2021 musical recordings

This is an exciting movement in 2021 musics: https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/drum-n-bass-pinkpantheress-tiktok-column/

This Planet Rave Spotify playlist has a lot of the hits of this genre on here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DWW1XLSH8Oafp?si=c63fd60e09244379

I listen to a ton of drum and bass, so it's fun to have it come back in a contemporary context. I enjoy lots of this stuff.

Not quite ready to declare Blue Bannisters the equal to NFR, but it is close.

ok, i'll listen to it now

I just saw that article and loved this remix:

that Spotify playlist is kinda nuts and awesome. Tim Reaper and Aphex right next to Darude soundalikes but it works overall.

Agreed. I'll take a DnB revival any way I can get it. I do like the more pop overtones, feminine voices, short songs, techno influences, and just generally doing something new with familiar beats. Some of these songs sample the same hip hop songs that jungle DJs were sampling 25 years ago.

This is one of the songs called out in the article that's great:


It's also cool to see there's some proponents of more hardcore DnB sounds:

Initially for some reason misread that as "DmB" and was like, "Man, what the fuck happened to this place?"

https://airoverwater.bandcamp.com/album/nocturne

good stuff, just creates a nice space of safety and peace all around you, you'll know what I mean, always feels in motion and never stuck without somewhere to go, as always it's difficult for me to articulate these feelings without repeating myself but I really like where this takes me

The Abba record is fucking sick.

https://djsabrinatheteenagedj.bandcamp.com/album/the-makin-magick-ii-album

This is great imo

Duff... wrote:

This bullshit really speaks to me.

So I immediately found Dry Cleaning exciting, the nonsense lyrics over angular indie guitar thing hitting in just the right spot, and pretty similar to a project I'm working on right now. Upon spinning the record 2 or 3 times I got to thinking "Well, this is kinda one note, isn't it. Still cool, but maybe we don't need more than 2 or 3 songs of this". But then I would look for something to put on and would just reflexively put this on, and when I wasn't listening to anything I'd find the rhythms and the noise of it buzzing in my head, my thoughts spoken in the same deadpan on the verge of contempt as the singer, any time I'd put on any other music it would sound jarring and foreign, my brain just craving this record over and over again like some incessant Jesus prayer (yes I just read Franny and Zooey, so what) which hasn't really happened to me since the first Coldplay record (im gay). So I guess this is in fact ten variations on the same thing but so is every Ramones record, which isn't to say this is (necessarily) The Ramones but I really like it.

https://kompakt-gas.bandcamp.com/album/der-lange-marsch

Have not listened yet, it was too sunny this morning

I am halfway through this and it's finally setting in for me that this is not the New Gas Album that I was actually really looking forward to hearing tonight. It's like the Seefeel box set remix/mix that came out a few days ago but at least I knew what that was gonna be before I started listening to it.

How about the high pitched frequency that Pitchfork is complaining about? I honestly can’t hear it unless I’m right next to my speakers. Even then, if I turn my head slightly it goes away. In my opinion, the GAS project has already produced its masterpiece with Pop. I don’t fault WV in any way it’s just really hard to top a masterpiece. This is a fine record but it doesn’t push the ideas anywhere new.

i heard it and i don't wanna listen to it again. it's not terrible, just can't quite connect with it.

BGwaves wrote:How about the high pitched frequency that Pitchfork is complaining about? I honestly can’t hear it unless I’m right next to my speakers.

I haven't read that review and I don't plan on it. But I did read the "chatbox" (?) on the RYM entry for the album and there was a lot of debate about it in there, not sure if those users were just responding to the review or if it was something they were complaining about themselves. The funny thing is that high frequencies like that can often annoy me but it really didn't in this case. Maybe my hearing has gotten so bad I didn't even notice it?

There is something slightly clinical about it. Gives me the feeling of being narc’d on an operating table. I listened to it again in the car and the frequencies were more noticeable. Didn’t bother me or my son. In fact, he loved it as we listened yesterday afternoon on the way home in the rain.

Eli Keszler - Icons+
https://elikeszler.bandcamp.com/album/icons-2

Field recordings, hushed jazz tones, relaxed rhythms. If you liked that Nala Sinephro album this is for you. It’s probably less melodic and heavier on vibe (calming but mysterious) but similar in tone.

I been holding this one close to the chest because he only pressed 500 copies. So I had to secure my vinyl before I could tell you guys, you understand, right? Now after Philip Sherburne name dropped this album and others in his pitchfork article about ambient jazz, I know the genre is gonna get a bump. If you like Sam Gendel, Nala Sinephro, the floating points/pharoah sanders joint, etc. jump on these vinyls as soon as possible.

These are the albums I listened to most this year and it probably won’t change over the next few weeks so I’m posting it.

LOW | HEY WHAT
LANA DEL REY | BLUE BANISTERS
NICK CAVE & WARREN ELLIS | CARNAGE
DEAFHEAVEN | INFINITE GRANITE
GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR | G_D'S PEE AT STATE'S END!
ICEAGE | SEEK SHELTER
SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE | THE VEILED SEA
LIARS | THE APPLE DROP
BLACK MIDI | CAVALCADE
CASSANDRA JENKINS | AN OVERVIEW ON PHENOMENAL NATURE
NALA SINEPHRO | SPACE 1.8

Hey! Whoa! This new Neil Young/Crazy Horse album rips.

Hey guys, happy holidays and all that to all of you.

I hardly listened to much new music but I enjoyed the following enough to purchase them.

Nala Sinephro - Space 1.8
Leon Vynhall - Rare, Forever
Low - Hey, What
Floating Points and Pharoah Sandy and the Orchestra - Promises

I also liked enough to remember the following:

Lost Girls - Menneskekollektivet
Skee Mask - ITLP09 Pool
Sofia Kourtesis - Fresia Magdalena
Spirit of the Beehive - Entertainment Death

I think I’m forgetting a few but, honestly, if I’m forgetting them, they don’t belong on the list!

Nala Sinefro - Space 1.8
Ikue Mori, Brian Marsella, Sae Hashimoto - Archipelego X
Eli Keszler - Icons+
Sam Gendel - Fresh Bread
Pharaoh Sanders, Floating Points, and LSO - Promises
Moritz Von Oswald Trio - Dissent
Sam Gendel Sam Wilkes - Music for Saxofone and Bass Guitar: More Songs
Ben Lamar Gay - Open Arms to Open us

BGwaves wrote:I think I’m forgetting a few but, honestly, if I’m forgetting them, they don’t belong on the list!

Nala Sinefro - Space 1.8
Ikue Mori, Brian Marsella, Sae Hashimoto - Archipelego X
Eli Keszler - Icons+
Sam Gendel - Fresh Bread
Pharaoh Sanders, Floating Points, and LSO -  Promises
Moritz Von Oswald Trio - Dissent
Sam Gendel Sam Wilkes - Music for Saxofone and Bass Guitar: More Songs
Ben Lamar Gay - Open Arms to Open us

What I know on this list I like, will be sure to check some of the other stuff out. Feel like I'm playing catchup on 2021 music still.

this is not an exhaustive list because i listened to and loved more than these 75 records, but here's a good sampling of what i really loved this year:

AJ Suede - Avada Kedavra
AKAI SOLO & Navy Blue - True Sky
Aesop Rock & Blockhead - Garbology
Alister Fawnwoda, Greg Leisz, Suzanne Ciani - Milan
Archibald Slim - Fell Asleep Praying
Armand Hammer & The Alchemist - Haram
Benoit Pioulard - Bloodless
Boldy James & The Alchemist - Bo Jackson / Super Tecmo Bo
Brin - Water Sign
Christina Chatfield - Sutro
Cicada National Park - CNP
Cities Aviv - The Crashing Sound of How It Goes
Colleen - The Tunnel and The Clearing
D2X - The Color Blue
Defcee & Messiah Musik - Trapdoor
Defprez - Sunday Sessions
Drakeo the Ruler - Ain't That The Truth
Dummy - Mandatory Enjoyment
EST Gee - Bigger Than Life or Death
Elori Saxl - The Blue of Distance
FACS - Present Tense
Fatboi Sharif & Roper Williams - Gandhi Loves Children
Fines Double - Flotar
Golden Hallway Music - Rules and Chance Vol 2
Grouper - Shade
Gus Callahan - From Sun to Sound
Hiro Kone - Silvercoat the throng
Hoavi - Music for Six Rooms
Icewear Vezzo - Rich Off Pints 2
Injury Reserve - By The Time I Get To Phoenix
Isaiah Rashad - The House Is Burning
J.R.C.G. - Ajo Sunshine
Ka - A Martyr’s Reward
KAYA - Mahal Ko
KMRU - Logue
Liila - Soundness of Mind
Lionmilk - I Hope You Are Well
Low - HEY WHAT
Lukah - When The Black Hand Touches You / Why Look Up, God’s In The Mirror
Lungs - The Birth of Lonesword
L’Orange & Namir Blade - Imaginary Everything
L’Rain - Fatigue
Mach-Hommy - Pray For Haiti / Balens Cho
Madlib - Sound Ancestors
Magdalena Bay - Mercurial World
Mary Lattimore & Growing - Gainer
maassai - With the Shifts
Matt LaJoie - Paraclete Tongue
Maxo Kream - WEIGHT OF THE WORLD
Meg Mulhearn - Breath is a Wave
Nala Sinephro - Space 1.8
Nappy Nina & JWords - Double Down
Nation of Language - A Way Forward
PJS - Environments
Pink Siifu - Gumbo
Powers/Rolin Duo - Strange Fortune
Premrock - Load Bearing Crow’s Feet
Quadry - They Think We Ghetto
Remy Banks - the phantom of paradise.
Robert A.A. Lowe & Ariel Kalma - Notes Above Land
S!LENCE & Wavy Bagels - Mutatis Mutandis
Sauce Walka - Drill Spill
Semiratruth - I Got Bandz For the MoonLandin’ / Mira
Smoke Bellow - Open For Business
Soshi Takeda - Floating Mountains
Steel Tipped Dove - Call Me When You’re Outside
The Lasso - 2121
The War on Drugs - I Don’t Live Here Anymore
Theo Parrish - Smile
Tony Seltzer - Hey Tony
YL - Soda Club
Young Dolph & Key Glock - Dum and Dummer 2
YUNGMORPHEUS & ewonee - Thumbing Through Foliage
Zeelooperz - Van Goghs Left Ear
yes/and - yes/and

I feel like I listened to a lot of 2021 music last year, so probably forgetting some things.
Off the top of my head, roughly in this order:

Sunburned Hand of the Man – Pick a Day to Die
Endless Boogie – Admonitions
Alex Chilton and Hi Rhythm Section – Live on Beale Street
Six Organs of Admttance – The Veiled Sea
Reigning Sound – A Little More Time
Eleventh Dream Day – Since Grazed
Facs – Present Tense
Body / Head / Dilloway
Howlin Rain – Dharma Wheel
Disappears + Steve Shelley + White Light
Alan Vega - After Dark
All the John Dwyer fake jazz albums
Descendents - 9th and Walnut
The Frogs – Damaged Goods / Sinned in Reverse
Guided By Voices – Earth Man Blues
Melvins – Five Legged Dogs
Thelonious Monster – Oh That Monster
Alan Vega – Mutator

(Anything Else new I might have heard)

Dinosaur Jr.