We've been asking artists what their favorite albums of 2021 are, and here's a roundup of lists from bands on Fat Wreck Chords, including label co-founder (and NOFX frontman) Fat Mike, Good Riddance, Western Addiction, Night Birds, Bad Cop/Bad Cop, and Useless ID...
John Carpenter - Lost Themes III: Alive After Death The Hold Steady - Open Door Policy Billy Bragg - The Million Things That Never Happened The Alarm - War The Killers - Pressure Machine NOFX - Single Album Dropkick Murphys - Turn Up That Dial Joey Cape - A Good Year To Forget Descendents - 9th & Walnut Bleachers - Take The Sadness Out Of Saturday Night
Descendents - 9th & Walnut Neighborhood Brats - Confines of Life Amyl and the Sniffers - Comfort to Me The Muslims - F**k These F****n Fascists Matt Caskitt & The Breaks - Welcome Home Authority Zero - The Back Nine Viagra Boys - Welfare Jazz Sam Coffey and the Iron Lungs - Real One Shannon and the Clams - Year of the Spider Gil, Migs and Rog – Riddim Business, Vol. 2 We Are The Union - Ordinary Life NOFX - Single Album
I feel strongly that I missed something, but in no particular order here are records I very much enjoyed in 2021.
Neighborhood Brats- Confines of Life (Dirt Cult) Marissa Paternoster- Peace Meter (Don Giovanni) Generacion Suicida- Regeneracion (Going Underground) The Ergs!- Time and the Season EP (Dirtnap) Turnstile- Glow On (Roadrunner) Chain Whip- Two Step To Hell (Neon Taste) White Stains- Blood On The Beach (Neon Taste) Descendents- 9Th And Walnut (Epitaph) The Worst- The Worst Of The Worst (re-issue) (Radio Raheem) Colleen Green- Cool (Hardly Art)
1. Best Record I produced: Codefendants 2. Second best record I produced: Sitting on Stacy 3. Best Rapper I produced: DOC 4. Coolest person I had dinner with: Paul Williams 5. Best Fat Mike's Fat Mic podcast I did: Sean Whalen from Twister 6. Best new NOFX song: Everybody Else is Insane 7. Best Video I'd never seen before: The Bronx first video 8. Best place to buy latex: Rubber Eva 9. Best TV series: The Atlantic Crossing 10: Best book I read: The Bonobo Way by Dr Susan Block
I have a tie for #1 this year…
1. Massage – Still Life 1. Spectral Wound – A Diabolic Thirst
The rest in no particular order…
Tele Novella – Merlynn Belle The Killers – Pressure Machine The Bronx – Bronx VI Nation of Language – A Way Forward Cerebral Rot – Excretion of Mortality Sierra Ferrell – Long Time Coming Amyl and the Sniffers – Comfort to Me Mortiferum – Preserved in Torment
Honorable Mentions: Brandi Carlile - In these Silent Days Dry Cleaning - New Long Leg Esther Rose - How Many Times Idles - Crawler La Luz - La Luz Lamp of Murmuur - Submission and Slavery Lord Huron - Long Lost Margo Cilker - Pohorylle Natalie Bergman - Mercy Pokey LaFarge - Manic Revelations Snails - Hard-Wired Succumb - XXI The Brother Brothers - Calla Lilly The Reds, Pinks and Purples - Uncommon Weather Tribulation - Where the Gloom Becomes Sound Wet Leg - “Chaise Lounge,” “Wet Dream”
Read Jason's commentary on each pick HERE.
Turnstile - Glow On The Wildhearts - 21st Century Love Songs Clairo - Sling Down By Law - Lonely Town Weezer - Van Weezer The Last Gang - Noise Noise Noise Descendents - 9th & Walnut
Fat Wreck Chords vinyl available in our store. Read more year-end lists here.