Top 30 Songs of 2021

[Shrykespeare]

#15

Leestu (Amyl and the Hertz Donut)
Six (Amyl and the Knifey Wifey)

A bit too unpolished for my taste. I definitely liked Hertz better of the two


Tranny (ETID) - It was just ok for me.

Surfer (The Cowboy) - Sorry, the monotone did nothing for me.

Ron B (Confidence Man) - Liked it. Cool dancey vibe.

JohnErle (AHI Tuna) - His voice reminds me a LOT of Seal. And I love Seal. I love AHI too. This may be my favorite of your entire list.

[Shrykespeare]

SONG #14


Shrykespeare

The Maine, Sticky

When I see your face
It’s like I hit rewind
Because you’re on repeat
Just like “so good” in “Sweet Caroline”
I want to put you on
Like a 45
And I’ll watch you spin
Until the sunrise

From the nearby city of Tempe, Arizona comes The Maine, an alternative band led by John O’Callaghan. They recorded XOXO: From Love & Anxiety In Real Time during the height (nadir?) of the pandemic, and each song seems to reflect one of O’Callaghan’s moods. “Sticky”, thankfully, is one of the more upbeat and positive tracks, with a catchy hook that’ll dig into your ear and set up residence. The band’s energy and sense of humor are captured wonderfully in the video, which found its way onto my list in April and has been steadily climbing ever since. It didn’t quite make my Top 10, but any other year it might have. Gentlemen, I give you “Sticky”… just like the song in my head. Arizona, represent!





Leestu

Noah Dillon, That’s Just How I Feel

Noah Dillon is a local singer/songwriter who blends indie rock and alternative folk. Great song writing in terms of both song structures, and excellent lyrics, often witty and always worth listening to. He had two songs in my top 100 of 2020, including one at #7, and he has two again for 2021 with this being the highest.

It was a challenging year last year and I seemed to listen to a lot of challenging music, but this was the ultimate instant feel good positivity from negativity song that I needed a lot. This is arguably the highest pure feel-good song on my chart. There are a couple of songs coming up that make people want to dance, and feel good listening to them, but they are not inherently a feel-good song. I didn’t get to go to many gigs last year, but I did get to see Noah Dillon (supporting another act who will be coming up very soon) and a large majority of the audience emphatically singing along to this was a memorable moment.





Tranny

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Ataraxia

Despite the appearance of the contrary, I can confirm that I did not venture to Australia and kill Leestu either. King Gizz's 1st 2021 release "L.W" simply clicked in a way that their previous strictly psychedelic outings didn't for me. Groovy, atmospheric riffs and strange little earworm hooks like this burrowed their way into my listening rotation in early March and managed to make themselves comfortable living there for the rest of the year.





Six

Viagra Boys, Girls and Boys

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the sax is one of the key sounds to a great post-punk song. In Girls and Boys, the Swedish lads pump out a blistering tune loaded with energy and attitude. Sebastian Murphy’s throaty vocals give the track a twisted singalong feel as the beat is energising enough to get us indie kids moving.





Surfer

lluminati Hotties, UVVP





RON B

The Goon Sax, In the Stone





JOHNERLE

Houndmouth, Good For You

[Leestu]

#15

Shryke (Volbeat): yep, that chorus again, both vocally and musically, like middle of the road prog, after a great start again

Tranny (Every Time I Die): Tranny you've done it again! Just after you post a song by a band they break-up. This was good. I've not heard this before so interesting watching the video and listening to the song knowing what we know now.

Six: (Amyl & The Sniffers): Yes glad you picked this one. One of the things I like about this album is the lyrics, and this is one of the examples of why (I have mentioned this song before when discussing the lyrics of the album). A great point made, with the fact that she has become so comfortable with having to carry a knife that she has an affectionate nick-name for knifey is a sad but clever touch. Haven't got to see them live yet, was meant to but you know...cancelled tours etc

Surfer (The Cowboy): interestingly lo-fi again...possibly a bit disposable but likeable enough

Ron (Confidence Man): I loved their debut album, (it's a top 10 album of the year for me) but they seem to have lost their charm and extreme sense of fun, and compared to that this is a pretty lazy and generic but serviceable dance number. I still like it though, and I would jump at seeing them live (another band I was meant to see last year)

John (AHI): nice soulful vocals

[Shrykespeare]

#14

Leestu (Deal or Noah Dillon) - Great to see some artists still using the world's oldest instrument, the handclap. I wouldn't call this a feel-good song either, but it had some cool elements.

Tranny (Eddie Izzard and the Lizard Blizzard) - "Despite the appearance of the contrary, I can confirm that I did not venture to Australia and kill Leestu either." Was wondering when these guys would show up on someone's list... truly wasn't expecting it to be yours, Tranny. There's a retro alternative Charlatans vibe in this song that I'm digging.

Six (Can't Get It Up Boys) - Seeing the title, I wondered if this a cover of the Blur song. What I got instead was an NiN-reminiscent song with a pretty killer drum track.

Surfer (Illuminati Hotties) - Love the dreamy guitars. This felt right out of the 50s.

Ron B (Goon Sax) - Love love love the instrumentals. The vocals, for some reason, left me flat.

JohnErle (Houndmouth) - Not bad. Kind of Dylan-esque.

[Shrykespeare]

SONG #13


Shrykespeare

Nation of Language, The Grey Commute

I was in love
That was enough
I swear to god
I'm coming apart
Cut up

Eyeing the mask
Singing at last
Consume and collapse
It's violence
Violence

Surfer, I’ll thank you for the twentieth time for putting me onto this band, whose very existence seems to be geared toward making me feel young again. There was no album I looked forward to more in 2021 than NoL’s A Way Forward (no, not even Volbeat). Four songs from this group made my Top 100 list, and two made my Top 30. This is the first. Ian McVaney’s voice is the perfect vehicle for the lyrics layered over the new-wave synths from the 80s, which hit my sweet spot every time. They are currently touring, but sadly will be stopping nowhere within reach of me. Bummer. At least I have this song, and so many others, to fall back on. What an absolutely great band.





Leestu

Ball Park Music, Sunscreen

You may or may not remember but I had two Ball Park Music songs in my list last time, one of which was my #1 favourite song of the year. My first reaction to this song was “well I don’t love it, but I can already tell that it is going to grow on me, and I will love it”. It grew on me very quickly…and I love it.





Tranny

Mastodon, Pushing the Tides

The newest Mastodon record Hushed and Grim largely takes on the form of its downbeat, gloomy namesake as it primarily focuses on the death of the band's good friend/manager Nick John who was with the band from day 1 until his passing from cancer in 2018. One of the only moments where the tempo really picks up happens on "Pushing the Tides", which is probably the heaviest song they've made in 15 years. Seeing them re-embrace their roots as a sludge band that lets their nasty, visceral riffs and lightning rod energy lead the way after tossing it aside for so long was a beautiful surprise that I will cherish because who knows if or when they'll do it again.





Six

Tirzah, Send Me

I love the simplicity of this song. Just a basic beat and tune carries the entire track, letting Tirzah’s sultry vocals act like a soloist, exploring unexpected directions that land somewhere in the middle of R&B and sombre jazz. Some of this is due to the production of Mica Levi, the incredible musician behind scores such as Under the Skin and Jackie.





Surfer

Mannequin Pussy, Control





RON B

Polish Club, Stop For a Minute





JOHNERLE

Jordan Tice, River Run

Watch those fingers fly! Bonus points for the cello.

[JohnErle]

I liked the haunting minimalism of that Tirzan track, so I'll definitely be listening to that one a few more times to see if it sticks. Nation Of Language was okay, but it sounds too much like mid 80s pastel-coloured scrunchies synthpop as opposed to early 80s black eyeliner synthpop.

Speaking of haunting minimalism, I've been listening to the Jennifer O'Connor album a lot the past few days and I'm really liking it. Born At The Disco was a last-minute addition to my list, so I probably never would have heard the album if Shryke hadn't encouraged me to participate in the countdown this year. I needed a few extra tracks to round out my list so I checked out a few sources I'd been neglecting recently and discovered a lot of good stuff that came out in November. So, in case I forget to say so later, thanks Shryke for poking and prodding me to participate.

[transformers2]

#14
Shryke: Ah, The Maine-a band that I kind of forgot existed until earlier this week when they were confirmed to be part of this buzzy festival taking place in Vegas in October that features about 3/4 of the artists that people currently between the ages of 21 and 35 listened to when they were angsty teenagers. While this song was just kind of there to me, it's nice to discover that they're still making the same brand of bubbly pop rock that they were 12-13 years ago.

Leestu: A very pleasant song that really radiates a sincere feeling of positivity.

Six: Weird as shit, but ultimately endearing.

surfer: Runs out of gas when the spoken word part kicks in, but everything prior to that was pretty catchy and fun. Incredible band name too.

Ron: Not bad. Kind of sounded like a modern-day Interpol if they replaced Paul Banks with an Australian man and woman vocalist duo.

John: The hosts of a podcast I listen to relatively often are obsessed with these guys, so I've heard a lot about them without ever hearing a note of their music before. Now that I have, I can't say that I share their enthusiasm, but they have a distinct enough sound where I can fully understand the appeal.

[Shrykespeare]

Should we take a day or two off so everyone can catch up?




#13

Leestu (Ball Park Music) - This was quite enjoyable. I liked it.

Tranny (Mastodon) - I think I'm at a point now that I appreciate music like this a lot more than I used to. That said, I didn't like this quite enough to want to hear it again.

Six (Tirzah) - Very chill. Liked it.

Surfer (Mannequin P***y) - Neither here nor there for me.

Ron B (Polish Club) - Pretty cool. Very retro 80s feel to it.

JohnURL (Jordan Tice) - Also very chill.

[transformers2]

I'd say get through the next 2 as planned then take a couple of days of before #10.

[Shrykespeare]

Sounds like a plan, Tran.


SONG #12


Shrykespeare

David Gahan and Soulsavers, The Last Time (Eric Lymon rework)

Have you ever followed Jesus?
He lives downtown L.A.
He's coming, he'll be here
It's where he prays
This will be my last time
Scratching and sapping my troubles away

My love for David goes back four decades, back when I first heard Depeche Mode coming out of a friend’s car stereo. I wasn’t all that impressed with his first Soulsavers album (nor the second one, just released), but the Eric Lymon rework of “The Last Time” blew me away to the point that I was sure it would end up as my #1 song of the year. It’s kind of slipped down since then – and, to my chagrin, the video of the song that actually FEATURED David was taken off YouTube only days ago. Thankfully, there’s a backup, one featuring the instantly recognizable Natalie Portman. The heavy synths in this song hark back to much of their albums Black Celebration and Ultra, possibly my two favorite DM albums after Violator. The man who vocalized my #1 song of all time three decades ago hasn’t lost his somber edge, and I pray he never does.






Leestu

Arab Strap, Bluebird

Arab Strap returned with a new album 16 years after their last one. A very storytelling lyrical album, with engaging tales from the seedy side of life, all delivered with a delicious thick Scottish brogue. A dark, sombre, lonely tone pervades the whole album, even displayed here on the melodic romantic piece of the album. This is my favourite song from a top 10 album of the year for me, and I listened to it so much that I can now whistle along to the bird whistle.






Tranny

Billie Eilish, Oxytocin

A full on pulsing, abrasive electronic pop song suits Eilish's restrained vocal delivery so well that it's almost comical. Very well could be my favorite piece of production her brother Finneas has ever done too.





Six

Geese, Disco

A fine debut from these New York lads. Disco is a post-punk epic, and would have been welcomed with open arms and warm spit in 70s CBGBs. Disco is a lovechild between Television’s Marquee Moon and Interpol’s first record, with its multi-part structure and shimmering, transcendent duelling guitars.





Surfer

Lucy Dacus, Thumbs





RON B

Billie Eilish, Happier Than Ever





JOHNERLE

Gov't Mule, Make It Rain

You don't often hear smokin' lead guitar like this anymore. Thank goodness for old pros like Warren Haynes.

[transformers2]

#13
Shryke: There's the new wave!!! I was starting to get concerned that there was some kind of secret genre shortage or something Obnoxious sarcasm aside, it was a fine song that captures the genre's spirit a lot more sincerely than most other modern incarnations do.

Leestu: Completely indifferent to this.

six: Very serene, ethereal track. Vocals are quite good, and the distorted guitar outro made for a hell of an exclamation point to close things out on.

Surfer: Pretty much copy and paste what I said about the Illuminati Hotties track earlier today: Incredible band name, decent melancholic song with some explosions of sunshine.

Ron: This was catchy as hell. Probably the most I've enjoyed any of your picks so far.

John: HOW THE HELL DID HE PLAY THAT ON AN ACOUSTIC GUITAR?!?!?! That's some legit virtuoso shit. I guess the cello was pretty cool too.

[Shrykespeare]

Where did everyone go? Six? Leestu? Bueller?

[numbersix]

Finishing a work project. Will be listening to everyone

[Leestu]

We host an epic Triple J Hottest 100 day every year, and today is the day. It's the biggest day of the year for my friend group, some say more than christmas Today is the day, and all I've done the last few days is work and working around thhe house preparing. No down time to relax and focus on music. I will be back to catch up.

[Shrykespeare]

#12

Leestu (Arab Strap) - Is this guy the Scottish Lou Reed? This was dope.

Tranny (Billie pt 1) - Never been sold on Billie Eilish. This came close.

Six (Geese) - These guys known how to get down! (Sorry, had to get that out of my system.) I hear so much "Life During Wartime" in this song. Which is rad.

Surfer (Lucy Dacus) - I very much liked the album this came from. "Thumbs" got consideration for my list, and "First Time" came SOOOO close to making my Top 100. Glad someone else loved it more than me.

Ron B (Billie pt 2) - This is so bleepin' different from Oxytocin it's hard to believe it's from the same album. This is like a 50s torch song. It's good, but I think it underlies perfectly my overall problem with Billie's voice - it's just not distinctive or edgy enough for me to really pay attention. Maybe that will change as she heads into her 20s.

JohnErle (Gov't Mule) - Is this guy channeling B.B. King? Damn, that guitar's so smoky it's got lung cancer....