In keeping our Thanksgiving weekend tradition, we are coming out of hiatus to post our year-end music lists for the year. Here is the first of three lists dedicated to our favorites of the calendar.
Instead of presenting everything over the course of three weeks as we did last year, we are going to just get them all out now over the course of this weekend.
Here is our first list -- Honorable Mentions -- records that were good but not strong enough to crack our top 10. As we always do, we breakdown the list in short form and then with explanations.
- L.A. Exes - Get Some
- Benny the Butcher - The Plugs I Met 2
- DMX - Exodus
- Inhaler - It Won't Always Be Like This
- Parquet Courts - Sympathy for Life
L.A. Exes - Get Some
Jenny Owen Youngs leads a brand new band that brought glossy fun in the sun sounds back to rock and roll in a year where we tried our best to emerge from darkness. A blast to listen to from start to finish and includes of the best renditions of The Cranberries timeless classic, "Linger."
Benny the Butcher - The Plugs I Met 2
One of hip-hop's finest emcees fires back with the sequel to a mixtape that had everyone talking. The Plugs I Met 2 is proof that sometimes sequels don't suck and is the musical equivalent of Empire Strikes Back to A New Hope. A hell of a listen from start to finish.
DMX - Exodus
The Swizz Beats-produced posthumous release from one of the best to ever do it is a sad but triumphant listen. One of X's best albums and sad to see that he could not be here to enjoy the fruits of his labor which featured collaborations with U2's Bono, Jay-Z, The Lox, Nas, Benny the Butcher, Snoop Dogg among others.
Inhaler- It Won't Always Be Like This
Dublin's much talked-about four piece were set to take over the world in 2020 but the pandemic forced their global domination back a year. As they hit sweaty clubs, the son of U2's Bono fronts the group that oozes charisma, charm, vulnerability, and seduction on a fantastic debut.
Parquet Courts - Sympathy For Life
The New York City indie rock favorites return with one of their best records in years. A record that buzzes and captures the energy of the city they call home as well as playing off post-pandemic themes of going about your life after two terrible years.