Jugo + Rada Records

End of the Year Review 2024

on January 20, 2025January 20, 2025 By bjovanov85

Hello Everybody!

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!

The 100 Best Songs of 2024 on Spotify: J + R Best of 2024

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.

Enjoy.

All 16 of the J + R Best of Lists HERE

25. Cindy Lee – Diamond Jubilee

24. AMS. – Eddie.

23. Zach Bryan – Great American Bar Scene

22. Fontaines D.C. – Romance

21. JPEGMAFIA – I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU

20. Roc Marciano – Chopsticks

19. MGMT – Loss of Life

18. Tierra Whack – World Wide Whack

17. Local Natives – But I’ll Wait For You

16. Schoolboy Q – Blue Lips

15. Ka – The Thief Next to Jesus

14. Mach-Hommy – #RICHAXXHAITIAN

13. Real Estate – Daniel

12. Bruiser Wolf – My Stories Got Stories

11. Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood

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.

Enjoy.

The 100 Best Songs of 2024 on Spotify: J + R Best of 2024

100. Tierra Whack – “CHANEL PIT”

99. Jessica Pratt – ” Life Is”

98. KA – “Break Wine Body Blood”

97. Freddie Gibbs – “Cosmo Freestyle”

96. Doechii – “CATFISH”

95. Kendrick Lamar – “wacced out murals”

94. Ravyn Lenae – “One Wish” ft. Childish Gambino

93. Hozier – “Too Sweet”

92. A$AP Rocky – “HIGHJACK” ft. Jessica Pratt

91. Ka – “Borrowed Time”

90. Future Islands – “The Tower”

89. Remi Wolf – “Cinderella”

88. Mk.gee – “ROCKMAN”

87. Roc Marciano – “Street Magic”

86. Tyler, The Creator – “Rah Tah Tah”

85. ScHoolboy Q – “oHio” ft. Freddie Gibbs

84. Magdalena Bay – “Image”

83. JPEGMAFIA – “New Black History” ft. Vince Staples

82. MGMT – “Nothing to Declare”

81. Charli xcx – “Girl, so confusing” ft. Lorde

80. CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso – “DUMBAI”

79. Mustafa – “Beauty, end”

78. Haley Heynderickx – “Mouth of a Flower”

77. LCD Soundsystem – “x-ray eyes”

76. Jean Dawson – “Darlin'”

75. Bon Iver – “SPEYSIDE”

74. Tunde Adebimpe – “Magnetic”

73. Good Neighbours – “Home”

72. CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso – “LA QUE PUEDE, PUEDE”

71. The Alchemist – “Ferraris in The Rain Part 2” ft. ScHoolboy Q/Freddie Gibbs

70. Maverick Sabre – “You Don’t Even Need It”

69. Big Sean – “Together Forever”

68. Little Simz – “Mood Swings”

67. AMS. – “Roach”

66. Sampha – “Satellite Business 2.0” ft. Little Simz

65. The Decemberists – “The Reapers”

64. Vampire Weekend – “Gen-X Cops”

63. Tyler, The Creator – “Balloon” ft. Doechii

62. Blockhead – “SERIOUS ABOUT FITNESS”

61. IDLES – “Pop, Pop, Pop”

60. Helado Negro – “I Just Want To Wake Up With You”

59. Bon Iver – “THINGS BEHIND THINGS…”

58. MGMT – “Dancing In Babylon” ft. Christine and the Queens

57. Mannequin P – “I Don’t Know You”

56. Kendrick Lamar – “euphoria”

55. Adrianne Lenker – “Vampire Empire”

54. The Libertines – “Night Of The Hunter”

53. Mount Kimbie – “Empty And Silent” ft. Kind Krule

52. Bruiser Wolf – “Looney Tunes”

51. MJ Lenderman – “Wristwatch”

50. Zach Bryan – “28”

49. IDLES – “Gift Horse”

48. Khruangbin – “Hold Me Up (Thank You)”

47. Ugly (UK) – “Icy Windy Sky”

46. NxWorries – “86Sentra”

45. Mach-Hommy – “#RICHAXXHAITIAN” ft. 03 Greedo

44. Cesar Alvarez – “Normal, IL”

43. Fred again… – “places to be” ft. Anderson. Paak/ CHIKA

42. Sabrina Carpenter – “Please Please Please”

41. Magdalena Bay – “Death & Romance”

40. Waxahatchee – “Bored”

39. Helado Negro – “LFO (Lupe Finds Oliveros)”

38. Bruiser Wolf – “Dope Boy”

37. Clairo – “Sexy to Someone”

36. Warpaint – “Common Blue”

35. AMS. – “Sisyphus (Redux)”

34. Tierra Whack – “IMAGINARY FRIENDS”

33. Karen O. & Danger Mouse – “Super Breath”

32. Kendrick Lamar – “tv off” ft. lefty gunplay

31. Vampire Weekend – “Classical”

30. Vince Staples – “Government Cheese”

29. Georgie Greep – “Holy, Holy”

28. Real Estate – “Water Underground”

27. Father John Misty – “I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All

26. The Last Dinner Party – “Burn Alive”

25. Justice – “One Night/All Night” ft. Tame Impala

24. Declan McKenna – “Mulholland’s Dinner and Wine”

23. Mannequin P – “Loud Bark”

22. Tyler, The Creator – “Thought I Was Dead” ft. ScHoolboy Q

21. Vince Staples – “Black&Blue”

20. Father John Misty – “Screamland”

19. Mach-Hommy – “COLD COPY” ft. Black Thought

18. Tierra Whack – “MOOD SWING”

17. Vampire Weekend – “Capricorn”

16. Waxahtchee – “Right Back to It”

15. Mk.gee – “Alesis”

14. Local Natives – “April”

13. Lola Young – “Messy”

12. NxWorries – “KeepHer” ft. Thundercat

11. Kendrick Lamar – “gloria” ft. sza

10. Real Estate – “Somebody New”

9. Helado Negro – “Best For You and Me”

8. Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”

7. Zach Bryan – “American Nights”

6. Local Natives – “Empty Mansions”

5. Iron & Wine – “All in Good Time” ft. Fiona Apple

4. Future Islands – “Say Goodbye”

3. Fontaines D.C. – “Starbuster”

2. The Last Dinner Party – “Nothing Matters”

1. IDLES – “Roy”

Check out all of the songs here on this Spotify List – CLICK HERE

Albums/Artists I look forward to coming out with material in 2025 – Confirmed

Japanese Breakfast

Mac Miller

Destroyer

Jason Isbell

Not much has been announced. The long promo time in music is dying. People announce and release albums on the same day. I sort of miss the wait.

All of the J + R Best of Lists HERE

PUBLISHED BY BJOVANOV85

UNCATEGORIZED

PREVIOUSVideo of the Week 8/27/2021

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End of the Year Review 2023

on January 15, 2024January 16, 2024 By bjovanov85

Hello Everybody!

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!

The 100 songs are on Spotify: J + R Best of 2023

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.

Enjoy.

All 15 of the J + R Best of Lists HERE

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

Bruiser Wolf

Faye Webster

IDLES

MGMT

Helado Negro

Future Islands

All of the J + R Best of Lists HERE

Buy the J + R Best of 2023 Zine Here – It includes a bunch of extras art, best books and friend lists.

Best Book of 2023 by @ranchgarlicstik

Best Video Games of 2023 According to Dale Skalba

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

PUBLISHED BY BJOVANOV85

UNCATEGORIZED

PREVIOUSVideo of the Week 8/27/2021

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End of the Year Review 2022

on March 30, 2023March 30, 2023 By bjovanov85

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.

Enjoy.

J + R Best of 2022 – Spotify List

All of the J + R Best of Lists HERE

25. Wet Leg – Wet Leg

24. Defcee – For All Debts Public and Private

23. Tierra Whack – R&B?/Pop?/ Rap?

22. Julia Jacklin – PRE PLEASURE

21. The Weeknd – Dawn FM

20. Phoenix – Alpha Zulu

19. Whitney – SPARK

18. Destroyer – LABYRINTHITIS

17. Alex G – God Save the Animals

16. Black Country, New Road – Ants From Up There

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.

100. Saba – “Still” ft. 6LACK and Smino

99. Denzel Curry – “The Last”

98. Danger Mouse/Black Thought – “No Gold Teeth”

97. Khruangbin/Leon Bridges – “Chocolate Hills”

96. The 1975 – “Part of the Band”

95. Seryn – “Magazines”

94.Viagra Boys – “Troglodyte”

93. Aesop Rock/Blockhead/Lupe Fiasco – “Pumpkin Seeds”

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 Yeah Yeahs – “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”