Albums of 2021

[Mickey]

As a late addition I've really been enjoying that Clairo album.

[psychobain]

Low - Hey What

[i got bugs]

The new limp bizkit album is prob better than half of these albums I see in these music publication end of the year lists

[Rangi Guy]

What a fucked up year 2021 has been

[Jorge]

I'm really enjoying the album In Waiting by the band Pillow Queens. It's got that 90s alternative indie rock influenced sound, like Belly or Throwing Muses

[Tsuga]

Adeline Hotel: Good Timing
Arooj Aftab: Vulture Prince
Mdou Moctar: Afrique Victime
Mess Esque: Mess Esque
Fruit Bats: The Pet Parade
Faye Webster: I Know I'm Funny haha
Lambchop: Showtunes
Low: HEY WHAT
Michael Hurley: The Time of the Foxgloves
Julie Doiron: I Thought of You
Birds of Maya: Valdez
Yasmin Williams: Urban Driftwood

[Higgs]

I've been doing some bulk catch-up album listenning over these past few weeks and have a few late 2021 album nominations.

W.H. Lung are a little hard to place. They are a 5 piece and I enjoyed their 2019 album Incidental Music, which is kinda poppy, a bit arty, little techno, little electronica sorta stuff. They've released a new album this year called Vanities and it too is a bit of a hodge podge, but once again, works. This one is probably a little more dancey-leaning, but man has it got some good tunes, and holds the quality throughout.

Here's "Gd Tym":

[Higgs]

Grouper is the solo work of US artist Liz Harris, and she has put out really solid, consistently great low fi, sparse ambient tunes through her guitar, piano and vocal loops. 2018's Grid of Points was brilliant and her 2021 follow up Shade is just as good. This is great stuff for whiling away an easy hour at work or background reading tuneage.

Here's "Kelso (Blue Sky)":

[Mickey]

Grouper is the solo work of US artist Liz Harris, and she has put out really solid, consistently great low fi, sparse ambient tunes through her guitar, piano and vocal loops. 2018's Grid of Points was brilliant and her 2021 follow up Shade is just as good. This is great stuff for whiling away an easy hour at work or background reading tuneage.

Here's "Kelso (Blue Sky)":

Yeah I love this album, though for me nothing she's done has come close to the truly sublime excellence of Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill.

[Brett]

I really should get around to checking out some Grouper stuff in full. It seems like he music would be in my wheelhouse, but I've never really gave her time for some reason.

Anyway, here's my year-end list of stuff I've enjoyed the most, in no real order. Regardless, there's a few late-year releases that I have to still check out or give proper attention to that could conceivably be here, and of course a plethora of stuff that I've not listened to that I might enjoy if I was exposed.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - God's Pee AT STATE'S END!

Fly Pan Am - Frontera

The Draperies - La Historia del Sombrero

Mogwai - As the Love Continues

Bell Orchestre - House Music

Colleen - The Tunnel and the Clearing

Golden Melody Awards - Golden Melody Awards

Eldritch Priest - Many Traceries

ALL HANDS_MAKE LIGHT - ALL HANDS_MAKE LIGHT

Black Midi - Cavalcade

K.D.A.P. - Influences

Anarchist Mountains Trio - La terre et la force

Kiefer - Between Days

Kiefer - When There's Love Around

Crumb - Ice Melt

Deerhoof - Actually, You Can

[VinylGuy]

I'm really enjoying the album In Waiting by the band Pillow Queens. It's got that 90s alternative indie rock influenced sound, like Belly or Throwing Muses

yeah, this one is solid. Im kinda surprised there wasnt more people talking bout it.

[Jammer XCI]

So we all have our favorite bests, but what about the worst of 2021?

Find out who won an award (hint: it's mostly nu-metal or nu-metal adjacent) in the Dave Ellefson Award for Song Most Likely to Be Caught Jackin' It in San Diego ceremony:

https://vsmusick.wordpress.com/2022/01/ ... san-diego/

[Mickey]

Great list Vin.

[Jorge]

15 albums from 2021 that I really loved, in alphabetical order cause I find it almost impossible to rank them

Agathe Cipres – Los Límites
Arlo Parks - Collapsed in Sunbeams
Bent Knee - Frosting
Billie Eilish - Happier than Ever
Damsel Talk & Nicolás Boccanera – Peppermint
Fervors - Grey Age
Griff - One Foot in Front of the Other
Jazmín Esquivel – Medianoche Radio Club
Milagros Majó – Füryü
Shai Maestro - Human
Snail Mail - Valentine
Squid - Bright Green Field
Sungazer - Perihelion
Vijay Ijer Trio - Uneasy

[surfndestroy]

Via the new cover of ‘When The Levee Breaks’ I learned of Buffalo Nichols. He released a self-titled in 2021. Acoustic blues right up my alley.

[Higgs]

Via the new cover of ‘When The Levee Breaks’ I learned of Buffalo Nichols. He released a self-titled in 2021. Acoustic blues right up my alley.

Yes! I discovered this just recently too. Good stuff, great album.

[tragabigzanda]

[Mickey]

this years' black country new road album is v good especially if you're into Black Midi and that kinda thing, might be my favorite band of this uk post punk wave thats been going on right now

Wish I hadn't slept on Black Country, New Road. For the First Time is so good.

[chewm]

it's a really good album! i'm honestly glad they didn't repeat themselves and went with something wildly different with the follow up but i probably like the result slightly less for now (everybody seems to love it though so i guess it was a good call). i'm super intrigued about where they will go now that the lead singer left.

[epilogue]

I've only heard the 2022 record (Ants From Up There) but I fucking love it. Guess I should spin this 2021 record...