Phil's Top 10 Albums of 2021

It was a pretty weird year in music for me, as I spent a lot of time trying to listen my way through my dad’s vinyl collection but still managed to hit more than 1,200 hours of music streaming along the way. That journey sent me down the rabbit hole pretty frequently on older artists like the Grateful Dead, the Rolling Stones, and even some bands that don’t start with “the.” Nevertheless, I found some time for new music, and here are the ten albums from 2021 that I think you should listen to if you haven’t already:

1. “Screen Violence” – Chvrches (electro-pop): I’m probably always going to put a new Chvrches album on my list anytime they release one, but this is genuinely a great album and shows growth for the band. “Good Girls” is a brutal call to arms, “How not to Drown” a really interesting collaboration with Robert Smith, and Lullabies a nice throwback to their first couple of albums.
2. “Hotel Surrender” – Chet Faker (electro-pop): always been a fan of Nick Murphy, and this was a nice brightening of his sound. I was delighted by the “Get High” EP he dropped early last year, and he did not disappoint with the full LP release in July. “Whatever Tomorrow” and “In Too Far” are highlights.
3. “How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last” – Big Red Machine (alternative rock): if 2020 was the year of Aaron Dessner’s dominance of my playlists, 2021 was not a step back. A great collaboration between Dessner and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, with a star-studded case of features including Sharon Van Etten, Anaïs Mitchell, This is the Kit, and T-Swizzle. I particularly commend to your attention “June’s a River” and “Phoenix”.
4. “Pray for Haiti” – Mach-Hommy (hip-hop): a really interesting album from a Haitian-American taking a serious look at important social issues while also bringing amazing beats and a very distinct flow. Think less-polished, chiller Wyclef, maybe?
5. “In Praise of Shadows” – Puma Blue (ambient/electronica)”: super atmospheric and chill, particularly check out “Opiate” and “Snowflower.”
6. “Mother” – Cleo Sol (R&B, soul): “Promises” popped up on Roon and I fell immediately in love with the soulful groove of Cleo Sol. The whole album is beautiful and a meditation on life, and it’s one of the things I’ve been throwing on to unwind at the end of a long day.
7. “Local Valley” – José González (indie singer/songwriter): I’ve long been a fan of González and his projects (especially Junip), but this is all around a lovely and relaxing album (and an aspirational figure for my guitar playing efforts).
8. “El Alimento” – Cimafunk (Cuban funk/jazz/???): a brilliantly weird album with features from people ranging from George Clinton to Lupe Fiasco. It’s genuinely unique, and something I’ve been throwing on when I need a pick me up.
9. "HEY WHAT” – Low (electronic): this album will not be for everyone; some of the tracks are reminiscent of Portishead’s “Machine Gun” which seems almost designed to sonically assault the listener, but the payoff for making it to the latter half of the album is worth it to me. Picked up based on a recommendation from Sylvan Esso’s Nick Sanborn. Particularly fond of “More.”
10. "Colourgrade” – Tirzah (electronic): “Tectonic” came up on Roon radio and I immediately stopped what I was doing, sat down, and listened to the entire album. It’s definitely a little inconsistent, but it reminds me favorably of some of Tricky’s early albums with Martina Topley-Bird. “Hive Mind”, “Send Me”, and “Tectonic” are my favorite tracks.

EPS:

1. “Builder’s Brew” – All Day Breakfast Club (R&B/Funk/Jazz?): a play on the title of a Miles Davis album, this is an all-women group playing energetic, fun, power jazz/funk. Listen to “Old School Struggling” and tell me that you didn’t feel the urge to dance a little.
2. “the ‘dropped your hand while dancing’ chapter” – Taylor Swift: “coney island” will never not hit me in the feels.
3. “The Other Lover” – Little Dragon & Moses Sumney (R&B): Moses Sumney is one of the most interesting new artists for me in 2020, and he’s only getting better. If you didn’t listen to “Græ” last year, do it now.
4. “Is It Light Where You Are” – Art School Girlfriend (pop? Rock?): this three-track EP is enough to justify keeping Roon just for more recommendations like this.
5. “Forever Presence” – Jelly Cleaver (jazz): I heard Jelly Cleaver on NPR talking about “Builder’s Brew” and fell in love with her voice and sensibility.

Honorable Mentions:

• “Big Sleepover” – Big Boi/Sleepy Brown (hip-hop): so far loving this album, but really only had a couple of days with it. Not long enough to have much perspective.
• "I Don’t Live Here Anymore” – The War on Drugs (alt-rock): same.
• “Blackest Blue” – Morcheeba (trip-hop/electronica): a lovely return to form from a band I feel like I haven’t heard anything from in a long time, but haven’t listened as much as I want to.
• “Seventeen Going Under” – Sam Fender (rock): the title track (with its meditations on anger and youth) is almost good enough to make the list regardless of the album, but the rest of the album doesn’t feel nearly as strong. Going to give it some more listens though.

[Editor's note: I spend a surprising amount of time looking for these through my FB archive over the years, so I'm dropping these here mostly for my own ease of use.]