Bob Fish

As demonstrated on Garden Party, Ripley Johnson and the Rose City Band are explorers in the best sense of the term, harbingers of spring that take pathways all of their own.

Eric D Johnson takes us home on Fruit Bats’ ‘A River Running to Your Heart’, enabling us to see the world where we live in a light of hope and comfort thanks to those we care about most.

Nico Paulo’s voice and songs strike chords that are impossible to ignore. She goes places that have not been traversed, creating music in a genre all her own. This is merely the beginning of what will hopefully be a long and productive journey.

Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection 2 forms a perfect complement to the dawning of spring, offering a world of endless possibilities. He and his “nice little crowd of weirdos” have created something truly magical.

Tape Runs Out do more with less than just about anyone out there. With Floodhead, they have created something bordering on magical that should take the world by storm, it certainly has taken my corner of it.

The genius of Common Nation of Sorrow is how Rachel Baiman can harness her songs in a way that generates something gently compelling, creating her calls to action, yet doing so in a way that never loses the appeal to the heart and common sense.

At the heart of Roo Panes’ ‘The Summer Isles’ are nostalgic memories and wonder, bolstered by deceptively complex music with soft, subtle hues that frame images expressing romantic joy and beauty, and a road map to love.

With “Gum Card”, The Mining Co’s fifth album, Michael Gallagher returns to his normal haunts of folk, Americana and country while also illustrating that the path less taken is where the magic lies. 

Complete Mountain Almanac may well be the boldest, most daring album to come out all year. Its unique blending of sounds and structures makes it required listening for anybody that appreciates everything that music can be and do.

Exploring the dance forms of England and Western Europe, Nat Brookes’ ‘Cormorant’ is an engaging and deeply immersive offering. Brookes has found notes that resonate with the heart and soul, providing an entryway into tunes that serve both the mind and the dancefloor.

Bob Fish shares his Top 10 Albums of 2022 including The Unthanks, Bonny Light Horseman, Joan Shelley, Su-a Lee, Big Thief, Kevin Morby and more.

Liberating old forces and combining them with the new, Montparnasse Musique have unleashed a giant of an album with Archeology, one that sweeps you up in an irresistible new wave of music.