It's that time of the year. The time where Lists are made and being checked twice. As OUTTHEBOX reached out to me, I never knew I would be the person that would do this on their site but here I am. I will do Honorable Mentions, Worst Songs, Worst Albums,Best Songs and Best Albums. All of the albums that made the Top 50 were albums I reviewed, so these albums rather never got a review or were close to making the Top 50, so without further ado, lets see these albums.
Genesis Owusu-Smiling With No Teeth
Genesis Owusu came out of nowhere in 2021. This album is a very strong debut but what held me back from reviewing is not only my overdue first listen, but my amateur career as a reviewer. If this album came out in April or May, I maybe would've reviewed and to be honest, this album was great. A very strong Neo-Soul album with a lot of punk and hip hop aesthetics added on.
Month Of Release:March
Label:House Anxiety
Genres:Neo-Soul
For Fans Of:Thundercat,Tyler The Creator,Childish Gambino
Squid-Bright Green Field
One thing that 2021 had to offer was the blossom of bands that played intricate blends of Post-Punk, Experimental Rock and Progressive Rock coming from the UK. Black Country, New Road came out with this surreal and exotic Post-Punk and Post-Rock fusion that battles the likes of Slint and Swans. black midi go in the more prog direction taking what they did on their previous record and making it tighter and more intricate. Squid on the other hand was more of the less intricate and more linear as Squid made an album that was about as long but had more electronic aspects, Krautrock aspects as well as alternative rock tropes. Out of the three, this album probably caught me the least but it is still worth mentioning on a list like this.
Month Of Release:May
Label:Warp
Genres:Art Punk,Post-Punk,Experimental Rock
For Fans Of:Radiohead,Talking Heads,The Fall
Ad Nauseam-Imperative Imperceptible Impulse
I had to wait to listen to this, which means I couldn't get a review on time. Although, When I did listen to this, I didn't know what to think of it. This album (in the best way possible) is brutally messy. The production is not dolled up, the vocals are buried and the drums don't have 10 mics surrounding them. Its also avoiding any and every aspect of beat detective. Its just a chaotic hour long record.
Month Of Release:Feburary
Label:Avantgarde
Genres:Technical Death Metal,Avant-Garde Metal,Progressive Metal
For Fans Of:Death,Mayhem,Tool
Mach Hommy-Pray For Haiti
Mach Hommy is an enigmatic rapper with a very New York sound. I love East Coast Hip Hop which made me want to check out this Griselda release with this JMB artwork. I was really impressed with the lyricism and flows brought on this as well as the various Westside Gunn features. Production is really nice and the lyrics are too, but something about this wasn't review worthy. It was a pretty typical underground hip hop release and it doesnt match up to Griselda or Armand Hammer standards of standout ability. On the other hand, I still enjoyed many songs on this and I hope you will too
Month Of Release:May
Label:Griselda
Genres:East Coast Hip Hop,Abstract Hip Hop,Jazz Rap
For Fans Of:MF DOOM,Navy Blue,Armand Hammer
Feu! Chatterton-Palais d’argile
Admittedly, I'm not the most open minded when it comes to music in foreign languages but I do have my exceptions. Sigur Ros,Boris, Ulver and now...Feu! Chatterton. This was a unique French Rock record with British influences and psychedelic undertones that isn't worth missing. Great production, great melodies and good versatility in this 70 minute album.
Month Of Release:March
Label:Caroline
Genres:Nouvelle Chanson Francaise
For Fans Of:Radiohead,Sufjan Stevens,St Vincent
Black Dresses-Forever In Your Heart
Black Dresses are one of the most notable names in DIY/LGBT Industrial music alongside Backxwash and Arca. Black Dresses are probably the most DIY sounding as they are tagged with the label of "Bandcamp-core". With that being said, this album is a very out there release from two talented individuals. A lot of brow raising lyrics as well as good manipulated soundplay.
Month of Release:February
Label:N/A
Genres:Electro-Industrial,Industrial Rock
For Fans Of:Nine Inch Nails,Slipknot,Godflesh
Wolf Alice-Blue Weekend
This album really didnt catch me by surprise right away, but when I did finally listen to this, I enjoyed it. A lot of people mistake this album as just some 90s worship release, but I consider it more as an eclectic Dream Pop album with some Indie here and there. With that being said, it still isn't the most standout album but I find it perceived differently than most. Think of it less like a blast from the past and more as a solid indie record to play at an after party
Month Of Release:June
Label:Dirty Hit
Genres:Dream Pop
For Fans Of:Beach House,Japanese Breakfast,Blonde Redhead
Idles-Crawler
With my knowledge of Idles being somewhat limited, I came into this album with a lot of curiosity, and my curiosity was met with abrasive post-punk and heavy attitude from Joe Talbot. The song "Car Crash" alone is an amazing piece of Noise Rock that could lean towards a Death Grips album. The song "The New Sensation" is also a track that has been stuck in my head since the first time I listened to it. Some great songs on this thing as well as some creative ideas
Month Of Release:November
Label:Partisan
Genre:Post-Punk,Hardcore
For Fans Of:Minutemen,Hot Snakes,Nick Cave
Isaiah Rashad-The House Is Burning
This album was one that I really enjoyed first listen, but I would be lying if I said some tracks didnt grown on me. Although tracks like "From the Garden" and "Chad" are some of my favorite trap songs of the year and "Headshots (4r Da Locals)" Is your usual Isaiah Rashad doing his typical thing on the track. Its a relentless vibe from front to back but I did wish that there was more versatility coming from this album.
Month Of Release:July
Label:TDE
Genres:Southern Hip Hop
For Fans Of:Big KRIT,Young Thug,Lil Wayne
James Blake-Friends That Break Your Heart
James Blake is back with an album that competes with his others. I would be lying if I said I was a massive James Blake fan because im not, but I respect his artistic direction without a doubt. A lot of ambitious production, quality features and really emotional songwriting and arranging. This takes less from his early experimental days and more towards a direction that is more accessible, emotional and relatable. With highlights like "Say What You Will" and "Life Is Not The Same" as well as bangers like "Frozen" and "Im So Blessed Your Mine", we have another solid James Blake release
Month Of Release:October
Label:Polydor
Genres:Alternative R&B
For Fans Of:Frank Ocean,Joji,Yung Lean
Xiu Xiu-OH NO
This is on here because of the fact that Xiu Xiu should be recognized. They aren't the most outlandish or enjoyable band, but everything they do has the appropriate amount of ambition. I wasn't a massive fan of this album when it came out, but it deserves its recognition. Every direction they go in is unpredictable and im here for it.
Month Of Release:March
Label:Polyvinyl
Genres:Contemporary Folk,Rock
For Fans Of:Chelsea Wolfe,Nico,Swans
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