A Year in Music | 2021
Lists are often approached with a certain sense of cynicism and for good reason—things are left out, biases are exposed, varying pressures assumed. For me, list making has always been a way in which to understand my vantage point within a complex media landscape and as a way to take in and appreciate each year as it goes by with intention. It’s also a very effective way to account for the obsessive amount of music I take in each year. As a graphic designer a lot of my time is spent at the computer and during that time I am usually listening to music. The lists that follow are albums that came out in 2021 that I spent the most time with, enjoyed the most, and/or thought were the most compelling/groundbreaking. The albums in these lists are considered to be personal favorites, as opposed to what I think is the best. There’s nothing definitive here. I try not to repeat any artist in order to include more variety. I don’t use streaming services. The links for these albums will go directly to their Bandcamp pages. If the artist doesn’t have a Bandcamp page, you can search for the music yourself. I hope you enjoy!
50 ALBUMS |10 SONGS | YEAR END MIXES | ETC
50 ALBUMS
1.
Black Country New Road
For the first time
Ninja Tune
2.
Lost Girls
Menneskekollektivet
Smalltown Supersound
3.
Tyler the Creator
CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST
Columbia
4.
Low
HEY WHAT
Sub Pop
5.
the body
I’ve Seen All I Need to See
Thrill Jockey
6.
King Gizzard &
The Lizard Wizard
K.G. / L.W.
Flightless
7.
Lingua Ignota
SINNER GET READY
Sargent House
8.
Armand Hammer
x The Alchemist
HARAM
Backwoodz Studioz
9.
Iceage
Seek Shelter
Mexican Summer
10.
black midi
Calvacade
Rough Trade
11.
Dry Cleaning
New Long Leg
4AD
12.
JPEGMAFIA
LP! / EP2!
EQT Recordings
13.
serpentwithfeet
DEACON
Secretly Canadian
14.
Wiki x Navy Blue
Half God
Wikiset Enterprise
15.
Fucked Up
Year of the Horse
Tankcrimes
16.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
G_d’s Pee AT STATE’S END!
Constellation
17.
illuminati hotties
Let Me Do One More
Hopeless
18.
Courtney Barnett
Things Take Time, Take Time
Mom+Pop
19.
The Mountain Goats
Dark in Here
Merge
20.
Sufjan Stevens
A Beginner’s Mind / Convocations
Asthmatic Kitty
21.
Floating Points & Pharoah Sanders
Promises
Luaka Bop
22.
Bríi
Sem Propósito
Lovers & Lollypops
23.
Dean Blunt
Black Metal 2
Rough Trade
24.
Pink Siifu
GUMBO’!
self-released
25.
Moor Mother & Olof Melander
Black Encylopedia of the Air
Anti-
26.
Cassandra Jenkins
An Overview on Phenomenal Nature
Ba Da Bing!
27.
Spirit of the Beehive
ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH
Saddle Creek
28.
Matt Berry
The Blue Elephant
Acid Jazz
29.
Lana Del Rey
Chemtrails Over the Country Club
/ Blue Banisters
Polydor
30.
Deerhoof
Actually, You Can
Joyful Noise
31.
Parquet Courts
Sympathy for Life
Rough Trade
32.
Genghis Tron
Dream Weapon
Relapse
33.
madam data
The Gospel of the Devourer
PTP
34.
Turnstile
Glow On
Roadrunner
35.
Tenue
Territorios
Alerta Antifascista
36.
Lyra Pramuk
Delta
Bedroom Community
37.
Thirdface
Do it With a Smile
Exploding in Sound
38.
Madlib & Four Tet
Sound Ancestors
Madlib Invazion
39.
Driftloss
Driftloss / Afterlife
self-released
40.
The Weather Station
Ignorance
Fat Possum
41.
Injury Reserve
By the Time I Get to Phoenix
self-released
42.
Alan Vega
Mutator
Sacred Bones
43.
Tomahawk
Tonic Immobility
Ipecac
44.
Soul Glo
DisN**** vol. 1 & 2
self-released
45.
Vince Staples
Vince Staples
UMG
46.
Giant Claw
Mirror Guide
Orange Milk
47.
Pile
In the Corners of a Sphere-Filled Room
self-released
48.
Ben Seretan
Cicada Waves
NNA Tapes
49.
Burial/Blackdown
Shock Power of Love
Keysound
50.
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
This is a Mindfulness Drill
Jagjaguwar
10 SONGS
1.
Black Country, New Road
”Sunglasses”
© Ninja Tune
2.
Parquet Courts
”Walking at a Downtown Pace”
© Rough Trade
3.
Sharon Van Etten & Angel Olsen
”Like I Used to”
© Jagjaguwar
4.
Armand Hammer x The Alchemist
”Chicharonnes” [f- Quelle Chris]
© Backwoodz Studioz
5.
Lost Girls
”Love, Lovers”
© Smalltown Supersound
6.
illuminati hotties
”MMMOOOAAAAAYAYA”
© Hopeless
7.
Dry Cleaning
”Scratchcard Lanyard”
© 4AD
8.
Low
”Days Like These”
© Sub Pop
9.
serpentwithfeet
”Fellowship” [f- Lil Silva & Sampha]
© Secretly Canadian
10.
Burial
”Dark Gethsemane”
© Keysound
YEAR END MIXES
0:00:00 - Radiohead “Follow Me Around”
0:05:14 - Ice Age “Shelter Song”
0:10:42 - Dry Cleaning “Strong Feelings”
0:14:44 - Parquet Courts “Just Shadows”
0:18:37 - Courtney Barnett “Turning Green”
0:22:53 - Spirit of the Beehive “THE SERVER IS IMMERSED”
0:25:33 - Matt Berry “Life Unknown”
0:29:49 - illuminati hotties “u v v p” [f- Buck Meek]
0:34:30 - Cassandra Jenkins “Hard Drive”
0:39:55 - Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine “You Give Death a Bad Name (Night of the Living Dead, 1968)”
0:44:02 - Springtime “The Viaduct Love Suicide”
0:49:17 - Black Country, New Road “Athens, France”
0:55:39 - The Mt. Goats “The Slow Parts on Death Metal Albums”
1:01:02 - The Weather Station “Parking Lot”
1:05:08 - Deerhoof “Ancient Mysteries, Described”
1:08:43 - black midi “Ascending Forth”
2021 Year End Summations, Pt. 1
Just Shadows
0:00:00 - Deerhoof “Be Unbarred, O Ye Gates of Hell”
0:03:03 - Genghis Tron “Dream Weapon”
0:08:17 - Forhist “IV”
0:12:53 - Driftloss “Universal Consciousness I”
0:14:04 - Lingua Ignota “MANY HANDS”
0:19:13 - the body & BIG | BRAVE “Polly Gosford”
0:23:07 - Thou “Arbres Muets” [Ô Paon cover]
0:26:11 - Driftloss “Universal Consciousness II”
0:26:53 - Cloud Rat “Mother Tongue ~ Glitter Belly”
0:34:40 - Backxwash “WAIL OF THE BANSHEE” [f- SurgeryHead]
0:39:37 - the body “Tied Up and Locked in”
0:42:27 - madam data “but in the purple light of the heavy star a blow was struck, and we cursed our hands as they grew into talons, and sang out regret as we choked our enemies with our own entrails” [f- Rodnie King]
0:47:39 - Tomahawk “Doomsday Fatigue”
0:50:58 - Driftloss “Universal Consciousness III”
0:52:21 - Portrayal of Guilt “Dirge”
0:54:56 - for your health “this city will crumble and many people will die”
0:56:31 - Thirdface “Ally”
0:59:19 - Engine Kid “Special Olympics”
1:01:36 - Soul Glo “Rolling Loud, Hear My Cry”
1:03:41 - supine “dancing, again”
1:08:11 - Driftloss “Universal Consciousness IV”
1:09:19 - Pile “—”
1:10:54 - King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard “K.G.L.W.”
2021 Year End Summations, Pt. 2
Be Unbarred, O Ye Gates of Hell
0:00:00 - Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra “Movement 1”
0:06:23 - Armand Hammer & The Alchemist “Indian Summer”
0:08:59 - Baby Keem “family ties” [f- Kendrick Lamar]
0:13:10 - Tyler, The Creator “MANIFESTO” [f- DJ Drama & Domo Gensis]
0:16:05 - Wiki & Navy Blue “Promised” [f- MIKE]
0:19:06 - JPEGMafia “UNTITLED”
0:21:52 - Pink Siifu “Gumbo’! 4 tha Folks, Hold On” [f- Big Rube, Liv.e, Nick Hakim & V.C.R, prod. DJ Harrison]
0:25:15 - serpentwithfeet “Same Size Shoe”
0:28:42 - Lil Nas X “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)”
0:30:58 - Dean Blunt “DASH SNOW”
0:32:57 - Thundercat “Satellite” [f- Louis Cole & Genevieve Artadi]
0:37:29 - Tyler, The Creator “SWEET / I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE” [f- DJ Drama, Brent Faiyaz & Fana Hues]
0:47:10 - Madlib & Four Tet “Road of the Lonely Ones”
0:50:45 - The Alchemist “Loose Change” [f- Earl Sweatshirt]
0:52:37 - Bruiser Wolf “Dope Game $tupid” [prod. Raphy]
0:55:23 - Vince Staples “ARE YOU WITH THAT?”
0:57:35 - Jazmine Sullivan “Pick Up Your Feelings” [prod. DZL]
1:01:15 - serpentwithfeet “Amir” [f- Lil Silva & Sampha]
1:04:10 - Dean Blunt “the rot”
1:07:49 - Giant Claw “Mir-Cam Startup”
1:09:15 - Moor Mother & Olof Melander “Tarot” [f- Yatta]
1:13:31 - Godspeed You! Black Emperor “OUR SIDE HAS TO WIN (for D.H.)”
2021 Year End Summations, Pt. 3
Road of the Lonely Ones
0:00:00 - Lana Del Rey “White Dress”
0:05:28 - Oneohtrix Point Never “Nothing’s Special” [f- Rosalía]
0:08:57 - Doja Cat “Kiss Me More” [f- SZA]
0:12:24 - Japanese Breakfast “Be Sweet”
0:15:38 - Turnstile “Black Out”
0:18:31 - Olivia Rodrigo “good 4 u”
0:21:29 - A. G. Cook “2021 (umru Remix)”
0:25:04 - DUCKWRTH “Seein Ya” [f- Jesse Boykins III, Ambré, ESTA & Mack Keane]
0:29:04 - Jessie Ware “Please”
0:33:30 - Peggy Gou “I Go”
0:37:42 - Lost Girls “Carried by Invisible Bodies”
0:43:52 - Charli XCX “Good Ones (Perfume Genius Remix)”
0:47:13 - Low “The Price You Pay (It Must Be Wearing Off)”
0:54:21 - Loscil “Vespera”
0:59:52 - Annie Hart “The Earth Loves You Back”
1:05:53 - Oneohtrix Point Never “Lost But Never Alone (Forced Smile Edit)”
1:09:58 - Burial “Dark Gethsemane”
2021 Year End Summations, Pt. 4
Shock Power of Love
COMPILATIONS, LIVE ALBUMS, REISSUES, REMIX ALBUMS
A. G. Cook Apple vs. 7G (Silver Edition) [PC Music]
Angel Olsen Song of the Lark and Other Far Memories [Jagjaguwar]
The Band Stage Fright [50th Anniversary Edition, 2021] [Capitol]
The Beach Boys "Feel Flows" The Sunflower & Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971 [Super Deluxe] [Capitol]
The Beatles Let it Be [50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition] [Capitol]
George Harrison All Things Must Pass [50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition] [Capitol]
John Lennon John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band [The Ultimate Collection] [Capitol]
Black Sabbath Vol. 4 [Super Deluxe Edition] [BMG]
Black Sabbath Sabotage [Super Deluxe Edition] [BMG]
Black Sabbath Heaven & Hell [2021 Remaster] [Rhino]
Black Sabbath Mob Rules [40th Anniversary Edition] [Rhino]
Bob Dylan The Bootleg Series, Vol. 16: Springtime in New York (1980-1985) [Columbia]
Boris Variations [Fangs Anal Satan]
Boris Golden Dance Classics + [Fangs Anal Satan]
Boris Secrets [Fangs Anal Satan]
Can Live in Stuttgart 1975 [Spoon]
Can Live in Brighton 1975 [Spoon]
Caribou Suddenly Remixes [Merge]
Caroline Polachek Standing at the Gate : Remix Collection [Perpetual Novice]
Deerhoof Devil Kids [Joyful Noise]
DJ-Kicks DJ-Kicks: Disclosure [DJ-Kicks]
DJ-Kicks DJ-Kicks: Jayda G [DJ-Kicks]
Dua Lipa Future Nostalgia [The Moonlight Edition] [Warner]
Eartheater Phoenix: La Petite Mort Édition [Pan] Ambient/Noise
Godflesh New Flesh in Dub, vol. 1 [Avalanche] Industrial
Grimes Miss Anthropocene [Rave Edition] [4AD]
Iron & Wine Archive Series Volume No. 5: Tallahassee Recordings [Sub Pop]
Jessie Ware What's Your Pleasure? (The Platinum Pleasure Edition) [PMR]
John Coltrane A Love Supreme: Live in Seattle [Impulse]
Lady Gaga Dawn of Chromatica [Interscope]
Moses Sumney Live From Blackalachia [Jagjaguwar]*
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds B-Sides & Rarities Part II [Mute]
Nmesh Anomaly Detection: Volume 01 (2011-2016) [Bandcamp]
Nmesh Reconfigurations: Volume 01 (2007-2010) [Bandcamp]
Nmesh Appearance Settings: Volume 01 (2009-2015) [Bandcamp]
Nmesh Data Breach: Volume 01 (2007-2016) [Bandcamp]
Orange Hell Orange Hell [Funeral Party]
Paul McCartney McCartney III Imagined [Capitol]
Perfume Genius IMMEDIATELY Remixes [Matador]
Pig Destroyer Pornographers of Sound: Live in NYC [Relapse]
Radiohead KID A MNESIA [XL Recordings] Alternative
SLEEP CENTER™ DISK 1 [2021 Reissue] [No Problema Tapes]
Squarepusher Feed Me Weird Things [25th Anniversary Edition] [Warp]
Stereolab Electrically Possessed: Switched On Volume 4 [Warp]
Sun Ra Lanquidity (The Definitive Edition) [Strut]*
Sunn O))) Metta, Benevolence BBC 6Music : Live on the Invitation of Mary Anne Hobbs [Southern Lord]*
The Violent Femmes Why Do Birds Sing? [2021 Deluxe Edition] [Craft Recordings]
Willie Dunn Creation Never Sleeps, Creation Never Dies: The Willie Dunn Anthology [Light in the Attic]
VA A. G. Cook's Dream Logic [PC Music]
VA Bills & Aches & Blues: 40 Years of 4AD [4AD]
VA Bruiser Brigade Records: TV62 [Bruiser Brigade]
VA Feelings with MicheLe: NSFWFMU (Rated NC-17) [WFMU]
VA J Jazz: Deep Modern Jazz From Japan - Volume 3 [BBE]
VA Mello Music Group: Bushido [Mello Music Group]
VA Morricone Island Presents: Devon E. Levins Soundtracks in Seven [WFMU]
VA Mutants Vol. 4: Love [Mutants1000000]
VA Mutants Best of 1–4 [Mutants1000000]
VA Mutants Vol. 5: Free [Mutants1000000]
VA Mutants Vol. 6: Home [Mutants1000000]
VA Numero 95 [Numero Group]*
VA Ô: A Tribute Compilation to Ô Paon and Geneviève Castrée [Ô Paon]
VA Sounds from the Black Lodge: The Return (A Tribute to Twin Peaks, Vol. 2) [No Problema Tapes]*
Tools used
digital
Adobe Photoshop
Apple Pages
Apple Music app
Bandcamp
Soundcloud