So, we start to scale the summit of our albums poll of writers for this year. You will find a diverse selection of albums below, exciting newcomers alongside enduring classic songwriters, adventurous releases alongside artists who know how to hit you more directly with a melody. They all share one thing in common, each album is championed by one or more of our writers. Placed in our poll by votes alone, which always throws up some interesting and surprising results. We hope you will discover an album from 2022 that you will love, stand by for our top twenty-five in the coming days, plus individual writers top ten albums.
50. The Lounge Society – Tired Of Liberty
The Lounge Society have produced a debut album full of passion and joy, with a freedom of expression in both lyrics and music mature beyond their years. This band work collaboratively, with all four members involved in the creation of their music produced by Dan Carey whose success this year includes Fontaines D.C., Wet Leg and Kae Tempest. The 4-piece from the Calder Valley have been making music together since schooldays and caught the attention of Carey’s Speedy Wunderground label thanks to a friend sending on an email with their music.
Opening track ‘People Are Scary‘ demonstrates just how honest and open The Lounge Society are prepared to be on Tired of Liberty. (Julia Mason)
49. Father John Misty – Chloe and the Next 20th Century
His imperial lord of the cloth bestowed his blessing down on us mere sheep in his congregation a record. His fifth as Misty. This time around he kept us waiting after three and four arrived within twelve months of each other, but this is a more grandiose effort.
Taking his lead from 50’s and 60’s big band standards, Josh Tillman shaved his head, grew his beard and went all hipster in appearance. The contents of Chloe and the Next 20th Century is basically just him and an orchestra, the occasional acoustic based tracks, such as Goodbye Mr Blue which is reminiscent of the man most think his persona is based on, Harry Nilsson.
However, where as the preceding LP was akin to the Lennon/Nilsson lost weekend in the mid seventies, this one is perhaps more Dean Martin in the Hollywood Hills, in the house Val Kilmer stayed in whilst making Batman Forever.
Mr Tillman, for the fifth time you haven’t let us down. (Jim Auton)
48. Wunderhorse – Cub
There is an authenticity that can only be brought when someone is doing what they really believe in, whether that is currently a la mode is neither here nor there. This is definitely Jacob doing what he wants to do. As anyone who has seen them live will attest.
I once described a live show of theirs as if Bruce Springsteen was fronting The Verve circa 1993, which is certainly true of the most visceral cuts from the record but there is more to the classic rock to certain songs. His Telecaster rings and crackles like those Springsteen albums but Jacob can drop into a Nick Cave like deep register and the end result is a mash up of so much that is familiar but equally undeniably Wunderhorse.
There is certainly an element of the 90’s indie coursing through this, which is never not welcome, unless it is done badly or its Hootie and the Blowfish. This isn’t, and is more akin to someone like Headswim.
Whilst Wunderhorse started as a solo project for Jacob he said recently they were very much a band now. On his own he’s a thoroughbred, together, they’re champion. (Jim Auton)
47. Beth Orton – Weather Alive
It is one thing when you earn nominations for two BRIT Awards (best British newcomer, best British female) and the Mercury Music Prize with your debut album (Trailer Park), but to then produce what is arguably the very best album of your career a quarter of century later is most definitely another. Weather Alive is that record and testament to Beth Orton’s undimmed creativity and fierce resilience. Having been unceremoniously dropped by her record company, Orton self-produced Weather Alive drawing upon a deep well of self-doubt, loss, loneliness, vulnerability, and overcoming the debilitating impact of chronic illness as she did so. Weather Alive contains some of the most bold and innovative music Orton has ever created and marks for her a supreme triumph over adversity. (Simon Godley)
46. The Proclaimers – Dentures Out
The duo’s public profile may have ebbed and flowed subsequently, but The Proclaimers have a devoted and large fanbase not just in Scotland but across the world.
And suddenly we’re on the twelfth album. While it’s not a concept album, there is a theme of the United Kingdom being in a bit of a slump, to say the least. Given the events of the last week or so some will say that this is bad timing, others will say it couldn’t have come at a better time.
There are those who will tell you that an act ceases to remain vital after a fixed period of time, say their first decade. Obviously these people never heard the final albums by David Bowie or Leonard Cohen but hopefully they’ll hear Dentures Out. The band are continuing to fire on all cylinders and this album – which has 13 songs in a very trim and concise 34 minutes – rates up there with their best work. Does it sound like their early work? In spirit, yes, but they’re far too smart to believe that their best is behind them and try to repeat themselves. If you only know the hits, here is as good a place as any to start.
Look forward to a better world with The Proclaimers. (Ed Jupp)
45. Denzel Curry – Melt My Eyez, See Your Future
Denzel Curry’s 2022 release “Melt My Eyez, See Your Future” sees the Florida rapper blaze a new path for his sound, leaving behind much of the feral energy and aggression from previous instalments, replacing it with honesty, vulnerability and introspection.
Instrumentally the album is more mellowed in comparison to his previous work too, and his vocal delivery floats above the neater sounds found throughout much of the album, unrushed and loose. However, when Curry’s rapping does begin to switch up the pace, like it does on “Walkin“, it feels effortless.
A whole range of collaborations, including Rico Nasty, Slowthai, and Thundercat help to provide the album with an interesting and diverse sound, and a sound that certainly makes it one of the most prevalent albums this year! (Josh Allen)
44. Michael Head & the Red Elastic Band – Dear Scott
As a Liverpool fan he may not appreciate the comparison but, like Real Madrid in this year’s Champions League, you write off Mick Head at your peril. 2017’s comeback album Adios Senor Pussycat was, by his own admission, somewhat disappointing – the songs were mostly lacking the usual magic, Mick’s voice sounded tired, the album sounded like it had been recorded on a Nokia 3310 – to the point where one might’ve feared that The Greatest Songwriter in Britain had lost his mojo. Ah but Mick, how could we ever doubt you – Dear Scott finds the great man right back on top form, on an album that ranks right alongside his finest work. Ex-Coral man Bill Ryder-Jones’ production gives these magnificent songs the lush treatment they deserve, whilst Head’s young band sound like they’re finally on his wavelength, and longtime Head-heads will be absolutely ecstatic to hear this genuine legend right back on top of his game. Here’s Tom was my album of the 00s; looks like Mick may well have just made my album of the 20s. (Tim Russell)
43. Gabriels – Angels & Queens – Part 1
Is Angels & Queens Part 1 all about Jacob Lusk’s incredible voice? No. Would it be the same without that mesmeric quality? Certainly not. Can something only twenty-seven minutes long hold its own against the longer long players of 2022? It most definitely can. Quality over quantity. The combination of Lusk and band mates Ari Belouzian and Ryan Hope, along with producer Sounwave, creates an excitingly unpredictable blend of genres. Tracks like Taboo exemplify this, where there’s soul, wrestling with underlying jazz. Alongside that, the orchestration consistently jabs away at you through unsettling blasts of brass. You wouldn’t have to do much to turn it into trip-hop. Gabriels take the hype and excitement that surrounded their debut EP and elevate it from the joy of the new to the anticipation of what comes next. What comes next is Part 2, due in spring 2023. Good move to split the album into two? Probably. Can we wait? Not really. (Jon Kean)
42. Cola – Deep in View
Before announcing their split in 2021, Tim Darcy and Ben Stidworthy were members of Canadian band Ought; they’d made three albums of experimental Art Rock that culminated in singer Darcy performing with a choir of 70 singers on final album Room Inside The World. So when they joined forces with drummer Evan Cartwright (U.S.A Girls, The Weather Station) to form Cola, the idea was to strip back the sound to it’s core. The resulting album Deep in View is a minimalist indie rock joy that evokes the spirit of post Is This It era Strokes, but with lyrics infused by isolation and solitude. Darcy’s lyrics have often been concerned with human connection, so perhaps it’s understandable that at a time when connectivity to others was stretched to the limits of comprehension during the pandemic, they yearn for closer contact. It may not be the sort of record that will instantly burst out of the speakers, but repeated listens reveal a special album bursting with creativity, passion and empathy. (Stephen Birch)
41. Goon – Hour Of Green Evening
Goon’s latest release Hour of Green Evening conjures to mind nineties grungy, post-hardcore, emo releases by bands such as Unwound, Jawbreaker and June of 44. The melodies are sublime, the riffs are stupidly catchy with plenty of sweeping, lush distortion. Hour of Green Evening sounds like an album you’ve heard before, in the sense that it is comfortably and reassuringly familiar, it may not be breaking any new ground but it is an extraordinarily perfect contribution to the canon it does fit under. Song lyrics on the album focus on broad themes that conjure natural imagery and personal experiences that lend a timeless quality to the album. If you’re a fan of any of the aforementioned bands or that era of music then do yourself a favour and give this a listen. (Kate Haresnape)
40. Dry Cleaning – Stumpwork
It’s great to see a band who can write songs about the mundane and yet not be merely kitchen sink drama. One of the tracks, which even features Ms. Shaw getting very close to singing, is ‘Gary Ashby.’ This song follows the travails of a beloved family tortoise lost in lockdown -“Have you seen Gary?” It makes a change from yet another love song. Loaded with hooks, the song has been described by the band as being ‘lament about a pet tortoise, escaped as a result of family chaos. The Tory party are in their own spectacular meltdown (and lord knows what will happen between me submitting this review and it going live), but it seems most apt that there is a track called ‘Conservative Hell.‘ Not that it’s about them per se but I love the line within: ‘if you think this car’s dirty you should try a night with the driver.’ (Variations on this are no doubt coming to the back of a vehicle near you soon.) If a lyric could ever sum up what a band are about then Dry Cleaning are – and I mean this as a compliment – summed up by ‘Liberty Log‘ ‘s ‘It’s a weird premise but I like it.’
It is a worthy successor to their debut, produced once again by John Parish, and I look forward to seeing where they’ll go with their third album. I’m not quite sure what hair that is on the front cover, mind…
…oh, and if the vicar’s coming round, I wouldn’t put this on! (Ed Jupp)
39. Crack Cloud – Tough Baby
Tough Baby marks a conscious shift in approach, aiming to recapture the lost mystery and awe of their adolescence. It’s perhaps apt that the first and last voice we hear is Choy’s late father: “I hope you guys can learn lots from what I’m trying to tell you”. Diagnosed with a terminal illness, Danny Choy, aged only 29, left a legacy of poems, carvings and musical arrangements as inspirations for his family. “Be amazed at how good you can feel, afterwards… Music is an excellent way to let your anger out. Put it all on paper”. Zach, now also 29, sounds more resolute on Tough Baby. The rage that held Pain Olympics together in a chaotic, yet coherent shape has matured. Less focused on reconciling with past ghosts, Crack Cloud now look outwards, scanning the horizon, towards a future that is literally on fire. (Trev Elkin)
38. Cate Le Bon – Pompeii
2021 and 2022 have been marked by the release of a glut of introspective lockdown albums, but Welsh singer Cate Le Bon proved to us in February there is always room for more with the release of her sixth studio album Pompeii. An unnerving, spectral beauty anchored throughout with rich, layered 80s-tinged bassy synths and lyrics that lend themselves to repeated listens to try and grasp their poetry, Cate Le Bon has created an off-kilter subterranean dreamscape from which the isolation it was composed in oozes, leaving a ghost-like mark on your psyche. It is an album suited to lone winter walks after dark through city streets, which is why it went on my headphones constantly in February and March. Pompeii proves Le Bon is constantly getting better and developing outwards. There are moments in 2019’s predecessor Reward which hint at Pompeii’s direction, but it seems the pandemic gave Le Bon the opportunity to lean into the uncanny, darker side of lost connections completely..
It is hard to pick a favourite track, but lead single ‘Remembering Me’ manages to distil the aesthetic of the whole album perfectly, as does ‘Running Away ‘, which invites you to shrug away the warmth of the sun and discover the cold beauty of isolation. But Pompeii has moments of light woven throughout as well. After the sombre, processional wonkiness of opening track ‘Dirt On The Bed’, ‘Moderation’ shimmers like a crisp, clear winter’s night, as does ‘Harbour’. Now the hottest summer in memory is wrapped up, it’s back on my headphones once more. I don’t think I’ll ever see a winter out without returning to the album which could possibly prove to be Cate Le Bon at her most uncanny, restrained and yet exhilarating in the future. (Kerry Mead)
37. Luke Haines & Peter Buck – All The Kids Are Super Bummed Out
Luke Haines stands atop the stage in flared trousers and a Panama hat, a silver-haired Peter Buck in his wake. A supergroup of a fashion, in that Luke Haines of Britpop pioneers The Auteurs, has joined forces with R.E.M’s Peter Buck and are recording music under their own names. To be fair, this isn’t the first time the two have recorded together, having joined forces following a chance meeting in 2019, when Buck bought one of Haines’ paintings online. It was from here that the two collaborated in what turned out to be 2020’s Beat Poetry For Survivalists. This wasn’t the end of the story, and now comes All The Kids Are Super Bummed Out and so this story continues… (Nick James)
36. The Cool Greenhouse – Sod’s Toastie
The Cool Greenhouse are a band who fit neatly into that category, and while you could argue that they are merely another act who speak over music, as befits a whole glut of other current groups, I would have to take issue with you and say that they are very, very different to all of them. First of all, there’s far more of a DIY ethic going on here, and secondly, there’s a kind of innocent charm in Tom Greenhouse’s lyrics, even though some of the subject matter is absolutely NOT innocent. And I kind of love that whole self-deprecating English humour that is on Sod’s Toastie in abundance.
Lots of black humour, sure, but its soul is post-punk through and through and we should all be grateful for that.
Sod’s Toastie is right up there with the great albums of 2022. It demands your attention. Now. (Loz Etheridge)
35. Charlotte Adigery & Bolis Pupul – Topical Dancer
Listening to Topical Dancer the debut album of Belgium-dwelling duo Charlotte Adigéry and frequent collaborator Bolis Pupul would provide a good reflection of what thoughts this particular and peculiar generation were preoccupied with. Charlotte Adigéry, having a mix of Nigerian, Martinican and Guadeloupean descent, and Bolis Pupul with a Chinese background, have a good perspective on what it is like to be occasionally seen as outsiders in a European country. ‘Blenda’ tackles the confused mindset of expats, while opening track ‘Bel DEEWEE’ is also rather funny in its reflection of language confusion and how it can hinder an aspect of 2020’s routine: the food delivery app. Away from the straight out humour Topical Dancer also has some thought-provoking moments. ‘It Hit Me’ explains the point of view of a teenage girl being wolf-whistled at for the first time and as a consequence discovering the awkward feeling of being objectified. If you want to laugh, dance and have some mental food for thought at the end of it, buy/stream/download (or whatever kids do) Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupi’s critiquing guide on an all-too-confusing decade. Listening to Topical Dancer the debut album of Belgium-dwelling duo Charlotte Adigéry and frequent collaborator Bolis Pupul would provide a good reflection of what thoughts this particular and peculiar generation were preoccupied with. Charlotte Adigéry, having a mix of Nigerian, Martinican and Guadeloupean descent, and Bolis Pupul with a Chinese background, have a good perspective on what it is like to be occasionally seen as outsiders in a European country. ‘Blenda’ tackles the confused mindset of expats, while opening track ‘Bel DEEWEE’ is also rather funny in its reflection of language confusion and how it can hinder an aspect of 2020’s routine: the food delivery app. (Matt Hobbs)
34. The Delines – The Sea Drift
If they haven’t already done so, the Gulf Coast Tourism Board should give strong consideration to adopting The Sea Drift as the soundtrack to its next promotional campaign. From the evocative cover of The Delines’ third studio album, depicting Galveston’s historic pleasure pier in splendid profile, to the ten top tunes lying therein, the romanticism of this record will surely make visitors flock to that beautiful stretch of coastline along the southern United States. Born of the band’s principal songwriter Willy Vlautin and singer Amy Boone’s shared love of that part of their home country, and despite a narrative in many of the songs that highlights an underbelly of Texan and Louisianan urban life, the atmospheric country soul in which such lyricism is housed makes you just want to travel there and experience it for yourself. (Simon Godley)
33. Aldous Harding – Warm Chris
“Closer to you is not closer to me”, sings Aldous Harding on album title track ‘Warm Chris’, with pinched vocal and, while invisible, her expression also probably contorted into “an impossible face”. It’s true, album number four from Hannah Topp, New Zealand’s most intriguing songwriter, feels even more immediate than the enigma of 2019’s Designer and yet her multiple personalities and voices remain an essential mystery. Listening to Warm Chris is a genuinely interesting, absorbing and sometimes unsettling experience. It’s another remarkable puzzle piece in Aldous Harding’s career, offered to us without pretence or expectation or fanfare. (Trev Elkin)
32. Fujiya & Miyagi – Slight Variations
I could fill pages rambling on about how Fujiya & Miyagi’s continuing obscurity is the biggest musical injustice since the commercial failure of The Go-Betweens or the baffling popularity of Ed Sheeran, but seriously people, why are you listening to pale imitations like Hot Chip or LCD Soundsystem when you could be listening to this lot? They won’t tell you how great they are – they even managed to sneak out two albums in the five years between 2017 career-high F&M and this new masterpiece without me, one of their biggest cheerleaders, even noticing – but I certainly bloody will.
So the accurately named Slight Variations does what all their best albums do – not reinvent the wheel, just maybe polish the rim a bit, or clip a playing card to the spokes with a clothes peg, to create something fresh but familiar. So all the usual elements of a great Fujiya & Miyagi album are in place. (Tim Russell)
31. The Beths – Expert In A Dying Field
The Beths released their irresistible second album, Jump Rope Gazers, two years ago, and it was ideal comfort listening during the early months of the pandemic. They avoided the pitfalls of following a fully-formed and astonishing debut, Future Me Hates Me, with something less immediate, but still possessing the same magic. Since then, they’ve impressively gained momentum (even with modest press coverage) and they’ve built a reputation as a phenomenal live group. Third albums can often be where artists are on the verge of bigger success – Japanese Breakfast handled this flawlessly with last year’s best album, Jubilee. Expert In A Dying Field finds the band subtly showing new ways to display their sublime songwriting and feels like an effortless step towards breakout status.
On Future Me Hates Me, the songs were loaded with punchy hooks and knockout choruses that instantly lodged themselves in your head. Jump Rope Gazers reached similar levels, but over a longer period and with softer melodies, more restrained playing and a bigger sense of melancholy. Expert In A Dying Field strikes the balance between both. (Jonathan Wright)
30. Lowertown – I Love To Lie
Once upon a time there were two friends called Olivia and Avsha and they formed a band. Look at them, they formed a band. Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia they were surrounded by a hotbed of alternative American rock, post-punk and new wave from the past 45 years, so, no pressure guys.
Fortunately they seem to find firing off wonky lo-fi pop nuggets as easy as putting on a pair of Converse sneakers.
The highest compliment that can be paid to this, their debut LP following on from three amazing EPs, is that it is easily the most diverse record you will hear this year. You will go into each track wondering what it will sound like. If you’ve never heard Lowertown before, once you have gotten past track three, you’ll stop second guessing yourself.
There is something in the water wherever two childhood friends, one male, one female, combine. They create the most exciting and eclectic music, never settling in one genre, bouncing around a million ideas. It’s genuinely thrilling to be able to see and hear. It helps that’s they are a visceral, cerebral experience live too, hopefully they make it across the pond to play this to us.
I’m not going to lie, I love this. (Jim Auton)
29. Gwenno – Tresor
Mercury Shortlisted Gwenno broke all records with her third studio album Tresor this year, with her synth-laced tracks in Cornish and Welsh. It was the the first album in a language other than English to ever be shortlisted for the Prize. Gwenno’s rich and ethereal vocals, reminiscent of Elizabeth Fraser’s Cocteau Twins era, are spellbinding. Woven with synth pop, kraut rock, new wave and pych- folk, her esoteric experimentation makes the ancient language sound cutting edge and contemporary. Beautiful tracks like the opener, ‘An Stevel Nowydh‘ welcomes you into her world and you can feel it. The lyrics literally translate as, “Welcome/sit down,’ before going into the more existential, universal questions like, “ Is the total lack of meaning an inevitable part of being?” We may not all understand the lyrics in Cornish, but we feel them as we listen. Music is a universal language which transcends words; the tracks go to a different part of the subconscious; to a more primal place, making it feel even more transcendental. Gwenno uses Celtic ornamented melismatic vocal techniques to induce a hypnotic trance in the listener similar to Irish Sean-nós singing, but modernised for the 21st century with a bed of techno beats, electro guitars, drums, bass and synths, woven with psychedelic pop riffs. The album tackles universal issues like motherhood, an introspective reflection on home and self as well as land, heritage, identity and potential.
Although not obviously political, the very nature of singing in a language that has been crushed out of a society is a political act in itself, like in Brian Friel’s Translations, where renaming places in English is portrayed as an act of oppression. Gwenno sings the ethereal ‘Nid yw Cymru ar Werth‘ (“Wales is not for Sale”) on the album, saying at the HTLGI festival that, “People are not for sale. Nowhere is for sale. No one should have a second home until everyone has a first home.” Gwenno has spoken of the strong influence her mother Lyn Mererid Welsh translator and socialist saying, “my Mum, like so many mothers… was imprisoned twice for campaigning.. for Welsh Language rights during the early 90s” saying “ I am really proud of her.” Similarly her father, Cornish poet Tim Saunders, was a huge influence. Gwenno shows a lot of faith in her audience and our ability to embrace Celtic traditions, having been at the forefront of a Celtic Revival in the 90s as a key dancer in Riverdance and Feet of Flames. Her Mercury nomination for this album shows that this faith in the public was 100% valid. She spoke to Dave Fanning about the fact that there is a whole host of ancient Celtic wisdom and mythology that is yet to be tapped into and with the political situation in the world, maybe now is the time to tap into a different way of thinking. ‘Tresor’ by name, treasure by nature, this album is a modern Celtic triumph (Carmel Walsh)
28. Drive-By Truckers – Welcome 2 Club XIII
I’m having trouble getting my head around the fact that Drive-By Truckers have been around now for more than a quarter of a century! Granted, I was something of a latecomer, like many folk only discovering them on the magnum opus that was Southern Rock Opera, but even THAT was 21 years ago, yet I still think of them as a ‘recent’ band!
I guess the timeless quality of their records helps. This time around they’ve mostly eschewed the socio-political stuff that has been a common theme throughout their career, most notably on 2016’s American Band.
By Truckers do best – evoke strong emotions in your inner psyche while making sure you’re also having a damn good time doing so. I love it when they get political, especially as I’m on the same page, but Welcome 2 Club XIII proves, if proof were still needed, that they’re equally adept at throwing a party. (Loz Etheridge)
27. Richard Dawson – The Ruby Cord
Anyone who has the guts to release an album with a 41-minute-long opening track in 2022 deserves to make every top 100 of the year list, but The Ruby Cord, the third of Richard Dawson‘s time-travelling trilogy of albums, is also a textbook distillation of the wonky, reimagined English folk Dawson is so well known for. Where 2017’s Peasant brought us stories of woe and wonder from the underbelly of the middle ages, and 2019’s 2020 brought us the same from an unsettling and painful present, The Ruby Cord catapults us into the distant future – an apocalyptic age dominated by the digital in decay.
Like much of Dawson’s musical output, The Ruby Cord is a cleverly orated, surreal blend of the archaic and the modern. Dawson’s fragile, soaring vocals, aural breaks and glitches, and sweeping and powerful post-folk psych carry you along like a ruby thread throughout the unsettling landscape he presents. It’s an album to sit with and get to know – even if, like me, you’d never class yourself as a folk fan – there are many moments of beauty here. (Kerry Mead)
26. M.I.A. – MATA
M.I.A’s sixth studio release MATA was an album that no-one thought would happen after she announced after the release of 2016’s AIM that it would be her last. But following hints in 2019 she was back in the studio and new track drops earlier this year, MATA was released on October 22nd. Receiving mixed reviews from music critics, not making much of a commercial splash, and being swamped by controversy regarding M.I.A.’s recent social media spats, including vax-scepticism and what could be construed as sympathy for everyone’s favourite US right-wing gobshite Alex Jones, you’d be forgiven for not going out of your way to get to know MATA, but I’m here to tell you it’s actually a bit of a banger.
Despite claiming she is ‘bringing something new’ on the fourth track ‘Beep’, MATA doesn’t stray far from her signature sound, but from start to finish, the album is a joyful celebration of the in-your-face East/West mashup sound that M.I.A. does so well. Working with various producers including Skillrex and long-term collaborator Diplo, the album weaves rap, bhangra, reggaeton, and moombahton with the skill you’d expect. Even though more contemplative and spiritual in mood, the subjects British Sri Lankan Tamil M.I.A. unpretentiously explores in her music, such as anti-imperialism, anti-capitalism and immigration politics, are still discernible in MATA’s lyrics. If you’re approaching the album in search of 2022’s answer to ‘Paper Planes’ you’re not going to find it, but when M.I.A tells us ‘I still got fight, I still got vision, I still got sight, my brain’s still bright’ on the joyfully bhangra-laced ‘Zoo Girl’, I can’t help but agree. And let’s face it, there should always be space for outspoken, controversial and marginalised voices like M.I.A.’s in music, no matter whether you agree with her current politics. (Kerry Mead).
