100 albums of 2021 you shouldn’t miss, plus playlist

Melvins – Working With God (Ipecac Records)

She said: In summary, this is the Melvins’ best album for several years and one that I think, in time, will be counted among the band’s best work and as one of the best metal albums of 2021. Whilst the production can be considered heavier and more expansive than much of their recent work, in many respects, the musicianship is far tighter and more disciplined. Fans of quality metal would be foolish to miss it. 

Read our review, here

Mildred Maude – Sleepover (Sonic Cathedral)

We said: It’s a really bloody very good record, is Sleepover, ripe for some after-dark speaker bustin’. it ought, by rights, to gather in devotees of the krautrock and the shoegaze and postrock and noiserock. Four tracks, and really a record of two halves: part the first, pushing the MM aesthetic into newer spaces, taking in more ambient and US noiserock qualities and making them Mildred Maude’s own; part the second capturing all the flame and the colour of the band who exfoliate and trepan and transfuse you in the live arena. Sound, articulated and hammered and welded to make your world bigger and your eyes much, much wider. A cracker. Right on, bird.

Read more on the album, here

Monolord – Your Time To Shine (Relapse Records)

We said: A powerful return for the band and an album that sees them turn on the best of their sound, making every note and every cymbal crash matter. One of the finest doom albums of the year.

The article as a whole is here

Mountain Goats – Dark In Here (Merge)

We said: It may be a Dark world in which we live, but The Mountain Goats offer a sweet, realistic alternative to how we deal with it all. Pure in sound, honest in lyrics that could make you laugh and cry all at the same time, they deliver a soundtrack of raw authenticity we all need to hear.

See the full review, here

Mt. Mountain: Centre (Fuzz Club Records)

We said: Hailing from Perth they delve into sprawling, motorik psychedelic rock sound that journeys between tranquil, drone-like meditations and raucous, full-throttle wig-outs that’ll blow your mind as much as your speakers. Taking cues from Krautrock pioneers like Neu! and Can whilst existing in a similar world to contemporaries like Moon Duo, Kikagaku Moyo and Minami Deutsch, Mt. Mountain are formidable torchbearers of the minimal-is-maximal tradition. Musically, the band’s sound is born out of long improvised jams so naturally much of the album was recorded live to capture the band at their most freewheeling.

Mumble Tide – Everything Ugly (Nothing Fancy)

We said: Mumble Tide, now there’s lovely. This mini-album has got me completely fizzing. And by rights it shouldn’t; I’m far too cynical and eye-rolling and chronically folded of arm and all that to be seduced by mere indie pop. Yet I’m smitten; that’s cos they don’t care and they totally do, and the record is silly and wonky and lo-fi and stupendous and excellent and knocked out and well honed and it’s pop, the kind of pop people used to theorise about, and it’s noisy and it’s glorious and it kicks your arse and maybe buys you a pint afterwards. Ummm …. swoon?

Read it all, here

Nothing, Nowhere – Trauma Factory (Decaydance)

We said: Trauma Factory is like a snapshot analysis of the trials and tribulations of young life. Being a straight-edge vegan, nothing,nowhere. is already an outlier to many of his peers in the rap and rock scenes, but not only this fact makes him unique; he’s managed to channel several different musical influences into one album. Sometimes it’s seamless, sometimes slightly jarring, but on a whole, it’s an impressive feat. Whilst Trauma Factory at times feels overly metaphorical and symbolic, at the heart of it is simply an examination of life in all its forms, be it euphoric or devastating.

Neil Cowley – Hall of Mirrors (Mote)

We said: It’s a very European album – and by that yes, I do mean Britain too, look at the map; I also find it very much an album of being out and about in the city for the day, maybe entirely centred and alone, bringing the evocations and impressions of the day home with you as little memory photographs; if you had a reasonable degree of musical talent (present company, dear reader, mostly excused), this may be the way you chose to diarise that time spent.

Read more, here

Night Beats – Outlaw R&B (Fuzz Club)

We said: In Outlaw R&B, Night Beats may return to their roots, but they also demonstrate how far they have come as a band with how easily they traverse sound and genre. Their skills as musicians is unrivalled and this is easily a contender for album of the year.

Fill the gaps in with our full review, here

Nik Brinkman – Secret Stairs (Declared Goods)

We said: Secret Stairs’ is a stunning debut: a collection of sparkling jewels that glitter with a melancholic sheen, while featuring glorious pop vignettes delivering melody and an ethereal grace. There is a barbed-wire spine throughout the delicate beauty crafted by Brinkman’s vocals: a deft touch of vinegar amongst the sweetest of sounds.

Read more, here

Records 71-80