Tuesday, December 27, 2022

Best Ambient 2022 part 1

 

Man, these lists are tough to assemble. So why do I does this? Mostly because I enjoy the exercise of reviewing the tons and tons of music that is released over the year. It's a more active and intentional listening mode that I switch to at this time of year. I love checking out other lists to see what I may have missed. I'll link to some of those in another post. But mostly I'm just a music dork who likes lists.


My Top 10 Ambient Albums of 2022

  1. Ecovillage - The Road Not Taken [Laaps]
  2. Snufmumriko - Radio Mnemosyne [Dronarivm]
  3. Man Watching the Stars - The Sextant of a Blind Seafarer
  4. Gylden - Island Friend [Seil]
  5. Nils Frahm - Music For Animals [Leiter]
  6. Glåsbird - Himalaya [Whitelabrecs]
  7. Alio Die & Dirk Serries - The Chapters Of The Eclipse [Projekt]
  8. Tapani Rinne & Juha Maki-Patola - Open [Hush Hush Records]
  9. Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling, Andreas Werliin - Ghosted [Drag City]
  10. Tapes and Topographies - Modalities [Simulacra]


Here's the rest of the list in alphabetical order:

  • 't Geruis - Bain D'Étoiles [Laaps]
  • 't Geruis - Slow Dance on Moss Beds [Lost Tribe Sound]
  • Adrian Copeland - If This Were My Body [Lost Tribe Sound]
  • Alio Die - Distillation of Time & Spirals of Light [Hic Sunt Leones]
  • Austin Rockman - Our Own Unknown [Krysalisound]
  • Calm Whale - Awaken Earth
  • CELL - Onwards System [Ultimae]
  • Deepchord - Functional Designs [Soma]
  • Glåsbird - Cinéma Noir [Whitelabrecs]
  • Harry Towell & Guy Gelem - Restful Spaces [Polar Seas]
  • Heavenchord - Field Recordings #4 [Secret Domain]
  • Inhmost - Space & Awareness [Tonight’s Dream Records]
  • Jarguna - Neogene [Projekt]
  • Jason Kolàr - Liquid Rhythm [Dauw]
  • Jens Pauly - 1989 [Whitelabrecs]
  • Johann Johannsson - Drone Mass [DG]
  • Louigi Verona - Journeys on Google Earth
  • Michael Scott Dawson - Music For Listening
  • Moss Covered Technology - Brick & Air [Audiobulb]
  • Oren Ambarchi - Shebang [Drag City]
  • Pan-American - The Patience Folder [Kranky]
  • Polaroid Notes - Cloud Anthems [Whitelabrecs]
  • Romeo Poirier - Living Room [Faitiche]
  • Ruven Nunez - Untitled #51 [Longform Editions]
  • S. van der Toorn - vervlogenheden i-xi [Aural Canyon]
  • Scattered Light - D.A. #017 A.D. 2022 [Dust Archive]
  • Seabuckthorn - Of No Such Place [Laaps]
  • Son of Chi & Arthur Fink - The Fifth World Recordings [Astral Industries]
  • State Azure - Nova Sonus [2022]
  • Steve Tibbetts - Hellbound Train [ecm]
  • Tapes and Topographies - Amplitudes [Whitelabrecs]
  • Taylor Deupree - Harbor [Laaps]
  • The Lonely Bell - Kingdoms Of The Deep
  • Toàn - Phonolite [Krysalisound]
  • William Basinski & Janek Schaefer - “ . . . on reflection [Temporary Residence]


I've done three separate mixes to celebrate the best ambient music of 2022 and I will post one a day.

Cheers!


[ s t r e a m ]    [ d o w n l o a d ]    [ a p p l e _ p o d c a s t s ]


T R A C K L I S T :

  • 00:00    Ecovillage - Silent River(ft. Henrik Meierkord & Ruven Nunez) (The Road Not Taken - Laaps)
  • 03:10    Jens Pauly - Vast (1989 - Whitelabrecs)
  • 08:40    't Geruis - la petite riviere (Slow Dance on Moss Beds - Lost Tribe Sound)
  • 13:00    William Basinski & Janek Schaefer - . . . on reflection(one) (“ . . . on reflection " - Temporary Residence)
  • 19:41    Scattered Light - A.D. 2022 - SP#086 (D.A. #017 - A.D. 2022 - Dust Archive)
  • 23:36    Man Watching the Stars - Sakkyoku • 55 Cancri (The Sextant of a Blind Seafarer)
  • 29:10    Harry Towell & Guy Gelem - Montague's Creek (Restful Spaces - Polar Seas)
  • 36:05    Inhmost - So Far Away (Space & Awareness - Tonight's Dream Records)
  • 40:12    Glåsbird - Vansa (Himalaya - Whitelabrecs)
  • 44:30    Johann Johannsson - To Fold & Remain Dormant (Drone Mass - DG)
  • 47:54    Tapes and Topographies - The First of Many Moons (Modalities - Simulacra)
  • 51:54    S. van der Toorn - vervlogenheid i (vervlogenheden i-xi - Aural Canyon)
  • 55:08    Michael Scott Dawson - Summerfallow (Music For Listening)
  • 57:51    Pan•American - Swimming in a Western Hotel (The Patience Fader - Kranky)
  • 60:30    end


1 comment:

The Interstellar Radio Station said...

The "Best of" series mixes are progressively evolving as too sprawling, too all-encompassing, too imprecise, and each appearance too long. Perhaps the problem stems from the term: "best of" - it can mean the top 0.01% or the top 10%, it all meets the definition. If there is really 45-some-odd best of 2022 tracks such as been proposed, one 90 minute mix with about 1 to 3 minutes each would give a much more pleasing and credible result.

To update a quote from years past: best of 2022, not 2022.

Here abridged proportions, in the above format, of the Sacred Light, the Towell & Gelem, the Inhmost, the T&T and everything after would have been much better received.