It’s that time of year again! With Christmas nearing and 2021 drawing to a close, we take a look back at some of the best art and cultural offerings to come out of Wales this year. Today, we’re looking at our favourite Welsh albums from 2021.
2021 has been a fantastic year for Welsh music. Despite the persistence of the coronavirus pandemic, artists and groups from Wales have continued their creativity and produced an array of wonderful albums. With some help from the Wales Arts Review contributors and editorial team, we have selected our favourite Welsh albums of 2021.
Our number one will be announced later in December.
Astro Tough by Audiobooks
V4Velindre collated by Kevin McGrath for Velindre Cancer Centre
Love No Less Than a Queen by Trampolene
Into the Blue by The Joy Formidable
Seeking New Gods by Gruff Rhys
Sai-thaiñ ki Sur (The Weaving of Voices) by Khasi-Cymru Collective
The Art of Losing by The Anchoress
Cwmwl Tystion/Witness by Tomos Williams
The Ultra Vivid Lament by Manic Street Preachers
Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land by Marina
Previous winners include:
2020: Beethoven: The Complete Piano Concertos – BBC National Orchestra of Wales with Stewart Goodyear
2019: Everything Solved at Once – Silent Forum
2018: Echo the Red – Accü
2017: Fur Coats from the Lion’s Den – Rufus Mufasa
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100 Greatest Welsh Albums of All Time
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Wales Arts Review works to bring our readers the best critical writing from Wales, and the best critical writing about Wales. It is a place where passionate and informed arts critics, from Wales and beyond, can find expression. Our writers are neither drum-beaters nor axe-grinders but simply knowledgeable and dedicated people who care deeply about culture and society.
Founded in March 2012, Wales Arts Review is a media platform where a new generation of critics and arts lovers can meet to engage in a robust and inclusive discussion about books, theatre, film, music, the visual arts, politics, and the media.
Wales Arts Review commissions and publishes content in the English language, yet it proudly acknowledges that Wales is a bilingual nation with a richly diverse bilingual culture. We therefore do not restrict our focus to arts and literature delivered only in the medium of English. We have published reviews and articles examining works by Welsh language artists and companies; from the work of Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru to TV hit crime-thriller Y Gwyll. We have also covered the National Eisteddfod and were proud to announce that the winner of our 2014 ‘Greatest Welsh Novel’ prize was Caradog Prichard’s Un Nos Ola Leaud. Wales Arts Review looks forward to working with partner organisations on future projects that critically evaluate and celebrate all the languages of Wales.
We believe that a vibrant arts scene is the expression of a confident, healthy and creative society. We further assert that a flourishing and vigorous critical culture is vital to its sustenance and development. As such, we regard Wales Arts Review as an important building-block in the new outward-looking, forward-thinking Wales.
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