Choice Albums of 2022: Part One M to Z: Machine Girl to THE Zew.
December 15, 2022
The second part of the Monolith Cocktail teams favourite albums of 2022.
A recap in case you haven’t yet read part one
Well was I wrong last year when called 2021 the annus horribilis of all years. It has been soundly beaten by the shit-show that is 2022. The invasion of the Ukraine, cost of living crisis, another hideous wave of Covid – which even if the jabs are being rolled out, and the deaths rate, hospitalizations is nothing like the first wave back in 2020, is still causing major illness, absences and disruptions to a society already facing a heap of doomsday scenarios -, strikes, activism, fuel poverty, looming austerity, and the continuing horror show of a zombie government being just some examples. Yes 2022 qualifies as one of the most incomprehensible years on record of any epoch; an ungovernable country in the grip of austerity point 2.0, and greater world untethered and at the mercy of the harridans on either side of the extreme political divide, the billionaire corporates and narcissist puritans.
And yet, it has been another great year for music. Despite the myriad of problems that face artists and bands in the industry, from a lack of general interest to the increasingly punitive costs of touring and playing live, and the ever encroaching problems of streaming against physical sales and exposure, people just can’t quit making music. And for that we, as critics – though most of us have either been musicians or still are – really appreciate what you guys do. In fact, as we have always tried to convey, we celebrate you all. And so, instead of those silly, factious and plain dumb numerical charts that our peers and rivals insist on continuing to print – how can you really suggest one album deserves their place above or below another (why does one entry get the 23rd spot and another the 22nd; unless it is a vote count) –, the Monolith Cocktail has always chosen a much more diplomatic, democratic alphabetical order – something we more or less started in the first place. We also throw every genre, nationality together in a serious of eclectic lists: no demarcation involved.
The lists include those albums we reviewed, featured on the site in some capacity, and those we just didn’t get the time to include. All entries are displayed thus: Artist in alphabetical order, then the album title, label, who chose it, a review link where applicable, and finally a link to the album itself.
This year’s picks have been chosen by (Dominic Valvona), Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea, Matt Oliver, Andrew C. Kidd and Graham Domain.
M.
Machine Girl ‘Neon White OST-The Wicked Heart’ ACK
Billy MacKenzie ‘Satellite Life’ (Cherry Red Records) GD
Mai Mai Mai ‘Rimorso’ (Maple Death Records) DV
Review
Nduduzo Makhathini ‘In The Spirit Of Ntu’ (Blue Note) DV
Marlowe ‘Marlowe 3’ (Mello Music Group) MO
Luke Mawdsley ‘Luke Two’ (Spine Records) DV
Premiere
Simon McCorry ‘Scenes From The Sixth Floor’ DV
Review
Brona McVittie ‘The Woman in the Moon’ (Arts Council of N. Ireland) GD
Review
Amine Mesnaoui & Labelle ‘African Prayers’ (Lo Recordings) DV
Review
Milc & Televangel ‘Neutral Milc Hotel’ (Filthy Broke Records) MO
Modern Nature ‘Island Of Noise’ (Bella Union) DV
Tumi Mogorosi ‘Group Theory: Black Music’ (Mushroom Hour & New Soil) DV
Montparnasse Musique ‘Archeology’ (Real World) DV
Review
Mount Kimbie ‘MK 3.5: Die Cuts | City Planning’ ACK
Muramuke ‘S-T’ (Accidental) DV
Ali Murray ‘Wilderness of Life’ (Dead Forest Records) GD
Reviews
N.
Nicole Faux Naiv ‘Moon Rally’ (Bronzerat) DV
No Age ‘People Helping People’ (Drag City) DV
Review
No Base Trio ‘II’ (Setoladi Maiale) DV
Review
Noah ‘Noire’ (Flau) DV
Review
Che Noir ‘Food For Thought’ (TCF Music Group) MO
O.
Old Fire ‘Voids’ (Western Vinyl Records) GD
Review
Open Mike Eagle ‘A Tape Called Component System With The Auto Reverse’ (Auto Reverse Records) MO
Orange Crate Art ‘Contemporary Guitar Music’ (Somewherecold) DV
Review
P.
The Paxton/Spangler Septet ‘Ugqozi’ (Eastlawn Records) DV
Review
Peace De Résistance ‘Bits And Pieces’ DV
Penza Penza ‘Neanderthal Rock’ (Funk Night Records) DV
Le Pietre Dei Giganti ‘Vetie e Culti’ (Overdub Recordings) DV
Review
Plastic Candles ‘Dust’ (Paisley Shirt Records) BBS
Review
Plop & Junnu ‘S-T’ (Fiasko Records) DV
R.
Revelators ‘Revelators Sound System’ (37d03d records) GD
Reviews
J Rocc ‘A Wonderful Letter’ (Stones Throw) MO
Robert ‘Orange is the New Black’ (Antelope Records) MO
Scott Robertson ‘Footprints In The Butter’ (Subjungle) BBS
Review
S.
Salem Trials ‘Love Joan Jett’ (Metal Postcard Records) BBS
Review
SAULT ‘AIR’ (Forever Living Originals) ACK
Review
Say What ‘S-T’ (We Jazz) DV
Review
Shabaka ‘Afrikan Culture’ (Verve/Impulse!) DV
Ignacio Simón ‘Old Friends’ (Bandcamp) GD
Review
Širom ‘The Liquefied Throne Of Simplicity’ (Glitterbeat) DV
Sis ‘Gnani’ (Native Cat Recordings) GD
Review
Silverbacks ‘Archive Material’ (Full Time Hobby) GD
Review
The Soft Pink Truth ‘Is It Going to Get Any Deeper Than This?’ ACK
Spygenius ‘Jobbernowl’ (Big Stir Records) BBS
Review
Staraya Derevnya ‘Boulder Blues’ (Ramble Records) DV
Review
Stepbrothers featuring the Honourable Ted ‘S/T’ EP (German Shepherd Records) GD
Review
Shepard Stevenson ‘Man Down’ (Somewherecold) DV
Review
Stereolab ‘Pulse of the Early Brain’ (Duophonic and Warp Records) GD
Robert Stillman ‘What Does It Mean To Be American’ (Orindal Records) DV
Carl Stone ‘We Jazz Reworks Vol. 2’ (We Jazz) DV
Review
Gillian Stone ‘Spirit Photographs’ DV
Review
STS & RJD2 ‘Escape From Sweet Auburn’ (RJ’s Electrical Connections) MO
Misha Sultan ‘Roots’ (Hive Mind) DV
Review
Sweeney ‘Stay for the Sorrow’ (Sound in Silence) GD
Review
T.
Team Play ‘Wishes And Desire’ (Soliti) DV
Mauricio Takara and Carla Boregas ‘Grande Massa D’Agua’ (Hive Mind) DV
Review
Tone Of Voice Orchestra ‘S-T’ (Stunt Records) DV
Review
Trupa Trupa ‘B Flat A’ (Glitterbeat) DV
Review
V.
Various/Solidary ‘Blue And Yellow’ & ‘Yellow And Blue: Help For Ukraine’ (Binaural Space) DV
Review
Various ‘Live at WOMAD 1982’ (Real World) DV
Review
Various ‘Mensajes del Agua: Nuevos Sonidos Desde Peru Vol 1’ (Buh Records) DV
Various ‘Music For Ukraine’ (We Jazz) DV
Review
Various ‘Pierre Barouh And The Saravah Sound: Jazz, Gumbo And Other Hallucinatory Grooves’ (WEWANTSOUNDS) DV
Review
Various ‘Spirit Of France’ (Spiritmuse) DV
Review
Vera Di Lecce ‘Alter Of Love’ DV
Violet Nox ‘Eris Wakes’ (Infinity Vine) DV
Review
Vukovar ‘The Body Abdicator’ (Other Voices) DV/BBS
Review
W.
Wish Master & Axel Holy ‘First Nature’ (Official Recordings) MO
Ethan Wood ‘Burnout’ (Whatever’s Clever) DV
Review
Billy Woods ‘Aethiopes’ & ‘Church’ (Backwoodz Studioz) MO
X.
Iannis Xenakis ‘Electroacoustic Works’ (Karlrecords) ACK
Z.
THE Zew ‘IFI1IFO’ (Numavi Records) BBS
Review
Hi, my name is Dominic Valvona and I’m the Founder of the music/culture blog monolithcocktail.com For the last ten years I’ve featured and supported music, musicians and labels we love across genres from around the world that we think you’ll want to know about. No content on the site is paid for or sponsored and we only feature artists we have genuine respect for /love. If you enjoy our reviews (and we often write long, thoughtful ones), found a new artist you admire or if we have featured you or artists you represent and would like to buy us a coffee at https://ko-fi.com/monolithcocktail to say cheers for spreading the word, then that would be much appreciated.
EP REVIEW/Graham Domain
Stepbrothers featuring The Honourable Ted ‘EP’
(German Shephard Records)
In his early songs Tom Waites championed the downtrodden, the underclass. Individual in both his music and character, he was a flawed human being like the rest of us, but one that would continue to evolve into a truly original artist. If Tom Waites had been born in England, he would no doubt have come from the North of England – a place where the belief in Freedom, Human Rights, Humanity and Justice for All, has always been prevalent and important. A place where Individuals can still feel valued. This three track EP has been made by two such Individuals, set up for ridicule or sainthood and not caring which! Ian ‘Moet’ Moss is singer with Manchester groups The Hamsters and Four Candles and is a serial collaborator, recording albums with a diverse rota of musicians including 2 Lost Souls, Dave Thompson, Kill Pretty and The Parasite. Like Tom Waits he is a maverick, a one-off original and someone prepared to stand up and be counted. He once took on a club full of racist Nazi skinheads on his own and won – they soon left.
The first track on this new collaborative EP as Stepbrothers is ‘Dance Like A Monkey’. A barroom Supertramp piano soon gives way to a mad lyrical dance outlining the perils of following the rules in a Capitalist society – where the majority appear to be willing to do anything (dance like a monkey) for the right price! If everyone in the West is initially indoctrinated into believing in the great God money as the way to freedom, many soon spot the ruse and see the fatal flaw in conforming to this form of societal mind control. But most are still too scared to stray far, for it’s a hard road to follow. The experts espouse that ‘Thinking for yourself’ is surely unnatural and the trail is littered with pamphlets on Mindfulness and Mental Health helplines! Anti-depressants are the order of the day and are doled out to anyone feeling uneasy with the greed, selfishness, and ‘everyone for themselves’ nature of the modern world. You must be ill and suffering from ‘Anxiety’ if you get upset so easily, YOU are sick (not society) and you need to be drugged to make you insensitive and compliant, like the rest. Yet, there are still some who stubbornly stick to their principles, won’t be told, won’t be bought – ‘chisel me down and you will not find a laughing clown’ sings Ian. Such people are literally a dying breed!
‘The Dissident’ continues the theme of the outsider with the tale of a singer, living in Russia but opposed to the authoritarian state, he is told what to sing and where. Reliant on singing for his livelihood he is forced to comply or be banished to the labour camps of Siberia. The Magadan Theatre, named after the Marxist novelist, playwright and activist Maxim Gorky, is name-checked in the song, perhaps as a symbol of the fight against oppression. Or maybe as a nod to the all-consuming nature of the authoritarian state: Magadan State Puppet Theatre is based there.
The EP ends with the song ‘Daliphant’ referencing the surreal nature of Salvador Dali’s paintings and his creation of the implausible Elephant Giraffe hybrid! Nature itself often offers up surprising and original creatures, so what may seem unlikely to a logical mind is often proved wrong. Dali embraces the possibilities of life – the ‘what if’, the unusual as normal.
A great EP of original individual songs hand-made by humans for humans! Released as a download by German Shephard Records – Buy it now!
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