2021 end of year lists

Where are all the lists FFS

I needed a lie down after reading titchjuicy’s thesis.

Also: Dry Cleaning sound like Sonic Youth? Have a word.

The guitars are totally Sonic Youth

wut

Sorry dogs.

I didn't listen to enough new music to even make a list.

I guess the new Killers record is my number 1

Weird year for me, both personally and musically. I've probably heard more music than ever but maybe didn't pay lots of attention to most of it, also the lack of live shows is obviously hurting. I was going to start with some out of the top40 entries but nevermind. Some generic releases from January/February have fallen down the rabbit hole as now they seem from a different era and also album length is starting to be an issue for me if there's a lack of consistency. Also a few late Nov releases (Alizzz) / December discoveries (DAZY for sure, Floating+Pharoah maybe) that won't feature here, but that's life innit.

31. - Amaro Freitas - Sankofa
I don’t try modern jazz very often but after Karl mentioned this record I decided to give it a go. I’d say production feels closer to modern pop or hip hop than jazz, which makes for an interesting turn. Although it’s a piano led 3 piece ensemble, the songs are quite different from each other and never feels repetitive. First half is stronger to me, there is a Brazilian scent all along but it never prevails.


32. - Shame - Drunk Tank Pink
Out of all the bands of the post-punk horde, Shame might be one of the least special and interesting. At the same time, they're easily the most direct and mainstream too, emphasising the punk bit of the genre with a touch of Parquet-Courts-play-Talking-Heads funk, which makes the songs easier to digest for me. There’s more depth in the production and the lyrics than on their forgettable debut, trying more complex structures and binding a 3 song run in the second half with a manic tempo that’s not very amazing but quite satisfying nonetheless.


33. - The Go! Team - Get Up Sequences Part One
It seems a lot of people have put their attention back on them after skipping the last 2 or 3 records. I can see why, as they still sound like no one else and their rush of noise, colours and sugar is especially handy in post pandemic times. So yeah, good but I’ve heard them do better.


34. - Alice Phoebe Lou - Glow / Child’s Play
Wait, let me explain the cheat: she played songs from both records when I saw her live, so you could say it’s a two part project. She’s a talented angel and with extra instrumentation she’s getting deeper into a more personal (longing, sensual) style.


35. - Iceage - Sheek Shelter
Never really got into them, their raw post-punk with blues touches and Nick Cave pretensions sounded better on paper than on execution, wasn’t appealing to me. But here they went anthemic and daringly close to Britpop: you can find echoes of Primal Scream, Spiritualized and early Oasis all along the record. I think it’s a good addition to what they already had, if nothing else.


36. - The Vaccines - Back In Love City
Semi concept record, too poppy but they’re still a band I always find time for.


37. - CHAI - WINK
Still fun and cheeky (never get tired of food songs), just a bit more relaxed and floating. It totally works on some tracks but I hope they never try to get TOO polished. They’re cool when they’re themselves.


38. - Dante Elephante - Mid-Century Modern Romance
I first knew Dante from his podcast when he interviewed Jonathan Rado from Foxygen. This early year indie-soul (indiesco?) record is quite suited to a slow Sunday morning. Conveniently short, no rough edges (if you omit the cover), just easy-going feel good music.


39. - LOOKMOM - Well Spent Youth
This is a weird duo from the Pyrenees, something between Animal Collective and Foxygen, very playful. I’m their only voter on RYM so take it with a pinch of salt.


40. - Amyl & The Sniffers - Comfort To Me
I probably prefer this to the debut if only because the highs are more memorable. Meat and potato rock but they have the attitude and the energy, zero fucks. Glad it’s short as it gets samey.

21. - Wolf Alice - Blue Weekend
This feels like a well deserved attempt to conquer the world, but at the same time I’ve enjoyed it quite less than their previous records. More mid-paced tracks, the vibe is ethereal, emotional (sadder) and probably more focused overall, with Ellie too up front while the band seems a bit lost in the haze. It’s a lusher update closer to the shoegaze pop of their early EPs than to the varied, beefier rock present on the previous album. Still a high quality work by a fantastic group, plus I can't get enough of How Can I Make It Ok.


22. - The Killers - Pressure Machine
After last year’s fantastic and massive comeback record, this is a more low-key effort. Full of deep dusty American stories and sounds. More emotional than melodramatic, highly descriptive without feeling judgemental, there’s still enough Killers DNA to avoid boredom.


23. - Axolotes Mexicanos - :3
Goofy indie pop, a bit similar to Kero Kero Bonito (j-pop, PC music) but even closer to twee leanings, diabetics beware.


24. - FRITZ - Pastel
Like Clairo or Hatchie, this is another case of a bedroom artist jumping into the bigger world. I’d say FRITZ leans a bit closer to the likes of Alvvays, the record is fuzzy, bouncy and short which is a plus. There’s subtle vocal modifications that sometimes work (She’s Gonna Hate Me) but others not so much (U Keep Me Alive), we’ll see where she goes next.


25. - The Goon Sax - Mirror II
Having three different songwriters and vocalists makes them a quite special band, leaving the jangle behind and embracing a hifi production does marvels too. They might hit the spot less than desired but it flies by.


26. - Cabiria - Ciudad de las Dos Lunas
This lofi bedroom project has evolved to somewhere between Italo-disco and Destroyer’s modern take on sophistipop.


27. - La Femme - Paradigmes
Not as fantastic as the debut, but way more fun than their sophomore. A wild ride through topical, cheesy America under the lens of these French weirdos.


28. - João Selva - Navegar
Cozy and easy-going Brazilian modern music, the songs where it hits the spot are undeniably great (tracks 1, 6, 7) even if I feel it’s probably not too special for genre connoisseurs.


29. - Gruff Rhys - Seeking New Gods
A volcano is a good excuse as any other for a fantastic record like this one by da Gruff, Can’t Carry On into Loan Your Loneliness into the title track is definitely one of the best 1-2-3 punches of the year for me.


30. - JW Francis - WANDERKIND
Sweet and charming bedroom pop.

I like that Fritz tune. Will check the record out

11. - Katy Kirby - Cool Dry Place
With one foot on the singer-songwriter genre and another on the modern pop spectrum, Cool Dry Place is a deceptively simple debut displaying strong compositions, a lot of wonderful melodies and subtle production choices that add variety and enrich the final result. Slightly unclassifiable, in a good way.


12. - illuminati hotties - Let Me Do One More
She initially created this project to demonstrate her production chops but it’s pretty clear she has enough compositional skills, confidence and cheekiness to front a band and succeed. Not exactly the same but way better than the Snail Mails and the likes, maybe because she doesn’t take herself too seriously..


13. - Weezer - Ok Human / Van Weezer
With or without electric guitars, it’s obvious these records are undeniably Weezery. Cuomo has what might be a blessing or a curse, but he’s a genre of his own. As always he comes with catchy melodies and dubious lyrics, but in the first case the baroque pop production is a nice diversion. The strings are a delightful touch (sometimes resembling the expected power chords) and the songs flow gently. Probably one of their most consistent albums, even if there are not many songs I’d put on a greatest hits. On the other hand, Weezer's expected metal album is not actually a metal album but something close to Green or EWBRITE in sound and production.



14. - Kokoshca - Kokoshca
Their most accomplished work, I always felt they had 2 or 3 amazing songs but they couldn’t keep the quality for a whole record. Quite varied too, adding funk and Spanish flavours, although it’s the straight garage-y ones that I really love.


15. - William Doyle - Great Spans of Muddy Time
Art pop somewhere between Eno and Deerhunter, initially I was captivated by the cover and the lush, glitchy production surrounding the songs. Ultimately pleased to enter his world, it turns out its strengths (haziness, disjointed sketches of songs flowing together) also seem to be what keeps this apart from being something more realized (blurry, undefined). Close enough.


16. - Silk Sonic - An Evening With Silk Sonic
Memerable alchemy () on this respectful soul pastiche, both seem to provide the best of them and it’s an amusing and welcome joint effort.


17. - Parcels - Day / Night
Sprawling sophomore record from the Australian soft rockers, doubling down on the fantastic harmonies and instrumental assembly, maybe trying to get away from reducing genre (Disco) or artists (Daft Punk, Beach Boys) tagging. Light ambient and catchy singles coalesce over a >90 minutes running time which, although might welcome a little trimming, also works like a nice live show with peaks and valleys. After all, there’s a moment where you get so into the locked-in grooves that songs could be stretched out forever and it wouldn’t matter.


18. - Rodrigo Amarante - Drama
Of Little Joy and Narcos OST fame, Rodrigo delivers an updated version of comforting Tropicalia, bittersweet mixing up warm, acoustic bossa novas with moving, rich orchestration. Beautifully melancholic.


19. - Sleater-Kinney - Path Of Wellness
Back to basics record after the painfully underrated The Center Won’t Hold. It’s a no frills rock’n’roll record with exciting guitars and some lovely tunes (title track, Worry With You, Method) that felt like Carrie was yelping and squalling channeling some of my inner thoughts.


20. - Yola - Stand For Myself
I like that there’s a genre called Countrypolitan, although I don’t find this very countrish. Also I’m usually skeptical about Dan Auerbach producing but he did a magnificent job here, rich on details and always enhancing her voice no matter how the song sounds like. Mainstream but well done, touching interesting topics. She is nice, she is great, probably will become a big deal and become boring but for now it’s fair enough.

10. - Juliana Hatfield - Blood
Who the fuck is Juliana Hatfield? First contact after what seems like a long career. The songs are really interesting here, lots of details to get lost into. It’s not a throwback but an enjoyable 90s reworking, quality kept all along but peaking on Mouthful of Blood.


9. - Lindsey Buckingham - Lindsey Buckingham
Even if this self-titled is the first solo record I’ve heard from him, Lindsey has slowly become one of my favorite people in music. He’s one of those do-it-alls: singer/guitarist/producer/arranger. Here he leans towards classic pop and the results are usually pleasant, sometimes breathtaking and always interesting. Glad to see him on top form after some healthissues, a divorce and Fleetwood’s sacking.


8. - C. Tangana - El Madrileño
Look, if by early April you had told me by the end of that month I’d be loving an album by a trap artist performing all kinds of (updated) ancient styles of Spanish and Latin music (flamenco, pasodoble, corridas mexicanas, bossanova, rumba, bolero, copla), with lots of surprising (to me) collaborators... I’d probably have shot myself. But everything ends up making sense, it’s a perfect symbiosis and it feels iconic. From the artwork based on classic Spanish paintings to the “persona”, to the NPR live video which is probably my favourite ever. A true Hispanic roots record, successful homage with lots of homework done, fantastic production enhancing the best elements of the old genres and the current pop, mixing both seamlessly. It found me at the crossroads and opened my mind in ways I never thought it could.


7. - Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine - A Begginer’s Mind
Lightness suits Sufjan quite well, this movie-related collaborative record feels less overcooked than any of his recent work.Gorgeously melodic and effortlessly tender, like a cloudier early 70s Beach Boys, they use all kinds of films as inspiration to write about some usual existential topics. The 3 first tracks are a fantastic run. Also check the cool Ghanian covert art for both record and singles.


6. - Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee
Her debut made my top100 of the last decade, but I didn’t connect much with the sophomore. It seems she’s quite the public character now, with a praised book, movie in the works, video game soundtrack, side projects and video directing. Jubilee is simply fantastic tbh, bigger instrumentally (horns, strings, synths, guitar solos!), happier (although quite bittersweet), much more self-assured and accomplished. Paprika acts as the introduction via a big marching fanfare, Be Sweet is the poppiest version of her strengths and ballads like Kokomo, In or Tactics are hard-to-pull highlights of the year.


5. - black midi - Cavalcade
This might be my favorite record from the Windmill scene: it’s basically a more varied but focused display of the characteristics of these young lads: talent, humor and sprouts of mad energy. Closer to prog or jazz and easier to untangle than their debut (for me anyway), where all these things were already present but only from a theoretical point of view.


4. - Lisasinson - Perdona Mamá
Yep, this wouldn’t be this high any other year but shit happens. My ex girlfriend loved me so much she dumped me so I could enjoy this (silly, simple, teeny) record so much


3. - Genesis Owusu - Smiling With No Teeth
This seemed to come out of nowhere and it’s a fucking well crafted genreless debut. Or genrefull and hyperhyphenated? post-punk, neo-soul, alt-rock, hip-hop... Really hard to pin down but I guess the closest approximation I can make of it could be a schizo project like Gorillaz, as he touches many different vibes. Some of them are just a bit out of my comfort zone but nonetheless the song nearly always wins, thanks to the versatile vocals but also to the brilliant production work. Recurring themes are racism and depression, approaching them both separately and together, adding a pinch of humour and interesting metaphors. Don’t Need You is one of the best songs of the year.


2. - Ryley Walker - Course in Fable
I’ve always quite liked the guy (a talented and funny fella), and his music in small doses was pleasant to me if not much else, so I didn’t really expect to get caught by a full record of his at this point in time. A good balance between accessibility and experimentation: while keeping his essence the songs are richer than ever, full of unexpected turns and production enhancements that give each song its own character but still managing to cohere onto a fantastic whole. A Lenticular Slap is more eventful than some band’s discographies, and then Axis Bent’s instrumental break… a real delight.


1. - The War on Drugs - I Don’t Live Here Anymore
Hi Karl 3rd in a row, small tweaks each time, no need to say again how they sound but this feels like the purest distillation of it. Keeping the sense of motion, perfecting a genre that could be called cleangaze, getting lost in the rich layers of instruments like a wave of sounds massaging your brain but this time prioritizing songwriting over atmosphere. Pitchfork is spot on describing the effect the words have on this:

“The songs of the War on Drugs exist in a world between knuckle tattoos: love, hurt; home, away; (...) even though his lyrics are borderline cliché, it functions more like the shoegaze bands (...) Instead of sitting at the front of the music, Grandcuiel’s words drape over his songs like a thin film so that they essentially disappear.

But still changes, uncertainty, moving somewhere, looking for something: those are feelings that come across once more and hang together with me, only this time it ends up with what might look like some nice place to settle yourself for a while.

Ryley!!!

Yes barny my man.

It's an amazing record, think some songs are first takes too.

I finally had a listen to the album in the car today. About halfway through Scratchcard Lanyard the GF said, "oooh, they sound like Sonic Youth" (she's a fan of SY).

Just to even up the "do Dry Cleaning sound lijke Sonic Youth?" argument a little.

For completionists, I had jotted down a few 2021 records to check out which don't seem to appear in any of your lists. I haven't heard them yet, but I'll post them here in case anybody wants to expand their 2021 end of the year lists!

Nala Sinephro - Space 1.8 (Warp)
This had people literally fight with a knife between their teeth for a copy on Discogs when it came out. It's very light ambient electronic jazz from what I've heard.


Here Lies Man - Ritual Divination (RidingEasy)
Allmusic really liked this album. Random person on RYM wrote: "[...] it all turns these tunes into psychedelic tribal dances, where Hawkwind Sabbath meets Fela in an epic hypnotic whirlwind". Can we trust the reviews?


Byzantium - Halfway Dreaming - Anthology 1969-75 (Grapefruit)
Collected works of low-testosterone British prog band Byzantium.


Mainliner - Dual Myths (Riot Season)
Japanese heavy-psych / noise rock power trio starring Acid Mothers Temple's founder Makoto Kawabata. I loved their first album Mellow Out (1996) and it seems they are still doing the same thing, 25 years later.


also the two Can archival releases, Live in Stuttgard 1975 and Live in Brighton 1975 are kinda brilliant.

That Nala record sounds up my alley, thank you amico.

you absolutely need to listen to Bohren & der Club of Gore, Bill