MY TEN FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2021
(IN NO PARTICULAR HIERARCHY)
/// Low - HEY WHAT
Their previous album, Double Negative, ushered in a new exploration in beautiful noise and HEY WHAT manages to make the noise even more beautiful.
/// Seafoam Walls - XVI
This album has an interesting smorgasbord of influences that would be difficult to pin down, but the swirl of familiar feelings drew me in.
/// Kings Of Convenience - Peace Or Love
I'll admit I was a bit skeptical about a Kings Of Convenience return from a 12 year absence, but I was pretty much on board after track 1.
/// William Doyle - Great Spans of Muddy Time
This is a beautiful album full of strange left turns that made it move beyond simple beauty to a fully engaging journey.
This is another interesting entry in the Porches catalogue full of little ear worms at every turn via compact pop-rock gems.
/// Tune-Yards - Sketchy
It is kind of weird to think that this wild band is becoming "music industry veterans", but that's what happens when you're good at your job.
/// Tomaga - Intimate Immensity
Their technique of locking into a single rhythmic groove in almost every song was a hypnotic and meditative experience for me.
/// Chihei Hatakeyama - Late Spring
You can almost feel the sunlight leaking through the trees.
/// Tune-Yards - Sketchy
It is kind of weird to think that this wild band is becoming "music industry veterans", but that's what happens when you're good at your job.
/// Tomaga - Intimate Immensity
Their technique of locking into a single rhythmic groove in almost every song was a hypnotic and meditative experience for me.
/// Chihei Hatakeyama - Late Spring
You can almost feel the sunlight leaking through the trees.
/// Chad VanGaalen - World's Most Stressed Out Gardner
Each expansion of VanGaalen's weird and ghostly world is of interest to me.
/// R.A.P. Ferreira - Bob's Son
Fans of R.A.P. Ferreira (AKA Scallops Hotel, AKA Milo) probably wouldn't consider this his best album, but it is yet another consistently thoughtful joint that was in heavy rotation for me in 2021.
::: || HONORABLE MENTIONS OF 2021 || :::
::: || HONORABLE MENTIONS OF 2021 || :::
Andy Shauf - Wilds
Arushi Jain - Under The Lilac Sky
Spirit Of The Beehive - Entertainment, Death
Strawberry Guy - Sun Outside My Window
Men I Trust - Untourable Album
