Best Austin albums of 2022
Let’s get this out of the way first… 2022 was a weird year for Austin music. Pandemic recovering musicians, artists, talent buyers and all other aspects of the Austin music industry seemed to shift into hyperdrive after two years of live streams, limited attendance shows and no large format music festivals. What the year also did was provide an opportunity for a considerable amount of great music to be released that helped make up this year’s best Austin albums list of 2022.
As in past years, our intention is to list albums by release month versus ranking records in order of best to least best. While our editor is writing this piece, the 2022 version of our best albums made in Austin is informed by input from our entire staff at The Cosmic Clash. In other words, this list is truly a collective effort and not one writer’s opinion on Austin musical recordings made in the past 12 months.
One last thought before we get into the list… If you’re looking for a unique gift for someone, why not buy music or merchandise from your friend’s favorite band? Or introduce them to something new they may not have heard? Musicians sell fewer records in today’s age of streaming music and endless festivals. So go buy their art and support the people who make Austin culture so special.
Andrew Cashen – The Cosmic Silence – self released
If you’re an Austin music rock fan, it’s likely you’re familiar with Andrew Cashen’s work with A Giant Dog and Sweet Spirit. What you may be less familiar with is his solo work which is a departure from the songwriting guitarist who largely left lyrical content duties to his musical partner in those bands, Sabrina Ellis. In fact, Cashen would be the first to tell you he initially found the idea of writing his own lyrics intimidating but the result is both surprising and perhaps better than anticipated.
Cashen expands on this idea in his Bandcamp bio, “What started out as trepidation, grew into a reflective story of a man in love and the struggles of life’s growing pains. Inspired by Sam Cooke, through a compilation of strings, horns, and percussion, and ensemble of fifteen, Cashen captivates the listener on a magical journey of self exploration. He also discusses this recent album in an interview with Mike Cosmic in November (see below)
Standout tracks include, “Bad Man,” “Evil Queen,” and “Follow You Down.”
Spoon – Lucifer on the Sofa – Matador Records
At the beginning of the year arguably the best working Austin rock band over the last twenty years dropped what felt like a throwback to an era when the principal members, Britt Daniel and Jim Eno just wanted to rock out. There are heavier guitars, beefy solos and heartfelt ballads that make up a Grammy nominated collection of songs that would make any artist proud.
Stand out tracks include, “My Babe,” “Hardest Cut” and “Wild” all dropped as singles with “My Babe” also delivering fans an exceptionally good accompanying music video.
Blushing – Possesions – Kanine Records
Shoegaze rockers, Blushing put out full-length album, Possesions in February after laying the foundation for a successful release with a pair of EPs and several singles leading into this year’s release. If you miss the guitar-based rock of the early 90’s, then Blushing is a band you should listen to. Or if you just like great rock n roll then slide over to Blushing’s side of the court. This band comprised of two couples who clearly know how to make and perform great music will delight and thrill you with their retro but somehow fresh take on Brit Rock and shoe-gaze songs.
Caramelo Haze – Noestaaqui – Nacional Records
Caramelo Haze are made up of some of Austin’s best musicians; John Spiece (drums, percussion), Beto Martinez (guitar), Alex Chavez (keys) and Victor Cruz (percussion). Technically Chavez lives in Chicago but is a former resident and inextricably tied to the Austin music scene. In fact, all of these players are integral to the local scene on the highest level of professionalism which is one reason you should give this record a listen.
Another reason to consider this debut album as a highlight of 2022 is the way the music reflects the artists’ surroundings, which is something Speice and Martinez have been doing for years as members of Grupo Fantasma, Brownout, Money Chicha and a host of other bands. Their blending of Latin, funk, rock, jazz and other styles is unique to Texas and specifically unique to Austin which sits at the crossroads of Country, Blues and Latin music. Their songwriting is also informed by South Texas and the border communities some of these artists come from. Caramelo Haze is the the real deal and Noestaaqui is a record you should own in our humble opinion.
Start with track, “Window Seat” and just try and tell us you don’t like the song. We won’t believe you anyway.
Buffalo Hunt – Ambitions of Ambiguity – Self-Released
Stephanie Hunt, the artist behind Buffalo Hunt is an actress first, appearing in a number of television and film projects before delving headfirst into music with her partner, Shakey Graves who incidentally did similar in pursuing acting before shifting gears, thus becoming an alternative country phenom in short order.
This may sound strange, but Hunt’s potential may be greater than her already successful partner in Graves. Her multi-genre approach (psych, pop, country, alt country and rock) plays to her strengths as a singer and songwriter. Graves’ assist on production is apparent but not overwrought. In other words, he was smart enough not to leave too much of his imprint on this record. It is clearly Hunt’s and not something similar to his own work unless you think being good is similar, in which case, we stand corrected.
Good Looks – Bummer Year – Keeled Scales
Tyler Jordan is a musician that number one Austin music fan and TCC staffer, Sonya Hernandez introduced us to. Hailing from a conservative, South Texas coastal town, Jordan quickly got to Austin at 19 forming several bands before meeting his musical partner, guitarist Jake Ames. The pair share a love of old-school Texas outlaw country, thrift store baseball caps and rock n roll. Those influences (from Guy Clark to Willie Nelson to Paul Westerburg (The Replacements), Spoon and Parquet Courts) shaped how Good Looks wrote songs addressing the COVID pandemic, songwriting and the hard business of making music.
The album is written to reflect Jordan’s penchant for putting thoughtful lyrics to down and dirty rock n roll while highlighting Ames’ musical chops. Earlier in the year, when Good Looks started getting well, good looks from major outlets like Pitchfork and Billboard it fueled a heightened interest in the live shows the band was playing around town. Hotel Vegas is one of those spots where we saw Jordan and company tear through a nearly hour-long set to a full house on a “school night.”
Standout tracks include; the title track, “Vision Boards” and “First Crossing.” All three songs display the band’s ability to write meaningful lyrics and set them to music that matches the tone set by the words.
From the band’s bio: “The empathy in the everyday is what lies at the heart of these protest songs, ultimately more Randy Newman than Bob Dylan. You might not think that a song that begins with “all my friends from high school / they all bought motorcycles / joined up with a bike gang / supported Donald Trump” could make you cry, but you’d be wrong.”
Adrian Quesada – Boleros Psicodélicos – ATO Records
When local impresario Adrian Quesada announced this record after three years of nearly non-stop touring with Black Pumas, the new album was released after Quesada spent almost ten years trying to realize his vision to much surprise among Austin music fans who follow the guitarist, producer and all-around musical badass fervently.
The idea for the recording is consistent with Quesada’s vision of merging traditional and contemporary music to make something altogether new. This time his goal was to create an album that reimagined the traditional boleros of Latin music but set to rock, psychedelic and Latin music. Most Latin singers he approached seemed bemused by the idea and hesitant to delve into such a strange project.
But Quesada was persistent, eventually convincing iLe (Calle 13 vocalist) and Gabriel another prominent Mexican singer to record. “Sclavo y Amo”, the song by the Peruvian band Los Pasteles Verdes, inspired this project. “I swear to God, I had to stop because I had never heard anything like this,” recalls Quesada, who was mesmerized by these sounds.” proclaimed Quesada.
Mobley – Cry Havoc – Last Gang Records
Despite the fact that Mobley calls his 2022 album Cry Havoc an EP at seven tracks, it qualifies as a full-album as far as The Cosmic Clash is concerned. This concept record about a man (Creedmoor) who goes from mild-mannered to a radicalized Robin Hood-type figure. The album, released in September was written and produced by Mobley and was mastered by Dave Cooley (J Dilla, Silversun Pickups).
Standout tracks include “Stay Volk” with some heavy guitars featured and an accompanying video that became a TCC staff favorite. Our gut reaction to this high concept album that perhaps features Mobley at the apex of his creative powers is truly best listened to as an album versus searching for the tracks you like. In other words, the entire album is discerning listener worthy. Don’t be surprised if you hear about high-profile festival and concert bookings coming for Mobley in 2023.
The Black Angels – Wilderness of Mirrors – Partisan Records
Like many bands affected by the pandemic, Neo-psych heroes The Black Angels Wilderness of Mirrors was released much later than initially anticipated, coming five years after previous release, Death Song. Perhaps it was the ability to find extra time in the studio to refine the tracks or maybe it was just a desire to delve deeper into their sonic palette, but the record is both heavier and denser. In other words, the sonic textures are layered into more complex arrangements while staying true to their 60s psych rock influences.
The Black Angels calls out their heroes by name in the song, “The River,” “Stacy, Roky, John and George, we plead/Answer us and tell us what you see.”
The band expands on that thinking in their description of the album, “Wilderness of Mirrors expertly refines the Black Angels’ psychedelic rock attack alongside a host of intriguing sounds and textures. There are classic blasts of fuzzed-out guitars meant to simultaneously perk up the ears and jumpstart the mind, alongside melancholy, acoustic guitar-driven newfound experiments. Mellotron, strings, and other keyboards also play a more prominent role on Wilderness of Mirrors than ever before.”
Other Austin albums we loved from 2022:
Ray Wylie Hubbard – Co-Starring Too
