Best/Favorite Records of 2021

[Clams]

Tier 1:

^^^ I hadn't heard of Allison Russell until I saw her open for Jason Isbell at the Ryman in October. She was stunning in a sequin gown and a huge smile, her voice was beautiful, and the music was moving, cathartic and thrilling. It was as amazing a performance as I've ever seen and I've been hooked ever since. Outside Child is her solo debut. It's a melting pot of different genres. It speaks bluntly and poetically about the sexual abuse and homelessness she endured as a child and how she emerged from it. Truly inspiring stuff. You can read about Russell the record here: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/13/arts ... child.html


Tier 2:

^^^ discovered Withdrew via a friend's facebook post and got completely hooked as soon as I heard the opening song called Sad Shit and Depression (perfect for the covid era, right?). It's got a chill North Carolina vibe that makes listening a pleasure. According to spotify this was the record I played the most in 2021.


^^^ Garrett T Capps devotes this entire record to his favorite city San Antone. Garrett T Capps is fucking awesome.


^^^ a return to form by Hayes Carll, I'd say it's his best since KMAG.


^^^ great record by Michele Zauner, who really had one hell of a year in 2021


^^^ Chelsea Lovitt is yet another unknown whom I stumbled upon this year. What sets this record apart from all the other indie/country records coming out of East Nashville is the unmistakeable Blonde on Blonde-era Dylan vibe. I really like this record.


^^^ this one is great but I need to spend more time with it.


Tier 3:


















Reissues:
Until last month I didn't think there would be any reissue, possibly ever, as good as Way Down in the Rust Bucket. But then No Nukes came out. I'll rank them equals.

[Zip City]

Didn't listen to a ton of new music this year.

Favorites are definitely "From Dreams to Dust" by Felice Brothers and s/t by My Morning Jacket

[beantownbubba]

Another year of not much new music for me but I enjoy reading what you guys have to say and I really appreciate this format clams, very helpful. Did I miss it or did Olivia Rodrigo not make your list?

[beantownbubba]

BTW, Paste is already out w/ its top 50 list. Needless to say it's mostly greek to me.

https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/bes ... a-promises

[cortez the killer]

Did I miss it or did Olivia Rodrigo not make your list?

[Clams]

Did I miss it or did Olivia Rodrigo not make your list?

Haha you guys have good memories (and spreadsheets). I always like to check out what the kid's are listening to. Anyway don't weep for Olivia, she may have missed my list but she did land at #1 in the Rolling Stone.

[cortez the killer]

Did I miss it or did Olivia Rodrigo not make your list?

Haha you guys have good memories (and spreadsheets). I always like to check out what the kid's are listening to. Anyway don't weep for Olivia, she may have missed my list but she did land at #1 in the Rolling Stone.

My thirteen year-old daughter loves that album. And being the good, understanding dad I am, I bought the vinyl for her birthday. That said, I despise that album.

[Bill in CT]

I also love that Japanese Breakfast album that Clams has on his list. The Faye Webster one is very good too. I still have catching up to do so am not ready to make my 2021 list as yet.

[Bill in CT]

I recently learned about a Baltimore band called Smoke Bellow. Their latest album Open For Business sounds really good from what I've heard online. I'm waiting for the CD to arrive. The album is likely to make my best of 2021 list. The band is playing Buvez in Athens on 1/16. I've linked their Bandcamp below.

https://smokebellow.bandcamp.com

[cortez the killer]

I'll post my albums once I get a chance to digest the new Neil Young & Crazy Horse.

[Bill in CT]

The great Fast 'n' Bulbous blog has its year-end summary up for 2021:

https://fastnbulbous.com/lucky-21/

[beantownbubba]

The great Fast 'n' Bulbous blog has its year-end summary up for 2021:

https://fastnbulbous.com/lucky-21/

Wait. The NY Dolls are not in the RnRHoF???!!!!

[Bill in CT]

The great Fast 'n' Bulbous blog has its year-end summary up for 2021:

https://fastnbulbous.com/lucky-21/

Wait. The NY Dolls are not in the RnRHoF???!!!!

Correct. Neither are Can, Blue Oyster Cult, Joy Division, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and other great artists.

[Jonicont]

A+

Lucy Dacus
Adia Victoria
John R. Miller

A

Julien Baker
Faye Webster
Yola
Snail Mail
Allison Russell
Margo Cilker
McMurtry
Hayes
Hiss Golden Messenger (I'm a fanboy)
Strand of Oaks (Ditto)
Justin Clyde Williams
Dry Cleaning
Mdou Moctar

Reissues

Everything PJ Harvey

[Jonicont]

My thirteen year-old daughter loves that album. And being the good, understanding dad I am, I bought the vinyl for her birthday. That said, I despise that album.

Hey it could be worse. She could want to listen to WAP with you in the car

[tinnitus photography]

Sorry John, despite seeing Julien and Lucy a few times each, i can't figure out their appeal at all. just not music for me.

[Jonicont]

Sorry John, despite seeing Julien and Lucy a few times each, i can't figure out their appeal at all. just not music for me.

I have to agree with you Tim. Not sure how well these records would translate outside of a small intimate setting live (I like my rock shows to be Rock Shows). These past 2 years have me exhausted and tense and I find myself reaching for things that don't give me auditory overload when I'm sitting and relaxing in front of the rig

[cortez the killer]

My thirteen year-old daughter loves that album. And being the good, understanding dad I am, I bought the vinyl for her birthday. That said, I despise that album.

Hey it could be worse. She could want to listen to WAP with you in the car

Fair point.

[cortez the killer]

A
McMurtry
Strand of Oaks (Ditto)
Dry Cleaning

[Jack Flash]

Top 20:
Courtney Barnett, Things Take Time, Take Time
Lucy Dacus, Home Video
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, Carnage
Mdou Moctar, Afrique Victim
James McMurtry, The Horses and the Hounds
Low, HEY WHAT
The War on Drugs, I Don’t Live Here Anymore
Arab Strap, As Days Get Dark
Dinosaur Jr., Sweep It Into Space
Torres, Thirstier
Snail Mail, Valentine
Dry Cleaning, New Long Leg
Cassandra Jenkins, An Overview on Phenomenal Nature
Valerie June, The Moon and Stars: Prescription for Dreamers
Matt Sweeney & Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Superwolves
Wild Pink, A Billion Little Lights
St. Vincent, Daddy's Home
Kacey Musgraves, star-crossed
Katy Kirby, Cool Dry Place
Claud, Super Monster

Hon. mentions:
Lilly Hiatt, Lately
Indigo De Souza, Any Shape You Take
The Black Keys, Delta Kream
Squirrel Flower, Planet (i)
Aaron Lee Tasjan, Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!
Pom Pom Squad, Death of a Cheerleader
Buffalo Nichols, Buffalo Nichols
Japanese Breakfast, Jubilee
Suzanne Santo, Yard Sale
Jane Weaver, Flock
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Butterfly 3000
Olivia Rodrigo, SOUR
Parquet Courts, Sympathy for Life
Julien Baker, Little Oblivions
Clario, Sling
Sturgill Simpson, The Ballad of Dood and Juanita

[cortez the killer]

1. New Long Leg/Dry Cleaning – Florence Shaw’s clever spoken-word ruminations are buoyed by an incredible rhythm section and the guitar wizardry of Tom Dowse on this modern day post punk classic.
Key Tracks: Scratchcard Lanyard, Unsmart Lady, Strong Feelings, Her Hippo



2. The Horses and the Hounds/James McMurtry – Releasing albums since 1989 and pushing sixty years old, James McMurtry continues his late-career hot streak with possibly his finest album ever.
Key Tracks: Canola Fields, If It Don’t Bleed, Jackie, Vaquero



3. It’s Not Them. It Couldn’t Be Them. It is Them!/Guided By Voices
The 2nd full-length GBV album of 2021 (third if you count Cub Scout Bowling Pins’ Clang Clang Ho) is another winner from Pollard and his latest crew. This lineup is just so strong and consistent and has Pollard churning out fresh and relevant material for an incredible FIFTH decade.
Key Tracks: Dance of Gurus, Flying Without a License, Black and White Eyes in a Prism, The Bell Gets Out of the Way, My (Limited) Engagement



4. Lose Everything/Gentleman Jesse
After a nine-year gap between albums, Gentleman Jesse returns with his own unique blend of punk, garage rock and power pop on these ten tracks that burst out of the speakers with relentless energy.
Key Tracks: Become Nothing, Million Sorrows, The Line, Lose Everything



5. Earth Man Blues/Guided By Voices
The second album on this list by Guided By Voices is their first LP released this year. Consisting of previously-rejected tracks, this lose concept album further cements the fact Robert Pollard shatters the notion that releasing too much material dilutes the overall quality. In Pollard’s universe less is most certainly not more.
Key Tracks: The Batman Sees the Ball, Trust Them Now, Lights Out in Memphis (Egypt), Margret Middle School, Child’s Play



6. Buds/Ovlov
The pride of Connecticut, Ovlov returns with their third LP, Buds. This is another fantastic batch of songs that expertly mixes shoegaze, breezy indie rock and ear-bleeding, Dinosaur Jr.-influenced fuzz rock.
Key Tracks: Eat More, The Wishing Well, Strokes, Moron Pt. 2, Feel the Pain



7. Ennemi Commun/Special Friend
As scotto quipped, “It sounds like a French Yo La Tengo on codeine, but with a dollop of fuzzed-out jangle and just a pinch of girl-group pop.” That’s an apt description of this record. If you are a fan of The Pastels, you’ll love Special Friend.
Key Tracks: Motel, Ennemi Commun, Hazard, Forest



In Heaven/Strand of Oaks
8. Tim Showalter returns with the members of My Morning Jacket in tow on his much-anticipated (for me, at least) follow-up to 2019’s masterpiece Eraserland. While not as strong as that album, In Heaven is a very enjoyable record in its own right. Love the creative groove Showalter is currently experiencing.
Key Tracks: Galacticana, Hurry, Sunbathers, Sister Saturn



9. Collider/Citrus Clouds
Attention shoegaze fans, particularly those who adore Slowdive… Get this album immediately! This one came out of nowhere and resonated with me immediately.
Key Tracks: Honey, A Pastel Sky, In a Daydream, Collider



10. Mandatory Enjoyment/Dummy
The debut full-length album from this L.A.-based indie band has been described by some as “drone-pop,” Dummy proudly wears those 90s indie rock influences (Yo La Tengo, Guided By Voices) on its sleves.
Key Tracks: Fissured Ceramics, Final Weapon, Punk Product #4, Daffodils



11. Sweep It Into Space/Dinosaur Jr.
I’m not sure why this didn’t generate more buzz, but J. Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph continue their outstanding run of reunion records that began in 2007 with Beyond.
Key Tracks: I Ain’t, I Met the Stones, I Ran Away, Hide Another Round



12. Modern Fiction/Ducks Ltd.
Toronto-based duo, Ducks Ltd., have crafted an album filled with aural crack for all the Jangle heads. Borrowing heavily from New Zealand bands like The Clean, The Bats and The Verlaines, Modern Fiction is an excellent debut from these indie Canucks.
Key Tracks: How Lonely Are You?, Old Times, 18 Cigarettes, Fit to Burst



13. Black Market Tango/Bloodkin
After a ten-year gap between albums, Athens-based country-rockers Bloodkin are back with their swan song, the double album Black Market Tango. Unfortunately, only weeks after its release, co-founder and vocalist Daniel Hutchens died suddenly of a massive stroke, at only 56 years old. Fans of The Rolling Stones, The Black Crowes and Drive-By Truckers will find much to connect with.
Key Tracks: Transistor Radio, John Coltrane in Nagasaki, Gloryosky, God’s Bar



14. On All Fours/Goat Girl
This sophomore release from the South London quartet, Goat Girl, expands upon the band’s sound from the goth, country, electronic pop of their 2018 self-tiled debut. This album makes it clear they are a modern post punk band to reckon with.
Key Tracks: Pest, Badibada, Sad Cowboy, The Crack



15. Barn/Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Certainly not in the upper-tier of Neil Young records, but significantly better than much of his recent output. Lots of similarities to 2019’s Colorado, an album which I’ve gained a greater appreciation for over time.
Key Tracks: Song of the Seasons, Heading West, Human Race, Welcome Back



16. Sympathy for Life/Parquet Courts
Built largely from improvised jams, inspired by New York clubs, Primal Scream and Pink Floyd, indie rockers Parquets Courts are back for album #7, with what they refer to as their “dancey, party album.”
Key Tracks: Walking at a Downtown Pace, Black Widow Spider, Just Shadows, Homo Sapien



17. Clang Clang Ho/Cub Scout Bowling Pins
Sandwiched between two full-length Guided By Voices albums comes this “side project” which ditches the usual punk and prog influences, and heads back forty-plus year in time to the days of A.M. radio with its bubble gum, psych and soft rock with sugary doses of ornate baroque pop.
Key Tracks: © 1-2-3, Sister Slam Dance, Space Invader, We



18. NON-FICTION/N0V3L
Another post punk album, this time via the Vancouver band N0V3L, is a jagged and brittle album that mines heavily from 80s post punk legends like Gang of Four, Pop Group and The Sound.
Key Tracks: Untouchable, Group Disease, Notice of Foreclosure



19. Heaven on the Faultline/Alex Bleeker
Real Estate bassist, Alex Bleeker, steps away from the indie juggernaut with a solo album he recorded in his bedroom just before the pandemic wreaked havoc on the world.
Key Tracks: D Plus, Heaven on the Faultline, La La La



20. Reason to Live/Lou Barlow
Taking a break from Sebadoh and Dinosaur Jr., indie rock royalty Lou Barlow returns to his lo-fi roots on this pleasant acoustic solo venture.
Key Tracks: In My Arms, Reason to Live, All You People Suck



21. What’s Growing/Wurld Series

22. Ignorance/The Weather Station

23. Last Time I Saw Grace/New Bums

24. Seeking New Gods/Gruff Rhys

25. Magic Mirror/Pearl Charles

26. Voyager/Current Joys

27. Pacific Kiss/Rat Columns

28. Summer Inside/The Smashing Times

29. Blexxed Rec/The Peacers

30. Alter Echoes/Triptides

[tinnitus photography]

Sorry John, despite seeing Julien and Lucy a few times each, i can't figure out their appeal at all. just not music for me.

I have to agree with you Tim. Not sure how well these records would translate outside of a small intimate setting live (I like my rock shows to be Rock Shows). These past 2 years have me exhausted and tense and I find myself reaching for things that don't give me auditory overload when I'm sitting and relaxing in front of the rig

that's definitely a fair assessment.

[Clams]

Neglected to include these two deserving releases in my list.

[blessedcurse]

Not saying these are in even in the top ten from 2021, but damn, both these albums have brought me out of the doldrums of this f*cked up year more than any other. Sometimes, big dumb power chord fun is just the medicine required. And, Glenn freaking Hughes still has the range of a man half his age.

Hey Clams, I figured the posting thing out - thanks brother

[Sterling Bigmouth]

Top 10:
Sturgill Simpson - The Ballad of Dood & Juanita
Lucy Dacus - Home Video
Faye Webster - I Know I’m Funny haha
Ryley Walker - Course In Fable
Kanye West - Donda
Charley Crockett - 10 for Slim: Charley Crockett Sings James Hand/Music City USA
Vince Staples - Vince Staples
Dinosaur Jr. - Sweep It Into Space
Lucero - When You Found Me
Lilly Hiatt - Lately

[Iowan]

Mike & The Moonpies - One to Grow On
James McMurtry - The Horses & The Hounds
The Hold Steady - Open Door Policy
John R. Miller - Depreciated
Joshua Ray Walker - See You Next Time
Hayes Carll - You Get it All
Flatland Cavalry - Welcome to Countryland
Joe Stamm Band - Midwest Town
Cole Chaney - Mercy
American Aquarium - Slappers, Bangers & Certified Twangers Vols. 1&2

[tinnitus photography]

here are two playlists I made from my fave records (and reissues) of 2021. maybe not a ton of overlap w/ the board's general tastes but maybe there is a morsel or two to discover for people.

[scotto]

Greetings Heathens.
My most-enjoyed records (new/reissue/archival/etc.) of 2021 (and yes, Clams, I realize some were released previously, but these are all new 2021 releases in some manner) in purely alphabetical order:
Backsliders—Raleighwood
Courtney Barnett—Things Take Time, Take Time
Mike Cooley, Patterson Hood & Jason Isbell—Live at the Shoals Theatre
Lucy Dacus—Home Video
Miles Davis—Kind of Blue, Analogue Productions remaster
PJ Harvey—reissues of the albums and/or demos I didn't already have
The Hold Steady—Open Door Policy
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit—Georgia Blue
Los Lobos—Native Sons
The Replacements—The Pleasure's All Yours: Pleased To Meet Me Outtakes & Alternates
Clara Rockmore—The Lost Theremin Album
Snail Mail—Valentine
Candi Staton—Trouble, Heartaches and Sadness
Various—I’ll Be Your Mirror, A Tribute to the Velvet Underground
Lucinda Williams—Runnin' Down a Dream, A Tribute to Tom Petty
Neil Young & Crazy Horse—Barn
Neil Young—Carnegie Hall 1970
Neil Young & Crazy Horse—Way Down in the Rust Bucket
Neil Young—Young Shakespeare

If I had to pick a favorite I'd say the Los Lobos record was my most-spun of the year--fun stuff front to back.

[cortez the killer]

Nice list, scotto. Although it seems to be missing some French Yo La Tengo on codeine, with a dollop of fuzzed-out jangle and just a pinch of girl-group pop.

[scotto]

Nice list, scotto. Although it seems to be missing some French Yo La Tengo on codeine, with a dollop of fuzzed-out jangle and just a pinch of girl-group pop.

Indeed. So much on my to-purchase list.