NPR Music 2022 Staff Picks: Isabella Gomez Sarmiento

The stars aligned perfectly for both Beyoncé and Bad Bunny albums this year — and though I can't praise them or Rosalía enough — I wanted to use this list to celebrate other heavy-hitters that carried me through 2022. I sit at a desk and mix audio all day, so I mostly listened to music while in motion this year: biking, dancing, cleaning. A lot of my picks reflect that; they build momentum through disco nostalgia and dark '80s synths. But these are albums and songs that stopped me in my tracks, beckoned me to sit with them and demanded my full attention. They helped me slow down, then start moving again.

Top 10 Albums of 2022

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• Julieta Venegas, Tu Historia
• Rauw Alejandro, SATURNO
• Stromae, Multitude
• Villano Antillano, La Sustancia X
• Steve Lacy, Gemini Rights
• Divino Niño, Last Spa on Earth
• SASAMI, Squeeze
• Phony Ppl, Euphonyus
• Weyes Blood, And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
• Mitski, Laurel Hell

Top 10 Songs of 2022

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• Tokischa & Marshmello, "ESTILAZO"
• Simon Grossmann,"Corolla 94"
• SZA, "F2F"
• Ezra Furman, "Book of Our Names"
• Omar Apollo,"En El Olvido"
• Say She She, "Prism"
• Khruangbin & Leon Bridges, "Mariella"
• Young Miko, "Riri"
• Elsa y Elmar, "atravesao"
• Guitarricadelafuente, "Caballito"

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