Gothtober- the Top 10 Post Punk Albums of 2021

It's that time of year again.  It might seem early to start these now, but record labels have pretty much sent me most of what this year has to offer already, by the time I am done sorting through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I will use them, to compile the top 10 albums of the year. As I predicted last year 2021 was not much better than 2020, as things continue on a downward spiral ug dark music more important as a soundtrack for this.   As far as 2021 goes for post- punk, musically I think these albums are better than last year. Some faces that appeared on last year's list reoccur, and three new bands on this year's list.  The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list; and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 post-punk albums of 2021 

10- Flood Twin - 'S/T" 

They have the tension part right and are dark enough to make it work, vocals are their weak spot , but they make up for it with the aggression in the guitar that keeps an unsettling tone going that works for me. 

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Flood Twin : "S/T"

9-Fotocrime - "Heart of Crime"

Uber-retro synths and more spoken vocals caught me off guard, guitars and more actual instruments come in on the second song things begin to feel more familiar. There is a touch of Sisters of Mercy, though at time the guitars make me think of Bruce Springsteen. Often early80s moods creep in and get dancey seeing a progression from post-punk into this

Abysmal Hymns: Fotocrime : "Heart of Crime"

 8- Pink Turns Blue - "Tainted"  

Here is a comeback album I did not expect. Less creepy than their early years, they are less dark wave and starker post -punk. The album sounds great, alongside bands like the Cure and Joy Division these guys have been doing this since the 80s so it is pretty much like riding a bike. Much like riding a bike they allow themselves to coast along on songs that are really easy on the ears.

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Pink Turns Blue : "Tainted"

7-Liars - "the Apple Drop" 

The 10th album from this experimental project whose only consistent member is the founder Angus Andrew. They continue to throw electronic music against post-punk and see what happenings. Each album has a different result, this one is no different in that regard. Perhaps equal parts moodier and darker. At times conforming more to conventional song writing than previously expected. His melodies range in shades of depression and unhinged tension. 

Abysmal Hymns: Liars : " the Apple Drop"

6- Spectres - "Hindsight"

This is not a return to the kind of goth infused sound they gave us on "Nothing to Nowhere", but it is their best album since then, even if some of the punk moments, keep it being just shy of perfect there are enough almost Smiths like moments to compensate for it and put it at the number 8 spot here.  

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Spectres : "Hindsight"

5-Johnny Marr- "Fever Dreams pt 1 "

"I Can't Stand Morrissey but Johnny Marr is a great guitarist. While it is true Marr is great this is a common phrase uttered by many a poseur to afraid of what people think of think them to admit to listening to the Smiths. Funny enough the press release by BMG does not mention the Smiths but calls him a legend, which is funny because The The, Electronic, Modest Mouse and the Cribs did not make him a legend. What he did in the Smiths works here. 

 Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Johnny Marr : "Fever Dreams pt 1 "

4-Rope Sect-  "Proskynesis"

The German lords of gloom are back. This time we only get 6 songs, but I will take whatever I can get. This album finds them going down the dark road. Less aggressive than their previous offering in terms of the guitar attack, the mull on the melodies more and give the vocals room to breathe. This album is odd as the first three songs are three parts of the title track. 
 

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober - Rope Sect :" Proskynesis"

 3-Old Moon- "Altars"  

This album beat out Rope Sect for the number three spot which says a lot. While Rope Sect continued to be themselves, this project carved its way into the world with modest ambition and roughhewn charm in their sound that is familiar enough to still be different. 

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Old Moon : "Altars"

2- Viagra Boys - "Trailer Park Jazz"

This is another band that makes solid argument for Scandinavian post-punk. This album is also a stylistic shift for the band in many ways. Punchy yet still manages to be very danceable. The horns that crop up bring the Stooges to mind  at times even though the groove has a more electronic feel.

Abysmal Hymns: Viagra Boys : " Welfare Jazz"

1- Black Country New Road- "For the First Time" 

This album reminds us post-punk can span from many things. It emerged in the 1970s as a more artful way to add thought from a somewhat cruder punk rock movement. It is thinking man's punk in many ways. Not content with being a Joy Division cover band, This band is an example of how the best of the genre seems to be now comings from England. This group embraces the tension and inner darkness and explore how to convey starkness with more sonic colors

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober- Black Country, New Road : "For the first time"

Gothtober- Spectres : "Hindsight"

This band from Canada goes  further down the punk side of post-punk. The first song points it's finger in the most snotty brat manner possible despite being grown men. There is a booze ridden swagger than begins to develop that reminds me of Iceage. To their credit the first song is catchy even with it's politically correct confrontation. They just kind of wallow in their hangover on the second song. They might not be as dark as I want them to be in the ways that I want them to, be though the thud of the bass lines is still there. I am open to them just being a downtrodden bitter punk band, but I need good songs in either case. They more fully commit to a Joy Division influenced punk on "Visions of New World', which is ok, but sounds like every other post-punk revival band. 

You have to sit through another punk song until they relent and give me what I want which is a more death rock flavored affair. They keep punk sensibilities to the lyrics but bathe them in the flavor of darkness I want. Why they had to wait a few songs in for this , I dunno. They are still plenty pissed. After this they retain a new wave sense of melody to the more nuanced ambiance of the guitar playing. Their singer sings instead of shouts. So much so you can almost here a ghost of a Smiths ' influence on the song "Northern Towns". Then oddly they throw in three songs from the Part Tine Punks live sessions. These are raw and the vocals sit back in the guitar.. I can however hand with the energy they are throwing at me here. The bass line to "Vertigo" gives me that more Halloween flavored postpunk I want. They continue with the great guitar sounds on "Crosses and Wreathes" . 

"To the Victor" goes into a more melancholy tone that once again recalls the Smiths .  Why did we need any of the punk stuff they were doing earlier when they could have been doing this sort of thig all along. " Tell Me" is driven by the more disco root of new wave. The sung vocals are heartfelt and well thought out.  The great songs balance out the more punk ones that are not bad just not as great as what they deliver four songs in. 

 

Spectres : " Nostalgia"

I love "Nothing to Nowhere" . That is the album I am measuring everything else the put out against . The opening track tells me this is more new wave and not as dark as that one. I am fine with bands maturing. The vocals are improved so lets give this a shot and see how the songs hold up. The guitar tone is better. The reverb on them carries more atmosphere. The vocals are sung higher on the second song, which is more atmospheric than the first. I think this idea is better executed on the more Cure like "When Possessed Pray" . Judging by the sound not the title of the song that must be a pretty happy moment. The vocals work better with the guitars to create a sound not unlike the early alternative rock of the 80s. The bass helps keep it all together where the drums are a little to mid rangey in the mix. I do think I like how these elements all fit together better than what they did on "Utopia". There is more of a punk influence on "Pictures From Occupied Europe". The vocal are more aggressive, at least for what these guys are doing.

A more pop cross over sound on "Years of Lead". This song and many others on this album are more middle of the road. I would not call them post punk as they rarely tap into that tension and have more in common with a band like the Drums. Perhaps not as upbeat as those guys , but sonically heading in their direction. Indie rock that could have come from the 80s. The synths keep it more new wave than going in the Smiths zip code. They stay firmly in this middle of the road place with dreamy detached melodies that keep them from becoming pop. New Order would be a fair comparison at many points in this album. Not as dancey as New Order though. Even when the darker punk elements come in on "Insurgence" there is nothing here that could really be referred to death rock like their first album. In fact the punk is almost more Clash like in places. If it seems like I am referencing a lot of other bands , it's because there is nothing original here, it is relying on familiar sounds and feelings.

By the time I get to "the Call" the album had begun to fade into background music. It's not a bad song , but it's not their most memorable. There are not bad songs on this album, but nothing making me to rush to get this onto my iPod either. "Along the Waterfront" is catchier and more Cure like in it's intentions despite the more adventurous bass line that might owe more to the Smiths. So on the plus side this album did make me reference two of my favorite bands. I will round this down to an 8.5, which still makes this a great album it just plays it too safe and is happier than I would prefer. Out on Artoffact Records .

Spectres : "Condition"

Well things have gotten interesting for these guys. They must have started doing a shit ton of drugs if this is the same band . If it is and the link of their Bandcamp page doesn't really help in the regard, then they have gone in a more A Place to Bury Strangers direction. There is some noise going into "Dissolve" but this song and the two before generally glide into shoe gazed out post-rock. The vocals are mixed further back and not as Joy Division of a croon which was the first thing that clued me into the fact this might not be the band I was thinking it would be. The noise does get out of hand and the coat of abrasion is a distraction to the angrier Sonic Youth tone of  "Neck".

"A Fish Called Wanda" relaxes back into a more reflective place. The vocals are breathy and chanting as the song grooves along it's own drone. There is a hypnotic droning element to most of these songs. The opener is murky where "A Fish Called Wanda" has plenty of room without being uncluttered to the point of minimalism. There is noise rock explosion to the dynamics of "Welcoming the Flowers". This harsher tone beocme the path the album begins to take you down. The feedback becomes a grating coating of distraction from what could otherwise be a pretty decent if not sleepy song when it comes to "Welcoming the Flowers".

" End Waltz" is another feed back beating for your ears to bleed to at high volumes. Why it's an instrumental and not just the beginning of the song that follows , I don't know. I'll call it an interlude. The album end with one of the albums more dynamic moments "Coping Mechanisms" which actually has really good lyrics something that is not always common with this sort of thing. I'll round this up to an 8, some of the noise could have been dialed back to allow the songs to shine more.

Spectres : "Utopia"

Things have changed for the Vancouver post-punk band. They are exploring other edges of the era. There is a much more new wave mood to "Crosses and Wreathes" the opener of their new album. The guitar tones come out of the shadows and cast brighter chords on the chorus. The drift into more of an early darkwave sound on "Daniel" with synths playing a much bigger role this go around . The singer's voice has really improved since the last album. He is able to hold more of a melody and convey a greater range of emotion. Sure the punk side of the post-punk equation has been dialed back , but it's hard to argue with these results. That side of the band is not entirely forsaken as traces of it can be felt into the taunt pulse of "Figures in the Sand" which still holds more of an organic rock feel to it.

The album sounds great. No more lo-fi re-verb, all the instruments are in crisp earshot . The bass has a thicker growl to it that punches a song like "New Buildings" into a more forceful direction. The vocals come up out of the typical baritone as they muse of over the feedback and minimal drums the song breaks down into, before lashing out with something closer to punk. They never fully default into something fully reminiscent of their older sound, it's touched upon on"Revisions", but the vocals are a little higher with a hopeful hint to the melody against the guitar' s sonic sense of  sadness .

The intensity gets kicked up a notch on "Strange Weather". The vocals have a plaintive punk quality to them that reminds me of the Ramones. The bass punches around the drums with more finesse than a punk band can normally muster. Like most good post-punk the bass is up front in the mix and driving the song. This is displayed perfectly on " Vertigo". The vocal melody is more hooky here without even trying. The new and improved Spectres, might take some getting use to for some. The songs are fun and well written, I have little qualms with this one, of course I always want every thing to be a little darker , but for what this is I shall give it a 9. check out the live version of "Crosses and Wreathes " below.

Spectres : Nothing to Nowhere

While they don't have the sleaze or junkie grime I associate with death rock, they do fall into this goth revival. Somewhere in between Joy Division and Echo& the Bunnymen, they offer up concise re-verb soaked punches of post punk. This album sounds great, captures the mood of the time without sacrificing clarity or production value. They do lean in the direction of punk, mainly when it comes to vocal phrasing but I think this helps them establish their own identity rather than being an 80s goth tribute.

The grave dancing begins with"Between to lines" and its slinky Bauhaus like bass line. The vocals are very dead pan almost monotone yet They have enough intonation to carry the somgs. It is interesting how they have a moodier opening to the album, when the bulk of the songs are very straight forward almost punk in feel...well I guess t one time this would have been considered punk.

There is some great sounding guitar on " Passages" . I really appreciate while these guys are going a Cramps meet Joy Division route they aren't skimping on the balls and just pumping put darkly effected indie rock. "Remote Viewing" doesn't change gears too much, melody in both guitar and vocals has a similar pacing as the previous song . It's not until the change in the final third of the song does it really have a life of its own.

The bass leads into "Amnesia" allowing the guitar to hang back and accent, the songs bounce. This song clicked for me after several listens, yesterday I just played the album on an endless repeat and a lot of it blended together for me as a mood rather than as a collection of songs. It going back into this morning this song stands out.

I wonder if they are reffering to the Internet based urban legend on "Slender man" ? the lyrics seem abstract through out the album. The paces shifts from a moodie dirge to upbeat post punk at the minute mark. Very bass driven like early Cure. The guitar melodies aren't as catchy as Robert Smith's work, but in comparison with one of my favorite guitarists of all time ...is it really fair to ask. Their tends to be enough variance to keep me entertained here. I doubt this revival stuff will hold up over time like the originals, but should fare better than the Interpol's and She Wants Revenges.

"Decompemsation" the bass plods in like a train wobbling on the tracks. It's very straight forward and as I mentioned before the guitar work sounds good but on the more simplistic arrangements doesn't compensate. The drums lead into "Missing Time" and while they are competent no where on the album are they asked to be stunning. The addition of synth here and the lowered vocals are additions to the sound here and smartly so as it was time to switch it up. By lowered more noticeably placed in a solid baritone, they never get into the Sisters of Mercy register.

I like the opening riff to the title track, it has a more of a Bauhaus creepiness , which I endorse as if you aren't going to be heavy then I need you to be dark or sonically intense. The vocals kind of playfully bounce off the build up like they are unsure where to go but it's not a distraction, it feels like they were going for more of a "In the Flat field" thing but given the singers limited range vocally it couldn't reach that point, I like the change in the songs third act which makes up for it.

"Maison Gris" keeps it creepy, the guitar hangs back and the singer strains up into the breaking up of his upper register, the production on the vocals smoothes this out and makes it work. I also when the drums switched to the floor toms. "Return to Sea" reminds me of Cult of Youth as it has a little more of a New Model Army frolic to their sound.
while I like it the song takes a weird turn as it transitions into a darker more drum propelled coda where the title is chanted.

I can give this one a nine as though two songs were unoffensivly simplistic I felt they didn't add anything and were filler, but a whole this is one of those albums I can just leave playing and it fits my mood more often than not. The Spectres are deservedly one of the bigger bands In the modern goth revival and I'll keep an eye out for their earlier work.