VacantPlanet's 2021 AOTY List
Comment below with anything I missed and / or your favorite cumbia. |
| 55 |  | Misotheist
For the Glory of Your Redeemer
** EP **
(Black Metal)
Highlight: Rope and Hammer
https://terraturpossessions.bandcamp.com/album/for-the-glory-of-your-redeemer" |
| 54 |  | Yukika
Timeabout,
** EP **
(City Pop)
Highlight: Time Travel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhm4InN7Ajk |
| 53 |  | NNAMDI
Are You Happy
** EP **
(Electronic / R&B / Experimental)
Highlight: Barely Reason For A Smile
https://nnamdiogbonnaya.bandcamp.com/album/are-you-happy |
| 52 |  | Lexie Liu
Gone Gold
** EP **
(Pop)
Highlight: 了
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47dVN-vc6PE |
| 51 |  | Pa Salieu
Afrikan Rebel
** EP **
(UK Drill / Afropop)
Highlight: Style & Fashion
Three very different tracks, all fire.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT-0NwoADO0 |
| 50 |  | Charnel Grounds
Molecular Entropy Examined in the Bowels of a Grea
** EP **
(Death Metal)
Highlight: Desecration of the Host: Madness Complete
Artificial Brain methadone
https://charnelgrounds.bandcamp.com/album/molecular-entropy-examined-in-the-bowels-of-a-great-one |
| 49 |  | Elori Saxl
The Blue of Distance
** Honorable Mention **
(Ambient / Electronic / Experimental)
Highlight: Wave I
Samples of flowing water and blowing wind processed to mimic warbling modular synths (and vice versa). Not one I'll revisit often but it is a very cool concept and worth checking out at least once.
https://elorisaxl.bandcamp.com/album/the-blue-of-distance |
| 48 |  | Brand of Sacrifice
Lifeblood
** Honorable Mention **
(Deathcore)
Highlight: Vengeance
Solid deathcore elevated by the use of fat synths (similar to those used by Mick Gordon in DOOM's OST) and subtle industrial elements.
https://brandofsacrifice.bandcamp.com/album/lifeblood |
| 47 |  | Tyler, the Creator
CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST
** Honorable Mention **
(Hip-Hop)
Highlight: MANIFESTO
Love to see Tyler riding aggressive beats again. Don't love DJ Drama's semi-frequent interjections but it's not a dealbreaker.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnDXCoHRl4o |
| 46 |  | Sun-El Musician
African Electronic Dance Music
** Honorable Mention **
(House)
Highlight: Amateki
House music from South Africa with lots of polish and hypnotic good vibes. Great for long scenic drives.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QENRVxmqSdk |
| 45 |  | Really From
Really From
** Honorable Mention **
(Math Rock / Jazz / Emo)
Highlight: Quirk
Cool blend of sounds but unfortunately the vocals and lyrics can be pretty weak relative to everything else. Excited to see what they do next.
https://reallyfrom.bandcamp.com/album/really-from |
| 44 |  | C. Tangana
El Madrileño
** Honorable Mention **
(Latin / R&B)
Highlight: Ingobernable
I just want a full album of flamenco inspired pop like "Ingobernable". Rest of the album is ok.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV0r4a2QVkQ |
| 43 |  | Gold Necklace
Gold Necklace
** Honorable Mention **
(Pop / Math Rock / R&B)
Highlight: I Felt It Too
This mix of genres just works. I would prefer a little bit more risk taking but overall this is quite solid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VEmUu9JDOo |
| 42 |  | BRUIT
The Machine Is Burning...
** Honorable Mention **
(Post-Rock)
Highlight: The Machine Is Burning
Post rock is dead (now with synths and orchestral arrangements)
https://bruitofficial.bandcamp.com/album/the-machine-is-burning-and-now-everyone-knows-it-could-happen-again |
| 41 |  | Thermohaline
Maelstrom
** Honorable Mention **
(Blackened Death Metal)
Highlight: Adamastor
Production is awful and songwriting can be a little uneven but there's a lot of very cool and unique ideas in here. Definitely a project to keep an eye on.
https://thermohaline.bandcamp.com/album/maelstr-m |
| 40 |  | Nubiyan Twist
Freedom Fables
** Honorable Mention **
(UK Soul / RnB)
Highlight: Tittle Tattle
Tittle Tattle is one of my favorite tracks of the year and a clear album highlight - the rest of the album is still pretty good although lacking a bit of punch for my tastes.
https://nubiyantwist.bandcamp.com/album/freedom-fables |
| 39 |  | Valerie June
The Moon And Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers
(Soul / R&B / Folk)
Highlight: You And I
Powerful, mesmerizing voice.
https://valeriejune.bandcamp.com/album/the-moon-and-stars-prescriptions-for-dreamers |
| 38 |  | Plebeian Grandstand
Rien ne suffit
(Blackened Mathcore / Industrial)
Highlight: Part maudite
(see #32)
https://plebeiangrandstand.bandcamp.com/album/rien-ne-suffit |
| 37 |  | Thy Catafalque
Vadak
(Black Metal)
Highlight: Gömböc
Thy Catafalque albums are always weird, but this one benefits by also putting some solid riffs front and center.
https://thycatafalqueuk.bandcamp.com/album/vadak |
| 36 |  | ZOC
PvP
(J-Pop)
Highlight: family name PvP版
90 min gauntlet of high energy J-Pop bangers. Recent drama is kind of a bummer but the music rules so...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqa_qEZKCEU
https://ototoy.jp/_/default/p/792959 |
| 35 |  | Wolves in the Throne Room
Primordial Arcana
(Black Metal)
Highlight: Primal Chasm (Gift of Fire)
Larger emphasis on riffs rather than drawn out builds is highly appreciated.
https://wolvesinthethroneroom.bandcamp.com/album/primordial-arcana |
| 34 |  | Mortiferum
Preserved in Torment
(Death Metal)
Highlight: Exhumed from Mortal Spheres
Not usually a fan of death-doom but these guys really know how to use dynamics to make the most of each bludgeoning riff.
https://mortiferum.bandcamp.com/album/preserved-in-torment |
| 33 |  | Twice
Formula of Love: O+T=<3
(Pop)
Highlight: Cruel
Bend the knee.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQXBAGVSOyY |
| 32 |  | Frontierer
Oxidized
(Mathcore)
Highlight: Glacial Plasma
This band would be unstoppable if they figured out how to use dynamics, but alas...
https://frontierer.bandcamp.com/album/oxidized |
| 31 |  | Iglooghost
Lei Line Eon
(Electronic)
Highlight: Sylph Fossil
Enjoyable, but doesn't hit as quite as hard when sober.
https://iglooghost.bandcamp.com/album/lei-line-eon |
| 30 |  | Raphael Weinroth-Browne
Worlds Within Live
(Post-Rock / Experimental)
Highlight: Tumult I-II-III
Huge sounds from a single cello and a loop pedal.
https://raphaelweinroth-browne.bandcamp.com/album/worlds-within-live |
| 29 |  | Atrae Bilis
Apexapien
(Death Metal)
Highlight: Bacterium Abloom
Fellow riff-fiends, look no further. 20 Buck Spin stays undefeated.
https://listen.20buckspin.com/album/apexapien |
| 28 |  | Arooj Aftab
Vulture Prince
(Jazz / World / Minimalist)
Highlight: Mohabbat
Empty spaces.
https://aroojaftab.bandcamp.com/album/vulture-prince |
| 27 |  | Parannoul
To See the Next Part of the Dream
(Shoegaze / Indie)
Highlight: White Ceiling
우울하다
https://parannoul.bandcamp.com/album/to-see-the-next-part-of-the-dream |
| 26 |  | Phrenelith
Chimaera
(Death Metal)
Highlight: Gorgonhead
Half court buzzer beater. Go back and edit your AOTY lists.
https://nuclearwinterrecords.bandcamp.com/album/chimaera |
| 25 |  | MouthBreather (USA-MA)
I'm Sorry Mr. Salesman
(Mathcore)
Highlight: Cotton Short
Rabid
https://mouthbreathercult.bandcamp.com/album/im-sorry-mr-salesman |
| 24 |  | Yukichikasaku/men
Karada Portable
(J-Pop)
Highlight: ムーヴ
Off-kilter J-pop backed by jazzy keyboards that never stop moving. FFO: Hakushi Hasegawa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhAvRK7s5UM
https://ototoy.jp/_/default/p/760783 |
| 23 |  | Palsied
Certain Death Austerities
(Death Metal)
Highlight: Beyond Blood Potential
One of those albums that feels like the band itself is just moments from losing control of their own monstrous creations.
https://palsied.bandcamp.com/album/certain-death-austerities |
| 22 |  | Vince Staples
Vince Staples
(Hip-Hop)
Highlight: TAKE ME HOME
"I preach what I practice, these streets all I've known
And there's no place like home
No place like home"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sanBok8Hd8 |
| 21 |  | Every Time I Die
Radical
(Metalcore)
Highlight: Hostile Architecture
Infectuous energy.
https://everytimeidie.bandcamp.com/album/radical |
| 20 |  | Rhododendron
Protozoan Battle Hymns
(Noise / Post-Hardcore / Experimental)
Highlight: Garden of Earthly Delights
Weird as hell.
https://rhododendronpdx.bandcamp.com/album/protozoan-battle-hymns |
| 19 |  | She Said Destroy
Succession
(Post-Hardcore / Black Metal / Punk / etc)
Highlight: Sharpening the Blade
What this lacks in cohesion it more than makes up with creativity.
FFO: Rolo Tomassi
https://shesaiddestroynorway.bandcamp.com/album/succession |
| 18 |  | Sallow Moth
Stasis Cocoon
(Death Metal)
Highlight: Phantasmal Sphere of the Shadowmage Infiltrator
Chunky knuckledragging death metal riffs with just the right amount of proggy / technical flair. Also peep their split with swampy avant-garde weirdos Vmthanaachth.
https://sallowmoth.bandcamp.com/album/stasis-cocoon
https://sallowmoth.bandcamp.com/album/split-with-vmthanaachth |
| 17 |  | Renata Flores
Isqun
(Latin / Hip-Hop / Pop)
Highlight: Francisca Pizarro
Exciting debut from emerging Peruvian artist with feminist and anti-colonial messages. Renata switches effortlessly between Spanish and Peru's indigenous Quechua language across the entire album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv1R6NaYE18 |
| 16 |  | LLNN
Unmaker
(Post-Metal)
Highlight: Forger
More albums should use heavily processed samples of chainsaws during breakdowns.
https://llnn.bandcamp.com/album/unmaker |
| 15 |  | Suffering Hour
The Cyclic Reckoning
(Blackened Death Metal)
Highlight: Obscuration
Surprisingly trippy.
https://sufferinghour.bandcamp.com/album/the-cyclic-reckoning |
| 14 |  | Rochelle Jordan
Play With the Changes
(R&B / Pop)
Highlight: Next 2 You
Everything from bouncy dance, sultry R&B, and sweaty dnb-ish tracks.
https://rochellejordan.bandcamp.com/album/play-with-the-changes |
| 13 |  | Archspire
Bleed the Future
(Death Metal)
Highlight: A.U.M.
Proving that treading water at the speed of light can still be thrilling.
https://archspire.bandcamp.com/album/bleed-the-future |
| 12 |  | CHVRCHES
Screen Violence
(Pop)
Highlight: How Not to Drown
Punchy, focused, and catchy as hell.
https://chvrches.bandcamp.com/album/screen-violence-directors-cut |
| 11 |  | Backxwash
I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES
(Hip Hop / Industrial)
Highlight: BURN TO ASHES
Brutal and disorienting
https://backxwash.bandcamp.com/album/i-lie-here-buried-with-my-rings-and-my-dresses |
| 10 |  | Glassing
Twin Dream
(Post-Metal)
Highlight: Absolute Virtue
Heavier, weirder, and more dynamic than anything they've done before.
https://glassing.bandcamp.com/album/twin-dream |
| 9 |  | Ethereal Shroud
Trisagion
(Black Metal)
Highlight: Chasmal Fires
15 year gestation period pays off.
https://etherealshroud.bandcamp.com/album/trisagion |
| 8 |  | Trophy Scars
Astral Pariah
(Post-Hardcore / Blues)
Highlight: Mother
You will reincarnate as a vengeful cowboy.
https://trophyscars.bandcamp.com/album/astral-pariah |
| 7 |  | The Armed
Ultrapop
(Hardcore / Noise Rock)
Highlight: BAD SELECTION
Time to mosh in a ghillie suit.
https://thearmed.bandcamp.com/album/ultrapop |
| 6 |  | Parannoul / Asian Glow / sonhos tomam conta
Downfall of the Neon Youth
(Shoegaze / Post-Rock / Noise)
Highlight: Insomnia
come to brazil (and korea)
https://longinusrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/downfall-of-the-neon-youth |
| 5 |  | Adjy
The Idyll Opus (I-VI)
(Emo / Prog-Rock / Folk)
Highlight: Where June Meets July: III. at a Dance Where the Stars Cross
This ambitious concept album had some of my favorite musical moments of the year, but it doesn't always justify its bloated runtime. High points are undeniably spellbinding though.
https://adjy.bandcamp.com/album/the-idyll-opus-i-vi |
| 4 |  | Sleepwalkers (JPN)
Noč Na Krayu Sveta
(Experimental / Black Metal)
Highlight: Boundless Love / Resilience
Fever dreams
https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/no-na-krayu-sveta |
| 3 |  | Moral Collapse
Moral Collapse
(Death Metal)
Highlight: Suspension of Belief
Chunky OSDM + occasional bursts of modern dissonant experimentation. Surprisingly cool uses of saxophone and violins (!)
https://moralcollapse.bandcamp.com/album/moral-collapse |
| 2 |  | Muqata'a
Kamil Manqus
(Electronic / Experimental)
Highlight: بالحَرف الواحَد (Bilharf Alwahad)
Classical Arabic music samples and field recordings from Palestine (e.g., the scraping of metal gates from Israeli checkpoints) are twisted, mangled, and crushed into thrilling and evocative soundscapes.
https://muqataa.bandcamp.com/album/kamil-manqus |
| 1 |  | Kayo Dot
Moss Grew on the Swords and Plowshares Alike
(Avant-Garde / Death Doom)
Highlight: Epipsychidion / The Necklace / Spectrum of One Colour
Kayo Dot's spookiest, heaviest, and most memorable since 2013's Hubardo.
What more do you need?
https://kayodot.bandcamp.com/album/moss-grew-on-the-swords-and-plowshares-alike |
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