The Best Music of 2021
With the turn of the calendar, it's time to unveil my favorite songs and albums from the year that just concluded.
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For my first offering of 2022, I want to take a last look back at the music of 2021. It may be pretentious to title this “The Best Music of 2021” because of the subjectivity of art, but to my ears, what follows are the best songs and albums released during the 2021 calendar year. Your ears may beg to differ, and that’s cool.
While so many people above a certain age threshold are busy lamenting how there’s nobody making great music anymore, I’m combing through the unprecedented volume of songs and albums that are being released in the digital age and finding too many gems to count. It might require a bit more active participation to find new music to enjoy, but there is literally something out there for everyone and every year there’s more of it. The “problem” might not be that there’s no good music being made today, but rather the opposite — there might be too much good music being made, and many people either aren’t willing to go find it or don’t know how or where to start.
My 2021 Spotify “best of” list is already approaching 200 songs and there is still a mountain of releases that I either haven’t listened to yet or that I have to spin again a couple of times to pick out my favorites to add. So, keep in mind that this is still a work in progress, but for now, the following releases are my top picks from the year that just ended.
Non-Album Tracks
Whether they came from an EP, were put out as singles from an as-yet-unreleased album, or dropped as standalone singles, I found the following non-album tracks stood above the rest.
Billy Idol — “Bitter Taste”
This gorgeous song from 80s icon Billy Idol is, in my view, the closest thing we’ll get to a modern Doors song. There’s just something about the vibe (more than the sound) of it that makes me think of something like “Riders on the Storm,” although this track isn’t as atmospheric as that Doors classic. Released on Billy’s The Roadside EP, “Bitter Taste” is a cinematic song that seems perfectly suited for a film soundtrack.
Tears for Fears — “The Tipping Point”
Tears for Fears released this brilliant song as the band’s first single from an upcoming new album, and I can’t wait for the whole thing to drop. Based on “The Tipping Point” and follow-up single “No Small Thing,” I’m extremely excited about the prospect of a new Tears for Fears album. They somehow managed to keep their distinctive sound and style while sounding fresh and modern at the same time. This song crawls into my brain and stays there, and I inevitably end up humming the melody behind the “You know that I can’t love you more” part all day.
Men Without Hats — “No Friends of Mine”
This single is a reimagined version of the band’s 1982 hit “The Safety Dance.” The band turned it on its head, slowing and stripping it down, creating a more melancholy tone for it. The result is a delightfully unexpected and interesting version. If the original is upbeat and bouncy, this reconfigured self-cover is resigned and world-weary but more dignified and mature.
D’Virgilio, Morse & Jennings — “Julia”
It’s great to have Nick D’Virgilio and Neal Morse making music together again as they used to in Spock’s Beard, and with Haken’s Ross Jennings joining them there’s a lot of buzz about this new project’s upcoming album, Troika. The first single has done nothing to quiet that buzz, as “Julia” is a terrific introduction to this new “super trio.” The three musicians harmonize beautifully in this song and create a melodic and captivating six minutes that feels more like three.
Debut Albums
The 2021 calendar year presented several worthwhile debuts. These two are my favorites from a strong field.
Plush — Plush
Many of the stories I’ve read about this young, talented four-piece band emphasize that it’s made up of all women. It’s past time to knock that crap off and just talk about what a great band this is. It’s not a novelty act, it’s simply a great rock band. Plush is quickly building a huge following and rightfully so. They just flat out friggin’ rock! Their self-titled debut is chock full of in-your-face and well-crafted rock songs that are performed and sung extremely well and they have the hooks that make you want to play them again.
Favorite Tracks: “Hate,” “Athena,” “Champion,” “Sober.”
Mason Hill — Against the Wall
I’ve previously talked briefly about Mason Hill’s first full-length album, Against the Wall, back in April. With equal amounts of crunch and hooks (both in abundance), it’s no surprise that Against the Wall won album of the year in a poll by the New Wave Of Classic Rock group on Facebook. The Glasgow quintet will have a hard time following up this album after coming out of the gates with a bona fide masterpiece.
Favorite Tracks: “Back Against the Wall,” “DNA,” “Broken Son,” “Find My Way.”
New Discoveries
These bands aren’t new, but they’re new to me. I had either not heard of them before 2021 or I had maybe heard of them but not heard any of their music. There were a lot of phenomenal releases in this category (some of those are in the honorable mentions at the end of this newsletter), but for me, these were the best releases by bands I came across during the last calendar year.
Wildstreet — III
Whether you call it glam metal or sleaze rock, or whatever label you want to put on it, the bottom line is Wildstreet is a band that delivers catchy, anthemic rock songs that have me singing along. I got to see some of the songs on the band’s third album performed live at a dive bar in Florida (and I wrote about that here) but you’d have thought the band was headlining Madison Square Garden with the performance they gave. See this band live if you can, and pick up the 2021 album III either way.
Favorite Tracks: “Set It Off,” “Born to Be,” “Three Way Ride.”
CHVRCHES — Screen Violence
I’d heard of this band before 2021 but didn’t know much about them. I dove into their 2021 release, Screen Violence (the band’s fourth release), and have become infatuated with Lauren Mayberry’s voice. The Scottish trio creates catchy synth-pop with an indie sensibility. How best to describe the CHVRCHES sound on this album? It’s like someone plucked a pop band out of the mid-1980s and gave it a slick modern production. There are a few tracks that are just a bit overproduced for my liking, but when they find the sweet spot, the results are astounding. Robert Smith from The Cure makes a guest appearance on “How Not to Drown,” which he also co-wrote.
Favorite tracks: “Final Girl,” “How Not to Drown,” “Lullabies.”
Covers Albums
Several bands recorded covers albums during the pandemic — whether to meet contractual obligations or to save their original material until they could support it with a tour — and so there’s been a huge influx of new cover songs and tribute albums in the last two years. These are my favorites from 2021, but there are others listed below in the honorable mentions section.
Inglorious — Heroine
UK hard rockers Inglorious had a busy 2021 with two album releases, including this excellent tribute to women in music. While there were some obvious songs a hard rock band might cover (i.e. Joan Jett’s “I Hate Myself for Loving You” and Heart’s “Barracuda”), there are lots of nice surprises and Nathan James shows off his vocal range with covers of songs by the likes of Whitney Houston, Tina Turner, Christina Aguilera, Miley Cyrus, and Alanis Morissette. They all rock, and Jeff Scott Soto joins in on a cover of the Evanescence hit “Bring Me to Life.” I spoke with Nathan about this album back in September. An added bonus is that a percentage of the album sales go directly to support women’s charities.
Favorite Tracks: “Uninvited,” “Midnight Sky,” “Fighter.”
Chantel McGregor — Shed Sessions Volume One and Volume Two
In October, I wrote about these two albums — released just weeks apart — which compiled cover songs that McGregor had performed for fans on her live streams. The UK artist collected an eclectic mix of songs to cover, with the first volume focusing on acoustic guitar and the second featuring piano and keyboards with McGregor’s standout acoustic and electric guitar. Her vocals and playing are superb and some of her choices, such as Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile,” were not easy to translate into solo, acoustic pieces.
Favorite Tracks: “Sledgehammer,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Creep,” “The Raven That Refused to Sing.”
Best Female Solo Artists
Having already mentioned Plush, and CHVRCHES (with vocalist Lauren Mayberry) above as bands that turned out great albums in 2021, as well as Chantel McGregor’s cover albums, I still wanted to call out some of my favorite original solo albums turned out by talented women in the past year. There are more in the honorable mentions below.
Laura Meade — The Most Dangerous Woman in America
Best known as one of the vocalists in the progressive rock band IZZ, Laura Meade is a creative and gifted solo artist as well, and she turned out a stunner of an album in 2021 with The Most Dangerous Woman in America. More of a thematic piece than a concept album, it speaks on behalf of women who have been silenced or disempowered, while being inspired by the story of actress Jean Seberg. You can read more about the album from my interview with Meade from back in May, but it’s probably more fun to just listen to it. This is an album meant to be listened to in one sitting, not a collection of songs, but it clocks in at just 39 minutes, so it’s both easy and well worthwhile to invest the time for a full spin.
Favorite Tracks: “The Most Dangerous Woman in America,” “The Shape of Shock,” “Tell Me, Love.”
Leslie Hunt - Ascend (EP) / Descend (EP)
I’ve already chronicled my love for these two companion EPs — released a few months apart last year — in a previous issue of this newsletter. Hunt’s heartbreakingly beautiful love letter to her late sister, “Down the Road,” from the Ascend EP is just stunning and it shatters me every time I hear it. The vocalist for Chicago-based prog rockers District 97, Hunt shows off her pop, rock, funk, Americana, and even country sensibilities across these two seven-song EPs and the only knock I can make against them is that they aren’t longer.
Favorite Tracks: “Down the Road,” “Wolf Cried Boy,” “Big White Flag,” “So Many Times.”
Best Male Solo Artists
OK, let’s see what the guys have been up to in 2021…
Lindsey Buckingham — Lindsey Buckingham
One of the best songwriters and most underrated guitarists in rock may have put out his best solo album — just a couple of weeks shy of his 72nd birthday. Lindsey Buckingham is an album worthy of bearing the longtime Fleetwood Mac legend’s name. A collection of 10 songs that clocks in at just under 37 minutes, the album shows that he’s still got it when it comes to writing great songs. His trademark outstanding guitar work is a highlight and he played all the stringed instruments and keys, and programmed the drums. His layered and brilliantly arranged backing vocals are integral to the sound on this self-produced masterpiece.
Favorite Tracks: “On the Wrong Side,” “I Don’t Mind,” “Blind Love,” “Santa Rosa.”
John Mayer — Sob Rock
I’ve never been the biggest John Mayer fan, although I don’t actively dislike him either. I just didn’t connect with his music on a personal level. That changed on Sob Rock, his tribute to 80s rock. It also opened my eyes…err, ears…to what a great guitar player he is. Whether this is the John Mayer album for people who don’t like John Mayer or a gateway to a better connection with the rest of his music I’m not sure, but I’ll be revisiting his other works as a result of this record.
Favorite Tracks: “Last Train Home,” “New Light,” “Wild Blue,” “Carry Me Away.”
Classic Artists Who Returned to Form
This is a category that I made up because if new artists get their own category, maybe the best albums by the old timers should be specifically recognized as well. Plus, there were so many!
Dennis DeYoung — 26 East Vol. 2
The Styx co-founder and rock legend dropped his most Styx-sounding album in what he says is the last new release of his career. Now that he’s 74, it’s easy to take him at his word when he says that. DeYoung avoided writing songs that sounded like Styx music in the early part of his solo career because he always figured he’d be back in Styx. But, as he told me when I interviewed him about this album for my July 1 issue of MRC, he helped create that sound, so why not embrace it? He returned to his signature sound at times throughout 26 East Vol. 2 and also recorded his love letter to the band that changed his life, the Beatles (“Hello Goodbye”). His voice isn’t what it was in the 1970s, but it has still held up remarkably well, and the songs on DeYoung’s final album are well crafted. Co-written by Jim Peterik, this album captures DeYoung doing a lot of reflecting on his life, career, and the world.
Favorite Tracks: “The Isle of Misanthrope,” “Hello Goodbye,” “There’s No Turning Back Time.”
Night Ranger — ATBPO
Best known for their 1980s output, Night Ranger has now released four albums since 2010, which might surprise some people who stopped paying attention to their excellent brand of hard rock. ATBPO (which stands for “and the band played on,” a tongue-in-cheek reference to how they pushed forward despite the pandemic) is the best of those four latter day Night Ranger albums to my ears, which is why I’m including them in this category. First single “Breakout” is a driving, anthemic rock song akin to early Night Ranger classics like “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me” or “(You Can Still) Rock in America.” The band still has a lot of juice left and ATBPO puts that on full display. I wrote a lot more about the album after talking to guitarist Brad Gillis in August.
Favorite Tracks: “Breakout,” “Can’t Afford a Hero,” “Bring It All Home to Me,” “Monkey.”
ABBA — Voyage
Ah, the return of ABBA. What a story that was in 2021. When the first two singles dropped in the summer, I was delighted to hear that the band wasn’t going to tarnish its legacy. Both “I Still Have Faith in You” and “Don’t Shut Me Down” sounded like vintage ABBA without being rip-offs of what the band had previously done. It sounded like ABBA, which is the highest compliment I could pay those tracks. The voices are certainly more mature but still identifiable and full. When the release day for Voyage came, I was even more glad the band decided to release its first album of new material in 40 years. Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus are still master composers. Some of the lyrics on the album are a little clunky, but they always were with ABBA, and that’s oddly part of their charm. As for nostalgia, one of my favorite moments is the brief nod to “S.O.S.” at the end of “Keep an Eye on Dan.”
Favorite Tracks: “Don’t Shut Me Down,” “I Still Have Faith in You,” “Keep an Eye on Dan,” “Just a Notion.”
Hard Rock/Metal
I realize a couple of these could have gone under the “classic artists return to form” category, so maybe this is a superfluous section but I don’t care. These are my awards and there are no rules.
Foo Fighters — Medicine at Midnight
I’ve seen mixed reviews on this album all year but I think it’s fantastic. My first exposure to some of these songs took place when the Foo Fighters were on Saturday Night Live. I had no idea what to make of “Shame Shame” at the time but I grew to love the album version. Between this album, the band’s Bee Gees tribute, Hail Satin, and the recent Kurstin x Grohl The Hanukkah Sessions 2021 covers, I’m not sure Dave Grohl can put a musical foot wrong right now.
Favorite Tracks: “Making a Fire,” “Shame Shame,” “Waiting on a War,” “Chasing Birds.”
Dee Snider — Leave a Scar
Former Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider unleashed the blistering and stunning Leave a Scar this year. His voice has held up nicely over the years and he’s surrounded himself with outstanding musicians. Snider managed to avoid getting stuck in the trap of repetition that has ensnared many 1980s hair metal originals. He isn’t interested in giving fans another Stay Hungry. This album sounds fresh and vibrant. Metal fans have no right to expect an album this good by a guy in his mid-60s but Snider delivered. “Before I Go” and “Silent Battles” are as good as any songs he’s ever released in his long and storied career.
Favorite Tracks: “Before I Go,” “Silent Battles,” “I Gotta Rock (Again).”
Iron Maiden — Senjutsu
While I do have some criticisms of this sprawling, two-disc 2021 release by the heavy metal legends, this was a welcome arrival. The production of recent Iron Maiden albums continues to be a bit muddy for my liking and the band could use a bit of help editing themselves, but there are a lot of strong songs on Senjutsu and it’s one of their better releases since classic-era vocalist Bruce Dickinson returned to the band’s lineup. Although Maiden could do with a few more of their vintage shorter tracks with anthemic choruses, Senjutsu finds a mature Iron Maiden looking to stretch out and embrace its progressive rock influences.
Favorite Tracks: “The Writing on the Wall,” “Stratego,” “Senjutsu,” “Darkest Hour.”
Progressive Rock
I am admittedly not as plugged into the progressive rock scene as I was from 2004-2014, when I was doing a weekly internet prog rock show, and I still haven’t heard several 2021 releases I’ve been meaning to get to. However, it’s still one of my favorite genres and there were a number of excellent releases this past year. Here are my favorites, with some more in the honorable mentions below.
Lifesigns — Altitude
This is the best release yet from Lifesigns. A wonderful mixture of catchy hooks and progressive virtuosity, Altitude was (like many albums released this year) recorded by the band remotely due to the pandemic. I spoke with John Young about the making of this record in October. It’s an excellent prog album for novices to the genre, because it’s accessible and the music serves the song rather than being a vehicle for showing off the band’s considerable technical ability.
Favorite Tracks: “Altitude,” “Gregarious,” “Ivory Tower,” “Last One Home.”
Transatlantic — The Absolute Universe
Speaking of technical ability, it doesn’t get much better than Transatlantic. This is a difficult release to judge because it was released in multiple formats. The extended version, known as Forevermore, is a two-disc set that clocks in at 90 minutes, while the abridged, single-disc version, The Breath of Life, is just a smidge over an hour. But the kicker is that the shorter version isn’t just edited down from the longer one. There are different versions and alternate recordings of some of the songs. As such, it makes the totality of The Absolute Universe an absolute nightmare to fully digest (but a fun nightmare). It’s an extremely daunting proposition to take all of this music in and try to spot the differences, and some are far more obvious than others. In the end, take this award as the sum of all the parts of this particular title, as this is, in my view, the best Transatlantic album since 2009’s The Whirlwind and when it’s all said and done, it might surpass that record. It is huge, bombastic prog rock bliss with chops for days.
Favorite Tracks: “Reaching for the Sky,” “Heart Like a Whirlwind,” “Swing High, Swing Low,” “The World We Used to Know.”
The Neal Morse Band — Innocence & Danger
The most prolific man in prog rock is Neal Morse between his many band and solo projects (such as the aforementioned Transatlantic), his worship music, his Inner Circle bi-monthly club releases, and live albums. He also tends to write the longest songs in progressive rock. His collaborations with guitarist Eric Gillette — one of the most criminally underrated musicians out there — bassist Randy George, keyboardist Bill Hubauer, and drummer Mike Portnoy under the banner of The Neal Morse Band represent some of Neal’s best output of all time. This fourth NMB album is another exceptional one and even though I love my epics, I find myself more drawn to the shorter songs on this massive release.
Favorite Tracks: “Do It All Again,” “Your Place in the Sun,” “Not Afraid, Pt. 1,” “The Way it Had to Be.”
Best Albums
I had a difficult time narrowing this down, so I’m not picking just one. These are the ones I keep coming back to the most, and so they are obviously my favorites. My list, my rules!
Mammoth WVH – Mammoth WVH
The debut of Wolfgang (son of Eddie) Van Halen couldn’t have been more impressive. The ‘Mammoth WVH’ moniker (a combination of the original name of Van Halen before they became Van Halen and Wolfgang’s initials) indicates a band effort, but in fact he did it all himself. In addition to writing the songs, he performed the vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, and drums. He’s literally a one-man band on the album and it’s full of outstanding, well-written (and performed) music with emotional lyrical themes.
Favorite Tracks: “Don’t Back Down,” “Distance,” “Resolve,” “Think It Over,” “Mr. Ed.”
The Connells – Steadman’s Wake
The Connells released their first album in 20 years — dating back to 2001’s self-released Old School Dropouts — and Steadman’s Wake represents a triumphant return for this Raleigh, North Carolina-based six-piece alt-rock band. I spoke with Mike Connell about the album in September and provided my review then, but the short version is that this album stacks up well against the band’s most popular output from the 1990s.
Favorite Tracks: “Really Great,” “Steadman’s Wake,” “Rusted Fields,” “Fading In,” “Helium.”
Best Songs of 2021
There were so many great songs released in the last year. Many of them are listed above with the albums they’re on, but these are the tunes I can’t stop spinning.
Tears for Fears – “The Tipping Point”
I’ve said all I need to above in the non-album tracks section. It’s just a fantastic song.
Steven Wilson – “12 Things I Forgot”
Wilson’s The Future Bites is a polarizing album, but whether his fans love or hate his latest solo release, most can at least agree on this song. “12 Things I Forgot” reminds me of Wilson’s excellent work with Aviv Geffen in Blackfield and could fit easily onto an album by that project. It has a melancholy flavor to it that’s present in most of Wilson’s best work and a memorable chorus. A sublime song.
Honorable Mentions
Here are some of the other albums not mentioned above that I enjoyed quite a bit from this past year and I expect they’ll get regular spins from now on. There are a lot of them, and that only illustrates how much great music 2021 had to offer.
I’ve supplied links for those albums listed that have been covered in previous issues of Michael’s Record Collection.
Apollo Junction — All In
Black Diamonds — No-Tell Hotel
Blackberry Smoke — You Hear Georgia
Chrissie Hynde — Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan
David Crosby — For Free
Dec Burke — Life in Two Dimensions
Dirty Honey — Dirty Honey (EP)
Duran Duran — Future Past
The Dust Coda — Mojo Skyline
Garbage — No Gods No Masters
Gary Kemp — INSOLO
Gary Numan — Intruder
Greta Van Fleet — The Battle at Garden’s Gate
Halsey — If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power
Inglorious — We Will Ride
Jackson Browne — Downhill from Everywhere
Land of Gypsies — Land of Gypsies
The Livesays — Not What I Bargained For
Micky Dolenz — Dolenz Sings Nesmith
Olivia Rodrigo — Sour
Rachel Flowers — Bigger on the Inside
Samantha Fish — Faster
Secret Sphere — Lifeblood
Steve Hackett — Surrender of Silence
Steven Wilson — The Future Bites
Styx — Crash of the Crown
Toad the Wet Sprocket — Starting Now
Velvet Insane — Rock ‘n’ Roll Glitter Suit
VOLA — Witness
Walter Egan — Fascination
Thanks for reading this week’s issue of MRC. Let me know what you think of my picks. Agree? Disagree? Not sure? Make sure you listen to these records if you haven’t heard them. I think they’re well worth your time.
Please feel free to share this issue and Michael’s Record Collection with friends, colleagues, family, or any other music lovers you know.