CJLO Year End Top 2021

February 2 2022 // Calvin Cashen // Magazine // Features
2021 was a trying year. Despite many adversities in and out of the station, CJLO delivered quality, around-the-clock programming to its listenership without missing a beat. What better way to celebrate the music that reverberated across our airwaves in 2021 than with a good ol’ fashioned list?
 
Thus, we come to CJLO’s annual top 100. Not only is this list a snapshot of the top albums played over the course of the year, it’s the single best way of filtering down the releases that we loved the most. With a slew of incredible artists hailing all around the world, and of course, Canada, 2021 had nothing flat of innovative and eclectic music.
 
Going through this chart is always a bittersweet moment. While we look forward to a fresh year of new musical possibilities, it's important that we relish all that CJLO was able to accomplish over the last year; even when the odds were stacked against us (Thanks COVID). We surpassed our annual Funding Drive goal; organized a metric ton of original programming, workshops; the list truly goes on. 
 
Of course I'd be remiss if we didn't shine a major spotlight on the Montreal artists that made our cut. Not only did Montreal's own Malika Tirolien top the list this year, local greats like Teke::Teke, Paul Jacobs, Aim Low, Willie Dunn, Yoo Doo Right, all made the top 20!
 
Every year, our Metal MD Andrew of Grade A Explosives works tirelessly to compile this list. Of course, we shan’t forget the graphic design magic from our Art Director Angelica of BVST. 
 
Without further ado, feast your eyes!
 
1. MALIKA TIROLIEN – HIGHER
2. JANETTE KING - WHAT WE LOST
3. NORA TOUTAIN - GROUNDING PLACE VOL 1
4. THE HALLUCI NATION - ONE MORE SATURDAY NIGHT
5. MOONSHINE - SMS FOR LOCATION, VOL 4
6. MILLA THYME - EVERYTHING HAS ITS THYME
7. CADENCE WEAPON - PARALLEL WORLD
8. WAX TAILOR - THE SHADOW OF THEIR SUNS
9. TEKE::TEKE - SHIRUSHI
10. ALICIA CLARA - OUTSIDER / UNUSUAL
11. PAUL JACOBS - PINK DOGS ON THE GREEN GRASS
12. AIM LOW - BROKEN SUNDIAL
13. LAKOU MIZIK AND JOSEPH RAY - LEAVE THE BONES
14. WILLIE DUNN - CREATION NEVER SLEEPS, CREATION NEVER DIES; THE WILLIE DUNN ANTHOLOGY
15. LAVA LA RUE - BUTTER-FLY
16. YOO DOO RIGHT - DON'T THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE YOUR PURPOSE
17. FRISCO LEE - FEVER DREAM SUPREME
18. WAYNE TENNANT - THERE AIN'T NO SUNSHINE [SINGLE]
19. DIPSHIT - DIPSHIT
20. NAP EYES - WHEN I COME AROUND
21. THE ALLERGIES - PROMISED LAND
22. VANILLE - SOLEIL '96
23. THE WEATHER STATION - IGNORANCE
24. PATRIK HUMANN - 4 SEASONS
25. SCARE - CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR DEATH
26. WAAHLI - SOAP OPERA
27. VARIOUS ARTISTS - BONBONBON: 6 MORCEAUX (2/3)
28. PACKS - TAKE THE CAKE
29. CANCER BATS - YOU'LL NEVER BREAK US: SEPARATION SESSIONS VOL 1
30. HILLSBURN - SLIPPING AWAY
31. SPECTRAL WOUND - A DIABOLIC THIRST
32. OODOOO - LE GOELAND D'ARGENT
33. LIGHTMAN JARVIS ECSTATIC BAND - BANNED
34. DJ KILLA JEWEL - SAGITTARIUS
35. HOT GARBAGE - RIDE
36. DJ 2-TONE JONES - CONTRABAND FROM INDIA
37. MEGGIE LENNON - SOUNDS FROM YOUR LIPS
38. SHAD - TAO
39. ADA LEA - ONE HAND ON THE STEERING WHEEL THE OTHER SEWING A GARDEN
40. ORQUESTA AKROKAN - 16 RAYOS
41. VISIBLY CHOKED - VISIBLY CHOKED
42. ANGELIQUE KIDJO - MOTHER NATURE
43. KIWI JR. - COOLER RETURNS
44. WHITE COWBELL OKLAHOMA - TEXTOS RAROS - VOL 1 - 2001 - 2011
45. CHARLOTTE DAY WILSON - ALPHA
46. FUCK TOUTE - COKE COMPUTER
47. KATO - QUEBEC GOLD
48. VAGINA WITCHCRAFT - VAGINA WITCHCRAFT
49. WAYNE TENNANT - CURFEW FLOWERS
50. FIMBER BRAVO - LUNAR TREDD
51. MEN I TRUST - UNTOURABLE ALBUM
52. COMMON - A BEAUTIFUL REVOLUTION PT 2
53. BEVERLY GLENN-COPELAND - TRANSMISSIONS: THE MUSIC OF BEVERLY GLENN-COPELAND
54. HUBERT LENOIR - PICTURE DE IPSE: MUSIQUE DIRECTE
55. MOTORISTS - SURROUNDED
56. ALPEN GLOW - AMERTAPE 2020
57. PILLEA - SWELL
58. ASHLEY SHADOW - ONLY THE END
59. DABIN - BETWEEN BROKEN
60. FLEECE - FLEECE
61. COTS - DISTURBING BODY
62. YVES JARVIS - SUNDRY ROCK SONG STOCK
63. LUMIERE - A.M.I.E.S.A.M.O.U.R.
64. INNOV GNAWA - LILA
65. CFCF - MEMORYLAND
66. CULTED - NOUS
67. PALAIS - AU BAL DE NOS REVES
68. TUNS - DULY NOTED
69. CIVIC TV - BLACK MOON
70. SUUNS - THE WITNESS
71. ATMOSPHERE - WORD? SIDE B
72. SENOR KAOS X ILLASTRATE - KINGS OF VICE
73. QUANTIC AND NIDIA GONGORA - ALMAS CONECTADAS
74. BODY BREAKS - BAD TROUBLE
75. FREDY V AND THE FOUNDATION - ONE STEP
76. MALIKA TIROLIEN - RISE [SINGLE]
77. EVERY TIME I DIE - RADICAL
78. N0V3I - NON-FICTION
79. THE DIRTY NIL - F*CK ART
80. MICHAEL PETER OLSEN - YEARNING FLOW
81. SOOK-YIN LEE & ADAM LITOVITZ - JOJ TWO
82. SEUM - WINTERIZED
83. GREG NOTILL & TONY ROMANELLO - COLLECTIVE ECSTASY
84. TUNIC - QUITTER
85. CEE - RELENTLESS
86. WINE LIPS - MUSHROOM DEATH SEX BUMMER PARTY
87. DANA SIPOS - THE ASTRAL PLANE
88. DANKO JONES - POWER TRIO
89. YVES TUMOR - THE ASYMPTOTICAL WORLD 
90. OKUTE - OKUTE
91. LE VAISSEAU D'OR - DESIRE FOREVER
92. CEDRIC NOEL - HANG TIME
93. SWARM OF SPHERES - BROTHER, TAKE FIVE
94. CONFINED TO OBLIVION - RESUMPTION
95. LAND OF TALK - CALMING NIGHT PARTNER
96. MADE KUTI - FOR(E)WARD
97. JIMMY CHOU - TOGETHER WE RISE
98. MUNYA - VOYAGE TO MARS
99. SOPHIA BEL - PRINCESS OF THE DEAD, VOL 2
100. SABOTA - COLLINS EP