We wish you a Noizy Xmas: Our music gift guide 2021
Give the glorious gift of music with our choice of brilliant albums from 2021
Christmas is nearly here, and you are probably still figuring out what presents to buy for your loved ones (and others). We can think of nothing better than great music, preferably on vinyl. We have compiled a list that should cover most personalities and tastes in your family. Except the metalheads; we never know what to do about these…
For your hipster cousin who’s into “world music” you can’t go wrong with Dutch/Turkish band Altin Gûn’s third album Yol, a delicious serving of psych-disco based on Turkish oldies.
If your well-travelled purist uncle laughs at said cousin’s tastes and prefers the original sounds, surprise him with this (vinyl only) reissue of Egyptian guitar-god Omar Khorshid’s Giant+Guitar from 1974, which was already playfully updating classic sounds with psychedelic playing and electronic embellishments decades ago.
Your too cool niece will be rolling her eyes at this discussion by then, so surprise her with the indie-pop weirdness of gifted Japanese teenager Nana Yamato’s debut album Beyond Sunrise
Your hip hop homeboy nephew‘s attention will have drifted with all this “exotic shit”, so show him you care with one, or both, of UK rap’s best rising stars Little Simz and Dave‘s latest. More ambitious than their previous releases, they are also less impressive. If said nephew hasn’t heard 2019’s amazing albums from both artists, get him those instead (while shaking your head in disbelief about his ignorance)
Your punk uncle who never shuts up about how they don’t do it like they used to any more can be quieted with the second album from Australia’s young punk revivalists Amyl and The Sniffers, Comfort To Me
Your non-conformist auntie will need something that breaks the norms, which is exactly what Black Midi do on the experimental yet hard-rocking Cavalcade
The romantic sister-in-law who likes Adele needs to be saved, and the classy soul (without the blandness of 2021’s biggest star) of Celeste’s debut Not Your Muse is just the right antidote. Dare her to find one song on Adele’s latest that can match Celeste’s “Strange”!
The bon vivant cousin with the penchant for je-ne-sais-quoi should be satisfied with this tongue-in-cheek collection of revisited French classics by Jarvis Cocker, Chansons d’Ennui Tip-Top. It’s a “companion” (not a soundtrack) to Wes Andersen’s latest film The French Dispatch, and thankfully less annoying than that smugfest.
Whoever likes hard-rocking psychedelic guitars will have a blast with the desert blues of Mdou Moctar’s Afrique Victime. Blast it at the party, approval is guaranteed!
And when the party gets going, you don’t need a DJ set if you’ve brought along the new deluxe reissue of Jesse Ware’s amazing album from last year, What’s your Please? Aptly titled “The Platinum Pleasure Edition” it adds an extra disc of elegant throwback disco that is just as good as the original. Everybody will want to take this one back home!
You know what? We might actually have something for your metalhead cousin after all… provided that they have a sense of humour. If they know that the best hard rock is that which embraces its comic absurdity, then the new album by The Darkness, Motorheart, is bound to please them as much as Spinal Tap’s classics.
There you go, Christmas is saved! Check back soon for our selections of the best music of the year. Until then, Happy Noizy Holidays!
Noize Annoyz 