Undomondo's Best Music of 2022

40 best albums of the year, best EPs, best compilation & reissues and mentions + 200 song playlist that covers 30+ genres !

Hi and welcome to another end of year wrap-up.

I think it’s been more than 15 years of self-induced pain going through around 1000 albums that I’ve listened throughout the year, trying to remember what I thought of each with scarce notes and reminders from my past selves, trying to listen to them once again; while trying to “judge” different music genres against each other to some arbitrary yardstick.

I spent way more time than I would have liked once again to bring you what I consider to be the best of this year. This is my objective take, but of course it’s totally subjective, as I don’t really listen to mainstream music, it would have more of this weird guy playing some kind of fiddle than Beyonce’s new album which everyone’s talking about.

The only thing I can vouch for is, if you were to listen to these albums, you’d like it. (perhaps more than what you have been listening to this year? 🤓) So at the end of this small writeup there will be a 200 song / 15 hour playlist of songs for you to listen..

Please take the time and delve deeper, as these artists are worth your attention, and I spent a LOT of time to make this list!

So here goes:

My crowning albums of 2022 were Norwegian artist Jenny Hval’s art pop masterpiece on 4AD, who I’ve also been lucky to watch live in Primavera this year. Large Plants’s stoner psych album on Ghost Box (which is a new direction for the hauntological label), Nu Genea’s Neapolitan Disco and Mediterranean Funk on their own label. Colombian artist Lucrecia Dalt’s electronic space opera, modern genre bending electro pop music from Rosalia, Stromae, debut album of UK post-punkers Yard Act, Swedish punk/garage boys Viagra Boys who are always on my lists. Two albums from my fave rapper billy woods, and Japanese kraut rockers Minami Deutsch..

I wish I could write about the rest of the 40 albums, the 100 mentions plus the 20 or so metal albums, the compilations, the reissues, the EPs; because why wouldn’t I want to talk to you about why South African jazz is on the rise, or how Delicate Steve’s guitar sound reminds me of The Durutti Column’s Vini Reilly, or how incredible this compilation of Biluka, this Brazilian guy from Quito playing a “leaf??!” in the 60s is or how sad the Yugoslavian immigrant guitarist Branko Mataja’s sound is or how King Gizzard, Sault or billy woods continue to release more than 1 great album a year?…

…But frankly this mail would get too long, you won’t read it, and you’ll all realize once again how big of a music nerd I am, and I really have a family & life and it’s about to be 2023.

So please, take the time to go through this on your own and don’t be content with listening to what Spotify Discover Weekly gives you every week!. (says the guy who made this list on Spotify).

Enjoy, send to your friends and maybe follow this newsletter?

Undomondo’s TOP 40 Albums

Jenny Hval - Classic Objects (Art Pop, Indie, 4AD)
Large Plants - The Carrier (Stoner Rock, Psychedelic, Ghost Box)
Nu Genea - Bar Mediteraneo (Nu Disco, World, NG Records)
Lucrecia Dalt - ¡Ay! (Electronic, Avantgarde, Rvng Intl.)
ROSALÍA - MOTOMAMI (Latin Electro Pop, Columbia)
Stromae – Multitude (Electro Pop, Universal)
billy woods - Aethiopes OR Church (Hip-Hop, Backwoodz Studioz)
Minami Deutsch - Fortune Goodies (Krautrock, Guruguru Brain)
Nduduzo Makhathini - In The Spirit Of Ntu (Jazz, Blue Note)
Muramuke – Muramuke (Electro Pop, Accidental)

Yard Act - The Overload (Post-Punk, Island)
Lalalar - Bi Cinnete Bakar (Indie, Les Disques Bongo Joe)
Pablo’s Eye - A Mountain is an Idea (Ambient, The Florist’s Mum)
Bonobo – Fragments (Electronic, Ninja Tune)
Danger Mouse & Black Thought - Cheat Codes (Hip-Hop, BMG)
Ezra Collective - Where I’m Meant To Be (UK Jazz, Partisan)
Beth Orton - Weather Alive (Indie Pop, Partisan)
Bertrand Belin - Tambour Vision (French Electro Pop, Wagram)
Tim Bernardes - Mil Coisas Invisíveis (Brasil, Folk, Indie, Psychic Hotline)
Noori & His Dorpa Band - Beja Power! (World, Africa, Ostinato)
Viagra Boys - Cave World (Punk, Year0001)
Loris M. Sarid - Seabed-Sunbath (Ambient, Moon Glyph)
Tumi Mogorosi - Group Theory: Black Music (Jazz, New Soil)
TSHA - Capricorn Sun (UK, House, Ninja Tune)
Al-Qasar - Who are We? (World, Indie, Glitterbeat)
Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul - Topical Dancer (Electro Pop, Deewee)
Dry Cleaning - Stumpwork (Post-Punk, Indie, 4AD)
Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You (Folk, Indie, 4AD)
Sault - Earth or 11 OR Untitled (God) (UK Neo Soul, Self Released)
Joseph Allred - The Rambles & Rags Of Shiloh (Folk, Worried Songs)
Meridian Brothers - … & El Grupo Renacimiento (World, Cumbia, Ansonia)
Filho da Mãe - Terra Dormente (Instrumental, Ambient, Omnichord)
Kae Tempest - The Line Is A Curve (Spoken Word, American Rec.)
Kibrom Birhane - Here and There (Jazz, Ethiophia, Flying Carpet)
Kokoroko - Could We Be More (UK Jazz, Afrobeat, Brownswood)
Pneumatic Tubes - A Letter from TreeTops (Electronic, Hauntology, Ghost Box)
Fievel is Glauque - Flaming Swords (Lo-fi Pop, Math Interactive)
Ikue Mori - Tracing the Magic (Electronic, Avantgarde, Tzadik)
Confidence Man - Tilt (UK Electro Pop, Dance, Amplifire Music)
Bill Callahan - YTI⅃AƎЯ (Indie, Folk, Drag City)

BEST COMPILATIONS AND REISSUES

Branko Mataja - Over Fields and Mountains (Numero Group)
Biluka y Los Canibales - Leaf-Playing in Quito, 1960 - 1965 (Honest Jon’s)
Saturno 2000: La Rebajada De Los Sonideros 1962-1983 (Analog Africa)
Broadcast - BBC Maida Vale Sessions (WARP)
Padang Moonrise: The Birth of the Modern Indonesian Recording Industry (1955-69) (Soundway)
Alhaji Waziri Osomah - World Spirituality Classics 3: The Muslim Highlife (Luaka Bop)
Gustavo Yashimura - Living Legend of the Ayacucho Guitar (Hive Mind Records)
Get It Right: Afro, Dub, Funk & Punk Of Recreational Records, 81-82 (Emotional Rescue)
Farben - Textstar+ (Faitiche)
David Toop - Pink Spirit, Noir World (Foam on a Wave)
More Of That Frightful Oompty Boompty Music (Spun Out)
Pierre Barouh and the Saravah Sound (We Want Sounds)
Life Between Islands: Soundsystem Culture: Black Musical Expression In The UK (1973 - 2006) (Soul Jazz Records)

EPS (In Random order)

Molly Lewis - Mirage EP (Exotica, Psychedelic, World)
Steve Gunn - Nakama EP (Guitar, World, Jazz, Folk)
Overmono - Cash Romantic EP (Electronic, Breakbeat, Bass)
Nia Archives - Forbidden Feelingz EP (Electronic, Breakbeat, Bass)
Tropical Fuck Storm - Moonburn EP (Noise Rock)
Liturgy - As the Blood of God bursts the veins of time EP (Post Black Metal)
Sababa 5 - Rali EP (World, Israel, Nu Funk)
Voilaaa - Remixes EP (World, Afro House)
Surprise Chef – Suburban Breeze EP (Indie, Nu Funk)
K-lone - TASTY002EP (Electronic, Bass)
Ustad Noor Bakhsh - Jingul EP (World)

METAL TOP 20

Messa - Close (Doom Metal / Occult Rock)
Wiegedood - There’s Always Blood at the End of the Road (Black Metal)
Det Eviga Leendet - Reverence (Black Metal)
Chat Pile - God’s Country (Noise Rock)
Porcupine Tree - Closure / Continuation (Progressive Rock)

Thrall - Schisms (Black Metal)
Ostots - Madarikazioa (Black Metal)
Krallice - Crystalline Exhaustion (Black Metal)
Crowbar - Zero and Below (Sludge)
Order Of Nosferat - Nachtmusik (Dungeon Synth / Black Metal)
Devoid of Life - Embracing Emptiness (Death Metal)
Thulsa Doom - A Fate Worse than Life (Death, Doom)
Golgothan Remains - Adorned in Ruin (Death Metal)
Grima - Frostbitten (Black Metal)
Wormrot - Hiss (Grindcore)
Pure Wrath - Hymn to the Woeful Hearts (Black Metal)
Russian Circles - Gnosis (Post-Rock)
Absent in Body - Plague God (Doom, Sludge)
Municipal Waste - Electrified Brain (Thrash Metal, Hardcore)
Hath - All that was Promised (Death Metal)
Undeath - It’s time… To Rise from the Grave (Death Metal)

MENTIONS (In Alphabetic Order)

Aldous Harding - Warm Chris (Indie, Folk)
Amanda Whiting - Lost In Abstraction (UK Jazz, Harp)
Anadol - Felicita (Electronic, Psychedelic Pop, Turkish)
Andrew Tuttle - Fleeting Adventure (Ambient, Folk, Americana)
Avram Fefer Quartet - Juba Lee (Jazz, World)
Barthees Strange - Farm To Table (Indie)
Belle And Sebastian - A Bit Of Previous (Indie Pop)
Binker And Moses - Feeding The Machine (Jazz)
Black Country, New Road - Ants From Up Here (Indie, UK)
Black Ox Orkestar - Everything Returns (World, Klezmer)
Cate Le Bon - Pompeii (Electro Pop)
Charles Stepney - Step On Step (Jazz, Vignettes)
Cheer-Accident - Here Comes The Sunset (Post-Rock, Psychedelic)
Comité Hypnotisé - Hiking The Trails Of Mount Muzak (Electronic, Dub)

Cosmic Analog Ensemble - Expo Botanica (Jazz, World, Soundtrack)
Curren$y & The Alchemist - Continuance (Hip-Hop)
Delicate Steve - After Hours (Psychedelic, Guitar, Indie)
Domi & JD Beck – Not Tight (Jazz, Neo Soul)
Ernest Hood - Back to the Woodlands (Ambient, Folk)
Etran De L’Air - Agadez (World, Africa)
Euchan Chon - Worst Contender (Electronic)
Father John Misty - Chloe And The Next 20th Century (Indie, Folk, Pop)
Fatoumata Diawara - Maliba (World, Africa)
Félicia Atkinson - Image Langage (Ambient, Drone)
Fontaines D.C. - Skinty Fia (Indie, Punk)
Gianni Brezzo - Tutto Passa (Nu Jazz, 70’s soundtracks, Downtempo)
Harish Raghavan - In Tense (Jazz)
Ibibio Dance Machine - Electricity (Dance, Funk, Africa, World)
Imarhan - Aboogi (World, Africa)
Immanuel Wilkins - The 7th Hand (Jazz)
Jean Carne, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad - Jazz Is Dead 12 (Jazz)
Jitwam - Third (Electronic, Dance, Indie)

John Carroll Kirby - Dance Ancestral (Jazz, Funk, Modern Soul)
Jon Balke - Hafla (World, ECM, Jazz)
Jonathan Fitoussi & Clemens Hourrière - Möbius (Electronic, Ambient)
Kali Malone - Living Torch (Drone)
Kham Meslien – Fantomes… Futurs (Jazz)
Kikagaku Moyo - Kumoyo Island (Psychedelic Rock, Indie, Japan)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Omnium Gatherum OR Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava (Psychedelic Rock, Indie)
Leyla Mc Calla - Breaking The Thermometer (World)
Little Simz – NO THANK YOU (Hip-Hop, Soul, UK)
Madalitso Band - Musakayike (World, Africa)
Makaya McCraven – In These Times (Jazz)
Marco Benevento - Benevento (Jazz, Funk, Soul)

Maria W. Horn & Sara Parkman - Funeral Folk (Avant, Folk, Psychedelic)
Marxist Love Disco - MLDE (Nu Disco, Funk, Electronic)
Melody’s Echo Chamber - Emotional Eternal (Indie)
Mj Lenderman – Boat Songs (Indie, Punk, Lo-fi)
Mohammad Reza Mortazavi - Prisma (Avant, Experimental)
Oded Tzur - Isabela (Jazz, ECM)
Off! - Free LSD (Punk)
OHYUNG - Imagine Naked! (Ambient, Electronic, Drone)
Pan American - The Patience Fader (Ambient, Post-Rock)
Pjusk & Chihei Hatakeyama - Svaberg (Ambient, Drone)
Pole - Tempus (Electronic, Dubby)
Red Snapper – Everybody Is Somebody (Electronic, Trip-Hop)
Renata Zeiguer - Picnic in the Dark (Indie)

Ribbon Stage – Hit With The Most (Garage Rock)
Roc Marciano & The Alchemist – The Elephant Man’s Bones (Hip-Hop)
Sarah Davachi - Two Sisters (Ambient, Drone)
Şatellites - Şatellites (Turkish, Middle East, Nu Disco)
Seb Wildblood – Do You Feel It Too? (House, Electronic)
Sessa - Estrela Acesa (Indie, Brasil)
Silvana Estrada - Marchita (Indie, Latin)
Silvia Tarozzi & Deborah Walker – Canti Di Guerra, Di Lavoro E d’Amore (Avant)
Sofie Birch - Holotropica (Ambient, Electronic, Drone)
Sophia Subbayya Vastek - In Our Softening (Piano, Instrumental, Minimalist)
Sudan Archives – Natural Brown Prom Queen (Indie, Neo Soul)
Surprise Chef – Education & Recreation (Indie, Jazz Fusion)
The Advisory Circle - Full Circle (Hauntology, Electronic, Ghost Box)

The Lovecraft Sextet - Nights Of Lust (Dark Jazz, Classical)
The Soundcarriers - Wilds (Indie, Psychedelic Rock)
The Zenmenn & John Moods - Hidden Gem (Downtempo, Electronic)
Tigran Hamasyan - Standart (Jazz, Avantgarde)
Vieux Farka Touré & Khruangbin – Ali (World, Funk)
Warsaw Afrobeat Orchestra - Chest (World, Afrobeat)
Wet Leg - Wet Leg (Indie, Pop)
Wøunds - No Beauty In The World (Ambient, Drone)
Yai - Flowers From Home (Electronic, New Age)
Yin Yin - The Age Of Aquarius? (World, Indie)
Zguba - Znój (Ambient, Classical, Drone)

Hope you made it this far!

I know you didn’t!

See you soon!