Firebird’s Top Albums of 2022: Staff Picks.
Throughout January 2023, Firebird conducted its second annual Album of the Year poll. Staff members drafted their personal top 10 albums of the year, and then ranked them on a ballot. Results were then tabulated using a points-based system that assigned ten points to each voter’s first choice, nine points to their second choice, and so on. Because of the nature of the voting, the general results are inherently a popularity contest, so Firebird has given its members the opportunity to feature their individual lists in this article.
One of the beautiful things about Firebird is that no two of our staff members share the exact same taste in music, and no two people will agree on everything. Of course, there are some throughlines: heavy-hitters like Big Thief, SZA and Beyoncé show up frequently here, as reflected in their placement on our official Top 20 Albums of 2022 list. But at the same time, some people here have albums in their top three that others wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole, and some have ranked albums that many of us have never even heard, which has made sharing and debating our favorite music of the year so exciting. The 22 writers and editors that volunteered to share their own rankings for this article come from a myriad of places and backgrounds, and the resulting diversity of these lists means that you’re bound to find some of your favorite music here. If you see someone with a list here that has a few of your favorites from 2022, chances are you might also discover some new music on their list to take with you into 2023!
— Sha Frasier, Editor-in-Chief
Sha Frasier, Editor-in-Chief
MJ Lenderman — Boat Songs
Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Alvvays — Blue Rev
Beyoncé — Renaissance
Black Country, New Road — Ants from Up There
Rosalía — Motomami
Sudan Archives — Natural Brown Prom Queen
Bad Bunny — Un Verano Sin Ti
Weyes Blood — And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
Florist — Florist
“Boat Songs is a hurricane. Sunbeams of plaintive pedal steel float through a storm of crunchy, distorted guitars, with rare moments of calm perfectly placed throughout the record's brisk, 34 minute runtime. Lenderman's weathered, lived-in lyrics filter life through the lens of American mythology: the institutions we deify—Michael Jordan, Disney World, WWE—become stand-ins for the impermanence of everything, including our greatest idols and most fervent loves.”
Joseph Mooney, Managing Editor
Beyoncé — Renaissance
Taylor Swift — Midnights
Aurora — The Gods We Can Touch
Ethel Cain — Preacher's Daughter
SZA — SOS
Rina Sawayama — Hold the Girl
The Weeknd — Dawn FM
Charli XCX — Crash
Sabrina Carpenter — Emails I Can’t Send
Sigrid — How To Let Go
“I've never heard an album quite like Renaissance. As with every typical Beyoncé release, Renaissance was a shift in the culture (however, one completely different than those brought on by Lemonade or BEYONCÉ). With Renaissance, Beyoncé challenged her typical pop music-listeners with an array of dance, house, disco, and R&B, all dipped and coated with influence from queer/ballroom culture. “CUFF IT,” for example, may easily be one of the most euphoric songs of the year, while “HEATED” and “PURE/HONEY” are the perfect blend of catchiness, self-confidence, and queer cultural appreciation. To put it quite simply, Renaissance unified the masses through dance and self-love. When accounting for this, along with its near-perfect production, vocals, and lyrical content, Renaissance easily takes the crown for my Album of the Year.”
David Feigelson, Copy Editor / Treasurer
Black Country, New Road — Ants from Up There
Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Croation Amor — Remember Rainbow Bridge
Silvana Estrada — Marchita
JID — The Forever Story
DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ — Bewitched!
Perfume Genius — Ugly Season
Fred again.. — Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9 2022)
MJ Lenderman — Boat Songs
Florist — Florist
Maria Kravtsova, Social Media Director / Editor
Halsey — If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power
The 1975 — Being Funny In A Foreign Language
The Greeting Committee — Sort of Stranger
Wolf Alice — Blue Lullaby
Mitski — Laurel Hell
K.Flay — Inside Voices / Outside Voices
The Regrettes — Further Joy
Rosalía — Motomami
Joji — Smithereens
King Princess — Hold On Baby
Aidan Grogan, Writer
Axel Boman — LUZ
Theo Parrish — DJ Kicks: Theo Parrish
Fred again.. — Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9 2022)
black midi — Hellfire
The Smile — A Light for Attracting Attention
Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Daphni — Cherry
FKA twigs — Caprisongs
worriedaboutsatan — Glass Infinites
Whatever the Weather — Whatever the Weather
Alia Smith, Writer
Black Country, New Road — Ants from Up There
Alex G — God Save the Animals
Nilüfer Yanya — Painless
Weyes Blood — And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Ethel Cain — Preacher's Daughter
Beach House — Once Twice Melody
Tomberlin — i don’t know who needs to hear this…
The 1975 — Being Funny In A Foreign Language
Skullcrusher — Quiet the Room
“Ants from Up There was my favorite album of 2022 because each additional listen hits just as hard as the first. With stunning instrumentation and eccentric yet evocative lyricism, the songs always touch an emotional nerve and make me feel personally entangled in the narratives woven over their runtime. It’s clear that Black County, New Road are not bound by traditional conventions on this record, resulting in a unique & honest sound that couldn’t have been made by anyone else.”
Alyssa Manthi, Editor
Steve Lacy — Gemini Rights
Lizzy McAlpine — Five Seconds Flat
Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Rex Orange County — Who Cares?
beabadoobee — Beatopia
SZA — SOS
Taylor Swift — Midnights
David Hall, Writer
Hikaru Utada — BADモード
Natalia Lafourcade — De todas las flores
Shygirl — Nymph
Black Country, New Road — Ants from Up There
Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul — Topical Dancer
Weyes Blood — And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
Carly Rae Jepsen — The Loneliest Time
Kilo Kish — American Gurl
Uffie — Sunshine Factory
Sobs — Air Guitar
“BADモード is like a warm hug of an album. It's all about personal growth and acceptance, which are themes that really resonate with me and especially shine through when paired with cozy electronic production.”
Eric Harwood, Editor
Danger Mouse & Black Thought — Cheat Codes
Natalia Lafourcade — De todas las flores
JID — The Forever Story
Silvana Estrada — Marchita
billy woods — Aethiopes
Little Simz — No Thank You
beabadoobee — Beatopia
Quadeca — i didn't mean to haunt you
Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Cities Aviv — Man Plays the Horn
Evgenia Anastasakos, Writer
Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Beach House — Once Twice Melody
Alex G — God Save the Animals
Pinegrove — 11:11
Angel Olsen — Big Time
Florence and the Machine — Dance Fever
Sharon Van Etten — We've Been Going About This All Wrong
Horsegirl — Versions of Modern Performance
Dehd — Blue Skies
Alvvays — Blue Rev
“Although the name of Big Thief's newest album, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You, is a bit of a mouthful, it's fitting for this long, winding double LP that spans genres, instruments, and ideas. Within a matter of a few songs, the album shifts between trip hop-inspired tracks to jauntier, playful country. Throughout Dragon, Big Thief take time to explore and play, sharing musings on love, biblical references, and, of course, potatoes. The lyrics go from the universal to the personal and from meditative to humorous. A behemoth of an album, Dragon has anything a Big Thief fan could ever want.”
Henry Lako-Baldwin, Writer
Ethel Cain — Preacher’s Daughter
Beach House — Once Twice Melody
Florence + the Machine — Dance Fever
SZA — SOS
Weyes Blood — And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
Sudan Archives — Natural Brown Prom Queen
FKA twigs — Caprisongs
Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Omar Apollo — Ivory
Maggie Rogers — Surrender
“Preacher's Daughter is the type of album that truly works its magic when you're a college student home from break. Maybe it’s personal, maybe universal; but being in your conservative hometown makes Cain's dramatic story of a teenage runaway's brutal murder feel surprisingly pertinent. As a lifelong fan of a genre aptly described by many as “woman screaming,” Cain's debut record is a must-listen for anyone wishing to experience intense catharsis on a Tuesday afternoon. Shout-out to President Obama for having “American Teenager” on repeat—maybe listen to the lyrics next time, king.”
Ibrahim Gomaa, Writer
Vince Staples — Ramona Park Broke My Heart
Kendrick Lamar — Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
JID — The Forever Story
Smino — Luv 4 Rent
Jaguar Sun — All We’ve Ever Known
AG Club — Imposter Syndrome
Babyface Ray — Mob
Metro Boomin — Heroes & Villains
Isaac Zinoman, Writer
JID — The Forever Story
MJ Lenderman — Boat Songs
Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
SZA — SOS
Kendrick Lamar — Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
MAVI — Laughing so Hard, it Hurts
billy woods — Aethiopes
Kenny Beats — Louie
FKA twigs — Caprisongs
Pusha T — It’s Almost Dry
Kristen Wallace, Writer
JID — The Forever Story
Future — I Never Liked You
Metro Boomin — Heroes & Villains
SZA — SOS
Blxst — Before You Go
Drake & 21 Savage — Her Loss
Brent Faiyaz — Wasteland
Lucky Daye — Candydrip
Beyoncé — Renaissance
Burna Boy — Love, Damini
“JID's growth as an artist was shown in spades all across The Forever Story, and the versatility and range across the album's runtime—and within songs themselves, with beat switches galore—blew me away at every turn. JID is so intensely personal on this project, and you feel like you're in the room with him as he pours his heart out on the album's more emotional cuts. I love learning things about the artists I listen to, and JID delivers that and more on The Forever Story. Truly an awesome listening experience with no skips for me.”
Leo Sun, Writer
Velveteen — Empty Crush
Jockstrap — I Love You Jennifer B
Wet Leg — Wet Leg
Black Country, New Road — Ants from Up There
管啸天 — 标清23’42’’
脏手指 — 多米力高断断断电星
Widowspeak — The Jacket
Corn Wave — philosophy of structures
鸡毛信 — 各怀鬼胎
Riot in School — Ceremony for Corruption
Nate Culbert, Editor
Black Country, New Road — Ants from Up There
Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Alvvays — Blue Rev
Nilüfer Yanya — Painless
beabadoobee — Beatopia
MJ Lenderman — Boat Songs
black midi — Hellfire
Beyoncé — Renaissance
Ethel Cain — Preacher’s Daughter
Perfume Genius — Ugly Season
Nina Gong, Editor
Noah Cyrus — The Hardest Part
SZA — SOS
Holly Humberstone — Can You Afford To Lose Me?
GAYLE — a study of the human experience volume two and a half
Reneé Rapp — Everything to Everyone
Sabrina Carpenter — emails I can't send
Onofrio De Michele, Writer
Rosalía — Motomami
Nu Genea — Bar Mediterraneo
cmqmartina — VERGOGNA
Bad Bunny — Un Verano Sin Ti
Drake — Honestly, Nevermind
“When I first listened to Motomami in March 2022, I was at first somewhat disappointed and weirded out by Rosalía's new and avant-garde sonic palette. But the more I listened to the tracks, the more I became obsessed with their minimalist beats, to the point that the album soundtracked my summer 2022.”
Sahana Krishnamurthy, Writer
Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Alvvays — Blue Rev
MJ Lenderman — Boat Songs
Alvvays — Blue Rev
Rosalía — Motomami
Black Country, New Road — Ants from Up There
Sudan Archives — Natural Brown Prom Queen
Bad Bunny — Un Verano Sin Ti
Silvana Estrada — Marchita
Kendrick Lamar — Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
Tania Godbole, Writer
Rosalía — Motomami
Beyoncé — Renaissance
SZA — SOS
FKA twigs — Caprisongs
Steve Lacy — Gemini Rights
Sudan Archives — Natural Brown Prom Queen
Nigo — I Know Nigo
Soccer Mommy — Sometimes, Forever
Vince Staples — Ramona Park Broke My Heart
Willow — <copingmechanism>
Theo Anderson, Writer
Sudan Archives — Natural Brown Prom Queen
FKA twigs — Caprisongs
Jenny Hval — Classic Objects
Beyoncé — Renaissance
Wet Leg — Wet Leg
SZA — SOS
Hyd — Clearing
Weyes Blood — And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
Ethel Cain — Preacher’s Daughter
Junglepussy — Jp5000
Yushu Qiu, Writer
Wang Wen — Painful Clown & Ninja Tiger
Hey, ily! — Psychokinetic Love Songs
Action Bronson — Cocodrillo Turbo
Rina Sawayama — Hold the Girl
Danger Mouse & Black Thought — Cheat Codes
Corn Wave — philosophy of structures
Masiwei — Humble Swag GT Mixtape
Weyes Blood — And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
Hyd — Clearing
管啸天 — 标清23’42’’