“Snail Mail retains the same wounded lover ethos and hazy, scorned vocals but with a noticeably more pop-inspired instrumental palette. Indie rock guitars and peppy drums provide a sturdy melodic base, while additions of piano or dreamy synths give this album a sometimes danceable effect.”

–Sydney Sjobakken

19. Lingua Ignota – Sinner Get Ready

“Lingua Ignota has always incorporated a regal and grandiose instrumental palette, but SINNER GET READY shows a slightly softer side to her work with elements of religious hymns and neofolk. Yet, despite drawing back a bit from her more abrasive tendencies, she still maintains the same level of harrowing torture and anguish that permeates her work.”

–read Sydney Sjobakken’s full review here,

18. Greta Van Fleet – The Battle at Garden’s Gate

Staffer Hadley’s Album of the Year

“Greta Van Fleet does not disappoint with their third album, which keeps their iconic sound while incorporating some of the most beautiful lyrics I’ve ever heard. They stray from their classic rock roots to incorporate a more worldly sound while still being amazing and technically sound. They play with a new, more diverse range of sounds that sets them apart from their usual comparison to Led Zeppelin and creates a sound all their own, with enough flair to show their growth as a band while still sounding like the group we know and love. Personally, I think it’s their best album yet.”

–Hadley Stewart

17. Rauw Alejandro – Vice Versa

Staffer Alejandro’s Album of the Year

“In a very limited genre like reggaeton, Rauw Alejandro breaks those limits to deliver Vice Versa, an album full of fun tracks that use the typical reggaeton and Latin pop beats in new and creative ways. The lead single and opening track of the album, “Todo de Ti”, is a funky introduction that sets the tone for what the rest of the album is going to be. However, the highlight of the album is “Cosa Guapa”, which mixes Latin pop and House to make a new classic for Latino nightclubs.”

–Alejandro Gonzalez

16. Shannon & the Clams – Year of the Spider

Staffer Ryan’s Album of the Year

“The newest from Shannon & the Clams combines elements of Rockabilly, 60s psych, & Doo Wop, creating a unique retro sound. Vocalists Shannon Shaw and Cody Blanchard achieve excellent chemistry.”

–Ryan Knipp

15. SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE – ENTERTAINMENT DEATH

Director Sydney’s Album of the Year

“As discordant as it is dreamy, SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE’s ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH easily excavated a place for itself in the top releases of 2021 with its irreverent sense of nostalgia, melancholy, and an eerie understanding that maybe all is not well. The twinkly yet jarringly off-kilter synths remind one of an old photograph being eaten away by time and sun-exposure, while the vocals are melancholic and ethereal. The constant shutters, glitches, and static present in the mix add to the unusual ethos of this record which is sure to lull its listeners into a dangerous state of naive ease.”

–Sydney Sjobakken

14. Armand Hammer & The Alchemist – HARAM

Director Jaden’s Album of the Year

“Billy Woods’ and ELUCID’s poetically confrontational bars hit as hard as ever. Now with smooth and jazzy beats from the Alchemist, the two reach new heights. It’s the contrast between Woods’ deep bellow and ELUCID’s rasp, as they deliver dizzying bars filled with emotional gut-punches. It’s how they seem to have pushed the Alchemist on some of these songs to create his most experimentally mind-bending beats yet, while still maintaining crisp production. Put simply, HARAM cements Armand Hammer as one of the best rap duos to ever do it.”

–read Jaden Amjadi’s full review here.

13. Backxwash – I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES

“On the newest album from Backxwash, she continues down the path of dark, industrial metal-infused hip hop, rapping verses that mix the personal with the occult. The first single and title track “I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES” is a perfect encapsulation of why this album rules.”

–read Jaden Amjadi’s full review here.

12. The Mountain Goats – Dark In Here

“It just so happens that this new set of songs on Dark In Here is some of the band’s best work in years. The instrumentation is never particularly showy–folk rock guitars, some keys across piano and organ, some spare woodwinds–restrained drums which only hit hard when the time is right. Attention is primarily on Darnielle’s lyricism and vocal performance, which he keeps on the softer end of his register. These songs are sad, or at least, they explore different aspects of loneliness and darkness.”

–read Jaden Amjadi’s full review here.

11. Tyler, The Creator – Call Me If You Get Lost

“Smooth and soulful, with lyrics that’ll make you ask, “Who hurt Tyler?”. It also has a fair balance of gritty or harder songs, and smooth, horn-filled soul pieces. It’s a nice middle-ground between IGOR and Flowerboy.

–Sydney Sjobakken

10. Doja Cat – Planet Her

It’s Doja Cat. What could we possibly say? Her new one is pretty great.

9. Viagra Boys – Welfare Jazz

“The brand of tongue-in-cheek, abrasive yet catchy songwriting that Swedish post-punk band Viagra Boys has engineered is on full display on their sophomore LP Welfare Jazz. The album certainly lives up to its name with instrumentation that is often jazzy, bluesy, and unrelentingly infectious.”

–read Sydney Sjobakken’s full review here.

8. Injury Reserve – By The Time I Get to Phoenix

“On the newest album from Injury Reserve, rapper Ritchie with a T and producer Parker Corey carve out a new lane for themselves in experimental hip hop, as they grapple with the passing of founding member Stepa J Groggs. The results are unlike anything the group, or any other artist for that matter, have made before. From the confrontational opening track, they make it clear what the listener is in for–Ritchie strikes a battle rap stance over enveloping synth lines with a verse that verges on mad rambling in the best way possible.”

–read Jaden Amjadi’s full review here.

7. black midi – Cavalcade

“To expect anything less than off-kilter and left-field from black midi is to underestimate them, but Cavalcade proves that being “left-field” is not a matter of luck or a lack of ingenuity. Across this album, the band employs a Coraline-esque balance of blissful fantasy and demented horror with contemporary jazz-inflected progressions, snappy drums, and perfectly spaced breaks into full-bodied blows of distortion and drive.”

–read Sydney Sjobakken’s full review here.

6. Illuminati Hotties – Let Me Do One More

“From atop Illuminati Hotquarters, singer/songwriter Sarah Tudzin pens tunes to capture the last gasps of a dying Summer on Let Me Do One More. The band’s variety of sounds range from catchy pop-infused punk to endearingly sincere folk and beyond.”

–read Jaden Amjadi’s full review here.

5. Low – HEY WHAT

Staffer Zachary’s Album of the Year

“Nothing is better than seeing a band you’ve grown up with expand their sound while keeping their core values the same. Hey What finds Low, nearly 30 years into their career, blowing out the speakers with harsh electronica and entwining the noise in their ethereal melodies and reigning them in. Sparhawk and Parker have always been masters of sparseness, and while that usually means playing with silence, here, they showcase how isolating and cold chaos can be while proving it ineffectual in the face of the human spirit. This is honestly the strongest album from them in years, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with in the future.”

–read Zachary Leboeuf’s full review here.

4. Lana Del Rey – Blue Banisters

Staffer Amelia’s Album of the Year

“When Lana Del Rey dropped three singles on a random Thursday in May, only about two months after Chemtrails came out, it became evident she was working on a new project that would move her forward as a singer and find her focusing on new themes. Blue Banisters explores themes of sisterhood, friendship, family, righting wrongs, and dealing with critics. Songs range from well-known bootlegs in the fandom to a closing song she wrote in 20 minutes with her sister and her dad. She strips many songs down to piano and voice, but standouts like “Dealer and “If You Lie Down With Me” use synths, horns, and screams. Blue Banisters rivals the Grammy-nominated NFR among fans because of this new style and maturation shown by Lana on this album, and sets a new standard for any project she creates in the future.”

–Amelia Johnson

3. girl in red – if i could make it go quiet

Director Daniela’s Album of the Year

“girl in red’s anticipated debut album, if i could make it go quiet, captivates listeners with its relatability, instrumental intensity, and variety. The intimate lyrics about relationships and moving through life resonated with me. The presence of numerous instruments such as piano, synths, drums, and guitar was deliberately and thoughtfully used to create a specific mood for each track. girl in red has the ability to write fast-paced bangers, heartfelt ballads, and nostalgic instrumental songs. The combination of all of these elements creates a memorable musical experience leaving me hungry for more of her work.”

–Daniela Rybarczyk

2. Genesis Owusu – Smiling With No Teeth

Staffer Ken’s Album of the Year

I’d never heard of Genesis Owusu before he was played during one of the music staff meetings, but I’ve been hooked ever since. I instantly got hooked to the many bangers present on Smiling with No Teeth the moment I started listening and haven’t left my thoughts since. Each track sounds so fun and surprisingly diverse from one another instrumentally and vocally, it makes my brain feel very happy!

–Ken Dompier

1. JPEGMAFIA – LP!

Staffer Evan’s Album of the Year

“On LP!, JPEGMAFIA plays perfectly into his strengths. The experimental hip hop titan revives his distinctive, engaging, and humorous attitude and delivers yet another project full of heart, intelligence, and musical brilliance. With bold and outlandish production, an infinitely wide arsenal of flows, and rebellious and sarcastic lyrics, Peggy drops another instant classic and advances his case to be considered not just one of the best experimental hip hop artists of our time, but one of the best hip hop artists, period.”

–read Evan Weidl’s full review here.

The post The Best of 2021: Music Staff Picks appeared first on KRUI Radio.

From the first noisy guitar notes of Pom Poko’s Cheater, the band makes it clear they intend to start the musical year off with a bang. On this album, the band plays noise pop and indie rock while staying true to their jazz origins through lively percussion and free-spirited production. These songs combine ferocity and fun. Fangel always delivers a strong melody with a charisma that comes through whether she’s singing or shouting, no matter how wild the guitar lines get. “Like A Lady” has a chorus straight out of 90s alt-rock, with a creative instrumental arrangement that renders this familiar style fresh and exciting. “Danger Baby” has a smooth sliding guitar line at its center and is just a few sonic changes away from being a full-on indie-pop tune. Poignant moments on the record come and go, such as the chorus on “Andrew,” without feeling overwhelming. The band and their tight performances are with the listener every step of the way. Pom Poko’s jazz influence may be at its clearest on “Baroque Denial” with its dizzying percussion and curiously rhythmic guitar wails. For any music fan who wants a bit more excitement out of their pop-rock than the standard affair, Cheater is an album well worth a few listens.

-Jaden Amjadi

Viagra Boys – Welfare Jazz 

The brand of tongue-in-cheek, abrasive yet catchy songwriting that Swedish post-punk band Viagra Boys has engineered is on full display on their sophomore LP Welfare Jazz. The album certainly lives up to its name with instrumentation that is often jazzy, bluesy, and unrelentingly infectious. The track “Into the Sun” boasts a toe-tapping beat and boozy bassline. Many tracks–most notably “Ain’t Nice” and “6 Shooter”–also employ the saxophone, which incites a constant sense of grasping for meaning and stability. The instrumentation and lyrical content across the album facilitate the creation of a loose narrative, exploring the life of a chronically drunk, belligerent scumbag. The narrative equally incites pity and repulsion. The slovenly delivery of the vocalist and the frequent descent of the lyrics into despair and self-loathing create a vision of a man looking for happiness, yet struggling to climb out of the dark and dingey space of impoverished living. In its final moments, the album lifts itself out of the oppressive atmosphere of chronic dissatisfaction to offer a goofy and sweet cover of John Prine’s “In Spite of Ourselves”–a conclusion that argues companionship can often be the key to contentment.

-Sydney Sjobakken

Buck Meek – Two Saviors

Buck Meek’s sophomore solo album, Two Saviors, is fraught with nostalgia. Meek tells stories so eloquently it feels as if he drew the tales from your own psyche. Two Saviors is Americana palatable for any listener, complete with universal themes and poetic verses that capture the human experience in each track. The soft twang in Meek’s voice effortlessly parallels the melancholy sounds of the slide guitar. The album’s first track, “Pareidolia,” reminisces upon the most beautiful, simple, earnest moments spent with a partner. It also addresses the deeply human desire to assign meaning to anything and everything. It is best listened to while slow dancing around the kitchen in a blissful trance. The album’s second track, “Candle,” features Meek’s Big Thief bandmate Adrianne Lenker as a co-writer. It tells of a life on the run–coming to terms with fate in what feels like a love letter addressed to a mystery figure. Motifs of eyes and light are tucked away into each song and further develop the album’s overarching theme of beauty in the simplicity of the human experience. In Two Saviors, Buck Meek has crafted a captivating listening experience, and a chance for us all to pause and consider the elegance in the mundane that ties our life stories together. 

-Marisa Rude

Jazmine Sullivan – Heaux Tales EP

Here is an EP of ever-evolving surprise. The tongue-in-cheek title, seamless R&B production, and Sullivan’s powerhouse vocals seem poised to deliver track upon track of sensual jams; indeed, Heaux Tales is provocative, but not as one may expect. Sullivan instead takes the listener on a journey through the complex intersections of gender, class, and race that surround sexuality in 2021. She opens the album with hazy musings on post-party regret with “Bodies,” before showing off her stellar voice in the confident groove of “Pick Up Your Feelings.” She celebrates the wearing of rose-colored glasses in “Put It Down” before trying to rebound when it all falls apart with “Girl Like Me (feat. H.E.R.)”. What ties the project together are the eponymous Tales: six spoken interludes from women who frankly discuss love, money, and confidence. Sullivan becomes a modern-day bard, lending her voice to stories of women’s sexuality presented without coyness or shame. If you have to pick one song, make sure it’s “Lost One” – the tender letter from a cheater to her absent ex-lover is at once sweet, selfish, and heartbreaking. But taken as a whole, Heaux Tales is a rare rumination on life and love that shouldn’t be missed.

-Lela Lemke

Hospital Bracelet – South Loop Summer

On Hospital Bracelet’s debut full-length album, South Loop Summer, the band shows their consistency in a quality-over-quantity batch of excellent emo songs. In traditional midwestern emo fashion, twinkly guitar riffs trade-off for punked out quick strumming. However, what separates Hospital Bracelet from many of their contemporaries is the fantastically catchy melodies and passionate vocal performances. Vocalist Eric Christopher’s lyrics are pointed and specific enough in their woe to leave a mark. The opening title track acts as a great introduction to the themes the listener will hear across the record: friendship, loneliness, love, regret, and the financial instability this downwardly mobile generation is all too familiar with. The song also has a chorus that would fit snugly in any arena rock ripper. This is followed by the far more patient and intimate “Sober Haha Jk Unless,” where Christopher details their experience with addiction over a steady guitar line which builds into a cathartic crescendo. “Feral Rat Anthem” is another highlight, where Christopher sings with righteous rage towards an unfaithful and manipulative partner: “You sat there and juggled all of us. But even clowns are good at that and you keep on f*cking it up.” “Sour OG RPG”, meanwhile, is the best song of heartbreak during a tabletop roleplaying campaign that a RPG fan could ever ask for. Through charisma and energy, Hospital Bracelet cements themselves as a band to watch in the midwestern emo genre.

-Jaden Amjadi

Shame – Drunk Tank Pink

As one of the more significant post-punk releases for the month of January, Shame’s Drunk Tank Pink contrasts with the eccentric and jazzier stylings of their cohorts in Viagra Boys. Shame employs a more traditional take on the genre, which isn’t to say Drunk Tank Pink is any less exciting or compelling. It boasts a wealth of danceable, angular songwriting with shouty vocals, fervent guitar playing, and emotionally potent lyrical content. The title of the album itself refers to a shade often used to paint the walls in hospitals, prisons, and psych wards to subliminally keep patients calm amid stressful situations. The album’s title seems ironically fitting, as the album sears its way through song after song with yelps and howls from the lead singer. and anxiety-inducing, incessant drumming . But between aggressive onslaughts about being someone’s dog or puppet as on songs like “Great Dog” and “6/1,” the listener is occasionally offered a reprieve in the exhausted calm of “Human, for a Minute” and the closer “Station Wagon.” The latter eventually builds into a reservedly optimistic monologue on the pursuit of happiness. Here, Shame offers one final cacophony of instrumentation and a nod to something brighter in spite of the emotionally fraught chaos the rest of the album indulges in.

-Sydney Sjobakken

The post The Best Releases of January: Music Staff Picks appeared first on KRUI Radio.