Where does the time go?
We’re about to hit the midpoint of another year, yet it feels like I’ve barely had a chance to breathe since January. Though I’ve had to slow down our coverage a bit to accommodate the ups and downs of life, that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been plenty of music to get excited about in 2022. Below you’ll find seven records that caught my ear over the past month and a half. As always, these albums are just the tip of the iceberg; there are many albums I’ve loved but just haven’t had the time to fully digest and write up.
We’ll be back next week with a look back at the year so far, where we’ll highlight our favorite releases (some of which may be on this list). Until then, thanks for reading.
Nevver – 999
When I first stumbled upon “Tu Boca Mordiéndome El Labio”, the lead single off Nevver’s debut album 999, I was instantly smitten. A moodier, more skeletal take on the Drain Gang aesthetic, its skittering beats and mopey vocals were addictive. The full album pushes this sound in a number of directions, from haunted dance floor bangers to lonely bedroom confessionals. It may not be for everyone, but if this description sounds at all up your alley I guarantee it will not disappoint.
Say Sue Me – The Last Thing Left
Korea has long asserted global musical dominance via its pop star machine, but Busan based band Say Sue Me feel out of step with their country’s most recognizable sonic exports. The group first rose to international prominence with their 2018 album Where We Were Together, but the band soon suffered many setbacks in the face of their success: founding band member Semin Kang tragically passed away in 2019, and soon after the COVID-19 pandemic ground live music and touring to a halt. In spite of these hardships, the band has emerged stronger than ever on their latest album. The group’s vision of pop allows doo wop harmonies to exist next to fuzzed out indie rock; seeped in nostalgia with a healthy dose of melancholy, it’s a near pitch perfect contribution to the modern indie rock canon.
Linda Ayupuka – God Created Everything
Despite the prevalence of streaming, it’s simply mind boggling to consider the sheer volume of recorded music that will always remain just outside of your digital grasp. Sites like Awesome Tapes From Africa or Syrian Cassette Archives let you see the tip of that iceberg, documenting hyper local or national scenes largely driven by physical media. Linda Ayupuka could easily have remained unknown to Western audiences; though it’s not uncommon to hear her voice emanating from car or portable speakers in her home region Bongo, an area in the northeast of Ghana, prior to her debut album the only readily available recordings of her music could be found on the 2019 compilation This Is Fra Fra Power. The eight tracks that make up God Created Everything are infectious, with Ayupuka’s auto-tuned vocals soaring above complex, percussive polyrhythms. Though many of the lyrics are religious in nature (Ayupuka is largely known as a gospel singer in her home country), the songs would feel as natural on the dance floor as they would in a religious setting. More than anything, it’s music that radiates an infectious sense of joy.
Carl Stone – Wat Dong Moon Lek
Carl Stone has been having something of a late career renaissance over the past few years, and Wat Dong Moon Lek continues his winning streak. His compositions reside deep in the recesses of the uncanny valley, pop music twisted and contorted into a damaged facsimile of itself. Setting his sights on everything from pop (“Rikido”, “Korzo”) to Asian folk music (“Wat Dong Moon Lek”), these tracks honor their source material while transforming it into something shimmeringly strange. Stone’s influence can be heard in a wide range of underground electronic music being made today, and Wat Dong Moon Lek helps cements his status as a living legend.
Crake – Human’s Worst Habits
After months of delay, the debut album from Leeds band Crake finally saw the light of day last week. It’s unfortunate the album’s release date kept getting pushed back, largely because its drawling melodies and barren landscapes feel tailer made for the cold winter months. Crafting a sound somewhere between loner folk and slowcore, the group’s music is centered around the idiosyncratic vocals and storytelling of singer-songwriter Rowan Sandle. Many of the album’s songs grapple with the death of Sandle’s close friend Anna, but she also mixes in lyrics about esoteric flora and fauna like slime mould and brittle starfish. Delicately beautiful and deeply odd, it’s an album that deserves much more attention than it’s received.
Anteloper – Pink Dolphins
I recently read Ursula K LeGuin’s The Left Hand of Darkness for the first time. Set on a planet called Winter, large sections of the book are devoted to describing its familiar yet alien landscapes. As I listened to “One Living Genus”, the closing track on Anteloper’s latest missive Pink Dolphins, I couldn’t help but think of the world LeGuin painted so vividly in her writing. Anteloper’s vision of jazz is wide ranging; they pull in elements of hip hop, psychedelia, punk and more, but more than anything its evocative, music capable of constructing entire planets with a few sonic brushstrokes. As the album’s cover clearly implies, Pink Dolphins is an off kilter sonic journey, a universe unto itself.
Dylan Moon – Option Explore
On his second album, Dylan Moon morphs from idiosyncratic singer songwriter to mad scientist. Option Explore sees Moon largely move away from the folk-inspired songs of his debut album in favor of quirky electronic experimentation. Vaporwave looms large as a sonic touchstone, but the way Moon fashions its sonic fingerprints into pop structures strips the genre of its typically retro vibes and gives it a modern sheen. More than anything there’s a sense of deep artistic restlessness; from the balearic vibes of “Fortuna” to Alex G influenced “I-80”, Moon throws everything at the wall and almost always sticks the landing. It’s clear from Option Explore that Dylan Moon is a sonic chameleon, and it’ll be well worth following him wherever he goes next.