2021 Albums of the Year Revisited (2022 Remix)

 

I think there's a saying here about the best laid plans of mice and men or something. You may remember that last December, just before we did the 2021 albums of the year, we did a feature where we revisited the 2020 list on the grounds that we'd ended up covering a lot of stuff from that year after New Year and felt that a revisit was necessary. I was convinced that we'd avoided that particular pitfall this year but...looking back on the last six months, again we've had a few albums sneak through the gap by arriving on our review desk the year after they came out. So yup, here we go again, a slightly revised Top 100 list which contains some of the albums that snuck through the boundaries after our original list was finalised.

As with last year, the update of the list with new albums has meant that some of the ones in the lower reaches of the Top 100 have found themselves nudged off the list - due apologies to Wine Lips, Jo Carley & The Old Dry Skulls, the Gold Needles, Naked Raygun, Idles, Death By Unga Bunga and One Thousand Motels who were the unlucky parties to miss out. Anyway, let's take a trip back to the not too distant past, shall we?

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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.

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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.

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98.    GREEN LUNG - "Black Harvest"

Yes, the prospect of another '70s worshipping classic rock band isn't exactly one to get you fidgeting with excitement but at least Green Lung put an original spin on the genre with the doomy Sabbath riffs and Ozzy style vocals at least putting a much needed darker spin on the running joke that is NWOCR.

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97.    IRON LIZARDS - "Hungry For Action"

French natives 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 that you can't help but enjoy it.

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96.    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.

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95.    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. Yet there's plenty of invention and willingness to think outside the box here that make this an album will bring plenty of rewards with perseverance. 

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94.    THE AMPLIFIER HEADS - "Saturnaliens"

Shamelessly flashy old school glam rock from Philadelphia, the Amplifier Heads wear their '70s influences proudly on their sleeve with strutting intergalactic rockstar attitude, pounding drums and swaggering riffs to make something that will definitely put a smile on your face after a long day.

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93.    SELF-ESTEEM - "Prioritise Pleasure"

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.

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92.    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.

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91.    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 with an enthusiasm and tightness that makes it an absolute blast.

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90.    STAR BOTHERERS - "Tales Of Layton Rakes"

Similar to Ferocious Dog or the Levellers, Nottinghamshire natives the Star Botherers take the tried and tested folk punk template and add a dose of political invective and smalltown life into the equation to create something well worth a listen. Good stuff.

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

Back after a ten year break, Let The Bad Times Roll saw the Offspring return with their strongest effort for many years and provide one of the more pleasant surprises of 2021. This album brims over with a righteous anger which sees them well and truly reinvigorated.

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88.    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 that makes it a difficult album to resist.

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87.    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.

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86.    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, this is ferocious and fun, just the way garage rock should be.

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85.    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.

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84.    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". An album you can happily lose yourself in while noticing little new things with every listen.

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83.    YUR MUM - "Tropical Fuzz"

Regulars on the London circuit for a while now, Yur Mum's debut album is a feral stripped down slice of guitar 'n' drums garage rock which hits you like a jackhammer mixing Pigs Pigs Pigs style heaviness with Mudhoney style grunge attitude. Keep an eye out for 'em.

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82.    3dB'S DOWN - "Get Your Retaliation In First"

Get Your Retaliation In First sees Kent ska-punks 3dB's Down back with 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.

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81.    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.

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80.    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.

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79.    THE DRIPPERS - "Scandinavian Thunder"

Blasting out of Sweden with a clear love of the Dead Boys and the Heartbreakers, Scandinavian Thunder sees the Drippers stamping their mark on the scene in style with 35 minutes of tight and angry breakneck rock 'n' roll. Ideal music to sink a cold beer to.

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78.    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.

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77.    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 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.

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76.    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.

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75.    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.

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74.    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.

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73.    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.

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72.    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.

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71.    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 with the variety, attitude and hooks to make it a damn good listen.

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70.    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.

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69.    FILTHY FILTHY - "Getting Away With It"

Similar to groups like the Kingcrows or, going a bit further back, the Babysitters and Last of the Teenage Idols, Hull natives Filthy Filthy peddle an enjoyably irreverent and scuzzy take on the whole glam-punk formula. It ain't big and it ain't clever but it's certainly a lot of fun.

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68.    DELILAH BON - "Delilah Bon"

Delilah Bon is the latest side project from Hands Off Gretel's Lauren Tate and it 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.

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67.    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.

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66.    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. 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.

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65.    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.

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64.    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.

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63.    THE IDOLIZERS - "Concretins"

Rum Bar signees 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.

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62.    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.

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61.    BRIX SMITH & MARTY WILLSON-PIPER - "Lost Angeles"

A collaboration between former Fall/current Extricated vocalist Smith and former Church/All About Eve guitarist Willson-Piper could have gone either way but as it turned out, Lost Angeles was a case of two good musicians combining well to put together an album which showed off their talents superbly.

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60.    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.

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59.     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.

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58.    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.

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57.    GAZ BROOKFIELD - "Idiomatic"

Written over the lockdown, this album saw Brookfield moving away from his traditional acoustic style to a more angry and punk-influenced standpoint. One part Frank Turner/Sam Fender style heart on sleeve honesty and one part Psychedelic Furs style innovation, Idiomatic was a good effort.

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56.    RUM LAD - "Punk AF"

Nottingham native 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.

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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.

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54.    BRIAN SETZER - "Gotta Have The Rumble"

With Gotta Have The Rumble, Setzer has served up arguably his strongest album away from the Stray Cats in years. The key to it is that he 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.

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

Nockalls' second solo album 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.

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52.    DESPERATE JOURNALIST - "Maximum Sorrow"

Desperate Journalist's fourth album sees them on good form with plenty of the same swooping dream-pop epics that recall the Cocteau Twins at their most ethereal as well as a few unexpected diversions into other waters that provide a welcome change of pace when it's needed. One of those groups who definitely deserve to be much better known than they are.

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51.    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.

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50.    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.

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49.    LUKE HAINES - "Setting The Dogs On The Post-Punk Postman"

Setting The Dogs On The Post-Punk Postman sees Haines on typically acerbic form whether he's skewering his targets or writing sinister whimsical odes to failed historical regimes. He's also on good form musically here veering from gentle folk through atonal post-punk to dark psychedelia.

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48.    PET NEEDS - "Fractured Party Music"

Colchester's Pet Needs are a post-punk band with bite. Fractured Party Music is packed full of vitriolic smalltown anger and packing hooks by the truckload while the occasional trip into Frank Turner style acoustic led folk-punk territory shows that they're a band not afraid to vary their sound up.

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47.    LOUP GAROUX - "Strangerlands"

Something of an indie supergroup, Loup Garoux's debut album has a definite leaning towards the more epic end of goth here with the big swirling soundscapes also owing a nod to Suede or the Manics in their early '90s heyday. We look forward to where they decide to go next.

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46.    JANE WEAVER - "Flock"

Flock takes the alt-pop template and twists it into fascinating new shapes to great effect packing in catchy hooks and choruses but mixing them in with some thought-provoking lyrics and musical styles ranging from languorous psychedelia to Prince style guitar funk. 

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45.    THE SCARAMANGA SIX - "Worthless Music"

Worthless Music shows that the creative fire in Leeds stalwarts the Scaramanga Six isn't dimming by any stretch of the imagination. Packing in short sharp shocks of post punk fury with menacing and twisted epics, they remain one of the most darkly fascinating bands to listen to on the alternative circuit.

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44.    THE CHUCK NORRIS EXPERIMENT - "This Will Leave A Mark"

Exactly what you'd want from a Chuck Norris Experiment album, This Will Leave A Mark sees these Swedish veterans packing in three-minute adrenalin blasts of scuzzy rock 'n' roll and flamethrower guitar riffs just like all the best bands of this genre do.

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43.    CHUBBY & THE GANG - "The Mutt's Nuts"

The Mutt's Nuts sees South London punks Chubby & The Gang starting to properly realise their potential. Taking the powerhouse punk of their debut and adding plenty of new tricks to the formula to keep the listener interested, it's no coincidence that their profile is continuing to grow.

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42.    SHE DREW THE GUN - "Behave Myself"

This second album from She Drew The Gun sounds like Goldfrapp at their sleekest but with a seething social and political anger bubbling away under the surface to add a whole new dimension to the formula and come up with something genuinely engaging. A band very much in the ascendant.

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41.    WONK UNIT - "Uncle Daddy"

Uncle Daddy was a welcome return from South London lo-fi punk mainstays Wonk Unit. On the surface, it appears to be a straightforward spit 'n' sawdust punk album but the key with this band is they're happy to throw literally anything into the mix from pop-punk to thrash and ska.

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40.    THE MUDD CLUB - "Bottle Blonde"

From Kansas via Machnylleth, the Mudd Club blasted out of nowhere to come up with one of the better debut albums of 2021. No-nonsense two minute knucklehead garage-punk, it's the way the group attack the songs on Bottle Blonde with such sheer carefree abandon in the best X-Ray Spex/Adverts/Television Personalities style that makes this a winner.

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39.    STEVE CONTE - "Bronx Cheer"

Conte's first solo album in seven years was a triumphant comeback from the guy with an impressively varied repertoire taking in everything from full throttle punk to laid back smoky blues jams. The guy deserves credit for putting together something this varied when it would have been very easy to just stick with a safe option and Bronx Cheer is an excellent listen.

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38.    THE ALARM - "War"

The Alarm have been on a good run of albums in recent years and War is a worthy follow-up to 2019's Sigma. Musically diverse and lyrically thought-provoking with Mike Peters pouring all of his lockdown hopes and fears into the lyrics, this is the sound of the Alarm on top form.

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37.    FEROCIOUS DOG - "The Hope"

Ferocious Dog's fifth album may also just be their best to date. Tight and focused both musically and lyrically, it sees the band coming up with some of their strongest material so far ranging from barrelling folk-punk anthems to mournful acoustic laments.

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36.    THE PROFESSIONALS - "Snafu"

Snafu was the sound of the 21st century Professionals well and truly getting up to speed. Exactly the sort of barrelling rock 'n' roll you'd expect from Tom Spencer and Paul Cook and with excellent production care of Dave Draper, this is a set of songs that will stick in your head for days.

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35.    THE BRONX - "VI"

Nobody does melodic hardcore quite like the Bronx and VI is another strong album from these veterans. Brutally uncompromising and fierce when they want to be but with an undeniable ear for a tune and a commendable willingness to vary things up a bit to stop repeating themselves.

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34.    GARY NUMAN - "Intruder"

Intruder might just be the strongest Gary Numan album in years. Packed through with the doomy electronica we've come to expect from the guy but with a furiously angry message about the destruction of the planet underlying a lot of the songs on it, this is anything but an easy listen but has the tunes and ferocity to reel you back in for repeated listening.

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33.    THE 69 CATS - "Seven Year Itch"

The 69 Cats' second album sees them well and truly taking their gothabilly formula by the scruff of the neck. With Jyrki69's vocals as broodingly sinister as ever throughout and Danny B Harvey cranking out the sort of deliciously twisted riffs you'd expect from a band like this, Seven Year Itch is great dark fun.

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32.    THE PRETTY RECKLESS - "Death By Rock 'n' Roll"

In an era where the classic rock field has been sullied by people desperately trying to pretend it's 1975 all over again, Death By Rock 'n' Roll sees the Pretty Reckless attack from the off with a killer set of tunes and hooks and a playful willingness to vary the sound up to prevent things from getting boring.

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31.    DESCENDENTS - "9th & Walnut"

More melodic than the sound the group would later become known for, these re-recorded versions of early Descendents songs are nevertheless an enjoyable Ramones-style tunefulness to these songs that takes this album beyond a mere nostalgia exercise and into being a damn good effort in its own right.

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30.    RICKY WARWICK - "When Life Was Hard And Fast"

When Life Was Hard And Fast sees Ricky Warwick back to the no-nonsense rock music he's made his name with first in the Almighty and more recently with Black Star Riders. Veering from fired up punk to more moody reflective moments, this is straight ahead fist-in-the-air singalong rock anthems done by a master of the craft.

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29.    BEANS ON TOAST - "Survival Of The Friendliest"

Jay McAllister aka Beans On Toast is one of those songwriters who can make you see the light in even the most dark of times and Survival of the Friendliest was a much needed ray of sunshine as the bleakness of December and the prospect of yet another lockdown set in.

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28.    PENFRIEND - "Exotic Monsters"

Exotic Monsters was the sound of Laura Kidd exorcising the demons brought on by Covid and lockdown. From grungy angst to more minimalist stripped down electro, it also shows Kidd's versatility as a musician and will hopefully be the first of many excellent Penfriend albums in the times ahead.

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27.    IDESTROY - "We Are Girls"

We Are Girls was the sound of Idestroy announcing their arrival in fine style. Similar to Dream Nails' excellent debut last year, it has plenty of righteous social anger and grungy self-loathing but there's a sly sense of humour bubbling away in there too not to mention a keen ear for a good tune and hook.

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26.    KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD - "LW"

Now with no less than three albums to their name in the last 18 months, LW was a worthy follow-up to last year's KG and showed King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard being just as playfully crazy as ever. An absolute rollercoaster ride of an album which you'll be rushing to cue up again as soon as you've finished.

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25.    WATTS - "Shady Rock 'n' Rollers"

Heavily influenced by power-pop and glam, Watts came up with one of the best albums of the year in either genre. Packing killer tunes and enough changes in tempo to ensure they well and truly put their own stamp on the Sweet style glam rock formula, this is an impressively self-assured debut.

***

24.    SAM FENDER - "Seventeen Going Under"

Every so often we get an artist or group that's hyped up to the heavens and actually deserves it and Sam Fender is definitely one such individual. Seventeen Going Under comes across like a Geordie Gaslight Anthem with its no-punches-pulled tales of a youth less than well spent and some viciously unbridled anger lurking beneath the heart-on-sleeve stories.

***

23.    JAMES SULLIVAN - "Light Years"

The debut solo album from More Kicks frontman James Sullivan is an endearingly down to earth DIY effort recorded in his flat over lockdown and it's this no frills honesty and knack with a decent tune and a lyric to pull at the heartstrings as well. One of the unexpected triumphs of the latter days of the year.

***

22.    BLACK SPIDERS - "Black Spiders"

Black Spiders' third album was the sound of them well and truly reasserting their authority in with the Britrock hordes, acknowledging its influences but twisting them into fascinating new shapes while packing in some suitably kick-arse riffs to seal the deal.

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21.    POISON BOYS - "Don't You Turn On Me"

This second album from Chicago nogoodniks the Poison Boys is everything you'd want a suitably scummy trashy rock 'n' roll album to be - one part Dead Boys, one part Ramones with a sneer, a swagger and a razor-sharp ear for a tune and a riff. Definitely one of the superior bands in the glam-punk field.

***

20.    CAROL HODGE - "The Crippling Space Between"

Hodge's third solo album sees her in good form, mixing light and shade to brilliant effect. Informed by the strange climate that lockdown brought on, by turns angry and hopeful, despairing and optimistic, it runs the full gauntlet of emotions that a lot of us felt during those weird months.

***

19.    MINISTRY - "Moral Hygiene"

Moral Hygiene is arguably Ministry's strongest album for over a decade. As you'd expect, it doesn't let up on the heaviness throughout with Al howling like a deranged preacher from the mountainside while the riffs and beats pulverise your brain into burger meat.

***

18.    JUSTIN SULLIVAN - "Surrounded"

With Surrounded, Justin Sullivan has produced an album which is an almost an escape hatch into another world to get lost in. Full of cinematic epics and the sort of evocative lyrics you'd expect from the New Model Army frontman, this is a record you'll be cueing up again and again to listen to.

***

17.    JIM BOB - "Who Do We Hate Today?"

Who Do We Hate Today? sees Jim Bob on good form. This is Jim doing what he does best and railing against brainless pack mentality and the injustices of modern society with a righteous bile and fervour. An album which wears its dark heart on its sleeve with no fear and is all the better for it.

***

16.    THE ANCHORESS - "The Art Of Losing"

Catherine Ann Davies' second album as the Anchoress sees her taking the template of her debut and well and truly moving things up a notch. An album born out of loss, grieving and personal trauma, it makes for quite harrowing listening in places but the overall theme is of staring down your demons and rising above.

***

15.    DANKO JONES - "Power Trio"

Very much business as usual for Danko Jones and co on album number ten but Power Trio is arguably the strongest selection of songs they've put out in almost a decade, hitting you with pin missile precision and with hooks that'll draw you back in for another listen time after time.

***

14.    NINE POUND HAMMER - "When The Shit Goes Down"

Back after a decade long absence, cowpunk mainstays Nine Pound Hammer might just have put out their best album yet with When The Shit Goes Down. This is the sound of a band really kicking loose and showing what they can do from frenetic Dead Kennedys style punk through to honky tonk rave-ups to slower more reflective Merle Haggard style moments.

***

13.    THE COCKTAIL SLIPPERS - "Shout It Out Loud!"

Sugar sweet power-pop from Norway with a definite nod to the UK indie-pop sound of the late '80s, Shout It Out Loud! definitely marks the Cocktail Slippers out as genuine contenders. With tunes ranging from full on glam stompers to gentle Ronettes style ballads and even the odd bit of hair metal riffage, this album is an absolute delight.

***

12.    SPEARMINT - "Holland Park"

A triumphant comeback that no-one was expecting from one-time Britpop almost-weres Spearmint. With a definite Bowie influence coming to the fore, it may have taken them two decades but with this album, Spearmint have very much served up their masterpiece.

***

11.    GRACE PETRIE - "Connectivity"

Connectivity is a genuinely great and touching album which pulls no punches in its tales of warts-and-all real life but does so with a sense of warmth and humanity that makes pure medicine for the soul for anyone who's found 2021 a bit of an uphill struggle.

***

10.    L.A. GUNS - "Checkered Past"

A real return to form for L.A. Guns and arguably the best album that's come out under this band's name in nearly three decades. Checkered Past sees them retaining the heaviness of their recent efforts but applying them to the big fist-in-the-air template that they made their name with in the late '80s.

***

9.    THE CORAL - "Coral Island"

Coral Island might just be the Coral's best album to date. Almost a world within a record, from the blissful summertime psychedelia set at the titular seaside destination to the sinister turn into dark and twisted skeletal territory of the winter months on side two, this was clearly a labour of love by the band and it's well and truly paid off - a genuinely breathtaking album.

***

8.    RICH RAGANY & THE DIGRESSIONS - "Beyond Nostalgia & Heartache"

With their second album, Rich Ragany & The Digressions have really spread their wings and come up with an absolute corker of a record. While there's plenty of the sunny power-pop you'd expect from Rags here, the album also takes in trippy psychedelia, darker more claustrophobic laments and even the odd foray into doo-wop to make a well-rounded and genuinely impressive effort.

***

7.    SAMI YAFFA - "The Innermost Journey To Your Outermost Mind"

Amazingly the first solo album from Sami Yaffa in his four decades in the music business, The Innermost Journey... really shows off the guy's full range as a musician, varying from strutting Hanoi style rockers through fired up punk fury to gentle acoustics and even the odd reggae influenced number.

***

6.    THE MIDDLENIGHT MEN - "Issue 1"

The Middlenight Men came almost from nowhere to deliver arguably the best debut album of 2021. Taking in rocket-fuelled Britpop, glam rock stompers, and Wildhearts-style Britrock inventiveness, Issue 1 is a real triumph of an album.

***

5.    CHRIS CATALYST - "Kaleidoscopes"

Proof positive that Chris Catalyst is one of the great underrated songwriters in the UK music scene, Kaleidoscopes was a more than worthy follow-up to his debut solo album Life Is Sometimes Brilliant. Informed by last year's lockdown, these were alternately angry and reflective songs but wrapped up in exactly the sort of punchy earworm tunes that you'd expect from the guy.

***

4.    THE STRANGLERS - "Dark Matters"

The prospect of a new Stranglers albumt this year was definitely a bit of a surprise especially given the tragic passing of Dave Greenfield last year but Dark Matters was arguably their strongest effort of the 21st century mixing everything we've grown to love about the band over the years - punk anger, dark psychedelia and the feeling of a band reflecting on their four decade plus existence. 

***

3.    ALICE COOPER - "Detroit Stories"

If history's shown us anything, it's that you write the Coop off at your peril - Detroit Stories was a real powerhouse of an album, part influenced by the twisted garage rock of the original Alice Cooper band albums and partly by the gleefully OTT theatrics of Welcome To My Nightmare et al and somehow capturing all the best bits of both to come up with something genuinely awesome.

***

2.    THE STREETWALKIN' CHEETAHS - "One More Drink"

Having made their name as a no-nonsense scuzzed up garage-punk band in the early noughties, the Streetwalkin' Cheetahs have clearly picked up some new skills during their time away and One More Drink was a real banquet of an album veering from AC/DC style riff fests through pop-punk singalongs to big arena-filling lighters-in-the-air moments. Quite simply, if you're one of the people who properly get what good rock 'n' roll is about then you need this album in your life.

***

1.    THE WILDHEARTS - "21st Century Love Songs"

Even as a long time Wildhearts fan, 21st Century Love Songs might be Ginger and co's most ambitious record to date and is a real mind-bender of an album. A very different beast to 2019's equally excellent Renaissance Men, it often sounds like the band are trying to cram a whole side's worth of material into one song. Yet the key is that it remains packed with classic Wildhearts singalong material with more killer hooks than a night on the town with Jason Voorhees. The sound of a band chucking everything but the kitchen sink into an album and still carrying it off with aplomb, this had to be our album of the year really.

***

So there we have it - the final word on 2021. I think it's safe to say that as we reach the halfway point of the year, the 2022 list is already looking like it's gonna be something well worth enjoying with the likes of Mike Monroe, Helen Love, Bob Vylan, Simon Love, the Hellacopters, the Sweet Things, The Mysterines, Frank Turner, Sonic Boom, Lawnmower Deth and the Ravagers all jostling out for position at the top of the pile as we speak. Plus whatever may yet be to come through the doors here at Nite Songs towers. We're looking forward to going through it with you come the festive season but till then...