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Though I expected greater of 2021 - on account of all the free time artists were given courtesy of the quarantine in 2020 - to say it disappointing would be a lie. After all, nothing in recent years has been more exciting than watching U.K.'s Art Punk scene grow, as the three-headed beast of black midi, Black Country New Road, and Squid all released incredible debuts within a four-month window. Fearless and exceptionally-talented, their prowess headlined the year. Though stewing in a niche community was a cult, bound by a love for 90's melodrama, aspirational romance, and Dance music that ascends to the heavens. It was spurred by the faceless DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ, a transformative artist who took my breath away with each intrepid exodus. She mustered optimism in the face of overwhelming dread. Represented those Life Is Good t-shirts better than the t-shirts themselves. These two halves - the palpitating anxieties of the Windmill collective, and the calming resurgence of an impassioned DJ - helped put 2021 into context.
All before Lil Ugly Mane tore it apart. Both he, with the near-perfect Volcanic Bird Enemy, and other established artists grew in satisfying ways. There was Japanese Breakfast flexing her versatility in Pop. Lingua Ignota descending further into the reaches of Hell. Little Simz embracing Hip-Hop as a means to overcome. No matter where you looked, in music circles both large and small, artful progression could be found. In a way, it's a testament to human resilience. That a worldwide quarantine needn't be the central topic for musicians, for overcoming the odds was the expected outcome. Art could still prosper even when our chips are down. And boy has it ever.
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Handsomeboy Technique
Technique
Alternative Dance | Listen
JIt had been 12 years since Handsomeboy Technique's last record; The sorely under-appreciated Terrestrial Tone Cluster. A sophisticated spirit takes shape on Technique, as weary features find comfort in exotic party anthems. Tracks like 'Slowfish,' 'Long Slow Distance,' and 'A Light Hits The Gloom' best exemplified this mettle. Far East Avalanches, one could call it.
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The Antlers
Green To Gold
Indie Folk | Listen
In classic Antlers fashion, they tiptoed through 2020 without so much as a whimper. On Green To Gold, Slowcore gave way to Indie Folk, maintaining the nimbly deference Peter Silberman has held throughout his career. Nothing stood out, but everything fit. 'Wheels Roll Home,' 'Just One Sec,' 'Green To Gold.' Antlers bathed in the contentment of warm, idle springs.
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Pom Poko
Cheater
Noise Pop | Listen
Though it didn't have the same impact as Pom Poko's magnificent debut, Cheater still matched the energy and eccentricity of Norway's beatnik twenty-somethings. Jamtveit's vocals protrude like that of a doll's come to life, while gruff Noise Rock scratches down chalkboards. It's a duality that never ceases to intrigue, and on tracks like 'Like A Lady,' 'Danger Baby,' and 'Andy Go To School,' Pom Poko reached for the extreme.
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Bruno Pernadas
Private Reasons
Progressive Pop | Listen
Though expectations were recklessly high, and therefore unmet, Bruno Pernadas' latest excursion still relished in rich, tropical psychedelia. Sunburnt vocals, steamy acoustics, and an array of pleasurable sounds - be it from strings to pianos to primitive, Space Age synthesizers - wove threads across Private Reasons, like a rainbow stretching across the landscape. No song combined these elements better than 'Theme Vision.'
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Godspeed You! Black Emperor
G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END!
Post-Rock | Listen
At times, Godspeed's music tends to become a caricature of itself, working through routine and relishing in patterns despite the irony of their apocalyptic incertitude driving the anxiety and angst. Yet it's that same insistence, like a rushing tide - from global warming or military invasion - that bears favorable results. Humans are captivated by the upending of it all. Systems, societies, mankind itself. Godspeed aims to reflect that.
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Dry Cleaning
New Long Leg
Post-Punk | Listen
Lost amidst a generation-defining U.K. scene, Dry Cleaning's sophistication and placidly isn't for everyone. Formulaic Post-Punk with a minimalist flourish, complete with Florence Shaw's monotone Spoken Word, draws comparison to Algebra Suicide. And much like that overlooked outfit, New Long Leg teases epiphanies under the brushing of abstraction. The groove, however, underlies it all.
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Chad VanGaalen
World's Most Stressed
Neo-Psychedelia | Listen
By the mere process of maturation, few artisans remain indebted to the whimsical musings of their childhood. Not Chad VanGaalen, who continued his fascination with the abstract, the nonsensical, and the delirious on Stressed Out Gardener. Seemingly pointless, tracks like 'Nothing Is Strange' and 'Samurai Sword' appealed to all the senses, no matter the age. Full bloom or just budding.
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DARKSIDE
Spiral
Art Rock | Listen
Nicolas Jaar's atmosphere rarely finds comparison. Much of it derived from his Chilean roots, the sparse fleshiness, ominous and sultry, once again emerges in his side project Darkside. With Spiral, he and David Harrington maneuvered through this off-kilter environment that's both natural and unnatural. Tracks like 'Lawmaker,' 'Liberty Bell,' and 'Inside Is Out There' underscored such shadowed distinction.
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slowthai
TYRON
UK Hip-Hop | Listen
TYRON made slowthai's goal obvious: Play both sides. The hard and humble, stern and soft. Split down the middle, TYRON tackled the distinction many aspiring rappers face head-on. How to approach sincerity when bombastic provocation draws attention? Simple, treat each as an integral part of the whole. Be it '45 SMOKE' or 'feel away,' slowthai understood that humans have many faces.
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Richard Dawson & Circle
Henki
Progressive Rock | Listen
Though I hadn't heard of Circle prior to this engagement, it's clear their brand of Klezmer-influenced Prog Rock molds to Richard Dawson's fantastical hysteria with aplomb. Ever the eccentric, Dawson's tales of triumph and woe rifle through Henki with earthly impetuosity. At times though, to throw his manic scent off, matters are tempered and tame, as seen on 'Cooksonia' and 'Silene.' But who're we kidding? When the rails are torn through, Dawson's fury is achieved ('Ivy,' 'Lily').
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St. Vincent
Daddy's Home
Blue-Eyed Soul | Listen
Needless to say, I wasn't expecting much after the over-the-hill Masseduction. St. Vincent had lost her touch with reality. Daddy's Home grabbed it again, with a handy helping of Soul. Here, she remained humble, focusing on intimacy ('Somebody Like Me,' '...At The Holiday Party'), rather than ostentation. If tracks like 'Live In The Dream' and 'Melting Of The Sun' are any indication, St. Vincent never had to elicit a reaction to garner attention.
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War On Drugs
I Don't Live Here Anymore
Heartland Rock | Listen
America is at its best when change is prominent. Though many harken back to the "good ol days," something that's replete in Americana, it's really through revolution and a desire to endure that the ideals of patriotism were founded. War On Drugs understands that, shifting their vanilla principles towards greener pastures. I Don't Live Here Anymore categorized that change through anthemic Synthpop, aspirational and propulsive.
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Deafheaven
Infinite Granite
Shoegaze | Listen
Ever since their breakout, Deafheaven has slowly but surely shied away from Post-Metal. Brooding through Blackgaze, beauty emerged in their clandestine Shoegaze. Though typical, Infinite Granite's accessibility proved irresistible. 'Great Mass Of Color,' 'Lament For Wasps,' 'Other Language.' These are songs that followed a pattern, one that's proven invaluable for years. The rise.
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The Avalanches
We Will Always Love You
Nu-Disco | Listen
The Avalanches are renowned for modernizing the past. So much so that their talents almost seem ignored. On We Will Always Love You, the band used their connections to validate their status as evocative producers, charting course for the stars. Hope defines their brand, uplifting even the most dour of circumstances ('We Go On,' 'Gold Sky,' 'Always Black'). Committing to such prospects will never go out of style.
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Ducks Ltd.
Modern Fiction
Jangle Pop | Listen
It's rare for a debut to perfect a honed craft. But when it comes to Ducks Ltd.'s Modern Fiction, the boilerplate had been set decades in advance. Jangle Pop, idealized. From 'How Lonely Are You?'s' ramshackle coil to 'Grand Final Day's' montage bathos, Ducks never leave their promised land. They soar in anthems ('Under The Rolling Moon'), reminiscence in the trifles ('18 Cigarettes').
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King Gizzard
Butterfly 3000
Psychedelic Pop | Listen
Quality over quantity, or the other way around. Neither saying concerns King Gizzard, who continually offers up both. Butterfly 3000 balanced their hordes of diverging paths, resulting in a prismatic array of saturation. Fluid and steadfast, elaborate interludes like 'Dreams' and 'Ya Love' carried the rainbow weight between orchestrated Psychedelic Pop. None stronger than 'Interior People.'
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Iosonouncane
IRA
Post-Industrial | Listen
When you casually pop on 'hiver,' there's no escaping the sinister wrath of IRA. 17 tracks, none shorter than the four-minute 'pétrole,' is a recipe for perilous indoctrination. With appendages shackled, Iosonouncane slices through medieval rituals of sacrilege, proudly flaunting a circumferential knowledge of all things musically dark. Chaotic, cathartic drums as seen on 'ashes' and 'hajar' is the just the tip of the iceberg.
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Kanye West
Donda
Pop Rap | Listen
As self-indulgent as all his past works, what Donda did to separate Kanye from Kanye lies in absence. Absence of a mother, absence of a wife, absence of God. It's there, on stunners like 'Believe What I Say,' 'Moon,' and 'Come To Life,' where Kanye learns to reflect on past successes and recent mistakes. Sure, a savage swarm of discordant Trap mares greatness, but discovering the heart deep within Donda makes it all worth it.
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Bo Burnham
Inside
Musical Comedy | Listen
After years out of the relative spotlight, Bo Burnham ignited imagination by welcoming quarantined viewers Inside. His home, his humor, his mental well-being. With an obsessive attention to detail and a commitment to craft - as distraction from reality - Inside coped using comedy. At times outrageous ('Welcome To The Internet'), others portentous and bleak ('All Eyes On Me'). Some hit too close to home ('30').
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Backxwash
I Lie Here Buried
Horrorcore | Listen
Backxwash has her schtick and she's sticking to it. Her latest went further down the rabbit hole of Horrorcore, inflicting pain and unleashing vitriol on those opposed to equality or the dark arts, at times it's hard to tell which. Tracks like 'TERROR PACKETS' and 'SONG OF SINNERS' proved her uncompromising nature, as Industrial Metal scraped against cries for help from an exorcising demon.
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underscores
fishmonger
Indie Pop | Listen
Underscores' Hyperpop debut is a certified love-hate album. Which, at this point, is part and parcel of the genre itself. Erratic and fitful, honest yet deceptive, fishmonger lambasted listeners with random spunk, but prized itself on the moving sentiments found underneath the veneer. For every outrageous 'second hand embarrassment' or 'spoiled little brat,' there was a heartfelt 'fish song' or 'Del Mar county fair 2008.'
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Emmanuelle Parrenin
Jours De Grève
Tribal Ambient | Listen
Perhaps degrading or culturally-appropriating, it's better to think of Jours De Grève as fantasy and not an interpretation on long-embedded African traditions. Europeans envisioning rights of passages and rituals of sacrifice through the lens of drama and theater. Tracks like 'Hephaistos Breeze' and 'A Zombi's Passport' make this obvious, with their treated vocals and high-fidelity rhythms. The mix, a bizarre and extravagant world to behold.
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World Is A Beautiful Place
Illusory Walls
Midwest Emo | Listen
TWIABP were all but dead. Gone with the fickle wave of Midwest Emo. However, passion mingled with reform as the Connecticut-based band satisfied old fans and new, using determined Post-Rock to shape visions of a muddy past. None went higher than the dual epics of 'Infinite Josh' and 'Fewer Afraid,' though one can't discredit 'Queen Sophie For President' or 'Trouble.'
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Chance デラソウル
Chance デラソウル
Future Funk | Listen
Chance デラソウル follows a predictable script. It's a crutch for sure, but the endless party never stops, never wanes, never deceives. On their self-titled, samples sing glorious strings through infinite dances, like 'Just For You' and 'Don't Stop.' The patterns are redundant, but those patterns are brilliant. Time-tested, addicting, preying on the primal senses of humanity. But we all love it.
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Courtney Barnett
Things Take Time, Take Time
Singer/Songwriter | Listen
Though the fanfare has dwindled, Courtney Barnett has found comfort in complacency. On Things Take Time, satisfyingly-simple melodies teetered through crippled vocals and a monotone personality. Despite the modesty, charm oozed from Barnett's questioning nature, seen especially on 'Sunfair Sundown' and 'Write A List.' In fact, of the ten songs present, only one ('Splendour') failed to flatter.
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Low
HEY WHAT
Post-Industrial | Listen
In the past decade there's been no shortage of Ambient Pop or Post-Industrial. But those two inconsonant genres together? Now that's a rarity. On HEY WHAT, Low experience the pitfalls of each. The tender brush of isolation (see: 'Days Like These'), the overwhelming dread ('The Price You Pay'). For many, one half is enough to endure. For some, both may be too much to bear.
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JPEGMAFIA
LP!
Experimental Hip-Hop | Listen
Though apparently stifled by his record label, the limits of JPEGMAFIA still border on boundless. LP! goes hard and eccentric, weaving immaculate samples through the crust of vitriol, none greater than 'HAZARD DUTY PAY.' While Peggy's lyrics have idled, his production has only expanded. Tracks like 'WHAT KINDA RAPPIN' IS THIS?,' 'ARE U HAPPY?,' and 'NICE!' exhibit what he can do when given the tools and a creative outlet.
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The Go! Team
Get Up Sequences
Indie Pop | Listen
Though The Go! Team has never left their happy-go-lucky, over-the-moon aesthetic, the removal of DIY functionality meant their more recent releases sagged rather than inflated. Not so on Get Up Sequences, where their childlike spirit pounced through efforts like 'Cookie Scene' and 'I Loved You Better.' Much like their heyday, even the instrumental interludes were filled with colorful splotches of lush reverie.
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DJ Seinfeld
Mirrors
House | Listen
On Mirrors, DJ Seinfeld saw the light of day, with a love interest at his side. Unlike Time Spent Away From U, which languished in loneliness, Mirrors found harmony in the sensual. Deep, pulsing layers infested tracks like 'The Right Place' and 'Tell Me One More Time,' as female vocals dripped with thirsting desire. In my eyes, Electronic gets no better than club-oriented music primed and brimming with textures.
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Urban Village
Udondolo
Nguni Folk Music | Listen
Though perhaps an idealized visage of Africa, brought on by western civilization's perception of naked harmony, Urban Village's Udondolo still manages to acclimate to its surroundings despite pleasing a wider audience. Take 'Dindi' or 'Marabi,' the two standouts. The former, an upbeat romp whose tropical levity envisions vacation life, could be appreciated by all. And the latter, quite literally, reclaims 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' after its mass appropriation by American folk revivalists.
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20-11 | 10-1 | Top 100 Tracks
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