Best album of 2021

It’s almost the end of the year. What is your favourite recording released in 2021? Generally I find that each year I’m lead to music I wouldn’t otherwise hear through a similar thread so thought I’d start it off this year :grinning:

1 Like

London Grammar - Californian Soil gets my vote

4 Likes

Californian Soil or Sob Rock.

3 Likes

@biddler66 you beat me to it!

This is the album I’ve listened to more than any other album this year and I still keep coming back for more. Absolutely love it! :grin:

4 Likes

Although most played looks to be ‘ Live Drugs’ by War on Drugs according to roon

3 Likes

Honourable mentions to these two:

3 Likes

How about this one, even if it a remake 51 years after the original

4 Likes

Ooh - quite a long short list:

I don’t live here anymore - War on Drugs
Sympathy for life - Parquet Courts
My morning jacket - My Morning Jacket
Black Acid Soul - Lady Blackbird
Carnegie Hall 1970 - Neil Young
A beginners mind - Sufjan Stevens
Sometimes I might be introvert- Little Simz
JS Bach: The overtures - Concerto Copenhagen
The British Project - CBSO
Blue Weekend- Wolf Alice
Seeking new gods - Gruff Rhys
Coral Island - The Coral
Bring backs- Alfa Mist
Flock - Jane Weaver

But the record I have listened to and enjoyed the most is……

On all fours by Goat Girl

8 Likes

Slowly I would say Big Red Machine: How Long Do you Think It’s Gonna Last has snuck to the top of my list. Justin Vernon and friends, a bit of a ‘compilation’ feel but has rewarded multiple listens.

Honourable mentions

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis ‘CARNAGE’
Arooj Aftab ‘Vulture Prince’
Dry Cleaning ‘New Long Leg’ (still makes me grin)
The Antlers ‘Green to Gold’
Lana Del Rey ‘Chemtrails Over The Country Club’ (my favourite of hers)
Will Stratton ‘Changing Wilderness’
Deafheaven ‘Infinite Granite’ to annoy the nighbours.

Perhaps not a vintage year?

Bruce

2 Likes

Rough Trade have announced their albums of the year (of which I have a few)…

Favourite so far is Vanities by W H Lung.

Honorable mentions to:
Dry Cleaning/New Long Leg
Arab Strap/As Days Get Dark
Bicep/Isles
Public Service Broadcasting/Bright Magic
Jane Weaver/Flock
Clairo/Sling
Saint Etienne/I’ve Been Trying To Tell You
The Lathums/How Beautiful Life Can Be

Looking forward to Pip Blom/Welcome Break and Nation Of Language/A Way Forward in the coming weeks, so they might yet take top spot.

Top 3 for me are:

Neil Young - Live at Carnegie Hall
Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue
Curtis Amy and Dupree Bolton - Katanga

So many more but…

2 Likes

Think I have only bought two new releases this year. I buy mainly older stuff.

Big Colors, Ryan Adams.

Sob Rock , John Mayer. ( Gets played quite a lot.)
download (1)
download

2 Likes

Steven Wilson “The future bites”,John Grant “Boy from Michigan” Public service broadcasting”Bright magic”and Dumpstaphunk”where do we go from here?” Steely Dan “Two against nature” od vinyl (rsd) sounds pretty good too.


Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever

9 Likes

With you and @biddler66, this album is just brilliant!!

1 Like

Zaz - Isa

Some top notch tracks (maybe not the first couple).

And a disturbing video. :scream_cat:

In no particular order…

Mogwai - As The Love Continues, plus the remixes
Arab Strap - As Days Get Dark, appeals to a certain age group…
Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song, plus remixes
A Certain Ratio - ACR:EPA, ACR:EPC, ACR:EPR and LOCO Remezclada, all just excellent
Daniel Avery - Lone Swordsman, nice Andy Weatherall tribute
IWDD - In A Lonely Place, another great Weatherall tribute from his brother and friends
LoneLady - Former Things, highly recommended if you like Joy Division/New Order/Cabaret Voltaire

4 Likes

Standout

Black Acid Soul - Lady Blackbird

Full stop

9 Likes

Only one possible answer here.

The Bevis Frond - Little Eden.

A corker!