The Wire's Releases of the Year 2022

On the cover: 2022 Rewind : the year in underground music: Releases Of The Year : We asked our contributors to nominate their top ten records, CDs, downloads and streams of the year, then we added up the votes; Columnists’ Charts : Our specialist critics excavate all crevices of the culture for this year’s most exciting music, from hiphop to modern composition; Books, Films & Events : Emily Bick surveys the year in print, cinema, audiovisual arts and live performance; Critics’ Reflections : Wire writers discuss their cultural highs and lows for 2022. Archive Releases Of The Year : Our contributors voted for their top ten archival records, CDs, downloads and streams, and we counted them all up. Plus: The New Vaudeville : Funny games. By Stewart Smith; Turntablists : Spin cycles. By Rob Turner; Climate : Burning issues. By Phil England; Healing Sounds : Good vibrations. By Emily Pothast; Invisible Jukebox : Kali Malone : Our mystery record selection pulls out all the stops for the composer and organist. Tested by Derek Walmsley. Also inside this issue: Unlimited Editions : REC-on; Unofficial Channels : Xenwiki; Venus Ex Machina ; Daniel Bachman ; Kraus ; Heith ; The Inner Sleeve by Gaye Su Akyol ; Epiphanies by Meg Baird ; many pages of reviews and much more.

Source

Rank Album Artist Info
#1 ¡Ay! Lucrecia Dalt Oct-14-2022, Art Pop
#2 Jazz Codes Moor Mother Jul-01-2022, Abstract Hip Hop
#3 Music for Four Guitars Bill Orcutt Sep-02-2022, Totalism
#4 Shebang Oren Ambarchi Sep-30-2022, Post-Minimalism
#5 Living Torch Kali Malone Jul-07-2022, Drone
#6 Two Sisters Sarah Davachi Sep-09-2022, Drone
#7 Aethiopes Billy Woods Apr-08-2022, Abstract Hip Hop
#8 Fossora Björk Sep-30-2022, Art Pop
#9 Canti di guerra, di lavoro e d‘amore Silvia Tarozzi, Deborah Walker Jun-10-2022, Italian Folk Music
#10 Wat Dong Moon Lek Carl Stone May-20-2022, Plunderphonics
#11 Fragility of Sounds Various Artists Jun-15-2022,
#12 Diaspora Problems Soul Glo Mar-25-2022, Hardcore Punk
#13 Warm Chris Aldous Harding Mar-25-2022, Chamber Pop
#14 Living Sky Sun Ra Arkestra Oct-07-2022, Avant-Garde Jazz
#15 Almanac Behind Daniel Bachman Nov-18-2022, Ambient Americana
#16 Comradely Objects Horse Lords Nov-04-2022, Experimental Rock
#17 Belladonna Mary Halvorson May-13-2022, Chamber Jazz
#18 Mondays at The Enfield Tennis Academy Jeff Parker Oct-28-2022, Jazz Fusion
#19 Never Stop Texting Me More Eaze, claire rousay Feb-11-2022, Hyperpop
#20 Broken Gargoyles Diamanda Galás Aug-26-2022, Experimental
#21 The Actress Vanessa Rossetto Aug-05-2022, Field Recordings
#22 Conduit Coby Sey Sep-09-2022, Experimental Hip Hop
#23 Cry Sugar Hudson Mohawke Aug-12-2022, Electronic Dance Music
#24 Hostile Architecture Ashenspire Jul-21-2022, Avant-Garde Metal
#25 Versions of Modern Performance Horsegirl Jun-03-2022, Slacker Rock
#26 Paste Moin Oct-28-2022, Experimental Rock
#27 A Light for Attracting Attention The Smile May-13-2022, Art Rock
#28 Symphonic Tone Poem for Brother Yusef Bennie Maupin, Adam Rudolph Jun-17-2022, New Age
#29 Occam XXV Éliane Radigue & Frédéric Blondy Mar-04-2022,
#30 The Eventual Window Robert Storey Nov-26-2021,
#31 Ima ایما Tegh, Adel Poursamadi Jul-22-2022, Electroacoustic
#32 Lightwork Devin Townsend Nov-04-2022, Progressive Rock
#33 Antiphony of the Trees Laura Cannell Mar-11-2022, Chamber Music
#34 Chasing the Phantom Dewa Alit & Gamelan Salukat Jul-22-2022,
#35 Henki Richard Dawson, Circle Nov-26-2021, Progressive Rock
#36 Devotional The Lord † Petra Haden Oct-21-2022,
#37 The Afrorack Afrorack May-27-2022, Acid Techno
#38 The Elephant Man's Bones Roc Marciano, The Alchemist Aug-26-2022, Gangsta Rap
#39 Psychonautic Escapism The Ephemeron Loop May-20-2022, Epic Collage
#40 Tuqoos Julmud Mar-30-2022,
#41 Drumming Up Trouble Alvin Curran Sep-02-2022, Plunderphonics
#42 Mirage Colony N Chambers Jan-31-2022, Ambient
#43 Ama Gogela Phelimuncasi May-13-2022, Gqom
#44 Say Laura Eric Chenaux Feb-18-2022, Singer-Songwriter
#45 Bečvou Tomáš Niesner Apr-01-2022, Ambient
#46 FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE Brian Eno Oct-14-2022, Ambient Pop
#47 The Hands of Grace Ishmael Reed Oct-25-2022, Jazz
#48 Ghosted Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling, Andreas Werliin Apr-15-2022, Avant-Garde Jazz
#49 Fault Lines Deliluh Jun-10-2022, Post-Punk
#50 Bajascillators Bitchin Bajas Sep-02-2022, Post-Minimalism
Markdown

| Rank | Album | Artist | Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | ¡Ay! | Lucrecia Dalt | Album, Oct-14-2022, Art Pop |
| #2 | Jazz Codes | Moor Mother | Album, Jul-01-2022, Abstract Hip Hop |
| #3 | Music for Four Guitars | Bill Orcutt | Album, Sep-02-2022, Totalism |
| #4 | Shebang | Oren Ambarchi | Album, Sep-30-2022, Post-Minimalism |
| #5 | Living Torch | Kali Malone | Album, Jul-07-2022, Drone |
| #6 | Two Sisters | Sarah Davachi | Album, Sep-09-2022, Drone |
| #7 | Aethiopes | Billy Woods | Album, Apr-08-2022, Abstract Hip Hop |
| #8 | Fossora | Björk | Album, Sep-30-2022, Art Pop |
| #9 | Canti di guerra, di lavoro e d‘amore | Silvia TarozziDeborah Walker | Album, Jun-10-2022, Italian Folk Music |
| #10 | Wat Dong Moon Lek | Carl Stone | Album, May-20-2022, Plunderphonics |
| #11 | Fragility of Sounds | Various Artists | Album, Jun-15-2022,  |
| #12 | Diaspora Problems | Soul Glo | Album, Mar-25-2022, Hardcore Punk |
| #13 | Warm Chris | Aldous Harding | Album, Mar-25-2022, Chamber Pop |
| #14 | Living Sky | Sun Ra Arkestra | Album, Oct-07-2022, Avant-Garde Jazz |
| #15 | Almanac Behind | Daniel Bachman | Album, Nov-18-2022, Ambient Americana |
| #16 | Comradely Objects | Horse Lords | Album, Nov-04-2022, Experimental Rock |
| #17 | Belladonna | Mary Halvorson | Album, May-13-2022, Chamber Jazz |
| #18 |  Mondays at The Enfield Tennis Academy | Jeff Parker | Album, Oct-28-2022, Jazz Fusion |
| #19 | Never Stop Texting Me | More Eazeclaire rousay | Album, Feb-11-2022, Hyperpop |
| #20 | Broken Gargoyles | Diamanda Galás | Album, Aug-26-2022, Experimental |
| #21 | The Actress | Vanessa Rossetto | Album, Aug-05-2022, Field Recordings |
| #22 | Conduit | Coby Sey | Album, Sep-09-2022, Experimental Hip Hop |
| #23 | Cry Sugar | Hudson Mohawke | Album, Aug-12-2022, Electronic Dance Music |
| #24 | Hostile Architecture | Ashenspire | Album, Jul-21-2022, Avant-Garde Metal |
| #25 | Versions of Modern Performance | Horsegirl | Album, Jun-03-2022, Slacker Rock |
| #26 | Paste | Moin | Album, Oct-28-2022, Experimental Rock |
| #27 | A Light for Attracting Attention | The Smile | Album, May-13-2022, Art Rock |
| #28 | Symphonic Tone Poem for Brother Yusef | Bennie MaupinAdam Rudolph | Album, Jun-17-2022, New Age |
| #29 | Occam XXV | Éliane Radigue & Frédéric Blondy | Album, Mar-04-2022,  |
| #30 | The Eventual Window | Robert Storey | Album, Nov-26-2021,  |
| #31 | Ima ایما | TeghAdel Poursamadi | Album, Jul-22-2022, Electroacoustic |
| #32 | Lightwork | Devin Townsend | Album, Nov-04-2022, Progressive Rock |
| #33 | Antiphony of the Trees | Laura Cannell | Album, Mar-11-2022, Chamber Music |
| #34 | Chasing the Phantom | Dewa Alit & Gamelan Salukat | Album, Jul-22-2022,  |
| #35 | Henki | Richard DawsonCircle | Album, Nov-26-2021, Progressive Rock |
| #36 | Devotional | The Lord † Petra Haden | Album, Oct-21-2022,  |
| #37 | The Afrorack | Afrorack | Album, May-27-2022, Acid Techno |
| #38 | The Elephant Man's Bones | Roc MarcianoThe Alchemist | Album, Aug-26-2022, Gangsta Rap |
| #39 | Psychonautic Escapism | The Ephemeron Loop | Album, May-20-2022, Epic Collage |
| #40 | Tuqoos | Julmud | Album, Mar-30-2022,  |
| #41 | Drumming Up Trouble | Alvin Curran | Album, Sep-02-2022, Plunderphonics |
| #42 | Mirage Colony | N Chambers | Album, Jan-31-2022, Ambient |
| #43 | Ama Gogela | Phelimuncasi | Album, May-13-2022, Gqom |
| #44 | Say Laura | Eric Chenaux | Album, Feb-18-2022, Singer-Songwriter |
| #45 | Bečvou | Tomáš Niesner | Album, Apr-01-2022, Ambient |
| #46 | FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE | Brian Eno | Album, Oct-14-2022, Ambient Pop |
| #47 | The Hands of Grace | Ishmael Reed | Album, Oct-25-2022, Jazz |
| #48 | Ghosted | Oren AmbarchiJohan BerthlingAndreas Werliin | Album, Apr-15-2022, Avant-Garde Jazz |
| #49 | Fault Lines | Deliluh | Album, Jun-10-2022, Post-Punk |
| #50 | Bajascillators | Bitchin Bajas | Album, Sep-02-2022, Post-Minimalism |