The 2022 Grammy nominations have been fully released to the public, and the results are disappointing as usual. Many undergraduate artists were expectedly denied their chance at a Grammy, while the usual candidates continued to rack up nominations. This isn’t to say that all of the albums nominated for album of the year were disappointing, as the otherworldly and dark production in Kanye West’s “DONDA” and the derivative but undeniably emotional roots of Olivia Rodrigo’s debut “Sour” were both highly enjoyable projects, among others.

However, the albums nominated were definitely not the peak of musical creativity or ambition demonstrated during the 2021 year of music.

So here are 5 albums that deserved a nomination in the “Album of the Year” category:

5. Injury Reserve- By the Time I Get to Phoenix

Once, when I was struggling to understand a difficult piece of music, a friend told me that when it comes to music, the only rule is: there are no rules. “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” perfectly encapsulates this rule. This album is defined by one thing, the lawlessness: Samples flying in every direction, random snippets of instrumentals cutting in and out, and random bits of dialogue from 1980s TV shows. This project so clearly mimics lightning in a bottle: abstract songs with small elements breaking down over and over, until the creation of odd, desolate post rap. My favorite tracks include: “Knees”, “Postpostpartum”, and most notably, “Superman That”. I would recommend this to any fan of hip hop who is looking to broaden their musical horizons into something a bit more abstract, with more post-musical influences and noisy production.

4. Genesis Owusu- Smiling With No Teeth

Born in Ghana and raised in Australia, Genesis Owusu had an electric rise to underground fame in late 2020 after the release of the breakout single “Gold Chains”. The song found a very impressionable multi-instrumentalist using creative influences from a wide range of genres, including soul, industrial, rap, and neo-folk. Given my love for the singles released during the 2020 year, I was very excited for Owusu’s debut album. He did not disappoint, with an extravagant and ambitious genre-bending double album. Songs like “Don’t Need You” and “Centrefold” are odd but extremely pleasurable mixtures of sounds that show how versatile Owusu is, whether he is rapping, singing, or yelling. An example of this would be the song “Black Dogs”, with the industrial-type beat and shouted vocals. There are also a number of almost folk-inspired ballads on the album that go over quite smoothly as well. Not to mention, the ambitious concept of the album covers all sorts of feelings like depression, abandonment, and not feeling in touch with your environment. This is an extremely pleasurable listen, and is easily one of the best concept albums of the year.

3. Bladee-The Fool

This year, the Swedish rap collective Drain Gang has released some of their most compelling projects to date. The new Ecco2K project is certainly worth a mention, but Bladee’s “The Fool” is easily more captivating than that of his contemporaries’ work this year. The odd, entrancing production, combined with the boyish, youthful, auto-tuned vocals, make for a very enjoyable 40 minutes. Bladee’s lyrics are noticeably more esoteric on this album as well, with numerous references to personal religion and God, clashing with the perception of existence. Bladee quietly hints that for those reasons, he thinks himself a fool. But the off-putting nature of the songs isn’t the only highlight. The hooks, choruses, and verses are all so catchy and infectious. I hope to see greater things from other members of Drain Gang next year, but this album will certainly suffice for an amazing 2021 release.

2. Lingua Ignota-SINNER GET READY

Undoubtedly the cruelest and most unforgiving Album this year, “SINNER GET READY” is a nonstop punishment, in the best way possible. Filled to the brim with statements and lyrics complete with biblical references, godly punishment and recovery from abuse. The hour of music presented within this album draws from a number of gospel and neo-folk elements, with some of the most chilling and murderous vocals delivered by former church choir singer, Kristin Hayter. Completing this album truly sounds like a religious or godly experience, as clearly intended judging by the production and harmonies. The sonic experience of this album is like that of being warned of the end of the world, and having to watch it happen. Even after three listens, I am still stunned with the content this album offers, and the lack of recognition it sadly has.

1. JPEGMAFIA-LP!

While many enjoyable projects this year piqued my interest, LP! by far stands atop the list. It’s a stunning occurrence to see how well JPEGMAFIA has honed his craft in experimental hip-hop over the years. I’ve been a fan of all eras of JPEGMAFIA music, since his days of making ambient and bedroom pop music under the “Devon Hendryx” name. So this album was not only an amazing sonic experience, but a full circle appreciation of his musical evolution. The samples of this album were so ambitious that the album was separated into two versions, LP! (Offline) and LP! Regular LP! was abridged and cleared of certain samples and songs, and uploaded to music streaming services. The Offline version however, was put onto Bandcamp, and reserved for file download. 

As for the music on this album, it’s a non-stop thrill ride. Peggy continues to impress as an artist who can release abstract and experimental music, with catchy aspects and sweet melodies. Even songs like “END CREDITS” show Peggy’s ability rapping over a hard rock instrumental. Other songs like “THOTS PRAYER” and “SICK NERVOUS AND BROKE” make use of airy and psychedelic interpolations and samples. From front to back, this album is nothing short of fantastic. 

Overall, out of the music released this year, I think these 5 albums in particular deserve special attention and critical praise that they didn’t receive from the Grammys. I highly recommend listening to any of them, just to appreciate the artist’s creative process, not only for the sake of the artists’ work, but perhaps to draw attention away from music award shows that show selective bias to what’s popular, instead of what is quality.