After poring over hundreds of our own album reviews and hundreds more albums that we couldn’t get to along the way, our staff is back with its annual list of the best albums of the year. It was as hard as ever picking favorites, which is why this year, we set a ground rule of only including works that were written and recorded over the past year or close to it. This means that fantastic live albums by Tom Petty (one of the very few albums that earned a 10/10 score from us), as well as Sonic Youth’s In/Out/In, Daryl Hall’s BeforeAfter and Mavis Staples’ 2011 partnership with Levon Helm (Carry Me Home) aren’t on this list—but still deserve plenty of praise.

Our opening includes the country of Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, the hard rock of Ghost and Coheed and Cambria, the smart pop of Alice Merton, Omar Apollo, Sondre Lerche, Banks and hip-hop by Pusha T, as well as releases by Tears for Fears, Nova Twins, the Black Keys and Florence and the Machine. Carrie Underwood gets extra credit for trying something on her new album she hasn’t done much of before: Have a good time!

67. Nova Twins

Supernova – Marshall Records

U.K. alt-rock duo Nova Twins delivered an album full of Rage Against the Machine urgency and punk energy on its sophomore LP. The frenetic, bass-heavy anthems meld the spectrum of rock genres to create something that feels new and exciting. Tracks like “Antagonist” and “Fire and Ice” explode with an unrelenting heaviness that also mixes in a keen sense of groove. Amy Love and Georgia South are part of the new wave of modern rock, led by increasingly diverse voices taking the genre to new places at a time when it needs a spark.

66. Alice Merton

S.I.D.E.S. – Mom+Pop Records, Paper Plane

Independent artist Alice Merton had a bonafide hit on her hands with 2016’s “No Roots” and 2019 debut album Mint. Rather than revisit those same themes or formulas that got her to the show, she continued to grow her sound and explored new territories. One of the main themes on the album is a breakup with a very important collaborator. It was a platonic relationship but clearly one that weighed heavily on Merton, even as she painfully cut the cord and took a leap of faith in herself. That drama is set against songs that are imbued with numerous poppy styles. It’s not an album where the songs sound the same; each one stands on its own and has hit potential. If only indie artists had more sway on American radio. Then again, even “No Roots” took time to grow here, so you never know.

65. Tears for Fears

The Tipping Point – Concord Records

The Tipping Point finds Tears for Fears older and wiser, but still flexing their considerable pop muscles. The title track is a highlight, a moody and foreboding tune that Roland Orzabal said arose from his experience watching his first wife, Caroline, deteriorate and pass away due to alcoholism and related maladies. “Who’s that ghost knocking at my door?/ You know that I can’t love you more,” Orzabal sings of watching her destroy herself and waste away in a hospital bed. As in the past, heavy subject matter treated with a lyrical deftness and a catchy hook continues to be Tears for Fears’ very specific wheelhouse. Carina Round sings backup on a few songs, with “Long, Long, Long Time” making the best use of her voice. Both Orzabal and Curt Smith show that they still have the pipes that brought them success, but the production showcases their voices and doesn’t make the mistake of burying them in the mix.

64. Omar Apollo

Ivory – Warner Records

Influenced heavily by his Mexican-American heritage, Omar Apollo blends both Spanish and English on Ivory for a refined and progressive debut pop record. Omar Apollo swings between acoustic-driven and R&B-influenced electronic sounds. Both styles are equally good, and the record moves between the two seamlessly. His vocals are consistently strong throughout, alternating between his falsetto and more subdued or distorted styles. The upbeat “Go Away” has a relentlessly smooth, groovy and summery feeling to it. Apollo’s voice goes from falsetto on the chorus to his middle range for the verses. On an album full of catchy songs, this might be the catchiest. Ivory gives Omar Apollo the fullest platform to display his songwriting, vocal dexterity and the converging musical styles that influence him.

63. Banks

Sepentina – AWAL

Banks never produced herself as much as she did for Serpentina, and the result is outstanding. The entire album builds on the styles sewn throughout her previous three releases, with a range of vocal work and distortion, heavy layering and intense production. It’s sharp and heavy on “Holding Back,” instantly infectious, and each time listening feels like a journey in itself. The skipping beat on “Anything 4 U” works alongside the distortion of her vocals, partway through rounding out into a deeper beat. Banks layers tracks on songs like “Burn.” Strings and beats, vocalizing and lyrics all combine increasingly throughout the song, never really reaching a crescendo. Instead, they each slowly melt away. This may be the best avant-garde pop record of the year.

62. Sondre Lerche

Avatars of Love – PLZ

Norwegian singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche put out perhaps his best album of his 20-year career with Avatars of Love. Unimpeded by boundaries of genre, Lerche weaves synth-pop, jazz, rock, chamber music, ambient and more in this lush, cinematic masterpiece. Combining beautiful arrangements with dazzling lyricism throughout, he explores codependency over ethereal strings on “Guarantee That I’d Be Loved” and seeks the difference between real life and what the camera captures in an era where everything is performative on the dramatic “Cut.” He goes art-rock on the twisting, turning “In the Dead of the Night,” and gives catchy synth rock a Tokyo pop twist with the help CHAI in “Summer in Reverse.” With a host of other guest artists like Felicia Douglass of Dirty Projectors, harpist Mary Lattimore and fellow Norwegian Aurora, Lerche creates a shimmering world within in a world.

61. Pusha T

It’s Almost Dry – GOOD Music

Pusha T comfortably speaks about his experiences having dealt cocaine and how it built his artistry in music. Coproducers Pharrell Williams and Ye deliver quality instrumentals that maintain a solid consistency throughout the album’s 36-minute runtime. Despite the short length, the album paces itself well with Pusha delivering numerous quotable lyrics. Jay-Z makes an appearance on “Neck & Wrist,” where he and Pusha T rap over a primarily bass-laden track with a light warbling and shimmering synth. The standout track on the album is easily “Just So You Remember,” with Pusha T going full-blown Pablo Escobar on listeners as he raps with a deep intensity.

60. Miranda Lambert

Palomino – Vanner Records

From the rugged natural sounds of the Texas desert to being recorded and professionally mastered, it’s amazing how Miranda Lambert’s songs with Jack Ingram and Jon Randall were refined for a studio release. These tracks include the upbeat “Geraldene,” where a stutter during the chorus makes for an excellent hook; and “Waxahachie,” a much more acoustic, subdued track where Lambert longs to return to the city. On “In His Arms” she’s a drifting tumbleweed, moving from man to man and wishing she’d just end up in the right one’s embrace. These tracks fit perfectly into the restlessness of Palomino. The album is powerful and full of movement. Lambert is as restless as ever, which is probably why her music has stayed so consistently strong.

59. The Black Keys

Dropout Boogie – Nonesuch

“Wild Child” is a funky and percussive track with Dan Auerbach’s signature fuzz-tone guitar playing. It immediately jumps from the speaker, an infectious and lively song that makes it impossible to stand still. “It Ain’t Over” fuses a Latin flair with Delta blues to create an intimate and darkly melodic romp. “For the Love of Money” is a bluesy slide-guitar-heavy song that chugs like a train going down the tracks. Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney have worked on some compelling records by the likes of Yola and Marcus King, but the duo’s magic truly shines when the two reunite for a new Black Keys record.

58. Coheed and Cambria

Vaxis – Act II: A Window of the Waking Mind – Roadrunner Records

This is a melodic rock opera sure to appeal to My Chemical Romance fans. The urgent pop-punk-inspired “Comatose” is instantly memorable, driven by the rapid-fire drumming of Josh Eppard. That immediacy defines many of the tracks, giving them a liveliness that bursts from the speakers. Things get decidedly heavier on “Shoulders,” a riff-heavy and groove-forward cut that shows off Claudio Sanchez’s supreme vocals. It’s aggressive and in-your-face while still maintaining a melodic sensibility, making it one of the standouts on the album. While Sanchez’s lyrics reference a narrative that exists beyond the album, it’s by no means a prerequisite to know the story before diving in. These songs stand on their own to consume.

57. Florence and the Machine

Dance Fever – Polydor

On Dance Fever, Florence Welch crafted another LP that looks to the past to celebrate the future. Producer Jack Antonoff’s influence is most prominent on “Free,” which sounds like it could fit onto a Bleachers album without listeners ever second-guessing its place. The beat is repetitive but eager as the song’s lyrics ratchet up with intensity. Welch crowns herself the “King” on the album opener after denying her role as both a mother and bride. After the third chorus, the beats push at first and then subside for just a moment before she erupts into a vocalizing belt for a solid 40 seconds.

Throughout the album, she crafts profuse and allegorical stories that could all be performed as spoken word poetry and would gain a standing ovation. To make the material that much richer, her vocal abilities are another force to be reckoned with as she belts and whispers, harmonizes and drones into the microphone. The further in you get, the more it begins to sound like her breakthrough debut, Lungs.

56. Ghost

Impera – Loma Vista Recordings

“Kaisarion” kicks off sounding downright like ’80s hair metal. “Spillways” sounds like it could have been recorded alongside Prequelle—that’s not a bad thing at all. “Call Me Little Sunshine” is the album’s standout. It’s a fairly mainstream-sounding rock song, except for the signature sinister Ghost hook and lyrics about the devil. “Watcher in the Sky” has a driving beat; grinding guitars aren’t common features of the band’s work, but it’s something it should definitely do more—it’s excellent.

55. Carrie Underwood

Denim & Rhinestones – Capitol Records Nashville

Carrie Underwood is wrong. Something is, in fact, a better duo than denim and rhinestones. It’s her with a microphone in hand. Denim & Rhinestones is her most distinct album yet. It’s all about having fun. She delves into an unrelenting string of tracks that bring the full-force energy, which is very much a change of pace after a string of revenge anthems, and ballads about faith and motherhood. On the foot-stomping “Crazy Angels,” Carrie Underwood lets her wilder side out—though making sure to remind us, “You know where to find me on a Sunday morning.” The song rocks, and like the majority of the album, is short, fast and loud. After kicking in right after the opening verse, the energy is high as Carrie Underwood hits the dance floor, a whiskey in hand and her friends at her side. If you’re looking for the angel wings she typically sports, they’re checked at the door.

67: Nova Twins. 66: Alice Merton. 65: Tears for Fears. 64: Omar Apollo. 63: Banks. 62: Sondre Lerche. 61: Pusha T. 60: Miranda Lambert. 59: The Black Keys. 58: Coheed and Cambria. 57: Florence and the Machine. 56: Ghost. 55: Carrie Underwood.

The 67 best albums of 2022: 54-41