It is again that time of year when post my idiosyncratic Top 25 albums of the year...
According to last.fm, where I track most (but not all) of my listening, I listened to 16,297 tracks and 1,699 different artists in 2021 alone. Albums are harder to track on last.fm if they have multiple artists, but I easily listened to over 800 different albums...
68% of those over 16 thousand track were new to 2021, so picking out 25 albums, even of just what was released in 2021 and not just new to me in 2021 was tough, but here are my current top 25 of 2021...
You can find a mixcloud mix with a sample track from each album here.
25. Årabrot - Norwegian Gothic
Årabrot is a band I've just finally been catching up on and their 2021 release was a fantastic mix of pop hooks and groove heavy gothic noise rock.
24. Here Lies Man - Ritual Divination
Just the kind of album I have a weakness for, doomy, psychedelic, full of riffs and driving drums. Propulsive and great for tossing on while you're driving, in the background while you do chores or run RPGs.
23. Noveller - Aphantasia
Not as focused as Sarah Lipstate's other releases under the Noveller moniker, there is still plenty of experimental ambient guitar to enjoy in these 22 tracks. It is always a wonder to listen to and know that basically the only instrument here is guitar (and attendant effects pedals). The two Twin Peaks covers from Noveller, Red Room and Wrapped In Plastic, are also excellent additions to any collection.
22. Richard Dawson & Circle - Henki
Finnish rockers Circle and their side group, Pharaoh Overlord, never seem to disappoint me. Despite being released late in 2021, I've quickly become enamored with this release with English singer-songwriter Richard Dawson. Each song is a bizarre, fantastic story that never gets lost in the psychedelic music. This is an album that really rewards deep and attentive listening but is still enjoyable even if it's not getting your full attention.
21. The Lion's Daughter - Skin Show
This synth metal album has been a regular go to for me this year when I want something intense and cathartic. Catchy and great for roaring along to, with fantastic 80's horror synth soundtrack touches. The Turbo Covers EP also released in 2021, is also fantastic and recommended for purchase...
20. Green Lung - Black Harvest
Folk inspired psychedelic doom metal... this is another late 2021 release, but since I got it, I cannot stop listening to it. While the sound is an homage to retro metal and the lyrics owe deep debts to English folklore and occult traditions, the album still feels refreshing and off this moment.
19. Fatima Al Qadiri - Medieval Femme
A collection of songs inspired by the classical poems of Arab women, this dreamlike experimental electronic album has remained on my mind since its release in May. The soundscapes are perfectly suited to the melancholy poetics of the lyrics.
18. The Joy Thieves - American Parasite
Chris Connelly himself said of this album "Born out of political frustration, humanitarian panic and anger" and the post-punk/post-industrial music of the Joy Thieves provides a fantastic base for Connelly's righteously angry lyrics. Another album that has been a cathartic solace during the rougher days of the year.
17. Underdark - Our Bodies Burned Bright On Re-Entry
Atmospheric, anarchist black metal of very personal ferocity, even in its quieter moments this album maintains an intensity and urgency and is a stirring sonic blast against the broken old structures of the world.
16. Heavy Temple - Lupi Amoris
Female fronted, psychedelic doom metal with an album that is a loose take on Red Riding Hood. Fierce, heavy and eminently listenable.
15. Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders - Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders
This folky, psychedelic post-rock album was a surprise to me, and a delightful one at that. I have a few of Jeffrey Alexander's solo records, which are enjoyable, but the Heavy Lidders add a jam band style backing texture that elevates this album.
14. King Woman - Celestial Blues
Dynamic, doomy and atmospheric post-metal, with Kristina Esfandiari at times roaring and at times whispering. Enthralling and harrowing, with a jagged and personal feel is electric to listen to.
13. Panopticon - ...and Again Into the Light
Panopticon's mix of atmospheric black metal and Appalachian folk is further refined on this release. Both achingly beautiful and brutal in perfect proportion.
12. Violet Cold - Empire of Love
Euphoric black metal... Works in synths and banjos without either feeling out of place. Utterly uplifting and exuberant.
11. Senyawa - Alkisah
Doomy, unrestrained, unlike anything else I found this year. Honestly it has the energy and chaos of early 80s Einstürzende Neubauten. It is a welcome assault on your musical taste and has the best kind of authenticity that sets it apart from so much else.
10. Lung - Come Clean Right Now
With just drum, vocals and cello, Lung manages to be both delightfully heavy and fantastically dynamic.
9. Book of Wyrms - Occult New Age
You can tell that I have a special fondness for female fronted doom metal bands and Book of Wyrms delivers a stunningly heavy, psychedelic and enthralling record with Occult New Age.
8. Gloria - Sabbat Matters
French garage rock via late 60s overstuffed pop psychedelics... Sabbat Matters is just a great time and all out enjoyable fun that never takes itself too seriously but is stuffed with fantastic musical style.
7. Lingua Ignota - SINNER GET READY
CALIGULA was a blistering revelation and SINNER GET READY is somehow both quieter and more harrowing. Exceptional in its beauty and terror, SINNER GET READY strikes like the stake to the heart.
6. Chris Connelly - The Birthday Poems
Apparently meant to be a book before it became an album, the research shows on this album--which is not to say it feels academic or staid in the least. Connelly teams back up with Chris Bruce who has helped produce some of his best albums and with Monica Queen who provides stirring female vocals to match Connelly's crooning. Connelly is at the top of his game lyrically and the story that he and Monica weave through the songs is an arresting and beautiful tragedy.
5. Duet for Theremin and Lap Steel - 'Oumuamua
Though the only instrumentation is theremin and lap steel guitar, there is a cosmic richness that is developed on this album. Each track is named after a comet and the interstellar inspiration comes through in this cinematic and immersive album.
4. Xordox - Omniverse
The second album from JG Thirlwell under the Xordox moniker continues to showcase his compositional mastery. All synths, Omniverse is propulsive and vivid, and avoids the trap of merely feeling a retro-synth throwback.
3. The Body and BIG|BRAVE - Leaving None But Small Birds
Two heavy metal bands collaborate on a folk album... Leaving None But Small Birds is both undeniably a folk album and undeniably more--with depth, heaviness and invigorating drones added without ever losing a folk heart.
2. Divide and Dissolve - Gas Lit
Each Divide and Dissolve album is better than the last. Droning, doomy, heavier than nearly any other album on this list, Gas Lit is a pummeling experience even in its quieter and sparse moments and authentically, immensely spectacular. The trio of remixes released to accompany it are every bit as good, both honoring and expanding the original tracks.
1. Herzschlager - All The Nights Are Done
Only five songs and fifteen minutes, but in that short time Herzschlager deliver a fucking punch to the heart. Invigorating, angry without being despairing and catchy as fuck. During those times when I felt utter despair, All The Nights Are Done was the album to throw on and in just fifteen minutes I felt like I could punch through a brick wall. Un-fucking-stoppable.
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