Goat Girl - Sad Cowboy #
I could blame a streaming algorithm but this song became the zeitgeist of my 2021. It made me want to dance, play my guitar and often just pause for a moment of acceptance at a traffic light on one of the infrequent escapades from the bubble of home.
It captures a lot of elements that inspire me in music, from the opening interplay between an arpeggiator and clean guitar to the inquisitive percussion and confident albeit slightly maudlin vocals. There are so many delightful parts that seem to fall out of people playing together and the broad strokes of electronica.
To my great surprise this song never gets old for me and it became a staple all year.
Surprise Chef - All News Is Good News #
A song to remind us what it is like to play music together. It oozes jam probably to a fault but the band does a great job of finding a groove and then exploring the edges in a pretty relaxed fashion that makes sense in this time where life slowed down.
Kills Birds - Ow #
This band knows how to channel a little aggression and are greatly elevated by the singer who is highly entertaining. Both of their albums are almost great and I struggled to find a better example of their chemistry than this song. Sometimes you need loud drums and screaming in your life.
sir Was - I Need A Minute #
A song for the endemic. At some point in 2021 we traveled again and I found myself struggling to adapt to a lifestyle that required me to leave the house more frequently. This one seemed like an appropriate tonic. Having experienced a dramatic slowdown in life it was hard to get back to busy and some days I struggled with the change.
porij - 150 #
Cheeky drums and a smooth guitar line drew me into this one and I am excited to hear what this group comes up with next. It is exciting to hear people making dance music again.
Bachelor - Sick of Spiraling #
A good album that I played for a solid week. This particular song is all the more impressive to me when you see it performed in a live setting and see the abundance of talent.
SG Lewis - Back To Earth #
I never partied in Ibiza but that eternal summer vibe definitely transports me back to memories of beachside discotecas. Fast forward to 2021 and it got my feet moving on daily suburban strolls.
Cola Boyy - Don't Forget Your Neighborhood (feat. The Avalanches) #
Alex and I discovered this in the car one day and it made us sing.
SAULT - 9 #
Always good to hear the new SAULT record and the blend of vitriol and low fidelity funk.
Villagers - The First Day #
"On the first day of... the rest of your life". A good song to start the day and fire up that optimism that things will get better. I really like the warped notes at the beginning and how the song builds to a euphoric chorus.
Pino Palladino + Blake Mills - Ekuté #
A musician friend intoduced me to this record and I was struck by the great interplay between instruments and the blurred genres. It fits nicely between jazz, afrobeat and a low fidelity fuzz.
Raf Rundell - Luxury (ft. Man & The Echo) #
LCD Soundsystem gave us all the encouragement to make middle aged dance records. It makes a lot of sense to me given my age and lack of clear signals that we all have an artistic sell by date.
This song takes me back to a brief existence in a student house where the allure of having a chipped playstation was very real. It is good to have life goals and also appreciate how they change over time.
SWEEPING PROMISES - Out Again #
One of many discoveries pounding the pavements of our suburb which transported me somewhere frankly more inspiring. A nicely elegant albeit skeletal indie pop moment.
Dua Lipa - Don't Start Now #
This could be easily be written off as an inclusion because it was a popular carpool karoke hit on our road trips of 2021 but I also found the bassline infectious and was transported back to the emotional tropes of young adulthood when it was easy to enjoy the spectacle of breakups because the fallout was always a lot less significant than the feelings. This also reminds me of watching Top of the Pops and hoping that someone had made pop music that was actually good. Obviously "good" being the subjective measure of an awkward teenager. This song has that kind of transcendental appeal.
Crowded House - Playing with Fire #
Another Crowded House album with familiar voices and melodies. Reassuring nonetheless.
Arab Strap - Another Clockwork Day #
Delighted to see Arab Strap return in 2021. This track is one of the highlights for me because it captures the grubby romantic poetry very well. I also love the quaint technology references to images on file systems which don't make a lot of sense to anyone living in the clouds.
The Notwist - Al Sur (feat. Juana Molina) #
More regressive tendencies although Notwist really helped me through 2020 with earlier releases from this album.
Dry Cleaning - Scratchcard Lanyard #
This one wanted me to dig up a Prolapse record. Effective execution although I am still unsure what it is about.
Hiatus Kaiyote - Get Sun (feat. Arthur Verocai) #
Happy to hear a new Hiatus Kaiyote record in 2021. Sometimes their errant meandering is a bit irksome but when the mess coalesces it is quite beautiful and unlike anything else being produced right now.
Kelly Lee Owens - Jeanette #
Spot on electronica that transported me back to a cold church in Norwich dancing to trance in 1995.
Keleketla! - International Love Affair #
Hard to unpack the well intentioned "one world" vibe but the production is stellar and the beat is infectious. Surely we should celebrate how technology made the world feel smaller and more interconnected (at least for those of us with the priveleges of abundant wifi and vaccines).
CLEVER GIRL - Sleepyhead Symphony #
Happy to stumble upon this gem that was given life by online video plays. Surely a fairy tale for any struggling musician that one day your works will be discovered by the masses and celebrated but in this case this really feels like a special musical moment. The band plays so well together and crafts a decent example of mathrock.
Do Nothing - Uber Alles #
I love how confused this song sounds but that restless spirit resonates with me because it was always what we strove for back in '93 when we started tovarich. Can a song incorporate elements of the Smiths and Blur in something cohesive? Probably not but it is still a fun track to listen to.
Wu-Lu - South ft. Lex Amor #
Interesting collision of south London attitude and home studio rock. The video definitely elevates this one.
Cut Worms - Veteran's Day #
Not entirely sure how this song could not have come from the 1970s but it is well crafted and stood out from the first playback.
Andy Shauf - The Worst In You #
As heard on Made for Love, I had not heard of Andy Shauf so it was great to discover an entire back catalogue of pretty stellar songwriting. It is also interesting to remember the transcendental ability of Elliott Smith to go beyond quirky to visionary.
BILLY NOMATES - Petrol Fumes #
Apparently "bristling no-wave" - I enjoyed the energy of this track.
Brigid Dawson and The Mothers Network - The Fool #
Not entirely sure I want to cohabit this crumbling nostalgia but it is splendid for a brief visit of four minutes or so. A bit like an outtake from the outtakes from the banana album which is still high praise.
Honeyglaze - Burglar #
Grateful that yound people still band together and make music. This has a world weary vibe from the outset which definitely was appropriate for 2021. Well-crafted, claustrophobic and moody and still resplendent as as celebration of the catharisis we get from music.
Fake Fruit - No Mutuals #
The simple pleasure of the pixies in a modern sleek package.
Helvetia - Jumper #
Fragile melodies and propulsive lofi drumming - a perfect foray into the kind of indie rock music that I can always entertain. At its heart a musical knowhow and intimate home studio aesthetic and great hooks.
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