Favorite Albums of 2021: Honorable Mentions

Hello everyone! I’m back to write about some of my favorite albums of 2021. I’m increasing the list from 10 to 15, because… why not. I listen to much more music now than I did when I first started making these lists, and there were plenty of albums that were deserving of getting ranked in my favorites of the year. But before I release my top 15 of the year, I’d like to give you five honorable mentions that really stood out to me. Each of these albums had at least something that I really enjoyed, but they also came with stuff that I couldn’t get fully behind. Regardless, each of these five albums are definitely worth checking out -- especially if you are into the genre of music each one falls under.

Porches - All Day Gentle Hold !

Porches has been one of my favorite music projects since I was a freshman in college. Aaron Maine (the main project creator) has one of the more complex music minds in the indie scene. His use of auto-tuned/pitched-up vocals and out-of-sync piano and guitar plucks make for an interesting experience every time a new song comes on. Maine has delved a lot deeper into this more “DIY” style of production on his last couple albums and it really couldn’t be more different than his 2016 album, Pool, which was full of crisp and clean 80’s pop style throwbacks. While I can’t say this new style of Porches music is my favorite of his, I can say that there are some of my favorite Porches songs he’s ever released on here. Songs like ‘Back3School,’ which is simple yet punchy and gets stuck in my head for days. The song ‘Swimming Big’ brings something that we’ve never seen in Maine’s music, isolated female vocals that make up the hook of the song. Chloe mk absolutely kills her performance on the hook, if I have any complaint, it’s that I want the song to be a bit longer and maybe repeat the hook once or twice more at the end because it comes to a bit of an abrupt ending. Overall, I really enjoy this album. It’s short and concise, coming in at 11 tracks and 25 minutes, but there’s no wasted time. If I had to nit-pick, I would say I want a bit more variety. The style of this album doesn’t change much throughout and because of that, the ending kind of sneaks up on you and you’re not quite sure how many songs you actually just listened to. I think this album would have benefited from some interludes like the ones he used on his 2018 album, The House, to help break the album up a bit and make it more memorable. Favorite Songs: Back3School, Swimming Big, Lately

Chvrches - Screen Violence

Chvrches has been around for a while now, but this is the first album of theirs that has really stuck out to me. This album truly has some of my favorite songs of the year on it and because of that, I kept coming back to this thing more than I probably would have otherwise.

Lauren Mayberry delivers some great vocal performances all over this thing -- I think her voice really shines against the less electronic production they went for on this thing that had been their staple on their first couple of albums. There are epic guitar solos and clean synths all over this thing, which lends itself nicely to my affinity for 80’s pop music. Overall it just sounds so good, and it keeps bringing me back to the album because there is always one part of a song that gets stuck in my head and I have to hear it or it will drive me crazy.

My only gripes with the album are similar to the ones I had with the Porches album above, it suffers from a lack of variety. While the production is catchy, it is very similar throughout the whole thing, and at 43-minutes long, it can get a bit tiring at the end. Mayberry’s songwriting can be a little underwhelming at times as well. I like some of the concepts she went for particularly on the song ‘Final Girl’ which is about being the last girl alive in a horror movie -- a classic trope. But there are other songs where I can’t help but roll my eyes at some points.

I still really enjoy this album and I’m excited to see what direction Chvrches decide to go in after changing their philosophy a bit with this album. I’m also looking forward to seeing Mayberry’s progression as a songwriter. Her voice is unique and she has the vocal ability to really stand out from other front women. If she can become better at getting deeper with her lyrics and concepts, I could see Chvrches having the ability to release a modern classic, I really do.

Favorite Songs: Asking For a Friend, How Not To Drown, Final Girl

Spellling - The Turning Wheel

Shoutout to Anthony Fantano here. I’ll be honest in saying I probably would have never listened to this album if he hadn’t given it the rare ‘10’ rating earlier this year. But boy am I sure glad he did. There might not have been a more interesting and compelling release in indie music this year.

Chrystia Cabral had released a couple of albums before this, but you can just tell from the start, that this one had something to it. Each of the songs are constructed so differently from each other. There is different instrumentation on every song, and narratively, this thing goes all over the place. This gives the album a “new” feel to it on every listen.

While I have total respect for what Cabral did on this thing, it just hasn’t totally clicked with me. There are songs here which I love and kept coming back to throughout the year, but I would also say that about half of this album, I tend to skip when listening through (something I very rarely do). This is one of those albums where I know it will all come together eventually, but for right now, I’m going to put it here in the honorable mentions because anything less would be an absolute tragedy.

Favorite Songs: The Future, Emperor with an Egg, Boys at School

Laura Mvula - Pink Noise

Legendary R&B/Soul artist Laura Mvula released her 4th studio album earlier this year and all I can say is -- I wanna dance! This thing is groovy as hell and Mvula’s performance on here is honestly iconic, she fits this role so well.

Charli XCX (one of my favorite artists) is going for a new 80’s/Janet Jackson style of music for her new aesthetic, but honestly, she should just leave it to Mvula because you can’t get much better than what she’s doing on this album.

It hits every want and need you’ll have if you’re looking for an 80’s soul throwback in 2021 -- I can’t recommend this album enough for anyone who is into this genre of music.

Favorite Songs: Safe Passage, Church Girl, Magical

L'Rain - Fatigue

Taja Cheek released one of the coolest experimental indie projects of the year with this album. She takes a lot of risks on here, but for the most part -- they sound really good! It’s definitely one of the more interesting releases of the year and you’ll find something new to enjoy on every listen.

Cheek’s vocal performance is solid here, whether she is being the focal point of the song or she is providing backup vocals for herself, it works on every song. I love a lot of the instrumentation on this thing, it’s really what carries the album and keeps it feeling fresh -- because while her vocal performance is good, there aren’t a lot of lyrics on this thing.

For the most part, I’m okay with music with little to no lyrics, but the music itself needs to pick up for that. Obviously, this album wouldn’t be in my honorable mentions if I didn’t think the music did that -- but it also isn’t in my top 15 list because the whole thing hasn’t quite clicked with me yet. Like Spellling’s album, I expect this album to become more important to me when I get the chance to listen to it more. It definitely deserves to be mentioned here.

Favorite Songs: Blame Me, Find It, Suck Teeth