HCTF's best of 2022 (10-6)

• 20-16
• |
• 15-11
• |
• 10-6
• |
• 5-1

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HCTF's annual list of the 20 albums that will be in regular rotation for many years to come. As per usual many genres are represented. Here Comes The Flood covers a lot of ground and it shows in this eclectic, final tally.

Today: countdown from number 10 to 6.

Please shop at your local record store. The folks who work there know their stuff. And most of the stores have a pretty good website where you can order your stuff. It might even be cheaper than the big ones on the 'net.

Buy directly from the artist, attend live shows and stop by the merch table. And be sure to tell your friends about that great new act you discovered. Word-of-mouth can't be beat as the prime source to discover new music.

Kitimoto: Vintage Smell

Rambling garage rockers Kitimoto hail from Phoenix, AZ. They are on a quest to cram the best of lo-fi, feedback driven music that was released since the late '60s into the songs of their debut album Vintage Smell. Fronted by band leader Jon Douglas the band rummages through the discography of the Velvet Underground, Television, Big Star, the Pixies, the Wedding Present, early R.E.M., and the Replacements. The result? A 21st century desert rock album that paints a picture of sun-beaten small towns, wherein the inhabitants are trying to cope. It helps if the listener has a more than superficial knowledge of cult bands, but the uninitiated can enjoy it as-is: a collection of texture driven yet melodic songs.

They cater to a niche audience, but lucky for them that is where the people hang out who are still willing to fork over the cash to listen to music. This a band that can write a song about a flying mammal (Bats!) without naming it in the lyrics and pay tribute to old school tech (Semaphore). Sounds Like Something sums it up nicely: "Yes, it sounds just like something. Don't mean nothing at all". If that is actually true, is up for debate and food for thought for hair-splitting English language professors.