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MUSICSET
Best Music of 2022: The Year in Lists
Un año con Bad Bunny, bad habits and unbroken souls. Our annual running list of top 10s, top 40s, top 50s and top whatevers from around the music universe.
Matty Karas, curator
December 6, 2022
Passion of the Weiss

The POW Best Albums of 2022

Staley Sharples, Jaap van der Doelen, Serge Selenou, Sun-Uni Yum, Evan Gabriel, Will Schube, Pete Hunt, Chris Daly, Patrick Johnson, Ethan Herlock, Max Bell, Sam Ribakoff, Anthony Malone, Will Hagle, Caleb Catlin, Joel Biswas, Liz Sanchez, Matthew Ritchie, Pete Tosiello, Clayton Purdom, Jeff Castilla, Thomas Hobbs, Dash Lewis, Jack Riedy, Kevin Yeung, Peter Holslin, Dean Van Nguyen, Dario McCarty, Michael McKinney, Nitish Pahwa, Isaac Fontes, Alex Swhear, Pranav Trewn, Harley Geffner, Evan Nabavian, David Brake, Jayson Buford, Ross Olson, Abe Beame, Steven Louis, Son Raw, Yousef Srour, Martin Douglas, Donald Morrison, Julian Brimmers & Jeff Weiss
POW, right in the kisser…
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NPR Music

The 50 Best Albums Of 2022

Jewly Hight, John Morrison, Tom Huizenga, Mina Tavakoli, Gabby Bulgarelli, Nate Chinen, Ashley Pointer, Suraya Mohamed, Lars Gotrich, Art Levy, Marissa Lorusso, Stephen Thompson, Ann Powers, Mano Sundaresan, Hazel Cills, Sidney Madden, Andrew Flanagan, Bruce Warren, Stefanie Fernández, Bobby Carter, Christina Lee, Sheldon Pearce, Felix Contreras, Desiré Moses, Robin Hilton, Otis Hart, Rodney Carmichael, Keanna Faircloth, LaTesha Harris, Ayana Contreras, Fi O'Reilly, Grayson Haver Currin, Christina Lee, Nastia Voynovskaya, Jerusalem Truth, Bob Boilen, Isabella Gomez Sarmiento & Anamaria Sayre
We ranked our 50 favorite records of the year, from hip-hop to classical and everything in between.
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NPR Music

The 100 Best Songs Of 2022

Teresa Xie, Robin Hilton, Nikki Birch, Stephen Thompson, Sheldon Pearce, Ashley Pointer, Otis Hart, Marissa Lorusso, Lars Gotrich, Fi O'Reilly, Nate Chinen, Ann Powers, Sidney Madden, Sofia Seidel, Kiana Fitzgerald, Raina Douris, Tom Huizenga, Otis Hart, Mina Tavakoli, Jewly Hight, Grayson Haver Currin, Nastia Voynovskaya, Marcus J. Moore, Anamaria Sayre, LaTesha Harris, Jerusalem Truth, Kiana Fitzgerald, Marissa Lorusso, Stefanie Fernández, Russ Borris, Bob Boilen, Reanna Cruz, Jacob Ganz, Hazel Cills, Sam J. Leeds, Rodney Carmichael, Nikki Birch, Andrew Flanagan, Ayana Contreras, Laura Snapes, Patricia Meschino, Ashley Pointer, Jewly Hight, Grayson Haver Currin, Jacob Ganz, Hazel Cills, Art Levy, LaTesha Harris, Ashley Pointer, Isabella Gomez Sarmiento & Nastia Voynovskaya
A list of 100 songs that reflects the sprawling, energetic messiness of 2022. Start listening.
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Pitchfork

Pitchfork's 50 Best Albums of 2022

Nina Corcoran, Evan Rytlewski, Philip Sherburne, Phillipe Roberts, Jude Noel, Matthew Ismael Ruiz, DeAsia Paige, Ben Cardew, Jesse Dorris, Jonathan Williger, Emma Madden, Andy Cush, Simon Reynolds, Rob Arcand, Jayson Greene, Sam Sodomsky, Matthew Ritchie, Quinn Moreland, Vrinda Jagota, Colin Joyce, Sophie Kemp, Mark Richardson, Dylan Green, Steven Arroyo, Jane Bua, Clover Hope, Jeremy D. Larson, Anna Gaca, Jeremy Gordon, Laura Snapes, Shaad D'Souza, Marcus J. Moore, Matthew Ritchie, Arielle Gordon, Stuart Berman, Judy Berman, Matthew Strauss, Allison Hussey, Dean Van Nguyen, Owen Myers, Alphonse Pierre, Ryan Dombal, Marc Hogan, Madison Bloom, Gio Santiago, Jenn Pelly, Cat Zhang, Eric Torres & Isabelia Herrera
Featuring Björk, Bad Bunny, Beyoncé, Rosalía, the Weeknd, Alex G, and more.
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Pitchfork

The 100 Best Songs of 2022

Amy Phillips, Evan Rytlewski, Rob Arcand, Carrie Courogen, Arjun Srivatsa, Vanessa Ague, Sophie Kemp, Zhenzhen Yu, Margeaux Labat, Brian Howe, Joshua Minsoo Kim, Dean Van Nguyen, Shy Thompson, Peyton Thomas, Simon Reynolds, Paul A. Thompson, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Sam Goldner, Jeremy D. Larson, Jessica Kariisa, Ian Cohen, Nadine Smith, Mehan Jayasuriya, Grayson Haver Currin, Judy Berman, Alphonse Pierre, Gabriel Szatan, Pete Tosiello, Jayson Greene, Jesse Locke, Isabelia Herrera, Daniel Felsenthal, Marc Hogan, Owen Myers, Mina Tavakoli, Katherine St. Asaph, Brandon Callender, Jeremy Gordon, Allison Hussey, Hannah Jocelyn, Laura Snapes, Sasha Geffen, Hannah Seidlitz, Shawn Reynaldo, Aimee Cliff, Will Hermes, Brad Shoup, Jesse Dorris, Jane Bua, Stephen Deusner, Dani Blum, Matthew Ismael Ruiz, Puja Patel, Philip Sherburne, Sue Park, Tarisai Ngangura, Brad Sanders, Marcus J. Moore, Jazz Monroe, Madison Bloom, Dylan Green, Olivia Horn, Ryan Dombal, Louis Pattison, Gio Santiago, Clover Hope, Quinn Moreland, Will Pritchard, Daniel Bromfield, Brady Brickner-Wood, Cat Zhang, Heven Haile, Sasha Geffen, Mark Richardson, Nina Corcoran, Adlan Jackson, Zhenzhen Yu, Heven Haile, Matthew Strauss, Zach Schonfeld, Eric Torres, Alfred Soto, Evan Minsker, Olivia Horn, Jenn Pelly, Emma Carmichael, Anna Gaca, Sam Sodomsky & Jamieson Cox
Featuring the 1975, Kendrick, Steve Lacy, Alvvays, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Glorilla, and more.
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Okayplayer

Okayplayer’s 22 Best Songs of 2022

Peter A. Berry, Elijah C. Watson, Jaelani Turner-Williams, Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Miki Hellerbach, Michael Eric Gonik, Robyn Mowatt, Larry Little, Quierra Luck & Kia Turner
Whether the genre was hip-hop or R&B or punk or Afrobeats or all of the above, our favorite songs of 2022 did more than entertain us - they took us to places we haven't been before. The music has never stopped - despite how harsh the conditions can be.
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Rolling Stone

The 100 Best Songs of 2022

Jonathan Bernstein, Jon Blistein, Mankaprr Conteh, Jon Dolan, Brenna Ehrlich, Jon Freeman, Dewayne Gage, Andre Gee, Kory Grow, Christian Hoard, Maura Johnston, CT Jones, Michelle Hyun Kim, Kristine Kwak, Ernesto Lechner, Julyssa Lopez, Leah Lu, Angie Martoccio, Michaelangelo Matos, Patricia Meschino, Tomás Mier, Mosi Reeves, Rob Sheffield, Brittany Spanos, Lisa Tozzi & Simon Vozick-Levinson
Bad Bunny, Beyoncé, Steve Lacy, Pharrell, and Quavo and Takeoff were just some of the artists whose songs this year we won’t forget.
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Rolling Stone

The 100 Best Albums of 2022

Jonathan Bernstein, Jon Blistein, Mankaprr Conteh, Jon Dolan, Brenna Ehrlich, Jon Freeman, Andre Gee, Kory Grow, Will Hermes, Christian Hoard, Maura Johnston, CT Jones, Meagan Jordan, Michelle Hyun Kim, Kristine Kwak, Ernesto Lechner, Julyssa Lopez, Angie Martoccio, Michaelangelo Matos, Patricia Meschino, Tomás Mier, Tara Reid, Mosi Reeves, Rob Sheffield & Simon Vozick-Levinson
Beyoncé’s dance-music ecstasy, Bad Bunny’s latest world-conquering smash, Taylor Swift’s late nights, Harry Styles’ song cycle, and Pusha T’s master class in metaphor were only some of the albums that ruled our world this year.
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The Quietus

Quietus Albums Of The Year 2022

Luke Turner, Kez Whelan, Mariam Rezaei, Bernie Brooks, Jennifer Lucy Allan, Siobhan Kane, Sean Kitching, Christian Eede, Nathan Evans, Cal Cashin, Claire Sawers, Jon Buckland, Kevin O'Rourke, Elizabeth Aubrey, Peter Margasak, David McKenna, Jakub Knera, Daryl Worthington, Alex Rigotti, Jaša Bužinel, Noel Gardner, JR Moores, Ella Kemp, Robert Barry, Malvika Padin, Bernie Brooks, Patrick Clarke, Dustin Krcatovich, Darran Anderson, Arusa Qureshi, Liam Inscoe-Jones, Guia Cortassa, Alex Deller, Will Ainsley, Ed Power, Miloš Hroch, Julian Marszalek, Tom Bolton, Alec Holt, Will Ainsley, Alastair Shuttleworth, Sean Kitching, Jasper Willems, Amah-Rose Abrams, Vanessa Ague, Danijela Bočev, Skye Butchard, Ian Wade, Darran Anderson & Irina Shtreis
These are our favourite albums of the last 12 months, as voted for by tQ staff, columnists and core writers.
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Treble

Treble's 100 Best Songs of 2022

Virginia Croft, Jeff Terich, Adam P. Newton, Ed Brown, Liam Green, Forrest James, Jacob Nierenberg, Adam Blyweiss, Joshua Seawell, Noah Sparkes, Casey Burke, Tyler Dunston, Wil Lewellyn, Ben Easton, Emily Reily, Langdon Hickman & Elliot Burr
The best songs of the year carry a certain implication that they’re blockbusters, hits, mixtape staples, summer jams. But this year they mostly felt introspective, inward-looking—after nearly three years of pandemic malaise and a general sense that things still feel kind of broken everywhere, that maybe what we need in a song this year feels more personal, or perhaps restorative, than usual.
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Treble

Treble's 50 Best Albums of 2022

Jeff Terich, Tom Morgan, Adam Blyweiss, Jim Beviglia, Wil Lewellyn, Casey Burke, Langdon Hickman, Ed Brown, Jacob Nierenberg, Forrest James, Virginia Croft, John-Paul Shiver, Adam P. Newton, Elliot Burr, Emily Reily, Noah Sparkes, Tyler Dunston, Konstantin Rega, Ben Easton, Joshua Seawell & Liam Green
At first glance, a year like 2022 can seem like the Big Albums are the story—when every blockbuster artist and living legend releases something new in a calendar year, it’s inescapable. But that’s not exactly what happened; though our favorite music of the year occasionally skews pop, what stands out most are the albums by underground talents that seem to reach ever higher.
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Billboard

The 100 Best Songs of 2022

Dan Rys, Griselda Flores, Kristin Robinson, Paul Grein, Taylor Mims, Andrew Unterberger, Stephen Daw, Cydney Lee, Isabela Raygoza, Glenn Rowley, Elias Leight, Katie Atkinson, Carl Lamarre, Christine Werthman, Jason Lipshutz, Rebecca Milzoff, Josh Glicksman, Melinda Newman, Thom Duffy, Joe Lynch, Hannah Dailey, Gail Mitchell, Danielle Pascual, Jessica Nicholson, Katie Bain, Heran Mamo, Frank DiGiacomo, Neena Rouhani, Eric Renner Brown & Ingrid Fajardo
The hits that defined the year, and our favorites found in between.
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Billboard

The 50 Best Albums of 2022

Hannah Dailey, Andrew Unterberger, Paul Grein, Joe Lynch, Kristin Robinson, Carl Lamarre, Glenn Rowley, Starr Bowenbank, Melinda Newman, Stephen Daw, Ingrid Fajardo, Kristin Robinson, Thom Duffy, Gail Mitchell, Eric Renner Brown, Jason Lipshutz, Jessica Nicholson, Christine Werthman, Griselda Flores, Heran Mamo, Leila Cobo, Frank DiGiacomo, Sierra Porter, Danielle Pascual, Rania Aniftos, Josh Glicksman, Dan Rys, Isabela Raygoza, Taylor Mims, Neena Rouhani, Elias Leight & Katie Atkinson
The albums that proved that the format continues to thrive well into the TikTok era.
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Passion of the Weiss

The POW Best Rap Songs of 2022

Pranav Trewn, Drew Millard, Isaac Fontes, Harold Bingo, Douglas Martin, Nate Leblanc, Dario McCarty, Joel Biswas, Isaac Fontes, Evan Gabriel, Steven Louis, Caleb Catlin, Will Schube, Ethan Herlock, Abe Beame, Evan Nabavian, Kevin Yeung, Dash Lewis, Chris Daly, David Brake, Jordan Ryan Pedersen, Patrick Johnson, Mano Sundaresan, Will Hagle, Thomas Hobbs, Dean Van Nguyen, Sun-Uni Yum, Will Dukes, Jack Riedy, Yousef Srour, Sam Ribakoff, Oumar Saleh, Donald Morrison, Jordan Ryan Pedersen, Ross Olson, Harley Geffner, Son Raw, Nitish Pahwa, Josh Svetz, Serge Selenou, Paul Thompson, Harley Geffner, Matthew Ritchie, Yousef Srour, Jayson Buford, Sam Ribakoff, Max Bell & Jeff Weiss
The truth, undisputed.
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XXL

Best Hip-Hop Projects of 2022

Aleia Woods, Georgette Cline, C. Vernon Coleman II, Kemet High, Robby Seabrook III, Trent Fitzgerald, Tyler Sharp, Joey Ech & Peter A. Berry
If there's one thing that remains consistent after hip-hop's nearly 50-year existence it's that rappers continue to elevate the sound of the culture with every new music release. 2022 was an interesting mix when it came to rap projects. Veterans shined, newcomers stamped their place in the game and everything in between.
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Pitchfork

The 43 Best Rap Songs of 2022

Dylan Green, Alphonse Pierre, Mina Tavakoli, Anna Gaca, Alfred Soto, Joshua Minsoo Kim, Matthew Ismael Ruiz, Matthew Strauss, Brad Shoup, Dani Blum, Jayson Greene, Paul A. Thompson, Aimee Cliff, Heven Haile, Clover Hope, Ryan Dombal, Adlan Jackson, Jessica Kariisa, Dean Van Nguyen, Cat Zhang & Nadine Smith
From Atlanta to Memphis to Detroit; from lightspeed Jersey club rap to diamond-hard New York drill; rap overflowed with energy again this year.
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Stereogum

The 10 Best Rap Albums Of 2022

Jayson Buford
Midway through 2022, it seemed like hip-hop was bland and headed for a disappointing year. Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers confused people with its insularity and inherent selfishness. Gone were sweeping records about Black Americana; say hello to a record about choosing yourself in the midst of rising fascism and cataclysmic unhappiness. There wasn’t a DaBaby of the year, in other words, someone who was seemingly everywhere over the radio. 
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Pitchfork

The Best Progressive Pop Music of 2022

Marc Hogan, Jane Bua, Sam Goldner, Sasha Geffen, Shaad D'Souza, Anna Gaca, Cat Zhang, Clover Hope, Judy Berman, Nina Corcoran, Emma Madden, Alphonse Pierre, Joshua Minsoo Kim, Eric Torres, Luis Minvielle, Madison Bloom, Isabelia Herrera & Arielle Gordon
From Haru Nemuri’s punk-inflected J-pop to Coco & Clair Clair’s spaced-out diss tracks, Ralphie Choo’s computerized flamenco and MUNA’s synth-pop fireworks, here are some standout pop songs and albums from this year.
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DJ Mag

DJ Mag's top tracks of 2022

Robert Kazandjian, Niamh O''Connor, Ben Hindle, Kitty Amor, Amy Fielding, Sam Davies, Tice Cin, Sophie Walker, Anna Wall, Rob McCallum, Arielle Lana LeJarde​, Joe Roberts, Sophie McNulty, Kamila Rymajdo, Safi Bugel, Eoin Murray, Liam Smith, Nathan Evans, Becca Inglis, Megan Venzin, Henry Ivry, Harold Heath, James Keith, Martin Guttridge-Hewitt, Mick Wilson, Ben Murphy, Jack Ramage, Carl Loben, Claire Francis, Makua Adimora, James Gui, Marke Bieschke & Shiba Melissa Mazaza
For 2022's end-of-year coverage, we've once again asked our contributors to write about their personal favourite tracks, albums and comps of the year, offering an unranked overview of the sounds that made the past 12 months so memorable for electronic music around the world.
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DJ Mag

DJ Mag's top albums of 2022

Claire Francis, Shiba Melissa Mazaza, Niamh O''Connor, James Gui, Jack Ramage, Rob McCallum, Kristan J. Caryl, Liam Smith, Bruce Tantum, Ben Murphy, Carl Loben, Sam Davies, Anna Wall, Ben Hindle, Kamila Rymajdo, Tice Cin, Amy Fielding, Kitty Amor, Joe Roberts, Eoin Murray, James Keith, Sophie Walker, Sophie McNulty, Marke Bieschke, Becca Inglis, Mick Wilson, Ria Hylton, Robert Kazandjian, Megan Venzin, Makua Adimora, Harold Heath, Henry Ivry, Nathan Evans, Arielle Lana LeJarde​, Martin Guttridge-Hewitt & Ben Murphy
An unranked overview of the album that made the past 12 months so memorable for electronic music around the world.
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DJ Mag

DJ Mag's top compilations of 2022

Liam Smith, Martin Guttridge-Hewitt, Kitty Amor, Claire Francis, Bruce Tantum, Marke Bieschke, Rob McCallum, Anna Wall, James Gui, Kristan J. Caryl, Harold Heath, Niamh O'Connor, Ben Murphy, James Keith, Tice Cin, Ben Hindle, Joe Roberts, Shiba Melissa Mazaza, Henry Ivry, Sam Davies, Megan Venzin, Sophie Walker, Eoin Murray, Amy Fielding, Sophie McNulty, Ria Hylton, Arielle Lana LeJarde​, Kamila Rymajdo, Safi Bugel & Jack Ramage
An unranked overview of the compilations that made the past 12 months so memorable for electronic music around the world.
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Pitchfork

The Best Electronic Music of 2022

Evan Minsker, Jude Noel, Eric Torres, Simon Reynolds, Philip Sherburne, Andy Cush, Arjun Srivatsa, Gabriel Szatan, Isabelia Herrera, Katherine St. Asaph, Daniel Felsenthal, Jesse Dorris, Stuart Berman, Nina Corcoran, Rob Arcand, Shy Thompson, Mark Richardson, Margeaux Labat, Daniel Bromfield & Jazz Monroe
Ambient cumbia, postmodern pow wow, modular improv jams, raptor house-these are the songs and albums that defined the year in electronic music.
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JAZZIZ Magazine

Critics’ Picks 2022

During a year in which the aftershocks of the Covid lockdown were still reverberating, jazz artists continued to create some dazzling art, on stage and in the studio. Following are JAZZIZ critics' selections of the best recordings of the past 12 months (roughly from September 20, 2021 to October 15, 2022).
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burning ambulance

Best Music Of 2022

Phil Freeman
All year long, I keep an Excel spreadsheet that I call "INCOMING MUSIC." I organize it all by Artist, Album Title, Release Date, Genre, and whether it's a promo, a purchase, or just something I downloaded from somewhere. I also make notes on Coverage: whether I include it in my Stereogum jazz column, review it for The...
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The Bitter Southerner

The Best Southern Albums of 2022

Anchored in dichotomies of anxiety and faith, nostalgia and momentum, so many of these records represent reimagined futures — an artist shapeshifting genres, a young musician reinterpreting references beyond their years, a group trying to make sense of our era’s senselessness, or an unsung singer-songwriter heard decades later.
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No Depression

Critics Poll: ND Writers’ Favorite Roots Music Albums of 2022

Maeri Ferguson, Jim Shahen, Grant Britt, Laura Stanley, John Amen, Matt Ruppert & Matt Wickstrom
Hot on the heels of our annual Readers Poll, we checked in with No Depression 's staff and contributors to get their takes on the best roots music albums released in 2022. As usually happens, there's only a little overlap between the two polls, but the good news is everybody's right, and everybody wins.
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Decibel

Decibel’s Top 40 Albums of 2022

Two key things to consider: 1) The list is a reflection of the diverse tastes of nearly three dozen members of the Decibel staff, and 2) at least one of your favorite albums from this past year is likely not included. I can confidently state the second point because a couple of my favorites aren’t here either.
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Heavy Blog Is Heavy

Heavy Blog Is Heavy's Top 50 Albums of 2022

Jimmy Rowe, Jonathan Adams, Eden Kupermintz, Calder Dougherty, Ahmed Hasan, Bridget Hughes, Trent Bos, Pete Williams, David Zeidler, Jordan Jerabek, Karlo Doroc, Joshua Bulleid, Karlo Doroc & Brandon Klements
Where other outlets like to get these Album of the Year deliberations done and over with as early as November -- an arbitrary and antiquated vestige of print media, if you ask us -- we felt it appropriate as usual to wait until after the last release day of 2022 to submit our final lists for aggregation.
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Pitchfork

The 38 Best Rock Albums of 2022

Quinn Moreland, Sam Sodomsky, Owen Myers, Cat Zhang, Andy Cush, Jeremy D. Larson, Phillipe Roberts, Marc Hogan, Evan Rytlewski, Laura Snapes, Sophie Kemp, Steven Arroyo, Madison Bloom, Ben Cardew, Arielle Gordon, Nina Corcoran, Allison Hussey, Jeremy Gordon, Matthew Ismael Ruiz, Jayson Greene, Jenn Pelly & Rob Arcand
From Alvvays’ panoramic anthems to Chat Pile’s scorched-earth sludge, Soul Glo’s bruising hardcore to Wet Leg’s wily indie rock, these are the rock albums that stood out this year.
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Brooklyn Vegan

50 Best Punk Albums of 2022

Andrew Sacher
For the purposes of this list, "punk" incorporates punk, pop punk, indie-punk, emo, hardcore, post-hardcore, screamo, metalcore, ska-punk, and various other microgenres that fall under those. Some of the albums on this list lean towards metal, others lean towards indie rock, and a few are plain ol' punk. 
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Complex

The Best Canadian Albums of 2022

Erik Leijon, Natalie Harmsen, Louis Pavlakos, Del Cowie, Wesley McLean, Risi Bello, Isaac Fontes, Jacob Carey & Darcy MacDonald
The friendly competition between former pals Drake and The Weeknd was as hot as ever in 2022. Both had busy years, with three major releases between the two of them. More than a decade into their respective careers they've never been bigger, but Canadian music had many more artists to celebrate in 2022.
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Under the Radar

Under the Radar’s Top 100 Albums of 2022

Mark Redfern, Dom Gourlay, Caleb Campbell, Paul Veracka, Carlo Thomas, Ian Rushbury, Blaise Radley, Andy Von Pip, Austin Saalman, Scott Dransfield, Jordan Michael, Chris Thiessen, James Scott, Kyle Mullin, Matt the Raven, Lily Moayeri, Stephen Humphries, Mark Moody, Scott Dransfield, Blaise Radley & Michael James Hall
Are things back to normal in 2022? They are, aren’t they? Well not quite. In the past year we eased out of the pandemic, but COVID-19 is still around and still deadly to some (just look at what’s happening in China, now that their long national lockdown has lifted). The pandemic door has been left ajar, rather than fully closed. 
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Perfect Sound Forever

Perfect Sound Forever: 2022 writers' poll

Brett Abrahamsen, David Chirko, Daniel Barbiero, Brian Cousins, Bob Gersztyn, Jason Gross, Jim Hayes, Michael Heath, Tamara Hill, Brian McNash, Robert Pally, Bart Plantenga, Marc Phillips, George Rafael, Tony Ruiz, Richie Unterberger & Kurt Wildermuth
Come one and all and see what the Perfect Sound Forever staff loved in 2022. Will you love it? Will you hate it? Will you be amused or confused? Will you learn about a new favorite? Will you damn us all for making you hear something you hate?
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Yahoo Music

Wet Leg, Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Harry Styles and more: Yahoo Entertainment staff picks for best albums of 2022

Lyndsey Parker, Ethan Alter, Shawn Amos, David Artavia, Robert Burke Warren, Dave DiMartino, Eric Duran, Marcus Errico, Jim Farber, Laura Ferreiro, Beth Greenfield, Joel Huerto, Billy Johnson Jr., Makenna Katz, Liz Kiernan, Tristram Lozaw, Lori Majewski, Sara Metcalf, Ryan Miller, Rob O’Connor, Kevin Polowy, Kaitlin Reilly, Craig Rosen, Janine Schaults, Chris Simpson & Dylan Stableford
It's that most wonderful time of a not-so-wonderful year, when we make our lists and check them twice... our year-end best albums lists, that is! With concerts still on hold for much of 2022, we often had to get our music fixes safely at home - but thankfully, many talented artists across genres provided the ideal shut-in soundtracks.
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Paste Magazine

The 50 Best Albums of 2022

Max Freedman, Ellen Johnson, Jayson Buford, Scott Russell, Eric R. Danton, Elise Soutar, Candace McDuffie, Matt Mitchell, Eric Bennett, Andy Crump, Rosa Sofia Kaminski, Josh Svetz, Jason Friedman, Natalie Marlin, Zach Schonfeld, Devon Chodzin, Pat King, Annie Parnell, Jade Gomez, Samantha Sullivan & Grant Sharples
This marks the 20th time Paste has released a Best Albums of the Year list, and as always, it's an opportunity for discovery.
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Northern Transmissions

Northern Transmissions Best Albums of 2022

Matthew Tracy-Cook, Charles Brownstein, Alberto Dal Santo, Adam Fink, Adam Williams, Greg Walker, Gregory Adams, Stephan Boissaneault, Leslie Ken Chu, Stewart Wiseman, Chris Burleson & Robert Duguay
“Indie”, as it’s now commonly said, isn’t so independent anymore, and pop is getting weirder, more “alternative”. So as an alternative/independent music site, in coming up with a list of our stand-out albums of 2022, I would wager it’s important to be inclusive.
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Variety

From ‘Barbarian‘ to ’Euphoria’: the Best Needle Drops of 2022

Jazz Tangcay, William Earl, Joe Otterson, Kate Aurthur, Todd Gilchrist, EJ Panaligan, Ellise Shafer, Meredith Woerner & Katie Reul
There is nothing better than a cinematic needle drop. And 2022 was positively overstuffed with perfect song moments that charmed, horrified, confused or absolutely destroyed the audience. To celebrate the best moments of music in 2022's film and television, the Variety staff cobbled together a list of our favorite needle drops.
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