Music Suitcase: Favorite Albums of April 2022
What a month this was, with a broad spectrum of styles and a nice international mix within a mostly indie-rock-focused framework. (I’ve been doing this 5 years and April always seems to be all about indie rock.) It’s bizarre how many great albums I haven’t had room to mention here, and great artsits whose new albums I didn’t even get to cause I was focusing on these!
Along with the blog, here’s a playlist with 51 of my favorite songs from April!
Fontaines DC, Skinty Fia
The Irish band’s 3rd album of incisive, poetic post-punk strikes a balance between their full-throttle debut and their slower, hypnotic follow-up. Pithy, philosophical, and trenchant, these are songs whose depth is felt in every measure. One of the greatest lyricists of his generation, Grian Chatten’s thick Dublin accent and unpolished voice sells these songs perfectly, and the whole band is firing on all cylinders. Highlights: “In Ár cGroíthe Go Deo,” “I Love You,” “Jackie Down the Line,” “Skinty Fia”
Jack White, Fear of the Dawn
Jagged and unruly and oozing with swagger, this thematically unified 4th solo record plunges into revelries of textured sounds even as the guitars chug along unstoppably. It’s about as experimental as White could possibly get while still playing to his strength as a guitar hero and rock star, and it’s the most exciting thing he’s done in ages.. Highlights: “Eosophobia,” “Morning Noon and Night,” “That Was Then, This Is Now”
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Omnium Gatherum
Perfectly titled, the Australian band’s 20th album (in just 10 years) is a stylistically symmetrical double album incorporating even more diverse genres — notably among them soul, rap, & hipstery indie pop — often but not always weaving them right into their general psych rock framework. Highlights: “The Dripping Tap,” “Magenta Mountain,” “Evilest Man”
Wet Leg, Wet Leg
Sly and sexually charged with an element of absurdism, this much anticipated debut album by two women — both singer/guitarists — from the Isle of Wight, offers hooky, melodic indie rock and a whole bunch of memorable tunes. Highglihts: “Chaise Longue,” “Supermarket,” “Too Late Now”
Congotronics International, Where’s the One?
This lively, often psychedelic supergroup debut pairs Congolese bands Kasai Allstars and Konono No1 with San Francisco art-rockers Deerhoof, Argentinian comedian turned indie rocker Juana Molina, and more! Highlights: “The Chief Enters Again,” “Super Duper Rescue Allstars,” “Ambulayi Tshaniye”
Pillow Queens, Leave The Light On
Though sutbler and more introspective than their anthem-laden debut, the all-woman Dublin band’s second album still has plenty to say, and dual vocalists Sarah Corcoran and Pamela Connolly‘s melodies’ll have their way with you all the same. Highlights: “Be By Your Side,” “No Good Woman,” “Historian”
Crows, Beware Believers
Mosh-friendly, full tilt gothic post-punk from East London (more punk than post to be sure), the band drives intently onward with noisy guitars and urgent songs on a record both more focused and more charismatic than their debut. Highlights: “Only Time,” “Slowly Separate,” “Healing”
Oumou Sangaré, Timbuktu
Like many Malian musicians, this veteran master of wassoulou music (from which American blues largely sprang) is fundmentally an activist, wrapping her feminism and policital critiques in the form of beautiful, uplifiting songs. Highlights: “Wassulu Don,” “Sira,” “Samara”
Orville Peck, Bronco
The masked, queer country crooner’s music is more polished on his major label debut but it only amplifies his theatricality. Peck’s remarkable voice, of course — a love child of Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash — is the star of the show. Highlights: “The Curse of the Blackened Eye,” “Kalahari Down,” “Any Turn”
Father John Misty, Chloe and the Next 20th Century
Revisiting music from the middle of the 20th century, Josh Tillman stakes his claim as one of the great genre-agnostic songwrtiers of the 21st. While the music is timeless, the lyrics are full of FJM’s usual wry and comic commentary on modern life. Highlights: “Goodbye, Mr. Blue,” “We Could Be Strangers,” “The Next 20th Century”
Sault, Air
A few vocals from Cleo Sol on a couple tracks are the only through-line between Sault’s previous work and this surprise 6th album, as they leap from their usual blend of R&B-funk-dance-etc. into all-orchestral compsoitions with wordless vocals! Highlights: “Air,” “Solar,” “Time Is Precious”
Kurt Vile, (watch my moves)
The Philadelphia artist’s 9th solo album could’ve been self-titled, as profoundly as it embodies the essence of his music. The profoundly lackadaisical vibe of his jangly, easy-ramblin’ psych rock is as calm cool as it gets. Highlights: “Flyin (Like A Fast Train),” “Mount Airy Hill (Gone),” “Wages of Sin”
Spiritualized, Everything Was Beautiful
Echanting in precisely the way Spiritualized have always been, their new album continues to put their charming, British psych rock spin on American musical traidtions (gospel, blues, country) and it’s like an old friend coming to call. Highlights: “Always Together With You,” “The Mainline Song,” “The A Song (Laid In Your Arms)”
Night Palace, Diving Rings
Avery Draut from Athens, GA gets an “A” for arragements on her sophisticated pop debut LP, which chiefly combines chamber pop warm electronic sounds in a variety of dreamy, ethereal and altogether pleasant ways. Highlights: “Enjoy The Moon!,” “Titania,” “Stranger Powers”
Tori y Moi, Mahal
Funky, soulful, psychedelic adventurism with a ton of fun little detours, Chaz Bear’s 8th album as Toro y Moi, roughens up his sound and eschews slick pop production in favor of rock-ier terrain. Highlights: “Postman,” “Clarity,” “Déjà Vu”
Bob Vylan, Bob Vylan Presents The Price Of Life
On their first full-length album, the London duo doubles down on their insurgent grime-punk (“punk/rap” if you’re American) on an album of uncompromisingly militant anthems. Highlights: “Wicked & Bad,” “Take That,” “Health Is Wealth”
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Made In Timeland
A vinyl-only release of mostly instrumental music, originally intended to be played during the intermission of KGLW’s marathon live shows, the band’s 19th record is trippy, synth-laden affair, mostly for die-hard fans, but still fun!
If you’d like to hear just the best of the best, here’s a playlist with 51of my favorite songs from November, which includes selections from the albums above, and some great songs from albums that didn’t make onto my list too — Playlists: Music Suitcase April ‘22
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While we’re here…
Did you enjoy this article? Awesome! It was written by a white guy privileged enough to have time listen to like 40 albums every month and write a blog as a passion project, for free.
If you are white and you are also are privileged enough to have some time on your hands, or some money to donate, please check out some anti-racism resources and help fight the good fight.
Nerding out over music is fun, but let’s not forget that we live in a burning world that needs our help! Black Lives Matter.