The best Albums of 2021 that did not make it into the yule calendar
Every year I have the hardest time whittling down the albums released during the year to the tiny amount of albums I’m allowed to nominate. I have come to start by removing all metal, HC and Rap that I suspect will be too harsh as well as any electronic music that might be too sparse or repetitive for my colleague’s delicate earbuds. After that there are no shortcuts. Painful decisions have to be made.
Then the votes are cast and inevitably, some of the great music I have so very very carefully picked out, just doesn’t make it through. The only thing that keeps me sane during this process is the knowledge that I will be able to present some of the releases that didn’t make it all the way to the actual top 10 list here.
I have lumped the albums together in some loose categories starting with 3 albums that perhaps could be considered somewhat experimental in sound. Perhaps the album I have listened to the most this year outside the ones found on the actual top 10 list would be Darkside’s sophomore effort Spiral. I have likewise spend a lot of time with Low’s I-don’t-know-mayby-one-millionth-album Hey What it is after all somewhat hypnotizing. Also this year Public Service Broadcasting returned with their 6th album. All of these might be somewhat of an acquired taste but oh how I have acquired it in that case.
Then I’d like to highlight some excellent indie rock records that for one reason or the other didn’t make our top 10 list but all came oh so close to. The Notwist, Helvetia and Ovlov all made excellently noisy rawkus on 3 respective albums; Vertigo Days, Essential Aliens and Buds.
Of Course 2021 wasn’t all white noise and feedback. There were a slew of excellent more acoustic affairs such as House of Confusion by Trace Mountains, Marriage Material by Lorkin O’reilly and In Heaven by Strand of Oaks.
This year saw some amazing rap albums and mixtapes by some of my favourite still active legends, chief among them in my opinion would be Stray From the Pack by Kev Brown and J Scienide, Hidden Files by Tragedy Khadafi and just some weeks ago Jedi Mind Tricks released he superb The Funeral and the Raven.
And of course no year would be complete without some banging brutal music. Panopticon made perhaps his best album in years …And Again Into the Light. Also I found two new acquaintances; Thirdface’s Do it WIth a Smile and Closer’s Within One Stem, both of which offer music in the demilitarized zone between Metal Core and Grind Core that sound super pissed just the way I like it.
