Top 100 Music Albums of 2021 by 
Mercury 
Okay This will be more of a running record of albums I listened to up until I get to 101. (I'll rank them as I listen and review, so it will always be relatively accurate in terms of my subjective enjoyment and appreciation). When I reach above 101, then the list will get more and more rarefied and rich with albums I like. Then maybe when I get to 200 albums it will be only albums I QUITE like, etc. This list will likely never be composed of 100 albums I love - cuz despite being a super easy-to-please, open-minded, easy-grader, I am not THAT easy, I'll have you know!
I am not the most intellectual of music nerds. I tend to focus on a few genres and dabble in the other genre's most talked about albums. I'll be going deeper into other forms of music more than ever before this year. That is the plan anyway. So bear with me if I sound like a moron trying to talk about Death Metal, Ambient House, or Harsh Noise albums if they come up. I am a neophyte in a lot of musical areas and I have a weird discomfort when I try to use genre descriptions that I only just recently learned the name of and did a modicum of research on. I still may say "this is an interesting Hyperpop album...yadayada" but I'll try to use words I have for explaining the music instead of just glibly name dropping genres I couldn't pick out in a line up.
Okay, have a great 2021, everyone! Drop me a comment if there is an album or EP you really love that I need to check out.
(Note made on March 30th: Oh and I just made it to 101 and so I made a second chart called 2021 Spill Over or something like that (still working out a name) where I'll put all the albums that used to be here but got pushed off. If you want you can see how that list grows over in my custom charts section.)
(Note here added on April 18th 2021: I have reached a point where I like all these albums. Yay! Feel free to take any of these albums as recommended.)
(Note here added on September 20th 2021: I had a period of slowed '21 listening but generally have kept up with exploring music and ... drum roll... we have reach 200! The chart previously called "2021 spill over and misfits" is now called "101-200 of 2021" I think. There are a lot of albums there, ranked" that I actually think are great and its hard cutting them out of here. I have started a new chart now for the next albums to fall out of the top 200 called spill over or something. You can find it in my custom charts list if you're curious. )
DON'T HESITATE TO DROP SOME RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE COMMENTS! If you've heard a 2021 album you love or like, I wanna know about no matter the genre.
- Chart updated: 11/15/2022 01:45
- (Created: 01/02/2021 01:32).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 23 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Music Albums of 2021 has an average rating of 95 out of 100 (from 34 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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(Avant Garde Metal, Death Metal, some Black Metal sounds I think, some ambient stuff, jazzy stuff nestled away in the rhythms, etc... this album is so fucking good I can't even write a logical opening snippet for this comment. Its just , its solid, folks. Check it out if you like experimental and dissonant metal music.)
This shit is mind-blowing. Everything about it. I feel like I am being deprogrammed as I listen. My conceptions of harmony and melody are peeled away.
The musicians are not only doing weird stuff, they are doing weird stuff with complete focus and presence, they are just throwing most of the rules out the window but doing it with a clear eye and purpose.
The way the left and right guitars are playing off each other in the dissonant (yet somehow never fully cacophonous) way they do feels like its both ripping my brain in 2 but also expanding it. I can't make sense fully of the effect of the music so I can't describe it well either.
The drummer is a stud, the bassist is doing cool stuff, the guitars and the vocalist are all doing cool stuff. The ambient bits are beautifully realized, and the riffs are stunning. But this album doesn't feel like just a concatenation of dope-as-fuck riffs that are then built upon and around. Instead the songs and the pieces of music all feed off each other and enhance the whole experience. The rhythms and the noisy builds and the breakdowns and the solos don't get short shrift behind the riffage. Its all a fully integrated whole.
I haven't gotten to the stage of listening (on my 3rd listen now) where I fully try to work out what leads to what and where things happen in relation to others or looking at the lyrics or themes etc. I am still in the early phases where I notice each time I listen a 100 little details I missed last time and I am just sitting slack jawed as I hear some mind expanding shit. This may be a masterpiece.
I am no Death/Avant Garde fan, insofar as I heard maybe 5 metal albums from the entirety of last year and 3 this year. BUT as a music listener, I think this album is one of the best examples in awhile of an album that has all the signs of being a masterpiece. Its pretty unique as far as what I have heard (Ulcerate had a similarly mind-expanding album last year, but its not like it was the same as this - just some similar DNA), it features truly incredible musicianship, it flows and sounds great the whole way through, and it just kinda puts me in a waxing poetic headspace that masterpieces do.
Just wanna say 1 small thing that I love, the way the drums toward the end of track 2 "Inexorably Ousted Sente" just make me think the "CD" is skipping (although not a CD so the way it makes me think its glitching hard) and the way this is done so savagely and perfectly in a time signature and way that seems almost impossible is so cool.
Oh and the whole album is brilliant, but the title track may be the song of the year so far. Its unspeakably excellent.
I think I'll end my "review" here and go listen to this a couple more times. Peace! [First added to this chart: 02/16/2021]
This shit is mind-blowing. Everything about it. I feel like I am being deprogrammed as I listen. My conceptions of harmony and melody are peeled away.
The musicians are not only doing weird stuff, they are doing weird stuff with complete focus and presence, they are just throwing most of the rules out the window but doing it with a clear eye and purpose.
The way the left and right guitars are playing off each other in the dissonant (yet somehow never fully cacophonous) way they do feels like its both ripping my brain in 2 but also expanding it. I can't make sense fully of the effect of the music so I can't describe it well either.
The drummer is a stud, the bassist is doing cool stuff, the guitars and the vocalist are all doing cool stuff. The ambient bits are beautifully realized, and the riffs are stunning. But this album doesn't feel like just a concatenation of dope-as-fuck riffs that are then built upon and around. Instead the songs and the pieces of music all feed off each other and enhance the whole experience. The rhythms and the noisy builds and the breakdowns and the solos don't get short shrift behind the riffage. Its all a fully integrated whole.
I haven't gotten to the stage of listening (on my 3rd listen now) where I fully try to work out what leads to what and where things happen in relation to others or looking at the lyrics or themes etc. I am still in the early phases where I notice each time I listen a 100 little details I missed last time and I am just sitting slack jawed as I hear some mind expanding shit. This may be a masterpiece.
I am no Death/Avant Garde fan, insofar as I heard maybe 5 metal albums from the entirety of last year and 3 this year. BUT as a music listener, I think this album is one of the best examples in awhile of an album that has all the signs of being a masterpiece. Its pretty unique as far as what I have heard (Ulcerate had a similarly mind-expanding album last year, but its not like it was the same as this - just some similar DNA), it features truly incredible musicianship, it flows and sounds great the whole way through, and it just kinda puts me in a waxing poetic headspace that masterpieces do.
Just wanna say 1 small thing that I love, the way the drums toward the end of track 2 "Inexorably Ousted Sente" just make me think the "CD" is skipping (although not a CD so the way it makes me think its glitching hard) and the way this is done so savagely and perfectly in a time signature and way that seems almost impossible is so cool.
Oh and the whole album is brilliant, but the title track may be the song of the year so far. Its unspeakably excellent.
I think I'll end my "review" here and go listen to this a couple more times. Peace! [First added to this chart: 02/16/2021]
2
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(Dense, knotty, complex, scatter-brained, grief-filled, lost, anguished, layered Experimental Hip Hop record with lots of noisy blasts of strange random beats, glitching disorientation, fabulous and varied vocal performances and just generally a frightening and inspired and inspiring new musical realm in album form. Give it 2 or 3 spins before writing it off.)
My prior experience with really experimental or unorthodox hip hop was very limited. I love Atrocity Exhibition, enjoy some Death Grips and clipping and Dalek, never could get into Some Rap Songs or Lil Ugly Main or Coin Locker Kid. And I suppose I did also really like that Moor Mother + Billy Woods album last year…. The point is, I am not familiar with this genre, this sort of amorphous, boundary-pushing, strange, experimental side of hip hop. 90% of my favorites in the genre are from the mid 90s. Needless to say, this doesn’t bear any resemblance to Liquid Swords.
On first listen I was confused. I thought the album was equal parts dense/hard to follow as well as beautiful/intriguing/weirdly addictive. After I heard it once and was sort of dumb struck, I felt a compulsion to push play and try again to unravel what the fuck this is. Now, after 3 full listens and the 4th in progress, I am getting more and more familiar with it without losing that wonder at the density of the noises and elements and soundscapes created.
There are parts of this album that are sad and beautiful (“Knees”, “Top Picks for You, “Postpostpartum”). There are frightening and mentally ravaged moments (“Outside”, “Footwork in a Forest Fire”, “Wild Wild West”). There are glitchy, seemingly random noisy bits (“Superman That”, Ground Zero”) and there are even a couple honest-to-goodness songs that I can follow along with in almost traditional music listening ways (again, “Knees”). And perhaps most importantly, there aren’t clear distinctions between these sounds and emotions. Within one song there is a mixing and melding and an almost infinite variety of potential emotional responses. As a cohesive album, this succeeds in never fully showing or making clear what is the appropriate take-away from the track, whatever track you are hearing at the moment.
By The Time I Get To Phoenix album is a journey, a fucked up, lost, aimless voyage through some grimy and miserable world. I keep hearing in comments from fans of IR that this album is deeply rooted in grief and loss. And that would make sense considering the death of founding member of the group Stepa J. Groggs in June of last year. However, either I just haven’t fully unpacked the lyricism here or perhaps its people projecting the emotions onto the album that aren’t fully or exclusively here. There are no on-the-nose and obvious odes or ballads or laments clearly about the loss of Groggs. There IS a distinct hazy, disorienting, vibe throughout this whole project. It feels like the mental state of the members of Injury Reserve are constantly on the edge of fully splintering and breaking apart. This head space is expressed throughout here masterfully. It feels uncomfortable being in these guys’ heads and they fully flesh out the beats and sonic spaces so that you are thrown fully into this state-of-mind. Fabulous and, yes I’ll say it, genius brilliant amazing production now that I have gotten used to it.
And listening now to the closing track “Bye Storm” and I am getting emotional. It feels like the slight twinkle of light through the oppressive smoky sky, with that weird and exultant guitar sound. This closer along with the pained grief and apathy of the penultimate track “Knees”, make for a perfect and all-time classic closer to this album. Okay, maybe that is a bit hyperbolic. It is just a truly moving way to cap off this experimental and crushing album is what I’ll say.
The production of Parker Corey is going to get most of the ink and praise, understandably. As, despite beats of sounds like this being around in Hip Hop for 15 years, somehow he took the level of detail and wooziness and expansiveness and just expanded it exponentially. Perhaps this isn’t a completely brand new never been remotely heard sound (nothing like that ever drops and comes out of the blue) – but it is, to these admittedly not fully educated ears, a new bar set in terms of detail and expansiveness and layered noisy experimentation.
Moving to the vocal performances here, they are similarly impressive. Schizophrenic, sad and lost, slurred and drunken and in pain, cutting and fully embodying the words and living in the soundscapes. Especially the varied vocal sounds in “SS San Francisco (feat. Zelooperz)”. The deep grumbling vocal and the weird high-pitched singing set the table for some playful, sardonic, griefy bars. But its not just here, wherever the rap verses come in (and that is strangely rare, this seems to be an album where the rapping is somewhat sparse and instead there are long stretches of instrumental table-setting before Ritchie or Groggs (RIP) come in with the perfect vocal intonation and flow to complement the beat and sinic space.
Random, fly-by thoughts:
-The Yeezus-esque screams on “Footwork in a Forest Fire” is awesome and really the whole track and every phase of it is cool, but for some reason those screams got me.
-Smoke Don’t Clear” is, as of now, one of the few tracks here that I don’t fully like. But I will say it works well in the context of the album more than its own noisy mess of a thing.
-The way “Top Picks for You” with that dramatic melody on that… whatever sound that is… with the whispery singing and the sadness of the verses, its incredible. The whole song is great. One of my faves.
-“Knees” was weird and fabulous in isolation as a single, but it feels so much deeper and more moving and beautiful within the context of the LP. One of the best tracks here, or perhaps the best.
In closing, I am listening a 5th time, and it grows and grows on me. This is a dense and brilliant experimental and emotionally gripping and profound album. I recommend a couple listens or 3 before making final judgement. I had a similar arc with Atrocity Exhibition, where I was very VERY disoriented and kind of unimpressed on first listens and then over time I understood its dense complicated and knotty brilliance with further listens. Recommend the same for this.
Note: This is an album that I am sure I am only scratching the surface with. I hope I listen enough to unravel it more. This comment ain't final. This 5th listen is making me hear other details and that is just really exciting. [First added to this chart: 09/16/2021]
My prior experience with really experimental or unorthodox hip hop was very limited. I love Atrocity Exhibition, enjoy some Death Grips and clipping and Dalek, never could get into Some Rap Songs or Lil Ugly Main or Coin Locker Kid. And I suppose I did also really like that Moor Mother + Billy Woods album last year…. The point is, I am not familiar with this genre, this sort of amorphous, boundary-pushing, strange, experimental side of hip hop. 90% of my favorites in the genre are from the mid 90s. Needless to say, this doesn’t bear any resemblance to Liquid Swords.
On first listen I was confused. I thought the album was equal parts dense/hard to follow as well as beautiful/intriguing/weirdly addictive. After I heard it once and was sort of dumb struck, I felt a compulsion to push play and try again to unravel what the fuck this is. Now, after 3 full listens and the 4th in progress, I am getting more and more familiar with it without losing that wonder at the density of the noises and elements and soundscapes created.
There are parts of this album that are sad and beautiful (“Knees”, “Top Picks for You, “Postpostpartum”). There are frightening and mentally ravaged moments (“Outside”, “Footwork in a Forest Fire”, “Wild Wild West”). There are glitchy, seemingly random noisy bits (“Superman That”, Ground Zero”) and there are even a couple honest-to-goodness songs that I can follow along with in almost traditional music listening ways (again, “Knees”). And perhaps most importantly, there aren’t clear distinctions between these sounds and emotions. Within one song there is a mixing and melding and an almost infinite variety of potential emotional responses. As a cohesive album, this succeeds in never fully showing or making clear what is the appropriate take-away from the track, whatever track you are hearing at the moment.
By The Time I Get To Phoenix album is a journey, a fucked up, lost, aimless voyage through some grimy and miserable world. I keep hearing in comments from fans of IR that this album is deeply rooted in grief and loss. And that would make sense considering the death of founding member of the group Stepa J. Groggs in June of last year. However, either I just haven’t fully unpacked the lyricism here or perhaps its people projecting the emotions onto the album that aren’t fully or exclusively here. There are no on-the-nose and obvious odes or ballads or laments clearly about the loss of Groggs. There IS a distinct hazy, disorienting, vibe throughout this whole project. It feels like the mental state of the members of Injury Reserve are constantly on the edge of fully splintering and breaking apart. This head space is expressed throughout here masterfully. It feels uncomfortable being in these guys’ heads and they fully flesh out the beats and sonic spaces so that you are thrown fully into this state-of-mind. Fabulous and, yes I’ll say it, genius brilliant amazing production now that I have gotten used to it.
And listening now to the closing track “Bye Storm” and I am getting emotional. It feels like the slight twinkle of light through the oppressive smoky sky, with that weird and exultant guitar sound. This closer along with the pained grief and apathy of the penultimate track “Knees”, make for a perfect and all-time classic closer to this album. Okay, maybe that is a bit hyperbolic. It is just a truly moving way to cap off this experimental and crushing album is what I’ll say.
The production of Parker Corey is going to get most of the ink and praise, understandably. As, despite beats of sounds like this being around in Hip Hop for 15 years, somehow he took the level of detail and wooziness and expansiveness and just expanded it exponentially. Perhaps this isn’t a completely brand new never been remotely heard sound (nothing like that ever drops and comes out of the blue) – but it is, to these admittedly not fully educated ears, a new bar set in terms of detail and expansiveness and layered noisy experimentation.
Moving to the vocal performances here, they are similarly impressive. Schizophrenic, sad and lost, slurred and drunken and in pain, cutting and fully embodying the words and living in the soundscapes. Especially the varied vocal sounds in “SS San Francisco (feat. Zelooperz)”. The deep grumbling vocal and the weird high-pitched singing set the table for some playful, sardonic, griefy bars. But its not just here, wherever the rap verses come in (and that is strangely rare, this seems to be an album where the rapping is somewhat sparse and instead there are long stretches of instrumental table-setting before Ritchie or Groggs (RIP) come in with the perfect vocal intonation and flow to complement the beat and sinic space.
Random, fly-by thoughts:
-The Yeezus-esque screams on “Footwork in a Forest Fire” is awesome and really the whole track and every phase of it is cool, but for some reason those screams got me.
-Smoke Don’t Clear” is, as of now, one of the few tracks here that I don’t fully like. But I will say it works well in the context of the album more than its own noisy mess of a thing.
-The way “Top Picks for You” with that dramatic melody on that… whatever sound that is… with the whispery singing and the sadness of the verses, its incredible. The whole song is great. One of my faves.
-“Knees” was weird and fabulous in isolation as a single, but it feels so much deeper and more moving and beautiful within the context of the LP. One of the best tracks here, or perhaps the best.
In closing, I am listening a 5th time, and it grows and grows on me. This is a dense and brilliant experimental and emotionally gripping and profound album. I recommend a couple listens or 3 before making final judgement. I had a similar arc with Atrocity Exhibition, where I was very VERY disoriented and kind of unimpressed on first listens and then over time I understood its dense complicated and knotty brilliance with further listens. Recommend the same for this.
Note: This is an album that I am sure I am only scratching the surface with. I hope I listen enough to unravel it more. This comment ain't final. This 5th listen is making me hear other details and that is just really exciting. [First added to this chart: 09/16/2021]
Year of Release:
2021
Appears in:
Rank Score:
947
Rank in 2021:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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(Stunning, Brilliant, Amazing, etc. I love it obviously. It was for me a grower. Each track has hooks for days and something emotionally powerful and raw as well. Simplest way to describe it is it's a great Chamber Pop and Indie Pop and other interweaved-forms-of-pop album., with gorgeous lyrics and vocals that subtly express all the themes and emotions. If you want to hear at the very least a very pleasant and nicely written album, give this a spin or 2 or 20.)
Okay, at this point I think I have a problem. I can't stop listening to this album. Whenever I move away from it for awhile I get that itch and I see that front cover and I push play. Sometimes the thought that goes through my head when I push play is "Maybe I'll just listen to the first couple songs until I set my eyes on something else" then I proceed to bask in the glory and depth of all 10 tracks. All 10 diverse yet cohesive, catchy yet emotionally stirring tracks.
This is just one of THOSE albums, ya know? It has layers upon layers upon layers. And on top of the emotional resonance of the sharply written and gorgeous lyrics, the vulnerable yet confident vocal performances, there is ALSO just, quite simply, those hooks and production details, those moments when you just feel more alive and vibrant while listening. This album brings little tears to the corners of my eyes, both of the joyful and happy kind as well as the heart-rending variety. On "Be Sweet" I'm overcome by the simplicity and power of the chorus, on "Posing In Bondage" I feel like I'm sharing in the wellspring of emotion and sorrow and sadness with Zauner, when I listen to "In Hell" I'm thinking about loved ones now gone and empathizing with the pain and gritty reality of the words she is singing with such earnestness, on the closer "Posing For Cars" I always think I'll get through unscathed and then that extended minimalistic, aching, noisy guitar solo comes in and I am overcome again, etc etc. I didn't mention other 5-star songs that make me feel all kindsa ways like "Slide Tackle" ("I want to be good. I want to navigate this hate in my heart somewhere better..."Don't mind me while I'm tackling this void, slide tackling my mind..." jesus christ this is maybe my favorite track of the decade, especially powerful when paired with that sexy sax and lively guitar work that livens up the song.), or "Sit" with that persistent wash of reverby noise and that echoing soundscape so beautifully crafted, or the straight up Chamber Pop sweetness that dominates both "Kokomo, IN" and "Tactics" but to 2 different emotional ends, or the bounce and groove and hidden depth of the pop gem "Savage Good Boy", and - jesus how did I save this for last when this is also song of the year material - the brilliant tour-de-force of album opener "Paprika" with its stream-of-conscious, dreamy poetic opening salvo followed by that expansive part when the rhythm and band comes in with that almost marching drum beat, and that chorus which is about as perfect a way to start an album as one can ask for, etc etc... actually not etc, because I just touched upon every one of this album's tracks in one long run-on paragraph. lol. Imma keep the paragraph going a little longer...The sheer amount of memorable moments and expertly crafted and emotionally powerful songs here is mind-blowing. Okay, I'm done. I'll finally double tap "Enter" and move on now.
There is no weak song here, not remotely. They all have their own individual layers and facets. And as an album they work so well, in other words its simply a well-sequenced album in my opinion with no filler. It may actually be the perfect Pop album length-wise and track-wise - 10 songs, 37 minutes. Packed with so many glistening moments of beauty and fun and catchy electro beats and chamber pop strings and synth color to fill in the corners, and enough dissonance here and there and brutal gut punch lyrical lines to ground the record to this real world we share with Michelle Zauner.
I have to say I have had this album playing at least once a day for 2 or 3 weeks now. I have gone to write some sort of comment here on my chart over and over, yet I could never find the right words to say to express my thoughts on the album. What I would always do instead of writing a comment was move the album a little higher on my chart. At first I thought it was quite good but not really clicking with me, put it at like #70 on this chart. Then I reflected a bit and I moved it to like the mid 40s of the year chart. Then I started to think yeah this is just a really solid as hell album start to finish and I moved it to 15... then I knew I was in love and put it number 8, then 5 and then 2 and now... it's my number 1 album of the year. It is for now anyway. It is my favorite album of the year and it kind of snuck up on me. I hope for all of you reading this that you like it as well. It's highly recommended. [First added to this chart: 07/01/2021]
Okay, at this point I think I have a problem. I can't stop listening to this album. Whenever I move away from it for awhile I get that itch and I see that front cover and I push play. Sometimes the thought that goes through my head when I push play is "Maybe I'll just listen to the first couple songs until I set my eyes on something else" then I proceed to bask in the glory and depth of all 10 tracks. All 10 diverse yet cohesive, catchy yet emotionally stirring tracks.
This is just one of THOSE albums, ya know? It has layers upon layers upon layers. And on top of the emotional resonance of the sharply written and gorgeous lyrics, the vulnerable yet confident vocal performances, there is ALSO just, quite simply, those hooks and production details, those moments when you just feel more alive and vibrant while listening. This album brings little tears to the corners of my eyes, both of the joyful and happy kind as well as the heart-rending variety. On "Be Sweet" I'm overcome by the simplicity and power of the chorus, on "Posing In Bondage" I feel like I'm sharing in the wellspring of emotion and sorrow and sadness with Zauner, when I listen to "In Hell" I'm thinking about loved ones now gone and empathizing with the pain and gritty reality of the words she is singing with such earnestness, on the closer "Posing For Cars" I always think I'll get through unscathed and then that extended minimalistic, aching, noisy guitar solo comes in and I am overcome again, etc etc. I didn't mention other 5-star songs that make me feel all kindsa ways like "Slide Tackle" ("I want to be good. I want to navigate this hate in my heart somewhere better..."Don't mind me while I'm tackling this void, slide tackling my mind..." jesus christ this is maybe my favorite track of the decade, especially powerful when paired with that sexy sax and lively guitar work that livens up the song.), or "Sit" with that persistent wash of reverby noise and that echoing soundscape so beautifully crafted, or the straight up Chamber Pop sweetness that dominates both "Kokomo, IN" and "Tactics" but to 2 different emotional ends, or the bounce and groove and hidden depth of the pop gem "Savage Good Boy", and - jesus how did I save this for last when this is also song of the year material - the brilliant tour-de-force of album opener "Paprika" with its stream-of-conscious, dreamy poetic opening salvo followed by that expansive part when the rhythm and band comes in with that almost marching drum beat, and that chorus which is about as perfect a way to start an album as one can ask for, etc etc... actually not etc, because I just touched upon every one of this album's tracks in one long run-on paragraph. lol. Imma keep the paragraph going a little longer...The sheer amount of memorable moments and expertly crafted and emotionally powerful songs here is mind-blowing. Okay, I'm done. I'll finally double tap "Enter" and move on now.
There is no weak song here, not remotely. They all have their own individual layers and facets. And as an album they work so well, in other words its simply a well-sequenced album in my opinion with no filler. It may actually be the perfect Pop album length-wise and track-wise - 10 songs, 37 minutes. Packed with so many glistening moments of beauty and fun and catchy electro beats and chamber pop strings and synth color to fill in the corners, and enough dissonance here and there and brutal gut punch lyrical lines to ground the record to this real world we share with Michelle Zauner.
I have to say I have had this album playing at least once a day for 2 or 3 weeks now. I have gone to write some sort of comment here on my chart over and over, yet I could never find the right words to say to express my thoughts on the album. What I would always do instead of writing a comment was move the album a little higher on my chart. At first I thought it was quite good but not really clicking with me, put it at like #70 on this chart. Then I reflected a bit and I moved it to like the mid 40s of the year chart. Then I started to think yeah this is just a really solid as hell album start to finish and I moved it to 15... then I knew I was in love and put it number 8, then 5 and then 2 and now... it's my number 1 album of the year. It is for now anyway. It is my favorite album of the year and it kind of snuck up on me. I hope for all of you reading this that you like it as well. It's highly recommended. [First added to this chart: 07/01/2021]
Year of Release:
2021
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,427
Rank in 2021:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
(Total masterpiece. Genres to describe this I guess would be post-industrial, Noise, with some kind of gospel spirituality mixed in. Anyway, that doesn’t really describe this album. Not very well, anyway.)
What can I possibly say that will do this album justice? I don’t think I am capable. This album is special. When I listen to HEY WHAT, it is an out-of-body experience. The detail contained within the “noise”, the way the sheer volume of the album rolls over me like waves, I feel like I am thrown into a storm in the middle of the ocean, and for a few seconds I fight it and I panic and I start to scream and cry. But then a voice reassures me that these tidal waves won’t cause me harm – not truly and not truly me -, and I am told to breathe and embrace the immensity of this place and this experience. I relax and I breathe and … I am fine, I am calm, I am free. The rest of the album is like a massive, Pacific-sized epic about modern life and spirituality. And unlike so many other unapologetically gloomy, bitter, and hopeless epics that seem to tackle this struggle, with HEY WHAT I feel love and I feel hope and I glimpse a way through this mess I find myself in.
Musically, production-wise, this album makes me laugh lovingly and in awe, because I just can’t understand how humans being of flesh and blood can go and create this. Like, how? This could be called “Noisy” and “Staticy” and “Loud” but I can’t really say that those words fit to describe even the most inhuman and loud and most intense moments in this album. These scratchy, buzzing, sonically overwhelming sounds never sound harsh or hard to listen to. Again, like I said at the beginning, I have no clue how to express what this sounds like to me. The machines present on this album are simply communicating, meshing, corresponding with the human voices and harmonies. When the harmonies and the machine sounds come together, in these artist’s genius hands, what you get is transcendent music of the highest caliber.
Just yesterday I was trading comments with the excellent fellow-BEA user buzzdainer. Buzzdainer mentioned about Chris Stapleton’s 2020 album Starting Over: “…for me it's the quintessential album for coping with the cruel realities of our current decade.” This description was excellent and I can see how Starting Over would have that effect. However, when I took a look and thought about what album for ME truly had such a significance in this current decade… I couldn’t think of one. The music I have loved from this decade thus far has been mostly powerful and cathartic in very different ways or, in some cases, very escapist. But no album as of yesterday had I heard that really uplifted me and helped me cope and find meaning and stabilized me in this current crazy world we live in.
Then just a couple hours later I pushed play on Low’s latest. By the time I finished listening the very first time I felt emotionally satiated, understood, fulfilled. And I felt spiritually uplifted and enlightened. This is probably the most uplifting piece of music I have heard this decade so far. It for sure is.
To list the specific tracks on here that I love or want to shout out seems like a silly activity. It is only silly for me because the whole album, start to finish, is the perfect example of a cohesive album experience. For example, I can point out (and – lol - I am about to) that the back-to-back majesty of the track “Hey” followed by “Days Like These” makes me legitimately weep with joy and some emotional mixing I still don’t understand. And that is true, I think Hey/Days Like These is some of the greatest music I have ever heard full stop. BUT I had heard “Days Like These” as a single and when I heard it in that out-of-context way, I thought it was a pretty song and it made me excited for the new album… and that is all I thought of it. But when I hear it now on the heals of “Hey” and also after the absolutely stunning build up to this middle portion of the album, it is cathartic, life-changing, inspiring and perfect. Every song here is special on its own but transcendent as part of the entire sweep of the album.
This album expresses to me; Humanity, Human Goodness, True Affection and Love and Unity winning and triumphing in the face of inhumanity, materialism, and the bleak ubiquity of the utterly unfeeling. This album is a treasure. I actually feel a deep appreciation and an immeasurable respect for and to Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk and BJ Burton for creating this album. It’s just what I needed to hear in days like these.
Now I know I have not really said much of anything in this “review”/rambling comment – I haven’t touched much upon the songs and the lyrics and the harmonies and the industrial manipulations and genres and all that. Well, sorry. But this album, more than any other this year (outside of perhaps By the Time I Get To Phoenix), really transcends words and clear description. [First added to this chart: 09/19/2021]
What can I possibly say that will do this album justice? I don’t think I am capable. This album is special. When I listen to HEY WHAT, it is an out-of-body experience. The detail contained within the “noise”, the way the sheer volume of the album rolls over me like waves, I feel like I am thrown into a storm in the middle of the ocean, and for a few seconds I fight it and I panic and I start to scream and cry. But then a voice reassures me that these tidal waves won’t cause me harm – not truly and not truly me -, and I am told to breathe and embrace the immensity of this place and this experience. I relax and I breathe and … I am fine, I am calm, I am free. The rest of the album is like a massive, Pacific-sized epic about modern life and spirituality. And unlike so many other unapologetically gloomy, bitter, and hopeless epics that seem to tackle this struggle, with HEY WHAT I feel love and I feel hope and I glimpse a way through this mess I find myself in.
Musically, production-wise, this album makes me laugh lovingly and in awe, because I just can’t understand how humans being of flesh and blood can go and create this. Like, how? This could be called “Noisy” and “Staticy” and “Loud” but I can’t really say that those words fit to describe even the most inhuman and loud and most intense moments in this album. These scratchy, buzzing, sonically overwhelming sounds never sound harsh or hard to listen to. Again, like I said at the beginning, I have no clue how to express what this sounds like to me. The machines present on this album are simply communicating, meshing, corresponding with the human voices and harmonies. When the harmonies and the machine sounds come together, in these artist’s genius hands, what you get is transcendent music of the highest caliber.
Just yesterday I was trading comments with the excellent fellow-BEA user buzzdainer. Buzzdainer mentioned about Chris Stapleton’s 2020 album Starting Over: “…for me it's the quintessential album for coping with the cruel realities of our current decade.” This description was excellent and I can see how Starting Over would have that effect. However, when I took a look and thought about what album for ME truly had such a significance in this current decade… I couldn’t think of one. The music I have loved from this decade thus far has been mostly powerful and cathartic in very different ways or, in some cases, very escapist. But no album as of yesterday had I heard that really uplifted me and helped me cope and find meaning and stabilized me in this current crazy world we live in.
Then just a couple hours later I pushed play on Low’s latest. By the time I finished listening the very first time I felt emotionally satiated, understood, fulfilled. And I felt spiritually uplifted and enlightened. This is probably the most uplifting piece of music I have heard this decade so far. It for sure is.
To list the specific tracks on here that I love or want to shout out seems like a silly activity. It is only silly for me because the whole album, start to finish, is the perfect example of a cohesive album experience. For example, I can point out (and – lol - I am about to) that the back-to-back majesty of the track “Hey” followed by “Days Like These” makes me legitimately weep with joy and some emotional mixing I still don’t understand. And that is true, I think Hey/Days Like These is some of the greatest music I have ever heard full stop. BUT I had heard “Days Like These” as a single and when I heard it in that out-of-context way, I thought it was a pretty song and it made me excited for the new album… and that is all I thought of it. But when I hear it now on the heals of “Hey” and also after the absolutely stunning build up to this middle portion of the album, it is cathartic, life-changing, inspiring and perfect. Every song here is special on its own but transcendent as part of the entire sweep of the album.
This album expresses to me; Humanity, Human Goodness, True Affection and Love and Unity winning and triumphing in the face of inhumanity, materialism, and the bleak ubiquity of the utterly unfeeling. This album is a treasure. I actually feel a deep appreciation and an immeasurable respect for and to Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk and BJ Burton for creating this album. It’s just what I needed to hear in days like these.
Now I know I have not really said much of anything in this “review”/rambling comment – I haven’t touched much upon the songs and the lyrics and the harmonies and the industrial manipulations and genres and all that. Well, sorry. But this album, more than any other this year (outside of perhaps By the Time I Get To Phoenix), really transcends words and clear description. [First added to this chart: 09/19/2021]
Year of Release:
2021
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,001
Rank in 2021:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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(An awesome mix of post-rock and post-punk and post-otherstufftooprobably, with consistently awesome rhythmic explosions, wild horn solos and just a little something for the whole fam.)
This album is really, really cool. It reminds me of Slint and King Crimson and a little of Talk Talk (the parts of Talk Talk when they really fucking explode). The musicianship is on point and while not next-level virtuosity, it more than suffices to create these big, huge multi-parted somewhat experimental rock songs. The horn parts steal the show throughout. The drummer is clearly a badass. The riffage and the build ups and breakdowns are all so cathartic. It's just a freakin rock solid album.
The vocalist is hit or miss for me. He has that Conor Oberst, perpertually-on-the-edge-of-a-nervous-breakdown style that can wear thin, but generally he nails the intense shouted and screamed vocla bits. The lyrics aren't great, but not bad either, they are kind of purposefully mundane. Mundane but expressed in such an intense way they almost trick you into thinking they are quite deep and ominous.
There is not a bad song here. Haven't heard the earlier single version of Sunglasses, so can't comment on whether the band made a mistake re-recording it (apparently the single is more intense and brilliant than this album version, per the loud fan outcry) but I have heard this version and its amazing and epic and just builds up so logically yet frantically. The propulsive, mind-blowing rhythmic explosion of the opening instrumental served to get me very VERY excited for the album, and that closer is an instant classic if ever such a term should be used. "Opus" is one of the most hypnotic, gorgeous and, idk another word for it, maybe "authoritative" or "assured" closing statements I've personally heard. That is how you close your much anticipated debut album. [First added to this chart: 02/05/2021]
This album is really, really cool. It reminds me of Slint and King Crimson and a little of Talk Talk (the parts of Talk Talk when they really fucking explode). The musicianship is on point and while not next-level virtuosity, it more than suffices to create these big, huge multi-parted somewhat experimental rock songs. The horn parts steal the show throughout. The drummer is clearly a badass. The riffage and the build ups and breakdowns are all so cathartic. It's just a freakin rock solid album.
The vocalist is hit or miss for me. He has that Conor Oberst, perpertually-on-the-edge-of-a-nervous-breakdown style that can wear thin, but generally he nails the intense shouted and screamed vocla bits. The lyrics aren't great, but not bad either, they are kind of purposefully mundane. Mundane but expressed in such an intense way they almost trick you into thinking they are quite deep and ominous.
There is not a bad song here. Haven't heard the earlier single version of Sunglasses, so can't comment on whether the band made a mistake re-recording it (apparently the single is more intense and brilliant than this album version, per the loud fan outcry) but I have heard this version and its amazing and epic and just builds up so logically yet frantically. The propulsive, mind-blowing rhythmic explosion of the opening instrumental served to get me very VERY excited for the album, and that closer is an instant classic if ever such a term should be used. "Opus" is one of the most hypnotic, gorgeous and, idk another word for it, maybe "authoritative" or "assured" closing statements I've personally heard. That is how you close your much anticipated debut album. [First added to this chart: 02/05/2021]
Year of Release:
2021
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,756
Rank in 2021:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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(One of the best Grindcore/Deathgrind/Mathcore albums I've heard. A brilliant, intense, unique debut album that absolutely blows me away.)
This album is just....its awesome. Its so friggin intense, bloody, screeching, brutal, dramatic, and (again) intense that by the end of it I was sweaty and raw and felt a feeling somewhat similar to that feeling after a hard work out, that exhausted yet accomplished and invigorated feeling. Now as I listen again, I hear more details, more static-filled moments of sonic exploration, more moments of divergence from intense grind into writhing and noisy bits of utter hate and destruction, and holy shit, it gets better as I listen more.
The genres are somewhat straight forward in that its Grindcore with Deathgrind growling and the crazy fast time signature switch ups and somewhat cerebral musical elements of Mathcore. The production is so staticy and intense and at times lo fi that it may be a bit tough to get into for most people (especially if you personally just aren't a huge fan of the noisier, screeching insanity of grindcore, which may be most people who read this). BUT if you love this variant of extreme music, if you love Pig Destroyer or if you love classic Terrorizer or Insect Warfare or if you love both straightforward screechy grindcore mixed with more intense sludgy slowed down growled deathgrind elements (really a brilliant mix of those 2 elements here) and you love just being beaten the shit out of for a little while every once in awhile, I know you'll enjoy this as I have.
I love this fucking album tbh. Its exciting especially cuz this is a debut album and an insanely accomplished debut at that. These Memphis, Tennessee boys are onto something that I just love and I look forward to listening to their music as it releases in the future. Easily an album of the year candidate thus far for me.
I mean damn, the riffage and the intensity and the brilliant melding of vocal styles and the power of "Inherent of Life" alone makes this a must listen. And such moments of brilliant insanity are all over this gem. [First added to this chart: 03/02/2021]
This album is just....its awesome. Its so friggin intense, bloody, screeching, brutal, dramatic, and (again) intense that by the end of it I was sweaty and raw and felt a feeling somewhat similar to that feeling after a hard work out, that exhausted yet accomplished and invigorated feeling. Now as I listen again, I hear more details, more static-filled moments of sonic exploration, more moments of divergence from intense grind into writhing and noisy bits of utter hate and destruction, and holy shit, it gets better as I listen more.
The genres are somewhat straight forward in that its Grindcore with Deathgrind growling and the crazy fast time signature switch ups and somewhat cerebral musical elements of Mathcore. The production is so staticy and intense and at times lo fi that it may be a bit tough to get into for most people (especially if you personally just aren't a huge fan of the noisier, screeching insanity of grindcore, which may be most people who read this). BUT if you love this variant of extreme music, if you love Pig Destroyer or if you love classic Terrorizer or Insect Warfare or if you love both straightforward screechy grindcore mixed with more intense sludgy slowed down growled deathgrind elements (really a brilliant mix of those 2 elements here) and you love just being beaten the shit out of for a little while every once in awhile, I know you'll enjoy this as I have.
I love this fucking album tbh. Its exciting especially cuz this is a debut album and an insanely accomplished debut at that. These Memphis, Tennessee boys are onto something that I just love and I look forward to listening to their music as it releases in the future. Easily an album of the year candidate thus far for me.
I mean damn, the riffage and the intensity and the brilliant melding of vocal styles and the power of "Inherent of Life" alone makes this a must listen. And such moments of brilliant insanity are all over this gem. [First added to this chart: 03/02/2021]
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(A near-perfect Indie Folk album that is so much more than just an indie folk album that it feels silly dropping that name/genre/tag on it. It’s still peak-Sufjan - somehow after over 20 years and it’s just a life-affirming, beautiful, escapist work of intense beauty)
It’s a good feeling having another Sufjan Stevens work to digest and listen to over and over. Also the harmonies and the input from his musical partner here, De Augustine, are excellent. The two of them have made a spiritual, beautiful in every way, gem of an indie folk album. I love it.
My appreciation grows each time I listen. Sufjan has always been an artist that I considered to be a melodic genius. Specifically in his more low key releases, and more acoustic albums, such as Carrie & Lowell and Seven Swans and big chunks of Michigan, he has always had this brilliant way of creating melodies and harmonies that are unabashedly beautiful. His more epic, huge sounding songs and albums are also brilliant, just not quite as much my personal taste/preference.
The only artist I always thought was Sufjan’s equal in being able to create memorable, familiar, warm and engaging melodies seemingly forever and with ease, was Elliott Smith. And this connection is more clear than ever on this album. Specifically on songs like “Murder And Crime” and “Lost in the World”. The former really does sound like peak Smith, it’s incredibly sad and moving. I also find it fascinating that despite having a somewhat similar style melodically (especially on those more Smith-esque tracks) it’s clear that Elliott and Sufjan are VERY different people and artists. There is not the same abyss-dark sadness on these or any Sufjan song. He is more optimistic and whimsical even at his darkest. Just a thought, and a detour.
On the whole, in sort of bland general terms, this album is great. It’s beautiful, it works as a complete album experience, it’s consistent and it’s a beautiful length as well. If you know me you know I have a bias for shorter and more compact albums generally. While I recognize the genius at work with Illinois, Michigan, Age of Adz etc, each of those classic Sufjan albums just - for me - felt too long. This album is a breezy, beautiful escape. It has its emotional highs and lows and its struggles and it’s loves and it’s fantasy themes and all that…. All in 46 or so minutes. Brilliant.
I don’t know what the distribution of contribution was betwixt Sufjan and Angelo. Otherwise, I would make more mention of Angelo’s work. He has a fine voice and creates beautiful harmonies and if this album is any indication, he can stand up alongside a GIANT in modern music quite well. Which is impressive. I plan on learning more about what this collab actually entailed.
The stand tracks are numerous and again the album as a whole works damn well. I actually feel like the second half is stronger ( despite the first half being absolutely stunning with that opener, “Return to Oz” “Olympus” and the brilliant gem of a title track.). Or l, at least the second half is equal and more to my taste vibe-wise. On side 2 “Murder and Crime” and that run of 4 yea is to end the album are just… *chef’s kiss-mixed-with-a-swoon*
In closing, this album is just about the most bracing breathe of fresh air I can imagine. Right as the beautiful Autumn coolness started setting in, I got this life-affirming album, this deep, musically and lyrically rich album, and I will never forget the feeling of listening to it the first couple times while sitting outside in a breezy 60 degree afternoon. It was magical. And the magic hasn’t gone away after 6-7 listens. I think this is an album I will come back to a lot and move higher and higher in my personal rankings and opinions as I do. It’s maybe, close to, my fave Sufjan Album. This and Carrie & Lowell personally are my faves of his - while having love and respect for most of his other projects (that I’ve heard… he has done ALOT). I just have a soft spot for soft, folkie, harmony-rich, almost S&G-style Sufjan. Anyway, What a beautiful, heavenly album. [First added to this chart: 09/24/2021]
It’s a good feeling having another Sufjan Stevens work to digest and listen to over and over. Also the harmonies and the input from his musical partner here, De Augustine, are excellent. The two of them have made a spiritual, beautiful in every way, gem of an indie folk album. I love it.
My appreciation grows each time I listen. Sufjan has always been an artist that I considered to be a melodic genius. Specifically in his more low key releases, and more acoustic albums, such as Carrie & Lowell and Seven Swans and big chunks of Michigan, he has always had this brilliant way of creating melodies and harmonies that are unabashedly beautiful. His more epic, huge sounding songs and albums are also brilliant, just not quite as much my personal taste/preference.
The only artist I always thought was Sufjan’s equal in being able to create memorable, familiar, warm and engaging melodies seemingly forever and with ease, was Elliott Smith. And this connection is more clear than ever on this album. Specifically on songs like “Murder And Crime” and “Lost in the World”. The former really does sound like peak Smith, it’s incredibly sad and moving. I also find it fascinating that despite having a somewhat similar style melodically (especially on those more Smith-esque tracks) it’s clear that Elliott and Sufjan are VERY different people and artists. There is not the same abyss-dark sadness on these or any Sufjan song. He is more optimistic and whimsical even at his darkest. Just a thought, and a detour.
On the whole, in sort of bland general terms, this album is great. It’s beautiful, it works as a complete album experience, it’s consistent and it’s a beautiful length as well. If you know me you know I have a bias for shorter and more compact albums generally. While I recognize the genius at work with Illinois, Michigan, Age of Adz etc, each of those classic Sufjan albums just - for me - felt too long. This album is a breezy, beautiful escape. It has its emotional highs and lows and its struggles and it’s loves and it’s fantasy themes and all that…. All in 46 or so minutes. Brilliant.
I don’t know what the distribution of contribution was betwixt Sufjan and Angelo. Otherwise, I would make more mention of Angelo’s work. He has a fine voice and creates beautiful harmonies and if this album is any indication, he can stand up alongside a GIANT in modern music quite well. Which is impressive. I plan on learning more about what this collab actually entailed.
The stand tracks are numerous and again the album as a whole works damn well. I actually feel like the second half is stronger ( despite the first half being absolutely stunning with that opener, “Return to Oz” “Olympus” and the brilliant gem of a title track.). Or l, at least the second half is equal and more to my taste vibe-wise. On side 2 “Murder and Crime” and that run of 4 yea is to end the album are just… *chef’s kiss-mixed-with-a-swoon*
In closing, this album is just about the most bracing breathe of fresh air I can imagine. Right as the beautiful Autumn coolness started setting in, I got this life-affirming album, this deep, musically and lyrically rich album, and I will never forget the feeling of listening to it the first couple times while sitting outside in a breezy 60 degree afternoon. It was magical. And the magic hasn’t gone away after 6-7 listens. I think this is an album I will come back to a lot and move higher and higher in my personal rankings and opinions as I do. It’s maybe, close to, my fave Sufjan Album. This and Carrie & Lowell personally are my faves of his - while having love and respect for most of his other projects (that I’ve heard… he has done ALOT). I just have a soft spot for soft, folkie, harmony-rich, almost S&G-style Sufjan. Anyway, What a beautiful, heavenly album. [First added to this chart: 09/24/2021]
Year of Release:
2021
Appears in:
Rank Score:
705
Rank in 2021:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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(Avant-Prog, Prog rock, Jazz rock, noise rock, ooooh babayyyy! Prog is back! - for a more cogent statement I’ll say that this is the best Prog rock album I’ve heard that’s been released in years. And it’s bloody brilliant almost the whole way through.)
What a rock solid album. Feels like something significant. But maybe that is just the hype and me getting swept up in it. I have been delaying and delaying on writing any sort of comment on this beast. I have listened to it a dozen or more times. And I notice my opinions change with almost every listen. Sometimes I feel like saying hyperbolic things like “This is this generation’s In The Court of the Crimson King”, and sometimes I feel like this is a bit of an uneven and yet vibrant and exciting avant-Prog album for a new generation. I switch between feeling effusive love - and merely feeling strong, healthy respect. Haven’t landed yet on what my final thoughts are. Maybe only time can tell, after we have seen the progression of black midi, that Windmill scene, and underground rock in general over the next 3-10 years time. I don’t know.
I do know that “John L” is my song of the year so far. Something special it is, indeed. I know that “Marlene Dietrich” is gorgeous and features a brilliant subdued groove that I adore. I know that the 1-2 punch of “Chondromalacia Patella” and of course the masterpiece that is “Slow” never fail to blow me away, and sweep me up and away somewhere fresh and new. I’m confident that “Diamond Stuff” is beautiful if a bit too slow in its development and a bit anti-climactic. I know that “Dethroned” is very solid but one that hasn’t yet clicked with me fully. I know that “Hogwash and Balderdash” is excellent and the closest to the sound of “John L” that this album ever comes back to and I know it’s too short. And, finally, I think “Ascending Forth” is… a bit lost on me and for some reason, despite most people considering it a stand out track or even THE standout, I think it’s my least favorite song here. Of course “Ascending Forth” is still like, idk, 70% incredible. That is an indicator of how much I like this album through and through.
I also love that these songs do flow. Like, this feels like a concise yet complete album statement, where each track logically rolls to the next despite at times featuring INSANELY massive changes in tone and style. Not sure how the guys in black midi pulled that off but they did.
I’m closing, I have a feeling this will be one of those memorable albums for years and decades to come. I hope it does become something of a classic as time goes on. For now, it’s too new for all that. But it is for sure amd without a doubt one of the few albums that managed to fully live up to my expectations (hopes more like) and, I think, the music fandom’s as well. [First added to this chart: 05/27/2021]
What a rock solid album. Feels like something significant. But maybe that is just the hype and me getting swept up in it. I have been delaying and delaying on writing any sort of comment on this beast. I have listened to it a dozen or more times. And I notice my opinions change with almost every listen. Sometimes I feel like saying hyperbolic things like “This is this generation’s In The Court of the Crimson King”, and sometimes I feel like this is a bit of an uneven and yet vibrant and exciting avant-Prog album for a new generation. I switch between feeling effusive love - and merely feeling strong, healthy respect. Haven’t landed yet on what my final thoughts are. Maybe only time can tell, after we have seen the progression of black midi, that Windmill scene, and underground rock in general over the next 3-10 years time. I don’t know.
I do know that “John L” is my song of the year so far. Something special it is, indeed. I know that “Marlene Dietrich” is gorgeous and features a brilliant subdued groove that I adore. I know that the 1-2 punch of “Chondromalacia Patella” and of course the masterpiece that is “Slow” never fail to blow me away, and sweep me up and away somewhere fresh and new. I’m confident that “Diamond Stuff” is beautiful if a bit too slow in its development and a bit anti-climactic. I know that “Dethroned” is very solid but one that hasn’t yet clicked with me fully. I know that “Hogwash and Balderdash” is excellent and the closest to the sound of “John L” that this album ever comes back to and I know it’s too short. And, finally, I think “Ascending Forth” is… a bit lost on me and for some reason, despite most people considering it a stand out track or even THE standout, I think it’s my least favorite song here. Of course “Ascending Forth” is still like, idk, 70% incredible. That is an indicator of how much I like this album through and through.
I also love that these songs do flow. Like, this feels like a concise yet complete album statement, where each track logically rolls to the next despite at times featuring INSANELY massive changes in tone and style. Not sure how the guys in black midi pulled that off but they did.
I’m closing, I have a feeling this will be one of those memorable albums for years and decades to come. I hope it does become something of a classic as time goes on. For now, it’s too new for all that. But it is for sure amd without a doubt one of the few albums that managed to fully live up to my expectations (hopes more like) and, I think, the music fandom’s as well. [First added to this chart: 05/27/2021]
Year of Release:
2021
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,220
Rank in 2021:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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(Lovers of Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers and The Sex Pistols and good, lively Garage punk albums of yore then you will love this... I think so. I mean, I do. This album fucking kicks ass!!!)
As I listened to this album for the thousandth time and noticed I was putting on my stink face and was bobbing my head like I was 16, I felt a sense of joy and returning. Its been awhile since I heard a brand new album that even remotely got me into that L.A.M.F./1977 Punk rock state-of-mind. Its an almost purely somatic experience, where my whole body feels like a mad dog ready to say "fuck off" to every authority figure within 6 square blocks. Its a bloody great feeling!
Now, I'm a bit like Freddie Gibbs, still livin' like I'm 16, but not completely. I have so few moments even within this hobby of music listening when I feel like a teen again, that when an album reminds me of that feeling I for sure appreciate it. I had a somewhat similar experience in January when I heard Shame's 2021 album Drunk Tank Pink. But even on that album, there was a bit too much art punk, Talking Heads and Gang of Four going on to fully transport me to that time and place. This new Amyl and the Sniffers eschews the post punk/art punk offshoots and instead sinks its teeth fully into that first couple years of pure punkr ock and roll and its glorious.
This album has some sick simple heavy badass punk riffs. lol "some" ... no, it has LOADS. It has some of those fiery, imprecise, 100% passion Thunders solos, it has some garage punk in its bristly simplicity, it has some Garage Rock Revival in it with stomping swaggering badassery somewhat similar to The Hives. Hell it even has a little bit of Maiden that crops up briefly with that chugging old school heavy metal riff on "Capital"! But most importantly this album has Amyl. Or rather real name Amy Taylor. Let me tell ya something about Amy: she is a total badass motherfucker and you do not want to mess around with her or you may be stabbed. This woman is so damn sexy, feral, so damn filthy and slovenly and gives so little fucks it should be a crime. Something about how brash and bold she sounds on these pure punk bangers, it blows me away. Her thick aussie accent just absolutely tears into these songs like no one else. She is a badass and the MVP of this album without a doubt. I love her.
The songs here are incredible. "Security" is probably my most listened to song of the year, perfect garage punk anthem. the aforementioned "Capital" and "Maggot" just drip with furious raging anger. "Hertz" is that garage rock revival sounding song, but damn it has a brashness and coolness that is unmatched and a chorus that reaffirms my love of punk rock. "Choices" is a badass song all about saying fuck you to people trying to control you and tell you what to do. Yeah its as simple and simply perfect as that. Etec etc, there are more brilliant punk jams here. Its a solid through and through hard pummeling balls to the wall adrenalized punk rock album of albums.
If you love 73-78 Johnny Thunders/Heartnreakers/NY Dolls projects, early Sex Pistols (lol, I like saying early pistols), Saints, Dead Boys, Radio Birdman, X-Ray Spex etc ... or Garage punk and Garage Rock Revival bands like Jay Reatard, King Khan, or early Hives, etc... then you will like this a lot methinks. Its just so great! [First added to this chart: 09/16/2021]
As I listened to this album for the thousandth time and noticed I was putting on my stink face and was bobbing my head like I was 16, I felt a sense of joy and returning. Its been awhile since I heard a brand new album that even remotely got me into that L.A.M.F./1977 Punk rock state-of-mind. Its an almost purely somatic experience, where my whole body feels like a mad dog ready to say "fuck off" to every authority figure within 6 square blocks. Its a bloody great feeling!
Now, I'm a bit like Freddie Gibbs, still livin' like I'm 16, but not completely. I have so few moments even within this hobby of music listening when I feel like a teen again, that when an album reminds me of that feeling I for sure appreciate it. I had a somewhat similar experience in January when I heard Shame's 2021 album Drunk Tank Pink. But even on that album, there was a bit too much art punk, Talking Heads and Gang of Four going on to fully transport me to that time and place. This new Amyl and the Sniffers eschews the post punk/art punk offshoots and instead sinks its teeth fully into that first couple years of pure punkr ock and roll and its glorious.
This album has some sick simple heavy badass punk riffs. lol "some" ... no, it has LOADS. It has some of those fiery, imprecise, 100% passion Thunders solos, it has some garage punk in its bristly simplicity, it has some Garage Rock Revival in it with stomping swaggering badassery somewhat similar to The Hives. Hell it even has a little bit of Maiden that crops up briefly with that chugging old school heavy metal riff on "Capital"! But most importantly this album has Amyl. Or rather real name Amy Taylor. Let me tell ya something about Amy: she is a total badass motherfucker and you do not want to mess around with her or you may be stabbed. This woman is so damn sexy, feral, so damn filthy and slovenly and gives so little fucks it should be a crime. Something about how brash and bold she sounds on these pure punk bangers, it blows me away. Her thick aussie accent just absolutely tears into these songs like no one else. She is a badass and the MVP of this album without a doubt. I love her.
The songs here are incredible. "Security" is probably my most listened to song of the year, perfect garage punk anthem. the aforementioned "Capital" and "Maggot" just drip with furious raging anger. "Hertz" is that garage rock revival sounding song, but damn it has a brashness and coolness that is unmatched and a chorus that reaffirms my love of punk rock. "Choices" is a badass song all about saying fuck you to people trying to control you and tell you what to do. Yeah its as simple and simply perfect as that. Etec etc, there are more brilliant punk jams here. Its a solid through and through hard pummeling balls to the wall adrenalized punk rock album of albums.
If you love 73-78 Johnny Thunders/Heartnreakers/NY Dolls projects, early Sex Pistols (lol, I like saying early pistols), Saints, Dead Boys, Radio Birdman, X-Ray Spex etc ... or Garage punk and Garage Rock Revival bands like Jay Reatard, King Khan, or early Hives, etc... then you will like this a lot methinks. Its just so great! [First added to this chart: 09/16/2021]
Buy album
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(Post Punk and Art Punk. Oh and REALLY GREAT Post Punk and Art Punk. Oh and this band and album is fucing awesome. And the lead speaker is already a first ballot hall of fame vocalist. Florence "Flo" Shaw, remember that name.)
You ever hear one of those albums that, for some reason, makes you smile, instantly and then the whole way through? An album that just sounds so right, so in step with the way you feel and the way you want to express those feelings, you can't help but feel instantly like you are hearing an old favorite despite it being the first time you've ever heard the artist? Yeah, those are great times. And, guess what? That is EXCATLY how I felt about this here debut LP by English Post Punk wry jokesters Dry Cleaning! Isn't that a crazy twist I just concocted there? Bet you didn't realize those first sentences were about this album here!
Anyway, enough of that. More about New Long Leg. Its brilliant. It's the best Post Punk album I've heard in awhile. It is, musically, a tour-de-force of at times ice cold repetitive riffs and at times quite lively, buttery almost funky riffs. The bass playing and the way it is highlighted at times reminds me of the bass heroics of Wobble on Metal Box (don't get yourself in a twist, I'm not saying its exactly the same, just at times that heavy, funky, wobbly dub bass vibe comes through here and there), and other times the bassist is always holding that groove down with such sexy greatness. The drumming is that post punk simplicity with just enough wiggle to keep you guessing.
The songs are all cool and all built around these varying phases of lowkey post punk excellence. Sometimes the songs take weird left turns, such as on the hypnotic second half of album closer "Every day Carry" and the way that weird synth melody is just battered and slashed by these weird effects that get more and more random and unexpected and manic, is glorious.
Yet, really, I'm burying the lead. The star is the utterly unique Florence Shaw. Her wry humour, her at first glance monotone spoken word delivery, the way she takes no one and nothing seriously in the words she graces these tracks with (including herself), the wit and the absurdity of some of these seemingly throw-away lines, everything about her is brilliance. I think some may say she is boring and monotonous, well I don't, and those people are wrong. She is the heart and soul of this album with all due respect to the perfectly done post punk jams that she talks over.
This whole album just feels right. It feels cool, equal parts warm and cold, funny and thought provoking and the perfect antidote to so much of this other (also quite great in most cases) post punk/art punk coming out of England the last few years. Whereas they are oh so earnest and angry and angsty and dour, here comes this gem of an album and band that maintains those similar musical aims and influences but flips the package on its head with a wise crack, a pointless monologue, and a sly smile. Oh and the music is better executed, more unique and more inspired to boot.
In case you can't tell, I just love this album. [First added to this chart: 04/02/2021]
You ever hear one of those albums that, for some reason, makes you smile, instantly and then the whole way through? An album that just sounds so right, so in step with the way you feel and the way you want to express those feelings, you can't help but feel instantly like you are hearing an old favorite despite it being the first time you've ever heard the artist? Yeah, those are great times. And, guess what? That is EXCATLY how I felt about this here debut LP by English Post Punk wry jokesters Dry Cleaning! Isn't that a crazy twist I just concocted there? Bet you didn't realize those first sentences were about this album here!
Anyway, enough of that. More about New Long Leg. Its brilliant. It's the best Post Punk album I've heard in awhile. It is, musically, a tour-de-force of at times ice cold repetitive riffs and at times quite lively, buttery almost funky riffs. The bass playing and the way it is highlighted at times reminds me of the bass heroics of Wobble on Metal Box (don't get yourself in a twist, I'm not saying its exactly the same, just at times that heavy, funky, wobbly dub bass vibe comes through here and there), and other times the bassist is always holding that groove down with such sexy greatness. The drumming is that post punk simplicity with just enough wiggle to keep you guessing.
The songs are all cool and all built around these varying phases of lowkey post punk excellence. Sometimes the songs take weird left turns, such as on the hypnotic second half of album closer "Every day Carry" and the way that weird synth melody is just battered and slashed by these weird effects that get more and more random and unexpected and manic, is glorious.
Yet, really, I'm burying the lead. The star is the utterly unique Florence Shaw. Her wry humour, her at first glance monotone spoken word delivery, the way she takes no one and nothing seriously in the words she graces these tracks with (including herself), the wit and the absurdity of some of these seemingly throw-away lines, everything about her is brilliance. I think some may say she is boring and monotonous, well I don't, and those people are wrong. She is the heart and soul of this album with all due respect to the perfectly done post punk jams that she talks over.
This whole album just feels right. It feels cool, equal parts warm and cold, funny and thought provoking and the perfect antidote to so much of this other (also quite great in most cases) post punk/art punk coming out of England the last few years. Whereas they are oh so earnest and angry and angsty and dour, here comes this gem of an album and band that maintains those similar musical aims and influences but flips the package on its head with a wise crack, a pointless monologue, and a sly smile. Oh and the music is better executed, more unique and more inspired to boot.
In case you can't tell, I just love this album. [First added to this chart: 04/02/2021]
Year of Release:
2021
Appears in:
Rank Score:
605
Rank in 2021:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
Top 100 Music Albums of 2021 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
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|
|
| Portrayal Of Guilt | 2 | 2% | |
| Psychedelic Porn Crumpets | 1 | 1% | |
| Full Of Hell | 1 | 1% | |
| Ted Barnes | 1 | 1% | |
| Bedouine | 1 | 1% | |
| Charlie Parr | 1 | 1% | |
| Black Midi | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
44 | 44% | |
 |
22 | 22% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of 2021 chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
 Up 5 from 6th to 1stImperative Imperceptible Impulse by Ad Nauseam |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 1st to 2nd By The Time I Get To Phoenix by Injury Reserve |
| Down 1 from 2nd to 3rd Jubilee by Japanese Breakfast |
| Down 1 from 3rd to 4th Hey What by Low |
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Other year charts (from the 2020s) by Mercury
Top 12 Music Albums of 2023 by Mercury (2023)Top 30 Music Albums of 2022 by
Mercury (2023)Top 70 Music Albums of 2020 by
Mercury (2022)Top 100 Music Albums of 2021 ratings
95/100 (from 34 votes)
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 34 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
80/100  | 03/25/2023 03:49 |  mickilennial | | 77/100 |
95/100 | 12/05/2022 03:27 | Moondance | | 85/100 |
90/100 | 12/04/2022 09:48 |  sssvnnn | | 83/100 |
 100/100 | 08/28/2022 09:35 |  HoldenM | | 95/100 |
| 85/100 | 04/09/2022 08:28 |  Applerill | | 75/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some charts can have several thousand ratings)
This chart is rated in the top 1% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 94.9/100, a mean average of 97.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 97.6/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 4.7.
Please log in or register if you want to be able to leave a rating
Top 100 Music Albums of 2021 favourites
Showing all 9 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Top 100 Music Albums of 2021 comments
Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 23 comments |
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Longest Comments First
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95/100
From Moondance 12/05/2022 03:29
Love or loathe you selections - this chart is what makes BEA such a beautiful site - scouring the entire world in search if music that touches YOUR soul and sharing it with US.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
DommeDamian 12/04/2022 12:36
DommeDamian 12/04/2022 12:36
The time when you were on fire with review after review was a great time to be alive on BEA.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From sssvnnn 12/04/2022 09:48
sssvnnn 12/04/2022 09:48
Very interesting and challaging chart. A bit to hard for my taste.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
desh79 12/06/2021 21:46
desh79 12/06/2021 21:46
I'm really glad this was made Chart Of The Day. The best 2021 list out there, full stop, here and elsewhere.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From 
seb7 12/06/2021 18:53
seb7 12/06/2021 18:53
There have been so so so many good releases this year and you represented all of them very well. Nice!!!!!!!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
rockbluesfolkjaz 12/06/2021 18:05
rockbluesfolkjaz 12/06/2021 18:05
Interesting list for sure. I'm a big fan of:
For The First Time by Black Country, New Road
Bright Green Field by Squid
J.T. by Steve Earle & The Dukes
L.W. by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
I haven't heard many of them. But then again, I'd have added many others in there too.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From Johnnyo 11/19/2021 16:32
Just love the effort that has gone into this chart. Great comments, observations. Awesome stuff
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
Keatownrodriguez 11/05/2021 23:59
Keatownrodriguez 11/05/2021 23:59
Any chart with this much detail gets me super excited
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From TheSink 11/02/2021 12:31
This is a phenomenal list of albums.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
craola 10/14/2021 18:58
craola 10/14/2021 18:58
a thorough fleshing for nearly every entry in a year chart. i'm as jealous as i am impressed with the feat. haven't perused all of your notes (yet), but i'm a fan of what i've read, and it's a good chart all around. you've been busy.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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