Top 128 albums of 2022

7 December 2022 / by Met Radio

Across a wide array of genres and styles, this year’s top albums at CJRU really delivered. Whether it was Pierre Kwenders’ project José Louis and The Paradox of Love, who was also the winner of the Slaight Music Prize, or Tiktok sensation Luna Li’s album Duality, Canadian Indie artists continue to shape the music industry and local radios across Canada. Here’s our top 128 for 2022.

128

Lydia Hol

Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream

(Self-released)

127

Suuns

The Witness

( Secret City )

126

Robin Hatch

T.O.N.T.O.

( Robin Records )

125

Deerhoof

Actually, You Can

( Joyful Noise )

124

Munya

Voyage To Mars

( Luminelle )

123

The Wombats

Fix Yourself, Not The World

( AWAL )

122

Foreign Air

Why Don’t You Feel The Way I Do?

( Nettwerk )

Listen to the track “Anything’s Possible” of Foreign Air’s latest searing EP, and explain why it couldn’t be a chart-topping, limb-moving en masse, musical spectacle a la Cage the Elephant, Glass Animals, Imagine Dragons. This track along with the rest of the EP contains appealing modern sensibilities infused with the best of 90’s west-coast rap, think Dr. Dre and Eminem. The production is seriously top-notch and the songwriting is equally captivating. Foreign Air is undeniable fun. – Boris Bek

121

Gentle Heat

Sheer

( Flesh and Bone)

120

Maia Friedman

Under the New Light

( Last Gang )

119

Jean-Michel Blais

aubades

( Arts & Crafts )

118

Léonie Gray

Who?

( Self-Released )

117

Mntclr

( Self-Released )

116

Cola

Deep In View

( Next Door / Fire Talk )

115

Leyla McCalla

Breaking The Thermometer

( Anti- )

114

Kyla Charter

Edible Flowers

( Self-Released )

113

PUP

THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND

( Little Dipper )

112

Field Guide

Make Peace With That

( Birthday Cake )

Make Peace With That provides an authentic insight into Field Guide‘s mind and relationships. This short but sweet album is a soothing honest narrative of love gone by. Released in the fall of 2021, the album combines warm bare vocals with gentle acoustic guitar and a variety of percussive elements which help to set the scene and create a nostalgic feel. – Nalyn Tindall

Read Nayln’s full review here.

111

Tallies

Patina

( Kanine )

110

The Frightnrs

Always

( Daptone )

109

Sadurn

Radiator

( Run For Cover )

108

Spoon

Lucifer On the Sofa

( Matador )

Lucifer on the Sofa, is another fine example of Spoon’s distinct penchant for steady sonic exploration. They find a new yet familiar sound on this record. It feels intense, visceral, and stems from an era gone by – it’s a proper rock and roll record. – Boris Bek

Find Boris’ full review here.

107

Ellevator

The Words You Spoke Still Move Me

( Arts & Crafts )

106

Fake Shark

Time For the Future

( Light Organ )

105

The Weather Station

How Is It That I Should Look At The Stars

( Next Door )

104

Hot Garbage

RIDE

( Mothland )

103

Ghostkeeper

Multidimensional Culture

( Victory Pool )

102

Chynna Lewis

What Are Friends For?

( Self-Released )

Chynna Lewis’s 2022 EP is a notable contribution to Toronto’s ever-growing R&B scene. Having learned from the likes of Charlotte Day Wilson, Jessie Reyez, and Jully Black, the Taiwan-born artist strings her influences together to form the act of letting go in five contemplative songs. Overall, What Are Friends For? is a question that only ends in a multitude of realizations, each of them a thorough acknowledgement of the past and a bolder recognition of embracing the present self as it continues to learn through and despite love. – Ana Saplala

101

Jasmyn

In The Wild

( Royal Mountain )

100

Ghostly Kisses

Heaven, Wait

( Coyote / Akira )

Calming, dreamy and full of emotions. This 10-song album is all of the above, and more. With her ethereal voice and melancholic lyrics, Ghostly Kisses shows the world what she’s made of with her first album Heaven, Wait. – Sim Dhillon

Read Sim’s full review here.

99

Cedric Noel

Hang Time

( Forward Music Group / Joyful Noise )

98

Simbiyez Wilson

Warrior

( Surkeus Records )

97

Dilettante

( Self-Released)

96

Evan J Cartwright

bit by bit

( Idée Fixe )

95

Jesse Northey

Onion Knight

( Victory Pool )

94

Praises

In This Year: Hierophant

( Hand Drawn Dracula )

93

Tragedy Ann

Heirlooms

( Self-Released )

92

Thanya Iyer

rest EP

( Topshelf )

91

Clever Hopes

Artefact

( Self-Released )

90

yoo doo right

A Murmur, Boundless To The East

( Mothland )

89

Preoccupations

Arrangements

( Flemish Eye )

88

Wet Leg

( Domino )

The album essentially feels like the diary of a twenty-something; It features songs detailing teeth-pulling house parties, unwanted advances, spiralling down social media rabbit holes and ultimately feeling like you’ve taken the wrong path in life. The album shifts from tracks of self-doubt and anxiety to rebellious break-up tunes, forgetting politeness and hitting exes where it hurts. – Ava Wagner

Read the rest of Ava’s review here.

87

Orlando Weeks

Hop Up

( Play It Again Sam )

86

Wild Rivers

Sidelines

( Nettwerk )

85

The Archaics

And I Look To You?

( Self-Released )

84

Les Louanges

Crash

( Bonsound )

83

TV Priest

My Other People

( Sub Pop )

82

Anna Westin

LEV

( AnalogueTrash )

81

Bruno Capinan

Tara Rara

( Self-Released )

Further contributing to an already sonically vast vein of contemporary Brazilian artists, Bruno Capinan follows up their 2020 album Leao Alado Sem Juba with the aptly titled Tara Rara. The Toronto-based Bahian embarks on an exploration of, pun intended, rare desires that come to fruition through lushly arranged dispatches recounting experiences with gender discrimination, and the euphoria that one reaches when coming of age.

Drawing from salient influences of Bossa Nova and the classic Afro-Sambas of Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes, Tara Rara crafts a unique perspective on the word “saudade.” Each of its songs may come from a place of longing for innocence, but ultimately evolves into an acceptance of nostalgia as an indelible proponent in shaping non-binary identity.

Moreover, Tara Rara reimagines the sentiments of Bossa Nova, as Capinan is helped by a slew of elderly, culturally diverse, and predominantly LGBTQ personnel, all of whom set an orchestral backdrop that soundtrack a celebration of fluidity and power. It is a testament to the growth of contemporary Brazilian music, whose artists continue a legacy of collective radicalism in the face of gendered and racial prejudice. Most of all, it is Capinan’s rare desire that fulfills a resonant and spiritual richness all their own – a salute to their longing, for the longevity of their resilience and health. Saude pra saudade, in other words. – Ana Saplala

80

Pierre Kwenders

José Louis & The Paradox Of Love

( Arts & Crafts )

79

Art d’Ecco

After the Head Rush

( Paper Bag )

78

Tops

Empty Seats

( Musique TOPS )

77

OMBIIGIZI

Sewn Back Together

( Arts & Crafts )

76

Enumclaw

Save The Baby

( Luminelle )

75

Alice Phoebe Lou

Child’s Play

( Self-Released )

74

PRIORS

NEWNEWNEW EP

( Brain Gum Records )

73

Monako

In Shapes I-III

( [PIAS] Recordings )

72

Bad Waitress

No Taste

( Royal Mountain )

71

Mauvey

The Florist

( 604 )

70

Beach House

Once Twice Melody

( Sub Pop )

69

Pitted

So Pitted

( Self-Released )

68

Homeshake

Under The Weather

( Dine Alone )

67

The Wilderness of Manitoba

Farewell To Cathedral

( Popguru Sound & Vision )

66

Lisa Leblanc

Chiac Disco

( Bonsound )

65

Vieux Farka Touré and Khruangbin

Ali

( Dead Oceans )

64

Ada Lea

one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden

( Next Door Total )

Exploring the themes of love, loneliness, nostalgia, One hand on the steering wheel, the other sewing a garden is for those going through tough times, feeling lost, and needing a chill pick-me-up. – Mackenzie Walsh

Read Mackenzie’s full review here.

63

Pillow Queens

Leave the Light On

( Royal Mountain )

62

Shad

TAO

( Secret City )

61

T. Gowdy

Miracles

( Constellation )

60

Heaven for Real

Sweet Rose Green Winter Desk Top

( Mint )

59

Men I Trust

Untourable Album

( Self-Released )

58

Steven Lambke

Volcano Volcano

( You’ve Changed )

57

Samantha Savage Smith

Fake Nice

( Saved By Vinyl )

56

Dana Gavanski

When It Comes

( Flemish Eye )

55

Sonia Aimy

Reconnect

( Slammin Media )

54

fanclubwallet

You Have Got To Be Kidding Me

( AWAL )

53

Sloan

Steady

( Yep Roc)

52

Luna Li

Duality

( In Real Life )

Duality acts as a meditation on all things love and loneliness, accompanied by dream-like instrumentals that will make you both yearn for connection, and need nobody but yourself, all in the same beat. – Ava Wagner

Read Ava’s full review here.

51

Bells Larsen

Good Grief

( Next Door )

50

Nature Walk

Dinner Music

( Self-Released )

49

Dream Ethics

Dream Selections

( Self-Released )

48

Ruby Singh

Vox.Infold

( Self-Released )

47

Apollo Ghosts

Pink Tiger

( You’ve Changed )

46

Haviah Mighty

Stock Exchange

( Mighty Gang Inc. )

45

Broken Social Scene

Old Dead Young (B-Sides & Rarities)

( Arts & Crafts )

44

Goodbye Honolulu

( Self-Released )

43

Wine Lips

Mushroom Death Sex Bummer Party

( Stomp Records )

42

JOYFULTALK

Familiar Science

( Constellation )

41

Elaquent

Long Drives To Nowhere

( Urbnet )

40

TOVI

I Keep Floating Away

( Self-Released )

39

Ghost Woman

( Victory Pool )

38

Bonobo

Fragments

( Ninja Tune )

37

No Frills

Downward Dog

( Self-Released )

36

Yves Jarvis

The Zug

( Flemish Eye )

35

The Flatliners

New Ruin

( Dine Alone )

34

Le Couleur

Concorde Deluxe

( Lisbon Lux )

33

Yaya Bey

Remember Your North Star

( Big Dada )

32

Good Fortune

( Self-Released )

31

Sister Ray

Communion

( Royal Mountain )

30

Angel Olsen

Big Time

( Jagjaguwar )

29

Rip Pop Mutant

FLUXUS POP

( Simone )

28

Altameda

Born Losers

( Pheromone )

27

Tess Parks

And Those Who Were Seen Dancing

( Hand Drawn Dracula )

26

Blume

Waves Of Love

( Self-Released )

25

Jane Inc.

Faster Than I Can Take

( Telephone Explosion )

24

Basement Revolver

Embody

( Sonic Unyon )

23

Aquakultre

Don’t Trip

( Forward Music Group )

22

Basia Bulat

The Garden

( Secret City )

21

Katie Tupper

Towards The End

( Arts & Crafts )

20

Heaven for Real

Energy Bar

( Mint )

19

Fake Palms

Lemons

( Hand Drawn Dracula )

18

Deanna Petcoff

To Hell With You, I Love You

( Royal Mountain )

17

Alex G

God Save The Animals

( Domino )

Alex G’s God Save the Animals is an album with music and lyrical content that can be appreciated by longtime fans and curious listeners. Notably, this album is introspective and sentimental, from the perspective of a man in a momentous period of transition. He is leaving his 20s behind and the raw, callow outlook that informed much of his material from the past decade.

The building blocks of Alex G’s signature music style are present: his familiar indie folk and alternative rock sound, bizarre inflection and harmonizing female vocals, with some jarring electronic and hyperpop elements. The latter divided some fans with the release of singles “Blessing” and “Cross the Sea”, but whether you like Alex’s straightforward folk-country material, alt-rock fuzz, or unsettling glitching, he’s put it all together on God Save the Animals. The piano on this album is incredible and the electronic elements create an eerie atmosphere that still feels familiar in the grand scheme of Alex’s music. – Eunice Addo