Countdown: The Top 10 Rock Albums of 2022
Upper left: Alvvays; Upper right: Nilüfer Yanya; Bottom left: Big Thief; Bottom right: Special Interest Courtesy of the artists hide caption
The artists who defined 2022 in rock came from a vast stretch of unexpected places. From the pastoral stretches of England's Isle of Wight, to Philadelphia's indie rock circles and the New Orleans punk scene, the bands and singular voices who captured this year did so with plenty of wit and verve.
It's hard to distill how much rock music this team loved this year into just a few albums, but our favorites reflect a year in which big, ambitious personalities and collectives reigned supreme. On this episode of All Songs Considered, host Bob Boilen joins NPR Music's Hazel Cills and Marissa Lorusso to count down the top 10 rock albums of 2022.
Featured songs and artists:
10. Kevin Morby: "This Is a Photograph," from This Is a Photograph
9. Soul Glo: "Jump!! (Or Get Jumped!!!)((by the future))," from Diaspora Problems
8. Special Interest: "Foul," from Endure
7. caroline: "Dark blue," from caroline
6. Hurray for the Riff Raff: "PRECIOUS CARGO," from LIFE ON EARTH
5. Alvvays: "Pharmacist," from Blue Rev
4. Wet Leg: "Angelica," from Wet Leg
3. Nilüfer Yanya: "stabilise," from PAINLESS
2. Alex G: "No Bitterness," from God Save the Animals
1. Big Thief: "Spud Infinity," from Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Honorable mentions:
Angel Olsen, Big Time
Florist, Florist
MJ Lenderman, Boat Songs
Tomberlin, I Don't Know Who Needs to Hear This...