2021 MUSICAL REVIEW OF THE YEAR
Of around 170 new albums I’ve heard this year, I managed to whittle it down to a shortlist of just over 50, and then an eventual top 40. With a week of the year to go, Funeral Mist then released a blistering new album so I bumped everything up to a top 41. As I’ve been reviewing all the stuff I’ve heard as and when it’s been released, my wittering is slightly restrained in this year’s retrospective list!
Barely a quarter of my top forty (one!) are metal albums, much to my surprise, which reflects my changing tastes I guess. There was a time that thrash / death / black / heavy metal would occupy 95% of my year end lists. It’s not that I don’t discover plenty of metal that I like, just that much of it bores me quite quickly, very little sounds particularly new or fresh, and when it does I don’t enjoy it 😃 Also, it’s so easy to broaden your horizons in this digital age that I’ve found it more interesting seeking out music I wouldn’t have once touched with a bargepole.
As ever, the positions are quite fluid, and I haven’t even bothered ranking them outside the top 26. Everything here is excellent. To begin, a couple of albums I heard very late in the year, occupying a joint 41st place!
Being such late releases it’s difficult to gauge these. They’re both excellent slices of extreme metal, the first a technical onslaught, the latter crushing nihilism. In truth, I don’t listen to this sort of stuff as much as I once did, so not sure how long either will actually sit with me, but both definitely deserved a place in the top forty. I have a feeling I’ll look back on this list and think Funeral Mist should have been much higher though.
Positions 31–39, in no particular order
Arooj Aftab’s haunting third album has a stark beauty to it and takes influences from myriad sources, Allison Russell’s blend of folk and Americana really impressed me and also had some incredible lyrics, Black Country, New Road is an album I played a lot early in the year, a post punk effort with an unusual vocal, which wins extra points for sounding genuinely unusual, Death from Above 1979’s noisy dance/rock got plenty of spins from me in the summer, Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes stompingly good and infectiously catchy punk album was short but fun. The ridiculously prolific King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard brought out two albums this year, this was the first and effectively a sequel to their late 2020 microtonal affair. I didn’t get on with the other album they released, which was a breezy pop record. Another artist who bestowed two records on us in 2021 was Lana Del Rey, and again, I preferred one greatly to the other. This was more of the same from her, laid back, velvety ballads, as was the second, but I thought the latter had a few fillers. Powerwolf’s album was one I thoroughly enjoyed running to this year, with its up tempo bombast and power metal cheese. I can’t help but think Sabaton do this better though. Finally, the occult rock of Tribulation, with its catchy riffs and top notch song writing, is an album which has been in regular rotation with me all year.
27–30th, no real order again.
Dry Cleaning took me a couple of listens, due to the bizarre and quite sardonic spoken word vocals. The music is reminiscent of early 80s post punk and once that vocal clicks, it’s an excellent album. Japanese Breakfast’s blend of art pop and rock is another that’s slowly grown on me. The final two tracks in particular are superb, and kept me coming back for more. German doom/black metal band The Ruins of Beverast’s latest is another starkly grim affair, with a mix of glacial and hyper-speed riffs amidst an enchanting atmosphere. Amongst the best bands of this ilk around at the moment. Last but not least, one of my all time favourite artists Tori Amos released her best album in years in 2021, an album written in the solitude of lockdown, which is a bit more stripped back than some of her recent work.
It’s quite difficult to find anything which sounds genuinely fresh and unusual nowadays, but black midi’s energetic blend of spastic riffing, jazz, prog and post punk is a breath of fresh air. Cavalcade is a challenging listen at first but instantly captivated me, a record which never sits still and constantly thrills and surprises.
Third album from American singer-songwriter Dacus, one third of all girl trio boygenius, who have also spawned solo careers for Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker, both of whom also appear on this record. Dacus is a brilliant song writer, both musically and lyrically, and this is an emotive and personal album, let down by one track which employs autotuning (apparently because she was ill whilst recording it but I find it so off-putting I wish she’d just left it off. But I’ve always hated auto-tuned vocal effects). Otherwise this is superb, wistful with witty lyrics and great songs.
Third album from Australian vocalist/guitarist Courtney Barnett sees her deviate little from her previous records. Her accented and sardonic vocal play out over a selection of mid paced alternative rock. It’s probably the least of her three albums if I’m honest but the songs are still really strong.
Had never heard of this band before, one of my favourite discoveries of 2021. An energetic, vibrant punky sounding outfit, but not so much the shouty post punk that’s all the rage at the moment, this is speedier with a more melodic edge. Some great lyrics too, a band I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on in the future.
Long running post rock band Mogwai scored their first chart topping hit in 2021 with this superb album. Largely instrumental, with some crunching riffs, which swell from quiet restrains to triumphant highs, Mogwai are all about creating mood and atmosphere, although can also rock out with the best of them.
Current darlings of the alternative press and post punk scene, Idles fourth album sees them take a slightly different path than before. It’s still bristling with untamed anger and energy but the riffs are more staccato, pounding the listener into submission, although on a couple of occassions it bursts into a hyper speed bout of intensity. Lyrically they’re still providing a voice for the down trodden and working classes and remain absolutely vital.
Probably most famous for being the vocalist on the two Iron Maiden albums nobody likes (apart from me! And a select few others I know 😊), Blaze Bayley’s solo work since has been consistently excellent and under appreciated. Anyone who wishes Maiden themselves still wrote up tempo, short, sharp, melodic rockers would do well to check this album out as it’s exactly what you’re looking for. He’s also the nicest person in the business. Give him some love!
Debut release from singer songwriter Anna B Savage is a revelation. Her distintive, baritone vocal commands attention and the music and lyrics are searingly honest. It’s a really fresh, modern sounding record that defies labelling and one of the most exciting new albums of the year.
There was huge hype in power metal circles for this, as most of the German band’s classic line up reunited for the first time in 25+ years (the only one missing is sadly no longer with us). For the most part it delivered, doing exactly what you’d expect of it, up beat, catchy, melodic metal with both vocalists in fine fettle. The highlight is the 12 minute closing track written by Kai Hansen, his first writing credit and performance on a Helloween album since 1988. I’d like to have heard more from him. If I’m honest though, this hasn’t stuck in my playlist for as long as I thought it might, I played the hell out of it for a few months and then it slowly slipped away. But it’s still an excellent effort and a joy to hear these people working together again.
No surprises here, Wolves in the Throne Room deliver another fantastic album of atmospheric black metal, although keep the song lengths in check this time around. This sounds exactly as you’d expect from them and they’re one of the best at it, blast beating drums, high tremolo riffs, atmosphere enriching keys and raspy vocals. A band who never disappoint.
Another band who were new to me in 2021, 1914 concern themselves lyrically with the horrors of World War One. Musically they’ve a foot in both black and death metal and write some absolutely crushing riffs. There’s also the most unlikely cover of Eric Bogle’s The Green Fields of France you’ll ever hear!
One of my favourite black metal bands of recent(ish) years, Panopticon are generally desrcibed as a cross between folk and black, but this likely paints the wrong picture to those unfamilair with them. This is an album of utter ferocity, insanely fast blast beating and ice cold riffing, with occasional acoustic/folk passages. Sure, you’ll find the odd banjo or violin amidst the onslaught, but this isn’t your Finntroll or whatever you’d associate with the folk/black metal genre. Panopticon is the work of one man, Austin Lunn and on …Again into the Light… he pours his heart into both the music and lyrics to create something raw, poetic and all consuming.
An autobiographical and very personal album, Boy from Michigan is a return to form for John Grant after his polarising previous album. Whilst it does feature some of the bonkers electro work he introduced before, this is far more restrained and accesible, with some beautiful melodies, honest and witty lyrics and Grant’s incredible voice.
After releasing his first album in eight years in 2020, Jim Bob was so gratified by the reception it received, he stuck out another in 2021. The pair of them have brought him his first chart successes since the days of Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine, which is greatly deserved. He’s one of Britain’s great song writers and lyricists to my ears, and this album proves that again in spades. Eclectic and wonderful as ever.
An album which slowly wormed its way into me, long running British indie band James have a knack for writing emotive tunes which are steeped in melody, and have done so again in this, their 16th album. The music can sound simultaneously downbeat and euphoric, whilst upifting lyrically, no mean feat, and this is as good a collection of tunes as they’ve put out in a while.
Thrash metal veterans first album in eight years and first written together since classic era vocalist Steve Souza rejoined. It’s exactly what you’d expect, crunchy thrash riffs, pounding drums, blistering guitar solos, it’s fast and rips your face off from beginning to end. The band haven’t sounded this good since the 80s.
A raucous, sweaty punk assault from Australia, this is infectiously catchy, vibrant, melodic and in your face. The whole album swaggers with confidence and is an incredibly fun listen, with vocalist Amy Taylor’s rebelllious attitude and witty, personal lyrics taking centre stage.
A band who have always split the metal community, Cradle of Filth (with only surviving original member and frontman Dani Filth) have remained incredibly prolific over the years and have been in the form of their life over the last decade. This is another incredibly strong effort, another perfect blend of approachable extremity, cherry picking from most metal genres to create a hot pot of blast beating melody. There are some fantastic riffs throughout this and lyrically it’s more grounded, dealing with the climate and end of the world. Also features Doug ‘Pinhead’ Bradley as occasional narrator once more.
A slight departure for PSB, rather than structuring instrumental songs around old public service broadcasting clips, this is an album thematically based around the city of Berlin, capturing its history and vibes. That said, in of itself it’s not massively dissimilar to their previous efforts, although there are a couple of tracks with vocals on them. Perhaps a bit more low key and stripped back in places. They’re one of my favourite recent bands and whilst this isn’t as good as the first couple of albums, it’s still excellent.
Post rock Canadian instrumentalists Godspeed You! Black Emperor have released their finest album in some years in 2021. Stylistically nothing has changed, although the songs are shorter; the usual slow, atmospheric passages which build into uplifting and trimphant crescendos, but the writing has been turned up a notch. It’s an album which creates hope out of misery and provides a sense of optimism, as evidenced by the statement which preceded the album’s release “This record is about all of us waiting for the end. All current forms of governance are failed. This record is about all of us waiting for the beginning.”
Cave and his Bad Seed bandmate Ellis released this earlier in the year, it’s very similar to the last few Bad Seeds albums, evocative, soul stirring music, generally quite chilled, morose but simultaneously uplifting. As to be expected, it’s also lyrically brilliant, which adds extra power to the music. Cave has been on an incredible run lately and this is another quite brilliant collection of music.
I know this one has split opinions, and some will be flabbergasted to see it as my favourite metal album of the year, but I’ve played the hell out of this and really enjoyed it. Some of the criticisms, of the songs being too long, or too proggy, are positives for me, I’ve always preferred Maiden’s epic, lengthy tunes, and the final three, all at ten minutes plus, are the highlights of a strong album. For me this is the best Maiden have sounded for years and I also think the production job is stellar on it, a complaint I’ve had with some of their previous records. Up The Irons!
This only came out about five weeks ago and I’m already up to almost twenty plays with it. An astonishing duet between the English folk troubadour Richard Dawson, and Finnish prog rock/metal act Circle. It’s certainly not for everyone, Dawson’s earthy vocals will put some off, but this wild mish mash of King Crimson, Iron Maiden, Paul Simon and a horde of hobbits has absolutely captivated me. It’s full of catchy melodies amidst progressive passages and constantly surprises. A triumph.
Hard working folk punk act Ferocious Dog are one of the best live acts on the circuit just now, and fully deserve the success they’ve had with this lively and energetic record. It’s fast, frenetic and fiddletastic, taking obvious influences from the likes of Levellers and The Pogues, although also finds time to slow down for the heart rending title track (for which there’s also a tear jerker of a video). Been in constant rotation on my playlist since its release.
I’ve never made any secret of my love for Annie Clark’s music, she’s one of the most inventive and interesting artists in the world, constantly evolving, from art pop, electro rock, funk, acoustic and now a retro 70s album which incorporates everything from Sly and the Family Stone, Pink Floyd, Sheena Easton and War. Some great, varied guitar work and instrumentation, alongside passages of soul, rock and R&B, this is another fantastic album in one of the best discographies of the 21st century.
I’d have offered good odds at the beginning of the year against a Wolf Alice album topping my list. Whilst I always liked their first two albums, neither had blown me away and, if I’m honest, this didn’t on the first few listens either. But there was something about it that kept me coming back and somewhere around the 4th or 5th listen I was hooked and haven’t stopped playing it since. It’s also had me revisiting those earlier records a lot. This is such a great album, quite diverse, sometimes etheral and relaxed, at others quite rowdy. Ellie Roswell’s vocals adapt to anything the songs throw at her, she has a wonderful voice, and the song writing is terrific throughout. To be truthful, any one of my top three could have taken the top spot but I think this one edges it overall.
I was also able to get to eleven gigs and a festival once lockdown was over, kicking off with local noisemongers Warcrab. It’s been an absolute delight to see live music again after 18 months away. Highlights included a blistering headline performance by Frank Turner at Beautiful Days (which also saw excellent shows from the Levellers, James, Ferocious Dog, Headsticks and The Lakeman Family) and the man himself once again a week later in a small pub in Plymouth (which also hosted heavy metal legends Diamond Head and ex Maiden singer Blaze Bayley). Finally got around to seeing Public Service Broadcasting, who were every bit as good as I’d hoped, Idles, who laid waste to the Eden Project, and a double weekend header of JARV IS (Cocker) and Suede in Bristol. Rounded off with Jim Bob in London and Levellers on my home turf, two artists who never disappoint and were on fine form again here. All being well, I’ve Wolf Alice, Helloween, St Vincent, Anthrax, 1914, Wiegedood, Supergrass, Ride, The Wonder Stuff, The Cure and possibly Maiden at Download lined up for next year. Finger’s crossed it all happens!
