We've classified the middle tier of this year's recap as the Ramen Noodles. Not bad, filling, and easy to consume - these are the albums that wont inspire much fanaticism, but they'll keep you from starving if you can't afford something with a little more flavor.
#76. Crawler by Idles
Idles returns with a quick recovery effort in the intentionally understated "Crawler", which contains much less pomp and circumstance than last year's "Ultra Mono" but is also undeniably drab and just as lyrically redundant. Following in the same low-fi, post-punk, indie jazz trail of Tropical Fuck Storm - Idles similarly just isn't as fun when they aren't fast paced. I guess there's a cool groove at the end of "Car Crash" but outside of that, this is another disappointment from a once promising post-punk revivalist act.
#75. Teen Week by dltzk
The production here is pretty wild for a 17 year old. Actually for anyone. But the vocals aren't my favorite. None the less, this is a solid demo and promising start for a young new talent. Not everyone has to come out of the gate hitting home runs and I have a feeling we've only seen just the tip of the iceberg here with dltzk. Can't wait to hear what he churns out next. Oh shit, he already released a follow up, to be continued...
#74. L.W. by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
This honestly felt like I was listening to a single riff stretched into an entire album. And still I somehow didn't hate it. And the last track, "K.G.L.W." which finds Gizzard return to their ass kicking ways after 8 tracks of dissonant noodling, is pretty solid. But with their prolific volume of output, this is just a minor detour for them I'm sure. Like the elevator music of their career as we await the next stop on their creative journey. Or just b-side leftovers from last year's "K.G.", take your pick.
#73. Lost Themes III : Alive After Death by John Carpenter
John Carpenter's third collection of unused themes and collaborations with his son Cody isn't quite as sharp as the two that proceeded it but that doesn't mean it's not worth checking out. Especially for die hard fans of the quadruple threat, tracks like "Cemetery" harken back to the glory days of this legendary writer/director/producer/composer. I'm definitely glad to be hearing anything from him again after his prolonged absence from the spotlight. But in all honesty, you're probably better off picking up the Halloween Kills soundtrack.
#72. The Color Blu(e) by Blu
As much as I loved last year's "Miles", I will say the one thing I didn't love was how much Blu raps about - well blue. I wish there was a total count on how many times he says the word "blue" on that album because I'm sure it's triple digits. And of course, with a follow up less than a year later titled "The Color Blu(e)" - in which 11/11 tracks have "blu(e)" in the title - it only gets worse. It's redundant as fuck. And I miss Exile.
#71. ULTRAPOP by The Armed
Self proclaimed pioneers of noise pop, The Armed return with their most ambitious project to date and easily their most successful fusion of hardcore noise and electro pop. It's an enticing experiment in melding clashing aesthetics, however the formula still isn't quite right. But I'm more than willing to stick around through the next round of trials if the outcome is close to this.
#70. Radical by Every Time I Die
One of the last surviving members of the late 00's metalcore scene, Every Time I Die returns with a slightly evolved sound on their 9th album, evoking melodic choral vocals that sound somewhere between System of a Down and Ghost. Which is a shame because on borderline butt rock songs like "Planet Shit" and "Post Boredom", it'd really be better if you couldn't understand the cringey lyrics. But there are a few trademark ass whippers buried in the stretch from "All This and War" to "The Whip" ("Hostile Architecture" being the stand out) it feels like for every song of headbanging bliss there's an unfortunate stylistic misstep to counter it.
#69. Being The Girl by Linn Koch-Emmery
Linn Koch-Emmery's debut LP has plenty of glossy electro pop charm but there are some odd detours along the way in which you can hear a stylistic tug of war taking place between cheeky pop sensibilities and gloomy emotional lyrics. Think a less musically inventive version of Chromatics or less lyrically talented version of PVRIS. But it's a fine debut, with highlights like "Blow My Mind" showing signs of a more cohesive sound on the brink, she just isn't quite there yet.
#68. Mood Ring by Kississippi
The biggest noticeable difference from Kississippi's first album to "Mood Ring" is the vast improvement in production. This is the confident, explosive debut I was expecting three years ago. Sadly though, the self assured vocals can only carry the album so far, as the songwriting is still less than optimal. But it's a big step in the right direction.
#67. The Million Masks of God by Manchester Orchestra
Andy Hull is a phenomenal song writer, but I can't deny that I miss the energy of "Mean Everything to Nothing" Manchester Orchestra compared to their more recent, reserved efforts. This latest album being the softest and least exciting yet. It's an okay listen, just kind of a letdown knowing the heights they've reached in the past.
#66. I Want To Live My Life by Stars Hollow
The debut LP from Stars Hollow feels like a hundred midwest emo openers you've seen before. A lot of cliche lyrics about "monsters in your closet" and wanting to better yourself screamed over tap riffs but hell, I'm a sucker for the sub-genre so I don't necessarily mind the predictability of it all. An okay way to kill 20 minutes, even if it's not entirely remarkable.
#65. Vince Staples by Vince Staples
I was so ready for Vince Staples to save the summer of 2021. Dude kept us waiting for 3 years (4 if you don't count FM! as one of his LPs - which Vince himself has said that he doesn't, for whatever reason) after the stunning "Big Fish Theory" and Staples returns with a self titled album only 10 tracks deep (2 of which are instrumental interludes) and 22 minutes of material. TOTAL. That's the whole ass record. A massive letdown for one of raps' most promising talents, Vince Staples delivers his first career misfire with a painfully mediocre and underwhelming record. Should have known. Has any self-titled album released after 1980 been good? If you don't even have the initiative to name your record, how much thought and effort could you have put into the project as a whole?
#64. I Don't Live Here Anymore by The War on Drugs
With the way the opening track introduces an unexpected somber tone, stripped down of all the vintage effects you're used to hearing from The War on Drugs, I thought we might be in for something different here. But nope. The rest of the record returns to the Genesis meets Rod Stewart retro rock sound the band is known for. Which is fairly enjoyable indie fare but the lyric "old, tired skin" sticks out in that it reflects how this band currently feels to me. Rehashing the same styles, with lesser versions of songs we've heard them play before in the same old, tired skin.
#63. Coming Down by Jail Socks
The North Carolina two piece take a little while to find their voice on their debut LP "Coming Down" but once they do, they really hit the ground running. Unfortunately it's not until track 7, "No Ground" and its' seamless transition into "On The Run". A promising effort from a musically gifted duo that just needs to hone in on crafting their own identity in the crowded field of midwestern emo.
#62. King's Disease II by Nas
While I loved what Nas did on "King's Disease" I really didn't anticipate a sequel less than a year later. It's another interesting fusion of trap and boom bap but much more repetitive than the original "King's Disease" and has about 2-3 underwhelming tracks for every good one. Which, sorry to say, is very on brand for the inconsistent Nas at this point in his career.
#61. Illusory Walls by The World is A Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die
With a band name like The World Is A Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die - pretension is somewhat of a forgone conclusion. But up until this point, the prog-emo pioneers have been somewhat capable of living up to the hype. However, their 4th LP finds the group struggling to fuse the handful of genres they're reaching out for until the final two tracks of the album. The nearly 16 minute long "Infinite Josh" is more interesting on it's own than the entirety of the material that proceeds it and the finale, "Fewer Afraid", carries that same epic energy. It's just a shame the rest of the album feels so tepid by comparison.
#60. An Overview on Phenomenal Nature
by Cassandra Jenkins
Cassandra Jenkins' lush and atmospheric sophomore record is a beautiful portrait of how to heal. I only wish the rest of the album were as poignant as the opening track "Michelangelo". It peters out in the tail end, especially the overly long environmental ambiance, aptly titled "The Ramble" which makes up for nearly 1/4 of the album's runtime on it's own. A phenomenal effort, it just doesn't feel fully fleshed out into a final product. More of a demo than an LP.
#59. Between the Richness by Fiddlehead
I love Fiddlehead's sound but the song structure gets a bit repetitive, especially on the ironically titled "Million Times". The spoken word thread through the album is also a little cheesy but the closing track finally finds the group piecing all of their most successful elements together. It's just kind of a bummer you've got to wait until the very end to hear their potential fully realized. But hopefully Fiddlehead has more like "Heart to Heart" in store for their next release.
#58. HEY WHAT by Low
You might not expect a slowcore two piece like Low to reinvent themselves on their 13th LP some 25+ years into their careers but dammit if that isn't exactly what they've done here with "HEY WHAT". And while it's an unarguably distinct sound they've honed in on with pulsing industrial waves of ethereal static wash out, the arrangements aren't quite dynamic enough to elevate the album past it's impressive production.
#57. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert by Little Simz
Little Simz is an outstanding rapper but the production on "Sometimes I Might Be Introvert" leaves a lot to be desired. Plus, who needs 5 interludes anyways? It's a little too grandiose for it's own good and as talented as she might be, I wish she had a little more dynamic production backing her now that she's 4 records into her career.
#56. Deep States by Tropical Fuck Storm
I loved hearing Tropical Fuck Storm fully embrace an evolution into full-on acid pop songs to open their third album but unfortunately the transformation wears off in the latter half of the record as they revert back to the same sleepy jazz punk that bogged down their previous LP. Don't be afraid of the change TFS, embrace it. Lean into those pop sensibilities!
#55. Nice One by Catbite
While we're somehow already on the 5th wave of emo, we haven't seen much in the way of a new wave in ska since Streetlight Manifesto and Bomb the Music Industry's short lived run in the late 2000's. But Catbtie is the most promising young act in the overlooked sub genre in some time, throwing in some rockabilly guitar leads in place of horns, which makes for a seemingly obvious crossover that hasn't really been tackled before. It's an upbeat, light-hearted, fluffy ball of cotton candy sugar that isn't substantive enough to revolve an entire diet around but makes for a fun treat every once in a while.
#54. Animal by LUMP
Honestly the thing I remembered most about this album was the weird liner notes spoken by the vocalist on the closing track of the album. Not in a bad way, I just don't recall anyone ever doing that before. Aside from that though, it's a pretty solid indie pop record. Oh hey, that's Laura Marling singing. Huh. That's neat. Next...
#53. Oxidized by Frontierer
Frontierer sounds like the electronic evolution of The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza. The glitch metal formula feels a little more programmed than Vein.fm but it's still a fun experiment none the less. Especially "SVVANS" - which really stretches the interesting potential of what this band could be going forward. It's a welcomed break after feeling like you're trying to drink from a fire hose for the rest of the album.
#52. Any Shape You Take by Indigo De Souza
"Any Shape You Take" is a pretty gutting indie pop exploration of the heartache of being trapped in a broken relationship, most exquisitely captured on "Way Out". The problem though is that it's the second to last track after some puzzling production choices may have already had most listeners tuning out. Case in point being my favorite section of the entire album buried under 2 straight minutes of chaotic ambiance and screaming on "Real Pain"
#51. Garden of Burning Apparitions by Full Of Hell
While I wasn't a huge fan of "Weeping Choir", Full of Hell takes an interesting jump forward on their 2021 follow up, shredding through 12 songs in some 20 minutes. My biggest gripe is that the longest sections of the record are dedicated to unlistenable noise tracks like "Derelict Satellite". But if you can look past that, this is a solid death grind outing.
#50. Frailty by dltzk
Well I certainly wasn't expecting dltzk to put a whole nother album out into the world so soon after "Teen Week" but here we are. "Frailty" brings out an emotional vulnerability and impressive growth in personality for the prodigious producer, showing a surprising ability to mature his sound in just nine months since his previous release. In fact, the record's biggest failing may be that it's a bit too ambitious - straying a bit too far into overly experimental and redundant themes once "Kodak Moment" hits. Still an incredibly impressive and promising debut year for the dude.
#49. ROADRUNNER: New Light, New Machine
by Brockhampton
The alleged farewell album from Brockhampton is much like the group itself, in that it starts off strong but fizzles out the longer it goes on. "Chain On" and "Bank Roll" are the stand out singles for sure but the emotional apex hits at "The Light". Which is kind of an issue because it's only the fifth song into seventeen track album. The momentum cut is especially harsh thanks to the song immediately following "The Light", which is the droning 6 minute "Windows". A decent effort, but kind of a lame note to go out on (allegedly).
#48. If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power by Halsey
I really questioned how noticeable Trent Reznor's involvement with this album would be but from the opening dissonant synth strokes on the first track, I started to think this might be a much more genuine collaboration than I initially imagined. That is, until "Lillith" hits and there's an abrupt stylistic retreat after the promising 4 tracks that kick the album off. Just listen to the difference between "Easier Than Lying" and "The Lighthouse" - the latter of which sounds like a contractually obligated Ellie Goulding recording a "sPoOkY" song for the Hotel Transylvania 5 soundtrack.
#47. Summerhead by Summerhead
With an eccentric mix of electronic break beats and shoegazey guitars - Summerhead is one of the most unique debuts of the year. With frayed out edges and blazing guitar leads layered over top, the vibe is actually almost more post-psychedelic than shoegaze - perhaps the next evolution of the sub-genre. My only major criticism of the album is that each song seems to carve out a familiar groove and just rest there. There's not much of a musical journey, the hooks are more content to just sit and chill. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just not all that engaging.
#46. Like a Stone by Remember Sports
I really love that music has reached a place where artists almost seem hesitant to repeat themselves, especially choruses. But Remember Sports seems to omit hooks almost entirely, as if all of their songs are made up only of verses. Which isn't terrible, it just makes it incredibly hard for the songs to stand apart. Especially for the tracks following "Easy" which finds the group at their most instrumentally innovative. But it's a breeze to listen to and makes you think that this might be what Hop Along would sound like had they debuted in 1993.
#45. LP! by JPEGMAFIA
JPEGMAFIA's latest release sounds like a digital house of mirrors. A funhouse flex of excellent production and yet again - frustratingly empty content exemplified most prominently on "END CREDITS!". But immediately following we find an incredible stretch of tracks from "WHAT KIND OF RAPPIN' IS THIS?" through the 90s centric "OG!", including album highlight "REBOUND". But the entire thing still feels more like a MIXTAPE! than an LP! And Denzel Curry's verse on "BALD! REMIX" is a harsh reminder of what more talented MCs can do with this production - as incredible as it is. JPEGMAFIA still has a ways to go on the mic.
#44. Screen Violence by Chvrches
After 2018's "Love Is Dead" I was honestly ready to write off Chvrches as another flash in the pan synthwave flavor of the month. But while far from perfect, "Screen Violence" shows the group still has plenty of promise and that their best material still might lie ahead of them. Songs like "Violent Delights" and "How Not to Drown" are some of the best Chvrches have ever put out but the tracks do drag out a tad long with 6 of the 10 clocking in over 4 minutes a piece. "Better If You Don't" ends the record on an unexpected note, with a surprisingly stripped down ballad making for the most impassioned performance vocalist Lauren Mayberry has ever delivered.
#43. YAK: A Collection of Truck Songs by Angel Du$t
It took me four records, but I think I finally found an Angel Du$t album I kind of almost enjoyed. It's still pretty simplistic, mid-tempo indie fare but this outing sounds incredibly tight and polished. The added production value with expanded instrumentation and even a guest feature from Tim Armstrong finally had me hearing the same band everyone's been shoving down my throat for 7 years. I still don't love it, but it's not bad.
#42. Haram by Armand Hammer and The Alchemist
I think I'm finally ready to declare Billy Woods the best MC going right now. But having said that - I miss his collaboration with Kenny Segal dearly. Granted, the Alchemist is no slouch himself. Billy drops some phenomenal bars here with Armand Hammer but as a whole, the record is a bit too frantic and inconsistent to really deliver the impact Woods is capable of. Especially in the latter half of the record. But standouts like "Stonefruit" and "Indian Summer" elevate this past last year's "Shrines", tenfold. But I still find myself chasing the high that "Hiding Places" gave me.
#41. Little Oblivions by Julien Baker
I sincerely don't mean to lump all female singer/songwriters in the same group but it's hard to ignore how many of them are being packaged and sold as the next Phoebe Bridgers. But like Phoebe's "Punisher" or recent efforts from Lana Del Rey, it feels like Julien's vocals are being asked to carry the songs way too much. And as phenomenal a lyricist and as emotionally raw as her words can be, the musical accompaniment just doesn't always match up - most notably on "Relative Fiction". But tracks like "Hardline" and "Bloodshot" are a sample of how incredible Julien can be, she just needs a more consistent backing to match her incredible voice.
#40. Sound Ancestors by Madlib
While it's not quite as wildly experimental as I was hoping, Madlib still delivers an impeccable collection of tracks despite only brief glimpses of the collaborative effort with Four Tet. It's a dense and immersive exploration of one of the best producers in the game's vast array of influences and showcases the kind of personality he infuses into every track he touches, regardless of the vocals (or lack there of). "One For Quartabe / Right Now" displays the biggest dose of Four Tet's influence but for the most part, this feels like a Madlib solo record. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just a little disappointing given the build up. But "Road Of The Lonely Ones" is worth the asking price alone.
View the Rest of the 2021 Year in Tiers Here:
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