A look back at 2021: Buying New Musics albums of the year

If you look back at 2021, you unfortunately have to say: The music scene was hit just as hard by the Corona pandemic as in the previous year. In the summer and autumn, many bands had the opportunity to play concerts and thus earn some money again.

But the joy of carefree live music in front of many spectators was short-lived. Not only since the appearance of the Omikron variant has there been another wave of cancellations, which fell victim to a whole series of large-scale tours, such as the European Invasion Shows by the British group Haken.

A bad year for concerts – but a great one for albums

As sad as the situation in terms of live performances looks at the moment, on the other hand, one notices that many artists were able to convert their pent-up frustration into a lot of creative energy in the studio. Because when it comes to album releases, 2021 is sure to stand out as one of the best in recent decades. In my opinion, there have been a lot of excellent new releases.

Here are my personal Top 10 this year:

1. Michał Łapaj – Are You There? (Electronic) Review
2. VOLA – Witness (Prog Metal)
3. Unto Others – Strength (Gothic Metal) Review
4. Trope – Eleutheromania (Alternative Prog) Review
5. The Pineapple Thief – Nothing But The Truth/Live (Progressive Rock) Review
6. Hillward – Alternate Timelines (Prog Metal)
7. Alex Henry Foster – Standing Under Bright Lights/Live (Alternative) Review
8. Mariusz Duda – Lockdown Trilogy: Lockdown Spaces/Claustrophobic Universe/Interior Drawings (Electronic)
9. Isildurs Bane & Peter Hammill – In Disequilibrium (Progressive Rock)
10. Astrakhan – A Slow Ride Towards Death (Prog Metal) Review

And here are five classics that I rediscovered and re-appreciated this year:

• Van Morrison – Veedon Fleece (Blues – 1974)
• Van der Graaf Generator – Godbluff (Progressive Rock – 1975)
• Ultravox – Vienna (New Wave – 1980)
• Twelfth Night – Live And Let Live (Progressive Rock – 1984)
• Tori Amos – Under the Pink (Art Pop – 1994)