Musoscribe’s Best of 2022: New Releases
2022 has been another great year for new music. Even with everything else going on, I’ve reviewed nearly 120 new albums this year on Musoscribe. And in compiling my annual best-of (okay, my favorites), it’s been a predictably challenging exercise. To whittle the list down to five, I’ve made a couple of arbitrary (read: unreasonable) rules for myself. The most significant one of those is not to include any artists I’ve named as a best-of in the last couple of years. That meant knocking two truly excellent albums off the list: Maple Mars’ Someone’s Got to Listen and Trees Speak’s Vertigo of Flaws. Both are nonetheless highly recommended.
With that out of the way, here are my top five new releases of 2022, along with links to full reviews of each. (They’re not ranked; they’re listed her in alphabetical order.)
Robert Berry’s 3.2 – Alive at ProgStock carries the progressive torch of solo Keith Emerson into the current day, courtesy of one of his creative collaborators.
The Comet is Coming – Hyper-dimensional Expansion Beam somehow finds a way to combine EDM textures and a Sun Ra musical sensibility, coming up with some of the most original and compelling music you’re likely to encounter.
GA-20 – Crackdown – I’m on record as rolling my eyes at guitar-and-drums duos. But this blues outfit is so exceptionally good that they merit an exception. (review and feature coming soon)
April March – In Cinerama is a delightfully retro album that underscores just how great “pop” music can truly be when it’s done with intelligence, sophistication and feeling.
The New Mastersounds – The Deplar Effect is the latest by one of the most engaging bands out there. And on this record, they’ve completely integrated a vocalist, with excellent results.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4500-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he taught a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.