2022 is lining up to be a classic year of music, much like 2016. And like in the heaviness of the beginning of the pandemic 2020. music with echoes of beauty are necessary. All is not hopeless. I highly recommend perscribing yourself moving compositions. Artists know your pain and desperation. Many speak to it in hopeful tones. Here are some 2022 pieces doing that for me right now.
Orville Peck might be an odd pick for beauty but I do believe it brings something that’s beyond the country troubadour here. Bronco is beautiful, accessible for all, and emotional. I know there’s critique on the street about the depth of his vocal range on his first album. But, if there is a limit there (and I call it a big if) it is something that I’m willing to tolerate because I believe it exposes his vulnerability. It creates authenticity to the music. So I’m going to count the fact that he’s not the most polished singer on the planet as a win and the thing that actually makes this album more beautiful. (I don’t usually post lyric videos, but “Kalahari Down” speaks to what I am getting at when listening to this album)
Hugar has made the most beautiful instrumental album of the year. Rift’s sound is so familiar you will feel like you have heard it before. Not because it is copying some other artist, but because his composing is so well done. This is your zen album of 2022.
S. Carey is a lovely artist. He is also known for being in Bon Iver, as their drummer and pianist. He has made a few pretty albums. This one feels as if all the growth it takes to figure out who you are found its way into the cohesiveness of this record. It might just be more like my own listening skills are growing. But, Instead of wanting to listen to the album in a rare somber mood, as in his past releases; here I am in for revisiting Break Me Open no matter the mood.
Alexis Fffrench’s new record might be on this list too early, since I have not gone all in. But, I do believe there is an audience for the Classical Crossover genre. Truth is moving and profound. Most of us don’t know where to start or even understand this style exists. Alexis is a great entry point. It’s gigantic.