Nite Songs Best Of 2021 - Top 50 Albums Intro & Honourable Mentions

 

And here we go - the albums of the year list. It feels a bit like I say this every year but it seems that 2021 was certainly a year where people who love good music were a bit spoilt for choice and hopefully that's reflected in our list which takes in everything from pure pop through blissful psychedelic indie to full on balls-to-the-wall old school rock.

As always, this was a tricky one to sort out and I must have gone through at least ten different versions of this list before settling on one I was happy with. A lot of albums got revisited and then there were albums that I missed at the time but seemed to be cropping up on a lot of other end of year lists which I took it upon myself to investigate. Of course, not all of 'em actually were good but there were certainly a good few hidden gems in there which I think are worthy of including on this list as well. The final list of stuff that was in the running at some point came to over 90 albums so I added a few extra ones on which were unlucky to miss out initially and thus for the first time ever I've actually ended up with a full Top 100 list this year. I'll go through the first half of it in this article then we'll be publishing ten a day between now and New Year's Eve.

Where possible (which thankfully accounts for around 90% of the list), I've included a link to the review which in turn should include a link to either Bandcamp or the group's official band site for you to check out the album for yourself. For those few that fell through the cracks when they initially came out, I've included a direct link to where you can download them. Hope you all enjoy this labour of love (after the Worst Albums Ever list back in October it feels nice to be writing a positive Best Of again!) and I'll see you all in 2022.

***

100.    MANIC STREET PREACHERS - "The Ultra Vivid Lament"

Okay so they're not the brimstone-spewing firebrands that those of us of a certain age fell in love with anymore. But The Ultra Vivid Lament shows that the Manics are at least growing old gracefully and still capable of writing killer tunes. The fact that it gave the band their first number 1 album in 20 years suggests that they remain very much a force to be reckoned with.

***

99.    MATT BERRY - "The Blue Elephant"

Following up last year's excellent Phantom Birds was never going to be easy but The Blue Elephant saw Matt Berry throwing everything into the melting pot, veering from Small Faces style pop to epic Doorsy dark psychedelia. The sound of a very talented musician making full use of his abilities.

***

98.    WINE LIPS - "Mushroom Death Sex Bummer Party"

Dwelling in that odd twilight world where punk meets psychedelia, Toronto natives Wine Lips' latest album is an enjoyably odd mish-mash of various styles ranging from spit 'n' snarl thrash punk to more out-there full on freakout moments. One of the more unique albums I've heard this year and all the better for it.

***

97.    JO CARLEY & THE OLD DRY SKULLS - "Voodoo Bones & Vaudeville Blues"

A heady mix of skeletal rockabilly, voodoo New Orleans blues and vaudeville attitude with nods to the Cramps, Screamin' Jay Hawkins and the Urban Voodoo Machine, Voodoo Bones & Vaudeville Blues is a confident first effort from Jo Carley & The Old Dry Skulls which should set them up nicely as contenders in this most unique of musical fields.

***

96.    THE GOLD NEEDLES - "What's Tomorrow Ever Done For You?"

Winsome psychedelia from Hull, the Gold Needles swing from Stonesy strut through new wave spikiness to haunting electronica. What's Tomorrow Ever Done For You? is an engaging and surprisingly varied album which should appeal to fans of the genre.

***

95.    IRON LIZARDS - "Hungry For Action"

Breakneck garage punk from across the Channel, the Iron Lizards would have fit right in with the more feral end of the early noughties garage punk explosion. Hungry For Action might not be anything you haven't heard before but the band attack these songs with such enthusiasm and ferocity while keeping the sound tight and wired throughout that you can't help but enjoy it.

***

94.    NAKED RAYGUN - "Over The Overlords"

A worthy comeback from veteran Chicago punks Naked Raygun. Although there's still plenty of punk anger in there, the group also expand their repertoire to take in doomy Sabbath style riffs, Bad Religion/Poison Idea style anger and some anthemic fist-in-the-air choruses to boot. Not bad at all.

***

93.    UNTO OTHERS - "Strength"

Goth metal may well be a tried and tested genre but Portland's Unto Others at least put a surprisingly melodic spin on it, mixing the swirling atmospherics of the Sisters of Mercy or the Mission with some impressively tight and lean guitar work and energy. They may just be on the verge of something big with this one.

***

92.    PIROSHKA - "Love Drips And Gathers"

Love Drips And Gathers saw Piroshka largely eschew the spiky Britpop feel of their debut album for a more wistful psychedelic approach in keeping with their shoegazing roots. Yet there's plenty of invention and willingness to think outside the box here that make this an album which may take a few listens to get into but will bring plenty of rewards once you do. 

***

91.    THE AMPLIFIER HEADS - "Saturnaliens"

Shamelessly flashy old school glam rock from Philadelphia, the Amplifier Heads wear their Bowie, Bolan and New York Dolls influences proudly on their sleeve with strutting intergalactic rockstar attitude, pounding drums and swaggering riffs combining to make something that might not win any awards for originality but will definitely put a smile on your face after a long day.

***

90.    IDLES - "Crawler"

Crawler was arguably always going to suffer a bit because of how much of a slam dunk Idles hit with last year's Ultra Mono and it's a much less immediate and more complex beast. Yet get past its slightly sluggish start and there's still plenty of the attitude and power of old in there. At the very least they deserve credit for breaking out and trying something different when it would have been very easy to simply do a quick repeat of their last effort.

***

89.    DEATH BY UNGA BUNGA - "Heavy Male Insecurity"

As befits the band name, Heavy Male Insecurity is an extremely odd but alluring beast. The best way I can think of describing it is a four-way collision between Green Day, Weezer, Electric Six and Turbonegro with Death By Unga Bunga taking in everything from '70s/'80s stadium rock through snotty garage punk to full on power-pop. A weird one to get your head around but definitely well worth a listen.

***

88.    SELF-ESTEEM - "Prioritise Pleasure"

One that we missed at the time, Self-Esteem (aka Rebecca Lucy Taylor) has delivered a pop album with brains and heart here. Packed with righteous fury at the way misogyny is still running riot in modern society but willing to put an arm around the shoulder and offer words of encouragement to those who need it most, she deserves immense credit for coming up with an album as unique as this.

***

87.    EDWEENA BANGER - "Diamond Rocks"

A well crafted love letter to the days of '70s glam rock, Diamond Rocks sees Edweena setting herself up as a trans Ziggy Stardust with the requisite amount of hooks, stomping riffs, choruses and strutting self-mythologising as well as tips of the hat to Bolan and Thunders. Old school rock stars like Edweena are getting rarer as the years go on - cherish them.

***

86.    ELECTRALUXX - "Buzz-O-Ramma"

Blasting through 13 tracks in just 29 minutes and with an enjoyably stripped down skeletal sound throughout, New Jersey's Electraluxx are princes among a lot of the '50s/'60s revival also-rans. Sure, the influences here are exactly what you'd expect - Chuck, Eddie, Bo, Gene and Vince mainly - but it's done with such enthusiasm and tightness that you can't help but enjoy it. An absolute blast.

***

85.    ONE THOUSAND MOTELS - "Get In Where You Fit In"

Second album in a matter of months from Chris Constinatou and Rat Scabies' One Thousand Motels project, Get In Where You Fit In sees the pair going off down a soul/gospel tip to excellent effect. Almost certainly the last thing you were expecting from these guys which makes the quality of it even more enjoyable. 

***

84.    THE OFFSPRING - "Let The Bad Times Roll"

It could have been awful. Returning after a ten year break, it's safe to say that the Offspring had been on a bit of a slump in terms of their output quality in their latter days so to see them return with arguably their strongest effort since Smash all those years ago was one of the more pleasant surprises of 2021. Let The Bad Times Roll brims over with a righteous anger which sees them well and truly reinvigorated.

***

83.    TEENAGE FANCLUB - "Endless Arcade"

Thirty years into their career and it's safe to say that Teenage Fanclub are very much doing what they've always done. But there's something nice and summery about Endless Arcade and its winsome Byrds indebted take on power pop. This is the sound of a band playing to their strengths and doing it well to deliver one of their better albums.

***

82.    DEATH OF GUITAR POP - "Pukka Sounds"

Veterans of the UK ska movement, Death of Guitar Pop's third album sees them consolidating their position as one of the better more recent bands in the genre, blending full on ska party anthems with some more moody reflective moments. Definitely one that you can see audiences skanking to en masse on next summer's festival circuit!

***

81.    THE CONTROL FREAKS - "Get Some Help"

Blasting through 13 tracks in just 27 minutes, San Francisco's Control Freaks have served up a full on garage punk rave-up stormer here. Packing an enjoyably feral and scuzzed up Cramps-style take on the genre as opposed to tediously trying to sound "authentically '60s" the way some of their counterparts elsewhere do, this is ferocious and fun, just the way garage rock should be.

***

80.    SOHO DUKES - "Bar Fights & Tuppenny Uprights"

The Soho Dukes may not be a band who are going to win any awards for originality but sometimes there's an argument for sticking to the tried and tested route of a good hook and a good chorus and these South Coast ne'er-do-wells deliver both of the above in spades. For anyone with fond memories of late '80s Soho glam rock, this is definitely well worth investigating.

***

79.    JESSE MALIN - "Sad And Beautiful World"

A double album from New York glam-punk mainstay Jesse Malin, Sad And Beautiful World was divided between more laid back acoustic numbers and what Malin describes as his more "radical songs". At fifteen tracks and over an hour in length this is an album you can happily lose yourself in while noticing little new things with every listen.

***

78.    3dB'S DOWN - "Get Your Retaliation In First"

Returning after a fifteen year plus absence, Get Your Retaliation In First sees Kent ska-punks 3dB's Down turning arguably their strongest album to date. With a simmering political anger reminiscent of Sonic Boom Six or King Prawn underpinning a lot of these tracks and an impressive amount of musical variety, this is a storming comeback.

***

77.    NOFX - "Single Album"

Thirty plus years into their career and Fat Mike and co show no signs of slowing down - Single Album definitely veers more to the darker side of NOFX's back catalogue a la Mike's Cokie the Clown side project but has a good mix of the odd lighter moment in with the bleakness to make a good varied and frequently surprising album.

***

76.    THE STRAYS - "Cool Your Jets"

A whiplash-fast rockabilly joyride that's reminiscent of Imelda May jamming with King Kurt, this second album from the Strays packs tight riffs, charismatic vocals and the odd unexpected musical curveball to create a pretty intoxicating brew. Great stuff from a band who deserve to go on to bigger things from here.

***

75.    LORDS OF ALTAMONT - "Turn On, Tune In, Electrify!"

You know what you're getting with the Lords of Altamont - scuzzy garage rock mixed with fried psychedelia to create a helluva trip (man). But Turn On, Tune In, Electrify! shows that they've lost none of their potency over the years, sounding like a frazzled rave-up co-hosted by the MC5 and Monster Magnet. That title isn't an exaggeration, put it that way.

***

74.    ARMCHAIR LOYAL - "All You Need Is Ndlovu"

Armchair Loyal hail from the same shouty electronica genre that's given the world the Sleaford Mods and Dead Sheeran in recent years. Except instead of railing about council estate life or Tory ineptitude, their lyrics are informed by '90s football. There's plenty of humour in here that football fans of a certain vintage will get more than a few chuckles from and it makes for an enjoyable listen.

***

73.    BRAD MARINO - "Looking For Trouble"

Former frontman with New Jersey pop-punks the Connection, this solo album from Brad is a simple heart-on-its-sleeve power-pop album but the key is that Looking For Trouble is executed with pinpoint precision with tunes that'll have your toe tapping along in a matter of seconds just like all the best late '70s bands of this genre did so effortlessly.

***

72.    THE DEAD BEATS - "Die Screaming Marianne!"

Sounding like a gleefully grimy collision between Elvis, Glen Danzig and Wednesday 13 over too many horror B-movies, this debut album from the Dead Beats is an absolute blast. Veering from creepy Cramps indebted psychobilly to full on Motorhead style riff-fests, Die Screaming Marianne! is good unclean fun throughout.

***

71.    THE MUSLIMS - "Fuck These Fuckin’ Fascists"

From the title downwards, this album from self-professed "kickass punk black 'n' brown queer muzzies" the Muslims is as fierce and uncompromising as they come. Railing against hatred, bigotry and apathy with the sort of DIY punk energy that recalls X-Ray Spex in their prime, the rise of this group in recent years certainly isn't any fluke and with a deal with Epitaph now in the bag, something tells me their reign of infamy is only just beginning...

***

70.    MAD DADDY - "Mad Daddy"

Hailing from the Isle of Man, Mad Daddy offer a similar fired up take on bluesy rock 'n' roll to what the Jim Jones Revue did a few years ago and their debut album is a pure high octane blast of rock 'n' roll fuel which doesn't let up for a second. You might find yourself having to catch your breath after listening to this one.

***

69.    PLASTIC TEARS - "Anthems For Misfits"

It's safe to say that Plastic Tears might just have listened to a few albums by their fellow Finns Hanoi Rocks when they were growing up but Anthems For Misfits packs enough quality that they're good enough to transcend those obvious influences. A good mix of riffed-up rock 'n' roll and a few slower curveballs, this bodes well for their future.

***

68.    VELVET INSANE - "Rock 'n' Roll Glitter Suit"

Similar to Plastic Tears above, Velvet Insane hail from Finland and are definitely a glam influenced band. However, in their case we're talking the '70s vintage with nods here to Mott the Hoople and the Faces (the presence of Sulo from the Diamond Dogs on production here is no coincidence). And it's got the variety, attitude and hooks to make it a damn good listen. Keep an eye on this lot.

***

67.    SONNY VINCENT - "Snake Pit Therapy"

Scary to think that Sonny Vincent has now been on the rock 'n' roll scene for five decades since forming the Testors at the tail end of the '60s. And Snake Pit Therapy shows no signs of him slowing down - 15 tracks and 35 minutes of lean, tight rock 'n' roll with more than a few surprises in there to keep your interest up. The words "living legend" are overused in rock 'n' roll but they definitely apply here.

***

66.    DELILAH BON - "Delilah Bon"

One that we missed at the time, Delilah Bon is the latest side project from Lauren Tate, best known as singer with Barnsley riotgrrl firebrands Hands Off Gretel. This new direction sees her putting her own spin on nu-metal but turning the whole thing on its head with some angry and defiant pro-feminism and anti-discrimination fist-in-the-air anthems to brilliant effect. Who knows, if we'd had someone like Delilah about 20 years ago maybe this genre would’ve had room to evolve rather than being eternally tarnished by its own stupidity.

***

65.    DEAD MEN WALKING - "Freedom - It Ain't On The Rise"

Freedom - It Ain't On The Rise is that most rare of beasts - a "supergroup" album that somehow ends up being more than the sum of its parts. Featuring members of Spear of Destiny, Stiff Little Fingers and Ruts DC putting an acoustic spin on numbers old and new to good effect as well as adding some worthy new tunes to the mix, this was an unexpected triumph.

***

64.    THE DATSUNS - "Eye To Eye"

Definitely one of the big revelations of the year, Eye To Eye might just be the Datsuns' strongest album to date and saw them finally shaking off their reputation as a great live group who struggle to nail that sound on record. Scuzzy garage rock just the way it should be, this sees the band mostly firing on all cylinders and coming up with a genuinely good rock 'n' roll album which improves with every listen.

***

63.    SLEAFORD MODS - "Spare Ribs"

Another group who've arguably come up with their best album to date in the 12 months just gone, Spare Ribs sees Sleaford Mods finally starting to outgrow their "novelty two man garage band" tags to come up with an album packing seething political and social anger and black humour in equal measure. Tracks like Elocution and Shortcummings might just rank up there as the best stuff they've ever done.

***

62.    PAUL-RONNEY ANGEL - "London Texas Lockdown"

Recorded remotely by Angel during the first lockdown to recover the income he'd lost by not being able to tour with the Urban Voodoo Machine, London Texas Lockdown sees him packing an impressive guestlist and a strong mixture of original songs and covers. 2020 (You Been A Pain In The Ass) was arguably one of the definitive anthems for the weird times we've been living in of late.

***

61.    THE IDOLIZERS - "Concretins"

Another group from the prolific Rum Bar Records stable, the Idolizers pack a nitro-powered rock 'n' roll punch that's equally informed by the classic template (MC5, Radio Birdman) as all of those early '90s groups we used to love that inexplicably never went anywhere like the Hellacopters or Circus of Power. A strong and assured debut.

***

60.    THE DERELLAS - "Something's Got To Give"

Recalling the scummier end of the '80s Soho glam scene, the DeRellas have served up another good effort with Something's Got To Give which has the spirits of Johnny Thunders and Stiv Bators both hanging heavy over it and the requisite amount of glam-punk swagger and whiplash riffs to well and truly draw you in. Good stuff.

***

59.    EDDIE SPAGHETTI & FRANK MEYER - "Motherfuckin' Rock 'n' Roll"

The sound of the Supersuckers and Streetwalkin' Cheetahs' respective frontmen doing what they do best, Motherfuckin' Rock 'n' Roll very much does what it says on the tin with a mixture of high octane rampages and ventures into sleazy honky tonk rock, sugar sweet power-pop and more moody considered moments combining to make a damn good effort.

***

58.     AMYL & THE SNIFFERS - "Comfort To Me"

If Amyl & The Sniffers' debut album had the signs of a decent band who were hobbled a bit by their own simplicity, Comfort To Me saw them starting to grow into the big shoes placed on them by the music press. With plenty of the feral raw qualities of their debut but a bit more structure and nuance to stop it getting too repetitive too quickly, this was the sound of a band starting to get a grip on their material and doing it well.

***

57.    NEIGHBOURHOOD BRATS - "Confines Of Life"

San Francisco natives the Neighbourhood Brats offer an agreeably tuneful take on hardcore punk with Confines Of Life packing the sheer brutality of groups like GBH but adding a sense of melody and some hard-hitting thought-provoking lyrics to make a good 21st century punk rock album. Surprisingly the first time I'd heard this band but rest assured I fully intend on investigating their back catalogue in the near future.

***

56.    RUM LAD - "Punk AF"

Blasting out of Nottingham with all the force of a fireball, Rum Lad is a one man punk operation and with Punk AF he delivered one of the most brutally angry albums of 2021. Whether he's taking coruscating aim at braindead tabloid readers and politicians or screaming his way through ferociously angry breakup laments, let there be no doubt that he definitely means it man.

***

55.    ALABAMA 3 - "Step 13"

Alabama 3's first album since the passing of Reverend D Wayne Love is more of a wake than a funeral - there's still plenty of darkness in the group's trademark acid-fried mix of riffed-up electronica but overall this is an album which tries to look towards the future with hope, grabbing you by the neck from the offset and never letting go throughout.

***

54.    BRIAN SETZER - "Gotta Have The Rumble"

Brian's output may have been a bit patchy since his '80s heyday but with Gotta Have The Rumble he's served up arguably his strongest album away from the Stray Cats in years. The key to it is that Setzer sounds like he's having an absolute blast with these songs and the enthusiasm is so infectious that you can't help but get caught up in enjoying this thing and cueing it up for another listen.

***

53.    ERICA NOCKALLS - "Dark Music From A Warm Place"

Nockalls' second solo album away from her day job with the Wonder Stuff sees her blending pop sensibilities and dark lyrical themes to brilliant effect. From energetic post-punk to Morricone style cinematic epics, Dark Music From A Warm Place is proof of her ability and deserves to take her sound to a wider audience.

***

52.    CHEAP TRICK - "In Another World"

Cheap Trick have been in a good vein of form in recent years and In Another World sees them knocking it out of the park again. The influences may be the usual Beatles/Stones/glam ones but there's a reason why Chicago's finest are regarded as masters of the power-pop genre and from sugar sweet singalong to foot-stomping floor-fillers, this album has it all.

***

51.    LUCERO - "When You Found Me"

Now two decades into their career, Lucero are continuing to serve up an engagingly gothy take on Americana and alt-country with When You Found Me, veering from honky tonk bar room rock to skeletal acoustics. A varied album which packs a punch and has plenty of good tunes with the band keeping things impressively tight throughout.

***

Anyway, that's the first half of this list done with - tune in tomorrow as we start our rundown of the Top 50.