This is year 17 of doing this list. I love this. You can see that this year is a little abbreviated. I have basically one New Year’s resolution: Listen to more music. In 2025, I didn’t listen to as much as I normally do, and that will change for this year. I think this list is a bit more concise, and I am still very proud of the 50 Songs and the 15 albums. I hope you find something that you like. If I missed something or you really liked something I didn’t, let me know. With all of that stated, this is only my opinion. Enjoy
Freddie Gibbs/The Alchemist – “Ensalada” ft. Anderson.Paak
Bon Iver – “Everything Is Peaceful Love”
Saba/No ID – “Woes of the World”
Japanese Breakfast – “Mega Circuit”
Tame Impala – “Afterthought”
Viagra Boys – “Uno II”
Youth Lagoon – “Football”
Hayley Williams – “Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party”
Waxahatchee/Kevin Morby – “You Found Me”
Doesone – “Restaurant Not”
Viagra Boys – “The Bog Bag”
Larry June/2 Chainz/The Alchemist – “I Been”
Perfume Genius – “It’s a Mirror”
Clipping. “Welcome Home Warrior” ft. Aesop Rock
Turnstile – “DULL”
Danny Brown – “Copycats”
Wet Leg – “mangetout”
Larry June/2 Chainz/Alchemist – “I Been”
Wet Leg – “CPR”
Oklou – “blade bird”
Drugdealer/Weyes Blood – “Real Thing”
Hayley Williams – “Ice In My OJ”
Tunde Adebimpe – “Drop”
JID – “VCRs” ft. Vince Staples
Viagra Boys – “Man Made of Meat”
McKinley Dixon – “Sugar Water” ft. Quelle Chris & Anjimile
This Is Lorelei – “Dancing in the Club” ft. MJ Lenderman
Tame Impala – “Dracula”
Chance Pena – “Good Love Die”
Turnstile – “I CARE”
Black Country, New Road – “Besties”
Destroyer – “Hydroplaning Off the Edge…”
Freddie Gibbs/The Alchemist – “1995”
Benny the Butcher – “Hood on Fire” ft. Bruiser Wolf
Wolf Alice – “The Sofa”
Turnstile – “Birds”
Pimp Jong ILL/Sev Seveer – “Rareware”
Tame Impala – “End of Summer”
Tunde Adebimpe – “Magnetic”
Bruiser Wolf – “Tubi”
JID – “WRK”
The Last Dinner Party – “Count the Ways”
Bruiser and Bicycle – “Part of the Show”
Mac DeMarco – “Shining”
Bon Iver – “SPEYSIDE”
Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band – “New Threats…”
Clipse – “Birds Don’t Sing” ft. John Legend
Wednesday – “Elderberry Wine”
Squid – “Building 650”
Destroyer – “Bologna” ft. Fiver
Mac Miller – “Funny Papers”
Panchiko – “Shandy in the Graveyard” ft. billy woods
Curren$y – “Zack Morris Phone” ft. Bruiser Wolf
Sharon Van Etten – “Trouble”
Previous Industries – “West Coast Video” ft. Open Mike Eagle/Video Dave
Freddie Gibbs – “Nobody”
Indigo De Souza – “Heartthrob”
Jalenn. – “art major”
Horsegirl – “Frontrunner”
Saya Gray – “LIE DOWN”
Nourished by Time – “9 2 5”
Little Simz – “Free”
Geese – “Taxes”
Lauren Auder – “yes”
Tunde Abedimpe – “God Knows”
Sam Fender – “Rein Me In”
THE ANXIETY – Meet Me At Our Spot” ft. WILLOW/Tyler Cole
McKinley Dixon – “We’re Outside, Rejoice!”
Blood Orange – “The Field” ft. A Bunch of People
Youth Lagoon – “Speed Freak”
Water From Your Eyes – “Playing Classics”
Qudeca – “MONDAY”
Jesse Welles – “War Isn’t Murder”
15. The Last Dinner Party – From the Pyre
14.Youth Lagoon – Rarely Do I Dream
13.Bruiser and Bicycle – Deep Country
12.JID – God Does Like Ugly
11.Tunde Adebimpe – Thee Black Boltz
10.Tame Impala – Deadbeat
9.McKinley Dixon – Magic, Alive!
8.Viagra Boys – viagr aboys
7.Hayley Williams – Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party
6.Wet Leg – moisturizer
5.Bon Iver – SABLE, fABLE
4.Bruiser Wolf – MADE BY D___
3.Clipse – Let God Sort Em Out
2. Freddie Gibbs – Alfredo 2
1.Turnstile – NEVER ENOUGH
Turnstile – NEVER ENOUGH
Turnstile took my 2025 by storm. I was not aware of how good they are until I heard “MYSTERY” from their 2021 album, GLOW ON. I was hooked. I couldn’t wait to hear NEVER ENOUGH. When you anticipate something so much, the payoff is rarely this satisfying. I loved this album so much that my Spotify Wrapped was basically all NEVER ENOUGH. I am not embarrassed by that; you are. It is a beautiful album that is soft, dreamy, noisy, and well, hardcore. The balance of dreamy vocals and traditional hardcore instrumentation is done to perfection. I was lucky enough to see them live this year as well. What an incredible live band. I highly suggest that you go see them, but do some arobics before you do. It was fun, but it made me want to work out more so that I am ready for the next one. Give it and GLOW ON a listen. I have now moved on to the rest of their catalog and have gotten on a cardio plan to make sure I don’t have a heart attack at the next show.
This is the 16th Year of making this end-of-year list. You can see all of the previous lists HERE. What keeps me doing this is that it drives me to find new music and I always have a unique variety filled with new artists/bands I never heard of previously. Music will always be interesting if you pay attention. I will always do this and hope anyone who clicks through the list finds something they like. We are putting the final touches on the 2024 End of Year Zine as well. Guest lists and other pieces will be in the zine. You can find them in your local NWI coffee shop. Read them, take notes, then give them to your friends. If you see a batch, you should consider yourself lucky. They’re very limited (printing is very expensive). 2025 is already shaping up to be an amazing year for music. Can’t wait!
10. Future Islands – People Who Aren’t There Anymore
9. Vampire Weekend – Only God is Above Us
8. Tyler, The Creator – CHROMAKOPIA
7. Father John Misty – Mahashmashana
6. Vince Staples – Dark Times
5. The Last Dinner Party – Prelude to Ecstasy
4. Helado Negro – PHASOR
3. Anderson Paak. & NxWorries – Why Lawd?
2. Kendrick Lamar – GNX
1. IDLES – TANGK
IDLES – TANGK
My #1 Album of the Year comes from Bristol post-punk band, IDLES. This is a band that I have been following for several years now and several of their albums have cracked my Top 10. If you have never listened to them, this album is a great way to start. Also, try Joy as an Act of Resistance. On TANGK, the band ties in some electronic sounds that they have been dabbling with on the last few projects. I personally think they are at their best with their “post-punk” songs but these variations on TANGK are well done and I hope it keeps the band innovating going forward. They have a knack for making catchy music while having something profound to say. I have said it before, this is great “entry-level” punk. I got a chance to see them live this year as well. They were AMAZING! So much energy, passion, and joy. I can’t wait to see them again. IDLES have been prolific, releasing almost one album a year. They haven’t shown any indication of slowing down. They are filled with love and joy when they play and you can see and feel it. This album is about love and joy while still being intense and beautifully loud. I love this band. I hope they make 100 more albums and tour until the wheels fall off.
Here are the 100 Best Songs of 2024. I try to listen to as many genres as I can. But, you will notice that some bands/artists repeat. I can’t help it. Those were the best songs of the year. I listened to them a lot.
This is the 15th Year of doing this end of year list. You can see all of the lists HERE. I love doing it throughout the year and then put this together at the end of the year. What keeps me doing this is that it drives me to find new music and I always have a unique variety filled with new artists/bands I never heard of previously. I will always do this and hope anyone who clicks through the list finds something they like. We are putting the final touches on the 2023 End of Year Zine as well. We will have those printed in the next week or so. Those can be found on our site, in our Big Cartel Store, and at local shops around NWI. The more you support, the more often we will put on music and zines. 2024 is already shaping up to be an amazing year for music. Can’t wait!
25. Kara Jackson – Why Does the Earth Give Us People To Love?
24. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – V
23. Aesop Rock – Integrated Tech Solutions
22. Danny Brown – Quaranta
21. Black Thought/El Michaels Affair – Glorious Game
20. Kurt Vile – Back to Moon Beach
19. Nourished by Time – EP 2
18. Killer Mike – Michael
17. Gorillaz – Cracker Island
16. The Alchemist/Larry June – The Great Escape
15. Open Mike Eagle – another triumph in ghetto engineering
14. The Lemon Twigs – Everything Harmony
13. Jenny Lewis – Joy’All
12. Indigo De Souza – All of This Will End
11. Tennis – Pollen
10. Mach-Hommy/Tha God Fahim – Notorious Dump Legends Vol. 2
9. Geese – 3D Country
8. Sampha – Lahai
7. Blockhead – The Aux
6. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – Weathervanes
5. McKinley Dixon – Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?
4. Genesis Owusu – STRUGGLER
3. billy woods/Kenny Segal – Maps
2. Local Natives – Time Will Wait For No One
1.Sufjan Stevens – Javelin
Best Album of 2023
Sufjan Stevens – Javelin
My #1 Album of the Year comes from multi-instrumentalist legend, Sufjan Stevens, Javelin. This album is so beautiful, sad, heartfelt, and a masterpiece. Sufjan has been making his beautiful brand of music for over 20 years now. His music is always layered, well composed, and well recorded. Javelin is no different. This album is my favorite since Carrie and Lowell and Come on Feel the Illinoise Both of which would make it on my top albums of all time if I were to ever make that type of list. This album’s subject matter is sad and deeply personal. Sufjan was and is going through the grief of the loss of his partner along with having his own medical issues. He captures it perfectly on this project with a gentleness at times (“Will Anybody Ever Love Me?”) and ultimate power at others (“Shit Talk”). The first words of the album are “Goodbye Evergreen” which sets the mood and also is a heart-wrenching opening. We can all relate to loss of love. Sufjan is able to express this pain and hurt in such a beautiful and meaningful way. I highly recommend this album. I genuinely think it is a masterpiece.
100. Nourished by Time – “Shed That Fear”
99. Young Fathers – “Drum”
98. Kara Jackson – “pawnshop”
97. Indigo De Souza – “You Can Be Mean”
96. billy woods/Kenny Segal – “Soft Landing”
95. JPEGMAFIA/Danny Brown – “Scaring the H#@s”
94. Home is Where – “yes! Yes! A thousand times yes!”
93. King Krule – “Seaforth”
92. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – “Layla”
91. Danny Brown – “Celibate” ft. MIKE
90. Tennis – “Forbidden Doors”
89. Sufjan Stevens – “Goodbye Evergreen”
88. Fever Ray – “Shiver”
87. Ratboys – “The Window”
86. The Lemon Twigs – “Any Time of Day”
85. Armand Hammer – “The Gods Must Be Crazy” ft. El-P
84. Teezo Touchdown – “Sweet” ft. Foushee
83. Dave – “Sprinter” ft. Central Cee
82. Feist – “Love Who We Are Meant To”
81. Kara Jackson – “dickhead blues”
80. Blonde Redhead – “Snowman”
79. Mitski – “My Love Mine All Mine”
78. billy woods/Kenny Segal – “Year Zero” ft. Danny Brown
77. ANOHNI – “It Must Change”
76. feeble little horse – “Freak”
75. Zach Bryan – “I Remember Everything” ft. Kacey Musgraves
74. The Alchemist/Larry June – “Solid Plan”
73. El Michels Affair/Black Thought – “Grateful”
72. Killer Mike – “DON’T LET THE DEVIL” ft. El-P, thankugoodsir
71. Turnstile/BADBADNOTGOOD – “Mystery”
70. Tierra Whack – “Chanel Pit”
69. Lola Young – “Conceited”
68. Open Mike Eagle – “the grade prize…” ft. Video Dave, STILL RIFT
67. El Michels Affair/Black Thought – “The Weather”
66. MIKE/Wiki/The Alchemist – “Mayors a Cop”
65. Romy – “Loveher”
64. Danny Brown – “Bass Jam”
63. Sampha – “Dancing Circles”
62. boygenius – “Emily I’m Sorry”
61. Kurt Vile – “Another good year for the roses”
60. Noname – “namesake”
59. Indigo De Souza – “The Water”
58. McKinley Dixon – “Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?” ft. Ms. Jaylin Brown
57. Girl and Girl – “Dance Now”
56. Olivia Rodrigo – “vampire”
55. Mac DeMarco – “20200817 Proud True Toyota”
54. Home Is Where – “floral organs”
53. King Krule – “Flimsier”
52. Girl and Girl – “All I See”
51. Local Natives – “NYE”
50. billy woods/Kenny Segal – “FaceTime” ft. Samuel T. Herring
49. Latern – “Every Moment”
48. Aesop Rock – “Kyanite Toothpick” ft. Hanni El Khatib
47. Local Natives – “Desert Snow”
46. Blockhead – “Now That’s…Posse Cut” ft. Bruiser Wolf, Danny Brown, billy woods, Despot
45. Mustafa – “Name of God”
44. Big Thief – “Vampire Empire”
43. Tyler, The Creator – “DOGTOOTH”
42. The National – “Eucalyptus”
41. Fever Ray – “What They Call Us”
40. Caroline Rose – “Love Song For Myself”
39. Mach-Hommy/Tha God Fahim – “From Vailsburg to Vaudeville”
38. The Alchemist/Larry June – “Art Talk” ft. Boldy James
37. Paramore – “This Is Why”
36. Genesis Owusu – “The Old Man”
35. Gorillaz – “Cracker Island” ft. Tame Impala/Bootie Brown
34. Feist – “Hiding Out in The Open”
33. Gorillaz – “Cracker Island” ft. Thundercat
32. Lana Del Rey – “Let The Light In” ft. Father John Misty
31. slowthai – “Sooner”
30. boygenius – “Emily I’m Sorry”
29. Caroline Rose – “Everywhere I Go I Bring the Rain”
28. The National – “Tropic Morning News”
27. Tennis – “Let’s Make a Mistake Tonight”
26. The Alchemist/Larry – “Palisades, CA”
25. Blockhead – “Papi Seeds” ft. Bruiser Wolf”
24. Geese – “Cowboy Nudes”
23. McKinley Dixon – “Sun, I Rise” ft. Angelica Garcia
22. Genesis Owusu – “The Roach”
21. Baby Keem/Kendrick Lamar – “The Hllbillies”
20. Mach-Hommy/Tha God Fahim – “Bad Hands”
19. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – “Nadja”
18. Nourished by Time – “Daddy”
17. Troye Sivan – “Rush”
16. Jenny Lewis – “Psychos”
15. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – “King of Oklahoma”
14. Geese – “3D Country”
13. Sufjan Stevens – “Shit Talk”
12. Killer Mike – “SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS” ft. Andre 3000/Future/Eryn Allen Kane
11. Sampha – “Spirit 2.0”
10. jonatan leandoer96/Frederik Valentin – “Rivers of Another Town”
9. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – “Save the World”
8. Geese – “I See Myself”
7. McKinley Dixon – “Run, Run, Run”
6. Local Natives – “Empty Mansions”
5. Indigo De Souza – “Smog”
4.Genesis Owusu – “Leaving The Light”
3. Thundercat/Tame Impala – “No More Lies”
2. The Lemon Twigs – “Corner Of My Eye”
1.Sufjan Stevens – “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?”
Check out all of the songs here on this Spotify List – CLICK HERE
Albums/Artists I look forward to coming out with material in 2024 – Confirmed
The year 2023 was a year to behold for those who enjoy video games. In the modern “review” era we live in, it was unprecedented how many quality games were released. Many legendary franchises had high quality releases that lived up to the hype and maybe none bigger than The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Nintendo managed to take their landmark release, Breath of the Wild, and make a sequel that improved on it in just about every possible way with new mechanics allowing an unparalleled amount of creativity. Staying on the topic of Nintendo, after a highly successful box office appearance, Mario made his return but in a brand new 2D platformer with Super Mario Wonder. After nearly four decades, Nintendo still manages to reinvent and come up with something fresh with Mario. Outside of the two tent pole franchises, the long awaited Pikmin 4 was finally released in 2023 to generally positive fanfare.
Outside of Nintendo, there was still no shortage of massive releases in 2023. The iconic Final Fantasy franchise released its latest numbered entry with Final Fantasy XVI. Despite returning to its high fantasy roots, XVI went with more of an action approach over a classic RPG approach. Despite some shortcomings, I found it to be in a step in the right direction and with its more mature plot line, I wonder if development began in the middle of the Game of Thrones zeitgeist. 2005’s legendary Resident Evil 4 got the remake treatment that Capcom has been giving previous titles in the series. Despite having a massive shadow to stand in, the remake managed to stand shoulder to shoulder with the original with enough differences to ensure the 2005 version can bring a unique experience.
Spider-Man 2 and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor established two quality second acts for major licensed titles. Chained Echoes and Sea of Stars scratch any dormant itches that 90s SNES RPG fans might have. Speaking of the 90s, Street Fighter (Street Fighter 6) and Mortal Kombat (Mortal Kombat 1) both had new releases showing they still have what it takes to stand tall. Finally, I can’t finish without mentioning the game that was many’s best of the year, Baldur’s Gate 3. I barely scratched the surface myself, but amount of ambition and content for a release without any sort of predatory anti consumer practices is something that would be more welcome. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you manage to get invested in BG3, no question you’ll have a great and fully immersive and unique experience.
Justin Christopher Poulin
Songs: 1. Nourished By Time – “The Fields” 2. Jessie Ware – “Begin Again” 3. Noname – “namesake” 4. Mitski – “My Love Mine All Mine” 5. Lana Del Rey – “A&W”
Albums: 1. billy woods & Kenny Segal – Maps 2. Jeff Rosenstock – HELLMODE 3. M. Sage – Paradise Crick 4. Loraine James – Gentle Confrontation 5. Agriculture – Agriculture
Rodney Waxton
FAVORITE 2023 ALBUMS 01 – JPEGMafia & Danny Brown – SCARING THE HOES 02 – Babytron – 6 03 – LaRussell – Hustlenomics 04 – Westside Gunn – And Then You Pray For Me 05 – Larry June & The Alchemist – The Great Escape 06 – Mickey Diamond – Death Threats 07 – Estee Nack – Nacksaw Jim Duggan 08 – billy woods & Kenny Segal – Maps 09 – Conway the Machine – Won’t He Do It 10 – Earl Sweatshirt – Voir Dier
Cocktails + Culture – Virtina S.
Zack Fox – “Dummy” Ai could neva-The Dragon Sisters – “Ai could neva” Doja Cat – “Paint the Town Red” Queens of the Stone Age – “Paper Machete” Sexy Red – “Skeeyee” Earl Sweatshirt, The Alchemist, Vince Staples – “The Caliphate”
Alec Boyd
Andre 3000 – New Blue Sun Andy Shauf – Norm Being Dead – When Horses Would Run Cut Worms – Cut Worms Feist – Multitudes Lil Yachty – Let’s Start Here Mac DeMarco – Five East Hot Dogs Noname – Sundial Nude Party – Ride On Olivia Rodrigo – GUTS
Jim Warner
Ironsides – Chasing Light Alanna Royale – Trouble Is Larry June & The Alchemist – The Great Escape Jpeg Mafia & Danny Brown – Scaring the Hoes Kendra Morris – I am What I’m Waiting For Panopticon – The Rime of Memory None – Inevitable El Michels Affair & Black Thought – The Glorious Game Yussef Dayes – Black Classical Music Bully – Lucky For You
Keith Gough
1. Bell Witch – Future’s Shadow Part 1: The Clandestine Gate 2. Krallice – Porous Resonance Abyss 3. Panopticon – The Rime of Memory 4. Downfall of Gaia – Silhouettes of Disgust 5. Wreathe – The Land Is Not An Idol God 6. Ulthar – Anthronomicon / Helionomicon 7. Katatonia – Sky Void of Stars 8. Horsewhip – Consume and Burn 9. Svalbard – The Weight of the Mask 10. With Honor – Boundless
I want to wish everyone a happy holiday season. This year saw our label pause. It wasn’t for any other reason other than time. We have artists and projects forthcoming. We promise. It has been so great to see the wonderful support from the community along with friends and family.
As we go forth into 2023, hopefully you find something that brings you joy. Read more, unplug, drink more water, drink more water, listen to great music, go for a walk, enjoy your family and friends.
The 100 songs are on Spotify: J + R Best of 2022
In the zine you will find: 25 Best Albums, 100 Best Songs, Contributions from Friends, Top Video Game List, Top Books, and some great local art.
As always, please let me know your favorites for the year. I can’t hear everything. From what I’ve heard, here are my lists.
15. Open Mike Eagle – Component System with Audio Reverse
14. Death Cab For Cutie – Asphalt Meadows
13. JID – The Forever Story
12. SZA – SOS
11. Freddie Gibbs – $oul $old $eparately
10. Kurt Vile – (watch my moves)
9. Alex Cameron – Oxy Music
8. Denzel Curry – Melt My Eyez See Your Future
7. billy woods – Aethiopes
6. Ka – Languish Arts
5. Beach House – Once Twice Melody
4. Father John Misty – Chloe and the Next 20th Century
3. Danger Mouse and Black Thought – Cheat Codes
2. Saba – Few Good Things
1.Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers
Best Album of 2022
Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
My #1 Album of the Year comes from California rapper, Kendrick Lamar, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. I, along with the rest of the world, have been waiting for Kendrick to release music for the last five years. This album isn’t perfect, but it still has a ton of great tracks. He is still doing creative things and pushing the boundaries of content in the mainstream. He is talking about mental health and navigating our endlessly complicated world. He also has a track about transgender family members and how the church and his family treated them. No one in the mainstream is doing things like that. For an artist of his stature to write about this very sensitive topic, it’s huge. Kendrick is a special artist. I kept going back to this album over and over. In our hypercritical world, we want to find the flaws in everything. Just put it on and enjoy listening to one of the greatest artists of our lifetime. Cherish it.
92. DOMi & JD BECK – “TAKE A CHANCE” ft. Anderson. Paak
91. Pusha T – “Neck & Wrist” ft. JAY-Z and Pharrell
90. Conway the Machine – “Stressed” ft. Wallo267
89. Joey Bada$$ – “Survivors Guilt”
88. Tierra Whack – “Heaven”
87. Steve Lacy – “Bad Habit”
86. Bo and the Locomotive – “How Did You Get My Name?”
85. JID – “Dance Now” ft. Kenny Mason
84. Cate Le Bon – “Harbour”
83. Father John Misty – “We Could Be Strangers”
82. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – “Magenta Mountain”
81. Big Thief – “Simulation Swarm”
80. Khruangbin/Leon Bridges – “B-Side”
79. Alvvays – “Belinda Says”
78. Animal Collective – “Royal and Desire”
77. Death Cab for Cutie – “Roman Candles”
76. Defcee/Boathouse – “Rossi” ft. Armand Hammer
75. Spoon – “The Hardest Cut”
74. Julia Jacklin – “I Was Neon”
73. The Weeknd – “Out of Time”
72. Beyonce – “CUFF IT”
71. Open Mike Eagle – “79th and Stony Island”
70. Alex G – “After All”
69. Father John Misty – “Goodbye Mr. Blue”
68. Alex Cameron – “Best Life”
67. Ka – “Full Cobra”
66. Defcee/Boathouse – “Boxing Bullets” ft. Solarfive
65. Whitney – “REAL LOVE”
64. Open Mike Eagle – “For DOOM”
63. Death Cab for Cutie – “Here to Forever”
62. JID – “Stars” ft. Yasiin Bey
61. Bill Callahan – “First Bird”
60. Still Woozy – “Pool” ft. Remi Wolf
59. Destroyer – “All My Pretty Dresses”
58. Julia Jacklin – Lydia Wears a Cross”
57. Daniel Rossen – “Shadow in the Frame”
56. JID – “Surround Sound” ft. 21 Savage, Baby Tate
55. Open Mike Eagle – “Burner Account” ft. Armand Hammer
54. SZA – “Low”
53. Ka – “Ascension”
52. Wet Leg – “Chaise Longue”
51. Local Natives – “Desert Snow”
50. Arctic Monkeys – “There’d Better Be a Mirrorball”
49. Kurt Vile – “Like Exploding Stones”
48. Denzel Curry – “Melt Session #1” ft. Robert Glazer
47. Freddie Gibbs – “Gold Rings” ft. Pusha T
46. Kendrick Lamar – “Savior” ft. Baby Keem
45. SZA – “SOS”
44. Local Natives – “Just Before The Morning”
43. SZA – “Ghost in the Machine” ft. Phoebe Bridgers
42. Black Country, New Road – “Chaos Space Marine”
41. billy woods – “Heavy Water” ft. El-P, Breeze Brewin
40. Kendrick Lamar – “Silent Hill” ft. Kodak Black
39. Danger Mouse/Black Thought – “Strangers” ft. A$AP Rocky, Run the Jewels
38. Wet Leg – “Being In Love”
37. Black Country, New Road – “The Place Where He Inserted the Blade”
36. billy woods – “Sauvage” ft. Boldly James
35. Future Islands – “Kind of Sweden”
34. Mitski – “The Only Heartbreaker”
33. Ka – “No Reservations”
32. Beach House – “Once Twice Melody”
31. Whitney – “BLUE”
30. Phoenix – “Tonight” ft. Ezra Koenig
29. Kurt Vile – “Hey Like A Child”
28. Kendrick Lamar – “Auntie Diaries”
27. Denzel Curry – “Walkin”
26. Alex Cameron – “K Hole”
25. Phoenix – “Alpha Zulu”
24. Alex G – “Runner”
23. Sudan Archives – “Home Maker”
22. Beach House – “Superstar”
21. Saba – “Survivor’s Guilt” ft. G Herbo
20. Kurt Vile – “Goin on a Plane Today”
19. Destroyer – “June”
18. Alex Cameron – “Sara Jo”
17. Yeah YeahYeahs – “Spitting Off the Edge of the World” ft. Perfume Genius
16. Danger Mouse/Black Thought – “Because” ft. Joey BadA$$
15. Kendrick Lamar – “N95”
14. Father John Misty – “Funny Girl”
13. billy woods – “Versailles” ft. Despot
12. Saba – “Fearmonger” ft. Daoud
11. The Weeknd – “Gasoline”
10. Beach House – “Pink Funeral”
9. Tierra Whack – “Dolly”
8. Kendrick Lamar – “United In Grief”
7. SZA – “Kill Bill”
6. Braxe + Falcon – “Step By Step”
5. Freddie Gibbs – “Feel No Pain” ft. Anderson. Paak
4. Danger Mouse/Black Thought – “Belize” ft. MF DOOM
3. Black Country, New Road – “Concorde”
2. Father John Misty – “Buddy’s Rendezvous”
1. Kendrick Lamar – “The Heart Part 5”
Check out all of the songs here on this Spotify List
Albums I look forward to coming out in 2023
Danny Brown – XXXX
Noname – Factory Baby
Frank Ocean – TBA
Local Natives – TBA
Pleasant Surprises/Underrated
Black Thought & Danger Mouse – Cheat Codes – I didn’t know this was in the works. Black Thought is so talented and the production fits. Wet Leg – Wet Leg – Catchy, brash, funny.
Ka – Languish Arts – Overlooked and brilliant. Highly recommend his whole catalog.
Best Videogames of 2022 by @DSKALBA
–Elden Ring: This will be the popular choice for Game of the Year for many outlets. Fromsoft’s trademark punishing gameplay mixed with a vast open world adventure and somehow worked beyond what anyone could imagine. The developers made a decision to trust the player and allows them to explore at their own pace, every corner is met with treasures, traps, monsters and more. Elden Ring will unquestionably be a game that will be discussed for years to come.-God of War
Ragnarok: Yeah, between this and Elden Ring these are pretty basic choices. The truth is this is the other pillar of 2022. The journey between the now stoic father, Kratos, and his growing son Atreus finds them traveling the nine realms of Norse mythos and running into a fun cast of characters on the way. This is a true AAA level game with an engaging story and satisfying gameplay. It very much is an extension of the 2018 release and that’s not a bad thing.
–Live A Live: I love SNES era Squaresoft RPGs. When it was announced that it not only was getting a western release for the Switch, but getting remade in SquareEnix’s “2D-HD” engine, I was instantly on board. You get to choose from 7 stories taking place in various eras. Each has its own unique flavor and are no more than a few hours per story, easily digestible. From being an old west gunslinger to being a robot in the distant future in a virtually non combat story. This definitely lived up to the quality Square was known for in the 90s.
–Cult of the Lamb: Every year we will get some indie releases that shine with the big releases and show true creativity. Massive Monster made their make with Cult of the Lamb this year. On surface it might look like a cut cartoonish game with animal characters, but instead of building a village like Animal Crossing you run a cult. The hook is it takes the popular “rouge like” style gameplay and fills in the time between runs with a building simulation. The result of that combo creates a rather addicting gameplay loop with some humorous moments.
–Tunic: The inspiration of Tunic is no secret. The Zelda influences at the forefront with some Fromsoft style gameplay. Tunic is a nice blend of a modern isometric adventure with some old school NES mixed in. You’ll find yourself collecting manual pages that look like they are pulled straight out of an NES package. These pages are filled with tips, maps, and clues that will help the player move on. To get the most out of the experience I would recommend using the hints given by the game and maybe even a pencil and paper to capture that essence of what it was like to play a game in the 80s.
Best Of 2022 by Justin Christopher Poulin
Top 10 Albums
1. Quinton Barnes – For the Love of Drugs 2. Big Thief – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You 3. Jockstrap – I Love You Jennifer B 4. Jairus Sharif – Water & Tools 5. ROSALÍA – MOTOMAMI 6. black midi – Hellfire 7. Nick Storring – Music From Wéi 成为 8. Gallery S/MoMA Ready – HOA020: No Future For Cowardice 9. Black Country, New Road – Ants From Up There 10. ulla – foam
Top 10 Tracks 1. Jockstrap – “Concrete Over Water” 2. Ghais Guevara – “Patrisse Cullors Stole My Lunch Money” 3. Big Thief – “The Only Place” 4. Black Country, New Road – “Concorde” 5. Animal Collective – “Strung With Everything” 6. Duval Timothy – “Mutate” 7. Destroyer – “June” 8. Kendrick Lamar – “The Heart Part 5” 9. Caroline Polachek – “Billions” 10. MJ Lenderman – “Hangover Game”
Best Of 2022 by Rodney Waxton
Favorite 2022 Albums
1.Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
2.Westside Gunn –Hitler Wears Hermes 10
3.Lupe Fiasco – Drill Music in Zion
4.Curren$y & Alchemist – Continuance
5.Roc Marciano & Alchemist – The Elephant Man’s Bones
Jugo + Rada Records 