01. Origami Angel — Gami Gang 02. Cassandra Jenkins — An Overview On Phenomenal Nature 03. Turnstile — Glow On 04. Julien Baker — Little Oblivions 05. Bo Burnham — Inside (The Songs) 06. Little Simz — Sometimes I Might Be Introvert 07. Manchester Orchestra — The Million Masks Of God 08. The Armed — ULTRAPOP 09. Every Time I Die — Radical 10. Porter Robinson — Nurture 11. The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die — Illusory Walls 12. Telethon — Swim Out Past the Breakers 13. The Hold Steady — Open Door Policy 14. SeeYouSpaceCowboy... — The Romance of Affliction 15. Snail Mail — Valentine 16. Deafheaven — Infinite Granite 17. Jail Socks — Coming Down 18. Fiddlehead — Between the Richness 19. Grouper — Shade 20. Sincere Engineer — Bless My Psyche 21. Doja Cat — Planet Her 22. The Maine — XOXO: From Love & Anxiety In Real Time 23. Dying Wish — Fragments of a Bitter Memory 24. Adjy — The Idyll Opus (I-VI) 25. Between the Buried and Me — Colors II 26. Citizen — Life In Your Glass World 27. The Weather Station — Ignorance 28. Japanese Breakfast — Jubilee 29. Bad Luck — Summer of Pain 30. Posture & the Grizzly — Posture & the Grizzly Edit: Sorry Sleep Token, but I need to make space for Posture & the Grizzly. Such a good late-year discovery.
CHVRCHES - Screen Violence Taylor Swift - Fearless (Taylor's Version) Shad - TAO Julien Baker - Little Oblivions Taylor Swift - Red (Taylor's Version) IU - LILAC Pale Waves - Who Am I? Lil Nas X - MONTERO Olivia Rodrigo - SOUR Thrice - Horizons / East Dunno if people will take issue with me putting two Taylor's Version releases in my top 5, but I also really don't care, lol. Hearing a Taylor Swift (who's only a year younger than me) in her early 30s sing Fearless, which was a very important young adult album for me, was a revelation; that thing is my new favorite album of hers. And, while the album tracks on Red didn't fare as well, there's a ton of gold in those bonus tracks. Between those releases and a delayed love of evermore, Taylor really was my artist of the year. My clear album of the year, though, was Screen Violence. The past couple Chvrches albums had several songs each that got a ton of play in the years following their releases, but I wasn't ready for how perfect a cohesive creative statement this one would be for me. And, while my song of the year isn't always from my favorite album, no other song this year captures my soul's current vibe quite like "Good Girls." Its placement in the album's flow elevates it a ton, but even as an isolated song, it's just... perfect. Really hoping Hayley Kiyoko drops her new album next year. Based on the couple tracks she dropped this year, and how much play her last album and EP still get, that'd be a clear frontrunner for next year's AOTY. Also surprisingly pumped for new Avril Lavigne.
Finally finished my re-listens. Loosely ordered, but the tiers are probably better overall groupings. Mainly in the indie pop/alt pop/alt rock and indie folk spaces with a few others sprinkled in -- always open to recs if there's anything you loved that would fit well with the artists on this list. Favorites - in constant rotation, I'd go out of my way to own this on vinyl and see the band live on this current album tour cycle, etc. 1) Manchester Orchestra - The Million Masks of God 2) Orla Gartland - Woman on the Internet 3) Oh Wonder - 22 Break 4) Wolf Alice - Blue Weekend 5) CHVRCHES - Screen Violence 6) London Grammar - Californian Soil 7) Foxing - Draw Down the Moon Great - albums where I either listened to a few songs to death or I really enjoyed the album as a whole but no specific song stuck out, but I would definitely strongly recommend 8) Adjy - The Idyll Opus (I-VI) 9) King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - Butterfly 3000 10) Valley Maker - When the Day Leaves 11) Jungle - Loving in Stereo 12) Sarah Jarosz - Blue Heron Suite 13) Rivals - Sad Looks Pretty On Me 14) Royal Blood - Typhoons 15) Twenty One Pilots - Scaled and Icy 16) Birdtalker - Birdtalker 17) TORRES - Thirstier 18) YONAKA - Seize the Power 19) Joy Oladakun - in defense of my own happiness 20) The Night Game - Dog Years 21) Adam Melchor - Melchor Lullaby Hotline Vol. 1 22) VOLA - Witness 23) Remi Wolf - Juno 24) Pale Waves - Who Am I? 25) IDER - shame Very Good - some mix of albums from old favorites that I liked but didn't love and albums from artists I wasn't familiar with that stood out, but not to the point of being something in constant rotation for me this year 26) Wilderado - Wilderado 27) Jesca Hoop - The Deconstruction of Jack's House 28) Elder Island - Swimming in Static 29) The Greeting Committee - Dandelion 30) Jade Bird - Different Kinds of Light 31) Future of Forestry - Remember 32) Saint Raymond - We Forgot We Were Dreaming 33) Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine - A Beginner's Mind 34) Lord Huron - Long Lost 35) Deafheaven - Infinite Granite 36) Origami Button - No Parking 37) The King's Parade - Waves 38) Foo Fighters - Medicine at Midnight 39) mehro - SKY ON FIRE 40) Finneas - Optimist 41) The Joy Formidable - Into the Blue 42) The Riverside - Through Frontiers and Unlit Mines 43) Super American - SUP 44) Tash Sultana - Terra Firma 45) The Marias - CINEMA 46) The Brook & the Bluff - Yard Sale 47) Save Face - Another Kill For The Highlight Reel 48) The Pale White - Infinite Pleasure 49) Kississippi - Mood Ring 50) Noah Gundersen - Pillar of Salt
The War on Drugs - I Don’t Live Here Anymore Deafheaven - Infinite Granite Wild Pink - A Billion Little Lights My Morning Jacket - My Morning Jacket Foxing - Draw Down the Moon Julien Baker - Little Oblivions Aeon Station - Observatory Katy Kirby - Cool Dry Place Turnstile - Glow On Sturgill Simpson - The Ballad of Dood & Juanita This was a year full of a ton of big life changes for me (graduation, bar exam, marriage, new job, bought first house, kid on the way) so I found myself with less time to listen to new music than I’ve had for quite awhile. Which was strange after having more time to just listen to music in 2020 than I had had in years. So I only did a top 10 and all but a couple of these records are from artists I’ve already loved for years. Not doing a songs list because it would pretty much all be War on Drugs and Big Thief. Suffice it to say that “Change” by Big Thief is my favorite song released in 2021. Got to see a bunch of great shows from Aug-Nov of this year, which I’m really grateful for. Some of the best ones I saw were: Foxing’s album release show in St. Louis; Waxahatchee (and Katy Kirby!) on a tiny stage in a parking lot in Rock Island, IL; Big Thief at Pitchfork and then again the very next night playing a full-length set in St. Louis; and of course the Jason Isbell/Drive-By Truckers “reunion” at Shoals Fest in Florence, AL. The last one in particular stands out. The moment Isbell ripped into “Day John Henry Died” with the Truckers behind him will be an all-time musical memory for me for a long long time. Thanks for reading my rambling if you did!
1. Bo Burnham - Inside 2. Porter Robinson - Nurture 3. Chvrches - Screen Violence 4. Weezer - OK Human 5. As Everything Unfolds - Within Each Lies the Other 6. Black Country, New Road - For the First Time 7. Halsey - If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power 8. Grayscale - Umbra 9. Taylor Swift - Fearless (Taylor's Version) 10. dltzk - Frailty 11. Poppy - EAT 12. Epica - Omega 13. The Night Game - Dog Years 14. John Mayer - Sob Rock 15. The Killers - Pressure Machine 16. Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert 17. Holding Absence - The Greatest Mistake of My Life 18. Rebecca Black - Rebecca Black Was Here 19. Glaswing - Like Water on a Glass Table 20. Knocked Loose - A Tear in the Fabric of Life 21. Kacey Musgraves - Star-Crossed 22. Eidola - The Architect 23. Every Time I Die - Radical 24. Magdalena Bay - Mercurial World 25. Thrice - Horizons/East 26. The Maine - XOXO: From Love and Anxiety in Real Time 27. If I Die First - They Drew Blood 28. Biffy Clyro - The Myth of The Happily Ever After 29. Sturgill Simpson - The Ballad of Dood & Juanita 30. Hail the Sun - New Age Filth Songs: 1. Glaswing - When You're Smiling My Way 2. Porter Robinson - Musician 3. As Everything Unfolds - I'm Not the Only One 4. Poppy - EAT 5. Bo Burnham - All Eyes on Me 6. Taylor Swift - Forever & Always 7. Chvrches - Asking for a Friend 8. Grayscale - Without You 9. Halsey - Girl is a Gun 10. The Killers - Pressure Machine 11. dltzk - Kodak Moment 12. John Mayer - Last Train Home 13. Little Simz - Introvert 14. Holding Absence - Celebration Song 15. Weezer - Numbers 16. Japanese Breakfast - Slide Tackle 17. Epica - Synergize 18. The Night Game - A Postcard from the City of Angels 19. The Maine - Face Towards the Sun 20. Black Country, New Road - Sunglasses
Every year I feel more and more out of touch but heres what I’ve got: Favorites Modest mouse - The Golden Casket The War on Drugs - I don’t live here anymore Halsey - if I can’t have love Manchester Orchestra - Million Masks Adele - 30 Also Enjoyed multiple tracks from these albums in no particular order Royal Blood - Typhoons Big Red Machine - How Long Silk sonic James Blake The Killers The Offspring Tash Sultana Foo Fighters Foxing St Vincent The Black Keys Weezers albums Coldplay Courtney Barnett Discoveries from other lists that I’ve enjoyed Little Simz - This album is great! Could go into my faves of the year with more listens Black Country, New Road Squid Turnstile Wild Pink Arlo Parks Wolf Alice
1. Vince Staples 2. Tyler - CMIYGL 3. Super American - SUP 4. AVA - Lifeforms 5. Lucy Dacus - Home Video 6. Turnstile - Glow on 7. Weezer - Ok Human 8. Manchester Orchestra - Million Masks of God 9. Snail Mail - Valentine 10. Posture & the Grizzly Honorable Mentions: The Hold Steady, Julien Baker, Foxing
Settled on this for now. 1. The Killers - Pressure Machine 2. Olivia Rodrigo - Sour 3. You, Me, and Everyone We Know - Something Heavy 4. Adjy - The Idyll Opus (I-VI) 5. The World Is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid To Die - Illusory Walls 6. Noah Gundersen - A Pillar of Salt 7. Telethon - Swim Out Past the Breakers 8. Dan Campbell - Other People’s Lives 9. Every Time I Die - Radical 10. Bleachers - Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night 11. Dave Hause - Blood Harmony 12. Julien Baker - Little Oblivions 13. Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee 14. Origami Angel - Gami Gang 15. The Wallflowers - Exit Wounds 16. The Hold Steady - Open Door Policy 17. Porter Robinson - Nurture 18. Monobody - Comma 19. The Dirty Nil - Fuck Art 20. Parting - Unmake Me
Albums 1. Silk Sonic- An Evening With Silk Sonic 2. The Killers- Pressure Machine 3. Weezer- OK Human 4. Tyler The Creator- Call Me If You Get Lost 5. Turnstile- Glow On 6. Adele- 30 7. Snail Mail- Valentine 8. Bleachers- Take The Sadness Out Of Saturday Night 9. Coldplay- Music Of The Spheres 10. Brockhampton- Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine Songs 1. Coldplay- Higher Power 2. girl in red- Serotonin 3. The Killers- Sleepwalker 4. The Band Camino- Know It All 5. Doja Cat/ SZA- Kiss Me More 6. Walk The Moon- Giants 7. Silk Sonic- Smokin Out The Window 8. Snail Mail- Valentine 9. Tyler The Creator- Corso 10. Bleachers/ Bruce Springsteen- Chinatown
I've seen some of these albums (SeeYouSpaceCowboy) on more AOTY lists than the number of plays it has on Spotify, so I'm calling BS on some of your lists.
I think you are missing my point, which is fine; I didn't do a thorough job explaining what I meant. Cheers to everyone. Great to see so much enthusiasm for one of the great artistic expressions humanity has!
1. Lana Del Rey: Blue Bannisters 2. Hayley Williams: Flowers For Vases / Descansos 3. The Dirty Nil: Fuck Art 4. Lana Del Rey: Chemtrails Over the Country Club 5. Porter Robinson: Nurture 6. Turnstile: Glow On 7. Lorde: Solar Power 8. Justin Courtney Pierre: An Anthropologist On Mars/Price of Salt/Ghost World - EPs 9. Vince Staples: Vince Staples 10. Citizen: Life In Your Glass World 11. Kacey Musgraves: star-crossed 12. San Holo: bb u ok? 13. Mannequin Pussy - Perfect EP 14. Manchester Orchestra: The Million Masks of God 15. Bleachers: Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night 16. Tierra Whack - Rap? Pop? R&B? - EPs 17. The Maine: XOXO: From Love and Anxiety In Real Time 18. Adult Mom: Driver 19. Billie Eilish: Happier Than Ever 20. Tyler, the Creator: Call Me If You Get Lost 21. Origami Angel: GAMI GANG 22. Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert & Jon Randall: The Marfa Tapes 23. Laura Jane Grace: At War With the Silverfish 24. Halsey: If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power 25. Lil Nas X: Montero 26. Lucy Dacus: Home Video Can't cut anything else so 26 it is
I think the disparities between play count and appearances on lists are more informative when analyzing or critiquing publication lists in aggregate than they are in looking at personal lists. SeeYouSpaceCowboy… is very much something that would appeal to users on this website much more than the general population of Spotify users
I mean there is also a little streaming service called Apple Music… That along with other ones such as Amazon, etc isn’t taking into account all listeners.
if you look at the top songs for an artist on apple music, they’re usually 1:1 with spotify. maybe the total streams are different but it’s generally the same order
I mean that makes sense. Popular is popular no matter what service it’s on. I’m speaking to overall streaming numbers and not just one platform.
Changing the subject: cool to see Wild Pink on some lists, feel like that one was widely slept on and most folks who post on here would love it
First I've heard of Hovvdy sadly, looks like I have some listening to do. Not surprising, been way outta touch this year