JANKY SMOOTH Top 10 ALBUMS of 2022 Rated by Contributors

It’s hard to fathom underground music survived, thrived and broke new boundaries only two years since the pandemic’s peak-year. In the heat of that fire, stuck at home, people suspected that the dire circumstances we were all living under would have some great inspiring effect on the artist community. At first, some might’ve mistakenly changed their minds, pessimistically losing all hope in artists returning to purer vision, but now, in 2022, we’re finally beginning to see the true fruits of this brave new artistic world. Some of our favorite artists like Adult., Spike Hellis,  Soul Glo, Wormrot and Boy Harsher all released work that evolved their sound, image, and identities in ways none could’ve predicted. Every year, Janky Smooth loves sharing our top-ten albums lists with our audience, 2022’s lists are especially bizarre for all you beautiful weirdos.

Publisher, Danny Baraz

1. Spike Hellis – Spike Hellis
2. Deaf Club – Productive Disruption
3. Soul Glo – Diaspora Problems 
4. Beach House – Once, Twice, Melody
5. HEALTH – Disco 4:: Part II
6. Ho99o9 – SKIN
7. Kumo 99 – Body N. Will
8. Candy – Heaven Is Here
9. Adult. – Becoming Undone
10. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Omnium Gatherum

Editor, Robert Shepyer

1. Wormrot – Hiss
2. Adult. – Becoming Undone
3. Rammstein – Zeit
4. Pusha T – It’s Almost Dry
5. Boy Harsher – The Runner (Original Soundtrack)
6. Meshuggah – Immutable
7. Dry Cleaning – Stumpwork
8. Boris – Heavy Rocks (2022)
9. Otoboke Beaver – Super Champion
10. OSees – A Foul Form

Photographer, Albert Licano

1. The Chats – Get Fucked
2. Long Knife – Curb Stomp Earth
3. Viagra Boys – Cave World
4. Kreator – Hate Uber Alles
5. Giuda – Live at Punk Rock Raduno
6. Dark Funeral – We Are The Apocalypse
7. Bootlicker – Lick The Boot, Lose Your Teehth
8. Hellshock – Self titled
9. Yard Act – The Overload
10. Exhumed – To The Dead

Photographer, Rebecca DiGiglio

1. Adult. – Becoming Undone
2. Author & Punisher – Kruller
3. Dead Cross – II
4. Deaf Club – Productive Disruption
5. Fuck Money – s/t EP
6. Haunted Horses – The Worst Has Finally Happened
7. Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
8. Niis – Must Be…. EP
9. Special Interest – Endure
10. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Cool It Down

Photographer, Grace Dunn

1. Angel Olsen – Big Time
2. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Changes
3. Santigold – Spirituals
4. Spiritualized – Everything Was Beautiful
5. Kikagaku Moyo – Kumoyo Island
6. Viagra Boys – Cave World
7. Sharon Van Etten – We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong
8. Bjork – Fossora
9. Steve Lacy – Gemini Rights
10. Melody’s Echo Chamber – Unfold

Photographer, Chris Molina

1. Moderat – More D4ta
2. Daniel Avery – Ultra Truth
3. The Smile – A Light For Attracting Attention
4. Bjork – Fossora
5. Otoboke Beaver – Super Champion
6. The Mars Volta – The Mars Volta
7. HEALTH – DISCO4::PART II
8. Oliver Sim – Hideous Bastard
9. Floating Points  – Someone Close
10. Jack White – Entering Heaven Alive

Photographer, Dick Slaughter

1. Bob Vylan – Bob Vylan Presents The Price of Life
2. Bob Vylan – We Live Here
3. Viagra Boys – Cave World
4. Sparks – Sparks Brothers Soundtrack
5. Peter Vukmirovic Steves & Penny Rimbaud – S LENCE
6. Sleaford Mods – Spare Ribs
7. The Icky Boyfriends – self titled
8. Carol Hodge – The Crippling Space Between
9. Oh He Dead – Oh He Dead
10. Iggy Pop – Frenzy

Photographer, Dillon Vaughn

1. Lil Texas – FASTER
2. Cloakroom – Dissolution Wave
3. King Gizzard – Ice Death Planets
4. Labyrinth of Stars – Spectrum Xenomorph
5. Boris – W
6. Candy – Heaven is Here
7. King Gizzard – Omnium Gatherum
8. Stimulator Jones – Round Spiritual Ring
9. Tobacco – Skids and Angels
10. The Garden – Horseshit on Route 66

Photographer, Donna Borges

1. Jockstrap – I Love You Jennifer B.
2. Black Country, New Road – Ants From Up There
3. Alex G – God Save The Animals
4. Black Midi – Hellfire
5. Darcy Court – My Bouquet of Memories
6. The Garden – Horseshit on Route 66
7. Milly – Eternal Ring
8. Soul Glo – Diaspora Problems
9. Faetooth – Remnants of the Vessel
10. Prince Daddy and the Hyena – self titled

Photographer, Manuel Arredondo

1. Alexisonfire – Otherness
2. Dance Gavin Dance – Jackpot Juicer
3. Khruangbin – Ali
4. Orville Peck – Bronco
5. Panther Modern – LA2022
6. Soft Kill – Canary Yellow
7. Anthony Green – Boom Done
8. Harry Styles – Harry’s House
9. Joe Vann – Thoughts/Day Dreams
10. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Changes

Photographer, Jason Murillo

1. Hulder – The Eternal Fanfare
2. Molder – Engrossed in Decay
3. $uicideboy$ – Sing Me A Lullaby, My Sweet Temptation
4. Bones – Withered
5. Xavier Wulf – BloodShore Season 3
6. Devil Master – Ecstasies of Never Ending Night
7. Riot City – Electric Elite
8. Vortize – Tiene Quer Luchar
9. Lamp of Murmur/Ebony Pendant – Plenilunar Requiems 

Author, Danny Ryan

1. Machine Gun Kelly – Mainstream Sellout
2. The 1975 – Being Funny in a Foreign Language
3. No Pressure – No Pressure
4. Charli XCX – Crash
5. Mindforce – New Lords
6. Fleshwater – We’re Not Here To Be Loved
7. Ethel Cain – Preacher’s Daughter
8. Soccer Mommy – Sometimes, Forever
9. Dazy – OUTOFBODY
10. Taylor Swift – Midnights

Photographer, Greg Flack

1. Berthold City – When Words Are Not Enough
2. Bent Blue – Where Do Ripples Go?
3. Mindforce – New Lords
4. Lamb of God – Omens
5. Jungle Rot – Call to Arms
6. Terror – Pain Into Power
7. Spirit World – Deathwestern
8. 16 – Into Dust
9. Vein.FM – This World is Going to Ruin You
10. Earth Crisis – Vegan For The Animals