The 50 Best Albums of 2021

 

	Artist	Title
50	Clan of Xymox	Limbo
49	Vince Staples	Vince Staples
48	Parannoul	To See The Next Part of The Dream
47	Gruff Rhys	Seeking New Gods
46	Morcheeba	Blackest Blue
45	Motorists	Surrounded
44	Blankenberge	Everything
43	Saint Etienne	I've Been Trying to Tell You
42	Piroshka	Love Drips and Gathers
41	Always You	Bloom of The Rose
40	Saccades	Flowing Fades
39	Dave	We're All Alone in This Together
38	The Coral	Coral Island
37	Gus Gus	Mobile Home
36	Durand Jones & The Indications	Private Space
35	Tuns	Duly Noted
34	Hard Feelings	Hard Feelings
33	K.D.A.P.	Influences
32	James	All The Colours of You
31	Floating Points	Promises
30	Wolf Alice	Blue Weekend
29	Godspeed You! Black Emperor	G_d's Pee At State's End
28	Veil of Light	Landslide
27	Kiwi Jr.	Cooler Returns
26	Celeste	Not Your Muse
25	Cadence Weapon	Parallel World
24	Self Esteem	Prioritise Pleasure
23	SUUNS	The Witness
22	Field Music	Flat White Moon
21	Massage	Still Life
20	Shame	Drunk Tank Pink
19	Lindsey Buckingham	Lindsey Buckingham
18	Jungle	Loving in Stereo
17	IDER	shame
16	Laura Mvula	Pink Noise
15	Teenage Fanclub	Endless Arcade
14	Ghetts	Conflict of Interest
13	Julia Bardot	Bauhaus L'Appartamento
12	Small Black	Cheap Dreams
11	Actors	Acts of Worship
10	The KVB	Unity
9	Dry Cleaning	New Long Leg
8	Hayden Thorpe	Moondust For My Diamond
7	Arlo Parks	Collapsed in Sunbeams
6	Nation of Language	A Way Forward
5	Arab Strap	As Days Get Dark
4	Mogwai	As The Love Continues
3	Museum of Love	Life of Mammals
2	Little Simz	Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
1	Beachy Head	Beachy Head

The 50 Best Albums of 2020

 

50	Nubya Garcia	Source
49	clipping.	Visions of Bodies Being Burned
48	Wiley	The Godfather 3
47	Fontaines D.C.	A hero's Death
46	Houses of Heaven	Silent Places
45	The Luxembourg Signal	The Long Now
44	Nadine Shah	Kitchen Sink
43	Clan of Xymox	Spider On The Wall
42	Empress Of	I'm Your Empress of Of
41	Bob Mould	Blue Hearts
40	Field Music	Making A New World
39	Dog Day	Present
38	Linea Aspera	Linea Aspera LPII
37	SAULT	Untitled (Black Is)
36	SAULT	Untitled (Rise)
35	Muzz	Muzz
34	Zoon	Bleached Wavves
33	Sufjan Stevens	The Ascension
32	Of Montreal	UR FUN
31	Peel Dream Magazine	Agitprop Alterna
30	The Reflectors	First Impression
29	Run The Jewels	RTJ4
28	Kestrels	Dream or Don't Dream
27	bdrmm	Bedroom
26	Moaning	Uneasy Laughter
25	Kylie Minogue	Disco
24	Korine	The Night We Raise
23	Supercrush	SODO Pop
22	Hazel English	Wake Up!
21	Rolling Blackouts	Sideways to New Italy
20	Shabazz Palaces	The Don of Diamond Dreams
19	Car Seat Headrest	Making A Door Less Open
18	Tame Impala	The Slow Rush
17	Washed Out	Purple Noon
16	Cut Copy	Freeze, Melt
15	Roisin Murphy	Roisin Machine
14	The Magic Gang	Death of The Party
13	Dua Lipa	Future Nostalgia
12	Caribou	Suddenly
11	Nation of Language	Introduction, Presence
10	Everything Everything	Re-Animator
9	Private World	Aleph
8	Blossoms	Foolish Loving Spaces
7	EOB	Earth
6	Tricky	Fall To Pieces
5	Ultraista	Sister
4	Jessie Ware	What's Your Pleasure
3	Jetstream Pony	Jetstream Pony
2	Perfume Genius	Set My Heart On Fire Immediately
1	Working Men's Club	Working Men's Club

The 50 Best Albums of 2019

This feels about right for this year.

50 Toy - Happy In The Hollow
49 Tindersticks - No Treasure But Hope
48 Murray A. Lightburn - Hear Me Out
47 Gang Starr - One of The Best Yet
46 Friendly Fires - Inflourescent
45 Raphael Saadiq - Jimmy Lee
44 Omni - Networker
43 Danny Brown - uknowwhatimsayin
42 Capitol Dream - Noise
41 Anyway Gang - Anyway Gang

40 Mikal Cronin - Seeker
39 clipping - There Existed an Addiction to Blood
38 White Lies - FIVE
37 One True Pairing - One True Pairing
36 Big Eyes - Streets of The Lost
35 Boy Harsher - Country Girl Uncut
34 Skepta - Ignorance is Bliss
33 Foals - Part 1 & 2 Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost
32 Lamb - The Secret of Letting Go
31 Blaqk Audio - Only Things We Love

30 FKA Twigs - MAGDALENE
29 Ladytron - Ladytron
28 Dead Horse One - The West Is The Best
27 slowthai - Nothing Great  About Britain
26 The New Pornographers - In the Morse Code of Brake Lights
25 Girl Ray - Girl
24 Operators - Radiant Dawn
23 Kano - Hoodies All Summer
22 Hot Chip - A Bath Full of Ecstasy
21 American Football - American Football (LP3)

20 Justin Sweatt - Say Your Goodbyes
19 Holy Ghost! - Work
18 Chromatics - Closer to Grey
17 Sampa - The Great The Return
16 Ex Hex - It's Real
15 Boy Harsher - Careful
14 Local Natives - Violet Street
13 Lower Dens - The Competition
12 Stealing Sheep - Big Wows
11 Redd Kross - Beyond The Door

10 Tallies - Tallies
9 Thom Yorke - Anima
8 Ride - This Is Not A Safe Place
7 The Soft Cavalry - The Soft Cavalry
6 Little Simz - Grey Area
5 Supercrush - Never Let You Drift Away
4 Young Guv - GUV 1 & 2
3 Ceremony - In The Spirit World Now
2 DIIV - Deceiver
1 Swervedriver - Future Ruins

The 100 Best Albums of 2018

I listened to over 200 new recordings this year, to varying degrees. Some I listened to briefly and moved on. Some I listened to often and moved on. These are the 100 albums in 2018 that I enjoyed most. Some of them still require some care and attention. Some of them will become classics I listen to for many years to follow. I thought there were a lot of really great albums this year, but I am not sure anyone made a truly amazing record. Probably because it is getting harder and harder to create something truly unique and fascinating. Still lots of wonderful artists out there making really sincere art. 

The sequencing up to 30 is pretty solid. Up to 50 is still pretty accurate. From 50 to 100 the sequencing gets a bit dodgy, even if my process and thought process remained sound throughout. I did not include e.p's, otherwise Nine Inch Nails, Aphex Twin, and Chromatics would all be here, and likely all in the top 30. There is probably an equal mix of popular artists and much less popular artists. The only list I have seen on the internet that is remotely similar might be Drowned in Sound, likely because it is UK based and most of my favourite music comes from the UK. Unlike the Pitchforks of the internet, this is a fun annual project for an aging music nerd, I don't care if anyone lands on this page. If you have though, I hope you find something interesting you have not heard before.

	Artist	Title
100	Foxwarren	Foxwarren
99	Twin Shadow	Caer
98	Chromeo	Head Over Heels
97	The Midnight	Kids
96	Editors	Violence
95	Creep Show	Mr. Dynamite
94	Jungle	For Ever
93	Snail Mail	Lush
92	Superchunk	What A Time to Be Alive
91	Born Ruffians	Uncle, Duke and The Chief
90	Troye Sivan	Bloom
89	Bush Tetras	Take The Fall
88	Wye Oak	The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs
87	Oh Pep	I Wasn't Only Thinking About You
86	Public Access T.V.	Street Safari
85	Bodega	Endless Scroll
84	Spiritualized	And Nothing Hurt
83	Mitski	Be The Cowboy
82	David Byrne	American Utopia
81	Bahamas	Earth Tones
80	Confidence Man	Confident Music For Confident People
79	Frankie Cosmos	Vessel
78	Belle Adair	Tuscumbia
77	Marie Davidson	Working Class Woman
76	Manic Street Preachers	Resistance Is Futile
75	Gazelle Twin	Pastoral
74	Starcrawler	Starcrawler
73	Shadowparty	Shadowparty
72	Lily Allen	No Shame
71	Yukon Blonde	Critical Hit
70	Shad	A Short Story About War
69	Young Galaxy	Down Time
68	Gus Gus	Lies Are More Flexible
67	Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks	Sparkle Hard
66	J Mascis	Elastic Days
65	Swearin	Fall Into The Sun
64	Fara-O	Pure-O
63	Laura Jean	Devotion
62	Grmln	Impressions From The Dark
61	Kamasi Washington	Heaven and Earth
60	John Grant	Love Is Magic
59	Ought	Room Inside The World
58	Single Lash	Providence
57	A Projection	Framework
56	Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever	Hope Downs
55	Hater	Siesta
54	Heaters	Suspended Youth
53	Gang Gang Dance	Kazuashita
52	Nothing	Dance on the Blacktop
51	Deeper	Deeper
50	ADULT.	This Behaviour
49	Wild Nothing	Indigo
48	Django Django	Marble Skies
47	Fucked Up	Dose Your Dreams
46	The Presets	Hi Viz
45	Suuns	Felt
44	Acid Dad	Acid Dad
43	Noname	Room 25
42	Iceage	Beyondless
41	The Beths	Future Me Hates Me
40	Saba	CARE FOR ME
39	Blood Orange	Negro Swan
38	Dead can Dance	Dionysus
37	The Good, The Bad, and The Queen	Merrie Land
36	Mourn	Sorpresa Familia
35	Xander Harris	Villains Of Romance
34	Parcels	Parcels
33	Fischerspooner	Sir
32	Creux Lies	The Hearth
31	Kurt Vile	Bottle It In
30	Boy Harsher	Lesser Man
29	Sloan	12
28	Denzel Curry	TA1300
27	Robyn	Honey
26	The Slow Readers Club	Build A Tower
25	Anderson .Paak	Oxnard
24	U.S. Girls	In A Poem Unlimited
23	Shopping	The Official Body
22	Christine and the Queens	Chris
21	Hookworms	Microshift
20	Neneh Cherry	Broken Politics
19	Moaning	Moaning
18	Actors	It Will Come To You
17	Interpol	Marauder
16	Janelle Monae	Dirty Computer
15	Suede	The Blue Hour
14	Pusha T	DAYTONA
13	Sunflower Bean	Twentytwo In Blue
12	Preoccupations	New Material
11	The Longcut	Arrows
10	The Orielles	Silver Dollar Moment
9	Field Music	Open Here
8	Vince Staples	FM
7	The KVB	Only Now Forever
6	Idles	Joy As An Act of Reistance
5	Beach House	7
4	Johnny Marr	Call The Comet
3	Anna Calvi	Hunter
2	Shame	Songs of Praise
1	Young Fathers	Cocoa Sugar