Favorite album of 2021?

[Ludi]

Now that 2021 is wrapping up, I was curious what y'alls favorite album of 2021 was. Mine was Promises by Floating Points and Pharoah Sanders. I haven't heard much electronic jazz before this record, but it absolutely captivated me and I highly recommend it :^)

 

Link:

 

Spoiler

 

 

[NuMetalManiak]

My top two picks for this year:

ERRA - self-titled album. Basically JT goes above and beyond in his vocals like never before, while the other band members continue to display in creative riffage, better production, and excellent balance between soft and loud.

Whitechapel - Kin. This album seems to further the evolution of Whitechapel from just full-on guttural deathcore band to one that goes for more melody. Phil's cleans are just amazing, and seeing more songs with them makes me appreciate their non-clean stuff more when I get to it. It even blends well with Ben's guitar at many moments.

[continuum.mid]

My narrow tastes don't exactly lend themselves to a "best albums of the year" ranking, but anyway, here are some things I enjoyed that came out this year.

 

sungazer - Perihelion

Adam Neely and Shawn Crowder demonstrate a lot of the advanced music theory they discuss on YouTube here, and the tracks here manage to use weird rhythms in ways that actually make for a good listening experience, and is in no way offputting.

 

Patricia Taxxon - Yes, And

Although the most major Patricia Taxxon release this year was The Flowers of Robert Mapplethorpe (a furry-themed glitch-pop album that is also very good), I think my favorite album from her so far is Yes, And. There's something about the sound design in this album that makes it so emotionally impactful, and the lyrics on the two songs that have them are excellent.

 

C418 - Cookie Clicker

I don't play Cookie Clicker, but I love C418. Seeing that he'd done a soundtrack for the Steam version of a game I've heard a lot of good things about was a pleasant surprise to me. This is for the most part classic C418 stuff, although it also sounds a lot like lo-fi hip hop at times. Hopefully this helps him become more than just the Minecraft guy.

 

Might post again later, in case I forgot something.

Edited December 30, 2021 by northivanastan

[Murdoch]

Feuer and Flamme by Dartagnan

Chapter 2: Legacy by Ad Infinitum 

Memento Mori by Feuerschwanz

 

Not listened to the last one fully yet as it's just released but they've released like four singles and i have loved them all so confident in the remaining album.

[TenenteZashu]

The Thirteen years of Nero by Ex Deo (actually one of my favorite albums in general)

and the single Masters of War by Amon Amarth

[Lippeth]

I liked Violence Unimagined by Cannibal Corpse quite a lot, and The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy by Rob Zombie was also entertaining. I suppose I don't really stay up to date with a lot of music, and have to assume I missed a good portion of great albums released this year, but those two albums stuck out for me and I've listened to them both quite a bit. I would almost want to mention Radiohead's Kid A Mnesia, as it was probably one of my most anticipated but it's just the leftovers from their early 2000s albums that didn't make the cut and it's whatever.

 

Edit: Oh god I just found out that Liquid Tension Experiment came out with a new album this year and I can't believe I missed it.

Edited December 30, 2021 by Lippeth

[Ludi]

9 hours ago, NuMetalManiak said:

Whitechapel - Kin

I quite liked The Valley, so I'll def check this out :^)

[hybridial]

It's funny that it worked out for me that all the albums I was interested in for the year came between the end of October and the end of November.

 

And it's a somewhat tough choice, Be'Lakor release Coherence, In Mourning released The Bleeding Veil, those two bands might be my favourites currently, and they're both really, really good. 

 

Khemmis, Omnium Gatherum and Swallow the Sun released good albums as well, and Be'Lakor recommended me Arbrynth when I bought Coherence on Bandcamp, and their second album which was a 2020 album probably is the best album I first heard this year, but basically retcons into my favourite 2020 album. 

 

I'll give Omnium Gatherum the best individual song though, Reckoning is just lovely.  

[ducon]

Maybe Ministry’s Moral hygiene.

[DynamiteKaitorn]

Being it's the only new album I've heard that dropped this year, I'm voting The Killers Pressure Machine.

After the weirdness of Wonderful-Wonderful and getting back into the swing with Imploding the Mirage, Pressure Machine really fits The Killer's sound well, in some cases it's like a mix of Sam's Town and Battleborn in a few ways.

[Jello]

Does a two cd rerelease with a third disc of unreleased or alternate versions of songs count? If so, Kid A Mnesia.

 

And honestly, I think that's the only album released in 2021 that I've listened to. I tend to stick with what I know, or start listening to older bands that I never really listened to before. Been busy, money's been tight, haven't really at ease enough to sit down and listen to something new. So I'll go with Radiohead's Kid A Mnesia. Plus that walking simulator for it was so good.

[whybmonotacrab]

I think mine is JPEGMAFIA - LP (offline version).  Other than that, Turnstile's Glow On got a lot of plays from me.

[iUsuallyDie]

Biffy Clyro - The Myth Of The Happily Ever After

 

Been a fan of theirs for nearly 2 decades now. I was supposed to be seeing them this month, but Covid has kept me indoors and postponed the show.

[Serum]

Silk Sonic

[Uncle 80]

Without a shred of doubt, my favourite album of '21 was Agression Continuum by Fear Factory! What a splendid surprise; their best album since Obsolete and featuring what I think was a career-best performance by Burton C. Bell. A bit sad to see him go, but I honestly beleive that Fear Factory needs a drastic change now to stay relevant - I hope Dino can find a new singer I like and that he can write some different lyrics than the "Machine vs. Man - Man vs. Machine - Man inside Machine - Machine inside man" thing that Burton has been doing for.... 30 years ;)

 

Second best was probably Moral Hygiene by Ministry - not exactly a face-melting or boundary-breaking record of any sort, but it sure was fun to hear Al & company try something a little different again, it's been a long time now since the amazing From Beer To Eternity (which I consider their best album since Dark Side Of The Spoon).

Edited January 3, 2022 by Uncle 80

[yakfak]

kayo dot "moss grew on the swords and plowshares alike"
doom-death gothy metal from a really great composer.

 

also listened to little simz "point and kill" like a thousand times but havent really taken in the full album at all

[Ludi]

17 hours ago, whybmonotacrab said:

I think mine is JPEGMAFIA - LP (offline version).

Fuck yes. Peggy doesn't get enough credit

[whybmonotacrab]

9 hours ago, yakfak said:

kayo dot "moss grew on the swords and plowshares alike"
doom-death gothy metal from a really great composer.

 

also listened to little simz "point and kill" like a thousand times but havent really taken in the full album at all

I didn't realise Kayo Dot had a new album! Maudlin of the Well was my favourite band for years, and while I didn't like Kayo Dot quite as much, I still loved them. I really need to pay more attention to metal haha.

[Ludi]

22 hours ago, yakfak said:

so listened to little simz "point and kill" like a thousand times but havent really taken in the full album at all

I really liked her new record. Funnily enough, point and kill was probably my least favorite song on the record haha