By my rough count, I listened to somewhere around 224 new releases in 2021(albums and EPs). This is pandemic living: working at home, not going anywhere, and having more time to listen to music on my stereo and laptop. Of course, music continued to be strong therapy for me as 2021 did not turn out as we hoped. The promise of vaccines was dashed by anti-vaxxers, misinformation, and variants. At least there was some live music, and yet we head into 2022, not knowing if and when we get back something more akin to pre-2020 life.
One thing about the incredible volume of music I listened to: so much of it was good. There are many fine albums that were pushed out, just because of there was so much to choose from, and if I did this list a month later, some of these selections would change. Anyway, the rankings aren't arbitrary, but the further down the list, the more incremental the quality differential is. Still, I like the order of making a list. One more thing -- this is my best of, which is really just my favorite records. If you disagree, make your own list. It's fun.
Posts
