In 2021, indie pop had the job of scoring the world’s reopening, marrying joy and uncertainty. From Wolf Alice to Illuminati Hotties, these albums got the gold.
Dummy’s full-length debut Mandatory Enjoyment percolates with a mesmerizing, inescapable warmth—the best of its Krautpop niche this year.
Elbow’s Flying Dream 1 trusts its listeners, asking us to hold a quiet space for the music and let it reveal itself over time.
Mira Calix’s Absent Origin takes the concepts of Dada and re-arrangement from visual artists such as Duchamp for a series of tracks impossible to pin down.
Mephisto Halabi’s The Arabic Room blends eastern exoticism, circuit-bent electronics, and some of the heaviest free improvisations you might ever hear.
Amir ElSaffar’s The Other Shore is about confronting and moving past musical and cultural barriers. “My idea is to expand ideas of culture,” says ElSaffar.
Metalcore pioneers Converge unite with Chelsea Wolfe and Cave In’s Stephen Brodsky to craft a brooding work of goth-inflected metal with Bloodmoon: I.
Codebreaker is the sound of jazz pianist Matthew Shipp gliding on autopilot, letting his subconscious do the talking.
Things Take Time, Take Time marks a turn toward openness and positivity for Courtney Barnett, who has previously thrived on precisely communicating anxieties.
Joni Mitchell’s Archives Vol 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971) is critical in understanding and appreciating her talent. We see her growth and development.
Damon Albarn’s new album is beautiful, one worthy of the songwriter’s long and oddly-shaped legacy. No Blur or Gorillaz comparisons apply.
