Best Albums of 2021
Sinner Get Ready is quite the harrowing experience. Not as harsh a delivery compared to the more power electronic leanings of her previous work, but still emotionally potent, especially with the strong balladry. The religious references, the Appalachian influences, the voice samples, and the use of ambient space or buzzing drones all work together to create this eerily dramatic album that is deeply affecting. This was the first full Lingua Ignota project I listened to and now I can't wait to see what she has in store next.
Inside was a bit of a cultural phenomenon this year, and for very good reason. The film was so personal, intimate, and captivating. Of course having some killer songs helped some as well. It's not just that Bo Burnham is hilarious and touched on very relevant themes amidst the pandemic, Burnham also flexed his songwriting and production chops as well, dipping his toes into so many popular genres while maintaining a high level of quality all throughout. He transcended comedic novelty and crafted songs that I genuinely wanted to listen to outside the context of his special. Not many comedians with musical leanings can achieve that in my opinion.
This is the record I second guessed myself on the most. Sure the vocals leave a little to be desired, but the more I go back to it, the more I am impressed by all the adventurous sound play and the incorporation of many different influences. This record is a world of its own that I thoroughly enjoy getting swallowed into. It's not my favourite record of the year, however, I would say it is certainly the most curious project I have experienced all year. One I'll be returning to time and time again.
I don't expect many to get behind me on this one, but I did really enjoy this new album from Tom and company. Arena rock sized guitar riffs that are compelling, epic sci-fi synth layers, and Tom DeLonge surprisingly still sounds great on record; even managing to push himself vocally on a few moments. I also appreciated the nods to proto-punk legends like The Who and of course the post-punk, new-wave stylings of influences like The Cure. Maybe I'm putting Tom on a pedestal because of how influential he was to me in my formative years, but that still doesn't change the fact that I found this record to be very entertaining.
After Serrated Man Sound, I thought Mason Lindahl slipped off the face of the Earth. There wasn't a peep from him for nearly twelve years. His absence would often trigger these random thoughts about what he might be up to, or whether he's still playing music. Very few artists I follow elicit that level of personal interest. Low and behold, I did get a new Mason Lindahl record this year and it is every bit as technically mesmerizing and emotionally moving as I would expect from him. I can confidently say that Mason Lindahl is the best guitar player you've never heard of.
I passed over this band's last record for reasons that, looking back now, are beyond me. After listening to Cavalcade, it became quite clear to me just how much black midi are masters of tension and release. In one breath they can create confounding, intricate, yet moving passages, and in the next, tear it all down in destructive fits. They do it in a way that only a brazen band like black midi could and the results are songs that are so incredibly enthralling. This record also boasts some of my favourite instrumental performances of the year, especially in the case of the drumming. I now humbly promise to never overlook this band again.
This record reminds me of how it feels to be young and strongly principled. With songs about endless freedom and eschewing cultural or familial expectations, listening to this record encourages me to continue living a life that is authentic to me. It also helps that the songs are insanely catchy and performed with precision and confidence, even at those blistering skate-punk speeds. Over the course of 2021, I've been listening to the band's first record quite a bit. With the release of Marriage License at the height of my interest for the band, Drinking Boys and Girls Choir have solidified themselves as one of my favourite pop-punk bands around today.
The field of tech metal and djent is booming right now, but no one does it as uniquely as vildhjarta. This amazing journey, which spans eighty minutes, provides an experience that is warped and disorienting thanks to the band's unorthodox approach to writing incredibly angular riffs. Behind the extremity, there is also a haunting beauty with how they pad the heavy rhythmic sections with these heavenly clean melodies. With a band as perplexing as vildhjarta taking you on such a lengthy journey, it's easy to feel lost. However, what vildhjarta does so well is self-reference and reprise certain riffs to add a semblance of familiarity. It's quite genius really.
Pacmanthemovie 2: Eat Lives is exactly the type of raucous punk and post-hardcore I like. The production is modest, but the songwriting and performances are more than enough to keep me engaged and excited. Miraculously, this record also manages to avoid a common pitfall of noisy, mathy, and esoteric music similar to this, which is that they tend to not make much of a lasting impression aside from the sheer extremity. With Pacmanthemovie, each song is also incredibly memorable, whether it be a particular guitar riff or insane vocal performance. This record is depraved, disgusting, and I love it.
It's funny how things work out sometimes. A duo that was hardly a blip on my radar prior to this year ends up stealing my heart with a fantastic record full of bombastic and busy percussion, metal guitars, and hyperpop synths. The appeal to Texis was immediate and I just had to keep coming back. Very rarely am I known to burst into song, but Sleigh Bells and their earworm hooks and melodies managed to bring that out of me on this one, which is a testament to how great this record truly is.
