Top 20 Albums of 2021
Another year. Another stack of amazing records. Here are my top 20 albums of 2021:
20 — Ophidian I — Desolate
Is this album actually better than all of those ones in my honourable mentions? Who knows. What I DO know is that no album this year made me wish I could hop on a plane to Scandinavia and learn to shred more than this one. Blisteringly fast technical metal with a dash of sci-fi. Yes please. From the frenetic album opener “Diamonds” to the more grand solo of “Enslaved in a Desolate Swarm” to the final epic moments of “Wither on the Vine” every time one of these songs came on it got me amped up.
Favourite Track: “Spiral to Oblivion”
19 — Turnstile — GLOW ON
Turnstile turned out one of the most fun punk records in a while. “Mystery” kicks the album off with some spacey synth arpeggios which immediately let’s you know the band are going to explore some new territory. But immediately catchy riffs and choruses that demand to be sung along to start kicking in. “Don’t Play” is reminiscent of the best off-kilter riffs of Refused but then has little a little eastern music melody between the verses.
Then “Underwater Boi” sounds like the most energetic dream pop right before “Holiday” channels Fugazi for its intro. It’s like a greatest hits of different punk stylings and they’re all woven together with really gorgeous production (not something you hear about many punk records.) And we’re only a third of the way through the record’s tight 15 tracks in 35 minute run time!
The boys aren’t scared to get a little funky either. The verses “New Heart Design” sounds like the sleaziest Duran Duran late night drive in the absolute best way.
Seriously this thing has no misses and keeps delivering new sounds and good energy from front to back.
Favourite Track: “Holiday”
18 — The Mountain Goats — Dark in Here
It’s been a long while since a Mountain Goats album has grabbed me as much as Dark in Here. Probably since 2015’s Beat the Champ. Maybe it was recording four volumes of new live versions of his older material while stuck in quarantine, but this album feels much more rooted in Mountain Goats history than the last few albums which felt like they were exploring whole new styles — to mixed results in my opinion. John Darnielle returns to using some of his more strident vocal stylings that first grabbed me when I became a fan.
That’s not to say that the years haven’t added to his songwriting. The understated biblical wrath on “Mobile” is great as it mirrors the Jonah story: “May I address the foreman of the jury/ Why do you hold back your fury? Don’t hold back your fury!” Then the title track feels like Cormac McCarthy-esque survival short story while “Lizard Suit” has an incredible jazz jam outro — something that would never have featured on the early, more minimal era albums. It’s just that here, all the new found tools and styles are being incorporated into the Mountain Goats sound rather than overwhelming it as it seemed they did on the last 3 or so albums.
Oh and I can’t go without mentioning how good of a song title “The Slow Parts on Death Metal Albums” is.
Favourite Track: “Lizard Suit”
17 — Feu! Chatterton — Palais D’argile
My French is just barely good enough to catch a word or phrase every couple of verses. But even without any language comprehension this album brings vibes and sleek production in boatloads. Think the last Arcade Fire album plus LCD Soundsystem but all of it is serving the delivery of that suave chansons tradition of Jacques Brel or Serge Gainsbourg.
Palais D’argile has a few slower spots that drag a bit but it also boasts three of my favourite tracks of the year. Album opener “Un Monde Nouveau” begins with some mysterious organ chords before the chorus bursts forth with vitality and a really great melody that get’s stuck in my head all the time. And the build in the bridge is excellent.
“Écran Total” is Talking Heads meets LCD Soundsystem in the best way. Makes me want to dance every time it comes on with it’s driving double time beat and groovy bass. The more spoken word delivery (almost like a political speech) adds to the urgency of the beat.
“Compagnons” is a sweet two-chord jam that builds slowly and has some glam rock guitars thrown in just to really hit the sweet spot for me. Love it. It could run twice as long and I probably wouldn’t tire of it at all.
The rest of the album is well worth listening to as well but those are the big highlights that kept me coming back over and over this year. So ya, first time a french-language album is on my list and it’s well deserved.
Favourite Track: “Écran Total”
16 — Spellling — The Turning Wheel
The Turning Wheel is one of the more unique releases of the year. Spellling’s voice takes shifts and twists, at times evoking Kate Bush (probably the artist she’s most compared to), at others Mariah Carey, Joanna Newsom, Britney Spears, and even…Coheed and Cambria? It’s a versatile instrument.
The movie score orchestration and conga drums of the opening, “Little Deer” really set up the sound palette for the album. But it’s the second track “Always” with it’s more seductive tone, synths that could be straight off of Leonard Cohen’s “Tower of Song” and soaring chorus, that really grabs me. The way the song builds layer after layer on top of one another just really does it for me.
The folk hymn piano of the title track has one of my favourite melodies of the bunch as well, but it’s “Emperor with an Egg” that ends up being the big stand out for me. It’s a “just” song about a penguin worrying about its egg, but the way she combines the poetry of the lyrics with the textures of the music is brilliant. The strings soar to describe how elegant he is while swimming, but everything except her creepily layered voice drops out at the end as the refrain “I can feel a leopard seal” repeats terrifyingly. We don’t know if he get’s away, that’s how the song ends — it’s a powerful compositional decision and I love it.
Every track has a moment (or three) of brilliance and the arrangements and vocal performances alone are worth checking the album out for. Definitely going to be following Spellling from now on.
Favourite Track: “Emperor with an Egg”
15 — Arm’s Length — Everything Nice
This 17 minute EP from Ontario emo revivalists Arm’s Length brought me so much joy this year. Full-throated nostalgia bombs from start to finish. Just listen to octave jump into the chorus on the into “Theme Song.” So good.
“Gallows Humour” embraces the vibe of “Swing Life Away” but avoids some of the saccharine self-indulgence of that classic tune:
Cause I can’t help but notice you’re losing your voice
Pins and needles persist as you walk on white noise
You used to be bitter by choice
“Garamond” has the strongest chorus of the bunch (“You’re always leaving the light on/ I’m leaving before it gets bad!”) and it always get’s stuck in my head and makes me long for the $5 all ages basement shows of my youth, screaming myself raw and leaving sweaty, bruised, and happy.
It’s exciting for me to see a new generation embracing some of the things that brought me joy in highschool. More of this please!
Favourite Track: “Garamond”
14 — Weezer — OK Human
Wait, is there a Weezer album in my top 20 in the year of our lord 2021? You’re goddamn right there is. This beauty showed up in January and totally rekindled my Weezer love for a whole couple of months before Van Weezer kind of dampened it again haha.
One of my most listened to albums of the first half of the year, OK Human embraces what I’ve always loved about Weezer — big melodies, catchy riffs, goofy but heartfelt lyrics — and avoids a lot of the pitfalls —like trying too hard to be cool, using the word “daddy”, etc. The addition of the Abbey Road orchestra as backing musicians doesn’t hurt either, lending a sonic depth that the band hasn’t hung out too much around.
Right off the bat the album is catchy af. “All My Favourite Songs” got lodged in my brain from first listen with those huge strings and killer chorus. The following “Aloo Gobi”, which is about how even the trappings of success and fame can become boring if you’re not careful, is equally addicting. It weirdly plays like the 50-yr-old version of “Tired of Sex”…
The band takes full advantage of the orchestral opportunities on tracks like the melodramatic “Playing My Piano” and the bittersweet “Bird With A Broken Wing.”
This album was a huge pick me up in the midst of a bleak, socially-restricted Calgary winter and it rose easily to become one of my favourite Weezer albums ever.
Favourite Track: “All My Favourite Songs”
13 — Richard Dawson & Circle — Henki
If this album had been released before December it might have climbed higher on my list (his last album was my #2 of 2019) — but it immediately grabbed me regardless. Richard Dawson’s unique guitar style and even more unique vocals are here complemented by Finnish experimental/prog veterans Circle to great effect and together they craft beautiful and bizarre musical worlds.
The album (which is uniquely plant-themed?) opens on a sinister musical note but embraces the fine details of the “consideration of small things.” Immediately you feel like you understand the protagonist as he stops to look closely at things in nature. It’s a lovely sentiment and in stark contrast to the music and the workman’s refrain of “ya-ho, ya-ho, ya-ho” that evokes tedium and drudgery. But there are moments of light as the chorus opens up with a lovely melody and sparkling arpeggios. Then the verses return and now he sings about one of the hardest parts of his life:
When I was young, thе better part of my days
Werе spent to the nursing of my mum
I found my pleasure whenever I could
In tennis and piano (Ya-ho, ya-ho, ya-ho)
The intrumental outro once again embraces light and spends more time there but the last three chords return to the darkness.
The nine minute epic “Ivy” is again a bit on the sinister side. It’s got early Black Sabbath vibes, but more folksy. Seriously, how metal is the second verse?:
I instructed my boy in the art of dressing game
And gave him my granddad’s knife on the day he became a man
And watched from the kitchen window as he was swallowed by thе trees
I kept a vigil for a month before I madе a fire of his hissing clothesTendrils surging up
Ahhhh-ahhhhhh-ahhhh
Overflowing cup
The krautrock interlude is awesome before the erupting into an evocative storm at sea as we transition to Ancient Greece and the myth of King Midas and his golden touch.
There is definitely a theme of being cursed by getting what you want on the album as “Methuselah” is the true story of the researcher who killed the oldest living tree in order to determine it’s age.
A few of the Circle passages took me a while to adjust to (especially the extended minimal noise jazz jam in the middle of “Silphium”) but I’ve come to really appreciate them and their place on the album.
I haven’t had nearly enough time to fully absorb this album yet but already as I write I’m gaining even more appreciation for it. Good chance that by the end of next year this one will be in my top 10 of 2021.
Favourite Track: “Ivy”
12 — Arooj Aftab — Vulture Prince
Arooj Aftab was born in Saudi Arabia but grew up in Pakistan and now lives in New York. It’s a beautiful collection of songs (only one of which is in English) that shows off her gorgeous voice and vocal control while her ensemble create meditative trance like states that blend traditional eastern musical styles with western jazz and minimalistic classical composition.
“Baghon Main” sets the tone with long, slow passages that you can just melt into. Then “Diya Hai” has a slightly more somber attitude and showcases some impressive guitar work.
But it’s the double punch of “Mohabbat” and “Saans Lo” that really destroy me. “Mohabbat” has a repetitive raga feel (complete with tabla) and feels like you’re floating on a warm breeze beneath the stars. “Saans Lo” on the other hand is the most minimal and slowest moving of everything on the album, which allows for gentle ambient textures to build and blend underneath her voice. It almost has a post-rock feel — but just the pretty and quiet parts, none of the massive exploding crescendos.
Definitely glad I found this one. I will follow her future work and plan on returning to her earlier albums that I haven’t had a chance to check out yet. Highly recommended if you need to tap into some cosmic peace.
Favourite Track: “Mohabbat”
11 — Tyler, The Creator — Call Me If You Get Lost
Tyler is back and bringing the luxurious vibes as hard as he can. Going full Nepunes on the production isn’t hurting either as he abandons the strange and delightful chaos of Igor in favour of 60s flutes and bossa nova.
He isn’t scared to go hard still tho — see “CORSO”, “LEMONHEAD” and “LUMBERJACK” for evidence of that. But even these tracks have a finesse and richness to their sound that acts as a through line for the whole album. Alternating between is gravelly baritone rapping voice and his so-sincere-it-avoids-being-silly falsetto keeps things moving throughout as well.
Lyrically there’s a healthy spectrum from sad boy trying to connect with real love, to captain of industry oozing world-hopping swagger, to hilariously apologizing for using the word “bitch” when he teenage Tyler used to use the most vile words available to get a reaction.
“HOT WIND BLOWS” is one of the stand outs on the record, really luxuriating in jazz flute and DJ Drama acting as a pilot’s announcement to introduce the track saying “We just landed in Geneva/ Ya, that’s in Switzerland.” Tyler’s flow and mercurial vocal delivery is on point for the whole first verse and then out of nowhere Lil Wayne comes in with one of his most compelling verses in years and steals the show.
I also love the second half of the massive 10-minute “SWEET/ I THOUGH YOU WANTED TO DANCE” with its full on bossa-nova elevator music vibe. Tyler comes in like someone singing drunk karaoke on a cruise, but somehow makes it feel like it’s in the hottest sixties nightclub for jet-setting big shots. It’s a vibe.
Definitely one of the year’s best hip hop records with its breadth of styles (and stylishness) and best-vacation-ever vibes.
Favourite Track: “HOT WIND BLOWS”
10 — Little Simz — Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
Speaking of best hip hop album of 2021: Little Simz made it.
“Introvert” might be the biggest sounding opening track on any album this year with its huge horns, martial drums, soaring strings, and full choir. But then in gets low and turns into something that almost feels like Radiohead composed a 70s blaxsploitation film. Immediately Simz is exploring her feelings on fame and responsibility, success and self-doubt, being unstoppable and the overwhelming systemic injustice of the world.
I hate the thought of just being a burden
I hate that these conversations are surfaced
Simz the artist or Simbi the person?
To you I’m smiling, but really, I’m hurting
I dedicate my life and gave my heart over twenty-something years
Left wondering how I even feel
But was it even worth it?
I bottle up and then spill it in verses
One day, I’m wordless, next day, I’m a wordsmith
Close to success, but to happiness, I’m the furthest
There are contrasts throughout the record. “Woman” is an ode to strong women in her life and the examples she wants to live up to and “I Love You, I Hate You” wrestles with a difficult relationship with an often absent father. Meanwhile the two most danceable tracks on the album “Protect My Energy” and “Point and Kill” (with its killer afrobeat music and Obongjayar’s sing-song rapping) are about trying to maintain boundaries without being closed off on one hand, and taking whatever you want whenever to get ahead on the other.
This is a complex work of art that really taps into a breadth of human experience and emotion as Little Simz continues to prove herself one of the best in the game and one of the most exciting voices in hip hop.
Favourite Track: “Introvert”
9 — Floating Points & Pharaoh Sanders — Promises (feat. London Symphony Orchestra)
This is a meditation. For 47 minutes the same chords repeat over and over, while legendary jazz saxophonist Pharaoh Sanders, electronic artist Floating Points, and the LSO create varied and sublime sonic shapes above it all. This is one to get lost in, drift upon, and float through. And let everything else melt away. Each movement has it’s own texture and yet it is all definitely a single piece. It’s really gorgeous, and I think everyone should set aside some quiet time to listen to it at least once.
One of the most calming pieces of art I’ve encountered in years. That’s all. That’s a lot.
8 — Bo Burnham — Inside (The Songs)
When I watched Inside I just liked it. Like…it was good, but I remember being moved more by Bo’s previous special Make Happy. I shrugged it off.
But then the next day my brain was like, “That ‘Welcome to the Internet Song’ was pretty good and I know I missed some jokes in there coz it was so quick, let’s listen to that one song again.” So I did. And then let the album keep playing. Then I listened to the whole thing the next day. And the next. And the next. I got obsessed. It was similar to how I get when I find a new great broadway soundtrack.
Is there anything especially potent musically on here? Maybe a moment or two, but it’s mostly simple pop tunes with some nostalgia slapped on top of it. But his wordplay, biting social commentary, and genuinely emotive vocal performances kept me coming back for more. And then I started to hear layers, musical callbacks, and structural subtleties I missed the first time. This thing kinda baffles me.
I’ve probably listened to the album a couple dozen times now. So. I guess Bo wins this one.
Anyway here are the highlights:
- the layered vocals and key change in “Comedy”
- the terrifying turn from child’s educational song to…what happens…in the conversation with the sock in “How The World Works”
- the devastatingly sad bridge hiding in all the silliness of “White Woman’s Instagram”
- the keyboard solo at the end of “Bezos I”
- all of “shit”
- EVERY SINGLE PART OF “Welcome to the Internet” from carnival keyboards to twisted lullaby to villainous laughter
- the hymn for a lonely selfie generation that is “All Eyes on Me” — this thing could be 20 minutes long and I wouldn’t skip it.
- the callback medley “Goodbye” that weaves everything together.
Seriously. Just watch it if you haven’t yet. It’s on Netflix.
When I think of pandemic-specific artwork…Inside and Charli XCX’s how i’m feeling now are probably going to be the references that will stick with me in the coming years. That’s not nothing. Thanks for the content Bo.
Favourite Track: “Welcome to the Internet”
7 — Jeff Rosenstock — SKA DREAM
On April 1, 2021, Jeff Rosenstock announced that he would be releasing an ALL SKA version of my #3 album of 2020 on 4/20. Hilarious April Fool’s Joke Jeff. Love it.
AND THEN IT HAPPENED. Everything I loved about that album…but now…FREAKING SKA. About 1/3 are genuinely better this way. 1/2 are about even. And the rest aren’t quite as good but still solid.
That’s all I really have to say about this. If you want to know why I loved the songs in the first place, go read last year’s list.
No music videos for this one so here’s a live version from a concert that looks like it was the most fun:
6 — TORRES — Thirstier
If you asked me who my favourite artists of the last decade are, TORRES wouldn’t pop to the front of my mind. But that needs to change. All four albums since 2015’s Sprinter have made it onto my year end lists. So let’s change that:
I declare that TORRES is one of the best musical artists of the last decade!
Thirstier further solidifies that.
TORRES got engaged to her girlfriend (who painted the last two album covers) between last year’s excellent Silver Tongue and this release. So of course relationships are at the forefront thematically. From earnest the “Don’t Go Putting Wishes In My Head” (with one of my favourite lines — “If we’re calling off the funeral, then I’m calling for a hitching”) and it’s huge chorus begging that the love is real, to the “you make me so crazy like only someone I love this much can” of “Drive Me” with its paired down and tense verses that erupt into one of the sweetest vocal performances of her career on the chorus (one of my fav moments), this album is in love, hesitantly but with growing fervour.
“Big Leap” and the intro to “Thirstier” sound the most like classic TORRES’ very spare arrangements, but the production on this album continues the trend towards a richer palette. “Thirstier” definitely showcases that contrast in styles to brilliant effect embracing both the vulnerable parts of her voice and the power of her growing confidence as a musician, partner, and person.
I’ll admit that sometimes I’m afraid that you’ll still run
Aim and shoot your arrow at a new obsession
But if I’ve got permission to stay under your skin
You’ll never want another love as long as you live
Can’t wait for her next album to show up on 2023’s best album list.
Favourite Track: “Thirstier”
5 — Backxwash — I Lie Here Buried With My Rings and My Dresses
It seems like every year there’s at least one completely harrowing album that blows my mind and grips my soul and refuses to be exorcised. This year I Lie Here Buried… joins the likes of Caligula and There Existed An Addiction To Blood and enters that horrifying pantheon.
The title track opens with a sinister soundscape that would make 90s Reznor proud and rabid shouting that will probably scare off any casual listener. These are songs of pain and torment, of surviving abuse and addiction, and of religious trauma.
“Terror Packets” talks about selling drugs and turning tricks to try and make money for hormone therapy in order to be able to transition into a more desirable body. “In Thy Holy Name” is a profane hymn that explores the judgment and abuse she’s received from people involved in the church because of her sexuality and gender. This track also boasts one of her most compelling flows on the record.
Life expectancy expectin’ me
Directly or indirecting me
The Bible says this plight is next for me
The pyrex beams light et-energy
Devil screams my name with empathy
Waning from the sleep I’m yet to see
The one two punch of “Song of Sinners” and “666 in Luxaxa” continue the religious and addiction themes very effectively. They channel both clipping. as well as some of EL-P’s more aggressive production styles.
This is a tough listen. Definitely not for everyone. Its 33-minute runtime feels much longer because it is so full of pain. But it’s a powerful testament to the catharsis of art pushing through the pain and anger and finding something to fight for.
Favourite Track: “In Thy Holy Name”
4 — Lingua Ignota — Sinner Get Ready
Not gonna lie, this one ain’t much easier than the last one. Lingua Ignota’s follow up to the phenomenal Caligula (mostly) ditches the noise and metal influences for a paired down — but equally unnerving — exploration of the simple power of religious hymns.
Kristin Hayter has said in interviews that this is a document of an abusive relationship being written while still inside of it. She’s also said that making it was an earnest search for God and for comfort in the spiritual traditions she grew up in…and the loss of finding neither.
“The Order of Spiritual Virgins” opens with a droning organ and ominous piano chords before a choir of Kristin’s chant a chilling “Hide your husbands, hide your children. I am relentless, I am incessant, I am the ocean. All who dare look upon me swear eternal devotion.” There is a brief gentle reprieve before the piano begins to thunder and shake the whole recording while her voices wails a lament above it.
The second track, “I Who Bend The Tall Grasses” contains the only true moment of screaming horror that dominated Caligula as she begs God to be freed of her abuser:
Where does your light not shine?
Where does your light not shine?Take hold of my gentle axe and split him open
Gather up my quiet hammer and nail him down
Use any of your heavenly means
Your golden scythe
Your holy sword
Your fiery arrows studded with stars
I don’t give a fuck
Just kill him
You have to
I’m not asking
It’s extremely upsetting and chilling.
The rest of the album is more somber, more defeated, more sorrowful. The genuinely beautiful “Pennsylvania Furnace” and the despondent “Perpetual Flame of Centralia” both intone the protection of God. Their horror is more reminiscent of the movie “The Witch” than anything else. It isn’t the presence of something malignant and much as the lack of something good that seems to create the unease.
Almost every track has a lumbering inevitability about it. A real slow dread. The only exception occurs on “Man Is Like A Spring Flower” where half way through what sounds like a banjo and clarinets begin a hypnotic and driving dirge that slowly builds in intensity as Lingy layers vocals upon vocals upon vocals. It’s a much need reprieve and sets up the truly lovely and despondent closing track “The Solitary Brethren of Ephrata” which sings of paradise and healing before sighingly acknowledging that only loneliness is “master.” Heartbreakingly gorgeous.
There are way more layers to this record — the snippets of interviews with cult leaders, Hayter’s new found obsession with disgraced televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, the fact that she didn’t break up with her abuser until after the album came out, etc. But this will suffice for now. This is a heartbreaking document of searching and surviving and losing. I am richer for having heard it.
Favourite Track: “Pennsylvania Furnace”
3 — Kero Kero Bonito — Civilisation II
I love KKB. They are always a delightful change of pace from whatever else is going on in my life — so it’s fitting that they show up here on my list after two incredibly challenging records. This year they released the second part of their Civilisation series of EPs that claims to discover the junk scraps of pop music from a lost fictional culture. Ya. Super fun. And II is superior to I in almost every way.
The whimsical and huge sounding “The Princess and the Clock” tells a fairy tale-like story of a princess trapped in a clock tower and forced to paint pictures for all time…and of her daring escape. The bouncing synths, tick tock rhythms, and jazzy vibes are evocative of the story and Sarah Bonito’s charming singing just makes it even better. Oh and the keyboard solo is incredible!
“21/04/20” by comparison is a simple song and its slice of life style narration seems a bit out of place until you realize that its set the day before a pandemic was declared where Sarah lives. So it’s a kind of mosquito-trapped-in-amber moment of how simple life was before the pandemic. “
Hey, so, how are you doing?”
“I’m okay, you know, the usual kinda weird”
“Well Rested” on the other hand is a 7 minute apocalyptic prophesy — a song of hope amidst hopelessness.
We are taught hopeless death
To break down our resistance to it
This is a hallmark of the unholy temple
We must fight the unnatural cause of anti-humanity
And listen to the Earth’s word
The music grows and builds in intensity over the track’s run time (there’s another killer solo) and there’s an urgency and seriousness that isn’t always apparent in KKB’s music. It’s cool to see them break through the dreamy imagination of their usual stylings and deliver something a bit more direct — while still staying extremely imaginative and unique.
This EP is only 14 minutes, but it brought so much joy this year that it deserves top tier billing.
Favourite Track: “The Princess and the Clock”
2 — Black Country, New Road — For The First Time
Man…I spent 9 months of this year really thinking this was going to be my album of the year. And in another week it might be again. It’s really tight at the top this year.
For me, this album is the spiritual successor to black midi’s 2019 album Schlagenheim, which is a bit ironic considering black midi put out a new album this year. For The First Time has that debut album energy that puts it far above almost everything else released this year. This is a hungry band, out to prove itself, and succeeding in spades.
Let’s just talk about the intro track, “Instrumental”. No single track has riled me up quite as much since Swan’s probably-song-of-the-decade “Oxygen.” This thing comes out swinging with frenetic drums, and then tops itself with horns, then doubles itself with more horns and guitars and more percussion, and runs full speed for five and a half minutes building layers and layers of tension on a theme that is…wait…is that KLEZMER music? Like…traditional yiddish folk music? But on a progressive post punk album? Who has the audacity to make this as good as it is? I almost never listen to this song just once.
“Athens, France” borrows the intensity of Slint’s most hypnotic songs and brings the production into the present. It also has this twisted lyric that just engraved itself in my mind for most of the year:
It’s a one-size-fits-all, hardcore, cyber-fetish, early-noughties zine
She sells Matcha shots to pay for printing costs and a PR team
She’s recently enlightened and for some reason, that fazes me
“Science Fair” actually references Slint though musically the thing it borrows most is the super intense spoken word delivery. It’s a six minute study in tension and obsession as the protagonist moves “from one micro-influencer to another” looking for love and realizing that it’s all unrequited “black country out there.” The dueling noisy guitar and saxophone in the middle is one of the most frantic things recorded this year and then the sinister organ riff that follows it almost feels like a relief before it gets even more oppressive with this verse:
I saw you undressing
It was at the Cirque du Soleil
And it was such an intimate performance
I swear to God you looked right at me
And let a silk red ribbon fall between your hands
But as I slowly sobered
I felt the rubbing of shoulders
I smelled the sweat and the children crying
I was just one among crowded stands
That’s…a lot. And it’s even more heightened in its performance.
Sunglasses is a bit more open in it’s arrangement at first but is another experiment in layered tension as it grows for 7 minutes before absolutely exploding for 2 more. Also… “I am invincible in these sunglasses/ I am modern Scott Walker” may be one of the most badass lines of the year.
Every single track on this album has something to commend it. It’s a well-paced rollercoaster of big emotions and restraint. This is perfectly encapsulated in the two final tracks. “Track X” is the most melodic of on the album with some genuinely pretty moments before “Opus” returns to the frantic progressive klezmer insanity to close the whole thing out with a cathartic wail before fizzling out in that a bit of Eastern European melancholy. It kinda feels like great theatre.
Favourite Track: “Instrumental”
1 — Porter Robinson — Nurture
According to Apple Music, Nurture is my most played album of the year by a long shot. It really became a space for me, somewhere I could retreat to. A sweet melancholy field to lie in and let the clouds float by overhead.
On the surface this is kind of a simple project that takes the excesses of hyper-pop production and adds a heck of a lot of dreamy calm to it. The first time I listened to it, it’s lush sounds almost rolled off me and into the musical ditch, but something made me come back one more time and then it started to grow through the cracks in my pandemic-paved heart and bloom.
The moment that broke through was the second half of “Wind Tempos” — probably my most listened to track this year — where the slowly shifting wall of celtic strings, hypnotically repetitive piano, and white noise suddenly dissipates and into the most beautiful video game lullaby. The twinkling piano evokes the sort of sound that something in a Zelda or Chrono Trigger would play to tell you “this is home and safe, you can rest here.” And then Porter’s pitch-shifted voice glitches in with a hymn of “It’s so holy/ to point out you/ to dream of you.”
From that moment I had to delve into the album and find what other beautiful gems there were to discover. And there were many.
The hopeful “Look at the Sky” with its dreamy take on an EDM banger and life affirming chorus:
Look at the sky, I’m still here
I’ll be alive next year
I can make something good, oh
Something good
Creativity is hope and life for Porter as made apparent by the song “Musician” which is a cheeky but tender response to those who wonder how you can do music for a living:
Well, this is why we do it, for the feeling
How do you do music? Well, it’s easy
You just face your fears and you become your hеroes
I don’t understand why you’re frеaking out
“do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do” revels in the simple building blocks of music using a chopped up guitar and keyboard base that is glitchy and catchy and blending mellow video game tones into something else. Oh and the little jazzy breakdown that lasts like 5 seconds in the middle? Delicious.
Every song here evokes another little world of comfort and safety — of HOME. For instance, “Mother” has the chorus of “I’m on your side for the rest of your life/ You’ll never be alone, don’t you worry, my child/ And now there’s an empty room you outgrew/ But I’m here for you, ooh, ooh.” Can’t get much more nurturing and homey than that. And the album ends on another hopeful encouraging note. The last line of the whole thing is a message that something simple for you could be life changing for someone else:
And then somebody somewhere finds
The warmth of summer in the songs you write
Maybe it’s a gift that I couldn’t recognize
Trying to feel alive
Favourite Track: “Wind Tempos”
That’s it. These are my favourite albums of 2021. I hope you found something you like. Let me know what your favourite album of the year was! I want to check it out.
Thanks for reading. Peace.
