2021: Albums of the Year

What ails our people is clear, I guess

At long last comes down the curtain on this cursèd year. I’ve dipped in and out of obsession with new music throughout 2021 – months of rabid album consumption were followed often by months of simply listening to the Violent Femmes, so whilst I earnestly proclaim these to be my albums of the year, I have by no means listened to all of the albums that came out this year. I guess that’s probably obvious, though.

Anyway. Albums of the year, HWG…

1. Black Midi – Cavalcade

   A spectacular follow up to their astonishing debut. BM have added sax and keys at the expense of some guitar riffs, and the resulting skronk is monstrous. ‘Cavalcade’ is a Frankenstein’s Monster of offbeat jazz fusion and goblin prog, riddled with unheimlich soundscapes and contorted harmonies; Black Midi have made the seamless transition from “Britain’s Best New Band!” to the Milky Way’s finest musical combo. Bandcamp
   

2. Emma-Jean Thackray - Yellow

   The full length debut of multi-instrumentalist, producer and arranger Emma-Jean Thackray is a delight. The manifesto laid down in the refrain of 2020 single Movementt goes; “Move the body, move the mind, move the soul”, and ‘Yellow’ comes good on that. Jazz, funk and dance music are devotionally entwined by the Yorkshire-born bandleader, with every track showcasing something different and beautiful. Bandcamp

3. John Dwyer - Moon Drenched
   The big man has four albums that have jostled for places on this list, ‘Witch Egg’, ‘Endless Garbage’ and ‘Gong Splat’, but this might just be the pick of the bunch. With an array of jazz and experimental colleagues, the Oh Sees kingpin has formed the ultimate freakout band, sounding somewhere between Hawkwind, Can and the Sun Ra Arkestra. ‘Moon Drenched’ is a nocturnal plaything full of improvised noise frenzy, eternal motorik drum loops and brown acid psychedelia; I prefer it to all the Oh Sees material, which says a helluva lot. Bandcamp
   

4. Sons of Kemet - Black to the Future
   Shabaka Hutchings’ latest is a bold and accomplished record that sees Sons Of Kemet once more reach the heights they did on ‘Your Queen is a Reptile’. Hutchings plays the clarinet for the most part with occasional sax, whilst the tuba of Nathaniel Cross acts as a bassline for two drummers shit hot drummers. The track with Moor Mother ‘Pick Up Your Burning Cross’ is a fiery barnstormer, whilst ‘Envision Yourself Levitating’ is stark and beautiful. Bandcamp
   

5. Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
   The very best that UK rap has to offer, this my favourite Simz work to date. Cinematic and addictive, the luxuriant grooves of the production provides the perfect canvas for Simz to paint with her exquisite bars. I hope this wins every single award under the sun.
   

6. Gentle Stranger - Phantom Thoroughfare
   Truly genre bending, Gentle Stranger are a Deptford trio that combine every imaginable sound and instrument into one coherent package. Sea shanties, free jazz, noise rock, folk, chanson – it’s all here in one maximalist playdate. So much fun. Bandcamp
   

7. Alicia Breton Ferrer - Headache Sorbet
   Also a member of indomitable Rotterdam groups the Sweet Release of Death and Neighbours Burning Neighbours, it’s no surprise that Alicia Breton Ferrer’s debut solo album is a noise utopia. ‘Headache Sorbet’ deconstructs and disembodies the catharsis of noise-rock, leaving something new and beautiful. Bandcamp
   

8. Bruiser Wolf - Dope Game Stupid
   My favourite US rap album of the year. Danny Brown’s pal Bruiser Wolf is essentially underground hip-hop’s Tim Vine, yelping a stream of caustic one-liners over Bruiser Brigade production in his trademark cartoon character voice. It should get old, but it simply doesn’t; “married to the game, but it was an arranged marriage”. Wolf also has a song called Ches$ Moves which might earmark him for future Zugzwang interviews. Bandcamp
   

9. Francisco Mela - MPT Trio Vol. 1
   Cuban free-jazz musician Francisco Mela is a real virtuoso percussionist, but it is the brilliance of this whole band that makes this one for the annuls. I covered it for The Quietus earlier this year, and was struck by just how hard this power trio go; the gusto of Minor Threat and noise of Big Black alongside the virtuosity you’d expect from an experienced jazz three-piece from a sunny part of the world. Bandcamp
   

10. Lice - WASTELAND
    Long time favourites of mine, it’s no surprise LICE make the list. The London-via-Bristol quartet used to make raucous country-garage, maybe the best to ever do it, but propelled by a fascination with Italian Futurism they push boldly into brave new territory on their debut full length. The group constructed an evil noise-making machine to assist their toils, and employ it alongside a heavy, chugging industrial skronk that sounds as though it could explode any second. Bandcamp

So, friends, that is all for one year. We can hope only that 2022 produces 10 albums that I love as much as these. Look after yourselves, and you will hear from me soon.