Firebird’s Top Albums of 2022: Staff Picks.

Written By Firebird Magazine

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

  1. MJ Lenderman — Boat Songs

  2. Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

  3. Alvvays — Blue Rev

  4. Beyoncé — Renaissance

  5. Black Country, New Road — Ants from Up There

  6. Rosalía — Motomami

  7. Sudan Archives — Natural Brown Prom Queen

  8. Bad Bunny — Un Verano Sin Ti

  9. Weyes Blood — And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow

  10. 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

  1. Beyoncé — Renaissance

  2. Taylor Swift — Midnights

  3. Aurora — The Gods We Can Touch

  4. Ethel Cain — Preacher's Daughter

  5. SZA — SOS

  6. Rina Sawayama — Hold the Girl

  7. The Weeknd — Dawn FM

  8. Charli XCX — Crash

  9. Sabrina Carpenter — Emails I Can’t Send

  10. 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

  1. Black Country, New Road — Ants from Up There

  2. Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

  3. Croation Amor — Remember Rainbow Bridge

  4. Silvana Estrada — Marchita

  5. JID — The Forever Story

  6. DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ — Bewitched!

  7. Perfume Genius — Ugly Season

  8. Fred again.. — Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9 2022)

  9. MJ Lenderman — Boat Songs

  10. Florist — Florist

 

Maria Kravtsova, Social Media Director / Editor

  1. Halsey — If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power

  2. The 1975 — Being Funny In A Foreign Language

  3. The Greeting Committee — Sort of Stranger

  4. Wolf Alice — Blue Lullaby

  5. Mitski — Laurel Hell

  6. K.Flay — Inside Voices / Outside Voices

  7. The Regrettes — Further Joy

  8. Rosalía — Motomami

  9. Joji — Smithereens

  10. King Princess — Hold On Baby

 

Aidan Grogan, Writer

  1. Axel Boman — LUZ

  2. Theo Parrish — DJ Kicks: Theo Parrish

  3. Fred again.. — Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9 2022)

  4. black midi — Hellfire

  5. The Smile — A Light for Attracting Attention

  6. Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

  7. Daphni — Cherry

  8. FKA twigs — Caprisongs

  9. worriedaboutsatan — Glass Infinites

  10. Whatever the Weather — Whatever the Weather

 

Alia Smith, Writer

  1. Black Country, New Road — Ants from Up There

  2. Alex G — God Save the Animals

  3. Nilüfer Yanya — Painless

  4. Weyes Blood — And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow

  5. Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

  6. Ethel Cain — Preacher's Daughter

  7. Beach House — Once Twice Melody

  8. Tomberlin — i don’t know who needs to hear this…

  9. The 1975 — Being Funny In A Foreign Language

  10. 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

  1. Steve Lacy — Gemini Rights

  2. Lizzy McAlpine — Five Seconds Flat

  3. Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

  4. Rex Orange County — Who Cares?

  5. beabadoobee — Beatopia

  6. SZA — SOS

  7. Taylor Swift — Midnights

 

David Hall, Writer

  1. Hikaru Utada — BADモード

  2. Natalia Lafourcade — De todas las flores

  3. Shygirl — Nymph

  4. Black Country, New Road — Ants from Up There

  5. Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul — Topical Dancer

  6. Weyes Blood — And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow

  7. Carly Rae Jepsen — The Loneliest Time

  8. Kilo Kish — American Gurl

  9. Uffie — Sunshine Factory

  10. 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

  1. Danger Mouse & Black Thought — Cheat Codes

  2. Natalia Lafourcade — De todas las flores

  3. JID — The Forever Story

  4. Silvana Estrada — Marchita

  5. billy woods — Aethiopes

  6. Little Simz — No Thank You

  7. beabadoobee — Beatopia

  8. Quadeca — i didn't mean to haunt you

  9. Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

  10. Cities Aviv — Man Plays the Horn

 

Evgenia Anastasakos, Writer

  1. Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

  2. Beach House — Once Twice Melody

  3. Alex G — God Save the Animals

  4. Pinegrove — 11:11

  5. Angel Olsen — Big Time

  6. Florence and the Machine — Dance Fever

  7. Sharon Van Etten — We've Been Going About This All Wrong

  8. Horsegirl — Versions of Modern Performance

  9. Dehd — Blue Skies

  10. 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

  1. Ethel Cain — Preacher’s Daughter

  2. Beach House — Once Twice Melody

  3. Florence + the Machine — Dance Fever

  4. SZA — SOS

  5. Weyes Blood — And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow

  6. Sudan Archives — Natural Brown Prom Queen

  7. FKA twigs — Caprisongs

  8. Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

  9. Omar Apollo — Ivory

  10. 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

  1. Vince Staples — Ramona Park Broke My Heart

  2. Kendrick Lamar — Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers

  3. JID — The Forever Story

  4. Smino — Luv 4 Rent

  5. Jaguar Sun — All We’ve Ever Known

  6. AG Club — Imposter Syndrome

  7. Babyface Ray — Mob

  8. Metro Boomin — Heroes & Villains

 

Isaac Zinoman, Writer

  1. JID — The Forever Story

  2. MJ Lenderman — Boat Songs

  3. Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

  4. SZA — SOS

  5. Kendrick Lamar — Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers

  6. MAVI — Laughing so Hard, it Hurts

  7. billy woods — Aethiopes

  8. Kenny Beats — Louie

  9. FKA twigs — Caprisongs

  10. Pusha T — It’s Almost Dry

 

Kristen Wallace, Writer

  1. JID — The Forever Story

  2. Future — I Never Liked You

  3. Metro Boomin — Heroes & Villains

  4. SZA — SOS

  5. Blxst — Before You Go

  6. Drake & 21 Savage — Her Loss

  7. Brent Faiyaz — Wasteland

  8. Lucky Daye — Candydrip

  9. Beyoncé — Renaissance

  10. 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

  1. Velveteen — Empty Crush

  2. Jockstrap — I Love You Jennifer B

  3. Wet Leg — Wet Leg

  4. Black Country, New Road — Ants from Up There

  5. 管啸天 — 标清23’42’’

  6. 脏手指 — 多米力高断断断电星

  7. Widowspeak — The Jacket

  8. Corn Wave — philosophy of structures

  9. 鸡毛信 — 各怀鬼胎

  10. Riot in School — Ceremony for Corruption

 

Nate Culbert, Editor

  1. Black Country, New Road — Ants from Up There

  2. Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

  3. Alvvays — Blue Rev

  4. Nilüfer Yanya — Painless

  5. beabadoobee — Beatopia

  6. MJ Lenderman — Boat Songs

  7. black midi — Hellfire

  8. Beyoncé — Renaissance

  9. Ethel Cain — Preacher’s Daughter

  10. Perfume Genius — Ugly Season

 

Nina Gong, Editor

  1. Noah Cyrus — The Hardest Part

  2. SZA — SOS

  3. Holly Humberstone — Can You Afford To Lose Me?

  4. GAYLE — a study of the human experience volume two and a half

  5. Reneé Rapp — Everything to Everyone

  6. Sabrina Carpenter — emails I can't send

 

Onofrio De Michele, Writer

  1. Rosalía — Motomami

  2. Nu Genea — Bar Mediterraneo

  3. cmqmartina — VERGOGNA

  4. Bad Bunny — Un Verano Sin Ti

  5. 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

  1. Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

  2. Alvvays — Blue Rev

  3. MJ Lenderman — Boat Songs

  4. Alvvays — Blue Rev

  5. Rosalía — Motomami

  6. Black Country, New Road — Ants from Up There

  7. Sudan Archives — Natural Brown Prom Queen

  8. Bad Bunny — Un Verano Sin Ti

  9. Silvana Estrada — Marchita

  10. Kendrick Lamar — Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers

 

Tania Godbole, Writer

  1. Rosalía — Motomami

  2. Beyoncé — Renaissance

  3. SZA — SOS

  4. FKA twigs — Caprisongs

  5. Steve Lacy — Gemini Rights

  6. Sudan Archives — Natural Brown Prom Queen

  7. Nigo — I Know Nigo

  8. Soccer Mommy — Sometimes, Forever

  9. Vince Staples — Ramona Park Broke My Heart

  10. Willow — <copingmechanism>

 

Theo Anderson, Writer

  1. Sudan Archives — Natural Brown Prom Queen

  2. FKA twigs — Caprisongs

  3. Jenny Hval — Classic Objects

  4. Beyoncé — Renaissance

  5. Wet Leg — Wet Leg

  6. SZA — SOS

  7. Hyd — Clearing

  8. Weyes Blood — And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow

  9. Ethel Cain — Preacher’s Daughter

  10. Junglepussy — Jp5000

 

Yushu Qiu, Writer

  1. Wang Wen — Painful Clown & Ninja Tiger

  2. Hey, ily! — Psychokinetic Love Songs

  3. Action Bronson — Cocodrillo Turbo

  4. Rina Sawayama — Hold the Girl

  5. Danger Mouse & Black Thought — Cheat Codes

  6. Corn Wave — philosophy of structures

  7. Masiwei — Humble Swag GT Mixtape

  8. Weyes Blood — And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow

  9. Hyd — Clearing

  10. 管啸天 — 标清23’42’’

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