January 3, 20223 yr Author Thank you both for the replies!! :wub: (will be returning favours on everyone's EOYs soon I promise!)
January 3, 20223 yr Author Albums: Top 40 31 Lil Nas X - MONTERO | 4-10-13-x 32 MARINA - Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land | 4-10-x 33 Christopher - My Blood | 3-6-10-13-14-x 34 Jake Bugg - Saturday Night, Sunday Morning | 5-12-15-x 35 Surfaces - Pacifico | 5-11-x 36 Reed Deming - Slow Down | 2-8-9-9-9-10-15-x 37 Lorde - Solar Power | 5-x 38 Tom Grennan - Evering Road | 4-11-13-x 39 guccihighwaters - joke's on you | 3-7-14-14-15-x 40 Ed Sheeran - = | 5-15-x A lot of the albums lower down the countdown were albums that, generally, didn't get lots of attention beyond an initial spin. That's not to say they're bad - Lorde's Solar Power was a generally consistent effort, and Reed Deming's Slow Down was his most mature effort yet, albeit lacking the replayability of previous album Second Life from 2020. Jake Bugg's latest album actually surprised me, I think it's his best since 2014's Shangri La! Others like Ed Sheeran and MARINA are step downs from their last proper albums for me, though still solid. Debut albums from guccihighwaters and Lil Nas X feature, as well as Danish popstar Christopher's latest effort (consistent but no huuuuge standouts), my favourite of the two Surfaces albums I've heard, and the consistent second album from Tom Grennan 21 Jo O'Meara - With Love | 2-4-5-7-9-9-12-x 22 Steps - What the Future Holds, Pt. 2 | 3-7-10-10-13-x 23 Dayglow - Harmony House | 4-5-8-9-9-12-x 24 John Mayer - Sob Rock | 4-11-11-11-14-x 25 Nick Jonas - Spaceman | 2-7-11-14-x 26 Josh A - LONELY VIBES | 4-6-10-11-13-x 27 Cheat Codes - HELLRAISERS, Pt. 1 | 4-7-11-x 28 JLS - 2.0 | 2-8-x 29 Kacey Musgraves - star-crossed | 4-11-15-x 30 Alan Walker - World of Walker | 5-11-x The quality quickly jumps up higher as the countdown continues - I didn't expect to hear an Alan Walker album in 2021 but with a few solid singles, I decided to give it a go and it was definitely worth it, a solid dance/pop release. Cheat Codes' debut album was similarly surprising, with a consistent quality present throughout. JLS and Jo O'Meara served strong comeback releases, and Steps improved on part 1 of What the Future Holds with its second edition. Kacey Musgraves has the highest country album of the year, not as good as Golden Hour but still a solid listen. I hadn't heard much from John Mayer before 2021 but new single Last Train Home urged me to listen to new album Sob Rock, and it was a pleasant surprise, as was Dayglow's Harmony House, one of my favourite album discoveries of the year! Also in this section is the slick latest effort from Nick Jonas and, amazingly, the SEVENTEENTH (!?!?!) album from Josh A, an artist who I'd never actually heard of before and I still only know this particular era, but the album was good lol.
January 3, 20223 yr MONTERO is probably my favourite from your albums so far :wub: but there’s plenty there I haven’t got round to listening to yet!
January 4, 20223 yr Ooh I didn't know you listened to John Mayer, I hope that means Last Train Home might appear in your EOY. If you ever listen to his earlier hits I'd love to know what you think!
January 4, 20223 yr Author MONTERO is probably my favourite from your albums so far :wub: but there’s plenty there I haven’t got round to listening to yet! Thanks Lunar! :wub: Ooh I didn't know you listened to John Mayer, I hope that means Last Train Home might appear in your EOY. If you ever listen to his earlier hits I'd love to know what you think! Last Train Home didn't quite make my EOY sadly but it was a very pleasant surprise this year! I've heard his first album now as well, the songs I added to my shuffle playlist were Why Georgia, Your Body is a Wonderland and St. Patrick's Day so they must have been my faves! "World Of Walker" is surprisingly good. Enjoyed it a little bit. Glad you agree, thank you! :wub:
January 4, 20223 yr Author Albums: Top 40 11 Doja Cat - Planet Her | 2-3-5-6-7-7-8-10-12-x-15-13-x 12 Delta Goodrem - Bridge Over Troubled Dreams | 1-2-3-5-6-7-9-10-10-13-13-12-12-13-14-x 13 Natalie Imbruglia - Firebird | 1-2-4-6-8-7-7-8-10-12-12-13-14-13-… 14 Luke Hemmings - When Facing the Things We Turn Away From | 1-2-4-6-8-x 15 Zara Larsson - Poster Girl | 1-3-6-9-12-14-14-15-x-13-x 16 Demi Lovato - Dancing With the Devil…The Art of Starting Over | 1-3-5-5-7-9-9-12-13-15-x 17 Bebe Rexha - Better Mistakes | 1-4-8-9-10-11-13-15-15-x 18 Olivia Rodrigo - SOUR | 1-2-4-7-8-10-12-13-x 19 Adele - 30 | 1-3-4-6-10-11-… 20 Jutes - Careful What You Wish For | 4-11-12-13-13-15-15-x The #1 albums start to arrive in this section now in what was a strong year for chart-toppers - there's none I look back on and regret. Jutes' Careful What You Wish For starts the section - a mixtape collection of 10 of his 20 weekly single releases, including the final release Here We Go Again for the first time. Some of my favourites were left off but it still makes for a great listen and perfectly displays how easily he moves between hip-hop, pop and rock. Similarly, Olivia Rodrigo's debut album was a great showcase of her versatility already, and the exciting thing is how much potential she has to improve even further. One of the newest albums on the list, Adele's 30 ends as the lowest #1 album but that doesn't make it a flop, it just hasn't quite had the same time to impact as those above. Pleasant surprises from Bebe Rexha and Demi Lovato feature - I like both artists a lot but their albums were both stronger than I had anticipated, especially the latter - the singles felt underwhelming but the final product was so good! Zara Larsson's Poster Girl is actually a stronger effort than her debut on the whole, despite a messy roll-out. A trio of Aussies just miss out on the top 10, with Luke Hemmings' debut solo album finishing in 14th place, while big faves Natalie Imbruglia and Delta Goodrem perform strongly with their latest albums, unfortunately just short of the top 10! Most interestingly though, the final cut from the top 10 is Doja Cat's Planet Her, an album that didn't quite make the top spot (blocked by Greyson Chance's Trophies EP). It was a far stronger effort than previous album Hot Pink for me, with many tracks I return to - well deserving of its huge chart success!
January 5, 20223 yr Planet Her is legit fantastic, even if the US is super behind on singles. I really hope “Get Into It (Yuh)” becomes a single at some point!
January 5, 20223 yr 6/10 I thought Olivia Rodrigo will be top 10 Good for Adele, Zara, Bebe and Doja.
January 5, 20223 yr Lorde, Lil Nas X, Kacey and Olivia's albums were all big highlights of the year for me too :wub:
January 5, 20223 yr As usual I've been lacking in album listening this year, but I have enjoyed what I've heard from the Tom Grennan album! Fantastic to see him finally get his big break this year.
January 6, 20223 yr "Better Mistakes" actually had some hidden gems, while most of "30" tracks are bangers!
January 8, 20223 yr Author Thank you for all the comments guys!! :wub: Going back to work has killed my energy but let's get back on this for the top 10 albums!
January 8, 20223 yr Author Albums: Top 40 10 Agnes - Magic Still Exists | 1-1-2-4-6-8-9-10-2-4-… Swedish superstar Agnes achieved a top 10 hit in 2012 with All I Want Is You, which also sparked a resurgence for classic track Release Me in the lower section of my chart at the time, but in the 9 years that followed, she didn't chart once. For a chunk of that time, she released very little, but even with recent singles, I must confess that I didn't pay her close enough attention. Nevertheless, with new album Magic Still Exists getting such good reviews, I figured I should listen, and thank goodness I did. All of the singles clicked as I listened to the full package, with interludes placed appropriately to allow the album breathing space. It's a confident album without any real duds, and it made for one of the best surprises of the year! Charting Tracks 03 Here Comes the Night iFoxslRo5zI 9 Miles Wesley - Here Goes Nothing Demos! | 1-2-3-5-6-6-5-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-14-3-6-8-… I've followed Miles Wesley for over 4 years now, since he came to my attention on the ABC show Boy Band in 2017. He failed to make it into the final group In Real Life, who achieved a run of hits in my chart before their split, but Miles achieved a chart-topper of his own, something IRL never quite managed. HNNBL collaboration Trust was a #1 back in summer 2017, but since then, things dried up slightly. A couple of tracks charted in my top 40 but whilst I liked them, I didn't love them. Things changed with Neighborhood, the second single from what became Miles' first project, when it stormed to #3 in my chart at the end of 2020. Every single that followed made my top 10, and when Here Goes Nothing Demos! arrived in summer 2021, it was an easy #1 album. It shows Miles' versatility for hip-hop influenced bops such as Golden, alongside the more vulnerable California Reaper, or pop tracks like Heartbreaker. The only confusing thing is the title - none of them sound like demos to me...! Charting Tracks 02 Golden 03 Neighborhood 05 California Reaper 08 Medicine (Miles Wesley & Jutes) 19 Heartbreaker wd4pEz8aPqc
January 9, 20223 yr Author Albums: Top 40 8 Alyssa Reid - ASHS | 1-... I struggled to figure out where to place this one as it's SO recent, and I actually moved it up a couple of spots only today. Alyssa Reid released three albums from 2011 to 2015, and after that, she took a step back from music. Later, a side project called ASHS emerged, with a couple of EPs and a series of singles making up the more experimental dark-pop project. As explained on Alyssa's Instagram, the ASHS project has come to a close, and she's decided to bring the ASHS songs back under her own name as one complete project. I've been addicted to the whole thing for the past week and a half, and all twelve tracks made my most recent chart (many of them will likely feature in 2022's EOY as a result!), but #1 hit A Million Voices happened at the end of 2019 so it's been a long time coming. Either way, I'd say this is Alyssa's best project since her debut The Game, and maybe in time I'll even prefer this? Charting Tracks 01 A Million Voices 07 Don't Call Me 07 Lie 08 Paranoid 13 Cold 14 My Ex 17 Without You 18 More Than Friends 27 3AM 28 Ocean 35 Mean 38 Din Låt o2lIayODu4U 7 Laura Mvula - Pink Noise | 1-2-2-5-5-6-8-10-6-5-7-12-12-12-14-14-x I've been a fan of Laura Mvula's ever since I first heard Green Garden back in 2013. The joy that song brings me is unparalleled and I enjoyed both of her albums too, though neither quite reached the highs of Green Garden on a song basis. I didn't expect, however, for Laura's third album Pink Noise to impact me as much as it did. Singles Safe Passage and Church Girl initially passed me by but when I heard the album in full, I was blown away. The change in direction to an 80s inspired sound had brought a new confidence to Laura, and a new energy to her music that was immediately infectious. It became her first #1 album in my chart, and third single Got Me matched the peak of Green Garden in my singles chart. As mentioned already, I saw her Pink Noise live show in September and it was amazing! I wish she had more recognition :( Charting Tracks 03 Got Me 28 Safe Passage 33 Magical aW7ex93evSQ
January 9, 20223 yr I hadn't realised that Ed Sheeran - = didn't do so well for you! :o Happy to see Nick Jonas within the Top 25 (just remembered I sent my spare CD of that to you *_* ), as well as Steps' latest album doing rather well :heart: I've heard Olivia Rodrigo, Demi Lovato and Zara Larsson's albums in your 11-20; I really would like to get around to peeping the Adele, Luke Hemmings, Natalie Imbruglia, Delta Goodrem and Doja Cat albums, and indeed Agnes at #10 - very intrigued to hear that one in particular!
January 9, 20223 yr I hadn't realised that Ed Sheeran - = didn't do so well for you! :o Happy to see Nick Jonas within the Top 25 (just remembered I sent my spare CD of that to you *_* ), as well as Steps' latest album doing rather well :heart: I've heard Olivia Rodrigo, Demi Lovato and Zara Larsson's albums in your 11-20; I really would like to get around to peeping the Adele, Luke Hemmings, Natalie Imbruglia, Delta Goodrem and Doja Cat albums, and indeed Agnes at #10 - very intrigued to hear that one in particular!Happy 33,000th post! :clap:
January 9, 20223 yr Author I hadn't realised that Ed Sheeran - = didn't do so well for you! :o Happy to see Nick Jonas within the Top 25 (just remembered I sent my spare CD of that to you *_* ), as well as Steps' latest album doing rather well :heart: I've heard Olivia Rodrigo, Demi Lovato and Zara Larsson's albums in your 11-20; I really would like to get around to peeping the Adele, Luke Hemmings, Natalie Imbruglia, Delta Goodrem and Doja Cat albums, and indeed Agnes at #10 - very intrigued to hear that one in particular! Thanks Jay! :wub: I liked Ed's album but it didn't grab me on the whole, it was a step down from Divide which I really liked. omg the spare Nick J CD *_* pride of my collection definitely recommend all of those albums, I think you'll particularly enjoy the Agnes one! :wub:
January 9, 20223 yr Author Albums: Top 40 6 Tom Odell - monsters | 1-1-3-3-3-4-6-10-8-9-13-4-5-7-10-12-13-14-14-15-x Though Tom Odell has firmly cemented himself as one of my absolute favourite artists, each album he'd released had been less good than the last one. Long Way Down remained his top effort, with follow-up Wrong Crowd being solid but a sliiiight step down. Third release Jubilee Road got comparatively less attention from me and I only really revisit the first couple of singles. Nevertheless, I was still excited for album 4, and any doubts I had washed away as soon as I heard the bold lead single. numb is traditional Tom with a twist - it has all the brooding energy of Can't Pretend with production that takes the track beyond anything Tom's released before, with hints of Troye Sivan's Blue Neighbourhood thrown in. The full album continued to push Tom into new directions, with a more experimental approach (especially on shorter interlude-esque songs that space out the full length tracks). Some work better than others but it's an overwhelmingly big step up from album 3. Among the braver production are more vulnerable lyrics than ever - title track monster (released in stripped back demo-esque "v.1" form and fully-produced "v.2" form) is an emotional look at mental health, while the gut-punch of streets of heaven tells the story of a school shooting... from the point of view of a victim. The album ends with a positive, though - I ordered a signed album from Banquet Records which allowed a personalised message, and I asked Tom to sign my album with his favourite lyric from the album. He signed the title of the final track - "don't be afraid of the dark" :heart: Charting Tracks 01 numb 02 monster 03 lose you again 12 streets of heaven 38 don't be afraid of the dark C7sSUDWJyQg 5 Ulrik Munther - Put Your Self Out There | 1-2-2-3-4-3-3-4-7-7-8-9-9-9-7-9-11-15-13-12-x-13-14-15-15-11-11-12-13-14-15-15-12-7-5-... With a six year gap between albums, Ulrik Munther's fourth release is unlike any of his previous releases. Notably, it's his first full-length release without major label backing, and that's evident on the sound of the album from the start. Opening with the slightly eerie yet oddly cute Apartment Girl, a track where the narrator fantasises over a girl from the opposite apartment, with Ulrik's vocals pitched upwards. There are quite a few similarities with the Tom Odell album above, in fact. Ulrik has several interludes to give the album breathing space and create the full vision he wanted, and the topic of mental health is firmly at the forefront - Man in Need is a vulnerable track about the positive effect of love, while the epic Come Find Me is a self-reflective track that ultimately decides "everything I'll ever know is that I exist." It's a more personal project than anything Ulrik's done before, and it pays off - all ten of its tracks made my top 20, making Put Your Self Out There only the second album to ever achieve that, following Alec Benjamin's These Two Windows. Charting Tracks 01 C'est la vie 01 Don't Worry 01 Gloom. 01 Jag älskar dig (feat. Maia Hirasawa) 02 Man in Need 03 Come Find Me 08 Apartment Girl 09 Stay Awake 10 Big Dick 20 Whatever Floats Your Boat Gc9jSiaFZ5I
January 9, 20223 yr Hi Joseph! Here are some of the albums that I like from your list so far: 11 Doja Cat - Planet Her | 2-3-5-6-7-7-8-10-12-x-15-13-x 15 Zara Larsson - Poster Girl | 1-3-6-9-12-14-14-15-x-13-x 18 Olivia Rodrigo - SOUR | 1-2-4-7-8-10-12-13-x 19 Adele - 30 | 1-3-4-6-10-11-… 29 Kacey Musgraves - star-crossed | 4-11-15-x 30 Alan Walker - World of Walker | 5-11-x 31 Lil Nas X - MONTERO | 4-10-13-x 34 Jake Bugg - Saturday Night, Sunday Morning | 5-12-15-x 37 Lorde - Solar Power | 5-x 38 Tom Grennan - Evering Road | 4-11-13-x 40 Ed Sheeran - = | 5-15-x Nice list so far!
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