Favorite Albums and Releases of 2020 & 2021

Even if it’s best just to forget the last couple of years, a lot of great music has been released in that time. It’d be a shame for it to go unrecognized. It’s high time, then, to revive the tradition of the annual favorite album thread - we’ve not had one yet this decade, after all. (We had previous editions in 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 and also here, as well as 2015).

Please include links in your posts, if you can. Songwhip is a useful tool for sharing a single link to music on multiple platforms.

In the past we’ve confined ourselves to favorite albums. It might also be worth including some EPs and even a few individual, outstanding tracks or songs, though. I’m still going through lists of recommended new music for last year - and will post my favorites soon - but my sense from 2020 is that for alternative rock and electronic music, at least, there were only a few really strong and consistently cohesive, good albums. That said, there have been many great tracks on what are otherwise uneven or less-than-stellar albums.

To get the thread going, here are a few of my favorites from 2020:


Albums


Katie Von Schleicher, Consummation (standout tracks: Nowhere, Loud, Gross, Power, and Nothing Lasts)
Available from bandcamp
On streaming services: Qobuz and here, via songwhip, for Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Music, YouTube, and Pandora.



Girls in Synthesis, Now Here's An Echo From Your Future (standout tracks: Arterial Movements, The Images Agree, They’re Not Listening, Cause for Concern, and Set Up To Fail).
Available from bandcamp
On streaming services: Qobuz and here, via songwhip, for Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Music, YouTube, and Pandora.


Tracks/Songs


Black Pumas, "Colors," from their eponymous album
Available from bandcamp
On streaming services: Qobuz and here, via songwhip, for Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Music, YouTube, and Pandora.



Sweeping Promises, "Hunger for a Way Out," from the album of the same name
Available from bandcamp
On streaming services: Qobuz and here, via songwhip, for Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Music, YouTube, and Pandora.



Muzz, "Bad Feeling," from the album Muzz
Available from bandcamp
On streaming services: Qobuz and here, via songwhip, for Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Music, YouTube, and Pandora.

 

I didn’t realize we hadn‘t done one for 2020.

2020 Favorite albums:

Perfume Genius - Set My Heart on Fire Immediately
Really a new pinnacle for PG in my opinion. Fantastic compositions.
https://songwhip.com/perfume-genius/setmyheartonfireimmediately



Omnipotent Youth Society - Inside the Cable Temple
(万能青年旅店 - 翼西南林路行)
This band out of China stunned me with this release out of nowhere (last album was 10 years prior and nowhere near this level of awesome). Prog fans give it a listen, check out track 6 for example. Some of these songs develop into really nice jazzy, prog, fusion jams.[/URL]
https://songwhip.com/万能青年旅店/冀西南林路行






Jason Molina - Eight Gates
If you’re familiar with Molina then you know what to expect but I like this one more than some past albums. So good.

https://songwhip.com/jason-molina/eight-gates







Sufjan Stevens - The Ascension
Sufjan is so prolific but he’s so diverse and not all of his albums click with me. This one did for sure. So good. This is the next evolution of Sufjan. It’s more synth-driven and ethereal. Like synth singer songwriter with great compositions.
https://songwhip.com/sufjan-stevens/theascension




Squarepusher - Be Up a Hello
Man, I loved Squarepusher’s 2020 solo return with this album. Track one is a brilliant kickoff and the album is satisfying throughout.
https://songwhip.com/squarepusher/beupahello






2021 Albums

CARM - CARM
This album is freaking brilliant. I haven’t set out to put these in any particular order but this one was probably my best album of 2021 contender. Guy has played on all the big indy albums and calls on them to collaborate on various songs here. You’ll find Bon Iver, Sufjan, etc.. and some really great compositions.
https://songwhip.com/carm/carm





Bodies of Water - Is This What It’s Like
This is a band that caught my ear in 2008 with their fantastic album A Certain Feeling. Love their sound and feel. Very rhythmic and certainly feels like some nods to 70’s, musicals, a bit discoish at times but not obnoxiously so. Great songs. Track one, Every Little Bird, was one of my most played tracks of last year. Such a jam.
https://songwhip.com/bodies-of-water/is-this-what-its-like



Genghis Tron - Dream Weapon
Great mix of electric and electronic and what a band name!
https://songwhip.com/genghis-tron/dreamweapon





Slow Meadow - Happy Occident Reworks
Happy Occidents was one of my favorite albums of 2019 and this is a great EP of collaborative remixes with some great artists (I was super excited to see Brambles here). Ambient electronic.
https://songwhip.com/slow-meadow/happy-occident-reworks




Angel Olsen - Aisles EP
A really satisfying ep of atmospheric 80’s covers.
https://songwhip.com/angel-olsen/aisles





Phosphorescent - The BBC Sessions EP
Really great versions of songs from the Pride through Muchacho albums. Kicks off with an awesome version of Song for Zula.
https://songwhip.com/phosphorescent/the-bbc-sessions[/URL]

 

Some of my favorite albums of 2021 (click album name for songwhip link):

Sinfonia of London / John Wilson - English Music For Strings (Classical)




Dry Cleaning - New Long Leg (Post-Punk)




Exek - Good Thing They Ripped Up The Carpet (Post-Punk)




Girls In Airports - Leap (Jazz / Indie / Urban Folk)




Hania Rani & Dobrawa Czocher - Inner Symphonies (Contemporary Classical)




Needlepoint - Walking Up That Valley (Crossover Prog)




Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - La Panthere Des Neiges (Original Soundtrack)

 

Please post a songwhip link for every album you post and album art and at least a genre would be nice too.

Otherwise it is too difficult to listen to each album. thank you

 

2021 was a good year for releases, I got new stuff from some of my favorite artists.

click the images to listen

 

all of this is some form of "rock" music....

2020 albums
Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud
favorites: Lilacs, Ruby Falls
https://waxahatchee.bandcamp.com/album/saint-cloud-3-2
https://songwhip.com/waxahatchee/saint-cloud-3

Beach Bunny - Honeymoon
favorites: April, Dream Boy
https://beachbunny.bandcamp.com/album/honeymoon-3
https://songwhip.com/beach-bunny/honeymoon

2021 albums
Snail Mail - Valentine
favorites: Ben Franklin, Light Blue
https://snailmail.bandcamp.com/album/valentine
https://songwhip.com/snail-mail/valentine-2

Low - HEY WHAT
https://lowtheband.bandcamp.com/album/hey-what
https://songwhip.com/low/hey-what

Home Is Where - i became birds
favorites: long distance conjoined twins, assisted harakiri
https://homeiswhere.bandcamp.com/album/i-became-birds
https://songwhip.com/homeiswhere/ibecamebirds

Lucy Dacus - Home Video
favorites: Brando, Hot & Heavy
https://lucydacus.bandcamp.com/album/home-video
https://songwhip.com/lucy-dacus/home-video


2020 songs
Taylor Swift - exile
I didn't care for Taylor Swift before, but I thought Folklore & Evermore were quite good. This track in particular.
https://songwhip.com/taylor-swift/exile

Jeff Rosenstock - Scram!
https://jeffrosenstock.bandcamp.com/track/scram
https://songwhip.com/jeff-rosenstock/scram

Jess Cornelius - Kitchen Floor
https://jesscornelius.bandcamp.com/track/kitchen-floor-3
https://songwhip.com/jesscornelius/kitchen-floor

Phoebe Bridgers - Kyoto
https://phoebebridgers.bandcamp.com/track/kyoto
https://songwhip.com/phoebe-bridgers/kyoto

2021 songs
Bachelor - Stay in the Car
https://bachelortheband.bandcamp.com/track/stay-in-the-car
https://songwhip.com/bachelor/stay-in-the-car

Faye Webster - Cheers
https://fayewebster.bandcamp.com/track/cheers
https://songwhip.com/faye-webster/cheers

Modest Mouse - Lace Your Shoes
https://songwhip.com/modest-mouse/lace-your-shoes


and, I still have a soft spot for Toad the Wet Sprocket/Glen Phillips and the Counting Crows. I thought their 2021 offerings were pretty good.
https://songwhip.com/toadthewetsprocket/starting-now
https://songwhip.com/counting-crows/butter-miracle-suite-one