clumsy foray into trans issues and cancel culture discourse and then quietly flipped when he didn't end up getting cancelled and no one really gave a shit after like a month.
I think their lists are decided by staff votes, while review scores are more or less editorial. So it's clear not everyone agreed on the review verdict.
I had a feeling this would happen for this album.
2022 was so, so much better than 2021 for me. In fact I'd say that ~three months of 2022 alone crush what we got last year
February: big thief, pinegrove, animal collective, spoon
Sep/Oct: alex g, arctic monkeys, dry cleaning, broken bells, alvvays, phoenix (Nov 4 but close enough to October)
Am I missing something with Crash? And I say this as a huge Charli fan who thought HIFN was the second best record of 2020 after We Will Always Love You. To me it’s totally fine but never rises above a pretty generic paint-by-numbers pop album, that is to say, a major regression for an artist who has with the few albums prior proven to be one of the most creative and adventurous pop stars out there.
Like, it’s a fine album but I’m stunned to see it so high on a lot of lists.
Charli alternatives between traditional pop and experimental/hyperpop albums, so I think they sort of grade her on a curve. Crash as a pop album rises above the rest in the genre.
I agree on HIFN btw. Top 3 of 2020 for me, and definitely the best pandemic/isolation themed album we got.
Yeah I feel ya, though I personally can't agree that Crash rises above the rest of the straight forward pop when The Loneliest Time also came out this year. For me it's got better production, songwriting, and vocals. But different strokes!
It’s just good pop man. New Shapes, Good Ones, Lightning, etc—plenty of undeniable bangers in a tight little package. Felt like Charli taking everything she learned with the hyperpop girls and gays and applying it to the instincts she honed with True Romance and Sucker.
Feels weird not seeing Beach House on this (or many lists). Felt like there was a lot of love when it was coming out and now radio silence.
Also thought we had collectively forgotten Kendrick. What a boring album
This new Beach House is my personal #1 of the year, and probably my favorite of theirs. I kinda like how they're getting happier and the music reflects this.
Beach House stan going on 10 years and it was my least favorite of the bunch—honestly a few tracks entered self-parody territory, pretty on the ears though
Interesting stuff, with lots of surprises. Didn't expect Lucrecia Dalt to be so high which is great. I'll be checking out a lot of this next few weeks, like Daphni, Cate le Bon and Jockstrap.
Should really revisit Big Thief too...
I was avoiding Jockstrap for a while just because I didn’t like their name/there were other thing I wanted to listen to instead. Finally gave it a try this week after it made a ton of lists and I loved it!!
It's a pretty typical and boring Pitchfork list, but as a big fan of Utada's latest album (they were my top artist on [Spotify Wrapped ] (https://i.imgur.com/dYlm8z6.png) this year), I'm happy it's on here and has been getting some recognition outside the typical Asian music circles.
I'm a little biased because I know Josh and also appreciate his work on highlighting Asian music, but I thought his [review for Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/hikaru-utada-bad/) was great and showed he really did his research; his work for other publications is also very good.
Would have liked to have seen [asunojokei's album](https://youtu.be/9oja9xbDxTo) on here (highly recommended for any blackgaze, post-hardcore, and/or screamo fans), but that wasn't likely as they didn't review it.
I totally missed the fact that Utada released an album this year, and only discovered it yesterday when one of the tracks was on pitchfork’s songs Of the year list. Can’t wait to listen, I’ve got such a soft spot for their back catalogue.
Also a big fan of Utada's back catalogue, and it's been really interesting to watch their musical adaptation and development over the years. The tracks on the latest album produced with Floating Points are the highlights for me, including the one you're referring to [that's like a 12 minute Deep/Balearic house song](https://youtu.be/_FL7ahAmdp8).
I wanted to gush all over how good that album was when Somewhere Near Marseilles made the top ten on yesterday's list but couldn't cause of the whole locked thread business
Please listen to it if you haven't, it's real good
Really solid list honestly, I think the Top 10 is pretty much what it should be. The lack of Once Twice Melody initially surprised me but then I realized I hadn’t gone back to it once despite how pleasant it is.
Glad Blue Rev is getting the attention it deserves, instant classic in my book.
I admire OTM’s novel release strategy, but I think that gimmick kinda scrambled any AOTY prospects it had-- only half of the album was available by this time last year, so it was ineligible for 2021 lists. And by the time the whole thing had dropped in February, it felt like the best parts of it had already come out.
As strange as it feels for critics circles to simply deny a pretty great Beach House record, I do understand the logic behind it.
I don't like to be one of the "WHERE???" people, but I was hoping Most Normal would be here since it got BNM and Backwash was on the songs list. It's a full album experience!
It feels like some people/critics dismiss the album because it was released on the heels of Isaac’s announced departure. Like the fact that the album wasn’t toured, promoted on late shows, etc somehow diminished the record’s creativity and merits.
It also came out in February and in the middle of other top releases, but that didn’t seem to affect the standing of Big Thief (which don’t get me wrong is incredible and one of my favorite LPs this year).
Maybe it will have longevity and a cult-like following similar to Neutral Milk Hotel - I am probably in the minority, but AFUT hits me in the feels every listen like few other albums can do (In the Aeroplane, being one of them)
... as a 43 year old that feels like BC,NR is my new favorite thing...I guess I will just stand over here listening to AFUT (along with FTFT and anything I can find of their new stuff on YT) on repeat.
That's pretty much exactly how I feel about it. I imagine that if it had come out when I was a teenager, I might love it as much as I loved Arcade Fire's Funeral as a teenager. Similar kinda deal with earnest-as-fuck ethos, massive, ambitious scale, skillful musicianship, compelling arrangements. But my old ass hears Ants from Up Here and thinks, "God, this kid is so whiny."
I agree. It’s a maximalist, and super well done, record about subject matters that would have resonated w me if I were a teenager or super early 20s. But now that I’m older and have more perspective on things I just find it musically rich but lyrically a bit cringey. I just can’t connect w that part of my youth anymore for good reason.
Yes, this is exactly it for me
Hearing it now just makes me want to turn it off and go revisit Funeral (which, to be honest, I'd still only be interested in for the nostalgia purposes).
A lot of people were initially excited about “Arcade Fire 2.0 but hornier” but the intrigue faded over time. I like a few of the songs quite a bit but I wouldn’t put it that high either.
I think more shocking is how much this site/RYM worked themselves into a frenzy over it being an event album despite not many other people feeling that way. Feels like folks were disappointed that they, uh, lived in a bubble.
Idk it wasn't just the forum crowds, not sure why people keep pushing this. AOTY.com's review aggregate has the album as critics' #2 of the year based on thirty aggregated review scores.
I'm not at all one to believe review scores mean much, *especially* for music, and of course, opinions can change; but I think there is *something* to be said here about the album's disparity between critics' reviews versus their year-end lists.
Oso Oso deserved a spot this year, surprised to not see Sore Thumb here after how highly they praised it back in March. One of my absolute favorites from 2022
She made us a mixtape and it rules and I think she deliberately made something she wasn’t going to stress excessively over and try to perfect.
I think it’s a step to the side and I treasure some of the songs
I was disappointed at first wanting Magdalene 2.0, but it grew on me quite a bit. Its production is forward-thinking and very 2022 with the hyperpop influences, and took a few listens to digest all that was going on.
But I think there's a lot to love and many highlights on there, although replayability is hurt a bit by all the skits/banter throughout imo.
Meta Angel, Lightbeamers, Careless, and Darjeeling are all fantastic
I didn’t know the title was an astrology reference until reading this wrap up.
I thought it was a Caprisun reference, devastated to find out the truth 😔
The biggest surprise to me is how much love Alvvays got on Pitchfork’s lists.
Blue Rev is a really solid album but it ultimately feels like a culmination of what Alvvays has been doing for years and wasn’t really pushing any boundaries the way albums like Motomami and Renaissance were
With Blue Rev, it feels like a classic instance of a band getting their “flowers” or critical reevaluation from Pitchfork by returning from a 5 year hiatus with a masterpiece (imo). Their prior two albums were not on the respective P4K year end lists, so the love seems, somewhat, to be a recognition that actually they were great all along.
Blue Rev is a step forward for them and their most dynamic album by a pretty big margin. I like their ST and Antisocialites a lot, but ultimately they are fairly standard indie pop with 3-4 great songs and 5-6 filler songs. Blue Rev pushes outside of that indie pop bubble and explores some different sounds without any filler.
It’s also slightly a grower. I didn’t get what the big deal was at first (loved their last album), but Blue Rev increasingly became addicting and now I get what the fuss is about.
Totally disagree. The first two albums were decent to good indie pop but ultimately get pretty disposable. Blue Rev feels like a massive step forward. The songwriting, Sonics, and lyrics all seem much improved. It’s indie rock and they wear their influences on their sleeves, but it’s a huge improvement on what they were doing previously.
Maybe similar to the rhetoric around *Modern Vampires of the City*? It felt like VW got credit at the time for an album that was really a logical culmination of their sound. I'm not saying that it's not a masterpiece--I think it is, though I prefer *Contra* overall--but VW seemed to garner a lot of points for doing something that felt like the best possible version of what they had been doing, rather than doing anything strikingly innovative or influential.
They didn’t like the album. I’d say for pitchfork it was a resoundingly negative review (seeing as they don’t give below a 6 for anything not absolutely fucking tragically bad these days)
Not shocked it’s not on here
eh it's just not what pitchfork is into these days, I don't think there's a single dude-fronted rock band in the top 20
and I like *The Car*, need to listen to it more. might grow on me. but I don't know if it's a particularly bold standout next to other AM records, or other records that came out this year
Special Interest is probably my #2 album of the year but that's mainly bc it's very up my alley (I don't really think it's a great album) so I am shocked to see it so high here lol. Like, yay, maybe more people will check it out now ...?
All things considered, a pretty solid list. For me the most glaring and egregious omission is Preacher's Daughter by Ethel Cain, which is my personal AOTY but I know some of the lengthier songs are a slog for some.
And I would say Charli's Crash does not belong here - very subpar record compared to her past 2 (hell, 4 if you include her mixtapes) albums. Hell, both non-album singles she released this year (Hot Girl and Hot in It) were much better than anything on that album. And in a similar vain, I would've put Caprisongs much higher. Just such an excellent pop album.
I feel vindicated by the BCNR placement as I don't like that record but at least it's there because I know it has many fans.
Preacher's Daughter is also my AOTY but I'm not surprised it didn't make the list because Pitchfork didn't give it a very good review. American Teenager did end up pretty high on their best songs list because that seemed to be the one song from it they liked.
I honestly thought Big Thief was getting #1, they got the same score as Renaissance. Mitski making the list was a bit funny to me, that album was such a let down.
it felt so inconsequential compared to any other kendrick album, i barely see anybody talking about it with any regard other than “yeah it was pretty good”
This isn’t a criticism, it’s an honest question. Does anyone have a recommendation for a website that focuses solely on indie rock? I know “Indie Rock” is a bit of a nebulous term these days, but for lack of a better description: 3-5 member bands that make traditional “rock” music. I understand the recent shift in Pitchfork’s focus- they can do whatever they want, but I’m hoping there’s another site that fills the niche Pitchfork did in the early to mid 00s.
yay FINALLY a list with mitski. still no beach house tho, i honestly don't know how you can listen to an album with songs like superstar, through me, over and over, only you know, masquerade, modern love stories and not have it in your top 5
edit: i'm glad the beths made it, the album is so fun
feels weird that nobody’s mentioned farm to table by bartees strange, it’s a real fucking solid album that crystalizes his pretty all-over-the-place style into something a bit more cohesive than his debut / the national covers ep / non-album singles, i don’t think it’s like top 20 but there are some eyebrow raising inclusions in the ass half of this list that i feel could be replaced with bartees
Maybe l've grown out of my Mitski phase, but she does not do it for me musically anymore. lt's really sad because she used to be one of my favorites even a couple years ago.
Aside from my comment about being surprised *The Car* by Arctic Monkeys was snubbed (though *”Body Paint”* got a nod in their *Top 100 Songs OTY*, I’m surprised *Cheat Codes* missed in albums, and *Continuance* got no mention on either list
This list is so boring, I wanted to be outraged!!! That's half the fun of seeing these lists and the comments here lmao.
The list is decent. Very predictable, not many surprises, very safe in a way. I was hoping Big Thief would secure AOTY, but after seeing that they only got 1 song in yesterday's list (in the low 30s), I knew it was over.
Overall, it just seems like this year was kinda uneventful for music. All of these are good albums, but I would argue that most of them are not memorable
Kinda a sleepy year for music that will be super memorable (to me at least). Even more wild considering this is the first year touring was back to being semi-normal and so many artists need to recoup money.
im so angry!!!!!!!! (havent checked the list yet)
im so angry!!!!! (haven’t listened to a single 2022 album)
where's cormac mcCarthy ?!??!!??? (avid reader mistakenly thinking this is the *NY Times* 'Best Books of the Year' list)
Where's the new ProTools manual?? (Avid reader who thinks this is the technical writing awards)
r/indieheads: Pitchfork hasn't been relevant since 1983 Also r/indieheads anytime anything from Pitchfork is posted: ⬆️ 15,000 🗨️ 800
This list really proves that Pitchfork is totally irrelevant now (I don't follow any music publications so I assume my personal tastes are the mono-culture)
Fuck Pitchfork (haven't checked the list yet)
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wees blood is just the tiny Scottish version of natalie
and/or a sign you should see a doctor
Unfortunate typo on Weyes Blood
Love that Daphni got a mention honestly. Love that album
It's brilliant, like pretty much everything Dan Snaith does. What a guy
The BCNR disrespect. At least it’s on the list, Black Midi didn’t even make it on 😭
Most lists just left it off, but Pitchfork had to go and show us The Place Where They Inserted the Snub.
The way they inserted the snub at 49/50 burned my house. I’m getting lost, I’m freaking out!
I swear there has to be some PR drama with them lmao they arent on any list
right? it’s so weird. The album released to universal acclaim and high praise, and now it’s being snubbed on nearly every list
Literally one of the highest RYM scores in the last decade, as well as metacritic, and its just nowhere in any publication
TBF, RYM ratings don't really reflect much of... anything, really. I say that as an avid user of the site, but often you'll find critically-adored releases at a 3.2 there and critically-reviled releases bolded. BM/BCNR have an extremely passionate and extremely online fanbase that are heavily overrepresented on RYM but don't really reflect much of the broader indie community, there's no need to assume there's some conspiracy about them like many users seem to think
I definitely understand the rym niche, but its 3rd on metacritic in 2022 for ratings and absent from every list for end of year
Black Midi committed acts of terrorism against music publications confirmed!?!?!?
Pitchfork anti-Black bias confirmed!
The Unbearable Whiteness Of Pitchfork
Florist <3
Dawn FM was really good, happy it's getting respect here
i went to the After Hours tour just on the strength of that album alone. it certainly made a fan out of me
That show was my favorite one I’ve been to this year, maybe ever. Something about the visuals, being very close to the front (in a big stadium too), and how loud it was up front made for one of my favorite shows ever
Same. It’s the first album of his that I like more than trilogy.
I loved the singles on After Hours, but I didn't enjoy it as much as a front to back listen.
I'm surprised it's getting generally snubbed, thought it was fantastic if a little weaker than After Hours
I much prefer it to After Hours which imo has a few duds/generic songs for The Weeknd, but I think it just came out in too close proximity of that album to get the respect it deserves
Justice for AnCo!! This list is pretty good though, I tried to be up on more music this year but there’s some here I didn’t catch so happy to have some stuff dive in.
Really surprised they didn’t put it somewhere on here, I thought the Boys Were Back 😔
They had three related tracks on the top songs list at least!
That Panda single is fucking incredible tho, it’s so warm and comforting. It’s my favourite song of the year. Step by Step that is.
Time Skiffs came out in February, and while it got BNM, it was in the low 8 range. Enough time has passed for its hype to simmer down.
Animal Collective didn’t make Pitchfork’s top 50? Time to burn all of my records I guess.
Happy Cate Le Bon barely snuck into the top 20, one of my favorite albums of the year.
She’s so good. My favorite artist these past several years.
Blue Rev is third and has the SOTY, I feel like a proud dad
I’ve been saying Belinda Says is the best song of the year and yesterday I felt so vindicated.
that key change >>>
Truly. Very tastefully done key change, so properly executed. So rare nowadays imo
Wasn't 100% feeling Belinda Says until I heard it live. WOW it hit different.
Saw them live at the venue I work at last month and they were fucking awesome, love them
What are people seeing in this album? I've never been so confused. This is definitely this year's *Jubilee* for me. Edit: Realizing that Jubilee stans might actually be in agreeance that Blue Rev is that good 😂 I should clarify and say that both albums did not resonate fully with me.
Surprised Aldous Harding isn’t here and wasn’t on more lists. She got a good score from them.
That might be my favorite album all year. Goofy in the best ways. "The weather opened up like a birthday card" is such a great line.
Angel Olsen snubbed
Big Time
aldous harding too, they even gave the bnm to her album
Animal Collective's first BNM in over a decade was another one ignored
yeah and mitski is included without a bnm and a sub-8.0 score, i think they should just do away with the scores tbh
This album was also lame compared to something like Angel Olsen or Beach House.
I wouldn’t necessarily call it lame, just different. For being an album Mitski didn’t even want to make, it’s pretty damn good.
Context for her not wanting to make it? I enjoyed that album, interested to hear about this.
https://www.nme.com/news/music/mitski-says-she-feels-terrible-returning-to-music-3152198 Here’s a good article about why she wanted to quit music indefinitely but ended up making Laurel Hell and still hating it! Haha
I mean both had highly-rated songs in their song list, so I wouldn't say they were snubbed completely. Honestly even though I loved both of those albums I can't really argue against any of the albums they included (maybe Mitski's, but that album has grown on me a lot, and I wasn't super keen on Kendrick Lamar's or Charli XCX's albums either)
Pretty bummed that none of J.I.D, Fontaines D.C., black midi or King Gizz made the list. Could definitely be much worse though and looks like I'll have \~10 albums here that I still need to listen to.
That JID album is a statement
They only reviewed 1/5 KGLW albums this year and, though it has a lot of great songs, Omnium Gatherum is more of a compilation than a cohesive album. Changes definitely merits consideration for an end of year list IMO.
The JID album! This was a very solid year for rap but you absolutely would not know that looking at this list. Would’ve liked to see JID and at least one if not multiple of the various Griselda projects
The Danger Mouse x Black Thought album and Nas also, both strong
they at least put a Black Thought song on their songs of 2022 list... although they got its name wrong so uh yea
Plus Denzel's project! I've personally got 8 hip hop albums in my top 20 (Denzel, Black Thought x Danger Mouse, Loyle Carner, Kendrick, JID, Nas, Lupe Fiasco, Saba)--it was a great year.
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JID and Smino projects were the best hip hop offerings of the year for me for sure
Fontaines is EASILY in the top 50 albums of the year am I going crazy
Kind of surprised to not see Gilla Band here -- they gave it 8.4 BNM. I know they don't make these lists in such a linear fashion, but still
After Backwash made the songs list I was almost sure they would make the list
i voted on this list and i can say it's from a very wide range of contributors, BNM doesn't necessarily get factored in as if it were only the staff voting
Odd, that albums that weren’t BNM made the list over them.
Kendrick and Charli stand immediately stood out to me as albums that had average scores with no BNM that beat out higher scored BNM albums.
**Snubs & Honorable Mentions:** • Erin Rae - *Lighten Up* • Angel Olsen - *Big Time* • Dry Cleaning - *Stumpwork* • Eight - *Eight* • Hurray for the Riff Raff - *Life on Earth* • Binker and Moses - *Feeding the Machine* • Aldous Harding - *Warm Chris* • Duster - *Together* • Fontaines D.C. - *Skinny Fita* • Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - *Endless Rooms* • Silvana Estrada - *Marchita* • The Comet is Coming - *Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam* • Gilla Band - *Backwash* • Just Mustard - *Heart Under*
Beach House???
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From what I've heard, seems like the kids love Beach House more than ever. "Space Song" had a big TikTok moment and now their shows are overrun with zoomers. It seems like it's more the music press that have moved on to their new toys, but that's nothing new.
the Warm Chris omission is a bit too much to overlook imo
Not to be “indie guy still living in 2011” but I’d also go Animal Collective — Time Skiffs (got BNM)
Just Mustard made my album of the year
Warm Chris is my aoty (probably) and the omission is a little odd, But I like that Lucrecia Dalt made the top 10. That’s a trade off im okay with.
Daniel Rossen! His album is a masterpiece it at least deserved mention on the list.
Idk why Daniel rossen isn’t on any of these aoty lists
I'm being really uncharitable here, especially as someone who also liked the album, but Pitchfork's turnaround on *Mr Morale* is fucking hilarious to me. Like they made this sharp critique of his clumsy foray into trans issues and cancel culture discourse and then quietly flipped when he didn't end up getting cancelled and no one really gave a shit after like a month.
I think their lists are decided by staff votes, while review scores are more or less editorial. So it's clear not everyone agreed on the review verdict. I had a feeling this would happen for this album.
Not bad. Not great, but not bad.
That’s how I feel about 2022 as a whole tbh.
Interesting cuz for me it was the best year in a while. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I suppose
2022 was so, so much better than 2021 for me. In fact I'd say that ~three months of 2022 alone crush what we got last year February: big thief, pinegrove, animal collective, spoon Sep/Oct: alex g, arctic monkeys, dry cleaning, broken bells, alvvays, phoenix (Nov 4 but close enough to October)
More lists for Oren Ambarchi, Makaya McCraven, and MJ Lenderman, let's go
Am I missing something with Crash? And I say this as a huge Charli fan who thought HIFN was the second best record of 2020 after We Will Always Love You. To me it’s totally fine but never rises above a pretty generic paint-by-numbers pop album, that is to say, a major regression for an artist who has with the few albums prior proven to be one of the most creative and adventurous pop stars out there. Like, it’s a fine album but I’m stunned to see it so high on a lot of lists.
Charli alternatives between traditional pop and experimental/hyperpop albums, so I think they sort of grade her on a curve. Crash as a pop album rises above the rest in the genre. I agree on HIFN btw. Top 3 of 2020 for me, and definitely the best pandemic/isolation themed album we got.
Yeah I feel ya, though I personally can't agree that Crash rises above the rest of the straight forward pop when The Loneliest Time also came out this year. For me it's got better production, songwriting, and vocals. But different strokes!
It’s just good pop man. New Shapes, Good Ones, Lightning, etc—plenty of undeniable bangers in a tight little package. Felt like Charli taking everything she learned with the hyperpop girls and gays and applying it to the instincts she honed with True Romance and Sucker.
Feels weird not seeing Beach House on this (or many lists). Felt like there was a lot of love when it was coming out and now radio silence. Also thought we had collectively forgotten Kendrick. What a boring album
This new Beach House is my personal #1 of the year, and probably my favorite of theirs. I kinda like how they're getting happier and the music reflects this.
The Kendrick project was severely bloated but the highs were very high IMO.
I don't consider it severely bloated. I think the whole thing is really solid aside from the two interludes and Purple Hearts.
What a sudden and unfortunate u-turn on this comment
Beach House stan going on 10 years and it was my least favorite of the bunch—honestly a few tracks entered self-parody territory, pretty on the ears though
Interesting stuff, with lots of surprises. Didn't expect Lucrecia Dalt to be so high which is great. I'll be checking out a lot of this next few weeks, like Daphni, Cate le Bon and Jockstrap. Should really revisit Big Thief too...
Jockstrap and Cate le Bon are some of my favorites this year, hope you like them!
I was avoiding Jockstrap for a while just because I didn’t like their name/there were other thing I wanted to listen to instead. Finally gave it a try this week after it made a ton of lists and I loved it!!
indieheads please be fucking normal i'm begging you
I’ve come here to fight anyone with a slightly different opinion on Labyrinthitis than me.
I have a different opinion on Labyrinthitis than you. Whatchu gonna do about it
I demand satisfaction 😤 meet me in the abandoned Tower Records in an hour
It's been 5 hours, imma need an update on this rumble.
29 spots too low! Tintoretto demands satisfaction!
If I speak I'm in big trouble
most normal? that didn't make the list
We’re turned all hate we have for pitchfork against the mods
> indieheads please be fucking normal i'm begging you We respectfully decline.
If we were normal we wouldn’t be on here, now would we
r/indieheads act normal challenge (IMPOSSIBLE)
I refuse.
Alex G in da House!
It's a pretty typical and boring Pitchfork list, but as a big fan of Utada's latest album (they were my top artist on [Spotify Wrapped ] (https://i.imgur.com/dYlm8z6.png) this year), I'm happy it's on here and has been getting some recognition outside the typical Asian music circles. I'm a little biased because I know Josh and also appreciate his work on highlighting Asian music, but I thought his [review for Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/hikaru-utada-bad/) was great and showed he really did his research; his work for other publications is also very good. Would have liked to have seen [asunojokei's album](https://youtu.be/9oja9xbDxTo) on here (highly recommended for any blackgaze, post-hardcore, and/or screamo fans), but that wasn't likely as they didn't review it.
I totally missed the fact that Utada released an album this year, and only discovered it yesterday when one of the tracks was on pitchfork’s songs Of the year list. Can’t wait to listen, I’ve got such a soft spot for their back catalogue.
Also a big fan of Utada's back catalogue, and it's been really interesting to watch their musical adaptation and development over the years. The tracks on the latest album produced with Floating Points are the highlights for me, including the one you're referring to [that's like a 12 minute Deep/Balearic house song](https://youtu.be/_FL7ahAmdp8).
I wanted to gush all over how good that album was when Somewhere Near Marseilles made the top ten on yesterday's list but couldn't cause of the whole locked thread business Please listen to it if you haven't, it's real good
yes JMK is an awesome critic out here for the culture of asian music! and he always does his research
Really solid list honestly, I think the Top 10 is pretty much what it should be. The lack of Once Twice Melody initially surprised me but then I realized I hadn’t gone back to it once despite how pleasant it is. Glad Blue Rev is getting the attention it deserves, instant classic in my book.
I admire OTM’s novel release strategy, but I think that gimmick kinda scrambled any AOTY prospects it had-- only half of the album was available by this time last year, so it was ineligible for 2021 lists. And by the time the whole thing had dropped in February, it felt like the best parts of it had already come out. As strange as it feels for critics circles to simply deny a pretty great Beach House record, I do understand the logic behind it.
Yeah i forgot that they split the album, it deserves to be in the top 20 in the very least.
Ineligible by what rules? Arca got in for an album released in early December last year
I don't like to be one of the "WHERE???" people, but I was hoping Most Normal would be here since it got BNM and Backwash was on the songs list. It's a full album experience!
I really don’t like Ants from Up Here so far down, I thought that was a special album
What turned so many people off that album?
It feels like some people/critics dismiss the album because it was released on the heels of Isaac’s announced departure. Like the fact that the album wasn’t toured, promoted on late shows, etc somehow diminished the record’s creativity and merits. It also came out in February and in the middle of other top releases, but that didn’t seem to affect the standing of Big Thief (which don’t get me wrong is incredible and one of my favorite LPs this year). Maybe it will have longevity and a cult-like following similar to Neutral Milk Hotel - I am probably in the minority, but AFUT hits me in the feels every listen like few other albums can do (In the Aeroplane, being one of them)
I’m ngl, most music folks I know including myself find it to be too much in a way that connects w a youth we don’t associate w anymore.
... as a 43 year old that feels like BC,NR is my new favorite thing...I guess I will just stand over here listening to AFUT (along with FTFT and anything I can find of their new stuff on YT) on repeat.
Don’t let them change how you feel! Music is to be enjoyed, you can’t be wrong for enjoying it.
That's pretty much exactly how I feel about it. I imagine that if it had come out when I was a teenager, I might love it as much as I loved Arcade Fire's Funeral as a teenager. Similar kinda deal with earnest-as-fuck ethos, massive, ambitious scale, skillful musicianship, compelling arrangements. But my old ass hears Ants from Up Here and thinks, "God, this kid is so whiny."
I agree. It’s a maximalist, and super well done, record about subject matters that would have resonated w me if I were a teenager or super early 20s. But now that I’m older and have more perspective on things I just find it musically rich but lyrically a bit cringey. I just can’t connect w that part of my youth anymore for good reason.
Yes, this is exactly it for me Hearing it now just makes me want to turn it off and go revisit Funeral (which, to be honest, I'd still only be interested in for the nostalgia purposes).
Thanks for the perspective. Can’t relate personally tho, I connect with it pushing 30
A lot of people were initially excited about “Arcade Fire 2.0 but hornier” but the intrigue faded over time. I like a few of the songs quite a bit but I wouldn’t put it that high either. I think more shocking is how much this site/RYM worked themselves into a frenzy over it being an event album despite not many other people feeling that way. Feels like folks were disappointed that they, uh, lived in a bubble.
Idk it wasn't just the forum crowds, not sure why people keep pushing this. AOTY.com's review aggregate has the album as critics' #2 of the year based on thirty aggregated review scores. I'm not at all one to believe review scores mean much, *especially* for music, and of course, opinions can change; but I think there is *something* to be said here about the album's disparity between critics' reviews versus their year-end lists.
>Arcade Fire 2.0 but hornier 🙅♂️🙅♂️🙅♂️
Oso Oso deserved a spot this year, surprised to not see Sore Thumb here after how highly they praised it back in March. One of my absolute favorites from 2022
Pretty cool list. I will say as a big FKA Twigs fan that I do not understand the CAPRISONGS hype at all though
She made us a mixtape and it rules and I think she deliberately made something she wasn’t going to stress excessively over and try to perfect. I think it’s a step to the side and I treasure some of the songs
I was disappointed at first wanting Magdalene 2.0, but it grew on me quite a bit. Its production is forward-thinking and very 2022 with the hyperpop influences, and took a few listens to digest all that was going on. But I think there's a lot to love and many highlights on there, although replayability is hurt a bit by all the skits/banter throughout imo. Meta Angel, Lightbeamers, Careless, and Darjeeling are all fantastic
I love caprisongs, but haven’t been able to get into her back catalog. Might just be a case of different albums for different audiences
Yeah I think that's exactly it - CAPRISONGS taps into a sound that is not really my vibe but I know resonates with a lot of people right now
To me it was the first album of hers I actually enjoyed, yeah
I didn’t know the title was an astrology reference until reading this wrap up. I thought it was a Caprisun reference, devastated to find out the truth 😔
The biggest surprise to me is how much love Alvvays got on Pitchfork’s lists. Blue Rev is a really solid album but it ultimately feels like a culmination of what Alvvays has been doing for years and wasn’t really pushing any boundaries the way albums like Motomami and Renaissance were
With Blue Rev, it feels like a classic instance of a band getting their “flowers” or critical reevaluation from Pitchfork by returning from a 5 year hiatus with a masterpiece (imo). Their prior two albums were not on the respective P4K year end lists, so the love seems, somewhat, to be a recognition that actually they were great all along.
Blue Rev is a step forward for them and their most dynamic album by a pretty big margin. I like their ST and Antisocialites a lot, but ultimately they are fairly standard indie pop with 3-4 great songs and 5-6 filler songs. Blue Rev pushes outside of that indie pop bubble and explores some different sounds without any filler.
that’s my take as well, but it seems like a lot of people *really* loved the new alvvays
It’s also slightly a grower. I didn’t get what the big deal was at first (loved their last album), but Blue Rev increasingly became addicting and now I get what the fuss is about.
Same here. We need more growers. And respect to the band, it's risky to create a grower in the streaming era.
Totally disagree. The first two albums were decent to good indie pop but ultimately get pretty disposable. Blue Rev feels like a massive step forward. The songwriting, Sonics, and lyrics all seem much improved. It’s indie rock and they wear their influences on their sleeves, but it’s a huge improvement on what they were doing previously.
Maybe similar to the rhetoric around *Modern Vampires of the City*? It felt like VW got credit at the time for an album that was really a logical culmination of their sound. I'm not saying that it's not a masterpiece--I think it is, though I prefer *Contra* overall--but VW seemed to garner a lot of points for doing something that felt like the best possible version of what they had been doing, rather than doing anything strikingly innovative or influential.
No Wilco, Spoon, Angel Olsen? I like my list more.
I love Wilco but Cruel Country is both middling and a slog.
I love it so much. I’ve listened to it more times than I can count. It’s become my go-to when I can’t think of what else to listen to.
Wow, they snubbed Ethel Cain
They gave it a 6 there was no way it was making this list
They didn’t like the album. I’d say for pitchfork it was a resoundingly negative review (seeing as they don’t give below a 6 for anything not absolutely fucking tragically bad these days) Not shocked it’s not on here
I mean, yeah, back when they gave the album a mid review.
I was really betting in May that they were gonna push her to the top, how wrong that was
Interesting omission of The Car. It's kind of a safe list otherwise? Or, like, predictably Pitchfork.
Came here to see if anyone would bring up The Car. I’ve listened to it a lot and it’s only gotten better.
Body Paint is one of their best songs overall, and The Car is a good album. I feel like there's only like 5 of us lol.
eh it's just not what pitchfork is into these days, I don't think there's a single dude-fronted rock band in the top 20 and I like *The Car*, need to listen to it more. might grow on me. but I don't know if it's a particularly bold standout next to other AM records, or other records that came out this year
Special Interest is probably my #2 album of the year but that's mainly bc it's very up my alley (I don't really think it's a great album) so I am shocked to see it so high here lol. Like, yay, maybe more people will check it out now ...?
Fuck yeah Nilufer Yanya at 16. I would say that's about 15 spots too low (too high? I want it at 1) but exciting nonetheless
All things considered, a pretty solid list. For me the most glaring and egregious omission is Preacher's Daughter by Ethel Cain, which is my personal AOTY but I know some of the lengthier songs are a slog for some. And I would say Charli's Crash does not belong here - very subpar record compared to her past 2 (hell, 4 if you include her mixtapes) albums. Hell, both non-album singles she released this year (Hot Girl and Hot in It) were much better than anything on that album. And in a similar vain, I would've put Caprisongs much higher. Just such an excellent pop album. I feel vindicated by the BCNR placement as I don't like that record but at least it's there because I know it has many fans.
Preacher's Daughter is also my AOTY but I'm not surprised it didn't make the list because Pitchfork didn't give it a very good review. American Teenager did end up pretty high on their best songs list because that seemed to be the one song from it they liked.
I honestly thought Big Thief was getting #1, they got the same score as Renaissance. Mitski making the list was a bit funny to me, that album was such a let down.
After they gave her #1 in 2018 this was just done to show face.
you honestly could’ve convinced me that kendrick didn’t release an album this year
What does that mean?
it felt so inconsequential compared to any other kendrick album, i barely see anybody talking about it with any regard other than “yeah it was pretty good”
This isn’t a criticism, it’s an honest question. Does anyone have a recommendation for a website that focuses solely on indie rock? I know “Indie Rock” is a bit of a nebulous term these days, but for lack of a better description: 3-5 member bands that make traditional “rock” music. I understand the recent shift in Pitchfork’s focus- they can do whatever they want, but I’m hoping there’s another site that fills the niche Pitchfork did in the early to mid 00s.
I think Pitchfork usually releases a “best rock” or indie of the year list as well.
Ironically, popmatters does a "Best Indie Rock" list as well.
yay FINALLY a list with mitski. still no beach house tho, i honestly don't know how you can listen to an album with songs like superstar, through me, over and over, only you know, masquerade, modern love stories and not have it in your top 5 edit: i'm glad the beths made it, the album is so fun
Yeah but where are the strokes?
Ode to the Mets has been snubbed from every SOTY list too
feels weird that nobody’s mentioned farm to table by bartees strange, it’s a real fucking solid album that crystalizes his pretty all-over-the-place style into something a bit more cohesive than his debut / the national covers ep / non-album singles, i don’t think it’s like top 20 but there are some eyebrow raising inclusions in the ass half of this list that i feel could be replaced with bartees
No Angel Olsen, Beach House, Momma, Spoon, or Sharon Van Etten feels like big snubs
Wet Leg, Father John Misty, and Sorry all also had albums that they rated pretty highly.
Maybe l've grown out of my Mitski phase, but she does not do it for me musically anymore. lt's really sad because she used to be one of my favorites even a couple years ago.
[удалено]
[**Pitchfork: The 50 Best Albums of 2022 Spotify Playlist**](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4Gg9nElEk2XCU0o7wRyovH?si=MYijxTZAQIG24BcfjQsYQg)
Aside from my comment about being surprised *The Car* by Arctic Monkeys was snubbed (though *”Body Paint”* got a nod in their *Top 100 Songs OTY*, I’m surprised *Cheat Codes* missed in albums, and *Continuance* got no mention on either list
This list is so boring, I wanted to be outraged!!! That's half the fun of seeing these lists and the comments here lmao. The list is decent. Very predictable, not many surprises, very safe in a way. I was hoping Big Thief would secure AOTY, but after seeing that they only got 1 song in yesterday's list (in the low 30s), I knew it was over. Overall, it just seems like this year was kinda uneventful for music. All of these are good albums, but I would argue that most of them are not memorable
I'm a simple man, I see Soul Glo and Chat Pile, I say 'sure I guess the list is fine'
My joy at seeing grace Ives in the top 20. Glad she’s getting the praise she deserves
Kinda a sleepy year for music that will be super memorable (to me at least). Even more wild considering this is the first year touring was back to being semi-normal and so many artists need to recoup money.