2021 Album Reviews

By Lauren LaFrance

2021 was an interesting year for music.  Although I am not up on the trends with modern music makers, some of my favourite artists released albums last year.  Many of them featured new and exciting styles, several of which I think suited the lonesome atmosphere caused by COVID quite well.  Due to the abundance of new releases, I decided to review some of the 2021 albums that I most enjoyed.

6. Pressure Machine- The Killers

Most people know The Killers for their hit “Mr. Brightside.”  The greatness of this song though, does not even compare to the caliber of many of their other tracks.  Pressure Machine definitely is not my favourite album by them, but it is an amazingly different sound than anything else they have made.  Based on singer Brandon Flowers’ experiences growing up in a small town in Utah, and featuring some interesting recordings before each track, Pressure Machine is certainly memorable.  My favourite song from this album is “In The Car Outside.”  It is funky and upbeat, which is the opposite of most of the other songs in the album.  The lyrics are sweet as well, which is a bonus.  My Least favourite track is “Desperate Things.”  This song kind of creeps me out.  It is slow, eerie, and even has a section that gets really loud and basically gives me a jump scare.

5. Van Weezer- Weezer

The release of Van Weezer was an event that I was looking forward to last year, however the album got seriously upstaged by OK Human.  So much so in fact, that after the disappointment during my initial listen, it took me until the new year to venture another listen.  This album may not have met my expectations last year, but now I am a huge fan.  As the name suggests, this album features a lot of excellent electric guitar riffs and solos, so it is a great album to play air guitar to.  My favourite song from Van Weezer is “Beginning of the End.”  This song is super catchy and has probably my favourite guitar solo of the album in it.  As well, when this song came out, my little nephew was a big fan, and even used to try and sing along to one part, so I like the memories this song brings.  My least favourite song from Van Weezer is “Sheila Can Do It.”  Although this song certainly is catchy and it does have a great guitar solo, overall, the song is pretty average.

4. The Battle at Garden’s Gate- Greta Van Fleet

Greta Van Fleet is an amazing rock band.  Their past albums have gotten a lot of attention due to them having a similar sound to Led Zeppelin.  The Battle at Garden’s Gate though, features this band’s own style, so I feel like this is sort of a “coming of age” album.  My favourite song is “Light My Love” because it is simply beautiful.  It makes me smile every time I hear it.  I really struggled to come up with a least favourite for this album, but I ended up choosing “Trip the Light Fantastic.”  Not necessarily because I think it is the worst song, but because it is the least memorable.

3. Long Lost- Lord Huron

I have always enjoyed this band’s whimsical style, and their ability to overwhelm you with emotions.  Long Lost contains Lord Huron’s best work.  The album tells of regret, yearning, and love in this band’s signature folk style.  My favourite song from this album is “I Lied.”  Featuring the beautiful voice of Allison Ponthier, this song brings back memories and makes my heart hurt, which I consider to be the greatest feat that a song can accomplish.  My least favourite song from Long Lost is Time’s Blur.  Although this instrumental song is very well done, it is just too long for my taste, and I get tired of it quick.  

2. OK Orchestra- AJR

All of AJR’s albums are amazing.  This band’s style and ability to make music out of anything makes them truly unique.  OK Orchestra features songs that everyone can relate to.  Whether it be feeling isolated during covid, feeling like you aren’t going anywhere in life, or pretending to be someone you’re not, OK Orchestra will hit a nerve for everyone.  My favourite song from this album is “OK Overture.”  Maybe some of you are thinking that overture’s do not count as songs, but this one contains the best section in the whole album.  I cannot type it here because of explicit language, but you should all go look up this album, even if it is solely to hear this part.  I am certain that it will resonate with many of you.  My least favourite song from this album is “Bang!”  I know that it is a fantastic song, but this was the first single from this album to be released, so I have simply heard it too many times to really appreciate it anymore.

1. OK Human- Weezer (I know what you are thinking, ‘another Weezer album???’ but what can I say? Talent is talent.)

Featuring a 38-piece orchestra and no electric guitar, this album delivered both superb writing and singing from singer Rivers Cuomo.  My least favourite song from this album is “Dead Roses.”  This song is still excellent, but since I had to choose one, I guess this is it.  “Dead Roses” is the ninth song on the album, coming right before my favourite, “Everything Happens for a Reason.”  “Dead Roses” is slow and filled with despair, while “Everything Happens for a Reason” sports a hopeful sound.  Although the tenth song lacks lyrics and is only twenty-four seconds long, it really seems to be the turning point in the album, with the final two songs being more upbeat and positive.

And that’s that!  I know that there are so many other albums that were released this year, some that I enjoyed, some I did not, and most that I have not even heard, but these six were my favourites and I had a lot of fun reviewing them!  If any of you want to share what 2021 albums were your favourites, then feel free to leave a comment down below!

Image references:

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/the-killers-pressure-machine/?verso=true

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Weezer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Battle_at_Garden%27s_Gate

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Lost_(album)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OK_Orchestra

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/weezer-ok-human/?verso=true