#albumoftheyyear

[hermitologist]

My 21 Favorite Records of 2021

It’s been ... a year. Another year, in fact. Contrary to how things may seem at the present, we are not actually closing out the 24th month of an interminable 2020. 2021 came and went, and thank sweet baby jeebus that it brought a ton of great music with it. 

For those of you who might be new here. I try to get out and run 3-5 days a week, listen to something new (to me), and share it with you on Instagram. It’s been great -- I get to listen to new music, share it with people who appreciate it, and get some exercise in the process. I can’t really express how beneficial and life-transforming the combination of a steady influx of great new tunes and hypnotic morning runs has been for me. Doing something repetitive enough to get your heart rate up to the point where your brain can kinda idle, and then filling that buzzing grey matter with music is magical. Maybe that something is cycling, rowing, throwing heavy  things around at the gym, or just walking -- whatever will give you the space to fill your head with music. IT RULES. 10/10. Highly recommended. 

A couple things before we get to THE LIST. 

I’m not gonna rank any of these records, because: a) who cares, and b) I’ve done this enough over the past couple decades to know that my rankings changes literally every time I look at it. (I’m not very good at knowing when things are Actually Done.) 

There will also be no blurbs for each album this year because I ran out of adjectives by doing those record recommendations on Instagram. I’d encourage you to just LISTEN to these artists instead of reading about them and then decide whether or not you dig it. Spin my 21 For 2021 Playlist or click on an album for song samples and needle-drop through a record, whatever it takes. I’d hate to discourage you with the wrong pile of words, and don’t want to overhype anything. It was was pretty damn good year for music (all things considered) and whittling my picks down to a Top 21 was as hard as it’s ever been. There’s a good chunk of these records that I’m certain I’ll have in heavy rotation for the remainder of my days on this rapidly decaying orb. Good job, music!

And now ... let’s do the damn thing.

PLAYLISTS

21 For 2021 Playlist (Spotify)

21 For 2021 Playlist (Apple Music)

21 For 2021 Playlist (Tidal)

21 For 2021 Playlist (YouTube Music)

Other Records I Liked - 2021 (Spotify)

Other Records I Liked - 2021 (Apple Music)

Other Records I Liked - 2021 (Tidal)

Other Records I Liked - 2021 (YouTube Music)

Big thanks to Jeremy Fagundes for the Tidal  playlists, and Adam Planas for the YouTube Music playlists. If anyone wants to make me playlists on Deezer, YouTube Music, Google Play, or whatever, it’d be greatly appreciated.

21 RECORDS I REALLY LOVED THIS YEAR

Kowloon Walled City - Piecework

KWC Bandcamp

Low - HEY WHAT

Low Bandcamp

Genghis Tron - Dream Weapon

Genghis Tron Bandcamp

Joe Vann - Found In The Smoke

Joe Vann Bandcamp

Trade Wind - The Day We Got What We Deserved

Trade Wind Bandcamp

Every Time I Die - Radical

Every Time I Die Bandcamp

Madlib - Sound Ancestors

Madlib Bandcamp

Manchester Orchestra - The Million Masks of God

Manchester Orchestra Bandcamp

IDLES - CRAWLER

IDLES Bandcamp

Delving - hirschbrunnen

Delving Bandcamp

Yautja - The Lurch

Yautja Bandcamp

Cloud Nothings -  The Shadow I Remember

Cloud Nothings Bandcamp

The Armed - ULTRAPOP

The Armed Bandcamp

Architects - For Those That Wish To Exist

Architects Bandcamp

BLACKSHAPE - S/T

Blackshape Bandcamp

Shy, Low - Snake Behind The Sun

Shy, Low Bandcamp

Portico Quartet - Monument

Portico Quartet Bandcamp

shame - Drunk Tank Pink

shame Bandcamp

Fiddlehead - Between the Richness

Fiddlehead Bandcamp

Big Brave - Vital

Big Brave Bandcamp

Lantlos - Wildhund

Lantlos Bandcamp

-----------------------

33 OTHER RECORDS I LIKED A WHOLE LOT

Hammock - Elsewhere

Frontierer - Oxidized

Ovlov - Buds

Tonstartsbandht - Petunia

Rival Consoles - Overflow

Kollapse - Sult

Tanner Merritt - Cyrus I: The Weight of Reflection

GLASWING - I’m in the Checkout Line of my Life EP

Frequency Eater - Engulf

Zao - The Crimson Corridor

Concrete Ships - In Observance

Sarin - You Can’t Go Back

Quicksand - Distant Populations

Heiress - Distant Fires

Gojira - Fortitude

Portrayal of Guilt - We Are Always Alone 

Floatie - Voyage Out

Dvne - Etemen AEnka

Foxing - Draw Down The Moon

ZAHN - S/T

The Bronx - VI

Horte - Ma antaa yön vaientaa

MONO - Pilgrimage of the Soul

DFA 1979 - Is 4 Lovers

Angel Du$t - YAK

Glassing - Twin Dream

Blanket - Modern Escapism

Bummer - Dead Horse

Sleep Token - This Place Will Become Your Tomb

LLNN - Unmaker

FACS - Present Tense

Jonsi - Oblivion

Såver - Emerald (Split with Psychonaut)

10 EPs I LIKED A LOT

Drug Church - Tawny EP

Structures - None of the Above EP

Fange - Pantocreator EP

Blessed - iii EP

Clams Casino - Winter Flower EP

Glassjaw  - Coloring Book EP

Dan Mayo - Broken Roots EP

Luggage - Happiness EP

Cult of Luna - The Raging River EP

Militarie Gun - All Roads Lead To The Gun 1 & 2 EPs

3 RECORDS THAT DIDN’T COME OUT IN 2021 BUT GOT A TON OF SPINS

Literally all of the Mew

Yusef Dayes & Tom Misch - What Kinda Music

Snooze - Still

8 PODCASTS I HAD IN MY QUEUE ALL YEAR

Office Hours Live - humor, music, 

The Distraction - sports, culture, humor

Chin Music - baseball, music, culture

Effectively Wild - baseball

In The Bubble - COVID, public health

No Plus Ones - music

Hang Up & Listen - sports

Big Fat Five - drums

What’d I miss? Let me know in the comments.

#music #endoftheyearlist #top21 #podcasts #albumoftheyyear