Colours Through The Air Best of 2022 Albums and Songs

It was so hard to choose but here is the Colours Through The Air 'Best Of' post. My favourite albums and songs of 2022. With the songs, it is one song from each artist.

I felt these albums were the strongest overall and had the most impact on me. You can find the reviews for all the albums apart from Young Guv (Listen here) and The Jangles (Listen here)  

Albums

1. The Shop Window - A 4 Letter Word

2. Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band - Dear Scott

3. Young Guv - III

4. Field School - When Summer Comes

5. The Fernweh - TORSCHLUSSPANIK!

6. The Jangles - Pioneer

7. Gabriel's Dawn - Gabriel's Dawn 

8. Kevin Robertson - Teaspoon of Time

9. The Sadies - Colder Streams

10. Armstrong - Happy Graffiti

Songs

1. RW Hedges - Charm Song

2. The Wends - What A Heart Is For 

3. The Pierce Kingans - Giving It Up 

4. Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band - American Kid

5. Young Guv - It's Only Dancin'

6. Cactus Blossoms - Love Tomorrow 

7. Nell Davies - What The Heart Wants

8. Davoli - Sleep Deprived

9. Luca Nieri - Never To Learn

10. Sam Kogon - Barbed Wire

All in all, it has been a good year and I have found so much great music from doing this blog. Thanks so much to everyone who has shown an interest/sent music to me.

The Pierce Kingans - May I Pierce Upon You

Released: 25 Feb 2022
Label: Subjangle

Buy Here

The Pierce Kingans, from Vancouver, are back with another wonderful compilation cd on the Subjangle label. It follows on from the previous one - Pierce and Love to All The World (2020). It is an epic two disc collection of songs from a number of EPs released last year.   

They have a unique lo-fi sound. I still find it hard to find comparable bands, but amongst the closest are outsider artist - Daniel Johnston. It also brought to mind The Strokes, especially vocally. 

The first disc opens with 'Giving it Up' which is ultra melodic and catchy guitar pop. The hooks are superb and it is instantly memorable, like many of the songs here. The layered vocal harmonies are used effectively.   

There are an impressive 30 songs here, each one sounding entirely different. Other highlights include 'Validation' which is quirky and a lot of fun, with more uplifting melodies. 'Thinking about Someone Else' has Kinks vibes and is an insanely simple but captivating song about a relationship going wrong!

My favourite here is 'To Lose', which is under 2 minute pop at its finest. It will have you reaching for the repeat button straight away. The second disc ends on 'Don't Love The Ones You Trust', which is more of a gentle love song. It is upbeat in melody but with melancholic, heartbreaking lyrics. 

A superb compilation, full of lost gems, perfect if you want to hear something a bit different. Highly recommended.

The Pierce Kingans - The Peacekeepers EP

Released: 30 Aug 2021
Label: Boat Dreams from the Hill

Listen and Buy Here

The Pierce Kingans, from Canada, are back with a new EP. There have been quite a few of them since last years superb compilation cd on Subjangle. This one particularly stood out for me.    

It is full of unique, melodic songs, which are instantly memorable on first listen. The style is quite lo-fi and 'Outsider' which is why I prefer them to a lot of other new music around.

It opens with 'To Your Heart', which is superbly catchy. There are hints of electronic, and the melodies are kept simple and upbeat. It is hard to find comparable artists but it brought to mind The Strokes and Daniel Johnston. It also has the simplicity of The Kinks.

'Choices' is a favourite here - a heartfelt love song with some superb vocal harmonies. This one has Zac Martin on lead vocals. 'Goodbye More' has lovely melodies and even though the lyrics are quite simple, it is so effective.

It ends on 'Staying Up Late' which is beautifully raw and honest lyrically - "Love is hard to talk about and accept, I have songs that I can sing, lovingly inept."

A highly recommended EP from a wonderfully unique artist.

The Pierce Kingans - Pierce and Love to All The World

Released: 13 Nov 2020
Label: Subjangle
Listen and Buy Here

The Pierce Kingans, from Vancouver, have been one of my favourite new discoveries of this year (found through the brilliant Janglepophub music blog). This is a new compilation featuring the sublime Rona Sessions EP of this year, and a selection of songs from their previous EPs. 

Pierce Kingan has played in other Canadian bands - The Prettys and Psych band The Orange Kyte. His solo material is wonderfully lo-fi, with glorious melodies and unique lyrics.

It opens with 'How Could I Forget' which is a gorgeous and simple love song. Only having one line, its power is in the melody, and it is very moving. The sound is reminiscent of The Everly Brothers and The Beatles.

'So Close' is a beautiful, stripped back ballad. The fragility and intense emotion in the vocals, is remarkable. 'Only Wanted To Be' is another standout here and the layered vocal harmonies are superb. 

Some of the songs here do have a slightly heavier sound too, although still filled with melody. 'It's Bleed Too Long' is upbeat and anthemic, recalling Pixies and early Radiohead. 'Spontaneous Human Busting' reminded me of the most thrash punk side of Nirvana. 'Pray' is eerie, hypnotic and brilliantly weird. 

'Opportunity Opus' is more charming Beatles-inspired guitar pop. Despite having old influences, the music still feels modern and relevant. It stands out against many other artists in the genre.

A wonderful variety of songs, with melodies which will stay with you from first listen. A superbly talented artist, well worth investigating.

The Pierce Kingans - Pierce De Resistance

Released: 2 Oct 2020
Label: Boat Dreams from the Hill
Listen and Buy Here

The Pierce Kingans are from Vancouver and this is their latest EP. I had very high expectations for this as their earlier 'Rona Sessions' one is a favourite of mine (coming to Subjangle as a cd soon). 

The new EP opens with 'White Phosphorus' which has hints of 60s Psych and brought to mind Shocking Blue's Is This a Dream. It sounds very different to the last EP which was more vocal harmony rich with Beatles/Everly Brothers vibes. The melodies are still gorgeous though, like the rest of their music.

'Opportunity Opus' vaguely recalls the melody of The Beatles - Only A Northern Song. The chorus is superb and there are a lot of changes which still make this unique.

'Entropy 2' has hints of The Strokes and is so enjoyable and upbeat. 'Proximity Pity' has Rolling Stones vibes and sounds more like his old band The Prettys who are well worth checking out too. Highly recommended.