The AllMusic 2022
Year In Review
Every year somebody proclaims that "Rock Is Dead" but this year's offerings paint a different picture. Plow into the anthemic energy of Gang of Youths, the dark adventures of Jack White (pictured) and the jazzy, mind-bending debut LP from members of Radiohead/Sons of Kemet performing as The Smile.
Alt-J
The Dream
The focused fourth set from the English alt-rock trio takes a typical kitchen-sink approach to sonics with evocative results.
Andrew Leahey / Andrew Leahey & the Homestead
American Static, Vol. 2
Leahey and his crew complete their epic double album with a deeply satisfying set of warm, '70s-indebted rock.
AWOLNATION
My Echo, My Shadow, My Covers and Me
This fun and nostalgic covers set from the alt-rock crew (and some famous friends) mines the music of the '70s, '80s, and '90s.
Billy Talent
Crisis of Faith
The Canadian rock stalwarts process societal issues big and small with this lean burst of punk-inflected anthems.
Bush
The Art of Survival
The revitalized ninth album from the English grunge survivors is their heaviest to date and one of their all-time best.
Dawes
Misadventures of Doomscroller
The California outfit takes a more exploratory approach on their philosophically potent eighth album.
Eddie Vedder
Earthling
A surprisingly joyful and vibrant solo album from Eddie Vedder, filled with superstar cameos.
Gang of Youths
angel in realtime.
A deeply personal and inspiriting third album from the ARIA Award-winning group.
Jack White
Fear of the Dawn
A cacophonic, adventurous album built upon the titular concept of eosophobia.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava
Born out of improvisational studio jams, the album turns out to be one of the band's loosest, most energetic and inspiring to date.
Kula Shaker
First Congregational Church of Eternal Love and Free Hugs
An ambitious, fantastical concept album evoking the '60s British psychedelic era, as well as an older, more chivalric England.
Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires
Old-Time Folks
The fiery Alabama roots rockers get ambitious, develop some studio finesse, and make their first great album.
Marcus King
Young Blood
With the assistance of producer Dan Auerbach, the hotshot guitarist gets back to heavy blues.
Metric
Formentera
A reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic that's tragic, uncertain, and true; their best album yet and a stadium indie triumph.
Michael Rault
Michael Rault
A perfect mix of dreamy ballads, strutting melodies, and folk-psych gems from a transplanted L.A. songwriter with a deep love of McCartney and Nilsson.
Muse
Will of the People
This "greatest hits but not" set intentionally repurposes the band's essential sounds on their tightest effort to date.
Panic! At the Disco
Viva Las Vengeance
The band's seventh album is a love letter to rock & roll, full of knowing exuberance and references to rock's golden gods.
Placebo
Never Let Me Go
Excellent eighth set from the U.K. alt-rock stalwarts that merges pain and paranoia with impeccable production.
Robert De Leo
Lessons Learned
The Stone Temple Pilots bassist offers a rich, reflective record for his solo debut.
Sea Power
Everything Was Forever
The arty U.K. indie rockers change their name and consolidate their strengths on an epic-scale statement of sonic purpose.
Silversun Pickups
Physical Thrills
The invigorated sixth set from the alt-rock foursome lives up to its title with urgency and bite.
Sloan
Steady
The great 13th album from these Canadian power pop heroes shows that sometimes 13 can be a very lucky number.
Soul Glo
Diaspora Problems
The Philadelphia hardcore outfit reveals an intelligence, depth, and thematic complexity that transcends the genre.
Spiritualized
Everything Was Beautiful
This lively set of euphoric cosmic blues serves as both a foil and companion piece to the more subdued album that immediately preceded it.
Spoon
Lucifer on the Sofa
Steeped in the gritty ambience of Austin, the band's tenth album finds new possibilities in rock's traditions.
Tears for Fears
The Tipping Point
Seventeen years after their last outing, the thinking person's pop band return with a diverse, hook-laden collection of poignant, sophisticated pop songs.
Tedeschi Trucks Band
I Am the Moon: III. The Fall
The third of four projected conceptual bi-monthly volumes digs deep into blues, soul, NOLA-funk, and Americana.
The Black Keys
Dropout Boogie
A colorful, lively album that finds the Black Keys expanding their horizons and deepening their grooves.
The Dear Hunter
Antimai
Refreshing jaunt outside the band's long-running Acts series injects brass-backed funk and an array of flourishes to a heady sci-fi concept.
The High Strung
Hannah
Released two decades after its creation, the Detroit indie rock heroes' lost 2002 album is an instant classic.
The Sadies
Colder Streams
Recorded shortly before the death of their lead guitarist, this documents the Canadian roots-psych band at their peak.
The Smile
A Light for Attracting Attention
More than just a side exercise, the Radiohead/Sons of Kemet debut LP is a jazzy, mind-bending rock trip.
Whiskey Myers
Tornillo
Whiskey Myers embrace their Southern roots on this furious, funky, and fun rock & roll record.
Willow
Coping Mechanism
Wildly entertaining collision of heavy music genres that finds Willow evolving yet again with another stylistic shift.
