Nite Songs Top 100 Albums Of 2022: Part 1 (100-51)
Well, here we go again. I think it's safe to say that 2022's been a pretty good year for music really - certainly doing a Top 100 albums this year seemed to be a lot harder than last year's was and it's been enjoyable watching this list slowly growing over the last 12 months. As always, I like to think we've got a good balance here between veterans, underground heroes and up and coming new groups and hopefully there'll be plenty in here for you, dear reader, to get your teeth into that you might have missed during the year just gone.
You'll have noticed that we haven't done an EP's/mini-albums list this year - sadly, they've been a bit more of a rare breed than they were in 2021 or 2020 and we just didn't have enough of 'em to do a Top 10 unfortunately. Hopefully next time out things will be different. As always, when there's tough competition to be on a list, some bands will inevitably miss out by the skin of their teeth as well so as far as honourable mentions go, Mickey Leigh's Mutated Music, Suzi Moon, Newtown Neurotics, Dub War, the Young Hasselhoffs, Miss Georgia Peach, the X-Ray Cat Trio, Urge Overkill, Foxy Shazam, Fat Earthers, Blag Dahlia, the Soapgirls and the Nova Twins can all count themselves a bit unlucky not to have made the final cut here. A mention as well to Diablogato whose Old Ghosts album made this list...until a bit of further research led to us discovering that it actually originally came out in 2016 and was a re-release. Sorry guys.
Anyway, enough chit chat, let's get on with the matter at hand. We'll be dealing with the first half of the list today from 100-51 then ten a day starting tomorrow up until the New Year. To see our original review of the album, just click on its name at the top. Let's take a look back, shall we?...
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100. THE CULT - "Under The Midnight Sun"
Although it could arguably have been a couple of tracks longer, Under The Midnight Sun was still one of the better offerings from Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy this side of the millennium with the swooping lead-off single Give Me Mercy and the epic Knife Through A Butterfly Heart being particular highlights.
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A comeback album from Cinderford's most infamous musical export might not have been what a lot of people were expecting going into 2022 but fair play to EMF, Go Go Sapiens proved to be a good return from them with Dr Strangelove and Greatest Day showing a band who were adding new layers to their sound without losing what drew people to them in the first place.
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98. CHEERBLEEDERZ - "Even In Jest"
An endearingly wonky slice of indie-pop with a definite musical nod to the Pixies and some fierce feminist lyrics showing off the angry but articulate style of this band. The inventiveness and variety on show here is impressive considering this is Cheerbleederz' debut album and gives you the impression that they're a group with a bright future ahead of them.
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97. THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE ZUGLY - "Research & Destroy"
Hailing from Norway, the Good, the Bad & The Zugly definitely share a few characteristics with their fellow countrymen Turbonegro as well as groups like the Hip Priests and the Bitch Queens. Research And Destroy is 35 minutes of pure full throttle nihilism with song titles like Nostradumbass and The Power Of Beer giving a good clue as to this group of miscreants' mindset.
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96. LIGHTNING SEEDS - "See You In The Stars"
A much more stripped back and skeletal offering than you might have been expecting if your main memory of the Lightning Seeds is their '90s output, See You In The Stars was nevertheless a strong effort with Ian Broudie's undoubted knack for songcraft coming to the fore on the likes of Sunshine and Green Eyes.
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95. TYLA'S DOGS D'AMOUR - "Tree Bridge Cross"
The Bard of Bilston is always someone you can generally rely on for good music and Tree Bridge Cross was arguably the strongest offering to date from the current Dogs line-up with solid rockers like Journey To The Centre of the Soul rubbing shoulders with the more thoughtful acoustic led likes of Ghosts.
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94. CRASHED OUT - "Against All Odds"
Three decades into their career and Crashed Out remain reliable stalwarts of the north east punk scene. Against All Odds hits you like a right hook from Mayweather with bruised and scarred tales of working class hardship and triumph making this a force ten hurricane of an album.
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93. MASSIVE WAGONS - "Triggered"
Triggered saw Lancaster stalwarts Massive Wagons finally starting to put some clear blue water between themselves and the various clodhopping bores of the NWOCR scene with a solid and energetic album which combined good tunes and a more studied sense of songwriting and humour to come up with arguably their strongest album to date.
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92. JOANOVARC - "Invisible Enemy"
Rebounding from a disappointing second album and a prolonged period of line-up instability, Invisible Enemy at least showed that Joanovarc still have a bit of fire left in their bellies as they've delivered a solid and varied 21st century rock album with the melodic vocals and heavier riffs mixing well to give them a much needed shot in the arm.
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91. SLYDER SMITH & THE OBLIVION KIDS - "Charm Offensive"
Although it was slightly put in the shade by their former bandmate Marc Valentine's Future Obscure, Charm Offensive was still a solid first effort from the other members of Last Great Dreamers with a more gentle approach to the music and a few power-pop gems like Pleasure Victim and Road Love liberally scattered within.
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90. RUM LAD - "Chat Shit Get Banged"
Sadly the final album from one man Nottingham noise terror outfit Rum Lad, Chat Shit Get Banged was at least a good way for him to go out with a well balanced mixture of dark humour and the sort of brutally angry rants at the state of the nation that we've come to expect from him over the last few years. He will be missed.
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89. THE DREAM SYNDICATE - "Ultraviolet Battle Hymns And True Confessions"
A good comeback effort from the '80s paisley underground veterans, Ultraviolet Battle Hymns showed them mixing languid summery psychedelia (Hard To Say Goodbye) with nervy new wave paranoia (Trying To Get Over). Definitely one of the better comeback efforts of 2022.
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88. THE VIBRATORS - "Fall Into The Sky"
The final Vibrators album sees the group putting out their trademark mix of fired up punk and scuzzy rock 'n' roll to good effect with a few unexpected twists and turns on the way such as the slow-fast dynamic of Brain Failure and the gentle adios of closer So Long. A good final statement from one of the more underrated punk groups.
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Now six albums into their career, On The Ball was a bit of a curveball from Italian glam-revivalists Faz Waltz, showing a hitherto untapped love of classic '50s rock 'n' roll. And it's to their credit that they've managed to blend it seamlessly into their classic formula with the glam swagger and firebreathing rockabilly sensibilities blending surprisingly well.
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86. BIS - "Systems Music For Home Defence"
Sixth album from the Glaswegian lo-fi stalwarts sees them mixing elements from their past together well with a collection of songs taking in bratty punk attitude, pure pop tunefulness and stark lo-fi sparseness but never feeling disjointed. It's good to have them back.
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85. CHRIS POPE & THE CHORDS UK - "Big City Dreams"
One that definitely exceeded expectations, mod revival veterans the Chords here showed that four decades into their career, they're still capable of the sort of engaging and varied album that a lot of their one time counterparts would have killed for, veering from Ramones style pop punk to glitter-glam stomp and Alarm style calls to arms. Good stuff.
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84. THE EROTICS - "Rot In The Shade"
Rot In The Shade is exactly the sort of no-holds-barred scumminess you'd expect from Mike Trash and co as they barrel through the ten tracks here with riffs and hooks to spare and zero f**ks given with the likes of Helltown Boogie, Knockin' On Death's Door and Too Hot To Stop being worthy additions to their two decade back catalogue.
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83. THE GODFATHERS - "Alpha Beta Gamma Delta"
Belying the difficult circumstances it was born out of, Alpha Beta Gamma Delta turned out to be a surprisingly competent effort from the new Godfathers line-up with a tight and melodic set of songs which mix the usual irascible anger with some surprisingly melodic moments.
***82. STEVE VINCENT - "Recovered From My Past"
Harking back to the glory days of '80s Soho when the British arm of glam-metal still had an identity of its own, Recovered From My Past was an assured solo effort from Paradise Alley frontman Steve Vincent mixing glam swagger, pop-punk sensibilities and a dash of Hanoi Rocks style spikiness to come up with a good all-round effort.
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First effort from the Tamworth terrors in over a decade, Genius was a solid comeback from Blaze and the boys with the frenetic pace and full throttle riff-fests recalling their excellent Live Fast Die Fast debut all topped off with that trademark Howling Mad Sh*thead humour. One of the more welcome comebacks of 2022.
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80. ULTRABOMB - "Time To Burn"
Ultrabomb were that most rare of beasts - a "supergroup" who lived up to their billing and Time To Burn was a good effort which mixed the best bits of their Husker Du/UK Subs heritage but was smart enough to vary it up with some unexpected curveballs with a good mix of angst and melody throughout.
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79. THE RICHMOND SLUTS - "Psychoactive Sounds"
One of the more interesting curios to land on our review desk this year, Psychoactive Sounds is the sound of '70s pub rock reaching California with tight rhythms, wiry vocals and a nod to '60s Nuggets style garage rock and a slight Doors influence in there as well. An intriguing mish mash of styles which somehow come together to work very well indeed.
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78. GINGER WILDHEART & THE SINNERS - "Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners"
Following the messy implosion of the Wildhearts last year, Ginger's new Sinners project saw him delving deeper into the Americana that informed the Ghosts In The Tanglewood and The Pessimist's Companion albums albeit with a full band. Although some may find the more studied approach here a bit of an anticlimax, there's still plenty of good tunes in here to make it more than worth a listen.
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The City Kids' second album sees these Leeds bruisers really hitting their stride with equal nods to Motorhead and Social Distortion plus the odd bit of Wildhearts style unpredictability merging well to form a good kick-arse Britrock album. On this evidence, the future's looking pretty bright for 'em.
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76. HAYLEY & THE CRUSHERS - "Modern Adult Kicks"
Modern Adult Kicks is everything a good second album should be with California power-poppers Hayley & The Crushers carrying on the sugar and spite approach that made their debut such a blast while clearly moving things forward a bit and introducing a few new tricks into their repertoire as well. A good band who deserve your attention.
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75. BERRIES - "How We Function"
Conjuring up the strange but not unwelcome image of the Throwing Muses and Magazine collaborating on a musical project, this debut album from Berries has just the right mix of tightness, melody and a serious message underneath the angst to stand out from the crowd. Definitely a very bright prospect of a group.
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74. HARDCORE SUPERSTAR - "Abrakadabra"
As you'd expect from sleaze rock veterans Hardcore Superstar, Abrakadabra is dumb, packed with choruses and undeniably likeable. While the influences here are nothing you won't have heard before, the key is that they sound like they're having an absolute blast here and, if anything, are actually getting better with age. Rest assured that this formula definitely ain't broke.
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73. LOS PEPES - "The Happiness Programme"
Oxford power-pop types Los Pepes continue their trend of getting better with each album. The Happiness Program has plenty of the sugar sweet hooks of old but adds in a wiry Dr Feelgood style tightness complete with honking harmonica on some tracks. A good lean fat-free album which gets in, says what it has to say and gets straight out again.
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72. NOSEBLEED - "Dance With The Devil"
A surprisingly inventive effort from Leeds thrashers Nosebleed, Dance With The Devil has plenty of the aggro you'd expect from a band like this but with a sly sense of melody underpinning things. There's a few unexpected twists and turns in there as well to keep your attention up and mark these guys out as a band well worth watching.
71. SPUNK VOLCANO & THE ERUPTIONS - "Knacker's Yard"
With the Eruptions sadly going on hiatus for the time being, Knackers Yard was at least a good way for them to sign off. Arguably Spunk and co's heaviest album to date, there's an impressive amount of riffage going on here especially on the six minute epic Madhouse, mixing well with the group's trademark no-nonsense approach. Hopefully that break won't be a lengthy one.
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70. PET NEEDS - "Primetime Entertainment"
Primetime Entertainment shows Pet Needs building well on the promise they showed with their debut album last year. The fury and angst of that effort is still intact but the group are learning to craft more complicated songs without losing their immediacy and it shows here to good effect. We look forward to seeing where they go next.
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Three decades plus into their career and Double Album shows that NOFX are still as unapologetic and hard-edged as always, pulling no punches but snaring you in with a surprisingly melodic approach in places and more musical dexterity than you'd maybe think. Always good to see a group of veterans on good form and this is definitely one of those instances.
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68. THE AMPLIFIER HEADS - "Rectifier"
If last year's Saturnaliens showed the Amplifier Heads as a tuneful bunch of glam revivalists then Rectifier shows them pushing their sound out into new and exciting places with some denser and heavier moments mixed in with the glitter-drenched showmanship. A genuinely exciting group who seem to be getting better with each release.
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67. PAUL DRAPER - "Cult Leader Tactics"
Two and a half decades on from Mansun's commercial heyday and Paul Draper is getting no less sharp or acerbic with age. Cult Leader Tactics sees him taking some brutally vicious pot-shots at deserving targets with an album which harks back to his old band's trademark sound but adds some welcome curveballs in to keep you on your toes. The sound of a master craftsman at work.
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66. SUPERCHUNK - "Wild Loneliness"
Superchunk's first album in four years saw them return with a more melodic approach with a gentle summery vibe prevailing throughout and soaring tunes albeit with the traditional sense of disquiet bubbling away underneath. The sound of a band growing old gracefully and a confident return from these veterans.
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65. THE ROUGHNECK RIOT - "Burn It To The Ground"
A much welcome return from these vitriolic Warrington folk-punks after a half decade silence, Burn It To The Ground sees the Roughneck Riot picking up where they left off with some aplomb. Packed with incandescent anger and some impressively tight musicianship, this is a frenetic plea to the sleepwalking general public of this septic isle to wake up before it's too late.
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64. THE LEN PRICE 3 - "Ip Dip Do"
Another good effort from Rochester's best kept secret, Ip Dip Do sees the Len Price 3 serving up the same sort of tight compact garage rock you'd expect to good effect with the likes of Bag Of Bones and the Kinks-esque Billy The Quid showing a band still capable of serving up good tunes and unexpected twists and turns six albums into their career.
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Two years on from their debut High Risk Behaviour and it's pretty clear that Aussie scuzz-punks The Chats aren't getting any more sophisticated. Thank feck for that. Get Fucked is a collection of short sharp bursts of aggression with a nod to the Stooges, GBH and getting absolutely hammered on the cheapest nastiest booze you can find. And that's all very much alright with us.
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62. BUSTER SHUFFLE - "Go Steady"
2022 saw Buster Shuffle's profile continue to grow and it's no coincidence - Go Steady is another good album from these London reprobates, tapping into the classic ska-pop vein of early Madness with the anger of New Badge For My Uniform rubbing shoulders with the humorous Puke In The Duke. The sound of a band doing what they do best and doing it well.
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61. U.K. SUBS - "Reverse Engineering"
Another band who purported that their 2022 album would be their last - if so then it's safe to say that Tooting's finest have definitely gone out on a high with Reverse Engineering being Charlie Harper and co's strongest album for a good few years with anthemic punk stompers and the odd slower more menacing number making up an album that packs a satisfying crunch of a sound.
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60. NEW ROCKET UNION - "Twin Cities Breakdown"
Minneapolis garage rock duo New Rocket Union sound like what would've happened if Winnebago Deal had been raised on Ramones albums rather than Black Flag ones. Crashing through the eleven songs here in just over 20 minutes, this is a refreshingly no-nonsense slice of back to basics punk rock which will leave you with a big grin on your mush.
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59. THE TOTAL REJECTION - "Off The Top Of Our Heads...And Other Forbidden Pleasures"
The fourth album from The Total Rejection is a varied and exciting effort which takes the classic garage rock Nuggets sound and brings it into the 21st century with a bit of a nip and tuck. Mixing up various elements to good effect and keeping a sense of melody and tunesmanship throughout, this is a confident album which you find little new things on every time you listen to it.
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58. THE IMBECILES - "Imbecilica"
Occupying that sweet spot at the poppy end of the post-punk spectrum, the Imbeciles' second album swings from gentle psychedelia through stomping glam rock, chugging riffs and classic power-pop songwriting. A hell of an inventive album, Imbecilica one that you really should track down to listen to.
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57. NIGHTINGALES - "The Last Laugh"
Similar to fellow '80s indie long-stayers the Fall or Half Man Half Biscuit, The Last Laugh sees the Nightingales treading their own individual path to excellent effect, throwing whatever the hell they feel like into the cooking pot and defying the odds to come up with a supremely listenable album that takes you down countless unexpected musical back alleys without ever losing your interest.
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56. PULLED APART BY HORSES - "Reality Cheques"
A solid comeback from PABH, this shows the Leeds rockers confidently striking out with their own sound with just the right mix of angular angst and catchy hooks, veering from buzzsaw drone-rock to spiky punk fury. A genuinely good album from a band who clearly have quite a bit of fire left in the tank.
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55. DEF LEPPARD - "Diamond Star Halos"
Although at 15 tracks it could possibly have lost a couple of its lesser tunes without anyone really noticing, Diamond Star Halos was at least a good comeback effort from the Leps with glam stompers, countrified strumming and the trademark big arena rock anthems all rubbing shoulders here to make for an enjoyable effort.
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54. THE MUDD CLUB - "Give Me A Thrill"
Pretty much a straight continuation of the Mudd Club's 2021 debut album Bottle Blonde but definitely no worse for it, Give Me A Thrill taps into the same sort of stripped down rock 'n' roll of Amyl and the Sniffers' second album but has enough of an individual stamp on it that you could never mistake this mixed American/Welsh band as mere copycats. Proper fun as we say up north.
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53. SIMON & THE ASTRONAUTS - "Simon & The Astronauts"
Simon & The Astronauts trade in the classic tuneful indie-pop sound but with a 21st century overhaul and this sophomore album takes in classic pop, poison waltzes, slightly gothy dark numbers and big heartstring-tugging ballads to good effect. A confident effort from a band who really should be better known than they are.
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Now approaching two decades in the business, Glorious was another good example of everything that makes Huddersfield's Mr Shiraz such a unique and exciting band with a varied set of tunes balancing sludged-up heaviness and tuneful dexterity to perfection. Long may they reign.
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51. DEUX FURIEUSES - "Songs From Planet Earth"
An impressively assured debut album, Songs From Planet Earth was largely based around London duo Deux Furieuses' disorientating experiences of the lockdown and has a good line in angry, thought-provoking and heartfelt lyrics. The potential of just how far this group could go really should be something on this evidence.
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