TOP TEN ALBUMS 2021

 TOP TEN ALBUMS 2021

All things considered, 2021 turned out to be a pretty great year for new music. I definitely could expand my selections, but staying true to my self-imposed ‘rules’, I won’t cheat and will stick with just ten choices. 

In no particular order, here are my Top Ten releases for 2021. 

As always, I’d love to hear other 2021 albums you’ve enjoyed this year.

The Weather Station / Ignorance - Sometimes Folk Rock can breeze by - making a pretty powerfully positive impact without rattling the barn. On the Canadian project’s 4th album, everything comes together in thoroughly striking ways - goes down like the female-vocalist-led side of Fleetwood Mac, slightly jazzed up. If I had to pick a favorite of my ten choices, this one just might get the nod.

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis / Carnage - Taking their long-standing collaboration to a place that seems both intimate & filled with longing, the Australian duo have created a collection of devastatingly dark songs that are sure to haunt. Since I started listening to it back in February, this album feels as if it captures the anger & unrest of 2020 better than any piece of art known to me.

Manic Street Preachers / The Ultra Vivid Lament - For over 2 decades, MSP have honored the best traditions of British modern rock without reaching the commercial success in the U.S. that others have. However, outlasting so many of their early contemporaries, while still releasing relevant & bonafide top-rate material, is more than a small victory. These tracks benefit from a sharp production sheen and seem instantly familiar without feeling recycled.

St. Vincent / Daddy’s Home - Steeped in all kinds of cool 70’s vibes, this is definitely one of those albums that immediately earns extra points for the artful way it is put together. Far from just a collection of tracks, there is great texture to the entire listening experience and beautiful surprises seem around every corner.

Elbow / Flying Dream 1 - Always savagely adept at mastering patiently revealed thought-music, Elbow seems to have pushed even further into glorious, yet subtle, complexity throughout this collection. The perfect soundtrack to lose yourself within. 

Floating Points & Pharoah Sanders / Promises - Walking a blurry line between jazz and ambient, this collaborative, 47-minute piece of continuous music is minimalistic and controlled - extremely rewarding in all the ways it challenges the listener.

IDLES / Crawler - There is a certain amount of surrendering that has to happen to fully appreciate music that is so intensely & personally cathartic. Such is the case with IDLES’ most recent collection. Too simple (& not accurate) to label them as punk - they summon echoes of a pretty wide array of influences from Bauhaus to Swans while managing to create a deeply moving final product which is all their own.

Damon Albarn / The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows - Damon Albarn (of Blur & Gorillaz) is nothing if not a man on a mission to search out his musical muses - his varied career speaks volumes to that. On his latest, taking inspiration from the landscapes of his adopted Icelandic home, the downtempo beauty of this collection is mixed with darkness that reveals all kinds of interesting shadows. Shades of late-era Bowie certainly don’t hurt.

Quicksand / Distant Populations - I’ll know I’m old when certain music (cranked all the way up) fails to get me going: punk, hip-hop, heavy metal… And though I listen mostly to textured music these days, it doesn’t mean I won’t respond when the right collection comes along. This album offers the kind of Jane’s Addiction rooted alt-hard rock that my college band worshiped, and which I still have an incredibly soft spot for. Turn it to eleven!!

Peter Gregson / Patina - Classical Crossover often skates ice that constantly threatens to dissolve into ambient musings, but there is an intentional musicality to these pieces that envelop the listener in absolute beauty & mystery. Like riding a wave of fog.