The best albums of 2022 include Amanda Shires, Mitski, Shinedown, Jack White, Sharon Van Etten, Luke Combs, Blackpink, Broken Bells, Lamb of God, Bad Omens, Noah Cyrus, Kevin Morby, Freedy Johnston and Zach Bryan. Welcome back! Or, if this is your first click into our list of the best…

Muse performs at Aftershock Fest in Sacramento on Oct. 9, 2022. Photos courtesy Steve Thrasher, Nathan Zucker and Aftershock Fest. SACRAMENTO — Aftershock’s final day was defined by a trio of bands tapped with replacing original headliner Foo Fighters, who were forced to drop out following the death of drummer…

Shinedown, “Planet Zero.” Florida rockers Shinedown embark on possibly their most ambitious work by taking a trip to Planet Zero. Verging into concept album territory, the band offers a stark portrait of modern society, taking a critical look at so-called cancel culture, groupthink, social media addiction and mental health. Planet Zero…

Shinedown performs at The Warfield in San Francisco on Jan. 26, 2022. Nate McKinley/STAFF. SAN FRANCISCO — Playing on the opening night of their tour, as well as the release day of their brand new single “Planet Zero,” Florida rockers Shinedown somehow packed an arena’s worth of production into the…

Mike Shinoda, “Post-Traumatic.” This year was one of transition and experimentation for artists, and I’ve used fairly simple criteria to narrow down my top 10 albums. These are the ones I found myself loading up on my Spotify playlist—or, amazingly, even grabbing the CD. In addition to original songwriting…