It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The end of the year is coming – and with it music nerds, magazines and blogs alike drop their „Records of the Year“ lists. I personally listened to a lot of new music this year. Inspired by a couple of RateYourMusic users I focussed on new releases and discovered a whole bunch of sub-genres I hadn’t delved into that much before.

I believe my list features a few albums most people would consider for their list of 2022 – but a few hidden gems as well

1. SOHN – Trust | 5.0
2. Homeboy Sandman – Still Champion | 4.5
3. Madrugada – Chimes at Midnight | 4.5
4. Black Country, New Road – Ants From Up There | 4.5
5. Benjamin Clementine – And I Have Been | 4.5
6. Sudan Archives – Natural Brown Prom Queen | 4.5
7. Denzel Curry – Melt My Eyez See Your Future | 4.5
8. Chat Pile – God’s Country | 4.5
9. Liminal Shroud – All Virtues Ablaze | 4.5
10. FKA twigs – Caprisongs | 4.5
11. MØ – Motordrome | 4.5
12. Saba – Few Good Things | 4.0
13. Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers | 4.0
14. Bonobo – Fragments | 4.0
15. Nosaj Thing – Continua | 4.0
16. Fred again… – Actual Life 3 | 4.0
17. Alex G – God Save the Animals | 4.0
18. JID – The Forever Story | 4.0
19. Billy Woods – Aethiopes | 4.0
20. Juooyokka – 控え Hikae | 4.0
21. Avantdale Bowling Club – Trees | 4.0
22. George FitzGerald – Stellar Drifting | 4.0
23. Vastatum – Mercurial States of Revelation | 4.0
24. Blaudzun – Lonely City Exit Wounds | 4.0
25. Nilüfer Yanya – Painless | 4.0
26. Dillon – 6abotage | 4.0
27. Jordfäst – Av stoft | 4.0
28. White Lies – As I Try Not To Fall Apart | 4.0
29. Gaerea – Mirage | 4.0
30. Tove Lo – Dirt Femme | 4.0
31. African-American Sound Recordings – Tamika’s Lodge | 4.0
32. Armada – Anti-Colonial Vol. 2 | 4.0
33. Darvaza – Ascending Into Perdition | 4.0
34. Foxtails – Fawn | 4.0
35. Yearning – MMXXII | 4.0
36. Nas – King’s Disease | 4.0
37. Charli XCX – Crash | 4.0
38. Calexico – El Mirador | 4.0
39. Sofía Reyes – Mal de Amores | 4.0
40. Die wilde Jagd – Atem | 4.0
41. Flora Purim – If You Will | 4.0
42. Wiegedood – There’s Always Blood at the End of the Road | 4.0
43. Nneka – Love Supreme | 4.0
44. Herhums – Humming in Chaos | 4.0
45. Birds In Row – Gris Klein | 3.5
46. Westside Gunn – 10 | 3.5
47. Silvana Estrada – Marchita | 3.5
48. Alvvays – Blue Rev | 3.5
49. Built To Spill – When the Wind Forgets Your Name | 3.5
50. AURORA – The Gods We Can Touch | 3.5
51. Fly Anakin – Frank | 3.5
52. Muggs x Rigz – Gold | 3.5
53. black midi – Hellfire | 3.5
54. Ludovico Einaudi – Underwater | 3.5
55. Combo Chimbita – Ire | 3.5
56. Curren$y x Alchemist – Continuance | 3.5
57. Ezra Furman – All Of Us Flames | 3.5
58. Lucius – Second Nature | 3.5
59. Cat Power – Covers | 3.5
60. Mona Evie – Chó Ngồi Đáy Giếng | 3.5
61. Pinegrove – 11:11 | 3.5
62. Sea Power – Everything Was Forever | 3.5
63. Bloc Party – Alpha Games | 3.5
64. Drug Church – Hygiene | 3.5
65. Koffee – Gifted | 3.5
66. Everything Everything – Raw Data Feel | 3.5
67. Devourer – Raptus | 3.5
68. Yard Act – The Overload | 3.5
69. Modern Studies – We Are There | 3.5
70. RZA & DJ Scratch – Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater | 3.5
71. CMAT – If My Wife Knew I’d Be Dead | 3.5
72. Weyes Blood – And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow | 3.5
73. Jockstrap – I Love You Jennifer B | 3.5
74. Derya Yildirim & Grup Simsek – Dost 2 | 3.5
75. Kokoroko – Could We Be More | 3.5
76. Aurora Borealis – Prophecy Is the Mold in Which History Is Poured | 3.5
77. Tom Odell – Best Day of My Life | 3.5
78. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Return of the Dream Canteen | 3.5
79. Get Well Soon – Amen | 3.5
80. Nimo – Moonboy | 3.5
81. Mercy Union – White Tiger | 3.5
82. The Afghan Whigs – How Do You Burn? | 3.5
83. V Don & Willie The Kid – Deutsche Marks 3 | 3.5
84. Wormrot – Hiss | 3.5
85. Drake & 21 Savage – Her Loss | 3.5
86. Kamra – Cerebral Alchemy | 3.5
87. Brian Eno – FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE | 3.5
88. Forests – Get In Losers, We’re Going to Eternal Damnation | 3.5
89. Benthik Zone – εἴδωλον | 3.5
90. The Weeknd – Dawn FM | 3.0
91. Arctic Monkeys – The Car | 3.0
92. alt-J – The Dream | 3.0
93. Soichi Terada – Asakusa Light | 3.0
94. La Femme – Teatro Lúcido | 3.0
95. Daniel Rossen – You Belong There | 3.0
96. Spoon – Lucifer on the Sofa | 3.0
97. Zooey Wonder – 游牧 (Nomadland) | 3.0
98. Malevolence – Malicious Intent | 3.0
99. Years & Years – Night Call | 3.0
100. R.A.P. Ferreira – 5 to the Eye with Stars | 3.0