Albums of the Year – Killian Laher

2021 has been an interesting year, full of very good albums but not so many *great* albums. Here are the top 10 as chosen by Killian Laher, they could have been in any order, but convention means they need to be ranked, so here goes!

10. Dark Mark vs Skeleton Joe
Mark Lanegan used to be darker, then he got dark again, with added electronics.

Full Review is here.

9. Dinosaur Jr – Sweep Into Space
Listening to this, it could be any year, Dinosaur Jr sound as good as they have for the last 30 years.

Read Full Review here.

8. Low – Hey What
Another challenging album from one of the best bands from Duluth, Minnesota.  Behind the warped noise there are some great songs.

Full Review is here. 

7. loscil – Clara
Layers of ambient genius from Scott Morgan. Truly immersive music.

Full Review is here.

6. Steve Gunn – Other You
Probably the lushest album of the year, Steve Gunn has released his prettiest album to date.

Full Review is here.

5. Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – Carnage
The Australian duo in a more relaxed, chilled out mode. They rage in a very different way.

Full Review is here.

4. Arab Strap – As Days Get Dark
As strong a set of songs as Arab Strap have ever put out, the edge is by no means dulled by being away for 15 years.

Full Review is here.

3. Mogwai – As The Love Continues
The latest album from Mogwai is one of their more expansive albums, with a majestically gloomy final track.

Full Review is here.

2. Arrivalists – Last of The Written Pages
Some heartfelt songs from Pat Barrett, one of the best Irish songwriters around.

Full Review is here. 

1. Tindersticks – Distractions
The best album of the year?  Possibly… not necessarily definitely.  Probably not Tindersticks’ best album either way.  But it’s an album with something indefinable, that keeps you coming back for more.  And it’s the one I liked the most in 2021.

Full Review is here.