Messed!Up
It’s time to reveal the best or top albums this year, the records that have haunted us in our sleep, songs that we’ve sung in the shower, at the supermarket and at your mom’s 65th birthday. 2020 proved that incredible new music will always make its way to our ears, even in the toughest of times. Here’s a selection of the 10 most illuminating albums to come out of a dark year, handpicked by our staffers Ms Tammy (TW), Mr Berg (CB), DJ Pappaledig (DM), The Racoon (RR), DJ Återbruk (AJ), Mr Bloom (RB), Ms Sis (JS) and the Editor (JN).
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Diamonds are made after a process of being under a lot of pressure in a dark place for a very long time. The same applies to some of the best songs written. Some of those songs are found on this album. Sometimes, it happens. Sometimes, a record is released that makes you go “wow” and “ooh”. This is such a record.
John Grant’s latest release is an exciting trip through his musical landscape – maybe not an acid trip, but not far from it. On Boy from Michigan John Grant shows off his craftsmanship in all areas; melody making, lyrics, vocal harmonies, warm audial carpets of 80’s-style synthesizers and various other instruments washing through your ears. Like a Cristiano Ronaldo of popular music, he is mastering and excelling in all areas of the field, sometimes showboating just for fun. John Grant is not only exploring musical landscapes here, he builds new cities of sound.
Let me talk about his voice. Soft and powerful, it reminds me of the title of one of Daniel Clowes’ books, “Like a velvet glove cast in iron”. Part Rufus Wainwright, part … Nate Dogg (!). And the lyrics – a mix of personal confessions like entries in a diary, stories from the Midwest, a letter, childhood memories, and a hilltop view of the atrocities through modern history that have built the welfare of Western civilization. Very exciting stuff indeed. But the music is what makes me come back to this record, time and again. Melody making from the top shelf. “Billy” sounds like a song penned by Elton John in his prime. “County fair” could be a lost Brian Wilson gem from the late 60s. And some of the songs have David Bowie’s Blackstar-fingerprints all over them.
Even the music videos released so far are grrreat. Like visual counterparts to the melodies. So pretty please, dear Covid, with sugar on top, don’t cancel his European tour this spring. (AJ)
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Noga Erez is one of those artists that never stop to surprise and to satisfy. An artist where everything – musically and visually – fits perfectly together. The latest album KIDS was released during a time when it was impossible to tour, but her live show on NoCapShows was just as beautiful to watch.
A lot of effort has been put into choreographing every track with a group of somewhat 40 dancers and a fantastic play with the camera. Noga Erez’ lyrics not only are personal but also very political, partly utopian and simultaneously joyful, but never phony. Even her mothers voice finds creative use in some tracks and Ori Rousso, her partner in life and in the band, has some bigger roles to play as well. It’s the perfect mix of everything that makes Noga such an interesting artist to watch: the tracks are build with sophisticated lyrics about fear, tension, social criticism and personal relationships accompanied by electro synth sounds, pop melodies and hip hop beats that get stuck in your head. To this add fitting outfits as well as well-choreographed moves and ready is an explosive musical firework. It’s a whole package, that’s what makes her a truly great artist. (RR)
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My Love Is Cool and Visions Of A Life severely pale in comparison to Blue Weekend, the third album from London’s Wolf Alice. Not to say the former are not brilliant albums, because they are, but Blue Weekend is exceptional. Leading with singles ‘The Last Man on Earth’, ‘Smile’, ‘No Hard Feelings’ and ‘How Can I Make It OK?’, Blue Weekend is an expansive, cinematic seraphic creation that is all-consuming beyond the 40 minute listen-time. Producing two of the years most daring yet delicate, ambitious yet accomplished tracks ‘Delicious Things’ and ‘Lipstick On The Glass’, the UK rockers gracefully move into masterful territory with their nuanced execution.
Challenging contemporary rock regularities through rigorous experimentation without compromising disciplinary value, Wolf Alice have birthed a bold, boisterous body of work that is both pristine and playful. (TW)
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“I’m getting older, I think I’m aging well” is the opening line of the second album of pop wunderkind Billie Eilish, and it’s the feel of the whole record in a nutshell. The voice, the sound, the lyrics are so wise beyond Billies 20 years, yet timeless (would you have expected a Bossa Nova on an Eilish record, right next to deep bouncing beats?) and still she’s the icon of her own generation. Once again written and recorded by Billie and her brother Finneas O’Connor at home, this album is a shiny, cozy gem blanket of pop pieces weaved with lyrics radiating beautiful self-confidence. (JS)
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While staying true to form and sticking to their own signature sound, The Bronx still manage to broaden their stylistic horizons just a little bit with each new album. Their sixth self-titled release is no exception, channeling ferocious energy into 11 punk rock hymns. Let’s hope to be able catch them live again in Europe and experience the new tunes in a sweaty club! (CB)
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After two epic albums, the Aussies of Rüfus Du Sol returned with album no.3 during the fall. And lots have happened since their 2018 album Solace. The Australian trio has grown from a band with a very strong following in Australia to now an act that headlines festivals around the world and can sell out multiple nights at small stadiums. How about that!
Surrender doesn’t veer too far from the theme on Solace; the bigger, bolder and dark songs are still there but with greater hit potential this time. It captures the dark, brooding side of their work with some thumping house beats underneath on many of the songs to provide danceable heartbreak anthems. Just listen to dancefloor-tinged bangers like “Alive”, “On My Knees” and always “Always” but don’t forget the slower “I Don’t Wanna Leave”. (JN)
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On this tenth album as a solo artist Thåström takes on another direction in his music, it has the dark and beautiful lyrics that you would expect, the music is more electronic with hints of jazz and the guitars is of a different kind of what we are used to, it is delicate and still grand. Thåström has, as always, a great way to turn poetry into music. With this album he really shows what width as an artist he possesses, and it is impossible not to be humble to. (RB)
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Aussies in Middle Kids have released one of the best albums of 2021. A shitty year, but when records like this are released, well that makes it a bit better at least. One of the main strengths is the vocals from Hannah Joy, but it the grand melodies and anthemic choruses are perfect for me. It´s indie rock in its purest form, and despite that I totally missed the last release Lost Kids from 2018, with indie hit Edge of Town so it was about damn time to discover them. R U 4 Me? should be an indie hit with its simple, driving pop-beat and catchy chorus and “Stacking Chairs” is just a great tune. They are probably a band that would have grown considerable with a festival summer with the record, as the songs seems made for live shows, so let´s hope for a better 2022 with festivals and Middle Kids on a stage near you!
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Solen is one of Sweden’s most underrated bands. It´s weird, they shouldn’t be. All components are there. But the timing might be wrong. I honestly think that they could be huge if they came around in the early 2000´s, it´s just not the right to put out great guitar-based music in Sweden. Don´t get me wrong, they have the respect of critics and quite fanatic, rowdy fans at their shows, and are being played (sometimes) at Swedish radio. But they should just enter the next level. Well, that´s how it is. People just don´t know better.
Anyway, Totalmusik was released after a few years hiatus, including drummer Olle Darmell leaving the band, and it is quite different. The heavy guitars from previous releases are more in the background, the vocals even more in the front and center, and a little less attack, perhaps. But the Solen-feeling, you know the one, is still there. The best example is perhaps on Gävle, a six minute epic beast of a song, without a clear chorus. And it´s vocalist, and main songwriter, Erik Hillborgs finest moment. My kids, 4 and 6, love the song. It says everything, or nothing. I guess that´s the thing with Solen. (DM)
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On this solo album Johan G Winther has put together thirteen magnificent tracks that are both dark and beautiful, a mix of electronic and acoustic sounds packed into a record that is dreamlike, switching from light to dark, joy to sadness. This album is a must have in the collection. (RB)
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Just a few weeks ago, a friend sent me a YouTube link to a studio live session, and within the first chords I fell head over heels for the disarming sound of this emerging DIY band from Brighton, UK. The Cold In Every Shelter is a gorgeous piece of open-hearted indierock music, tying their own style up to the tradition of second wave/Midwest emo bands like The Get Up Kids and a touch of Frightened Rabbit. The quartets’ choral vocals run like a golden thread of affiliation through the album (which, if you buy it on vinyl on their Soundcloud, also comes with a beautiful lyrics booklet to enjoy). The perfect soundtrack to watching winter raindrops roll down your window in your cozy home. (JS)
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The best band to come out of Berlin since… well since ever. Space Chaser play their relentless Sci-Fi-themed Thrash Metal as if the 80s weren’t over: Brilliant stuff to mosh and drink beer to. It’s their third album and definitely the best so far. High-pitched screaming, guitars riffing fast as a shark, pure drum mayhem, the obligatory gang shouts as well as hints of Death Metal elements make sure to keep the songs interesting. (CB)
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The Swedish author Stig Dagerman once said “if poetry is supposed to be a party, I want to go out into the desert”. That’s where he would find our friend Nicholas from Arracknabeal.
On Carnage the pain and darkness is so heavy it feels like one of those leaden blankets used when you are being exposed to x-rays. But the beauty in the music and poetry on this record cuts through the darkness like those rays made famous by Röntgen. The music gives me goose bumps. The good kind. The words remind me of the poetry of the late great Norwegian/Swedish author Beate Grimsrud, with their repetitive style and existential themes. Poetry in motion. And in typical Nick Cave-fashion, he paints pictures with his words that make you visualize barren landscapes and timeless portraits of emotionally injured people. Words, woven together with music slow and beautiful like a spring blossom.
On the track “Shattered ground” it sounds like Nick Cave is singing naked in front of the song’s muse. Stripped bare, no filters. With a voice choking on tears. Like a 64 year old Ian Curtis. It is emotionally exhausting like being exposed to the concept of transference in psychotherapy. But like therapy can help somebody heal and move from a painful state with no light or hope to a better place, so do these songs soothe. (AJ)
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Releasing their fourth album in six years must make Australian Holy Holy one of the most productive bands the last years, especially if you consider intense touring between albums. After years of plying their trade on anthemic stadium-ready rock tinged with hints of 80’s glam guitar and synth, the Australian act now feel complete; like they’ve managed to pull it all together once and for all. And Hello My Beautiful World is their most successful record to date, debuting at number 4 on the Australian music charts.
What really epitomizes this album is the strength. It is never a one note being played repeatedly but a series of delicate layers of instrumentation that explores different textures and colours. “Shoreditch”, “Stand Where I’m Standing” and “The Aftergone (Ft. CLEWS)” are three examples of great songs on an overall brilliant and immense album full of sonic adventure that places Holy Holy in the firmament of Australian music as a shining stars up there with other exports such as DMAs. (JN)
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In 2020 Hayley Williams ventured into solo territory to deliver her first LP Petals For Armor. Setting the tone for ambitious experimentation across licking synths, nasty beats and delicate pop arrangements, Williams set her solo successes high. Little than a year later, Williams gifted us with the sophomore album and prequel to Petals For Armor.
FLOWERS for VASES / descansos is the sonic representation of the motions of divorce, crawling through the stages of grief and loss across fourteen tracks from the acoustic ‘First Thing To Go’ until the explosive cinematic climax ‘Just A Lover’. Williams’ arrangements are a gorgeous mix of restrained acoustic guitar glides and delicate vocals far from the activated power belt, and generous polyphonic textures. This album represents Williams’ dynamic, mature and conscious songwriting ability. (TW)
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Personally, I’m someone who focuses on the substance of the artists lyrics and their meaning a lot. Little Simz’ fourth album is a bomb of an album when it comes to that. If you’ve seen Simz (Simbiatu Ajikawo) live you know how intimate and honest she is with the audience. And so with her new album she takes us with her on a very personal journey through her life: systematic racism, gang violence, womanhood, lost friends and a broken family.
From start to finish there are questions like “what does it take to be a woman?” and “what is it I’m meant to be?” hovering heavily over the tracks. For every questions Simz is trying to find an answer by putting her thoughts into words and those words in powerful lyric – no matter wether they’re about disappointment, reconciliation, empathy or vulnerability and intimacy. And as the lyrics swing from one mood to another so do the instruments – varying from orchestral hymns to elements of R&B, soul and hip hop, even some rock elements and afrobeats.
I think Simz didn’t record the album to prove something to someone or please anyone. It feels more like she did it for herself and to honestly express herself through music and that’s what for me makes this album one of the best this year. (RR)
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Throughout the whole album you can hear that Overflow was produced for a theatrical dance performance. For me it’s the perfect mix between club sounds and theatre performance – the latter you can perfectly imagine when closing your eyes and take in the album.
The albums title seems to reflect the individual tracks or rather the whole album contentwise. There’s scepticism and critisicm to different social topics like surveillance, social media and data collection and their impact on us as an individual but also as a society gleaming through every track. Contrary to the albums title, the tracks only build up very slowly and quietly and partly last over 10 minutes so it actually takes out all of our overflow of daily stress. If you close your eyes it feels like Overflow lets you escape into some sort of cathedral building, a gloomy safe haven of all the things outside (when opening your eyes): the obsessive hunt for social media likes all around us, the rush of our daily lives, targeted advertisement, surveillance, control and data collection on every corner on- and offline. So for me it’s music to escape all the fuss and noise all around us. (RR)
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While writing this, it’s a grey, rainy winter day in Hamburg and the sun doesn’t seem to come out at all. But putting on this album makes you forget all this and all of a sudden it’s a nice summer day and everybody is happy! I must confess that I don’t understand half of what the songs are about as my Spanish is not that great, but the catchy melodies are infectious and make this the perfect good vibes garage rock / powerpop album. (CB)
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The latest Burns album is a style of album you can get lost in. It’s a journey of sound styles; atmosphere, self-discovery, meditation, serenity, inner peace, with amazing beats, and melodies that take you to another place. Another fascinating aspect of each track, is that each one has its own theme, energy, inertia, and flow. No two songs are alike, they have their own identity.
I rarely get stuck in electronic music made for the dance-floor, not like this, but the build up from melody, to vocals, and the flow is just amazing. “Eyes Wide Open”, “Truth” and “Tigers” should be on any respectable DJ’s playlist every night. (JN)
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Grand Cadaver has created an album that’s rooted in old school death but still sounds interesting, fresh and hard as a rock. Not all that surprisingly since this is an actual supergroup forged from former and present members of Katatonia, Tiamat, The Moth Gatherer, Pagandom and Dark tranquillity. Into the Maw of Death has enough diversity of tempo and mood to maintain interest trough out the 37 minuts of “swedeath”. (RB)
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Way more than just a pretty face, in fact: Taylor Momsen and her fellows seem to have been born for the rock circus. On the fourth studio album, the band navigates self-assured between mesmerizing post-grunge, melodic ballads and solid hard rock and does not shy away from breaking a seemingly predictable song structure, like in “25“, with a beatles-esque bridge. Taylor nails the soft notes just as well as the husky belting out with an extra dose of kaboom.
Although “female fronted“ is not a genre, it’s yet absolutely worth mentioning that the kickass single “Death by rock and roll“ made The Pretty Reckless the first band with a frontwoman to reach five number one singles in the US mainstream rock songs charts. It was about time! (JS)
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One of the largest surprises for me in 2021. It´s the debut album from singer song-writer Claud Mintz on Phoebe Bridgers´ label Saddest Factory. And it’s a great debut. It´s filled with pop songs with lovely melodies, in a weird low-fi, yet well-produced sound. From opener Overnight, to Soft Spot to my favorite Guard Down, it´s interesting rhythms, and great vocals. The 2 minutes 22 seconds That´s Mr. Bitch To You is a banger in its own weird way. (DM)
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Not a new Little Earthquakes or an Under the Pink for the 2020s, but a thirty years’ more mature Tori observing the world around her. And what does she see? Things that pull us together, things that push us apart. Human behavior put to the test by pandemic isolation and life under Trump. And Tori’s Bösendorfer piano put to the test by her ambitions to write a soundtrack of those gloomy times. With great success.
IMHO this is her best album in this millennium. Not filled with easily accessible songs like her first two albums, but melodies more mature and words processed through the brain of somebody who has seen the sun rise and set for 58 years. In a recent interview Tori told us that she has spent a lot of time in nature during the pandemic, strolling through forests in the English countryside. Seeking comfort there. If this record is the result of her going “back to nature”, I hope she gets a new pair of hiking boots for Christmas and keeps on exploring the outdoors. (AJ)
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CHVRCHES consistent run of producing excellent albums built on lively hooks, rhapsodic spaces and rich storytelling is evident on Screen Violence. Working with the enigmatic Robert Smith for track ‘How Not To Drown’ and leaning into a euphoric synth score to a Stephen King movie, CHVRCHES unlock their darker closet, capturing the toll of social media and social constructs. ‘Asking for a Friend’, ‘Violent Delights’ and ‘Lullabies’ represent the contrast of unease and liberation perfectly with Lauren Mayberry’s vocals steering the silk-screen ship. (TW)
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There’s a reason this album cleaned up so many prestigious Australian music prizes over the past year. We Will Always Love You, the third album from electronic music giants, The Avalanches, continues the Melbourne royalty’s groundbreaking sound exactly two decades after their seminal debut, Since I Left You. Parading precise production and prominent partnerships including Leon Bridges, Mick Jones, Jamie xx, Denzel Curry, Kurt Vile, Karen O on the delightful “Dial D For Devotion”, and the stellar pairing of MGMT and Johnny Marr for instant classic “The Divine Chord”, Robbie Chater and Tony Di Blasi not only maintain the magic of The Avalanches empyreal soundscape, they transcend beyond it. Anthem seep into anthem, immediately treadmilling We Will Always Love You into the history books. (TW)
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Does this even qualify for a spot on the “Best of 2021” list? After all, the songs on this record were written by the band between 1977 and 1980. But despite the fact that the songs were written by teenagers and now recorded by their mid-40s selfs, this album holds up and shows the Descendents’ trademark pop-punk sound as fresh as ever. (CB)
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Pretty weird to realize that Small Black are veterans by now. Debut album New Chain came out 2010, at the height of the lovely chillwave era. Because it was an era, right? I mean, it lasted for almost a year or two.
When several of the acts that seems epitomize chillwave has disappeared, Small Black have continued. But I almost thought it was done after 2015 release Best Blues, but last year they released the single Tampa, which opens the album, after signing to a new label. It´s a great opener, as it starts out slowly and builds up to a great crescendo. Another favorite is Postcard, a more up-beat song, reminding a bit of No Stranger from the 2013 album Limits of Desire. It´s a great album, from start to finish. Let´s not wait another six years for the next album, guys! (DM)
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In her debut album it’s all about one of the most honest and most powerful of feelings: love and heartbreak. Her deep and partly gloomy voice, accompanied by atmospheric 80s synth sound reminds of The XX or Krakow Loves Adana and the likes. The lyrics are filled with sadness, heartbreak and the feeling of being alone after breaking up with your ex. I guess everyone who has ever been in a situation like this can 100% relate and might have asked themselves the same questions like “does my ex feel the same way?”.
This album is like a sung diary that had been written after a time just like this and Polly Mackey (which is her actual name) shows herself quite vulnerable, true and self-reflected in it. And because the most honest feelings come from your heart and not your head I think this is a unique and fantastic album, that you can not only hear but also feel. (RR)
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Radio-friendly powerpop with a hook. Like they say, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine down. With her magical voice, Marina Diamandis could sing a page from the phonebook and make it sound interesting. Fortunately, she doesn’t. Instead, she scrutinizes dysfunctional relationships, a dysfunctional society, and dysfunctional individuals.
With catchy melodies and a voice that Idol contenders would kill to be born with, our Welsh Greek writes songs with the confidence of a late 80s Madonna. And she performs them like a Freddie Mercury at Wembley. Having gone viral on Tik Tok since her last album, Marina does not compromise but keeps walking in the same direction, continuing the journey she started on her first album. During a year in which Lana del Rey and Lorde disappointed me by underachieving on their bland albums, Marina delivered yet another musical gem to admire and rejoice at. (AJ)
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Me and Hybrid is a love story that started already back in 1999 with their breakbeat-heavy debut album Wide Angle and every album after that whave been full of surprises. In 2010 I even announced that the Disappear Here album was the best breakbeat and progressive house-tinged album anyone can listen to. Let’s say expectations were high on this album. Hell, who do I try to fool?! I didn’t even see it coming; it just turned up one day and made the rest of 2021 so much easier.
Written predominantly during the pandemic lockdown, Black Halo arrived after three stunning, game-changing singles, each accompanied by their own miniature sci-fi-centric short films. This 11-track album pulls the creative genesis of Charlotte and Mike into combination with work from drummer Simon Hanson and guitarist/vocalist Stu Morgan. Merging their signature style of music the album plays in the cinematic and breakbeat realms. Entirely immersive, stunningly theatrical and intelligently synthesised, Black Halo is a glorious return to form for a group of visionaries whose indelible influence on electronic music continues to push the boundaries of the form today. Recommended songs: “Truth From The Lies”, “Flashpoint”, and “Seven Days”. (JN)
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Garland is wonderful dive into the sounds of Americana with Daniel’s voice and way to write music that goes straight to the heart, with warmth and makes you want to sit in the evening sun and just enjoy this eight track album. Be sure to give it a spin or two. (RB)
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Milliarden from Berlin are by far one of the best live bands in the German music scene. From dirty, snotty, loud highs to gentle, melodramatic, burnt out lows – Ben Hartmanns raspy Berlin accented voice verbalizing the poetic lyrics may inevitably bring legendary Rio Reiser and Ton, Steine, Scherben to mind, yet “Schuldig” is the consequent evolution of Milliarden’s very own handmade indie rock sound. Their songs are anthems for warm summer nights, for the best time of our lives and the hungover sundays which we all curse, but somehow long for. (JS)
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If retro seventies good time rock is right up your ally, then this will be the one for you! This high speed rock ‘n’ roll album is the debut from Swedish rockers that are here to inject some good times, and nostalgia into the hard rock scene. Twelve songs in a high tempo filling our ears with powerhouse chord and Anna’s great voice. (RB)
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Born and raised in a small Islandic town and surrounded by breath-taking beauty of nature with the typical Islandic melancholy hovering over the landscapes, Eidís started to play the piano and compose her own songs at a very early age already. Every song describes a moment in her life – happy and sad memories which she still memorizes. It’s like a sentimental diary told with smooth piano melodies accompanied by strings and sometimes a trumpet also. By closing your eyes you get the feeling of drifting through her life together: joyful moments of happiness and times of a weirdly positiv melancholy that is heartache. All that is what I imagine island to be like as well (never been there yet): roaring waterfalls, frightening volcanic erruptions, but also calm fjords, mighty mountains and wide open landscapes… it’s like all our human feelings poured in landmass. (RR)
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Maybe it’s wrong to have Epic Ten on the list. It’s a cover album, celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Epic (released in 2010 though), where Van Etten invited artists to cover the tracks on the album. Epic is not one of the records with Van Etten I had listened to the most, as the entrance point was Tramp from 2012, via the magnificent Serpents. She has of course levelled up since then, especially via Remind Me Tomorrow from 2019. But it meant I could listen to the covers on Epic Ten with (relatively) fresh ears, which perhaps was a good thing.
The invited artists spans from Big Red Machine (the colab between Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner) and Fiona Apple, and even though the original songs are great, the covers just elevates them even further. Opener “A Crime” by mentioned Big Red Machine is just epic and weird, Idles version of “Peace Signs” with Interpol-guitars is driving and haunting and album closer by Fiona Apple is lovely. A favorite for me is St. Panther’s cover of “One Day”, in a minimalistic pop-version. (DM)
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Mästerverket is Swedish for “The Masterpiece”. Yes, it is a masterpiece, this record. Ever since her days with First Floor Power, Jenny has effortlessly made perfect pop melodies, impossible not to hum along to. On this album, the catchy pop songs are mixed up with darker, slower melodies, like a Swedish Disintegration for the 2020’s.
Addictive like an opiate, you need to come back for more. Her songs stick to my playlists like glue. With that unmistakable voice and beautiful musical compositions, Jenny tops it off with emotionally touching and deeply personal lyrics. Brave and verbal, poetic and strong. Delivered with feeling, making you as a listener feel blessed by the gift of receiving such a musical masterpiece. On the hypnotic swan song of the album, “Behöver inget mer”, Jenny sounds like vintage Eva Dahlgren, circa 1989. In my world, that is as good praise as you can get. Thank you, Jenny. (AJ)
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From that Flea-flying bass line of ‘Guided By Angels’, Amyl and the Sniffers hold complete unfleeting attention across the thirteen track sophomore album, Comfort To Me. Redefining Australian pub punk, Comfort To Me is the embodiment of a bullfight; writhing with animalistic energy and exhaling sharp snorts. Amy Taylor is a force to be reckoned with as a fronting face, with her serrated edge and charismatic chaos bleeding through the belters. After the mosh-pit absence of 2020/21, this entire album has been a savior, bringing that neck-breaking ethereal experience to the home with anthems, ‘Herz’, ‘Guided By Angels’, ‘Freaks To The Front’, ‘Security’, ‘Maggot’ and the hard hitting, misogynist takedown ‘Capital’. (TW)
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After a plethora of single releases and with a settled line-up now in place, the Cheshire quartet have finally emerged with a first full-length, and it’s one which lovers of boozy, in-your-face indie-rock will go nuts for. Fall In Fall Out breaks down the gate with the up-tempo and distinctively modern punk anthem, “Feel It”, and proves the perfect introduction to the 11 boisterous songs that follow. “Bury Me” is another early highlight, all fast-paced passion and raw energy. Further high points include excellent acoustic number “Room’s On Fire”, as well as the emotive piano balladry of the title-track and upbeat number “[Insert Girl’s Name Here]”.
It’s nothing we haven’t heard before, but it’s executed in a charmingly rough-around-the-edges style that sets The Luka State apart from the swathes of indie bands that love to do pretty bad Arctic Monkeys impressions. The synthesis of punk and modern alternative rock, similar to what you’d hear on the radio, is refreshing on both sides of the spectrum and ultimately makes for an exciting album that sets The Luka State apart from their contemporaries. (JN)
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Describing themselves either as “post-post grunge” or “angry pop”, this Berlin threepiece put out a magnificent debut album early this year. While I would describe it purely as “grunge”, without any post (or even post-post) suffix, these three ladies sing songs about feminism and capitalism criticiscm (and possibly other -sims as well). And the band name itself is worth mentioning as well! Anyone who still listens to their 90s grunge idols should listen to this! (CB)
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If there’s one term to describe the musical journey of The Notwist best, it’s probably “Consistency in change“. 30 years after their student band punkrock debut, the hinterland heroes have finally released their highly anticipated twelfth studio album Vertigo Days and once again show proof that Germany’s most innovative indie band ain’t from Berlin or Hamburg, but from Weilheim in Oberbayern (I KNOW!). Vertigo Days unfolds its musical variety slowly but steady, merging songs and sounds into each other, developing into a a continual electronicainfluencedjazzyexperimentalindiesongsoundbedstructure flow that wants to be discovered as a whole piece of art. Over and over and over again…the complexity of this album is brilliant and simply beautiful. (JS)
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Courtney Barnett can do no wrong, proving with every album release that she is still one of the best songwriters to come out of Australia. Things Take Time, Take Time is no different. Sliding into a porch-chair paced mellow, Barnett offers one of her most contemplative bodies of work and an album reflective of, and reliable in, the times. Things Take Time, Take Time is generous in its attempt to offer self-help and be a cathartic listening experience, but is not without Barnetts fun, humorous side. With nuance and endearment, the third studio album in the folk writers folder continues the Barnett bus rolling into brilliance. (TW)
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Cynical, socio-critical, political – Audio 88 & Yassin are the living proof that German battle rap is not dead. Whilst other rappers choke on their egos showing off cash, cars and bling on social media, verbally comparing cock sizes and celebrating rape culture, the duo from Berlin marks the exact opposite. Todesliste is an angry outburst, a reaction to a narcissistic society, to right-wing extremists threatening the democratic system, to turbocapitalism, and against sexism and homophobia. Bassy no-frills beats, just one feature guest: the fact that Audio 88 & Yassin put the focus on their messages makes this album probably one of the most relevant German rap albums in recent years. (JS)
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The debut album of Bonobos new record label OUTLIER offers a whole mix on experimental sounds: electronical beats mixed with elements from hip hop, R&B and afrobeats, synthesizer sounds combined with rattling drums and Poté’s smooth voice on top of it all. Regarding the lyrical contents he’s addressing different social topics like depression and paranoia, disaster news, political failure and overall weltschmerz and the consequences of it.
Over every single track there seems to be some sort of bitterness and seriousness, but eventually becomes a glimmer of hope through the voice of Poté. As for me it feels like: not everything has to always be bad – each and everyone of us can do something about it and change the world a little for the better. It’s like a tale of a dystopian future, where the worlds end is near but simultaneously about an utopian dream and a free world. (RR)
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Eisbrecher returned with their eighth studio album and it’s quintessential stuff for the industrial metal genre. Three and a half years after the release of the number 1 album Sturmfahrt, Alex Wesselsky and guitarist, producer Noel Peaks have amended all the adjustment screws of their unmistakable sound and checked every detail to let fans know how exciting and versatile this work is.
The vocals of Alexx Wesselsky are clean, deep and in your face. The guitarwork of Noel Pix and Jürgen Plangger follows suit, adding an industrial rhythm through their riffing, while the rhythm section is tasked with underlining all that, Achim Färber’s beats often sounding as much like a rivet machine as a drumkit. Absolutely everything is told with emphasis but it’s also melodic and with a strong EBM angle through the keyboards and programming of Maximilian Schauer. Recommended songs: “Es Lohnt Sich Nicht Ein Mensch Zu Sein”, “FAKK” and ”Nein Danke”. (JN)
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This album reminds of the feeling of driving a car through the forests, fields and hills of rural Värmland. Does that sound boring to you? Then you haven’t driven a car through the forests, fields and hills of Värmland. A calm feeling of security and something eternal. Majestic beauty. But when the sun goes down, there’s an aspect of underlying danger, like in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks.
Sarah takes us on this ride, with country-synths (!?), slide guitar, drums like heyday Max Weinberg, and – that voice. If you’ve had the luck to have seen her perform live, you know that her records don’t give her voice enough credit. I think I might have been to a total of perhaps five concerts in my 30 years of concert going career where a vocalist sings so beautifully that they make the whole audience go silent in awe. One of these are Jónsi of Sigur Ros, another one is Sarah Klang. I saw people in the audience with tears in their eyes when I saw her perform live three years ago. Amazing. The sad lyrics don’t help keeping the tears at bay either. (AJ)
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Little Oblivions was one of the first releases of 2021 that caught my eye (or ears.). It takes a few listens to enter her world, but it is worth the effort. Already on opener “Hardline”, the lovely melodies and production stands out. For some reason I missed her first albums and the first time I heard about her was via the supergroup boygenius, together with Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. The production on their EP is more sparse and guitar based, but Little Oblivions is more grandiose and complex. It’s a bit frontloaded, with “Faith Healer” as one of the stronger songs, but it’s a great record throughout. (DM)
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Karin My creates magic through electronics and majestic strings on this debut album that blew our minds. An album based on a long-forgotten diary and poems, these eleven songs are like a dark fairy tale or a dream, a timeless classic to be. (RB)
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And then, out of nowhere, comes this record: a quasi-supergroup fronted by Donots frontman Ingo unexpectedly released an album full of posi-hardcore anthems. This album sounds like summer and teenage nostalgia and is just bursting full of energy. Infectious singalongs make you want to grab your best friend, go out and skate and ride arm in arm into the sunset. (CB)
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A divisive album that was positioned as experimental and boundary-pushing, Daddy’s Home is not quite St Vincent’s best album, but in a six-standing catalogue the odds were stacked. That doesn’t mean, however, that Daddy’s Home came without merit. A daring pivot for Annie Clark, Daddy’s Home considers the expansive nature of the pop and rock space, drawing from a multiverse of sonic references to build a modern genre-defining glam gauntlet. From Bowie-esque ecstasy on ‘Pay Your Way In Pain’ to the surrealistic extended composition relative to that of Pink Floyd on ‘Live In The Dream’, Daddy’s Home has leverage for St Vincent to consolidate a combustion of soundscape into a considered, superlative seventh album. The manifold of possibilities for the masterful artist, based off of the direction of Daddy’s Home, is elating. (TW)
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Jungle could be a bit provocative. These two British lads (Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland) produce music that is just so 2021. It’s smooth, catchy, funky (yes, I went there), and smart. The image is clean, calculated, and appealing. All elements are there for dismissal from my part, as it’s not “dirty”, indie, whatever enough. But no, it just works. (DM)
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