Ignore all of those other best-of lists you’ve seen around. This ain’t those. It is, however, my ten favorite albums from this year.

It was a tricky list to put together, if for no other reason than the fact that my sense of time has gotten all out of whack over the past few years. “Wasn’t that new Wallflowers album from early this year? Wait, it was 2021? What?” Or, “Oh, that new Taylor Swift album – not one of the re-records – was…no, that was last year. Damn.” I kinda had to scrabble around to find 10 albums I really liked.

And it shouldn’t have been that hard! Both the National and Josh Ritter had new albums out this year. Those are usually shoo-ins. But this year…eh. Neither of them really wowed me.

Anyway, here are ten albums that did wow me, in no particular order.

1. boygenius, the record: I kinda low-key love this album. Three brilliant musicians coming together and just showing everyone how it ought to be done.
2. Peter Gabriel, i/o: If an album takes twenty years to complete and comes out in not one, not two, but three slightly different mixes, you’d be understandably trepidatious about the album. But no, it’s really damn good. It’s vital and deep and rewards relistens.
3. Wilco, Cousins: While not as essential as their best work, it’s more cohesive and concise than last year’s Cruel Country. Good, but also kinda forgettable.
4. The Gaslight Anthem, History Books: A damn sight better than their last album, Get Hurt. It’s energetic and loud and exciting.
5. Slowdive, everything is alive: I’m not usually one for shoegaze, but these songs are great. It’s slow and pensive and gets under your skin.
6. New Pornographers, Continue as a Guest: I love the band, I hate the name. That will always be the case. But with A.C. Newman and Neko Case on the roster, you know the songs are going to be good and the vocals are going to be stellar. And they are.
7. M. Ward, supernatural thing: M. Ward just cranks out good stuff whenever he decides to drop into the recording studio. Nothing spectacular or mind-altering, just really good songs that you can listen to over and over again.
8. Noah Kahan, Stick Season: Vermont Hozier, as he’s apparently known, puts out some somber, low-key songs that stick to your brain and just burrow in.
9. The Mountain Goats, Jenny From Thebes: I love me some Mountain Goats. This one is heavier on the piano and keyboards than previous entries, and the usage of horn sections and strings (freakin’ strings! On a Mountain Goats record!) add some new flair and textures to the always-excellent songwriting.
10. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Weathervanes: I know I said this list isn’t in any particular order, but this is my absolute favorite album of the year. The more I listen to the work of Jason Isbell, the more I’m convinced he’s the best songwriter of the current generation. He creates characters and situations full of anger, fear, distrust, love, longing, a sense of loneliness, isolation, and rising above it all. All in a single record. Soaring choruses, thoughtful verses, and a band that is as simpatico as humanly possible just makes this one of the best records out there.