Your top ten albums of 2021

I think 2021 was a great year for music. As the year draws to a close, time to share your top 10 releases of 2021. This is always hard, so I’ll allow you to post more than once :wink:. Here’s my first shot at it, in no particular order:

Inglorious - We Will Ride
This Winter Machine - Kites
Spiritbox - Eternal Blue
The Raven Age - Exile
Lady Blackbird - Black Acid Soul
Monolink - Under Darkening Skies
The Dust Coda - Mojo Skyline
Vienna Circle - Secrets of the Rising Sun
Veronica Swift - This Bitter Earth
Tash Sultana - Terra Firma

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Nice list!

10 can’t handle my selections though :sunglasses:

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Totally agree, just too many great releases this year! I had to be ruthless :innocent:

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OK as we are closing in on the end of the year, these are my most listened to albums as tracked by Last.fm and Roon combined

  1. Empyrrium - Über den Sternen
  2. Wheel - Preserved in Time
  3. Deafheaven - Infinite Granite
  4. Swallow the Sun - 20 Years of Gloom, Beauty and Despair
  5. Kauan - Ice Fleet
  6. Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview On Phenomenal Nature
  7. Aimee Mann - Queens of the Summer Hotel
  8. Lana Del Rey - Blue Banisters
  9. Iron Maiden - Senjutsu
  10. Actors - Acts of Worship

Bubbling under (and all relatively close to breaking the 10)
The Weather Station - Ignorance
Thy Catafalque - Vadak
Swallow the Sun - Moonflowers
Mogwai - As the Love Continues
Big Big Train - Common Ground
Anneke van Giersbergen - The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest
The Record Company - Play Loud

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  • Reb Fountain - Iris
  • Kalevi Aho: Double & Triple Concertos (BIS)
  • Chloe Foy - Where Shall We Begin
  • Chelsea Carmichael - The River Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
  • c/o Chamber Orchestra - Divertissment!
  • Dubugnon: Klavieriana; Chamber Symphonies 1 & 2
  • The Church - Starfish (Intervention Records SACD)
  • Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, City of Birmingham SO: The British Project
  • Maple Glider - To Enjoy Is the Only Thing
  • Dana Sipos - The Astral Plane
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It’s a great list Michael! Quite a few were on my long list too.
Take care and Merry Xmas!

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Very nice list, thanks for sharing! Love Reb Fountain. Have a great Xmas :christmas_tree:

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You too.
Thank you for reminding me of several albums on your list that I really enjoyed and need to listen too again in the near future

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Fave albums released 2021.

In no particular order.

David Gray - Skellig
Ben Bohmer - Begin Again
Lady Blackbird - Black Acid Soul
Ross from Friends - Tread
Joy Orbison - Still slipping vol 1
London Grammar - Californian Soil
Fat Freddy’s Drop - Wairunga
Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever
Solomun - Nobody Is Not Loved
Fred Again - Actual Life (April 14-December 17)

Although I’ve listened to so many older albums, but new to me since starting with Roon this year.

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That’s a fantastic list Steven! That Lady Blackbird album is absolutely top drawer. Hope you had a great Xmas!

Far too many great albums from 2021 for me to narrow it down, but here are the ones that have the highest play count.

@steven_goodier, thanks for mentioning Black Acid Soul, it’s a great album. I’m also currently listening to Wairunga - another good choice.

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Yeah the nils Frahm and FS Blumm album nearly made my top listened too. I’ve hammered it recently.

The Billie Eilish one is great sonically and melodically. Just need to wade past the teenage angst😃 I’ll give the Moby one another swirl.

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This one is gorgeous

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Thanks for this - I’ve had it on repeat all day :slight_smile:

In no particular order…

Senjutsu/Iron Maiden
Kites/This Winter Machine
Graveyard Star/Mostly Autumn
Detroit Stories/Alice Cooper
Brighten/Jerry Cantrell
The Ides Of March/Myles Kennedy
A View From The Top Of The World/ Dreamtheater
Fortitude/Gojira
Marching In Time/Tremonti
We Will Ride/Inglorious

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As expected, an awesome selection! Love that Mostly Autumn album - their best work IMHO.

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In no particular order:

Mostly Autumn - Graveyard Star
Evergrey - Escape of the Phoenix
Evanescence - The Bitter Truth
The Quill - Earthrise
The Raven Age - Exile
The Black Keys - Delta Kream
Chevelle - Niratias
Iron Maiden - Senjutsu
Billy Gibbons - Hardware
Inglorious - We Will Ride

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Fantastic selection Patrick! Both Evergrey and The Quill were on my long list.

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Without a specific order:

Anneke Van Giersbergen - The Darkest Skies Are The Brightest
Diablo Swing Orchestra - Swagger & Stroll Down the Rabbit Hole
Joe Bonamassa - Time Clocks
Ross Jennings - A Shadow of My Future Self
Aquilus - Bellum I
Leprous - Aphelion
Secret Sphere - Lifeblood
Swallow the Sun - Moonflowers
Cynic - Ascension Code
Tremonti - Marching in Time

I also add the biggest disappointments of the year:

Dream Theater - A View from the Top of the World

From my point of view, an album should be evaluated for what it is without being influenced by the band and its history. And this is a mediocre album where, among the biggest problems, we can put the usual LaBrie performance. Even at the compositional level, it remains boring without particular interesting ideas

Iron Maiden - Senjutsu

I was waiting for it a lot but, as for DT, an anonymous album that doesn’t leave me wanting to listen to it again

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OK, OK – off we go, randomised:

Lars Danielsson – Cloudland

Geir Sundstøl – St. Hanshaugen Steel

Mathias Eick – When We Leave

Peter Gregson – Patina

Max Richter – Exiles

Sebastian Plano – Save Me Not

Dustin O’Halloran – Silfur

Nik Bärtsch – Entendre

Thomas Strønen – Bayou

Balmorhea – The Wind

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