My Top Two 2021 Songs
Posted on December 29, 2021 Posted by John Scalzi 34 Comments
One was a big hit! The other was from a video game! And, uhhh, don’t really have that much in common sonically. Welcome to me.
If you have a song or two from 2021 that spoke to you (and actually from the year, not just something you like generally), put a YouTube or other generally accessible link to it in the comments. I can always use new music, even as the year is getting old.
— JS
For me, this was a banger (is it okay to call a song a “banger” even though I’m 50? or does it make me seem like I’m trying to be “def”?)
https://youtu.be/Zd9jeJk2UHQ
Here are two great tracks from 2021:
Royal Canoe, “Scratching Static”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjGlbXs6T9I
Tune-Yards, “hold yourself.”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hcG6UgTHiU
Also, given that you’re a gentleman of a vintage comparable to my own, I hope you’ve listened to the new (!) release by Duran Duran. The song “Anniversary” is an amazing throwback to their classic sound.
As a connoisseur of 80s pop and its throwbacks, you might like the Japanese Breakfast album that came out this year.
Be Sweet: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZfcZEIo6Bw
As a fan of lofi singer-songwriters, I really liked Harrison Lemke’s album Forever Only Idaho.
Burn Down the Title Loan: https://harrisonlemke.com/track/burn-down-the-title-loan
https://youtu.be/3YHVC1DcHmo
Recently discovered this band South African band, Hot Water, through a Netflix movie and they’ve dominated my listening the past two months even though the songs nearing 10 years old.
Everything old is new again.
Show might have had its ups and downs, but the composer still blows anyone else away.
Also, guy who’s been around for a couple of years but I just became aware of him a couple of months ago– bluesman Christone “Kingfish” Ingram.
One of my pandemic hobbies has been removing things/people from my life that aren’t good for me. So this one resonates. (very NSFW for language).
GAYLE, “abcdefu”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaFd8ucHLuo
Skirting the rules here, as the original was most definitely not released this year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFomyblIJTk
Its all about the banjo.
(though an honourable mention of a “song” I discovered this year would be John Adams’ Shaker Loops)
Ryan Hamilton ’Banditos’ off of his 1221 album.
He had me at ‘…your alias says you’re Jean Luke Picard’.
https://youtu.be/qZuBz4aqdvo
@Cindy F That is a cover of the Refreshments from 1996. One of my favourite tracks from the Refreshments. You have good taste!
Asking me to pick a single track from this album is essentially impossible, so have the lot: https://planetbooty.bandcamp.com/album/yes
Shifting paradigms without a clutch*, have the first new single from Ghost in three years:
And a +1 to Craig’s recommendation of “Anniversary” – adding the video because the lookalikes they hired for the shoot are incredible:
(the footnote I forgot from my previous post – yes, I know that phrase comes from someone who turned out to be a raging @$$, but it’s so USEFUL.)
Some things I liked:
“When the Curtain Falls” by Greta Van Fleet
“Survivor” by Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats
“Death by Rock and Roll” by The Pretty Reckless
“NDA” by Billie Eilish
Freedom by Jon Batiste
https://youtu.be/3YHVC1DcHmo
What’s the second (non-Olivia Rodrigo) song? It’s appearing for me as “video unavailable,” maybe because I am in a foreign land. But now I’m super curious.
I heard your first favourite a lot, and liked it. In the hours MTV still plays music videos, round here, they have something called “MTV Push” which is a sorta artist/clip of the month thing. That song was one of them.
A different month, they had one I liked because I found both the song and the video funny:
Bella Poarch – Build a B*tch (mildly NSFW):
My favourite song this year is Old Peel, by New Zealand artist Aldous Harding. Catchy and creepy.
As the years go on, and I never listen to live radio any more (who has time for ads?) I find it harder to keep up with the new stuff since my streams can fall into ruts. So while I don;t have a favorite song I do and an appreciated “song”.
PopLove 9 by Robin Skouteris
I tend to already know and like a few of the songs, and to keep up to date and inject some new stuff into the mix I tend to create a playlist of all the songs contained in the mashup.
And while not new by any means, the endless covers and remixes of “The Wellerman” and “Grace Kelly” that TikTok has brought us make me smile every time.
This Oasis cover got a lot of traction with me this year:
And this got a lot of play during coding time (Apple Music link):
https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-game-has-changed/1543824814?i=1543825332
“The Game Has Changed” – Daft Punk
https://youtu.be/-XInNHQMqSI
This is the Eurovision song that flat stopped me in my tracks the first time I heard it. Unfortunately it got 0 points from the public, but I still love it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4Fag4yajxk
And this is the song that Norway should have sent, from the band that won the televote in 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQaiarjof2k
https://youtu.be/HNIzvBf6VKA?t=29
https://youtu.be/sVlQPpQ3xlY?t=15
This has been my theme song all year. All year long.
“I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me.”
“This Year” by the Mountain Goats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Se76S0XH-I
Since you like Good 4 U I thought you might appreciate this mashup from the Imagine Dragons account on TikTok. Happy New Year!
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM8KYh3nx/
I might suggest a couple more but this has been basically my go-to anthem for the last year:
Chemtrails – “Suck My Mind.”
I might be approaching retirement but I still have the mentality of a disgruntled garage rocker.
This is probably my favorite song of Myles Kennedy’s latest album. It’s called “Moonshot.”
As someone who is constantly listening to new music, this one is difficult. But, I tried to be honest and brutal, and narrowed it down to:
FAILURE – HEADSTAND
Dreamy, space-rock – like if Pink Floyd and Tool had a kid.
IRON MAIDEN – THE WRITING ON THE WALL
Not only does this song rip, but the video is fantastic.
OK, since that didn’t work, let’s try it this way:
https://youtu.be/fVnJduRA0Y8?t=167
“Moonshot,” by Myles Kennedy.
Laura Stevenson!
On the SIMPLE RADIO app there is a steaming station from Munich, Germany, called Rattle Snake Radio. Mostly old country and blues with a sprinkling of other stuff!
This amazing piece was written in 1964 but only really started getting played this year. Here’s a recording from October.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ereaXUDie-A&feature=emb_logo
My favourite band, BadCameo, indie funk fusion – fuse whatever you got into that music!
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2dgCj849RU8YLKDinaykbf?si=sPHwh6QRTI-1YZiXwTMxZA&utm_source=copy-link
I’ve got to admit I love the sound design of deathloop. They really nailed that 80’s feel
The Wombats for me
https://youtu.be/7sNg0jH9buo
And Red Snakes by LUMP
https://youtu.be/gcWbGzYM7Eo