You know it's been a great year for music when pretty decent and good albums just could not make the year-end list:
21. Bon Iver SABLE, FABLE:
his fifth album as Bon Iver, casts those songs—and the Bon Iver project as a whole—in a new light. SABLE is carried over whole to serve as the prologue, three uniformly deep-blue songs introducing an album of kaleidoscopic color. What follows on fABLE is joyful and immediate, as Vernon rhapsodizes about rebirth and romance in ways that would have seemed impossible even a few months ago. It is a genuinely surprising pop and soul record from an artist who has spent half a lifetime searching for new modes of expression. Across fABLE, he sounds unrestrained and irrepressible, as though he’s purging some ecstasy he’s kept at bay for years. This is not an album cluttered by shadows. (PITCHFORK)
22. Spellling PORTRAIT OF MY HEART…:
Tia most definitely had an instantly recognizable sound and vocal style right out of the gate, but these records were really just her setting the stage for what would be her artistic graduation evaluation on the 2021 album, The Turning Wheel, which, in my opinion, is the most immaculately produced album of this decade so far. Just absolutely stunning and gorgeously arranged baroque pop and art rock that is so layered, so lush, so balanced and powerful, a sound that perfectly conveys just how thoughtful and expressive and dramatic Tia's songs are at their core, with one-of-a-kind vocal performances, too. (THENEEDLEDROP)
23. Miguel CAOS:
lyrically, CAOS lives up to its namesake as Miguel explores the facets of chaos in his life. He bares his vulnerabilities on the album, “RIP” showcases his battles with his inner demons and how he copes when the pressure is too much: (“I rip when the weight bears down. Before I get edgy on my empty oscillations.”). Sometimes Miguel revels in it, especially the sexual nature of chaos. Finding a sadomasochist type of pleasure on “Triggered”; and getting unapologetically horny throughout “The Killing”. Miguel still makes room to humble himself though with a song like “Nearsight {SID}”: (“And I pray I can make peace with the past, ’cause tomorrow comes way too fast.”). (MEDIUM.COM)
24. Jim Legxacy BLACK BRITISH MUSIC:
braggadocio abounds throughout, but black british music mostly concerns itself with tales of economic strife, upward mobility, houselessness, romantic yearning, and familial melancholy. “issues of trust” finds Jim Legxacy in ballad mode with orchestral string flourishes, finger-picked acoustic guitars, and introspective lyrics about his strained relationship with his father: “I still can’t talk about it,” he admits in his swooning timbre. Meanwhile, the emo-tinged dembow bop “sos” wrestles with the difficulty of watching the one you love chase after someone else. “He won’t take you out / I know you’ve asked a thousand times,” he sings, his emotive voice perched evenly between desperation and determination. At the same time, these new songs demonstrate Jim Legxacy’s refusal to repeat himself. (PASTE)
25. Nourished By Time THE PASSIONATE ONES:
earlier releases written in his parents’ basement eventually led to international acclaim, but that came from hard work, perseverance and passion. The aptly-titled The Passionate Ones proves Brown hasn’t forgotten his roots. It glistens with the hope of dreaming of better, where Brown draws from his passion to encourage others to act similarly. His lo-fi synth-pop and R&B fusion is at its most uplifting on “Automatic Love” and “Max Potential” which swell with motivation, also on “9 2 5” and “Baby Baby,” where he holds the world’s powers accountable. Such inspiring notions make The Passionate Ones so necessary in today’s precarious world. (TREBLE)
26. Wolf Alice THE CLEARING:
the shining star of The Clearing, unsurprisingly, is Ellie Rowsell’s incredible vocal performance. Even during my short-lived skeptic phase, I was absolutely captivated. Her amazing soprano range is unmatched in the current indie sphere, in my opinion, as well as her versatility. “Bloom Baby Bloom”, which is likely the best track off the album, showcases her soaring head voice as well as the signature pseudo-screaming in her highest register that is difficult to replicate. I genuinely think Rowsell could have had a great career in musical theatre, considering the strength of her belt and shocking stamina when performing live. There is not a single moment in the 41-minute runtime where I felt she was either out of her league or resting on her laurels. Her performance is beyond impressive; it’s masterful. (EVERYTHING IS NOISE)
27. HAIM I QUIT:
there’s a constant theme of shedding dead weight throughout HAIM’s fourth album, I Quit. Opening track “Gone” finds Danielle Haim singing “I’ll be whatever I need,” and later on “Blood on the Street,” Este Haim sings, “And I can count on my one hand / all the times that you really made me feel free.” And on the laid back R&B-influenced single “Relationships,” the band is ready to say goodbye to those too. The album employs a strong set of instrumentations to accompany these declarations, whether it be poppy percussion or searing guitar solos. The band’s bond feels stronger than ever as both Alana and Este take lead vocals on their own songs (“Spinning” and “Cry”, respectively) and the album reinforces their ambidextrous musicianship. I Quit is HAIM having their most fun while they lose what’s holding them back. (TREBLE)
28. Obongjayar PARADISE NOW:
a journey of an album that takes you through an array of different emotions; some difficult, some buoyant, some ferocious, but all powerful and inseparable from the full palette of our human existence. The album seems to search for and display genuine confrontations of authenticity without avoidance or ego distracting from the gritty realism of the suffocating human experience. It feels like a therapy session where you can cry, scream, laugh and dance grinning ear to ear all in one sitting. I can’t wait to hear more from Obongjayar and am so glad his music is reaching more people. (CLUNKMAG)
29. Denzel Himself VIOLATOR:
Denzel Himself’s first full-length feels like being dragged through a neon-lit Western run by punks and prophets. Self-produced from top to bottom, the record welds gnarled break-beats and distorted bass to flashes of choral synths, then sprays the mix with guitar shrapnel that nods to industrial and shoegaze. Tracks such as “Goth Los Angeles” and “Kowgirl Manifesto” swing between whispered spiritual confessions and barked threats, the MC bending his voice from sullen croon to throat-ripped howl while live drums pummel like a hardcore set crashing an art-rap gig. All the twitchy micro-edits and sudden tape-stop drops serve a bigger picture: a synaesthetic swirl that mirrors the artist’s own description of experiencing “Dilla’s brain in Manson’s skull.” Beneath the shock value sits an unabashed love letter to music itself. Multiple interludes stitch diary-level monologues to vapor-trail vocal harmonies, casting the LP as a healing ritual; he calls it “my love letter to music” in the liner notes, where vengeance fantasies and tenderness trade verses. Underneath the noise lies a straightforward argument by refusing to adhere to genre etiquette can itself be a spiritual practice, and distortion can be as cleansing as a choir. (SHATTERTHESTANDARDS)
30. Cautious Clay THE HOURS--NIGHT:
leaps from sultry, drum-heavy highlights like “5th Floor” and the poetically palpable and chaotically jagged “The Deep End,” but even in these shifting sounds, Clay never loses sight of his vision. This album sonically does more than complete a two-part album cycle; it connects the beginning of Clay’s career to his present mindset. Moments like “Alchemy” scream of essential Clay with ambient R&B cascading from the artist’s vocals, hinting at the sound that made the artist such an exciting addition to contemporary music. Even as he toys with the limits of his pop sensibilities and ties the final knots on this unconventional release schedule, Nights stands on its own as a colorful piece to the artist’s discography. These eight songs connect the many prisms of Clay’s artistry while pushing him in a new direction, making Nights a beautiful conclusion and a breath of fresh air all in one wildly entertaining swoop. (GLIDE MAG)
