Plenty of cool new sounds to explore! I had to replace a few platters that just hadn’t stuck to my ears’ ribs and whittle off a few more waning wekkids to leave it at a HOT 100. Also, it finally occurred to me that the list’s expanded enough to break off the new releases of old stuff into their own list (see below). Buy some of this music instead of just streaming it, ok?

100 FRESH FOR 2021

BOLDED ITEMS are new to the list. #s indicate archival music.

1. Mdou Moctar: Afrique Victim 
2. James Brandon Lewis: Jesup Wagon 
3. East Axis: Cool With That 
4. Ka: Martyr’s Victory
5. William Parker: Mayan Space Station 
6. Miguel Zenon: Law Years—The Music of Ornette Coleman 
7. Tim Berne: Broken Shadows 
8. Bob Dylan: Soundtrack to the film Shadow Kingdom (unavailable, but what the hell)
9. Gimenez Lopez: Reunion en la granja
10. R.A.P. Ferreira: Bob’s Son  
11. Wild Up: Julius Eastman, Volume 1–Femenine
12. No-No Boy: 1975 
13. The Halluci Nation: One More Saturday Night
14. Robert Finley: Sharecropper’s Son 
15. Mauricio Tagliari: Maô_Danças Típicas de Cidades Imaginárias
16. Penelope Scott: Public Void  
17. Paris: Safe Space Invader 
18. Pink Siifu: Gumbo’!
19. Chrissie Hynde: Standing in the Doorway—Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan 
20. Dry Cleaning: Sweet Princess (EP) 
21. Sons of Kemet: Black to the Future 
22. Sa-Roc: The Sharecropper’s Daughter
23. Fire in Little Africa: Fire in Little Africa 
24. Graham Haynes vs. Submerged: Echolocation 
25. Dawn Richard: Second Line  
26. Slaughterhouse: Fun Factory
27. Jupiter and Okwess: Na Kozonga 
28. The Goon Sax: Mirror II 
29. Kalie Shorr: I Got Here by Accident
30. Ches Smith and We All Break: Path of Seven Colors 
31. Amythyst Kiah: Wary + Strange 
32. Dave: We’re All Alone in This Together 
33. Ashnikko: Demidevil  
34. Tropical Fuck Storm: Deep States
35. Genesis Owusu: Smiling with No Teeth 
36. Marianne Faithfull (with Warren Ellis): She Walks in Beauty 
37. Low-Cut Connie: Tough Cookies 
38. Jaubi: Nafs at Peace (featuring Latamik and Tenderlonious) 
39. Czarface & MF DOOM: Super What? 
40. BaianaSystem: OXEAXEEXU 
41. SAULT: Nine 
42. McKinley Dixon: For My Mama and Anyone Who Look Like Her 
43. Vincent Herring: Preaching to the Choir 
44. Lukah: When the Black Hand Touches You 
45. Dax Pierson: Nerve Bumps (A Queer Divine Satisfaction) 
46. L’Rain: Fatigue 
47. Emily Duff: Razor Blade Smile
48. Maria Muldaur & Tuba Skinny: Let’s Get Happy Together 
49. Ran Cap Duoi: Ngù Ngay Ngày Tân Thê
50. Angelique Kidjo: Mother Nature 
51. ICP Orchestra & Nieuw Amsterdams Peil: 062 / De Hondemepper 
52. Body Metta: The Work is Slow 
53. Damon Locks / Black Monument Ensemble: NOW 
54. Loretta Lynn: Still Woman Enough 
55. Anthony Joseph: The Rich are Only Defeated When Running for Their Lives 
56. Jason Moran & Milford Graves: Live at Big Ears 
57. Barry Altschul’s 3Dom Factor: Long Tall Sunshine 
58. JD Allen: Queen City 
59. Bleachers: Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night
60. Various Artists: He’s Bad!—11 Bands Decimate the Beat of Bo Diddley  
61. Vince Staples: Vince Staples
62. Various Artists: Indaba Is 
63. Wau Wau Collectif: Yaral Sa Doom 
64. Yvette Janine Jackson: Freedom 
65. Peter Stampfel: Peter Stampfel’s 20th Century in 100 Songs 
66. Backxwash: I Lie Here with My Rings and Dresses 
67. Billie Eilish: Happier Than Ever
68. Various Artists: Doomed & Stoned in Scotland 
69. Los Lobos: Native Sons
70. Jazmine Sullivan: Heaux Tales 
71. Various Artists: Allen Ginsberg’s The Fall of America–A 50th Anniversary Musical Tribute 
72. Les Filles de Illighadad: At Pioneer Works 
73. Billy Nomates: Emergency Telephone (EP) 
74. Gyedu-Blay Ambolley: 11th Street, Sekondi 
75. Dry Cleaning: New Long Leg 
76. Madlib: Sound Ancestors 
77. Julien Baker: Little Oblivions 
78. Cedric Burnside: I Be Trying 
79. Archie Shepp and Jason Moran: Let My People Go 
80. Roisin Murphy: Crooked Machine  
81. girl in red: if I could make it go quiet 
82. Lana Del Rey: Chemtrails Over the Country Club 
83. Brockhampton: Roadrunner—New Light, New Machine 
84. Vijay Iyer, Linda Han Oh, and Tyshawn Sorey: Uneasy 
85. Olivia Rodrigo: SOUR 
86. Steve Earle: JT 
87. Tee Grizzley: Built for Whatever 
88. Halsey: If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power
89. Benny The Butcher: Pyrex Picasso
90. Jinx Lennon: Liferafts for Latchicos
91. The Hold Steady: Open Door Policy  
92. Elizabeth King & The Gospel Souls: Living in the Last Days 
93. Alder Ego: III 
94. Sierra Ferrell: Long Time Coming
95. Alton Gün: Yol 
96. Meet Me @ The Altar: Model Citizen (EP) 
97. Penelope Scott: Hazards (EP)
98. Floating Points & Pharoah Sanders: Promises 
99. Sana Nagano: Smashing Humans 
100. serpentwithfeet: DEACON 

Archaeological Digs from Days Gone By

Julius Hemphill: The Boyé Multinational Crusade for Harmony  

JuJu: Live at 131 Prince Street 

Kiko Kids Jazz: Tanganyika Na Uhuru

Khaira Arby: Khaira Arby in New York 

Various Artists: A Stranger I May Be—Savoy Gospel 1954-1966 

Plastic People of The Universe: Apokalyptickej pták  

Roy Brooks: Understanding

Neil Young and Crazy Horse: Down in the Rust Bucket 

Screamers: Demo Hollywood 1977

Can: Live in Stuttgart 1975 

Hamiet Blueitt: Bearer of the Holy Flame 

Byard Lancaster: My Pure Joy 

Various Artists: Wallahi Le Zein! 

Various Artists: The Smithsonian Anthology of Rap and Hip Hop 

Charles Mingus: Mingus at Carnegie Hall # 

Various Artists: Chicago / The Blues / Today, Volumes 1-3 # 

The J Ann C Trio: At Tan-Tar-A

Hasaan Ibn Ali: Metaphysics—The Lost Atlantic Album 

Alice Coltrane: Kirtan–Turiya Sings 

Mistreater: Hell’s Fire 

Blue Gene Tyranny: Degrees of Freedom Found

Various Artists: Alan Lomax’s American Patchwork 

Pure Hell: Noise Addiction

BurntSugarThe Arkestra Chamber: 20th AnniversaryMixtapes / Groiddest Schizznits, Volumes 1-3

Nermin Niazi: Disco Se Aagay 

Joe Strummer: Assembly 

Robert Miranda’s Home Music Ensemble: Live at The Bing # 

Various Artists: Edo Funk Explosion, Volume 1 

Joseph Spence: Encore

Various Artists: Rare.wavs, Volume 1

SINGLES! 

Dry Cleaning: “Bug Eggs”/”Tony Speaks!” 

Steve Lehman:: “Cognition” (JLin remix) 

Henry Threadgill: “Clear and Distinct” (Georgia Ann Muldrow remix) 

Axxe: “Through the Night” / Rock Away the City”