Albums of the year 2021

end of year list you say?

Top 10 Live Performances 2021

1, The Charlatans @ Norwich UEA
2, Dry Cleaning @ Latitude Festival
3, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis @ Ipswich Regent Theatre
4, Stone Foundation @ Norwich Waterfront Studio
5, Little Simz @ Norwich UEA
6, Squid @ St Andrews Hall Norwich
7, The Libertines @ Norwich UEA
8, Gruff Rhys @ Norwich Arts Centre
9, Nadine Shah @ 100 Club
10, Black Country New Road @ Wide Awake Festival


Top 10 Old Albums Discovered in 2021

Leon Haywood – Back to Stay (1973)
Al Green – Green is Blues (1969)
Betty Harris – The Lost Queen of New Orleans Soul (2016 compilation)
Colin Newman – A-Z (1980)
Mighty Threes – African Shall Stretch Forth Her Hand (1978)
Guru – Jazzmatazz Vol 1 (1993)
The Primitives – Lovely (1988)
Jon Lucien – Rashida (1973)
Carla Whitney and Choker Campbell – Carla Whitney (2003)
The Impressions – Check Out Your Mind (1970)


Top 40 albums of 2021

40, The Hold Steady – Open Door Policy

39, Solemnn Brigham – South Sinner Street

38, The Umbrellas – The Umbrellas

37, The Natvral - Tethers

36, Courtney Barnett – Things Take Time, Take Time

35, The Allergies – Promised Land

34, Stephen Fretwell – Busy Guy

33, Ryley Walker and Kikagaku Moyo – Deep Dried Granduer

32, Work, Money, Death - The Space in which the Uncontrollable Unknown Resides, Can be the Place from which creation arises

31, Sons of Kemet – Black to the Future

30, Nathan Bowles and Bill Mackay - Keys

29, The Good People – The Greater Good

28, Badbadnotgood – Talk Memory

27, Skyzoo – All the Brilliant Things

26, Beneficence and Confidence – Stellar Mind


25, Black Midi - Calvacade

The debut was immense and I loved John L so was proper pumped for this. It’s a very different beast though that almost reminds me of Tom Waits in places. Took its time to grow on me but I’m getting there with it.

24, Dean Wareham – I Have Nothing to Say to the Mayor of L.A

Obviously a huge fan of Galaxie 500 but I’ve only really dipped in and out of his output since then. This is really nice though. Kinda gives me a Leonard Cohen/Lee Hazlewood type vibe.


23, Maximo Park – Nature Always Wins

I’ve always had a lot of time for Maximo Park. The first two albums are mid 00s classics that I still enjoy spinning and Paul Smith has brilliant taste in music. I’ve discovered loads of good stuff from his Twitter/interviews. Having said that, their albums since the 2nd have been inconsistent at best so I didn’t have high hopes for this. It really hooked me in though and has several bangers as good as those early tunes. A real pleasant surprise.

22, Shame – Drunk Tank Pink

I had a bit of a moment with Shame at the beginning of the year. The debut passed me by a bit and I wrote it off as being just alright after only a couple of listens. I revisited it and ended up really liking it along with the singles from this new one so ended up being quite hyped for this. It didn’t quite live up to my expectations in the end but is still a good album and signals progression.


21, Nightshift – Zoe

Glasgow’s indie scene has produced many of my favourite bands over the years and here is another one. The album wasn’t quite as consistent as I’d hoped but there’s some real highs on here. Ones to watch.

20, Goat Girl – On All Fours

The debut passed me by a bit at the time but the early singles from this got my attention so I was pumped for this when it arrived. I’ve grown to really love them as a band and spent a lot of time with this at the start of the year. A couple of dud moments but overall a really strong album and Sad Cowboy is one of the tunes of the year.

19, Anthony joseph – The Rich are Only Defeated when running for their lives

A jazz recommendation from a mate as I'd never heard of Joseph before. I love his voice and the spoken word style vocals. Has a real classic feel to it and a slight Gil Scott Heron vibe.

18, Daniel Avery – Together in Static
Avery is quickly becoming one of my favourite electronic musicians after a prolific past few years. I like the fact he dabbles in ambient sounding stuff but big danceable tunes too.

17,Gruff Rhys – Seeking new Gods

Beautiful album. He just has a great ear for melody and this is packed full of playful pop songs. The dinked edition is a thing of beauty too. The nicest packaged vinyl I’ve purchased all year.

16, Little Simz – Sometimes I Might be Introvert

The last album was my album of the year so I was excited for this but initially underwhelmed. It clicked in a big way eventually though and I now think this is great. 2 problems prevent it from placing higher and they are the interludes and the fact it is a bit fucking long.

15, Durand Jones and the Indications – Private Space

Loved the last album, didn’t think this was as good on first listen. I was wrong. This is more disco influenced and even a bit sexy in places. Luckily I can do sexy and this is packed full of bangers.

14, Arab Strap – As Days Get Dark

I’m so pleased they are back and this album is another fine addition to the oeuvre. This features the best song about having a wank I’ve ever heard.

13, Dinosaur JR – Sweep it Into Space

You know what this sounds like even if you haven’t heard it. All their albums sound the same but it is a brilliant sound and I think this is maybe my favourite since the reformation. Just great songs.

12, The Coral – Coral Island

Another album that grew with repeated listens. Thought it was quite dull at first but I loved the concept and something kept me coming back to the highlights of this album. From there I ended up getting obsessed with the whole thing and spending most of late spring/early summer on Coral Island.

11, Paul Weller – Fat Pop Vol 1

I actually thought this was quite poor on first listen. Something kept me coming back to it though and I ended up being Weller obsessed for most of the year and spending loads of time revisiting his entire back catalogue. I’ve grown to really love this album now though and it is easily one of my most played lps of the year. England’s greatest ever songwriter.

10, Ryley Walker – Course in Fable

Ryley is my man. I love him and everything he does. This is another step away from the folky sound of the first few albums and a much more positive album thematically now that Ryley is sober and in a better place mentally. I still feel like my moment with this album is to come and maybe it will happen after hearing the songs live. Right now I of course love it but not to the obsessive point live I’ve been with most of his other work.

9, Madlib – Sound Ancestors

Madlib with Four Tet was always going to be a winner for me and this doesn’t disappoint. Hopefully get more of these two working together in the future.

8, DJ Format – Devil’s Workshop

I’ve always had a lot of time for Format and I think this is his best ever work. He’s dropped the old school hip hop party vibe and gone for something a whole lot darker here and it really works.

7, Mogwai – As the Love Continues

I fucking love Mogwai. A deserved number one album in the charts and a respectable placing in my end of year list. What a year it has been for them.

6, Sleaford Mods – Spare Ribs

They seem to be really comfortable in their own skin now after some of the stuff around the time their fame increased struck me as them trying to be something they’re not for a while. The couple of duets here work really well and its nice to hear some female vocals working with Jason. Great band, great album.

5, Black Country New Road – For the First Time

I liked this loads more than I thought I was going to. Loads going on musically and some real tender moments to go with the more anthemic stuff. Lyrically it can be a little bit cringey at times but overall this is real good shit.

4, Squid - Bright Green Field

Another in the crop of brilliant new British bands about at the minute. Squid have some absolute banging tunes and I love this album but do think they’re even better live. Can’t wait to hear what they do next.

3, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis – Carnage

A new Nick Cave album is always a treat and this continues on the more sombre path his last few albums with the Bad Seeds have tread. I’m kinda at the stage where it would be nice to hear Nick go back to a heavier sound again now but the last few albums have been so special with songs this good it is hard to complain really.

2, Low – Hey What

I have an up and down relationship with Low and despite it getting loads of critical acclaim, Double Negative properly clicked with me. Due to this fact I wasn’t overly excited by this release but wow it clicked with me immediately. It’s a development of the sound they brought forward on Double Negative but for me this just has the better tunes and is much more memorable. When they get it right they’re a special band and this is maybe my favourite album of their illustrious career.

1, Dry Cleaning – New Long Leg

This was my easiest decision for album of the year in a long time. I fell in love with this band from the first time I saw them supporting Bodega back in 2019. The Eps were great and the album hasn’t disappointed either. They just have everything I could want in a band and rather than get bored of them with repeated listens I’ve actually just grown to love them even more. At first I was really captivated by Florence and the lyrics/delivery but as time has gone by it’s a combination of that along with the brilliant Sonic Youth esque guitars but I’ve also realized just how staggeringly good and important to the band’s sound the drums and bass are. A real driving force on tunes like Scratchcard Lanyard. This is now one of my favourite all time albums and I’d be surprised if it wasn’t my album of the decade even though we’re only 2 years in.

My Top 10 on record for 2021:

Dry Cleaning – New Long Leg

Grave Flowers Bongo Band – Strength of Spring

Lazarus Kane – Psychobabble (EP)

Lucy Dacus – Home Video

Squid – Bright Green Field

The Black Keys – Delta Kream

The Coral – Coral Island

The War on Drugs – I Don’t Live Here Anymore

WH Lung – Vanities

Whipping Boy – Heartworm (Re-release)



And live:

Dry Cleaning – Latitude

King Hannah – Green Man

Lazarus Kane – Green Man

N'Famady Kouate – Green Man

The Murder Capital – Esquires, Bedford

Shame – Brixton Electric

Squid – End of the Road

Vlure – Moth Club, London

WH Lung – End of the Road

Working Men’s Club – Latitude

Didn’t quite make the cut, but looking forward to seeing again in 2022: Bdrmm, Beak>, Crack Cloud, Egyptian Blue, Katy J Pearson, Memes, Panic Shack, Porridge Radio, PVA, The Lounge Society, Yard Act, Youth Sector

Happy Christmas all.

Apologies for being tardy.

In rough descending order:

Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
Mdou Moctar - Afrique Victime
Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview of Phenomenonal Nature
The Coral - Coral Island
Madlib - Sound Ancestors
Jane Weaver - Flock
Boldy James - Bo Jackson
Armand Hammer - Haram
Joy Orbison - Still Slipping
The Weather Station - Ignorance
Tashaki Miyagi - Castaway
Still Corners - Last Exit
Lana Del Rey - Chemtrails Over The Country Club
The Bug - Fire
Mariah The Scientist - Ry Ry World
Spelling - The Turning Wheel
Sault - Nine
Black Country, New Road - For The First Time
Sun June - Years

All about the alphabet listings, no matter what Jan says.

Moz, I think your account has been hacked whilst you have been offline