The Best Albums of 2021

Once again, Emacs has kept careful track of what I’ve been listening to this year, so I can scientifically give a list of what’s the best albums this year. And by amazing coincidence, the world’s very best album is by a Norwegian band and I’m Norwegian, but I’m sure that’s totally coincidental and fair.

Lost Girls

Menneskekollektivet
Lost Girls - Losing Something

SOPHIE

BIPP (Autechre Mx), UNISIL
SOPHIE - BIPP (Autechre Mx) (Official Stream)

The Notwist

Vertigo Days
The Notwist: Al Sur (feat. Juana Molina)

Aksak Maboul

Redrawn Figures 1
Eyelids and Phosphenes (Aksak Maboul Reconstruction)

Insides

Soft Bonds
The Softest Bonds Resist Resistance

Leslie Winer

When I Hit You, You’ll Feel It
Leslie Winer - In 1 Ear

Xeno & Oaklander

Vi-deo
Xeno & Oaklander - "Gain" (Official Audio)

Alasdair Roberts og Völvur

The Old Fabled River

Caroline Shaw & Sō Percussion

Let The Soil Play Its Simple Part
Caroline Shaw & Sō Percussion - To the Sky (Live)

David Allred

Smells Like Everyone’s Watching
David Allred - Smells Like Everyone's Watching (full album)

Herbert

Musca
Herbert feat. Mel Uye Parker - Hypnotised

Irreversible Entanglements

Open The Gates
Irreversible Entanglements - "Open The Gates" | Music Video

Mia Doi Todd

Ten Views of Music Life
Wainiha Valley (Julia Holter & Tashi Wada Remix)

Snapped Ankles

Forest of Your Problems
Snapped Ankles - The Evidence (Official Video)

Alice Coltrane

Kirtan Turiya Sings
Alice Coltrane - Kirtan: Turiya Sings (Visualizer)

That David Allred album up there has my favourite lyric. It goes like

You said “wow you must be fun at parties”
And I said “That’s not true”

I feel seen.

But I bought a lot of older stuff, too. Here’s the objectively best older albums, and coincidentally the winner is another Norwegian. It cannot be!

Espen Reinertsen

Nattsyntese
Betenkningstid med trommesolo

Gary Panter

Precambrian Bath
Gary Panter ‎– Precambrian Bath

Mimi Goese and Ben Neill

Life You Are
Cuckoo (Official Video) Mimi Goese and Ben Neill

Laura Jean

I’m A Rabbit, I’m A Fox
Laura Jean - I'm a Rabbit, I'm A Fox (with Strings)

Bertine Zetlitz

Beautiful So Far

SOPHIE

OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES

Espen Reinertsen

Forgaflingspop
Tilpasninger Hos Prestekrage

Hexting

Post Post Rock Rock
Video Waves 1803: Hexting - Post Post Rock Rock

Shopping

Consumer Complaints
Shopping - Long Way Home

Various

Mutant Disco Volume 2
I Know What Boys Like - The Waitresses (HQ Audio)

Arthur Russell

Sketches For World Of Echo (June 25 1984 Live At Ei)
Arthur Russell - Tone Bone Kone

That’s it.

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