You may have noticed that in 2022 I’ve tried to do music recommendations weekly (if warranted) and also do a better job recapping my monthly album listens. These monthly posts will also double to help me look back at the end of the year to get an realistic picture of what I was truly streaming most before I formulate my year-end lists.

Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that this format featuring the 5×5 collage with tapmusic.net was directly copped from friend, musician, and fellow staffer at Jesusfreakhideout Chase Tremaine. Hey, I know a great idea when I see one. If you can’t get enough musical opinions and recommendations I strongly encourage you to check out his blog (and music!) starting with his most recent post here: https://chasetremaine.com/2022/03/27/what-ive-been-listening-to-february-2022/

Give him a follow, a like, a comment, and tell him I sent ya!

A few notes on What I’ve Heard March 2022 Edition below…

March 2022
  • My most streamed album in March was the new release from duo For King & Country. Its nothing groundbreaking, but I’ve been digging the electro-pop vibes. My kids also like it so it’s gotten plenty of play between my car listens and theirs from home. It has a good chance for Top 20 status this year.
  • The new half*alive 7 song EP makes my list for the second month in a row. After seeing the songs live in concert I’ve only come to appreciate some of the deeper cuts like “Make of It” “Hot Tea” and “Move Me” even more. There’s a good chance this one will have year-long staying power.
  • Yes. 6 Relient K albums made the list…I went on quite the binge in prep for seeing them live for the first time in over a decade or more. That binge lasted even beyond the show, and you can see I had a bit of an obsession with Forget and Not Slow Down. That’s an album I always respected as great, though it didn’t fully connect with me when it originally released as I was in a different place, not in need of a “break up” record. Now I’d call it their overall second best. Ranking Every Relient K Album and rank every song they’ve ever recorded (I think!) here: Every Relient K Song Ranked
  • Indie artist Lovkn got lots of play this month as I kept returning to his album Home Called Heaven. Lots to like and I definitely recommend you give him a listen or two. I should probably whip up a full review of this one…
  • Post-Harcore band Wolves at the Gate’s newest Eulogies is an outlier here, something outside my normal listening tendencies for sure. I typically have limited attention span for scream based music, but this has been an excellent early morning driving album to wake me up. Also, not pictured and just missing this months collage is Idle Threat’s 2021 album Blurred Visions—another excellent post-hardcore album I’m slowly warming to. Check out the newest JFH podcast where they are featured here: https://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/podcasts/Episode157.asp
  • If you can believe it, 00’s indie band Castledoor was made up of remnants of Plus One. Yes, the boy band. This group sounds nothing like the bubblegum pop, but it does have some quirky indie-pop/rock sensibilities and I didn’t/don’t grow tired of it very quickly. I may have to find a physical copy of the Follow the Dove EP as it has atleast three go-to songs for me in “Magnetic Forces” “Burn the Maps” and “The Bird and the Fleas.” Anyone else know of Castledoor and love them? I made a playlist of 13 of their songs if you’d like to sample it: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6jLiM7h9YiLiofUnR2Sn6q?si=GNxHnVhQSXyqccX2DvWuzg
  • Copeland is here because of the music listening club I’m a part of. I hadn’t really heard more than a song or two prior, and I ended up liking In Motion to the tune of 4-4.5 stars. It very pretty music, but I drive alot for work and it wasn’t good for that. Haha. Ultimately I’m happy to have listened though most of their discography and come away with a new favorite album.
  • Also, not pictured because I didn’t make it though more than one listen in the music club is the first few albums by rock band King’s X. Solid band, but after I few albums I was over their sound and didn’t make it though. They’re clearly talented, but just not for me—their debut Out of the Silent Planet was most enjoyable.
  • Bedtime staple Young Oceans and Future of Forestry show up again, and they are likely to repeat several more times before the end of 2022.
  • PFR had a short 7-8 year burst of excellent creativity spanning 4 albums in the 90s, and The Late Great PFR is perhaps one of the best “hits” collections to actually capture a bands best stuff. Audio Adrenaline’s Hit Parade, Rich Mullins Songs, and Dctalk’s Intermission being the other major contenders in that convo. Any others you can think of I’m missing? Let me know in the comments!
  • Lastly, you’ll notice two all-time favorites from the last five years since I’ve been reviewing music for JFH. My 2017 and 2021 #1s…John Van Deusen’s indie-worship Every Power Wide Awake and Taylor Leonhardt’s charming Americana album Hold Still. I reviewed JVD here: https://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/indiemusic/EveryPowerWideAwake.asp if you’re not familiar and want some expanded thoughts. In addition, if you’re aquatinted with his work and haven’t yet heard he’s releasing Part 4 of I Am Origami in June (called Marathon Daze), so it’s time to listen thru his stuff to get ready!

Okay folks, there it is! And to fully wrap things up, I’ll leave you with a link to my running 2022 favorite songs playlist for some additional “tuneage.” I usually add a few songs every week and will eventually whittle it down to a Top 100 by years end.

Happy listening! – Josh

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/55b5SfuP5PTPotHtWPj9jX?si=JTyd7n6YQG6LrisPlkBJtw