We’ve never been ones to “stick to cocktails,” as it were. Chances are, you already know this. After all, you’re hanging out on our sorta-new blog, Good Libations. Thanks for that. Chances also are that you love new music, just like us. So allow me to share the songs and artists I’ve gravitated to most over this past year of 2022. This playlist is unequal parts folk, rock, jazz, soul, alt-country, and funk—with just a couple dashes of electronic in there for good measure.
How’d I get here? Well, every Friday morning (or late Thursday night sometimes), I scour the new album reviews on Pitchfork, Metacritic, NPR Music, No Depression, and others, putting together monthly playlists with the most compelling releases.
Then, I skim through ‘em and see what’s worth a deeper listen. The ones that connect on deeper listens make it into my “keepers” playlist for the year. This playlist contains one song from each of those keepers. If you like what you hear, do some deep diving of your own! The albums these songs come from are all full of other gems. Cheers.
TRACK LISTING
Angel Olsen - Big Time
Nilufer Yanya - Midnight Sun
Khruangbin & Leon Bridges - Mariella
Panda Bear & Sonic Boom - Edge of the Edge
Steve Lacy - Mercury
Big Thief - Certainty
Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio - Don’t Worry ‘Bout What I Do
EARTHGANG - Lie To Me
Jake Xerxes Fussell - Love Farewell
Warpaint - Champion
Ezra Collective - Ego Killah
S.G. Goodman - Teeth Marks
alt-J - U&ME
Danger Mouse & Black Thought - Because (feat. Joey Bada$$, Russ, and Dylan Cartlidge
Spoon - Wild
Bonny Light Horseman - Sweetbread
Makaya McCraven - So Ubuji
The Smile - The Smoke
Vieux Farka Toure & Khruangbin - Diarabi
Kevin Morby - This Is A Photograph
SAULT - Glory
Neal Francis - Very Fine, Pts. 1 & 2
Adrian Quesada - Noble Metals
Weyes Blood - Children of the Empire
Animal Collective - Preseter John
Toro y Moi & The Mattson 2 - Millennium
First Aid Kit - Out of My Head
Lee Fields - Two Jobs
Gorillaz - Skinny Ape
ODESZA - The Last Goodbye (feat. Bettye LaVette)
Plains - Problem With It
Monster Rally - Grassy Crystals
Soccer Mommy - Shotgun
Charley Crockett - I’m Just A Clown
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Ice V
Alex G - Mission