The spring of the year 2022 gifted us a lot of great releases by heroes of our publications. As always, we selected 10 best of them. Image by lunamontem

1. Munknörr – Ancient Spirit (2022)

🇺🇾 Our episode’s first bird flies from the country of Uruguay. It delivers an antique book of stories from the unknown times. Where does this Ancient Spirit comes from? What is it going to bring to our reality? Open the tome and turn the page. The Spirit will show up in front of you. Some answers will appear, while others will stay forever hidden. Munknörr investigates them all and invites your to join this ongoing adventure.

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Previous masterpieces by Munknörr, “Aegishjalmur” (2019), and “Shaman” (2021) in our Chronicles ~7 episode.

2. The Natural Yogurt Band – Magnified (2022)

🇬🇧 In the very beginning of May, this British duo presented their next opus. It’s a collection of seventeen short sketches, full of weird rhythms, sequences and ideas. Everything sounds pretty acid, born in extravagant synthesis. Both acoustic and electronic, the sounds are melted with each other in authors’ style. Feel the magnetic energy coming out of the compositions and become magnified! That’s by the light of nature.

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Previous masterpieces by The Natural Yogurt Band, and “Away With Melancholy” (2008), “Braille, Slate & Stylus” (2019) in our Chronicles ~1 episode.

3. Kungens Män – Kungens Ljud & Bild (2022)

🇸🇪 Last year Kungens Män had celebrated 10th anniversary as a band. Besides this epic date, the “Kungens Ljud & Bild” album also refers to the first vinyl issued by the band’s own label. By the way, it got the same name. This work continues an endless search of good vibrations, impulses and insights. Their cosmic improvisations do not stumble in front of any boundaries. Go ahead, the King’s people, and make our small planet roll!

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Previous masterpieces by Kungens Män, “Hårt Som Ben” (2019), “Trappmusik” (2020) in our Chronicles ~2 episode, and “Den Nya Skivan” (2021) in our Chronicles ~5 episode.

4. Astodan – Évora (2022)

🇧🇪 The Brussels Astodan are keeping their pace by publishing an album per two years. The latest one is solid and serious, as we could expect. Actually, the music and especially the vocals are pretty raw, baring the underside in some fragments. Nice tremolos, firm riffs and voluminous ambience make this record sounding marvelous. Sensual instrumental parts scattered here and there augment compositions and make them complete.

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Previous masterpiece by Astodan, “Bathala” (2020).

5. Stone Rebel – Trinity (2022)

🇫🇷 One more enjoyable album by prolific French project Stone Rebel. Mild strings, careful drumming and silky arrangements. Everything for the relaxation of your ears and souls. As it was ever before, “Trinity” is indeed full-fledged release with the variety of melodies, thoughtful passages and narratives told by instrumental guitar music. Something coming from space, the rest referring to the Earth. Cosmic waves adapted for any listener, be them a newcomer to the space rock or a sophisticated listener.

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Previous masterpiece by Stone Rebel, “Waiting For The World To Change” (2022) in our selected Out of the Psychedelia. E02 episode.

6. Otoboke Beaver おとぼけビ～バ～ – Super Champon スーパーチャンポン (2022)

🇯🇵 Time for some full blown chaos coming to the Selected Goosebumps straight from Kyoto, Japan. Extravagant ladies continue to break genres and harmonies. Neither they are not going to stop, nor their passion and flightiness. This time, the quartet offers to the auditory even more weird titles for the songs, intense madness and sheer incoherence in music. Start from anywhere and never agree to understand. Just perceive, if it all possible, of course).

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Previous masterpiece by Otoboke Beaver, “Itekoma Hits” (2019).

7. Dog Dimension – Rabies (2022)

🇩🇪 We are quite slowing down, following the grooves by Dog Dimension. The power trio is back with a stunning EP. Each track has its logic, preparing your for an avalanche. It’s so goosebumpy to await for one, hop and ride it! Dog Dimension are good at overwhelming, and they share this talent with everyone who is ready for a party. The only argument would be about the length of the release. However, it is not the last one, isn’t it? And it is so good when put on one more time.

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Previous masterpieces by Dog Dimension, “Life Vest EP” (2019), “Endless Summer” (2021) in our Chronicles ~9 episode.

8. Jrpjej – After The War Comes Funeral: Circassian Songs of Resistance and Sorrow 1763​-​1864 (2022)

🇷🇺 Now, completely another domain. Jrpjej presents a collection of songs originating from previous centuries. At that time, Circassians were suffering under suppression and wars that had been coming back to their homes several times. Until now, the peoples from Caucasus regions still keep the fading legends of the predecessors. Jrpej manage to revive and reinvent old songs. This album sounds both authentic and exclusive. Instead of preserving the tradition, it gives it another life, full of senses and value.

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Previous masterpiece by Jrpjej, “Taboo: Songs of Love & Death” (2021) in our selected episode.

9. Just Mustard – Heart Under (2022)

🇮🇪 The Irish band has been traversing rock, shoegaze and experimental areas. As a result, their new album reflects all these kinds of stuff and even more. Wonderful vocals by Katie Ball make this work eminent. Making its way through the labyrinth of noises and effects, the voice travels through the compositions’ atmosphere and comes back to the listener. Reverb follows the words and makes them even more attractive, while the tricky drumming adds its vibes into the melting pot.

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Previous masterpiece by Just Mustard, “Live Session” (2020).

10. Coral Club – Lost Cities (2022)

🇷🇺 Late May has another surprise for us, coming from abandoned cities. That’s how humane territories could sound when there are no more people inside. Nevertheless, the life never stops, new things come while others stay intact. Coral Club shares with us feelings and moods of pandemic isolation. Strange state, when the civilization was frozen and slowed down, and the evolution of life that moves the planet further. Good album for ending up our episode. Stay tuned!

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Previous masterpieces by Coral Club, “Nowhere Island” (2020), and “Turn To” (2022) in our Chronicles ~13 episode.