After taking a year off thanks to some asshole bats, the SMA’s have returned to provide you with coverage of 2021 in the world of music. It is here – not Pitchfork or some other cheap imitation – that you will learn what the best and worst albums of the year were. Honestly, I’m not even sure what you all did in 2020…did you trust Spotify’s most-streamed or something? I feel terrible that I left such a large void in your collective understanding of music last year, not to mention your 2020 holiday dinner table talks, so I’m going to attempt to make up for it by making this the best SMA’s ever!!! With a record TEN award categories, this just might be the most memorable online, music-related, year-end, blog-formatted, categorized, award-ceremony-styled thing that you read this November/December!
Alright, alright. I know this is a very exciting development for everyone, so let’s pause and take a moment to rein in your excitement, collect yourself, and continue reading. I completely understand if this might take a while, so to help you catch your breath let’s review all previous SMA Album of the Year winners:
2014 - Low Roar: 0
2015 - Sufjan Stevens: Carrie & Lowell
2016 - Yellowcard: Yellowcard
*2017 - Manchester Orchestra: A Black Mile to the Surface
Welcome to the third installment of our 2021 quarterly playlist! Feel free to jam the songs below while reading what our writers had to say about each selection. Tell us what your favorites are in the comments, as well as any new artists you may have discovered. Alternatively, you can always let us know what we missed! Thanks for reading/listening.
To view the historical content of these playlists, visit the bottom of this page.
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Tracklist:
BADBADNOTGOOD – “Signal from the Noise”
At the height of BBNG’s (TikTok) fame comes ‘Signal from the Noise’, a psychedelic jazz marvel. The band’s longest track in some time, it’s also its most filmic. Having proven itself in a number of ways over the last few years — popularity-wise, as well as in terms of diversity and productivity — its about time BBNG returns to crafting albums. And if this and ‘Beside April’ are any indication (what else is the point of single?), Talk Memory is going to be a well-crafted album. Lotsa fun, too. — BlushfulHippocrene
There are few albums in recent memory that have been quite so divisive as Donda. Kanye West’s long-teased 10th LP has gone through many iterations and titles, and finally dropped yesterday as a 27-track, almost 2 hour behemoth. Length alone should never be a detractor to one’s critical reception of art – but in this case, the album simply fails to uphold the quality of its strongest moments for that entire duration. That’s really okay, because two hours of superb music is nearly impossible to pull off. In forming a critical analysis of Donda, however, one must take all moments into account – not just its finer cuts – and the results are middling. At its core though, Donda had the potential to be nearly perfect and go toe to toe with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy as West’s best and most ambitious work. I’m sure this will be done a thousand different ways over the coming weeks, but below is my re-imagined and condensed version of Donda – an iteration that I almost certainly would have hailed as superb or a classic.
I left ‘Jail’ as the opener (we’re not counting ‘Donda Chant’ in this case) because I think it is the ideal adrenaline pumping scene-setter. I’ve heard some complaints already about ‘God Breathed’s early placement with that long outro, but I’m okay with it – it cements Donda as the imaginative and ambitious piece that it is. Most of this re-imagining was just me trimming…
One of my favorite album restructurings has to be the one I did years ago for Viva La Vida and Prospekt’s March, which I’m going to re-publish as part of this new series I’m doing. The LP (VLV) and the bonus follow-up collection (PM) are each superb in their own right, but in blending the best of them, you get a truly special – dare I say perfect – pop/rock record. Chances are if you’re not a huge Coldplay nerd I’ve already lost your attention, so I’ll cut through all the fanfare and just get right down to my playlist and the reasoning as to why I structured it the way I did.
The album begins with “Life in Technicolor II” – I chose this version because it is more fully fleshed out than its instrumental counterpart. The band stripped away the vocals from the original version “Life in Technicolor” in 2008 because it sounded too much like “an obvious single”, but I much prefer the full bodied track with Chris Martin’s stunningly beautiful melodic arc. “Viva La Vida” fits in nicely early as a symphonically-charged highlight – on the original LP, the breathtaking title track was hidden too far back in the listing. When it comes to Coldplay, I’m all about instant gratification, and that song hooks you in immediately. I had to be careful about maintaining the flow and delicate balance of Viva La Vida while blending these songs together, because there’s nothing wrong…
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of July 30, 2021. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: July 30, 2021 –
Agrypnie: Metamorphosis
Genre: Black Metal
Label: Aop Records
Big Big Train: Common Ground
Genre: Progressive Rock
Label: English Electric Rec
Bleachers: Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night
Genre: Indie-Pop/Rock
Label: RCA
Billie Eilish: Happier Than Ever
Genre: Pop
Label: Darkroom/Interscope
Creeper: American Noir
Genre: Pop-Punk/Gothic
Label: Roadrunner UK
Dantalion: Time To Pass Away
Genre: Black/Death/Doom Metal
Label: Darkwoods
Dee Snider: Leave A Scar
Genre: Rock/Electronic/Heavy Metal
Label: Napalm Records
Diskord: Degenerations
Genre: Death/Progressive Metal
Label: Transcending Obscurity
Galvanizer: Prying Sight Of Imperception
Genre: Death Metal/Grind
Label: Everlasting Spew Records
Gnosis: Omens From The Dead Realm
Genre: Death/Black Metal
Label: 2773878 Records DK
Grisly: Salting The Earth
Genre: Death Metal
Label: Xtreem Music
Groza: The Redemptive End
Genre: Black Metal
Label: AOP Records
Call it a wildly unnecessary hobby, but one thing I’ve always enjoyed about music is re-ordering album tracklists. I do it with albums I enjoy just as much as albums I dislike, always in an attempt to arrange the music even better somehow. I find I get the most out of it on albums that have potential, but are either overinflated, fall short in a few key areas, or are accompanied by an EP/b-sides release with a handful of stronger moments than the actual LP.
It’s with great anticipation of Thrice’s 11th upcoming album, Horizons/East (due out September 17th), that I kick things off with a way to re-imagine their previous effort Palms – which fits the latter two of the above descriptions. Songs like ‘Hold Up a Light’ and ‘My Soul’ were obvious weak spots and were easily discarded from the original tracklist in this mock-up, while I also – but more begrudgingly – parted ways with ‘Only Us’ and ‘Everything Belongs’ on the grounds that they’re both relatively average versions of songs that Thrice did better on the very same LP. I then imported the entirety of the Deeper Wells EP, which I feel is a much stronger effort in general compared to the Palms tunes that I just discarded. Finally, I arranged them in a way meant to flow, dazzle, and rock your socks off.
One thing Palms lacked was a kickass starter, but ‘Deeper Wells’ lights a fire with its political lyrics (referencing Trump’s wall) and vitriolic delivery.…
Welcome to the second installment of our 2021 quarterly playlist/mixtape! Feel free to jam the playlist below while reading what our writers had to say about each selection. Tell us what your favorites are in the comments, as well as any new artists you may have discovered here – or, alternatively, tell us what we missed! Thanks for reading/listening.
To view the historical content of these playlists, visit the bottom of this page.
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Tracklist:
AFI – Dulcería
AFI continue to delve deeper into a more sophisticated sound three decades into their career and ‘Dulcería’ is the most suave moment on Bodies. I dare to say the groovy bass lines and silky guitars echo Roxy Music and Davey’s smooth croons are impressive and very catchy. The result is such a beautiful and elegant tune. — insomniac15
Altarage – Magno Evento
Succumb sees the dissonant Basque collective broaden its spectrum by reconciling experimentalism and orthodoxy. Besides being one of its discordant highlights, the charismatic ‘Magno Evento’ stands as one of the best tracks the band has ever recorded. — TheNotrap
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, so many bands have struggled to make ends meet. Without the ability to perform live, they’ve turned to platforms like Patreon to build a subscription-based fandom. Another more frequent occurrence is recording and streaming live shows. Even then, without the energy of the crowd, it’s nearly impossible to replicate the level of excitement that folks go into such an experience seeking. It’s not an easy time to be an artist – but in spite of the challenges, most of them are persevering. It’s a testament to the passion and dedication they pour into their work. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
One band still finding a way is Manchester Orchestra. As one of indie-rock’s more well-known acts, they’ve released five LPs to date including the wildly popular Mean Everything to Nothing and the sleek/grandiose Simple Math – but perhaps none were better than A Black Mile to the Surface, their 2017 emotional magnum opus. Manchester Orchestra Presents: A Black Mile To The Surface (The Concert Film) serves three different purposes. The first is to provide longtime fans with a glimmer of hope during dark times through a live adaptation of Black Mile in its entirety. Secondly, it is to usher out the Black Mile era in a special, memorable way befitting of the four years that fans spent both enjoying it and healing with it. Finally, it teases the release of…
Welcome to the first installment of our 2021 quarterly playlist/mixtape! Feel free to jam the playlist below while reading what our writers had to say about each selection. Tell us what your favorites are in the comments, as well as any new artists you may have discovered here – or, alternatively, tell us what we missed! Thanks for reading/listening.
In over a decade backing and forthing across the Scottish border, I never once had the notoriously grimy pleasure of taking the overnight ‘sleeper’ train, but Arab Strap’s stunning account matches up to every testimony I’ve heard. The restlessness, cheapness and discomfort are all there, but there’s an edge to it, an eeriness drawn out almost to the point of magical realism by some of the most riveting storytelling you’ll hear from anyone this year. Goodness there’s more where that came from on their knockout of a comeback record. — Johnnyofthewell
Big Red Machine – A Crime
The return of indie darling duo Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner’s Big Red Machine is something to celebrate, with “A Crime” marking their first release since the debut barring
It’s been a long year. A long, long year. As we usher out one of the most challenging times in recent memory with the hope that 2021 will bring along better things, this playlist will serve as a time capsule of sorts. These are the sounds of 2020 – the ugly, the bewildering, and the beautiful. Compiled from all four quarters of the year (for each individual installment, see the hyperlinks in the header), this combined playlist affords you the opportunity to jam many of our staff’s favorite tracks all in one place. It’s often through the most difficult times in human history that some of the best art has emerged, and 2020 surely saw its share of amazing music. Press play and sink into this labor of love: 100+ songs born out of adversity, perseverance, and hope. I proudly present to you: the Sputnikmusic Staff’s 2020 Playlist ~
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*protip: Our list contains 107 songs but Spotify only shows 100 songs. For the remaining 7, either click the “next arrow” after the 100th track, or navigate to Q4 and jam them there!*
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of February 12, 2021. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
A.A.Williams: Songs From Isolation (Post-Rock/Alternative Rock/Gothic)
Ad Nauseam: Imperative Imperceptible Impulse (Death/Black Metal)
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: New Fragility (Indie-Pop/Rock)
Django Django: Glowing in the Dark (Indie-Pop/Psychedelic)
Emptiness: Vide (Death/Black/Doom Metal)
Fire!: Defeat (Jazz/Psychedelic)
Florida Georgia Line: Life Rolls On (Country/Pop)
God Is An Astronaut: Ghost Tapes #10 (Post-Rock/Ambient)
JPEGMAFIA: EP2! (Hip-Hop/Lo-Fi)
Love And Death: Perfectly Preserved (Nu-Metal)
Luca Brasi: Everything Is Tenuous (Punk/Emo)
The Obsessives: Monastery (Punk/Emo/Post-Punk)
Pale Waves: Who Am I? (Indie/Dream Pop)
Pentatonix: The Lucky Ones (Pop)
The Pretty Reckless: Death by Rock And Roll (Hard Rock/Grunge)
Robin Thicke: On Earth, and in Heaven (Pop/Soul/R&B)
Sia: Music (Pop)
Sirenia: Riddles, Ruins & Revelations (Gothic/Metal)
slowthai: TYRON (Hip-Hop)
Teenage Wrist: Earth Is A Black Hole (Shoegaze/Alternative Rock)
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of February 5, 2021. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
Black Country, New Road: For the First Time(Post-Rock/Experimental/Post Punk) Cult of Luna: The Raging River (Post/Sludge/Progressive Metal) Deiquisitor: Humanoid(Death Metal) Eyesberg: Claustrophobia(Progressive Rock) Foo Fighters: Medicine At Midnight (Rock/Grunge) J. Cole: It’s a Boy (Hip-Hop) John Carpenter: Lost Themes III: Alive After Death (Rock/Ambient/Soundtrack) Korpiklaani: Jylhä(Folk/Metal) Loathe (UK): The Things They Believe(Metalcore/Progressive Metal/Shoegaze) Octo Octa: She’s Calling EP (House/Electronic) Psychedelic Porn Crumpets: SHYGA! The Sunlight Mound(Psychedelic/Stoner Rock/Grunge) Roy Montgomery: Island of Lost Souls (Psychedelic/Drone/Post-Rock) The Ruins of Beverast: The Thule Grimoires(Black Metal/Doom Metal/Ambient) The Staves: Good Woman (Folk/Alt-Rock) Transatlantic: The Absolute Universe(Progressive/Hard Rock) The Weeknd: The Highlights(R&B/Electronic/Pop)
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of January 29, 2021. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
Accept:Too Mean To Die (Heavy Metal/Hard Rock) Ani DiFranco:Revolutionary Love (Folk/Indie-Pop) Ariel Pink: Odditties Sodomies, Vol. 3(Psychedelic/Indie-Pop) Ariel Pink:Sit n’ Spin(Psychedelic/Indie-Pop) The Besnard Lakes:The Besnard Lakes Are the Last of the Great Thunderstom Warnings(Psychedelic/Indie-Rock) The Body: I’ve Seen All I Need to See(Sludge Metal/Drone) Buke & Gase & So Percussion:A Record Of... (Indie-Folk/Rock) Clap Your Hands Say Yeah:New Fragility (Indie-Pop/Rock) Crazy Arm: Dark Hands, Thunderbolts (Punk/Folk/Country) Dr. Dog:Live 2(Psychedelic/Alt-Rock/Indie-Rock) Goat Girl:On All Fours (Psychedelic/Indie-Rock) Harakiri For The Sky:Mære(Black Metal/Post Metal) Katie Dey:Urdata (Indie-Pop/Experimental/Lo-Fi) Keaton Henson:Supernova (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)(Indie-Folk/Classical) LNZNDRF:II(Psychedelic/Indie-Rock/Post-Rock) Lucero:When You Found Me(Country/Alt-Rock/Punk) Martin Gore:The Third Chimpanzee (Electronic) The Notwist:Vertigo Days (Indie-Rock/Indie-Pop/Electronic) PJ Harvey:Is This Desire? – Demos (Indie-Rock/Folk) Portrayal of Guilt:We Are Always Alone (Black Metal/Hardcore/Emo) Soen:Imperial (Progressive Metal/Rock) Steven Wilson:The Future Bites (Progressive Rock/Psychedelic) Tamar Aphek:All Bets Are Off (Indie-Rock/Indie-Pop) Tribulation:Where The Gloom Becomes Sound (Death Metal/Black Metal/Gothic) Weezer:OK Human (Alt-Rock/Pop-Rock) Young Thug:Slime Language 2 (Hip-Hop)
The modern era of The Ocean Collective — a settled aggregate as opposed to the revolving door era of the early 2000s — forced audiences across the metal world to pay attention with Pelagial. Unlike the prior -centric series, it was a record that combined the band’s growing emphasis on atmosphere with their crushing post-metal soundscapes, threatening sludge background, and emerging vocal talent in Loic Rossetti. No longer did an identity crisis plague the group; their newfound individuality, birthed from the novel ambient and progressive leanings, had been solidified in perhaps the crew’s best flowing and paced output in a titanic discography. Striving to succeed such a laudable effort with yet another concept release dual threat seemed like a second chance, correcting the criticism of years past. Armed to the teeth with members that had now begun to cooperate at a high level, the run began with the promising Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic, which was designed with consistency in mind — a goal that the record, what with its stunning sonic environments populated by massive riffs and evocative moods, certainly excelled at reaching. Per the band’s own admissions, cliché as it may be from a marketing perspective, a treasure trove of surprises awaited in the anticipated second part. Eyes were predictably rolled in anticipation, yet what emerged precisely as advertised: a product that aimed to…
You’d be hard-pressed to pick Mass VI Live out of a lineup of Amenra’s studio records were you not already well acquainted with their 2017 release of the same name. The live rendition of the Belgian post-metal legends’ most recent opus is sublime, sporting better production values than most bands’ core albums whilst still packing in all the immediacy, wonder and passion you’d expect from an ‘in the moment’ performance, even with the notable absence of a live audience. “Children of the Eye” still hits like a freight train, “Diaken” bristles with all of the same gorgeous little details and “A Solitary Reign” is “A Solitary Reign” which, as you’ll know if you’ve heard the original, is all that it needed to be. It may have only made it onto this list at the whim of two particularly determined users, yet it deserves to be recognised amongst the most impressive releases of 2020, whether live or otherwise, because Mass VI Live is an event. Come and witness it. –Asleep
Three years after the fantastic Asheran, these UK proggers added a string to their bow by further smashing together metal genres. On top of their sludge/stoner recipe, some death, thrash, and even blackened elements spice up a formula that
![The Redemptive End [Explicit]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91Vy-KK0RiS._SS500_.jpg)
