Favourite albums of last year
-
@sailingmagpie Jan 2022
I'm sure lots of you did a "best albums of the year" list, so let's see 'em!
Here's mine:
Anna b Savage - A Common Turn
Confessional acoustic singer-songwriter that detours into other genres like electronica, sometimes in the same song.
(Warning: Some NSFW themes in some of the songs)
https://youtu.be/GKjN2Eq_7wg
Dot Allison - Heart-Shaped Scars
Spooky, folky singer-songwriter
https://youtu.be/wuWF2tfxBd8
Floating Points / Pharoah Sanders / LSO - Promises
Amazing collab between an English electronic producer, an 80 year old saxophonist that played with John Coltrane and a symphony orchestra. Should've won the Mercury Prize imo
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m1EDXdgXNWy7O8O8kzJEK4pRCMybbqgIk
Francis Lung - Miracle
Upbeat indie songs with downbeat lyrics. For fans of Elliott Smith, Belle and Sebastian, Big Star, Beatles.
https://youtu.be/_tV13rTukjg
Haiku Salut - The Hill, The Light The Ghost
Instrumental pieces built around field recordings, one of which is some piano notes played while trespassing in an abandoned house.
https://youtu.be/XfQzFpxJgrs
Hamish Hawk - Heavy Elevator
Post-punk/indie with witty lyrics. He really sounds like Neil Hannon from The Divine Comedy.
https://youtu.be/yC_-YhydSyc
Joan as Police Woman / Tony Allen / Dave Okumu - The Solution is Restless
Three way jam sessions molded into songs. Sounds like trip hop played by a live band.
https://youtu.be/BgJDMvqRQAg
Lael Neale - Acquainted with Night
Lo-fi girl-with-an-omnichord lushness.
https://youtu.be/ZCTJEofv0xM
Rural Tapes - Rural Tapes
Like the soundtrack to an imaginary 60s/70s French film.
https://youtu.be/Jz2kr2NAXN0
Sarah Davachi - Antiphonals
Haunting instrumental pieces that sound like they're from medieval times but not as Rick Wakeman as that sounds.
https://youtu.be/WWCPdRsiUsQ -
@vomvorton Jan 2022
Lucy Dacus - Home Video
Illuminati Hotties - Let Me Do One More
Origami Angel - Gami Gang
Lily Konigsberg - Lily We Need To Talk Now
Quivers - Golden Doubt
Those were my big five favourites. It was a really good musical year for me though, found a ton of great new stuff. -
@sailingmagpie Jan 2022
@vomvorton The only one I've listened to of yours is Lucy Dacus, so I'll forcible insert the others into my ears.
-
@kanttila Jan 2022
I didn't listen to a lot of new albums last year. So I can't think of 10 I fully enjoyed, but these were my highlights.
Japanese Breakfast: Jubilee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z3-9FR68Qw
BiSH: GOiNG TO DESTRUCTiON
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnDOI5Vy6Gg
PEDRO: Gojitsu Aratamete Ukagaimasu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izmB2MiL88o
BAND-MAID: Unseen World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yD3IqrLtPk
the peggies: THE GARDEN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhPVcrCLq0Q
Aina The End: THE END
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIUBI1t7UME
BRADIO: Joyful Style
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVaJPla13aA
PUFFY : THE PUFFY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTmjOBt3Az4
I love Jubilee, I was hoping Japanese Breakfast would make a good album and Michelle finally delivered! It's fantastic, every song! -
@vomvorton Jan 2022
@sailingmagpie the only one from your main list I've heard is Haiku Salut, so I shall be doing the same!
-
@sw1n3flu Jan 2022
Laxative of Thought - When Two Parallels Collide
-
@ayehahmur Jan 2022
Well this thread has just made me realise that ... I didn't really listen to much in the way of new music at all last year.
I'm aghast.
So, I shall be using this thread as homework. Thanks! -
@rickcannon Jan 2022
The Marías - Cinema
Remi Wolf - Juno
Jorja Smith - Be Right Back
Lucid Express - s/t
Bachelor - Doomin' Sun -
-
-
@ampersandman Jan 2022
My Top 20. If you don’t know it, it’s most likely a German thing you wouldn’t understand.
1. Black Midi - Cavalcade
2. Wolf Alice - Blue Weekend
3. The Notwist - Vertigo Days
4. Torres - Thirstier
5. Musa Dagh - Musa Dagh
6. Turnstile - Glow On
7. Thrice - Horizons/East
8. Dyse - Widergeburt
9. Ovlov - Buds
10. Team Scheisse - Ich habe dir Blumen von der Tanke mitgebracht (jetzt wird geküsst)
11. Tristan Brusch - Am Rest
12. Motorpsycho - Kingdom Of Oblivion
13. Converge/Chelsea Wolfe - Blood Moon I
14. Squid - Bright Green Field
15. Die Ärzte – Dunkel
16. Cloud Nothings – The Shadow I Remember
17. Slut - Talks Of Paradise
18. Dinosaur Jr. - Sweep It Into Space
19. Mastodon – Hushed and Grim
20. Tomahawk - Tonic Immobility
Not listed, because 2020, but also one of my favorites of the year is „A Hero’s Death“ by Fontaines D.C. -
@bradbrubaker Jan 2022
Favorites from 2021, in approximate order:
(1) Beach Bunny - Blame Game
Death From Above 1979 - Is 4 Lovers
Halsey - If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power
Bachelor - Doomin' Sun
Shungudzo - I'm not a mother, but I have children
TV Priest - Uppers
Flock of Dimes - Head of Roses
Noah Gundersen - A Pillar of Salt
Sleater-Kinney - Path of Wellness
Common - A Beautiful Revolution (Pt 2)
Goat Girl - On All Fours
As a bonus, here is a 2021 playlist with favorite tracks from over 50 albums.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5dB0IIRACykaQt9z4o3gbZ?si=ec6865d63c374355 -
@vomvorton Jan 2022
Oh yeah, I did a playlist too.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3QTW5zvzSeYRQVs9IAQkDZ?si=G1Bb7zYHTai9tJwyYCx4Nw -
-
@frenchcricket Jan 2022
1. William Doyle - Great Spans of Muddy Time
2. Bo Burnham - Inside (The Songs)
3. Low - Hey What
4. Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee
5. Clairo - Sling
6. Self Esteem - Prioritise Pleasure
7. Tori Amos - Ocean to Ocean
8. Madlib - Sound Ancestors
9. Gruff Rhys - Seeking New Gods
10. John Grant - Boy From Michigan -
@petemurphy Jan 2022
To mention one by a fellow FAWMer, "Dump" by @Fuzzy / Toad Doctor is brilliant -
https://wormholeworld.bandcamp.com/album/dump
Also, this album by Dr Vanessa Sinclair and Henrik Nordvargr Björkk
https://vanessasinclairhenriknordvargrbjrkk.bandcamp.com/
As a result of discovering and falling in love with this album, I ended up making three albums with Vanessa Sinclair last year.
There are a few others, but I ended up having some involvement in them, so it's not really fair to say. -
@dzdandcunfsd Jan 2022
I too haven't listened to a lot of new music from last year outside of here and 50/90, but two I did really enjoy have already been listed.
Low - Hey What
Dinosaur Jr - Sweep It Into Space
I'm waiting on my cd from Toad Doctor :)
Other fawmers whose 2021 albums I really enjoyed were
Candle - Catharsis
Bill White - The Dark Room 1-4 (I haven't listened to the 5th in that collection yet)
Freaks of Nosmo 9 - Call of the Snail Woman
Will throw a big honorable mention to Wolf Kier as well since I intensely listened to most all that he plans to release soon while I was in 2021. -
@kiffa Jan 2022
I didn't listen to a lot of new albums this year. It was nice to have ABBA back, but I can't say that "Voyage" included any songs I think people will still be singing 40 years from now, like with their older material. Garbage and Chvrches, two bands I really like, put out albums that I'm ashamed to say I haven't even listened to yet.
The one album from the past year that I've listened to more than a couple of times and have really enjoyed is Duran Duran's "Future Past", which strangely enough, made a lot of Top 10 lists at year's end. -
@sailingmagpie Jan 2022
I love the (almost) complete lack of crossover from everyone's lists so far! Shows how diverse FAWM is.
-
@billwhite51 Jan 2022
John Coltrane A Love Supreme live in Seattle
5 CD deluxe set of Zappa's 200 Motels
new albums by Comor Oberst, Natalie Imbruglia, Elvis Costello, tori Amos, amd Van Morrison. -
@ianuarius Jan 2022
I haven't heard any albums mentioned here. Weird. I listen to a lot of new stuff.
-
@silvermediapro Jan 2022
oh man, it's so hard for me to remember what all came out last year; here are some favs just from skimming my spotify:
-still woozy's "if this isn't nice i dont know what is"
-bruno mars + anderson paak's "an evening with silk sonic"
-pretty much everything cory wong put out last year
-dj drez' "the paramahamsa mixes"
-wolf circus' "telephone dreams"
-and honestly i enjoyed snoop dogg's "algorithm" way more than i was expecting
-OH and the love serve remember foundation dropped the first edition of the soul land music series, such a fun compilation! -
@ianuarius Jan 2022
Well, ok, but since you asked and must really wanna know, here's a playlist of my top 100 tracks of 2021:
https://open.spotify.com/user/1150039910/playlist/7lWQwhIKzLPEatKYPav8T0?si=mBNcvsItQPSiFWzkTJjrsg
As for whole albums.....
Thomas Bergersen's Humanity Chapter IV is an absolute masterpiece.
Kebu's Urban Dreams is something you gotta listen to as an album.
I don't know about the rest.
Battle at Garden's Gate by Greta Van Fleet is excellent.
Beast In Black's Dark Connection has excellent tracks.
I don't know if I love them as albums, tho. But cool stuff.
Mary Friedman's Tokyo Jukebox 3 was neat.
So there. -
@sph Jan 2022
Deep Sea Diver - Impossible Weight
The album might be from 2020 but only discovered them on TinyDesk and absolutely loving what they do!
Jaga Jazzist - The Tower (live versions of their Pyramid album)
St. Vincent - Daddy's Home
also got "Failure - Wild Type Droid" and "Motorpsycho - Kingdom of oblivion" but have to listen more to them -
@auditasum Jan 2022
@vomvorton the Lucy Dacus album was so good!
I didn't listen to enough new music this year. Mostly dove into the discography of singer-songwriters I already like. New additions:
Joy Oladokun - In Defense of My Own Happiness
Modest Mouse - The Golden Casket
Mothica - Forever Fifteen
Kacey Musgraves - Starcrossed
TSwift's Taylor's Version (tm) re-records, esp the new bonus songs
The Encanto Soundtrack (so stuck in my head right now)
my internet friend A.P. Harbor - What a Circle is Worth (I play the accordion on "Peach Tree," but also his work is just good) -
@ianuarius Jan 2022
Here's EVERYONE's favorites as a playlist:
(Somebody erased it for some reason? Please mods, don't throw away my work.)
https://open.spotify.com/user/1150039910/playlist/7fisNK64KcpjrgwSGqQuaI?si=WnGCPyd7QfaSEzVgrn2udQ
-
-
@ianuarius Jan 2022
@sailingmagpie just listened through some stuff on your list.
Anna B Savage wasn't really for me, and then I got to Dot Allison and at fisrt thought "ok, more of the same", but no, actually I rather enjoyed that. Ghost Orchid was cool and Can You Hear Nature Sing.
Francis Lung surprised me. Again, a slowly intro, but then it got going. Bad Hair Day was fun! I might be listening to that later.
Haiku Salut started playing and I thought I just turned on a Winged Victory For The Sullen album. But, this one has more of a sound-effect-y ASMR-y overlay. It's interesting, but somewhat distracting to someone with my affliction. -
@adforperu Jan 2022
Here was my top 10:
01. Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The LSO - Promises
02. Snail Mail - Valentine
03. SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE - ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH
04. LUMP - Animal
05. Anna Fox Rochinski - Cherry
06. Arooj Aftab - Vulture prince
07. Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee
08. Baby Boys - Threesome
09. Black Country, New Road - For the first time
10. Lips - I don't know why I do anything
However, much like @vomvorton and @skylermf , I gave the Indigo de Souza album a fair few spins late in December and it has comfortable crept up into the top 10 (I had it as 17th!) -
@ampersandman Jan 2022
Woah, cool, thanks @ianuarius!
-
@sailingmagpie Jan 2022
@ianuarius I was quite nonplussed at first by Anna B Savage as well. I think it's because her vocal delivery is a little theatrical. The more I listened to it though, the more it grew on me. Seeing her live in the summer helped too.
That Dot Allison one feels like it should be the soundtrack to a 70s folk horror like The Wicker Man!
I can see why the Haiku Salut one could be distracting though. You might like the Sarah Davachi one more. Similar mood but without the field recordings (and a bit more medieval!).
And thanks for putting that playlist together. Makes it much easier to check out others' favourites! -
@sailingmagpie Jan 2022
@vomvorton @skylermf @adforperu That Indigo de Souza record has been on my "to listen to" playlist for a while, so I should probably give it a spin.
-
@nadine Jan 2022
First year I didn't buy any record. Because you FAWMers kept me busy listening to your songs.
-
@blueone Jan 2022
I didn't think it was a vintage year for music, last year. I imagine part of that was due to the (ongoing) pandemic hangover. I did enjoy quite a few releases though, some highlights:
Big Red Machine - How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?
(a side project of Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and Aaron Dessner of The National - electronic-leaning, full of guest spots - really engaging)
Wild Pink - A Billion Little Lights
(a big, bombastic, and beautiful indie dreampop record to get lost in)
The Killers - Pressure Machine
(seen this described as The Killers' version of Springsteen's 'Nebraska', which is accurate, I think - loved this one) -
@swampjaw Jan 2022
St. Vincent, Daddy's Home. Very good stuff.
And the new Spoon album, coming this year. OMG. Best. Spoon. Ever. They've teased a few videos, and I can hardly wait.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4vl4T1hEuQ -
@mahtowin Jan 2022
I´ve listend a lot to the music of Sigur Ros, William Basinski, Zoe Keating, ...
-
@gubna Jan 2022
Allen Ravenstine - Shore Leave
https://allen-ravenstine.bandcamp.com/album/shore-leave -
@nancyrost Jan 2022
If anyone else wants to add some description about what they liked about the favorites they're listing, that would be helpful to me and probably others who want to check some of this stuff out but aren't familiar with many of these artists.
-
@sailingmagpie Jan 2022
@nancyrost I thought about including descriptions of each of my choices but thought I'd come across as droning on!
I'll go back and add to my original post. -
@petemurphy Jan 2022
The latest album by Penfriend (formerly "She Makes War") is a brilliantly crafted slice of indie rock.
Laura is a great songwriter, arranger, performer, and lovely lady.
The album also made it into the UK top 40, which is ace for a completely independent artist.
If you're short on time, I recommend "Seventeen" and "Out Of The Blue", but the whole thing is fabulous.
https://penfriendrocks.bandcamp.com/album/exotic-monsters -
@w1n Jan 2022
Listened to a lot of music but this was my 3 favourite:
Daniel Ögren - Fastingen -92
https://danielogren.bandcamp.com/releases
Swedish artist. Lovely, playful, uplifting and melancholic instrumental album, whenever I felt gloomy last year I put on my headphones, turned on this album and started walking. And let the albums nostalgic warmth fill me with dreams of a less socially distanced future.
Dina Ögon - Dina Ögon
Another Daniel Ögren project, sounds a bit like Rumours/Tusk era Fleetwod Mac bonding with Khruangbin over some groovy slowed down Motown drum samples. Sunny music for sunny days.
https://singasongfighter.bandcamp.com/album/dina-gon
Absolutely Free - Aftertouch
https://absolutelyfree.bandcamp.com/album/aftertouch
A psychedelic synth pop band from Toronto. I guess they could remind people of Tame Impala/Broadcast/Caribou.
I suffer from insomnia, and this has been my go to music for sleepless nights. -
@ianuarius Jan 2022
I updated the playlist with the rest of the stuff.
It's only 5 tracks from each release, but still getting over 41 hours. Maybe I should've went with three... -
@mattwdunn Jan 2022
I didn’t listen to a hell of a lot of new music last year but out of the stuff I did listen to these albums are the ones I still go back to regularly
Bleachers - Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night
Manic Street Preachers - The Ultra Vivid Lament
Sam Fender - Seventeen Going Under -
@readerwriterpoet Jan 2022
HI everyone this is a thread I am SUPER excited about!!! I can’t wait to listen to some of y’all’s suggestions! here are my fav albums of 2021!
ignorance - the weather station
- truly the best piece of media encompassing climate grief I’ve ever encountered. a treat for the ears, produced and engineered to perfection, folky jazzy chamber sophistipop with tamara lindeman’s brilliant pen and delicate voice leading the songs.
animal - LUMP
- collaboration between laura marling (my fav musician) and mike lindsay, an album I keep coming back to, rocking and organic and shoegazey and absolutely f-cking groves. laura is free to write nonsensical stream-of-consciousness lyrics and it’s genuinely a treat to listen.
still as your sleeping - karine polwart & dave milligan
- kp is probably my second fav musician ever, a scottish folksinger and songwriter. in this album with pianist dave milligan, they put their own spin on some traditional songs, and karine treats you with some originals. lush piano-driven folk that is truly a healing balm for the soul.
sometimes i might be introvert - little simz
- my favorite rap/hip hop album I’ve ever listened to. sweeping, impossibly lush orchestral arrangements illuminate everything and it bursts with light and life. simz is a poet for the ages and has perfect flow and cadence.
the turning wheel - spellling
- she’s been compared to kate bush for her vocal delivery and genius genre-bending experimentation, but she creates something that is all her own here. art pop for the ages, with clear prog, rap, jazz, and classical moments.
see this tweet of mine (https://twitter.com/angylesbian/status/1476729652542676992?s=21) for more (and get involved in music twitter if that sounds like fun for you! literally we all just talk about our favorite albums all the time along with new releases! it’s honestly just a bunch of gays talking about our undying love for fiona apple and tori amos and kate bush lol)
it’s -
@fearlessflight2014 Jan 2022
I discovered Gabriel Kahane last year through the YouTube video of the apartment sessions doing his amazing song ‘Empire Liquor Mart’. I then fell in love with his very stripped back piano/voice album ‘Book Of Travellers’ which I’ve listened to SO many times and it slays me every time. Especially the track ‘Model Trains’ which I listened to on repeat for most of a week.
-
@ayehahmur Jan 2022
@sailingmagpie I've been really enjoying Anna B Savage on your recommendation above. Man, what a voice she has. Reminds me of Nadine Shah, which is a massive compliment from me. Lovely, lovely stuff. Thanks for the tip!
-
@guatecoop Jan 2022
Some of these were 2021, but a few were either later 2020 or I didn’t listen to them until 2021 even though they were released in the second half of 2020…..
Khruangbin- Mordechai
Crumb- Ice Melt
Bob Mould- Blue Hearts
Leon Bridges- Gold-Diggers Sound
Land of Talk- Calming Night Partner EP
Mr Elevator- Drips/Drops
Lord Huron - Long Lost
Real Estate- Half a Human
Seems like there are more, but that’s what I can think of. -
@pbtaylorjr Jan 2022
I don’t know if they intended to have it out at the end of the year or the beginning of this year, but Apple Music says it released on December 31st.
“The Place That You Want To Be” by Playlist: Eternal Passion
I am online friends with the guys that made this album but it genuinely turned out to be a great album I really love without any bias required. -
@sailingmagpie Jan 2022
@ayehahmur I loved Nadine Shah's Kitchen Sink album. That was in my 2020 top ten. I can definitely see the resemblance between her and ABS.
-
@wacha Jan 2022
My favorite album of 2021 is "Daddy's Home" by St. Vincent.
I little kid like this one, I can't tell you have many times I've listened the album in its entirety and then certain songs individually.
