Here Are My 50 Favorite Albums of 2021, Part 3: Numbers 30 - 21

Featuring My Morning Jacket, Fruit Bats, Pearl Charles, and more!

Catch up with Part 1 and Part 2 and be sure to follow Check This Out! on Spotify and Apple Music to hear these records and more. Love something? Support ‘em by clicking the Bandcamp links below.

30. Fruit Bats - The Pet Parade

Eric D. Johnson has been on an absolute tear since returning with Fruit Bats on 2016’s Absolute Loser. After another excellent project, Bonny Light Horseman ended up on my list last year, I knew I was holding a spot once again for the brilliantly beautiful The Pet Parade. One of many on this list to release multiple albums in the past twelve months, I thoroughly enjoyed reminiscing about Siamese Dream when Johnson released a full cover album this past summer, which you can read about here.

What I said in my review: “Listening to a new Fruit Bats album is like putting on my favorite pair of old jeans (or sweatpants for the times), and Eric D. Johnson’s latest effort, The Pet Parade effortlessly continues this notion… Johnson has done a fantastic job keeping a consistent sound while adapting enough to stay exciting, and The Pet Parade is his most lush and instrumentally diverse effort yet.”

The Pet Parade is available on Merge Records.

29. Mitch Murder - Then Again

The king of synthwave returned with his first full-length album in a few years and Then Again finds Mitch Murder at the top of his game. There are plenty of artists in the business of recreating the keyboard-laden sounds of the 80s. Still, no one does it more authentically than this Swedish producer, who soundtracked the summer with this excellent modern city pop album.

What I said in my review: “On Then Again, Mitch Murder is still in the 80s, but this time looks to city pop for inspiration… The lead single ‘Body Talk’ takes a pumped-up approach to the ‘Axel F’ years of film soundtracks, and when I hear the title track ‘Then Again,’ I’m waiting for Alan Thicke to show up in a Members Only jacket.”

Then Again is available on Mad Decent.

28. The Reds, Pinks and Purples - Uncommon Weather

Now on his third record as The Reds, Pinks and Purples, Glenn Donaldson hits all of the time-honed indie happy spots that stop me in my tracks to turn up the headphones. Uncommon Weather is a dream pop sketch of Donaldson’s hometown San Francisco and the gentrification that has led to the regrettable exodus of the artist class. Full of sincere downer lyrics, soaring reverb, and hummable melodies, this lofi outing of thirteen stunners has reaffirmed my faith in the need for DIY sad boi music. There’s no filler here, but highlights include “A Kick in the Face (That’s Life),” “I Wouldn’t Die for Anyone,” and the piano-sprinkled ballad, “The Songs You Used to Write.” Donaldson is also currently writing at a brisk clip, which makes February’s Summer At Land’s End one of my most anticipated records of 2022.

Uncommon Weather is available on Slumberland Records.

27. Pardoner - Came Down Different

Speaking of the San Francisco artist exodus, Came Down Different finds this Bay Area band living in different places and cranking out a boisterous punk record full of bizarre tunings and one-liners in two days. I mentioned a similarity to Parquet Courts in my initial review, and Pardoner made something so good here that I had a hard time giving a shit about the Parquet Courts record that was released months after. If I could only listen to one minute of music from this past year, it would be “I Wanna Get High To The Music.”

What I said in my review: “This year has been full of old alternative retreads, and most of it hasn’t worked. Enter Pardoner, a San Francisco band that is comfortable in the 90s but has a knack for making the chords you’ve heard a thousand times sound youthful… Came Down Different finds the band exploring the very ‘alternative’ themes of ‘hopelessness, money, and feeling good in a sick and seriously twisted world’ while sounding like your favorite Sonic Youth and Parquet Courts records.”

Came Down Different is available on Bar None Records.

26. Israel Nash - Topaz

Israel Nash has been one of my favorite songwriters since 2014’s Rain Plans and by adding a horn section, he may have created his most splendid work yet with Topaz.

What I said in my review: “There’s a real dreaminess to this album, and ‘Southern Coasts’ is a prime example as Nash incorporates modern synth textures under delayed arpeggios. My favorite of the previously released songs is the relaxed ‘Canyonheart,’ which features a watery organ that hasn’t been heard since Counting Crows and The Wallflowers dominated the airwaves… This record is a much-needed cleansing that wraps around you like the warmest cobija as you travel amongst the desert flora.”

Topaz is available now on Desert Folklore.

25. Hannah Peel - Fir Wave

I’m a Yank who doesn’t listen to the BBC, which is why I’m a newcomer to Hannah Peel, who hosts BBC Radio 3’s Night Tracks. Instead, I came across Peel while listening to the Mercury Prize noms. Arlo Parks may have won, but Fir Wave is cant-miss. Here, Peel chooses samples from the legendary KPM music library and melds them into gorgeous organic electronic music.

What I said in my review: “In a year of stacked electronic releases, Fir Wave has been a highlight for me. Its exploration of patterns and cycles is gorgeous and will challenge your idea of electronic music with its organic sound.”

Fir Wave is available on My Own Pleasure.

24. My Morning Jacket - My Morning Jacket

One of my all-time favorite groups, this self-titled album found My Morning Jacket returning to their phenomenal jam tendencies and ended up as one of my biggest surprises of the year.

What I said in my review: “Written, produced, and engineered by James, there’s no outside influence, allowing the band to capture their live show magic through returned experimentation and extended jamming. Clocking in at an hour, My Morning Jacket is their longest since 2003’s It Still Moves and is the sound of a band allowed to breathe again… Longtime fans of the Louisville group should be thrilled with the release - so many times, the band’s future has been uncertain in the last decade, and here they’ve made a miraculous return. The record would be a fantastic coda at nine albums in, but it’s hard to envision an end with the band’s rejuvenated sound.”

My Morning Jacket is available on ATO Records.

23. Ryley Walker - Course In Fable

This year, Ryley Walker went on a tear, releasing four records, including the heady live collaboration with Kikagaku Moyo (read my review here). While Deep Fried Grandeur narrowly missed the year-end list, Course In Fable works best as the most “conventional” of the bunch.

What I said in my review: “The largest area of growth is Walker’s voice. After recently hitting a year of sobriety, his voice sounds stronger than ever. There’s a confidence in his belt that may have been a mutter on previous efforts. I don’t want to sound like a Berklee metalcore professor, but this is a comfortably challenging album that will have you listening to it on repeat as there is something new to discover with each spin. It’s an exciting and modern record that serves as a new mission statement for Ryley Walker as he reinvents himself yet again.”

Course in Fable is available on Husky Pants Records.

22. The Pink Stones - Introducing… The Pink Stones

If you’re into cosmic country and still haven’t listened to this gem of a debut from The Pink Stones, then you’re missing out on the genre’s record of the year. Here’s to hoping the band makes it out of the southeast next year for a national tour.

What I said in my review: “On Introducing…, the band wears Gram (Parsons) proudly on their sleeves, flowing in and out of different Parsons eras, from his short time in The Byrds to looseness of The Flying Burrito Brothers and his legendary solo work before dying at the young age of 26 at the Joshua Tree Inn. The influence is most notable on twangy rockers like ‘Barroom Blues,’ ‘Love Me Hardly,’ and ‘Miss Wind Turbine.’ The Pink Stones aren’t completely cemented in the seventies, though, and on tracks like the opener ‘Blueberry Dream’ and ‘Put Me On,’ their sound is that of Uncle Tupelo and Wilco on A.M. and Being There.”

Introducing… The Pink Stones is available via Normaltown Records.

21. Pearl Charles - Magic Mirror

One can forget January releases by the time a year-end review comes around, but Pearl Charles’ Pacific Breeze™ of record, Magic Mirror, has been in constant rotation all year. One that has improved remarkably even after a positive review, I’m now much more appreciative of Magic Mirror’s flow, including the ballads I didn’t take to initially. Full of some of my favorite songs of the year, Magic Mirror has set up Charles’ next outing to be tremendous.

What I said in my review: “Throughout the rest of the record, (Pearl) Charles channels many 70s California soft-rock influences, with ‘Sweet Sunshine Wine’ being the record’s best track. Even starting with a Mick Fleetwood drum fill, it sounds like a lost Christine McVie track off Tusk.”

Magic Mirror is available on Kanine Records.