Overall Favorite Albums:

1. Weather Report - Ignorance _- The writing here and unique musical atmosphere is remarkable. There are parts of the latter two thirds of the album that remind me of Joni Mitchell.

2. Billie Ellish - Happier Than Ever - Despite it not being ballyhooed nearly as much as her last album, this is a major step up in it's lyrical and musical diversity, Love the last two songs especially.

3. Sufjan Steven & Angelo De Augustine - A Beginner's MInd - I am a huge Sufjan fan but sometimes his music is just too depressing. This one is stunningly beautiful with moments of light to counter the darkness.

4. Brandi Carlisle - In These Silent Days - She stays in peak form after her award winning last album.

Other Notable Releases

Favorite Album Combining Dance, Pop and a little Soul: Self Esteem (Prioritize Pleasure).

Best Tracy Chapman inspired album: Joy Oladokun - In Defense of My Own Happiness

Most Unexpected Grower: Lorde - Solar Power - I was initially disappointed and underwhelmed by this release, but it slowly and surely grew on me. I especially love how she has chosen to get out of the limelight, recenter herself, and release music so different from her past albums after such huge fame at 15,

Best Album by a Superstar not named Billie - Adele 30

Favorite new to me artist - Sharon Van Etten - Love all three albums I bought of hers this year.

Most Disappointing Album - Kasey Musgraves - Star-Crossed - I have always loved this artist and this is not a bad album. It is a major letdown after her gramming winning last album. It's chief crime: Blandness.

[Edited 12/4/21 15:20pm]

This weekend

Can't stop playing it

Hiatus Kaiyote - 'Red Roo...ial Video)

Lucky Daye - How Much Can... ft. Yebba

Joyce Wrice- "On One" Ft....sic Video)

Leon Bridges - Steam (Official Video)

Tom Misch & Yussef Da...ial Video]

Grubhub Sound Bites: Ande... Nationals

Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paa...ial Audio]

BADBADNOTGOOD - Beside April

It was a pretty good year for music IMO.

automatic said:

I'm really bad when it comes to new music. I tend not to listen to much newer stuff. The only albums I bought this year are Prince's Welcome 2 America and Springsteen's Letter To You. I enjoyed both.

I had also become bad when it came to new music, but in recent years I have picked myself up and started exploring new music again. I was bored by all my old favorites and felt like I had gotten somewhat stuck in my ways and tastes.

It took some time finding good new stuff (tip: you won't find hardly anything interesting within mainstream music), but it was well worth it IMO, I have found plenty of interesting new songs and artists in a few years time. I feel I have successsfully 'broadened my mind' in the last 5-10 years and now I am much more open to new music and production styles than I was in the period before. I also frequent more live music events (well, before COVID at least...) since I have started to engage in new music again.

I would recommend anyone who feels stuck in his musical ways to start exploring again. The funny thing is that simultaniously I have also started digging in harder on music from older eras than I used to listen to before mostly. I started exploring some more of the seventies, the sixties and now I am slowly making towards the fifties.

There are always much better gems and jewels to uncover from yesteryear. Any statistician of a scientific persuasion would find it impossible not to agree. (There's just more of it lol). I say this as a curmudgeonly old fellow who once was told at age 19 I must be 12. Even now, a shop worker doesn't believe me when I tell him my age. He thinks I'm pulling his leg but I have a passport as evidence, the photo taken around age 19 when I looked 12. At any rate, I digress from my main point, with about as much charm as udo on a good day. So accuse me of living in the past, but my point is, music today (in the main) sounds overproduced, devoid of groove and melody and genuinely has me nostalgic for genius music from a bygone era. I say this as someone who often plays music 1 hour in every 2 I am awake. So bite me. More succinctly, my favorite releases in 2021 are posthumous releases. Probably. Always.

funkaholic1972 said:

automatic said:

I'm really bad when it comes to new music. I tend not to listen to much newer stuff. The only albums I bought this year are Prince's Welcome 2 America and Springsteen's Letter To You. I enjoyed both.

I had also become bad when it came to new music, but in recent years I have picked myself up and started exploring new music again. I was bored by all my old favorites and felt like I had gotten somewhat stuck in my ways and tastes.

It took some time finding good new stuff (tip: you won't find hardly anything interesting within mainstream music), but it was well worth it IMO, I have found plenty of interesting new songs and artists in a few years time. I feel I have successsfully 'broadened my mind' in the last 5-10 years and now I am much more open to new music and production styles than I was in the period before. I also frequent more live music events (well, before COVID at least...) since I have started to engage in new music again.

I would recommend anyone who feels stuck in his musical ways to start exploring again. The funny thing is that simultaniously I have also started digging in harder on music from older eras than I used to listen to before mostly. I started exploring some more of the seventies, the sixties and now I am slowly making towards the fifties.

It is fun exploring new music and older music that you didn't fully appreciate or even know much about back in the day. For me, the exploring part, finding releases you like, and then figuring out the method you want to interact with if (stream album, make playlist of favorites, add to existing playlists in a way that makes musical sense, or buy the download or CD). It is one of my favorite hobbies.