TOP 9 OF 2021
A L B U M S
This is my personal top 9 music albums of 2021.
It's a personal list that considers not only the best albums to my taste, but also the particular periods in which I listened to them. It was a weird year, of which I will keep many good memories in spite of everything, and these memories will be linked to these tunes as well.
One of the records I listened to the most over the summer, it's a mix of nostalgia, optimism and lots of class. Micromatscenes, aka Matteo, is Italian and that fills me with pride; he created the perfect soundtrack to those Sunday mornings when we were kids, and listening to this album fills me with joy. Go check out the videos where he sings his songs, it's worth it.
7. WAVESHAPER - MAINFRAME
4. LUKHASH - WE ARE STARDUST
9. MICROMATSCENES - HOT SHOTS
8. OSC - YUME NO MACHI
I've been listening to a lot of city pop this year, it instilled me with optimism and inspirations. This record is one of the best in the genre and not only of this year, after all OSC has accustomed us to very high standards in previous records.
Be prepared for a very high quality of production and don't forget your matcha tea to sip.
Those who have been following me for a while know that Waveshaper is one of my favorite musicians. This record does not disappoint either, in fact it makes Tom's analog synthesizers shine even brighter with unmistakable arrangements and melodies.
I listened to it during the fall, as soon as it came out, and it was the soundtrack to a few evenings in the car, with long drives just to hear it finish. Always magical.
6. SUNG - ARCHIUM DRIVE
Sung has already had several interesting releases, but this one is in my opinion the best. A fantastic mix of up-to-date 80s sounds. Interesting arrangements and sudden changes, with tracks that are also very different from each other. Geoffrey is Korean but based in Paris, and I hope he has some live sets planned with all his machines he shows us in his videos. Undoubtedly a very good work.
5. TREVOR SOMETHING - LOVE ME AND LEAVE ME
Another work by the unmistakable and multifaceted Trevor that I've been listening to carefully just in the last few days. I always find admirable the simplicity with which he manages to create really effective tracks, often with just a few instruments.
His timbre and melancholic voice find space in closed basses and delightful detuned leads.
A magnetic album, perfect for this winter mood.
Lukhash was also featured in my top9 last year with his previous album.
With his new release he confirms himself as an extraordinary musician, with innovative ideas and a boundless love for the old consoles that I agree with, having grown up with them.
We Love Stardust is one of the best records of the year but not only of this year, it is a record that I think we will remember, and in these times of musical bulimia is no small thing.
3. MITCH MURDER - THEN AGAIN
It's hard for me to talk about Mitch Murder while remaining objective, those of you who have been following me for a while know that he is my favorite producer and that I go crazy for every one of his records.
Another staple on my summer soundtrack, with an ecstatic level of production.
I'd rather not say much more than "run out and listen to this if you don't know him".
2. MONO HAN - THINGS CHANGE AND FRIENDS LEAVE
This record by Italian duo Mono Han has so much to say. I was really surprised by its quality, by the maniacal care of every sound, by the warmth of the many analog machines they used in producing it and that they proudly list in their Bandcamp (I would have done it too!).
It's a sincere, straightforward, honest record that is dedicated to a person who is no longer with us.
Finding so much authenticity in an album these days is an almost impossible feat. Listening to these tracks while driving in the rain, while going out early in the morning, while coming home in the evening, warmed my heart, made me feel those adolescent emotions of when you bought a cassette or a CD and, like a treasure, you listened to it for hours, not having a large collection available and especially not having all the music in the world inside your smartphone.
The album closes with "Everything is Cyclic", who knows if this is not a wish, or a prediction, I just know that a return to records so full of meaning and feelings, cared for as in the past, could only be beneficial to a society in which we often use only background and not reasoned music, reached with effort and sometimes through pain. Well done guys, I really needed this.
Run out and listen to it now, they’re some of the most underrated musicians out there.
It may not be the best album of the year, but it's the album I enjoyed and listened to the most in 2021.
1. JAY DIGGS - JAMS
Jay Diggs is a personage. He prepared us for the arrival of his record wisely, with catchy videos, interesting jam sessions, and made a really impressive album.
I suggest you to study a little bit his marketing strategy, I found it very nice and interesting, tailored on his character out of some movie relative of the Blues Brothers.
While I'm not a big fan of "vocal synthwave" I've listened to this record many times, and it contains some really over-the-top, well-produced tracks.
Jay with his record welcomes us to our new funk and soul paradise, and in fact it happens just that, even a non-lover of the genre like me found himself enraptured by these sensual melodies and funky grooves.
A true declaration of love to the 80s, with tracks that at times are perhaps too much like those times in their arrangements and melodies, but at the end that's what we're looking for, so I'm ok with that. Can’t wait for my vinyl.