Best of 2022: Staff Picks

It's that time of year when we all compare notes — what lit up our ears this year? Here's what we loved, and we asked you for your favorites in our Best of 2022 Listener Poll. (Voting is closed, we'll reveal the results on your radio December 30th.)

Scroll down for: Corny O'Connell | Alisa Ali | Dennis Elsas | Eric Holland | Darren DeVivo | Russ Borris | Delphine Blue | Paul Cavalconte | Janet Bardini | John Platt | Kara Manning | George Evans | Sarah Wardrop | Benham Jones

Corny O'Connell

Top 10 Songs (alphabetical)

• Arctic Monkeys, "There'd Better Be a Mirrorball"
• Cuco featuring Kacey Musgraves and Adriel Favela, "Sitting in the Corner"
• Florence + The Machine, "My Love"
• Foals, "Wake Me Up"
• Fontaines D.C., "Jackie Down the Line"
• Jungle, "GOOD TIMES"
• The Linda Lindas, "Oh!"
• Sofi Tukker, "Summer in New York"
• Tedeschi Trucks Band, "Sweet Soul Song"
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Burning"

Top 10 Albums (alphabetical)

• The Black Keys, Dropout Boogie
• Death Cab for Cutie, Asphalt Meadows
• Florence + The Machine, Dance Fever
• Foals, Life Is Yours
• Fontaines D.C., Skinty Fia
• The Heavy Heavy, Life and Life Only
• Orville Peck, Bronco
• Spoon, Lucifer on the Sofa
• Tedeschi Trucks Band, I Am the Moon
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cool It Down

Music Discovery:
Say She She

Alisa Ali

Top 10 Songs

1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Burning"
2. Sampa the Great with Angélique Kidjo, "Let Me Be Great"
3. Spoon, "Wild"
4. Vieux Farka Touré and Khruangbin, "Tongo Bara"
5. Cuco featuring Kacey Musgraves and Adriel Favela, "Sitting in the Corner"
6. Fontaines D.C., "Jackie Down the Line"
7. Regina Spektor, "Becoming All Alone"
8. Harry Styles, "As It Was"
9. Ibibio Sound Machine, "All That You Want"
10. Obongjayar, "Tinko Tinko (Don't Play Me for a Fool)"
11. The Linda Lindas, "Oh!"

Top 10 Albums

1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cool It Down
2. Spoon, Lucifer on the Sofa
3. Fontaines D.C., Skinty Fia
4. Allison Ponthier, Shaking Hands with Elvis EP
5. Sudan Archives, Natural Brown Prom Queen
6. Dehd, Blue Skies
7. Soccer Mommy, Sometimes Forever
8. Mitski, Laurel Hell
9. Florence + The Machine, Dance Fever
10. The Linda Lindas, Growing Up

Music Discovery:
The Jack Moves — A "NY Slice" find! These guys have been around for a while, but I just discovered them through their song "Lionel Richie." I went back into their catalog and it's all good! Their latest album is called Cruiserweight. It goes down smooth. Don't wait. Listen to it as soon as you can.

Dennis Elsas

Top 10 Songs (alphabetical)

• Father John Misty, "Goodbye Mr. Blue"
• Florence + the Machine, "Free"
• Fontaines D.C., "Jackie Down the Line"
• Gabriels, "Love and Hate in a Different Time"
• Julian Lennon, "Not One Night"
• ODESZA featuring The Knocks, "Love Letter"
• Panda Bear/Sonic Boom, "Edge of the Edge"
• Stephen Sanchez, "Until I Found You"
• Tedeschi Trucks Band, "Sweet Soul Song"
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Burning"

Top 10 Albums (alphabetical)

• Allison Ponthier, Shaking Hands with Elvis EP
• The Beatles, Revolver (2022 box set)
• Big Thief, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You
• Bruce Springsteen, Only the Strong Survive
• Death Cab, Asphalt Meadows
• Elvis Costello and The Imposters, The Boy Named If
• Maggie Rogers, Surrender
• Marcus King, Young Blood
• Phoenix, Alpha Zulu
• Regina Spektor, Home, before and after

Music Discovery:
Stephen Sanchez

Eric Holland

Top 10 Songs

1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Burning"
2. Vieux Farka Touré and Khruangbin, "Tonga Barra"
3. The Linda Lindas, "Oh!"
4. Parquet Courts, "Watching Strangers Smile"
5. Momma, "Speeding 72"
6. Sharon Van Etten, "Mistakes"
7. LCD Soundsystem, "New Body Rhumba"
8. Tedeschi Trucks Band, "Sweet Soul Song"
9. Margo Price, "Change of Heart"
10. Steve Lacy, "Bad Habit"

Top 10 Albums

1. Spoon, Lucifer on the Sofa
2. Tedeschi Trucks Band, I Am The Moon I: Crescent
3. Marcus King, Youngblood
4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cool it Down
5. Wet Leg, Wet Leg
6. Jack White, Entering Heaven Alive
7. Khruangbin and Leon Bridges, Texas Moon
8. beabadoobee, Beatopia
9. Fontaines D.C., Skinty Fia
10. The Beths, Expert in a Dying Field

Music Discovery:
Men I Trust

Top Concerts of the Year

1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs/Linda Lindas/Japanese Breakfast, Forest Hills Stadium 10/1
2. Pearl Jam, MSG 9/11
3. Spoon, Hammerstein Ballroom 5/6
4. Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, The Apollo 3/31
5. Jack White, Barclays Center 4/21
6. Wilco, United Palace 4/16
7. Tedeschi Trucks Band, Beacon Theatre 9/30
8. Courtney Barnett, Radio City Music Hall 7/21
9. Eddie Vedder, Beacon Theatre 2/3
10. The Smile, Hammerstein Ballroom 11/20

Darren DeVivo

Top Songs

1. Lucy Dacus, "Kissing Lessons"
2. Drive-By Truckers, "Welcome 2 Club XIII"
3. Julian Lennon featuring Nuno Bettencourt, "Imagine"
4. The Linda Lindas, "Oh!"
5. Lizzo, "About Damn Time"
6. Momma, "Speeding 72"
7. (tie) Pink Floyd featuring Andriy Khlyvnyuk, "Hey Hey Rise Up"
   Roger Waters, "Comfortably Numb 2022"
8. Pixies, "There's A Moon On"
9. Soccer Mommy, "Shotgun"
10. Ringo Starr, "Everyone And Everything"

Top Albums

1. Adrian Belew, Elevator - Belew is at it again with a collection of frenzied, technically brilliant prog pop tunes. Awe-inspiring, mindblowing music, and a lot of fun — all at the same time.
2. Big Thief, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You - Big Thief grew on me slowly. Now with Dragon New Warm Mountain ... I believe in them!
3. The Black Keys, Dropout Boogie - The follow up to Delta Kream, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney's homage to Mississippi hill country blues.
4. Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs, External Combustion - The second album by guitarist Mike Campbell's (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Fleetwood Mac) band, the Dirty Knobs, features special guests Ian Hunter and Margo Price. Tom is smiling down on his ol' buddy!
5. Martin Courtney, Magic Sign - The second solo album from Real Estate's frontman.
6. Death Cab For Cutie, Asphalt Meadows - Their tenth studio album. (Technically, their eleventh!)
7. Robyn Hitchcock, Shufflemania! - His first studio album in five years.
8. Janis Ian, The Light at the End of the Line - Janis Ian's farewell album is a beautiful and bittersweet collection that comes 55 years after her debut. It's sad to know that this will be her last album.
9. Freedy Johnston, Back on the Road to You - Freedy Johnston's tenth studio album is his first in seven years. It was well worth the wait! Guests include Aimee Mann, Susan Cowsill and Susanna Hoffs.
10. Lucy Kaplansky, Last Days Of Summer - A new album from an old friend.
11. Marcus King, Young Blood - The second solo album from Marcus King, after three with the Marcus King Band, finds the Greenville, South Carolina native again working with producer Dan Auerbach.
12. Kula Shaker, 1st Congregational Church Of Eternal Love (And Free Hugs) - Their first album in six years.
13. Julian Lennon, Jude - His seventh album is a mature, passionate, and heartfelt collection of songs that are meticulously crafted and reveal more and more with each listen.
14. John Mayall, The Sun is Shining Down - The father of the British blues and rock movement should (already) be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's a crime he is not. Now 89 years old, Mayall is still somewhat active, although he did recently retire from live performance. This might prove to be his final album.
15. Alan Parsons, From The New World - My love for Parsons' richly sonic prog(ressive) pop has never wavered over the years. This is his sixth "solo" studio album. (The Alan Parsons Project, which was Parsons and the late Eric Woolfson, shut down in the late 1980s.)
16. Porcupine Tree, Closure/Continuation - Steven Wilson, Richard Barbieri, and Gavin Harrison return with their first album in 13 years.
17. Spoon, Lucifer on the Sofa - Austin's Britt Daniel, Jim Eno, and company have been doing the Spoon thing for nearly 30 years now and they are still innovative and exciting.
18. Bruce Springsteen, Only The Strong Survive - A powerhouse of a covers album, tackling old soul chestnuts with ease and making them sound like they were always meant to be sung by the Boss. This is the album for Bruce Springsteen—the singer—to shine. Listen for guest Sam Moore ex of Sam and Dave.
19. Tears for Fears, The Tipping Point - The first studio album from Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith in about 18 years.
20. Tedeschi Trucks Band (multiple albums), I Am The Moon: I. Crescent; I Am The Moon: II. Ascension;  I Am The Moon: III. The Fall; I Am The Moon: IV: Farewell. - An epic undertaking by Susan Tedeschi, her husband Derek Trucks, and their band. Four albums featuring 24 songs and clocking in at two hours, 11 minutes.
21. Robin Trower, No More Worlds to Conquer - Like Alan Parsons, guitar virtuoso Robin Trower has been a favorite of mine for decades. A member of Procol Harum from 1967-1971, next year marks the 50th anniversary of Trower's first solo album, Twice Removed From Yesterday.
22. Eddie Vedder, Earthling - The third solo album from Pearl Jam's lead singer and songwriter.
23. Whitney, Spark - The fourth album from this band from the Chicago area.
24. Edgar Winter, Brother Johnny - Edgar Winter pays tribute to his older brother, Johnny Winter (who died in 2014), on this blues outing loaded with special guests.
25. Various Artists, Ocean Child: Songs Of Yoko Ono - Benjamin Gibbard (of Death Cab For Cutie) gets it - the music of Yoko Ono is misunderstood and underappreciated. Gibbard curates this tribute to Ono which features her songs as performed by David Byrne, Death Cab For Cutie, Deerhoof, the Flaming Lips, Japanese Breakfast, Stephin Merritt, Jay Som, Sudan Archives, Thao, U.S. Girls, Sharon Van Etten, Yo La Tengo and more.

Music Discovery:
The Linda Lindas - Growing Up is their debut album. Two sisters, their cousin and a friend. Wait... they are how old? Between 11 and 17!
Thee Sacred Souls - San Diego soul trio who released their self-titled debut album this year.

Russ Borris

Top 10 Songs (alphabetical)

• 070 Shake, "Skin and Bones"
• beabadoobee, "Talk"
• Cuco featuring Kacey Musgraves and Adriel Favela, "Sitting in the Corner"
• Diana Ross and Tame Impala, "Turn Up the Sunshine"
• Killer Mike, "Run"
• MUNA, "What I Want"
• Sky Ferreira, "Don't Forget"
• Sports Team, "The Drop"
• Steve Lacy, "Bad Habit"
• The 1975, "Part of the Band"

Top 10 Albums (alphabetical)

• Joshua Hedley, Neon Blue
• Lizzo, Special
• Mitski, Laurel Hell
• Momma, Household Name
• Orville Peck, Bronco
• Spoon, Lucifer on the Sofa
• Steve Lacy, Gemini Rights
• The Linda Lindas, Growing Up
• Wet Leg, Wet Leg
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cool It Down

Music Discovery:
Danielle Ponder

Delphine Blue

Top 11 Songs

1. ODESZA featuring The Knocks, "Love Letter"
2. U.S. Girls, "Bless This Mess"
3. Yeah Yeahs Yeahs, "Burning"
4. Panda Bear/Sonic Boom, "Go On"
5. Adrian Quesada featuring Gabriel Garzón-Montano, "El Paraguas"
6. Arcade Fire, "Unconditional"
7. Cuco featuring Kacey Musgraves and Adriel Favela, "Sitting In The Corner"
8. Men I Trust, "Billie Toppy"
9. The Linda Lindas, "Oh!"
10. Stromae, "L'enfer"
11. Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul, "Ceci n'est pas un cliché"

Top 11 Albums

1. Panda Bear/Sonic Boom, Reset
2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cool It Down
3. The Smile, A Light For Attracting Attention
4. Fontaines D.C., Skinty Fia
5. Sampa the Great, As Above, So Below
6. Wet Leg, Wet Leg
7. Danielle Ponder, Some of Us Are Brave
8. Adrian Quesada, Boleros Psicodélicos
9. Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, Cold as Weiss
10. Oliver Sim, Hideous Bastard
11. The Linda Lindas, Growing Up

Music Discovery:
Brandi and the Alexanders
Just Mustard
Say She She

Paul Cavalconte

Top 10 Songs

1. Sam Fender, "Seventeen Going Under - Released in '21, but a TikTok hit in '22. And new to me in this year.
2. Sharon Van Etten, "Mistakes" - I still swear she says "better than meth."
3. Fontaines D.C., "Roman Holiday"
4. Mitski, "Love Me More"
5. Stephen Sanchez, "Until I Found You" - Our prom dance song.
6. Allison Russell, "You're Not Alone"
7. Steve Lacy, "Bad Habit"
8. The Heavy Heavy, "Miles And Miles"
9. beabadoobee, "The Perfect Pair"
10. Spoon, "On the Radio"

Top 10 Albums

1. Spoon, Lucifer on the Sofa - A stunner
2. Father John Misty, Chloe and the Next 20th Century - A brilliant pastiche. Oh, wait — he thinks he wrote these songs?
3. Mitski, Laurel Hell - Also, a brilliant pastiche. The best '80s album of the 21st century
4. Panda Bear/Sonic Boom, Reset - The best '60s album of the 21st century
5. Wet Leg, Wet Leg - They got the big D!
6. Craig Finn, A Legacy of Rentals - The story-song cycle continues
7. Elvis Costello and The Imposters, The Boy Named If
8. Andrew Bird, Inside Problems
9. Bruce Springsteen, Only the Strong Survive
10. The Black Keys, Dropout Boogie

Music Discovery:
Nikki Lane

Janet Bardini

Top 10 Songs

• Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Burning"
• Wet Leg, "Wet Dream"
• The 1975, "Part of the Band"
• The Linda Lindas, "Oh"
• Bartees Strange, "Mulholland Drive"
• Kae Tempest featuring Kevin Abstract, "More Pressure"
• The Smile, "You Will Never Work...."
• Eddie Vedder, "Brother the Cloud "
• Angel Olsen, "Big Time"
• Fontaines D.C., "Roman Holiday "

Top 10 Albums

• Eddie Vedder, Earthling
• The Smile, A Light for Attracting Attention
• Wet Leg, Wet Leg
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cool It Down
• Julia Jacklin, PRE PLEASURE
• Bartees Strange, Farm to Table
• Angel Olsen, Big Time
• Kae Tempest, The Line is a Curve
• Elvis Costello and The Imposters, The Boy Named If
• Fontaines D.C., Skinty Fia

Music Discovery:
Stephen Sanchez

John Platt

Top 10 Songs (alphabetical)

• Allison Russell featuring Brandi Carlile, "You're Not Alone"
• Amy Correia, "The Beggar"
• Deirdre McCalla, "I Do Not Walk This Path Alone"
• Jake Blount, "Didn't It Rain"
• James Keelaghan, "Walk On"
• Jean Rohe, "Animal"
• John McCutcheon and Tom Paxton, "Ukrainian Now"
• Mary Gauthier, "Fall Apart World"
• Tank and the Bangas, "Stolen Fruit"
• Tom Paxton, Cathy Fink, Marcy Marxer, "Pete's Shoulders (The Power of Song)"

Honorable mention: Amy Ray, "Subway," Dan Weber, "Ever Since Columbine," Joy Askew, "Silent," Lilli Lewis with Gina Forsyth, "My American Heart," Roger Street Friedman, "Thankful for This Day," Son Volt, "Living in the USA," Tina Ross, "Artmesia"

Top 10 Albums (alphabetical)

• Amy Speace, Tucson
• Anaïs Mitchell, Anaïs Mitchell
• Aoife O'Donovan, Age of Apathy
• Janis Ian, The Light at the End of the Line
• John Fullbright, The Liar
• Lucy Kaplansky, Last Days of Summer
• Mary Gauthier, Dark Enough to See the Stars
• Pat Wictor, Flare
• Peter Mulvey, Love Is the Only Thing
• Punch Brothers, Hell on Church Street

Honorable Mention: Abbie Gardner, Dobrosinger, Brother Brothers, Cover to Cover, Eleri Ward, Keep a Tender Distance, Happy Traum, There's a Bright Side Somewhere, Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway, Crooked Tree, Various Artists, Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: The Songs of John Prine, Vol. 2, Willie Nelson, A Beautiful Time

Music Discovery:
Jake Blount - An exciting young performer from Providence, Rhode Island who breathes new life into traditional Black spirituals

Kara Manning

Top Songs (alphabetical):

• beabadoobee, “10:36” and “Talk”
• Connie Constance, “Yuck!”
• English Teacher, “Polyawkward”
• Hinako Omori, “The Richest Garden in Your Memory”
• Hudson Mohawke, “Is It Supposed”
• Laufey, “Above the Chinese Restaurant”
• Little Simz feat. Cleo Sol, "Angel" and "Gorilla"
• Mitski, “Should’ve Been Me”
• Nia Archives, “Baianá”
• Nilüfer Yanya, “Midnight Sun”
• Phoenix,”Tonight” (with Ezra Koenig) and “After Midnight”
• Poppy Ajudha, “PLAYGOD”
• porij, “Figure Skating”
• Rachel Chinouriri, “All I Ever Asked”
• Steve Lacy, “Mercury”
• The Big Moon, “Wide Eyes”
• Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, “Never Seen You Dance”
• yeule, “Bites on My Neck”

Top Albums (alphabetical):

• beabadoobee, Beatopia
• Black Country, New Road, Ants From Up There
• Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul, Topical Dancer
• Dry Cleaning, Stumpwork
• Eiko Ishibashi, Drive My Car (soundtrack)
• Fontaines D.C., Skinty Fia
• Joan Shelley, The Spur
• Jockstrap, I Love You Jennifer B
• Julia Jacklin, PRE PLEASURE
• Little Simz, No Thank You
• Nilüfer Yanya, Painless
• Nina Nastasia, Riderless Horse
• Pale Blue Eyes, Souvenirs
• Phoenix, Alpha Zulu
• SAULT (multiple albums): Earth, 11, Today & Tomorrow, Untitled (God), Air, AIIR
• Sudan Archives, Natural Brown Prom Queen
• The Smile, A Light for Attracting Attention
• TSHA, Capricorn Sun

Discoveries:

• Seraphina Simone - With her sharply insightful Milk Teeth EP, Simone mixes effervescence with a dark lyrical undertow. Her dad is famous, but she is her own entity.
• Tommy Lefroy - London-based Canadian-American duo, named after Jane Austen’s beau, excels in stormy pop with HAIM-like harmonies.
• Harlem Gospel Travelers - Formed out of New York’s non-profit Gospel for Teens program, led by Eli Paperboy Reed, the group’s second album Look Up!, their first album of originals, is galvanizing and gorgeous. 
• Personal Trainer - Dutch post-punk adventurers released a gloriously messy debut (that’s a good thing), Big Love Blanket.
• Antony Szmeirek - Manchester poet and rapper drops taut, thoughtful singles that precisely capture this era of uncertainty. His debut album is due out in 2023.

George Evans

Top 10 Songs

1. Sharon Van Etten, "Mistakes"
2. Alvvays, "Easy On Your Own?"
3. Phoenix, "Alpha Zulu" - Dance song of the summer.
4. Foals, "2am"
5. Thee Sacred Souls, "Easier Said Than Done"
6. Arctic Monkeys, "There’d Better Be A Mirrorball"
7. Momma, "Speeding 72"
8. Lady Wray, "Come On In"
9. LCD Soundsystem, "New Body Rhumba"
10. Remi Wolf, "Grumpy Old Man"

Sarah Wardrop

Top 10 Songs (alphabetical and outside the Top 10 albums)

• Dehd, "Bad Love"
• Steve Lacy, "Bad Habit"
• The Linda Lindas, "Oh!"
• Lucius, "Next to Normal"
• Angel Olsen, "Big Time"
• Abby Sage, "Backwards Directions"
• Soccer Mommy, "Feel It All the Time"
• Spoon, "On the Radio"
• Sharon Van Etten, "Mistakes"
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Burning"

Top 10 Albums (alphabetical)

• Big Joanie, Back Home
• Hurray for the Riff Raff, Life On Earth
• Lizzo, Special
• Momma, Household Name
• MUNA, MUNA
• Oceanator, Nothing's Ever Fine
• Amy Ray, If It All Goes South
• Seratones, Love & Algorhythms
• Tedeschi Trucks Band, I Am the Moon: I. Crescent
• Tegan and Sara, Crybaby

Music Discovery:
Say She She

Benham Jones

Top 10 Songs (alphabetical and outside the Top 10 albums)

• Arctic Monkeys, "There'd Better Be a Mirrorball"
• Sharon Van Etten, "Mistakes"
• Sky Ferreira, "Don't Forget"
• Grace Ives, "Lullabye"
• LCD Soundsystem, "New Body Rhumba"
• The Linda Lindas, "Oh!"
• Panda Bear + Sonic Boom, "Go On"
• Spoon, "My Babe"
• Taylor Swift, "Mastermind"
• Vieux Farka Toure and Khruangbin, "Tonga Barra"

Top 10 Albums (alphabetical)

• Beyoncé, Renaissance
• Big Thief, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You
• Jockstrap, I Love You Jennifer B
• Angel Olsen, Big Time
• Jo Schornikow, Altar
• The Smile, A Light for Attracting Attention
• Spiritualized, Everything Was Beautiful
• Sudan Archives, Natural Brown Prom Queen
• Weyes Blood, And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cool It Down

Music Discovery:
Soul Glo