Best of 2021: Staff Picks
There's always more great new music we want to talk about than we can fit here, but here are the songs, albums and discoveries that the FUV DJs and staff loved best in 2021.
Scroll through or jump down to:
Russ Borris | Corny O'Connell | Alisa Ali | Dennis Elsas | Eric Holland | Darren DeVivo | Delphine Blue | John Platt | Kara Manning | Janet Bardini | Sarah Wardrop | Benham Jones
Russ Borris |
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Top 10 Songs (alphabetical and not from my Top 10 albums list) |
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| Artist | Song | ||
| 1. | Amythyst Kiah | "Black Myself" | |
| 2. | Billie Eilish | "Lost Cause" | |
| 3. | Durand Jones & The Indications | "Witchoo" | |
| 4. | Dry Cleaning | "Scratchcard Lanyard" | |
| 5. | Man on Man | "Daddy" | |
| 6. | Ohtis | "Schatze" | |
| 7. | Serpentwithfeet | "Same Size Shoe" | |
| 8. | Silk Sonic | "Leave the Door Open" | |
| 9. | TORRES | "Don't Go Puttin Wishes in My Head" | |
| 10. | Wet Leg | "Chaise Longue" | |
Top 10 Albums |
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| Artist | Album | ||
| 1. | Jon Batiste | We Are | |
| 2. | The Killers | Pressure Machine | |
| 3. | Flock of Dimes | Head of Roses | |
| 4. | The War on Drugs | I Don't Live Here Anymore | |
| 5. | Arlo Parks | Collapsed in Sunbeams | |
| 6. | Strand of Oaks | In Heaven | |
| 7. | St. Vincent | Daddy's Home | |
| 8. | Sleater-Kinney | Path of Wellness | |
| 9. | Courtney Barnett | Things Take Time, Take Time | |
| 10. | John Grant | Boy From Michigan | |
Discovery of the Year |
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| Wet Leg | |||
Corny O'Connell |
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Top 10 Songs |
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| Artist | Song | ||
| 1. | Billie Eilish | "Your Power" | |
| 2. | Durand Jones & The Indications | "Witchoo" | |
| 3. | Gang of Youths | "The Angel of 8th Ave." | |
| 4. | The Black Keys | "Crawling King Snake" | |
| 5. | Tom Jones | "Talking Reality Television Blues" | |
| 6. | Wet Leg | "Chaise Longue" | |
| 7. | Wolf Alice | "Smile" | |
| 8. | Arlo Parks | "Eugene" | |
| 9. | The Chemical Brothers | "The Darkness That You Fear" | |
| 10. | CHVRCHES feat. Robert Smith | "How Not to Drown" | |
Top 10 Albums |
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| Artist | Album | ||
| 1. | Adia Victoria | A Southern Gothic | |
| 2. | Arlo Parks | Collapsed in Sunbeams | |
| 3. | Durand Jones & The Indications | Private Space | |
| 4. | Leon Bridges | Gold-Diggers Sound | |
| 5. | Lord Huron | Long Lost | |
| 6. | The Black Keys | Delta Kream | |
| 7. | Yola | Stand for Myself | |
| 8. | Jon Batiste | We Are | |
| 9. | Julien Baker | Little Oblivions | |
| 10. | Billie Eilish | Happier Than Ever | |
Discovery of the Year |
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| Wet Leg | Yes, I would like you to assign someone to butter my muffin. | ||
Alisa Ali |
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Top 10 Songs |
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| Artist | Song | ||
| 1. | Wet Leg | "Chaise Longue" | |
| 2. | Durand Jones & The Indications | "Witchoo" | |
| 3. | Japanese Breakfast | "Be Sweet" | |
| 4. | Jungle | "Keep Moving" | |
| 5. | Little Simz | "Point and Kill" | |
| 6. | The War on Drugs | "I Don't Live Here Anymore" | |
| 7. | Menahan Street Band | "The Duke" | |
| 8. | Sleater Kinney | "Worry With You" | |
| 9. | Shungudzo | "It's a Good Day to Fight the System" | |
Top 10 Albums |
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| Artist | Album | ||
| 1. | Big Red Machine | How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? | |
| 2. | The War on Drugs | I Don't Live Here Anymore | |
| 3. | Lord Huron | Long Lost | |
| 4. | Sleater-Kinney | Path of Wellness | |
| 5. | Kacey Musgraves | Star-Crossed | |
| 6. | Japanese Breakfast | Jubilee | |
| 7. | Arlo Parks | Collapsed in Sunbeams | |
| 8. | Yola | Stand for Myself | |
| 9. | Durand Jones &the Indications | Private Space | |
| 10. | Julien Baker | Little Oblivions | |
Discovery of the Year |
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| Ren with the Mane | Queen of the "NY Slice" | ||
Dennis Elsas |
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| In no particular order: | |||
Top 10 Songs |
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| Artist | Song | ||
| 1. | Amythyst Kiah | "Black Myself" | |
| 2. | Band of Horses | "Crutch" | |
| 3. | Big Thief | "Certainty" | |
| 4. | Wet Leg | "Chaise Longue" | |
| 5. | David Bowie | "You've Got a Habit of Leaving" | |
| 6. | Elvis Costello | "Magnificent Hurt" | |
| 7. | Lucy Dacus | "Brando" | |
| 8. | Gabriels | "Love and Hate in a Different Time" | |
| 9. | Jenny Lewis | "Puppy and a Truck" | |
| 10. | Eddie Vedder | "Long Way" | |
Top 10 Albums |
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| Artist | Album | ||
| 1. | Adele | 30 | |
| 2. | Brandi Carlile | In These Silent Days | |
| 3. | Courtney Barnett | Things Take Time, Take Time | |
| 4. | Lake Street Dive | Obviously | |
| 5. | Paul McCartney | McCartney 111 | |
| 6. | Robert Plant and Alison Kraus | Raise the Roof | |
| 7. | Tedeschi Trucks Band | Layla Revisted (Live at Locken) featuring Trey Anastasio | |
| 8. | The War on Drugs | I Don't Live Here Anymore | |
| 9. | Bruce Springsteen | No Nukes Concert | |
| 10. | Jon Batiste | We Are | |
Discovery of the Year |
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| Wet Leg | |||
Eric Holland |
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Top 10 Songs |
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| Artist | Song | ||
| 1. | Wolf Alice | "Smile" | |
| 2. | Wet Leg | "Chaise Longue" | |
| 3. | Spoon | "The Hardest Cut" | |
| 4. | My Morning Jacket | "Love Love Love" | |
| 5. | Amythyst Kiah | "Black Myself" | |
| 6. | The Marias | "Hush" | |
| 7. | Jack White | "Taking Me Back" | |
| 8. | Sunflower Bean | "Baby Don't Cry" | |
| 9. | St. Vincent | "Pay Your Way in Pain" | |
| 10. | Parquet Courts | "Walking at a Downtown Pace" | |
Top 10 Albums |
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| Artist | Album | ||
| 1. | Jesse Malin | Sad and Beautiful World | |
| 2. | The Hold Steady | Open Door Policy | |
| 3. | Courtney Barnett | Things Take Time, Take Time | |
| 4. | Sleater-Kinney | Path to Wellness | |
| 5. | Durand Jones & The Indications | Private Space | |
| 6. | Tedeschi Trucks Band | Layla Revisted (Live at Locken) featuring Trey Anastasio | |
| 7. | Jon Batiste | We Are | |
| 8. | Arlo Parks | Collapsed In Sunbeams | |
| 9. | Christone "Kingfish" Ingram | 662 | |
| 10. | The War on Drugs | I Don't Live Here Anymore | |
Discovery of the Year |
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| Durand Jones & The Indications | |||
Darren DeVivo |
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Top 15 Favorite Songs Of 2021 (an incomplete list, in alphabetical order) |
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| Artist | Song | ||
| 1. | Band Of Horses | "Crutch" | |
| From their upcoming album, Things Are Great, due January 21, 2022. When released, it will be their first album in about five and a half years. | |||
| 2. | Clairo | "Amoeba" | |
| From her album Sling. | |||
| 3. | Lucy Dacus | "First Time" | |
| From her third album, Home Video. | |||
| 4. | Dinosaur Jr | "I Ran Away" | |
| From Sweep It Into Space. | |||
| 5. | Dry Cleaning | "Strong Feelings" | |
| From the British quartet's debut album, New Long Leg. | |||
| 6. | Los Lobos | "Sail On, Sailor" | |
| Los Lobos covers the Beach Boys' 1972 classic; from Native Sons, their covers album saluting the Los Angeles music scene. | |||
| 7. | Paul McCartney featuring Phoebe Bridgers | "Seize The Day" | |
| From McCartney III Imagined. Phoebe Bridgers adds her two cents to Paul McCartney's song "Seize The Day" (from McCartney's 2020 album, McCartney III). | |||
| 8. | Liz Phair | "Good Side" | |
| From Soberish, Liz Phair's first studio album in eleven years. | |||
| 9. | Real Estate | "Half A Human" | |
| From their EP "Half A Human", featuring songs born during the sessions for their latest album, 2020's The Main Thing. | |||
| 10. | Spoon | "The Hardest Cut" | |
| From the upcoming album, Lucifer On The Sofa, due February 11, 2022. | |||
| 11. | Ringo Starr | "Teach Me To Tango", "Just That Way" | |
| Ringo Starr eschews the full length album for the EP format, releasing two EPs in 2021. First, the five song collection called "Zoom In" - featuring "Teach Me To Tango", followed by the four song "Change The World" - featuring "Just That Way". | |||
| 12. | Tears For Fears | "The Tipping Point" | |
| From their upcoming album, The Tipping Point, due on February 25, 2022. The Tipping Point will be Tears For Fears' first studio album in more than seventeen years. | |||
| 13. | Weezer | "The End Of The Game" | |
| I never paid much attention to Weezer in the past, so I was very pleasantly surprised at Van Weezer, the second album from Weezer in 2021, following their "orchestral pop" album, OK Human. Van Weezer is a completely different album than OK Human, as Weezer ventures in a classic / hard rock direction. It's an album meant for arenas! "The End Of The Game" is the beginning of the album! | |||
| 14. | Wet Leg | "Chaise Longue", "Wet Dream" | |
| The first two songs from Wet Leg! | |||
| 15. | Neil Young and Crazy Horse | "Heading West" | |
| From the upcoming album, Barn, due December 10, 2021. | |||
Top 25 Favorite Albums Of 2021 (in alphabetical order) |
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| Artist | Album | ||
| 1. | Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga | Love For Sale | |
| A sentimental choice to honor an icon of American popular song. Tony's second album with Lady Gaga (following 2014's Cheek To Cheek) features the final recordings of 95 year old Queens native, Anthony Dominick Benedetto, ending a brilliant career which lasted for more than seventy-five years. | |||
| 2. | Big Red Machine | How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? | |
| The second album from Aaron Dessner (from The National) and Justin Vernon (of Bon Iver and others) features numerous guest contributors including Fleet Foxes, Lisa Hannigan, Ben Howard, Ilsey (Juber, the daughter of guitarist Laurence Juber), La Force, Anais Mitchell, Naeem, Shara Nova (of My Brightest Diamond), Taylor Swift, This Is The Kit and Sharon VanEtten. | |||
| 3. | The Black Keys | Delta Kream | |
| Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney get back to their blues roots with an album of Mississippi hill country blues. An all covers album, Delta Kream features songs from R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough and more. | |||
| 4. | Jackson Browne | Downhill From Everywhere | |
| This is Jackson Browne's first album of new songs in almost seven full years. | |||
| 5. | Lindsey Buckingham | Lindsey Buckingham | |
| Three years after being booted from Fleetwood Mac and two years after open heart surgery following a heart attack, Lindsey issues his first solo studio album in a decade. | |||
| 6. | Del Amitri | Fatal Mistakes | |
| Scotland's Del Amitri - Justin Currie, longtime member Iain Harvie, Andy Alston and company - are back with their first studio album in nineteen years. | |||
| 7. | Dion | Stomping Ground | |
| Picking up where last year's Blues With Friends left off, 82 year old Dion DiMucci delivers another killer collection of Bronx blues, with contributions from Marcia Ball, Joe Bonamassa, Eric Clapton, Billy F. Gibbons (of ZZ Top), Peter Frampton, Rickie Lee Jones, Mark Knopfler, Sonny Landreth, Keb' Mo', Boz Scaggs, Patti Scialfa, G.E. Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Vivino and more. | |||
| 8. | The Doobie Brothers | Liberté | |
| Fifty years after their debut album, the Doobie Brothers - Patrick Simmons, Tom Johnston and John McFee - come out of the pandemic with the followup to 2014's Southbound. Liberté is the first studio album of all new, original material in eleven years. (Michael McDonald has returned to the band for their fiftieth anniversary tour.) | |||
| 9. | The Peter Frampton Band | Frampton Forgets The Words | |
| The second album from Peter Frampton and his current band is an all instrumental affair featuring covers of songs originally by other artists. It's a companion to 2019's All Blues, the Frampton Band's collection of blues covers. It's also Frampton's second instrumental album after 2006's Fingerprints. Artists covered on Frampton Forgets The Words include Sly and the Family Stone, Radiohead, Michel Colombier, Marvin Gaye, Roxy Music, George Harrison, Stevie Wonder, Lenny Kravitz, David Bowie and Alison Krauss. | |||
| 10. | Heartless Bastards | A Beautiful Life | |
| The sixth album from Erika Wennerstrom's band is their first in six years and Wennerstrom's first effort since her solo debut album, Sweet Unknown, from 2018. | |||
| 11. | Christone "Kingfish" Ingram | 662 | |
| The second album from 22 year old Mississippi bluesman, Christone Ingram. The future of the blues looks very bright! | |||
| 12. | The Killers | Pressure Machine | |
| The follow up to 2020's Imploding The Mirage is a concept album about life in small town U.S.A. - specifically, Nephi, Utah, where Killers' lead singer Brandon Flowers grew up. | |||
| 13. | Lord Huron | Long Lost | |
| The fourth album from Lord Huron - the quartet fronted by Ben Schneider. | |||
| 14. | Pat Metheny | Side Eye NYC V1.IV | |
| Pat Metheny describes his new ensemble, Side Eye, as "an ongoing platform to host a rotating cast of the newer generations of musicians who have particularly caught my interest along the way." This is the fourth iteration of Side Eye, thus the V1.IV in the album's title. Metheny's second album issued in 2021 features new compositions mixed with classic Metheny material from the past. **HONORABLE MENTION: Pat Metheny's first 2021 album, Road To The Sun, featuring two classical compositions from Metheny, one performed by classical guitarist Jason Vieaux and the other by the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. Metheny then performs Arvo Part's "Fur Alina" on his forty-two string, multi neck Pikasso I guitar. | |||
| 15. | My Morning Jacket | My Morning Jacket | |
| The first album from the band since the sessions that resulted in the 2015 album, The Waterfall, and 2020's The Waterfall II. | |||
| 16. | Jennifer O'Connor | Born At The Disco | |
| The seventh album from singer songwriter Jennifer O'Connor is her first in five years. O'Connor recorded most of the album herself at home, using drum machines and synthesizers. | |||
| 17. | Bob Perry | A World Like This | |
| In the 1980s, I flipped over an alternative band from New Jersey called Winter Hours. They were favorites on WFUV with songs like "Hyacinth Girl", "Wait Till The Morning", "Churches", "Walk Away", "Say The Word", "Smoke Rings" and "Roadside Flowers". A few years ago, I was thrilled to meet their guitarist, Bob Perry, on Facebook and as a result, I found out about A World Like This, Perry's latest solo effort. It's well worth searching for this digital only album. (And, try to track down some of the albums, EPs and singles from Winter Hours, as well.) | |||
| 18. | Robert Plant and Alison Krauss | Raise The Roof | |
| Fourteen years after they were Raising Sand, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are back, this time to Raise The Roof. Like their first collaberation, Raise The Roof finds Plant and Krauss interpreting the songs of others, including Calexico, the Everly Brothers, Anne Briggs, Allen Toussaint, Bobby Moore and the Rhythm Aces, Lucinda Williams (a Randy Weeks composition), Bert Jansch, Ola Belle Reed, Merle Haggard and more. There is also one original penned by Plant and producer T Bone Burnett. | |||
| 19. | Santana | Blessings And Miracles | |
| Not as powerful and moving as their last album, the outstanding Africa Speaks, Blessings And Miracles, the twenty-seventh studio album from Santana (including their collaberation with the Isley Brothers, Power Of Peace), is a bit of a hit and miss affair. It occasionally harks back to classic early Santana while also remaining contemporary through contributions from special guests like Steve Winwood, Chick Corea and Gayle Moran Corea, Kirk Hammett, Rob Thomas and American Authors, Corey Glover, Chris Stapleton, Ally Brooke, Diane Warren and G-Easy and more. Unfortuantely, Blessings And Miracles occasionally ventures into the pop abyss with cringe inducing moments like "Break", featuring Ally Brooke, "She's Fire", featuring Diane Warren and G-Easy and "Breathing Underwater", featuring Stella Santana, Avi Snow and MVCA. Then there's the goofy heavy metal free for all, "America For Sale", featuring Kirk Hammett and Marc Osegueda. All completely unnecesary. Carlos, please leave these pop songs off future albums! | |||
| 20. | Strand Of Oaks | In Heaven | |
| Timothy Showalter's latest is another deeply personal and heartfelt collection of songs, that gets assistance from Carl Broemel and Bo Koster (both of My Morning jacket) and a guest appearance from James Iha (of Smashing Pumpkins). | |||
| 21. | Matthew Sweet | Catspaw | |
| Matthew Sweet continues a decade long stretch of terrific albums — Modern Art (2011), Tomorrow Forever (2017), Tomorrow's Daughter (2018), Wicked System Of Things (2018) — with Catspaw. | |||
| 22. | The War On Drugs | I Don't Live Here Anymore | |
| The War on Drugs returns with their first album in four years and a strengthening reputation as one of today's top rock bands. I Don't Live Here Anymore was meticulously crafted over a period of approximately three years. | |||
| 23. | Yes | The Quest | |
| So-called Yes purists may complain about another album without Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman and the late Chris Squire, but Yes continues to thrive despite recent changes in personnel. Legendary guitarist Steve Howe, longtime drummer Alan White (a consistent member since 1972), keyboardist Geoffrey Downes, bassist and vocalist Billy Sherwood (Squire's personal choice to carry on playing bass following Squire's death in 2015) and vocalist Jon Davison (a member since 2012) created The Quest, a double album, during the COVID-19 pandemic. | |||
| 24. | Yola | Stand For Myself | |
| Her second album reinforces what we discovered in 2019 from her superb debut album, Walk Through Fire - Yola is one of today's premier soul, R&B, gospel and rock singer songwriters. As was the case with Walk Through Fire, Yola works very closely throughout the album with producer Dan Auerbach (of the Black Keys). | |||
| 25. | various artists | I'll Be Your Mirror A Tribute To The Velvet Underground & Nico | |
| Most of the time, tribute albums fail in their attempt to interpret and honor the work of an artist or, in this case, an album. This salute to The Velvet Underground & Nico — the 1967 album which was the first for both parties and the only one created by the Velvet Underground and German singer, Nico, together — succeeds in both areas. Produced by the late Hal Willner (a big reason why this album "works"), I'll Be Your Mirror A Tribute To The Velvet Underground & Nico features contributions from Courtney Barnett, Matt Berninger (of The National), Andrew Bird and Lucius, Fontaines D.C., King Princess, Thurston Moore and Bobby Gillespie, Iggy Pop and Matt Sweeney, St. Vincent and Thomas Bartlett, Michael Stipe, Sharon VanEtten and Kurt Vile. | |||
Discovery of the Year |
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| Wet Leg | Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, from the Isle of Wight, are Wet Leg. | ||
Delphine Blue |
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| In no particular order. There were so many great songs in 2021. I stopped myself at 20. But I could have kept going. | |||
Top 10 songs |
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| Artist | Song | ||
| 1. | Yola | "Stand For Myself" | |
| 2. | Tony Allen | "Cosmosis (feat Ben Okri & Skepta)" | |
| 3. | Dry Cleaning | "Strong Feelings" | |
| 4. | Pinc Louds | "Semaforo" | |
| 5. | Wet Leg | "Chaise Longue" | |
| 6. | Valerie June | "You and I" | |
| 7. | The Shivas | "Undone" | |
| 8. | Jungle | "Truth" | |
| 9. | Paul McCartney | "Women and Wives (St. Vincent Remix)" | |
| 10. | Ora The Molecule | "Creator (In Flagranti Remix)" | |
| 11. | Lil Nas X | "Montero" | |
| 12. | The Allergies | "Working On Me" | |
| 13. | Barry Adamson | "Broken Moments" | |
| 14. | Nick Cave & Warren Ellis | "Hand of God" | |
| 15. | Cedric Burnside Step In | "Step In" | |
| 16. | Amythyst Kiah | "Black Myself" | |
| 17. | Delvon LaMarr Organ Trio | "Call Your Mom" | |
| 18. | Matt Berry | "Like Stone (Moon Duo mix)" | |
| 19. | Dom La Nena | "Oiseau Sauvage" | |
| 20. | Spring ’68 | "A Romantic Paris Pt. 1" | |
Top 10 Albums |
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| Artist | Album | ||
| 1. | Tony Allen | There Is No End | |
| The posthumous release from Nigerian drummer and musical director of Fela Kuti's is aptly titled. | |||
| 2. | Billie Eilish | Happier Than Ever | |
| If you love her, Happier Than Ever definitely delivered. | |||
| 3. | Dry Cleaning | New Long Leg | |
| Anything that smacks of no wave or post punk catches my attention. Dry Cleaning absorbed the sound of 1979 and made it new and their own in 2021. | |||
| 4. | Valerie June | The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers | |
| The massively talented and enchanting Valerie June emits beauty with every note. | |||
| 5. | Aerial East | Try Harder | |
| Hearing her hit the high notes on the title track will knoock you off your feet. And then she owns you. | |||
| 6. | Lael Neale | Acquainted With Night | |
| Haunting, beautiful, reminiscent of Aldous Harding's 2016 debut in its old-timey simplicity. | |||
| 7. | Jungle | Loving In Stereo | |
| Let's dance to some funky electronic beats | |||
| 8. | Jesse Malin | Sad & Beautiful World | |
| Jesse Malin's double LP is chock full of lyrics to chew on for days. Beautiful production courtesy of Jesse and guitarist Derek Cruz doing double duty. | |||
| 9. | Alan Vega | After Dark | |
| In 2021 what could be better than a new album from the late Alan Vega? This late night session features Ben Vaughn, Barb Dwyer and Palmyra Delran. A delight for fans of Alan Vega and Suicide. | |||
| 10. | Various Artists | Changui: The Sound of Guantanamo | |
| Three discs of field recordings from Cuba of the style of music known as Changui, created by Gianluca Tramontana and Grammy-winning engineer and producer Steve Rosenthal, who owned the Magic Shop recording studio and the Living Room performance venue. | |||
| 11. | Bush Tetras | Rhythm and Paranoia | |
| This triple disc box set commemorating their 40-year career made it to the New York Times's 2021 gift guide. | |||
| 12. | Vivien Goldman | Next Is Now | |
| Punk-renaissance woman Vivien Goldman dropped this post-pandemic present on which she teams up with her former producer. | |||
Discovery of the Year |
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| Wet Leg | It might be too soon to make predictions, I'm tempering my expectations, but if "Chaise Longue" is any indication of what's to come, Wet Leg is pretty exciting and more from them is something to look forward to in 2022. | ||
John Platt |
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Top 10 Songs (In alphabetical order) |
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| Artist | Song | ||
| 1. | Jon Batiste | "I Need You" | |
| 2. | Jefferson Berry | "We'll Soon Be Together" | |
| 3. | Brandi Carlile | "You and Me on the Rock" | |
| 4. | Ani DiFranco | "Simultaneously" | |
| 5. | Diana Jones | "We Believe You" | |
| 6. | Christine Lavin | "The Best Summer" | |
| 7. | Crys Matthews | "Call Them In" | |
| 8. | Allison Russell | "Nightflyer" | |
| 9. | Son Volt | "Living in the USA" | |
| 10. | The Accidentals | "Wildfire" | |
Top 10 Albums (In alphabetical order) |
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| Artist | Album | ||
| 1. | Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga | Love for Sale | |
| 2. | Jackson Browne | Downhill from Everywhere | |
| 3. | Brandi Carlile | In These Silent Days | |
| 4. | Paula Cole | American Quilt | |
| 5. | Reggie Harris | On Solid Ground | |
| 6. | Diana Jones | Song to a Refugee | |
| 7. | Allison Russell | Outside Child | |
| 8. | Eleri Ward | A Perfect Little Death | |
| 9. | Amy Speace | There Used to Be Horses Here | |
| 10. | Dar Williams | I'll Meet You Here | |
| More than Honorable mentions: | |||
| Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Georgie Blue; Various Artists: Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, Vol. 2; Alisa Amador, Narratives; Sloan Wainwright, Red Maple Tree; Jake Shimabukuro, Jake and Friends; Tim Grimm, Gone; A.J. Croce, By Request; Kate Taylor, Why Wait; Guy Davis, Be Ready When I Call You; Bela Fleck, My Bluegrass Heart; Colin Hay, I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself; Liz Simmons, Poets; Chris Pierce, American Silence; Joni Mitchell, Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1967-1971) | |||
Discovery of the Year |
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| Side Pony | A Nashville duo formed by Alice Wallace and Caitlyn Cannon, with strong songs, harmonies, and attitude. | ||
Kara Manning |
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Top Songs |
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| Artist | Song | ||
| 1. | Little Simz feat. Cleo Sol | “Woman” | |
| 2. | Unknown Mortal Orchestra | “That Life” | |
| 3. | 박혜진 Park Hye Jin | “Let’s Sing, Let’s Dance” | |
| 4. | Black Country, New Road | “Track X” | |
| 5. | Horsegirl | “Sea Life Sandwich Boy” | |
| 6. | Vanishing Twin | “Big Moonlight (Ookki Gekkou)" | |
| 7. | Pa Salieu feat. Obongjayar | “Style & Fashion” | |
| 8. | Afflecks Palace | “Carpe Diem” | |
| 9. | Yard Act | “The Overload” | |
| 10. | English Teacher | “Wallace” | |
| 11. | serpentwithfeet feat. Sampha and Lil Silva | “Fellowship” | |
| 12. | Japanese Breakfast | “Savage Good Boy” | |
| 13. | Jon Batiste | “Freedom” | |
| 14. | Maya Jane Coles | “Night Creature” | |
| 15. | Bobby Gillespie and Jehnny Beth | “Remember We Were Lovers” | |
| 16. | New Dad | “Slowly” | |
| 17. | Wet Leg | “Chaise Longue” | |
| 18. | The Nagging Doubts | "Through a Glass Darkly, Pts 1 and 2" | |
Top Albums/EPs |
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| Artist | Album | ||
| 1. | Little Simz | Sometimes I Might Be Introvert | |
| 2. | Black Country, New Road | for the first time | |
| 3. | Cleo Sol | Mother | |
| 4. | Wolf Alice | Blue Weekend | |
| 5. | Sault | Nine | |
| 6. | Dry Cleaning | New Long Leg | |
| 7. | Cassandra Jenkins | An Overview on Phenomenal Nature | |
| 8. | The Weather Station | Ignorance | |
| 9. | Robert Plant and Alison Krauss | Raise the Roof | |
| 10. | Sofia Kourtesis | Fresia Magdalena EP | |
| 11. | Rachel Chinouriri | Four° in Winter EP | |
| 12. | St. Vincent | Daddy's Home | |
| 13. | Self Esteem | Prioritise Pleasure | |
| 14. | Jon Batiste | We Are | |
| 15. | Priya Ragu | damnshestamil | |
| 16. | Elbow | Flying Dream 1 | |
| 17. | Arlo Parks | Collapsed in Sunbeams | |
| 18. | Damon Albarn | The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows | |
Discoveries: |
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| Horsegirl | Trio of Chicago teens released two dazzling, haze-drenched singles on the Sonic Cathedral label before being snapped up by Matador. | ||
| English Teacher | Leeds quartet with sharp lyrics steeped in this unstable world, and explosive dynamics. | ||
| Sofia Kourtesis | Peruvian-born, Berlin-based producer's EP ode to her parents, Fresia Magdelena, is an exquisite document of grief, love, and dancing | ||
| Fräulein | Northern Irish-Dutch duo released their first single, "Pretty People," in April 2021, and their latest, "By the Water," might allude to P.J. Harvey but has its own stark and crafty bite. | ||
| Bleach Lab | Beautiful, wistful songs from this shoegazy London band with deft pop chops. | ||
Janet Bardini |
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Top 10 Songs |
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| Artist | Song | ||
| 1. | Arlo Parks | "Hope" | |
| Beautiful | |||
| 2. | Lucy Dacus | "Brando" | |
| Painting a story of how young love stinks | |||
| 3. | Leon Bridges | "Motorbike" | |
| Makes me want to learn how to ride one | |||
| 4. | My Morning Jacket | "Love Love Love" | |
| Tripping the light fantastic | |||
| 5. | Phoebe Bridgers | "Seize The Day" | |
| Saving McCartney III Reimagined. | |||
| 6. | Adele | "Easy On Me" | |
| Be brave, be strong, be Adele | |||
| 7. | Clairo | "Amoeba" | |
| A brilliant songwriter — I can listen to her all day | |||
| 8. | Japanese Breakfast | "Paprika" | |
| It starts off with a harmonium and you're expecting a hare krishna mantra and then pow! it's a pop hit | |||
| 9. | Sleater-Kinney | "Worry With You" | |
| Let's get lost baby with grrrl power | |||
| 10. | The Killers | "Quiet Town" | |
| Beautiful imagery of an American town in a song | |||
Top 10 Albums |
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| Artist | Album | ||
| 1. | Arlo Parks | Collapsed In Sunbeams | |
| I love how she's not afraid to show her vulnerability | |||
| 2. | Lucy Dacus | Home Video | |
| Childhood living is easy to do for Lucy | |||
| 3. | Leon Bridges | Gold-Diggers Sound | |
| Just a great cool record with a new sound for soul | |||
| 4. | The Killers | Pressure Machine | |
| An album filled with stories that should be included in the American songbook | |||
| 5. | Japanese Breakfast | Jubilee | |
| Pop hit after pop hit of shiny happy people | |||
| 6. | Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats | The Future | |
| I have seen the future of the American songwriter and his name is Nathaniel Rateliff | |||
| 7. | Wolf Alice | Blue Weekend | |
| One of the most interesting bands ever from the UK. You can't define them, and that's what I love about them. | |||
| 8. | Adele | 30 | |
| The best pop star of the 21st century, crossing over many radio genres. | |||
| 9. | Amythyst Kiah | Wary And Strange | |
| She's not afraid to tell it like it is, even if it ain't pretty. A brave and tender songwriter. | |||
| 10. | Courtney Barnett | Things Take Time, Take Time | |
| Diary of a sane musician in pandemic times | |||
Discovery Of The Year |
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| Wet Leg | I Want Money! | ||
Sarah Wardrop |
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Top 10 Songs (alphabetical and outside my Top 10 Albums) |
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| Artist | Song | ||
| 1. | Ani DiFranco | "Crocus" | |
| 2. | Good Morning | "Country" | |
| 3. | Indigo De Souza | "Hold U" | |
| 4. | Japanese Breakfast | "Be Sweet" | |
| 5. | Durand Jones & The Indications | "Witchoo" | |
| 6. | Amythyst Kiah | "Black Myself" | |
| 7. | MUNA with Phoebe Bridgers | "Silk Chiffon" | |
| 8. | Liz Phair | "Soberish" | |
| 9. | Shungudzo | "It's A Good Day To Fight The System" | |
| 10. | TORRES | "Don't Go Puttin Wishes in My Head" | |
Top 10 Albums (alphabetical) |
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| Artist | Album | ||
| 1. | Courtney Barnett | Things Take Time, Take Time | |
| 2. | Jon Batiste | We Are | |
| 3. | Cautious Clay | Deadpan Love | |
| 4. | Claud | Super Monster | |
| 5. | Middle Kids | Today We're the Greatest | |
| 6. | Arlo Parks | Collapsed in Sunbeams | |
| 7. | Allison Russell | Outside Child | |
| 8. | Sleater-Kinney | Path of Wellness | |
| 9. | St. Vincent | Daddy's Home | |
| 10. | Strand of Oaks | In Heaven | |
Discovery of the Year |
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| Indigo De Souza | |||
Benham Jones |
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Top 10 Songs (alphabetical order, excluding any tunes on my Top 10 Albums) |
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| Artist | Song | ||
| 1. | Big Thief | "Certainty" | |
| 2. | Billie Eillish | "Lost Cause" | |
| 3. | Chappell Roan | "Pink Pony Club" | |
| actually 2020, but had its day in 2021 | |||
| 4. | Durand Jones & the Indications | "Witchoo" | |
| 5. | Ohtis | "Schatze" | |
| 6. | RMR | "RASCAL" | |
| 7. | St. Vincent | "Pay Your Way in Pain" | |
| 8. | Sunflower Bean | "Baby Don't Cry" | |
| 9. | The Marias | "Hush" | |
| 10. | Wet Leg | "Chaise Longue" | |
Top 10 Albums |
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| Artist | Album | ||
| 1. | Blake Mills & Pino Palladino | Notes With Attachments | |
| 2. | Cassandra Jenkins | An Overview on Phenomenal Nature | |
| 3. | Dry Cleaning | New Long Leg | |
| 4. | Eris Drew | Quivering in Time | |
| 5. | Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra | Promises | |
| 6. | Japanese Breakfast | Jubilee | |
| 7. | MadLib | Sound Ancestors | |
| 8. | Parquet Courts | Sympathy for Life | |
| 9. | Snail Mail | Valentine | |
| 10. | Yves Tumor | The Asymtotical World | |
Discovery of the Year |
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| Yves Tumor | |||
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