CMB’s 21 Best Albums of 2021

The Canadian Music Blog tracked a total of 691 Canadian artist studio albums in 2021 (79 more than last year!). We have settled upon our 21 favourites of these (representing 3.0%) and ranked them, all done regardless of genre, language, region, and popularity of the artist.

These days, best album lists from various sources have become less and less about the music and more about who the artists are, what they stand for, what brands they endorse, and how much attention they draw. At Canadian music blog, we are concerned solely with the music itself. We like music that is sophisticated and progressive with catchy melodies, pleasing vocals (unless it is instrumental), and palatable lyrics.

Unfortunately, many of the albums below are not available in high fidelity physical format (i.e. CDs) despite the fact that it is the top preference of Canadians when it comes to purchasing albums. In 2021 (to date), Canadians bought 2.4 million compact discs, 2.1 million digital albums, 975k vinyl records, and 13k cassettes.

Find below our 21 favourite Canadian artist albums of 2021 including our Album of the Year!

21
Hope for Sale
by Chiiild

At some point, Yoni Ayal of Montreal set up camp in the US city of Los Angeles to produce tracks for A-listers. He sprinkled his special formula of magic dust onto works for Jennifer Lopez and Usher. But now, with three eyes open, he has adopted stage name Chiiild to craft his own delicious tunes. His debut full-length Hope for Sale dropped this year and furthers his excursion into hypnotic R&B from previous EP Synthetic Soul. The LP contains some catchy tunes that impressed us much. It opens with “Sleepwalking” which musically honours the title – drowsy vocals, dreamy instrumentation, and driving beats. Chiiild handles funk well, particularly on the wavy “Hold On Till We Get There” and perhaps the album’s catchiest entry, “Eventually” which we named as one of our favourite songs of the year. Other standouts are the breezy “Weightless”, summery “13 Months of Sunshine”, and trippy “The Best Ain’t Happened Yet”. Emerging singers Mahalia (UK) and Jensen McRae (US) are featured on a couple of tracks.

20
Les dahlias ne meurent pas
By Claudelle

Claudelle released her third offering in 2021, Les dahlias ne meurent pas, arguably her best effort to date. It’s a singer-songwriter work that easily stands as one of the finest creations of the year. The writing is excellent, her voice soothing, and production (from fellow artist Rosie Valland) top notch. Find songs that tap sentiments of melancholia and vivacity and house detailed instrumentation that adds colour at every turn. This latter element is guaranteed given that she recruited some of best musicians in the business. Lyrically, the French poetry touches upon themes of both romance and mourning. Don’t miss out on this one!

19
Le ciel est au plancher
by Louis-Jean Cormier (JW)

JUNO award winner and platinum recording artist Louis-Jean Cormier treated us to his fourth solo album this year, Le ciel est au plancher which comes less than a year after his third. The album can boast a sensitive delivery in the allure of atmosphere. As always, the master artist tosses in some surprises, like jazzy and electronic segments making the work feel like exploring unknown terrain in an unfolding dramatic tale. Cormier furthers his knack for interspersing slow flowing currents with turbulent rapids. We wouldn’t say this album has a standout track; it is a collection of pieces, all necessary, that paint a picture as a whole. Louis-Jean’s albums have all been shoe-ins for end of year best albums lists, and The Sky Is on the Floor is no exception.

18
Horses in The Abattoir
by TRAITRS

There probably isn’t a band in the land that sounds as unique as Traitrs, an act that deserves many more write-ups by those who are supposed to be on the ball. Vocals flail over cuffing beats and spooky atmospheres in a chilling marriage of post punk and goth rock that gets under your skin and tickles your bones. Prolific output has stemmed following the act’s debut just four years ago. Horses in The Abattoir follows an EP released earlier this year. We are hard pressed to name a standout track, but “All Living Hearts Betrayed” has us drowning with satisfaction in relentless torrents of black water. What a winner!

17
Natura Sophia
by Isaac Symonds & Yaehsun

Isaac Symonds, formerly with Half Moon Run, joins Yaehsun in fashioning ambient album Natura Sophia. The work includes musical contributions from Camille Paquette-Roy. A variety of soundscapes appear on this, from icy to warm, smooth to abrasive, earthy to ethereal. Symonds describes the listening experience as “orbiting through space or deep-sea diving through the wonders of the ocean”. The imaginative and highly satisfying meditative album is like a modern era soundtrack to Carl Sagan’s Cosmos, as we contemplate the billions and billions of stars in the universe.

16
In Era
by Vallens

Sad skies of grey animated by distant lightning hover over In Era, the second album from Vallens. Dreamy and haunting, it sits nicely in the vast blue velvet field of alternative music. The well-written and catchy songs are made all the more enticing by their careful presentation, and they are carried thoughtfully by Robyn Phillips’s vocal effort. The album is smart in not suffocating the listener with too much ambient noise; it takes a balanced approach, and could serve as soundtrack to the next David Lynch production. Highlights include “While You Are Still Waiting” and its hooky bassline. “Ingrid” is a tribute to arguably the most beautiful of the classic Hollywood actresses, Ingrid Bergman. Heavy chills slash in the energetic “Difference Repeating”. And when it comes to the final entry, “Sin So Vain”, the delights are in the details.

15
You Can Be You, I Can Be Me
by Errunhrd

Errunhrd is Niagara Falls’ Shirin Ghoujalou, a specialist in dream pop, multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer, and songwriter. You Can Be You, I Can Be Me, her first long play, flirts with EDM in places, new wave in others, but is largely a soft, aloof reverie of misty melancholia. Her vocals are both intimate and detached. The enticing, exciting moves of “Ruminate” and electronic growls of “Reflection” lead into an intricate web of grief in the spinning spiral of “I Want to Feel Better”. This is an album that presents pleasant haunts (“The Answers”) navigating through the thick fog of “Synthro” and waving strands of glistening tinsel in “Eternal Consciousness” and then pans over to the flickering blue flame of “I Want Someone” in gratifying conclusion.

14
Taïga
by Mathieu Bourret

Perhaps due to the success of now certified platinum album Inscape from Alexandra Stréliski, a number of musicians are releasing piano albums. The piano is one of the few acoustic instruments that sounds sophisticated enough to stand on its own. Mathieu Bourret released a few discs this year in an unfolding plan to dedicate an album for each season. Taïga, inspired by winter, impressed us most of all. Mathieu was involved in group Oktopus that landed a JUNO nomination in 2018. The tracks are delicately played, as we envision thick flakes of slowly falling snow. To achieve a softer sound, he experimented with his instrument, wrapping the piano strings with blankets or masking tape! Lucie Martel adds her beautiful voice to track “Humani”. Also check out Bourret’s two-disc compilation set Le Climatologue which is available on compact disc. It contains most of his recent tracks.

13
Moments In Between
by Ruth B. (JW)

Edmonton singer and songwriter Ruth B. recently dropped her second full-length album, Moments In Between that notches another mark of excellence along her fairly new career path. Ruth won the JUNO award for Breakthrough Artist of the year in 2017. Two tracks on her new album should grab you right away. Opener “Princess Peach” was written in New York while she was enjoying the independent adventurous life, and it centers around the concept of wanting to make it on one’s own rather than being a damsel in distress. Musically, the song is a heart-rending and soaring piano ballad. “Situation” is a smart R&B number that repeats addictive refrains and dunks in the cool beats. We named it one of the best songs of the year. The rest of the album is solid, making it one of the year’s finest works.

12
Tomorrow We’ll Be Here
by Yehno

Yehno delivered six track long play record Tomorrow We’ll Be Here in 2021. It’s big, bold, and bright with addictive beats and gripping grooves. The airy, pulsating title-track sets things up nicely taking us to another world. “We Can” lays down a path of glitter where we “Walk Alone” in vibrant fields of kaleidoscopic grandeur. Prepare to get lost in an ambient world of ethereal chimes via “Fog Rolling”. “Lullaby” booms with drama, and closing track “Our Best Selves”, with whipping percussion and laser light, caps off the disc perfectly. Fans of electronic music will not want to miss this one.

11
Saturn Return
by Stacey

Written by Canadian Music Blog