YEAR END MEGALIST 2021!!!!!!

[cbl]

agree with @Woob_woob ...I have a very deep list of "ya, I like that" albums...like pretty much everything on my list has shuffled between top-tier to lower reaches to off my list entirely and back...nothing really "exceptional" (with perhaps the exception of my #3...which might really go down as an all-timer in it's genre...or hell, as genre-defining...but only makes #3 as its so dense and did not get near the spins as those above/below it)

21 Albums For '21

1. Shame - Drunk Tank Pink (12)
2. Goat Girl - On All Fours (10)
3. Floating Points & Pharaoh Sanders - Promises (10)
4. Black Country, New Road - For the First Time (8)
5. Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever (8)
6. Aesop Rock & Blockhead - Garbology (8)
7. F.S. Blumm & Nils Frahm - 2X1=4 (8)
8. Atmosphere - WORD? (5)
9. Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee (5)
10. El Buho - Natura Sonora (5)
11. Arlo Parks - Collapsed in Sunbeams (3)
12. Dave - We're All Alone in This Together (3)
13. Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - Carnage (3)
14. Bowerbirds - becalmyounglovers (3)
15. Silk Sonic - An Evening With Silk Sonic (2)
16. The Weather Station - Ignorance (2)
17. Sunburned Hand of the Man - Pick a Day to Die (1)
18. The Polish Ambassador - Secrets of a Psychedelic Homestead (1)
19. Arab Strap - As Days Get Dark (1)
20. Darkside - Spiral (1)
21. Czarface & MF Doom - Super What? (1)

 

[Fleetwood-Matt]

2021 was not the year for me musically. If they came out this year, my top 4 from last year would still be my top 4. My top 4 this year is decently solid but not the most exciting, I feel like St Vincent basically got a free pass to AOTY

Top 4 albums

St Vincent – Daddy’s Home (20)
Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (19)
Spellling – The Turning Wheel (18)
Ashnikko – Demidevil (17)

The rest (all get 2 points)

Olivia Rodrigo – SOUR
Brandi Carlile – In These Silent Days
Adele – 30
Silk Sonic – An Evening With Silk Sonic
Lana Del Rey – Blue Banisters
Jon Batiste – WE ARE
Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever
Black Country, New Road – for the first time
Justin Bieber – Justice
ABBA – Voyage
Genesis Owusu – Smiling With No Teeth
Shelley fka DRAM – Shelley fka DRAM
Parcels – Day/Night

 

[Woob_woob]

Genesis Owusu – Smiling With No Teeth

What an underrated gem from this year. Didn't make my top 10, but I really enjoyed this one.

 

[whatwhatsaywhat]

What an underrated gem from this year. Didn't make my top 10, but I really enjoyed this one.

won the aria award for best album of 2021 in a really interesting cachet of nominations

aria awards >>> grammy awards

 

[musicjunkiegreg]

My Top 10 Songs of 2021:

 

[Fleetwood-Matt]

any other music awards show >>> grammy awards

FTFY

even though I do love my grammys, no matter how confused and angry they make me every year

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

The Rock N Rollers
9 Steve Gunn - Other You
5 Jimmy Montague - Casual Use
3 The War On Drugs - I Don’t Live Here Anymore
2 Rosali - No Medium
1 Tonstartssbandht - Petunia
1 The Hold Steady - Open Door Policy

The Post Punkers
6 Black Country, New Road - For The First Time
5 Squid - Bright Green Field
3 Shame - Drunk Tank Pink
2 Dry Cleaning - New Long Leg
1 Black MIDI - Cavalcade
1 Iceage -Seek Shelter

The Indie Kids
6 Ducks Ltd. - Modern Fiction
5 Kiwi Jr. - Cooler Returns
3 Smoke Bellow - Open For Business
2 Lucy Dacus - Home Movies

The Veterans
8 Low - HEY WHAT
5 Dinosaur Jr. - Sweep It Into Space
3 Matt Sweeney & Bonnie “Prince” Billy - Superwolves

The Honky Tonkers
6 Morgan Wade - Reckless
5 Charley Crockett - Music City, USA
3 Tobacco City - Tobacco City, USA
2 Sierra Ferrell - Long Time Coming

…And The Rest
6 Floating Points/Pharoah Sanders - Promises
5 Madlib - Sound Ancestors
2 Lil Ugly Mane - Volcanic Bird Enemy And The Voiced Concern

 

[Rip_City]

Alright, I’ve got everything nailed down…I think! Ignoring the world outside of music, it is my opinion that 2021 was stellar. What a year for discovery.
With that, here is my megapost (partial) to the megalist!

---

2021 Year-end Charts
​

Spoiler: AlbumsList

Tier I (Amazing)

1) Squid - Bright Green Field [art punk, post-punk]​

2) Little Simz - Sometimes I Might be Introvert [UK hip-hop]​

3) Lost Girls - Menneskekollektivet [tech house, spoken word, art pop]​

4) Arooj Aftab - Vulture Prince [Hindustani classical, chamber folk]​

5) Low - HEY WHAT [post-industrial, dream pop]​

6) Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises [spiritual jazz, minimalism]​

7) Genesis Owusu - Smiling With no Teeth [experimental R&B, neo-soul]​

8) Boldy James, The Alchemist - Bo Jackson [gangsta rap]​

9) Circuit Des Yeux - -io [neoclassical, dark folk, art pop]​

10) Lingua Ignota - SINNER GET READY [avant-folk, neoclassical darkwave]​

Tier II (Excellent)

11) Jane Weaver - Flock [art pop, psychedelic pop]​

12) Black Country, New Road - For the First Time [post-punk, post-rock, Klezmer]​

13) Half Waif - Mythopoetics [art pop]​

14) Musk Ox - Inheritance [dark folk, neoclassical]​

15) Irreversible Entanglements - Open the Gates [spiritual jazz, jazz poetry]​

16) L'Rain - Fatigue [neo-psychedelia, experimental R&B, avant-garde]​

17) McKinley Dixon - For my Mama and Anyone Who Look Like Her [jazz rap]​

18) CHAI - WINK [electropop, J-pop, house]​

19) BRUIT≤ - The Machine is burning and now everyone knows it could happen again [post-rock]​

20) Emma Ruth Rundle - Engine of Hell [singer/songwriter, contemporary folk]​

21) Godspeed You! Black Emperor - G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END! [post-rock]​

22) Wiki - Half God [jazz rap, conscious hip hop]​

23) Les Filles De Illighadad - At Pioneer Works [Tuareg blues, African blues]​

24) Greentea Peng - MAN MADE [neo-soul, psychedelic soul]​

25) Nala Sinephro - Space 1.8 [ambient jazz, avant-garde jazz]​

Tier III (Great)

26) Erika De Casier - Sensational [contemporary R&B, downtempo]​

27) Spellling - The Turning Wheel [art pop]​

28) Snowpoet - Wait for Me [art pop, ambient pop]​

29) Celeste - Not Your Muse [neo-soul]​

30) Marissa Nadler - The Path of the Clouds [singer/songwriter, psychedelic folk, dream pop]​

31) Gemma Cullingford - Let me Speak [synthpop, post-punk]​

32) Hayley Williams - FLOWERS for VASES / descansos [singer/songwriter, indie folk]​

33) Arca - KicK iii [deconstructed club, Latin hip-hop, glitch pop]​

34) Suffering Hour - The Cyclic Reckoning [blackened death metal]​

35) Jessica Moss - Phosphenes [ambient, modern classical]​

36) Danielle Durack - No Place [indie pop, singer/songwriter]​

37) Emma-Jean Thackray - Yellow [jazz fusion, nu-jazz]​

38) Loraine James - Reflection [IDM, UK Bass]​

39) Ka - A Martyr's Reward [abstract hip-hop, conscious hip-hop]​

40) Hollie Kenniff - The Quiet Drift [ambient]​

41) Brandee Younger - Somewhere Different [jazz-fusion]​

42) Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee [indie pop, chamber pop]​

43) Jon Hopkins - Music for Psychedelic Therapy [new age, ambient]​

44) Web Web - WEB MAX [spiritual jazz]​

45) Gràb - Zeitlang [melodic black metal]​

46) Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever [contemporary R&B, ambient pop]​

47) Armand Hammer, The Alchemist - Haram [abstract hip-hop]​

48) Tar Hag - Bestial [doom metal]​

49) illuminati hotties - Let me do One More [indie rock, power pop]​

50) Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview on Phenomenal Nature [singer/songwriter]​

​

Spoiler: EPsList

1) A.A. Williams - arco [neoclassical, chamber folk]
2) Aratita Electronik Jazz Quintet - Sumer [nu-jazz, downtempo]
3) Jorja Smith - Be Right Back [contemporary R&B]
4) Dundundun - Dundundun [nu-jazz, jazz-funk]
5) Kero Kero Bonito - Civilisation II [synthpop, deep house]
6) FIELDED - Young Medusa [psychedelic R&B, art pop]
7) Lex Leosis - Terracotta [jazzy hip-hop]
8) Yves Tumor - The Asymptotical World [neo-psychedelia, post-industrial]
9) Doss - 4 New Hit Songs [house]
10) Jazmine Sullivan - Heaux Tales [contemporary R&B, neo-soul]

---

Point Allocation (for @Woob_woob)​

20pts each:
Squid – Bright Green Field
Little Simz – Sometimes I Might be Introvert

10pts each:
Lost Girls – Menneskekollektivet
Arooj Aftab – Vulture Prince
Low – HEY WHAT
Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises

5pts each:
Genesis Owusu – Smiling With No Teeth
Boldy James & The Alchemist – Bo Jackson
Circuit Des Yeux – -io
Lingua Ignota – SINNER GET READY

---

EDIT: Moved "thank you" statement to next post.

 

[Rip_City]

I had to break up my megapost into another one as I exceeded the character count.

---

Song and Genre Recommendations​

Some song recommendations, though not necessarily my favorites, in genres that I like with five songs each. Spoiler tags used to save space:

Spoiler: Ambient

• Eluvium – "Touch Returned" (i) and (ii)
• Francisco Cavaliere, Tomoko Sauvage – “(dài lǜ màozi) a man with a green hat” (video description says 2020, but appears on 2021 release Viridescens)
• Hollie Kenniff – "Quell"
• nthng – “Sudden Life”
• Fatima al Qadiri – "Zandaq"

Spoiler: Art Pop

• Half Waif – "Take Away the Ache"
• Lost Girls – “Losing Something”
• Lotic – “A Plea”
• Snowpoet – “A Chance to Hear the Rain”
• Vanishing Twin – "Big Moonlight (Ookii Gekkou)"

Spoiler: Electronic

• CFCF – “Heaven”
• Loraine James – “Let’s Go”
• 박혜진 Park Hye Jin – "Let's Sing Let's Dance"
• Skee Mask – "Breathing Method"
• Yu Su – "Gleam"

Spoiler: Hip Hop

• Conway the Machine – "200 Pies"
• Ka – “Like Me”
• Maassai – “Grace Jones”
• Wiki – “Drug Supplier”
• YUNGMORPHEOUS x ewonee – “Middle Passage”

Spoiler: Jazz

• Aratita Electronik Jazz Quintet – "Gutian"
• Irreversible Entanglements – “Six Sounds”
• Anthony Joseph – “Swing Praxis”
• Scrimshire – “Morning Affirmation”
• sneaky jesus – “Bugs”

Spoiler: Metal

• Demiser – "Deathstrike" [blackened thrash]
• Monolord – "To Each Their Own" [doom]
• Suffering Hour – "Transcending Antecedent Visions" [blackened death]
• Wode – "Lunar Madness" [black]
• Year of No Light – "Objuration" [post-metal]

Spoiler: Neoclassical

• Peter Bjärgö – "The Nature of Continuity"
• Circuit Des Yeux – "Sculping the Exodus"
• Lingua Ignota – "PENNSYLVANIA FURNACE"
• Musk Ox – "Memoriam"
• A.A. Williams – "Cold"

Spoiler: R&B

• Erika de Casier – "Make My Day"
• Gallant (feat. Brandy) – "Dynamite."
• Mereba – "Beretta"
• Audrey Nuna – "Space"
• Jorja Smith – "Bussdown"

Spoiler: Post-Punk

• Squid – “Global Groove”
• Squid – “Narrator”
• Squid – “Paddling”
• Squid – “Pamphlets”
• Squid – “Peel St.”

Spoiler: World Music

• Altin Gün – "Kara Toprak" [Turkish]
• Arooj Aftab – “Saans Lo” [Hindustani]
• Khalab & M'berra Ensemble – "Reste A L'Ombre" [Malian]
• Les Filles De Illighadad – “Surbajo” [Ghanian]
• Kedr Livanskiy – "Boy" [Russian]

---

Favorite Concerts

This was a tie between Arooj Aftab (left) and Laura Marling (right):
​

Both were unforgettable. You can't make me choose.
I'll be seeing Arooj Aftab for a second time next year, hopefully with Vulture Prince in my possession by that time.

---

Lastly, I would like to say thank you to everyone here on Needles&Grooves, and to @Woob_woob for compiling all of the numerical data for this thread. Many of you have had a hand in shaping my music tastes over the past two and a half years and have aided in sparking my curiosity further towards contemporary and legacy acts I would have ignorantly scoffed at otherwise. This is the best corner of the internet.

EDIT: Added a few sentences and formatted photos.

 

[avecigrec]

Alright, I’ve got everything nailed down…I think! Ignoring the world outside of music, it is my opinion that 2021 was stellar. What a year for discovery.
With that, here is my megapost (partial) to the megalist!

---

2021 Year-end Charts
View attachment 121343​

Spoiler: AlbumsList

Tier I (Amazing)

1) Squid - Bright Green Field [art punk, post-punk]​

2) Little Simz - Sometimes I Might be Introvert [UK hip-hop]​

3) Lost Girls - Menneskekollektivet [tech house, spoken word, art pop]​

4) Arooj Aftab - Vulture Prince [Hindustani classical, chamber folk]​

5) Low - HEY WHAT [post-industrial, dream pop]​

6) Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises [spiritual jazz, minimalism]​

7) Genesis Owusu - Smiling With no Teeth [experimental R&B, neo-soul]​

8) Boldy James, The Alchemist - Bo Jackson [gangsta rap]​

9) Circuit Des Yeux - -io [neoclassical, dark folk, art pop]​

10) Lingua Ignota - SINNER GET READY [avant-folk, neoclassical darkwave]​

Tier II (Excellent)

11) Jane Weaver - Flock [art pop, psychedelic pop]​

12) Black Country, New Road - For the First Time [post-punk, post-rock, Klezmer]​

13) Half Waif - Mythopoetics [art pop]​

14) Musk Ox - Inheritance [dark folk, neoclassical]​

15) Irreversible Entanglements - Open the Gates [spiritual jazz, jazz poetry]​

16) L'Rain - Fatigue [neo-psychedelia, experimental R&B, avant-garde]​

17) McKinley Dixon - For my Mama and Anyone Who Look Like Her [jazz rap]​

18) CHAI - WINK [electropop, J-pop, house]​

19) BRUIT≤ - The Machine is burning and now everyone knows it could happen again [post-rock]​

20) Emma Ruth Rundle - Engine of Hell [singer/songwriter, contemporary folk]​

21) Godspeed You! Black Emperor - G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END! [post-rock]​

22) Wiki - Half God [jazz rap, conscious hip hop]​

23) Les Filles De Illighadad - At Pioneer Works [Tuareg blues, African blues]​

24) Greentea Peng - MAN MADE [neo-soul, psychedelic soul]​

25) Nala Sinephro - Space 1.8 [ambient jazz, avant-garde jazz]​

Tier III (Great)

26) Erika De Casier - Sensational [contemporary R&B, downtempo]​

27) Spellling - The Turning Wheel [art pop]​

28) Snowpoet - Wait for Me [art pop, ambient pop]​

29) Celeste - Not Your Muse [neo-soul]​

30) Marissa Nadler - The Path of the Clouds [singer/songwriter, psychedelic folk, dream pop]​

31) Gemma Cullingford - Let me Speak [synthpop, post-punk]​

32) Hayley Williams - FLOWERS for VASES / descansos [singer/songwriter, indie folk]​

33) Arca - KicK iii [deconstructed club, Latin hip-hop, glitch pop]​

34) Suffering Hour - The Cyclic Reckoning [blackened death metal]​

35) Jessica Moss - Phosphenes [ambient, modern classical]​

36) Danielle Durack - No Place [indie pop, singer/songwriter]​

37) Emma-Jean Thackray - Yellow [jazz fusion, nu-jazz]​

38) Loraine James - Reflection [IDM, UK Bass]​

39) Ka - A Martyr's Reward [abstract hip-hop, conscious hip-hop]​

40) Hollie Kenniff - The Quiet Drift [ambient]​

41) Brandee Younger - Somewhere Different [jazz-fusion]​

42) Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee [indie pop, chamber pop]​

43) Jon Hopkins - Music for Psychedelic Therapy [new age, ambient]​

44) Web Web - WEB MAX [spiritual jazz]​

45) Gràb - Zeitlang [melodic black metal]​

46) Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever [contemporary R&B, ambient pop]​

47) Armand Hammer, The Alchemist - Haram [abstract hip-hop]​

48) Tar Hag - Bestial [doom metal]​

49) illuminati hotties - Let me do One More [indie rock, power pop]​

50) Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview on Phenomenal Nature [singer/songwriter]​

View attachment 121312​

Spoiler: EPsList

1) A.A. Williams - arco [neoclassical, chamber folk]
2) Aratita Electronik Jazz Quintet - Sumer [nu-jazz, downtempo]
3) Jorja Smith - Be Right Back [contemporary R&B]
4) Dundundun - Dundundun [nu-jazz, jazz-funk]
5) Kero Kero Bonito - Civilisation II [synthpop, deep house]
6) FIELDED - Young Medusa [psychedelic R&B, art pop]
7) Lex Leosis - Terracotta [jazzy hip-hop]
8) Yves Tumor - The Asymptotical World [neo-psychedelia, post-industrial]
9) Doss - 4 New Hit Songs [house]
10) Jazmine Sullivan - Heaux Tales [contemporary R&B, neo-soul]

---

Point Allocation (for @Woob_woob)​

20pts each:
Squid – Bright Green Field
Little Simz – Sometimes I Might be Introvert

10pts each:
Lost Girls – Menneskekollektivet
Arooj Aftab – Vulture Prince
Low – HEY WHAT
Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises

5pts each:
Genesis Owusu – Smiling With No Teeth
Boldy James & The Alchemist – Bo Jackson
Circuit Des Yeux – -io
Lingua Ignota – SINNER GET READY

---

EDIT: Moved "thank you" statement to next post.

Loving these!

 

[Hemotep]

AOTY - Point Allocation
I agree that I had more favorites from last year, but a couple top notch this year.

Low - HEY WHAT (20)
Deafheaven - Infinite Granite (20)
Neil Young - Carnegie Hall 1970 (20)
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Butterfly 3000 (8)
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Georgia Blue (7)
King Buffalo - The Burden of Restlessness (6)
Wizzerd vs. Merlin - Turned to Stone Chapter III (5)
Tedeschi Trucks Band featuring Trey Anastasio - Layla Revisited (Live at Lockn') (3)
Earthless - Live In The Mojave Desert (vol. 1) (2)
Dinosaur Jr. - Sweep It Into Space (2)
Brandi Carlile - In These Silent Days (2)
The Third Sound - First Light (1)
Dispatch - Break Our Fall (1)
Lingua Ignota - SINNER GET READY (1)
Emma Ruth Rundle - Engine of Hell (1)
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END (1)

 

[Poly-Rythmo]

Topped by what I think might be the only two rap albums I bought this year (and which I couldn't split - I love them both equally and enormously) and with a lot of jazz to follow. Special plaudits to James Brandon Lewis with two on the list (and my most thrilling live performance too), and the great piano trio of Fergus McCreadie, who was the first on this list early this year and held on for 12 months more or less.

Dave - We're All Alone In This Together (15)
Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (15)
Sons of Kemet - Black To The Future (10)
James Brandon Lewis - Jesup Wagon (10)
WH Lung - Vanities (10)
Muriel Grossmann - Union (10)
Fergus McCreadie - Cairn (8)
Lucy Dacus - Home Video (8)
Vaudou Game - Noussin (7)
Resilient Vessels - Live At The Cell (7)

Special mentions for reissues:
Pastor TL Barrett - I Shall Wear A Crown
Edo Funk Explosion Volume 1
4 Mars - Super Somali Sounds from the Gulf of Tadjoura
Cameroon Garage Funk 1964 - 1979

And my best (second-hand) purchases this year:
De Frank Professionals
Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou - Le Sato
Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti (Japanese pressing)

 

[nolalady]

Alright, I’ve got everything nailed down…I think! Ignoring the world outside of music, it is my opinion that 2021 was stellar. What a year for discovery.
With that, here is my megapost (partial) to the megalist!

---

2021 Year-end Charts
View attachment 121343​

Spoiler: AlbumsList

Tier I (Amazing)

1) Squid - Bright Green Field [art punk, post-punk]​

2) Little Simz - Sometimes I Might be Introvert [UK hip-hop]​

3) Lost Girls - Menneskekollektivet [tech house, spoken word, art pop]​

4) Arooj Aftab - Vulture Prince [Hindustani classical, chamber folk]​

5) Low - HEY WHAT [post-industrial, dream pop]​

6) Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises [spiritual jazz, minimalism]​

7) Genesis Owusu - Smiling With no Teeth [experimental R&B, neo-soul]​

8) Boldy James, The Alchemist - Bo Jackson [gangsta rap]​

9) Circuit Des Yeux - -io [neoclassical, dark folk, art pop]​

10) Lingua Ignota - SINNER GET READY [avant-folk, neoclassical darkwave]​

Tier II (Excellent)

11) Jane Weaver - Flock [art pop, psychedelic pop]​

12) Black Country, New Road - For the First Time [post-punk, post-rock, Klezmer]​

13) Half Waif - Mythopoetics [art pop]​

14) Musk Ox - Inheritance [dark folk, neoclassical]​

15) Irreversible Entanglements - Open the Gates [spiritual jazz, jazz poetry]​

16) L'Rain - Fatigue [neo-psychedelia, experimental R&B, avant-garde]​

17) McKinley Dixon - For my Mama and Anyone Who Look Like Her [jazz rap]​

18) CHAI - WINK [electropop, J-pop, house]​

19) BRUIT≤ - The Machine is burning and now everyone knows it could happen again [post-rock]​

20) Emma Ruth Rundle - Engine of Hell [singer/songwriter, contemporary folk]​

21) Godspeed You! Black Emperor - G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END! [post-rock]​

22) Wiki - Half God [jazz rap, conscious hip hop]​

23) Les Filles De Illighadad - At Pioneer Works [Tuareg blues, African blues]​

24) Greentea Peng - MAN MADE [neo-soul, psychedelic soul]​

25) Nala Sinephro - Space 1.8 [ambient jazz, avant-garde jazz]​

Tier III (Great)

26) Erika De Casier - Sensational [contemporary R&B, downtempo]​

27) Spellling - The Turning Wheel [art pop]​

28) Snowpoet - Wait for Me [art pop, ambient pop]​

29) Celeste - Not Your Muse [neo-soul]​

30) Marissa Nadler - The Path of the Clouds [singer/songwriter, psychedelic folk, dream pop]​

31) Gemma Cullingford - Let me Speak [synthpop, post-punk]​

32) Hayley Williams - FLOWERS for VASES / descansos [singer/songwriter, indie folk]​

33) Arca - KicK iii [deconstructed club, Latin hip-hop, glitch pop]​

34) Suffering Hour - The Cyclic Reckoning [blackened death metal]​

35) Jessica Moss - Phosphenes [ambient, modern classical]​

36) Danielle Durack - No Place [indie pop, singer/songwriter]​

37) Emma-Jean Thackray - Yellow [jazz fusion, nu-jazz]​

38) Loraine James - Reflection [IDM, UK Bass]​

39) Ka - A Martyr's Reward [abstract hip-hop, conscious hip-hop]​

40) Hollie Kenniff - The Quiet Drift [ambient]​

41) Brandee Younger - Somewhere Different [jazz-fusion]​

42) Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee [indie pop, chamber pop]​

43) Jon Hopkins - Music for Psychedelic Therapy [new age, ambient]​

44) Web Web - WEB MAX [spiritual jazz]​

45) Gràb - Zeitlang [melodic black metal]​

46) Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever [contemporary R&B, ambient pop]​

47) Armand Hammer, The Alchemist - Haram [abstract hip-hop]​

48) Tar Hag - Bestial [doom metal]​

49) illuminati hotties - Let me do One More [indie rock, power pop]​

50) Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview on Phenomenal Nature [singer/songwriter]​

View attachment 121312​

Spoiler: EPsList

1) A.A. Williams - arco [neoclassical, chamber folk]
2) Aratita Electronik Jazz Quintet - Sumer [nu-jazz, downtempo]
3) Jorja Smith - Be Right Back [contemporary R&B]
4) Dundundun - Dundundun [nu-jazz, jazz-funk]
5) Kero Kero Bonito - Civilisation II [synthpop, deep house]
6) FIELDED - Young Medusa [psychedelic R&B, art pop]
7) Lex Leosis - Terracotta [jazzy hip-hop]
8) Yves Tumor - The Asymptotical World [neo-psychedelia, post-industrial]
9) Doss - 4 New Hit Songs [house]
10) Jazmine Sullivan - Heaux Tales [contemporary R&B, neo-soul]

---

Point Allocation (for @Woob_woob)​

20pts each:
Squid – Bright Green Field
Little Simz – Sometimes I Might be Introvert

10pts each:
Lost Girls – Menneskekollektivet
Arooj Aftab – Vulture Prince
Low – HEY WHAT
Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises

5pts each:
Genesis Owusu – Smiling With No Teeth
Boldy James & The Alchemist – Bo Jackson
Circuit Des Yeux – -io
Lingua Ignota – SINNER GET READY

---

EDIT: Moved "thank you" statement to next post.

I would totally go to a party that you'd DJ.

 

[Woob_woob]

James Brandon Lewis - Jesup Wagon (10)

This makes my top 10 in Jazz for the year. William Parker plays on a few songs on this, and it's one of like 10 albums he was on this year, at the age of 69. What a legend.

Also a biography on him came out this year that was an enjoyable read, Universal Tonality: The Life and Music of William Parker by Cisco Bradley

 

[Poly-Rythmo]

This makes my top 10 in Jazz for the year. William Parker plays on a few songs on this, and it's one of like 10 albums he was on this year, at the age of 69. What a legend.

Also a biography on him came out this year that was an enjoyable read, Universal Tonality: The Life and Music of William Parker by Cisco Bradley

I'm just listening to Dave Holland's Another Land for the first time, and really loving it (not sure how it passed me by until now). Amazing to think he played on Bitches Brew 50+ years ago. There's life in them old 'uns yet.

The more I listen to James Brandon Lewis, the more I think he may be just about the most talented jazz musician out there currently. I love his duo, trio, quartet, quintet, other quintet, work with string quartet, and I think he has stuff coming out that includes a trio with drums and cello, and possibly a solo piece too.

 

[avecigrec]

Topped by what I think might be the only two rap albums I bought this year (and which I couldn't split - I love them both equally and enormously) and with a lot of jazz to follow. Special plaudits to James Brandon Lewis with two on the list (and my most thrilling live performance too), and the great piano trio of Fergus McCreadie, who was the first on this list early this year and held on for 12 months more or less.

Dave - We're All Alone In This Together (15)
Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (15)
Sons of Kemet - Black To The Future (10)
James Brandon Lewis - Jesup Wagon (10)
WH Lung - Vanities (10)
Muriel Grossmann - Union (10)
Fergus McCreadie - Cairn (8)
Lucy Dacus - Home Video (8)
Bloto - Kwasy I Zasady (7)
Resilient Vessels - Live At The Cell (7)

Special mentions for reissues:
Pastor TL Barrett - I Shall Wear A Crown
Edo Funk Explosion Volume 1
4 Mars - Super Somali Sounds from the Gulf of Tadjoura
Cameroon Garage Funk 1964 - 1979

And my best (second-hand) purchases this year:
De Frank Professionals
Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou - Le Sato
Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti (Japanese pressing)

Good looking out on the Fergus - this is fabulous! I'd been unaware until now...

 

[Hollywood]

Allright folks! Here goes nothing, I present to you Hollywood's Favourite Albums of 2021!!!!



For the purpose of this annual exercise I allocate the following points to my "Magnificent Seven Eight" albums:

1. Men I Trust - Untourable Album (20 pts)
2. The Weather Station- Ignorance (15 pts)
3. SPELLING - The Turning Wheel (15 pts)
4. Amythyst Kiah - Wary + Strange (10 pts)
5. Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview on Phenomenal Nature (10 pts)
6. Arlo Parks - Collapsed in Sunbeams (10 pts
7. London Grammar - Californian Soil (10 pts)
8. Wolf Alice - Blue Weekend (10 pts)

 

[Rip_City]

Alright, I’ve got everything nailed down…I think! Ignoring the world outside of music, it is my opinion that 2021 was stellar. What a year for discovery.
With that, here is my megapost (partial) to the megalist!

---

2021 Year-end Charts
View attachment 121343​

Spoiler: AlbumsList

Tier I (Amazing)

1) Squid - Bright Green Field [art punk, post-punk]​

2) Little Simz - Sometimes I Might be Introvert [UK hip-hop]​

3) Lost Girls - Menneskekollektivet [tech house, spoken word, art pop]​

4) Arooj Aftab - Vulture Prince [Hindustani classical, chamber folk]​

5) Low - HEY WHAT [post-industrial, dream pop]​

6) Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises [spiritual jazz, minimalism]​

7) Genesis Owusu - Smiling With no Teeth [experimental R&B, neo-soul]​

8) Boldy James, The Alchemist - Bo Jackson [gangsta rap]​

9) Circuit Des Yeux - -io [neoclassical, dark folk, art pop]​

10) Lingua Ignota - SINNER GET READY [avant-folk, neoclassical darkwave]​

Tier II (Excellent)

11) Jane Weaver - Flock [art pop, psychedelic pop]​

12) Black Country, New Road - For the First Time [post-punk, post-rock, Klezmer]​

13) Half Waif - Mythopoetics [art pop]​

14) Musk Ox - Inheritance [dark folk, neoclassical]​

15) Irreversible Entanglements - Open the Gates [spiritual jazz, jazz poetry]​

16) L'Rain - Fatigue [neo-psychedelia, experimental R&B, avant-garde]​

17) McKinley Dixon - For my Mama and Anyone Who Look Like Her [jazz rap]​

18) CHAI - WINK [electropop, J-pop, house]​

19) BRUIT≤ - The Machine is burning and now everyone knows it could happen again [post-rock]​

20) Emma Ruth Rundle - Engine of Hell [singer/songwriter, contemporary folk]​

21) Godspeed You! Black Emperor - G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END! [post-rock]​

22) Wiki - Half God [jazz rap, conscious hip hop]​

23) Les Filles De Illighadad - At Pioneer Works [Tuareg blues, African blues]​

24) Greentea Peng - MAN MADE [neo-soul, psychedelic soul]​

25) Nala Sinephro - Space 1.8 [ambient jazz, avant-garde jazz]​

Tier III (Great)

26) Erika De Casier - Sensational [contemporary R&B, downtempo]​

27) Spellling - The Turning Wheel [art pop]​

28) Snowpoet - Wait for Me [art pop, ambient pop]​

29) Celeste - Not Your Muse [neo-soul]​

30) Marissa Nadler - The Path of the Clouds [singer/songwriter, psychedelic folk, dream pop]​

31) Gemma Cullingford - Let me Speak [synthpop, post-punk]​

32) Hayley Williams - FLOWERS for VASES / descansos [singer/songwriter, indie folk]​

33) Arca - KicK iii [deconstructed club, Latin hip-hop, glitch pop]​

34) Suffering Hour - The Cyclic Reckoning [blackened death metal]​

35) Jessica Moss - Phosphenes [ambient, modern classical]​

36) Danielle Durack - No Place [indie pop, singer/songwriter]​

37) Emma-Jean Thackray - Yellow [jazz fusion, nu-jazz]​

38) Loraine James - Reflection [IDM, UK Bass]​

39) Ka - A Martyr's Reward [abstract hip-hop, conscious hip-hop]​

40) Hollie Kenniff - The Quiet Drift [ambient]​

41) Brandee Younger - Somewhere Different [jazz-fusion]​

42) Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee [indie pop, chamber pop]​

43) Jon Hopkins - Music for Psychedelic Therapy [new age, ambient]​

44) Web Web - WEB MAX [spiritual jazz]​

45) Gràb - Zeitlang [melodic black metal]​

46) Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever [contemporary R&B, ambient pop]​

47) Armand Hammer, The Alchemist - Haram [abstract hip-hop]​

48) Tar Hag - Bestial [doom metal]​

49) illuminati hotties - Let me do One More [indie rock, power pop]​

50) Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview on Phenomenal Nature [singer/songwriter]​

View attachment 121312​

Spoiler: EPsList

1) A.A. Williams - arco [neoclassical, chamber folk]
2) Aratita Electronik Jazz Quintet - Sumer [nu-jazz, downtempo]
3) Jorja Smith - Be Right Back [contemporary R&B]
4) Dundundun - Dundundun [nu-jazz, jazz-funk]
5) Kero Kero Bonito - Civilisation II [synthpop, deep house]
6) FIELDED - Young Medusa [psychedelic R&B, art pop]
7) Lex Leosis - Terracotta [jazzy hip-hop]
8) Yves Tumor - The Asymptotical World [neo-psychedelia, post-industrial]
9) Doss - 4 New Hit Songs [house]
10) Jazmine Sullivan - Heaux Tales [contemporary R&B, neo-soul]

---

Point Allocation (for @Woob_woob)​

20pts each:
Squid – Bright Green Field
Little Simz – Sometimes I Might be Introvert

10pts each:
Lost Girls – Menneskekollektivet
Arooj Aftab – Vulture Prince
Low – HEY WHAT
Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises

5pts each:
Genesis Owusu – Smiling With No Teeth
Boldy James & The Alchemist – Bo Jackson
Circuit Des Yeux – -io
Lingua Ignota – SINNER GET READY

---

EDIT: Moved "thank you" statement to next post.

Just finished editing my Spotify playlist to include a standout track from each of my top50, with a track from my favorite EP proxying for BRUIT≤ as The Machine is Burning... is not available on Spotify. For the curious:

 

[DownIsTheNewUp]

Thanks again to @Woob_woob for putting this together.

Usually my list is 50 deep. Been that way since 2014. This year, I'm cutting it off at 30-40 because as I've alluded... there is less that's caught me this year. I also can't remember a year where hip-hop dominated my list like this.


Tier 1: [15 pts]
1. Little Simz: Sometimes I’m an Introvert (hip-hop)

Tier 2a: [12 pts}
2. Audrey Nuna: A Liquid Breakfast (r&b, hip-hop)
3. Tyler the Creator: Call Me if You Get Lost (rap)
4. Genesis Owusu: Smiling with No Teeth (experimental R&B, electronic, hip-hop)

Tier 2b: [7 pts]
5. Idles: Crawler (post-punk, rock)
6. St. Vincent: Daddy’s Home (indie rock, pop)
7. Magdalena Bay: Mercurial World (synth pop)
8. Remi Wolf: Juno (synth funk, pop)

Tier 3: [3 pts]
9. Faye Webster: I Know I’m Funny haha (singer / songwriter)
10. Bicep: Isles (house)
11. Ghetts: Conflicts of Interest (rap)
12. Vince Staples: Vince Staples (rap)
13. Wolf Alice: Blue Weekend (rock)
14. Darkside: Spiral (house, jazz)
15. Jpeg Mafia: LP! (experimental rap, electronic)

Tier 4a: [no points]
16. Arooj Aftab: Vulture Prince [modern classical, folk]
17. Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra: Promises (jazz, electronic, classical)
18. Dave: We’re All Alone Together (rap)
19. Monolink: Under Darkening Skies (deep house)
20. Deafheaven: Infinite Granite (shoegaze)
21. Snail Mail: Valentine (indie rock)
22. Indigo De Souza: Any Shape You Take
23. Gojira: Fortitude (progressive metal)
24. Chai: Wink (art pop)
25. Noga Erez: Kids (pop, hip-hop)
26. Modest Mouse: The Golden Casket (indie rock)
27. Lucy Dacus: Home Video (indie rock)
28. Armand Hammer: Haram (rap)

Tier 4b:
29. L' Rain: Fatigue (experimental soul)
30. Shame: Drunk Tank Pink (post-punk)
31. Paris, Texas: Boy Anonymous (experimental rap)
32. Japanese Breakfast (indie rock)
33. Tirzah: Coulorgrade (ambient, experimental pop)
34. Ty Segal: Harmonizer (rock)
35. Liars: The Apple Drop (post-punk, electronic)
36. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: Butterfly 3000 (rock)
37. Iceage: Take Shelter (post-punk, rock)
38. Billie Elish: Happier Than Ever (pop)
39. Brockhampton: Roadrunner
40. Spirit of the Beehive: Entertainment (indie rock)

 

[avecigrec]

Alright, I’ve got everything nailed down…I think! Ignoring the world outside of music, it is my opinion that 2021 was stellar. What a year for discovery.
With that, here is my megapost (partial) to the megalist!

---

2021 Year-end Charts
View attachment 121343​

Spoiler: AlbumsList

Tier I (Amazing)

1) Squid - Bright Green Field [art punk, post-punk]​

2) Little Simz - Sometimes I Might be Introvert [UK hip-hop]​

3) Lost Girls - Menneskekollektivet [tech house, spoken word, art pop]​

4) Arooj Aftab - Vulture Prince [Hindustani classical, chamber folk]​

5) Low - HEY WHAT [post-industrial, dream pop]​

6) Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises [spiritual jazz, minimalism]​

7) Genesis Owusu - Smiling With no Teeth [experimental R&B, neo-soul]​

8) Boldy James, The Alchemist - Bo Jackson [gangsta rap]​

9) Circuit Des Yeux - -io [neoclassical, dark folk, art pop]​

10) Lingua Ignota - SINNER GET READY [avant-folk, neoclassical darkwave]​

Tier II (Excellent)

11) Jane Weaver - Flock [art pop, psychedelic pop]​

12) Black Country, New Road - For the First Time [post-punk, post-rock, Klezmer]​

13) Half Waif - Mythopoetics [art pop]​

14) Musk Ox - Inheritance [dark folk, neoclassical]​

15) Irreversible Entanglements - Open the Gates [spiritual jazz, jazz poetry]​

16) L'Rain - Fatigue [neo-psychedelia, experimental R&B, avant-garde]​

17) McKinley Dixon - For my Mama and Anyone Who Look Like Her [jazz rap]​

18) CHAI - WINK [electropop, J-pop, house]​

19) BRUIT≤ - The Machine is burning and now everyone knows it could happen again [post-rock]​

20) Emma Ruth Rundle - Engine of Hell [singer/songwriter, contemporary folk]​

21) Godspeed You! Black Emperor - G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END! [post-rock]​

22) Wiki - Half God [jazz rap, conscious hip hop]​

23) Les Filles De Illighadad - At Pioneer Works [Tuareg blues, African blues]​

24) Greentea Peng - MAN MADE [neo-soul, psychedelic soul]​

25) Nala Sinephro - Space 1.8 [ambient jazz, avant-garde jazz]​

Tier III (Great)

26) Erika De Casier - Sensational [contemporary R&B, downtempo]​

27) Spellling - The Turning Wheel [art pop]​

28) Snowpoet - Wait for Me [art pop, ambient pop]​

29) Celeste - Not Your Muse [neo-soul]​

30) Marissa Nadler - The Path of the Clouds [singer/songwriter, psychedelic folk, dream pop]​

31) Gemma Cullingford - Let me Speak [synthpop, post-punk]​

32) Hayley Williams - FLOWERS for VASES / descansos [singer/songwriter, indie folk]​

33) Arca - KicK iii [deconstructed club, Latin hip-hop, glitch pop]​

34) Suffering Hour - The Cyclic Reckoning [blackened death metal]​

35) Jessica Moss - Phosphenes [ambient, modern classical]​

36) Danielle Durack - No Place [indie pop, singer/songwriter]​

37) Emma-Jean Thackray - Yellow [jazz fusion, nu-jazz]​

38) Loraine James - Reflection [IDM, UK Bass]​

39) Ka - A Martyr's Reward [abstract hip-hop, conscious hip-hop]​

40) Hollie Kenniff - The Quiet Drift [ambient]​

41) Brandee Younger - Somewhere Different [jazz-fusion]​

42) Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee [indie pop, chamber pop]​

43) Jon Hopkins - Music for Psychedelic Therapy [new age, ambient]​

44) Web Web - WEB MAX [spiritual jazz]​

45) Gràb - Zeitlang [melodic black metal]​

46) Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever [contemporary R&B, ambient pop]​

47) Armand Hammer, The Alchemist - Haram [abstract hip-hop]​

48) Tar Hag - Bestial [doom metal]​

49) illuminati hotties - Let me do One More [indie rock, power pop]​

50) Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview on Phenomenal Nature [singer/songwriter]​

View attachment 121312​

Spoiler: EPsList

1) A.A. Williams - arco [neoclassical, chamber folk]
2) Aratita Electronik Jazz Quintet - Sumer [nu-jazz, downtempo]
3) Jorja Smith - Be Right Back [contemporary R&B]
4) Dundundun - Dundundun [nu-jazz, jazz-funk]
5) Kero Kero Bonito - Civilisation II [synthpop, deep house]
6) FIELDED - Young Medusa [psychedelic R&B, art pop]
7) Lex Leosis - Terracotta [jazzy hip-hop]
8) Yves Tumor - The Asymptotical World [neo-psychedelia, post-industrial]
9) Doss - 4 New Hit Songs [house]
10) Jazmine Sullivan - Heaux Tales [contemporary R&B, neo-soul]

---

Point Allocation (for @Woob_woob)​

20pts each:
Squid – Bright Green Field
Little Simz – Sometimes I Might be Introvert

10pts each:
Lost Girls – Menneskekollektivet
Arooj Aftab – Vulture Prince
Low – HEY WHAT
Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises

5pts each:
Genesis Owusu – Smiling With No Teeth
Boldy James & The Alchemist – Bo Jackson
Circuit Des Yeux – -io
Lingua Ignota – SINNER GET READY

---

EDIT: Moved "thank you" statement to next post.

Finally got around to checking out Menneskekollektivet thanks to this list. Feel really silly for having missed out on it until now!