Top 21 in ‘21

I say this every year and every year I mean it. Each year it gets harder and harder to choose such a small amount of music from the vast amount of tremendous music that was released. I decided to do things a bit different this year. I finally decided to let go of my old ways and adding releases to the list other than albums. This list began with three hundred releases and after many painstaking hours of difficult decisions that I was barely capable of making I narrowed it down to twenty one. There was so much spectacular music that I had to take off this list which never became any easier but I am happy with the way it ended up.

Link to Spotify playlist for this list

Click the image for more info about the artist

Loved You First – Alanna Matty

While I have said a fair amount about Alanna’s music in the past few years, what I am about to say is new as far as I can recall. I had a realization about her music during the last all originals stream. There is not a large quantity of music that will move me to tears with each listen, Alanna has a number of tracks which have that effect and Loved You First is among them. It weaves together a truly exquisite and tragic tale. It is sincerely poetic, and it hooked me from the very first listen. After a hundred listens it hasn’t lost its savor as I listen it’s as if I am being wrapped up in a warm blanket of emotions. It causes me to ponder and process things in an incredibly cathartic way. This updated version of the song does nothing but emphasize the elements that I already found compelling, somehow after listening I appreciated this track which I already loved to an even greater extent. I don’t think it is an easy task to update a song while still keeping its original feel and also changing enough to make it feel new. That is most assuredly what was accomplished here. It is always exceptionally difficult for me to choose a favorite song by an artist but this may just be the track I would choose if I absolutely had to pick one.

3AM – Melissa Lamm

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night because for some reason your mind seemingly wants you to solve all the world's problems? If so then you will relate to 3AM. So maybe I was being slightly facetious with the opening question but if you’ve experienced this you know what I am talking about. Whether it is stress, anxiety, insomnia or a combination of any number of things it is frustrating, painful and as it carries on day after day it is quite demoralizing. Dealing with that particular struggle is what this song speaks on and it does so most intelligently. This track is overflowing with emotion and it only takes a few seconds for you to discover this while listening as the melancholy piano melody begins to play. The first line that really stuck out to me was the ending of the first verse. To me this is the first hint we get of the feeling of hope that will come at the song's end. In fact, at the end of each verse and chorus we get these glimmers of hope and peace. “I try so hard to let go but I can’t, Can I wake you and hold you instead?” As bad as this experience is it is lessened when you have someone else to support you through it.

Then comes the pre-chorus which is the part of the song that hit me the hardest. “Mmm, Sorry to say it out loud, Mmm, Sometimes I can’t tune myself out.” It is uncomplicated yet soul-stirring, I know that I always find it very difficult to acknowledge things that I am struggling with and that is exactly what is happening in this line. There is both vulnerability and also empowerment contained within it and the first time I listened it felt like an emotional kick to the sternum. It takes a great deal of courage to talk about our struggles and I genuinely admire song writers for doing this. I hope that knowing you are helping others with their own struggles makes it worth it. Lastly, I want to mention the final chorus. This is what solidified my theory pertaining to the underlying feelings of hope spread throughout this track. The final chorus changes adding a beat that sounds much less somber and by the time the bridge begins you can feel that ray of hope shining through “…we’ll be alright, We’ll be just fine, just fine…” This is the light at the end of the tunnel. It can be a real ordeal to get through but we can make it through. Depending on what we are dealing with this may be a cycle that we go through time and time again but this song reminds me to find hope no matter how small it may seem at the time and grasp onto it.

Pleiades - Lisa Ritchie

Lisa’s release Pleiades got me to really dive into her music library and I discovered how positively brilliant she is at songwriting. Each track she writes creates an exemplary narrative that I become enthralled with. The aforementioned track is a phenomenal allegory of life and the stars. One that I very much related to; as a huge astronomy nerd I would actually change the stars on my ceiling to match the night sky. I found the answers to many questions I’ve had in life while staring up at the stars; I have always felt that there is much more than nature's beauty to discover within the vastness of space. Pleiades also known as the Seven Sisters is a group of approximately eight hundred stars contained within the constellation known as Taurus. Sirius, also known as Alpha Canis Majoris of the Dog Star and it is the brightest star within the constellation known as Canis Major. As both Pleiades and Sirius are mentioned in this track I feel their origins have some significance.

“Pleiades fell from the ceiling today

I guess the glue finally wore down

Stick on stars watched from their plastic array

Everyone said to rush to get back into town.”

“Sirius watched from his place in the sky

I asked him if he understood

The science behind all the trials they tried

He told me the odds were still good

But if i could come home, then I should

Now I'm driving through states as I'm talking my way back home

Take up her place so the stars don't feel so alone.”

I love it. I could listen to this track all day long (and I have) yet I still do not tire of hearing it. I find that each line in this track contains multiple meanings, there is far more to this song than what it says on the surface. I still plan on one day taking the time to dive fully into this track and striving to unearth all its hidden gems. “It's Sirius who is now vaguely aware, there's nothing to see without Pleiades there…Star finally falls, there’s no way to prepare, nothing to see without Pleiades there.” Here Sirius references both the constellation, denotes the gravity of the situation and I think it may also be the personification of the individual in the situation. The astronomy references in this track are superb at some point I need to come back and talk about more of them. The last part at least at this point in my life reminds me of what it's like when you lose someone you are close to. There is no way to prepare and there is a part of you that feels like it is missing. This most assuredly causes you to see things differently.

Blood on my Hands – Anna Carmela

This track is a deceptive pop bop. On the surface if you listen without paying much deserved attention to the lyrics it may seem like nothing more than a stupendous dance tune. There is nothing wrong with such tracks and it definitely has a beat which is fantastically head-bopping but that is only a small fraction of what the song has to offer. The story being told is complicated and contains a vast amount of layers. It has to do with self-reflection, change and regret the last of which is made manifest in the following lyrics:

“If in time

I can find my way

Escape before I hit the bottom

Maybe I

Can wash away

The stains of every little way I went wrong.”

I won’t speak for anyone else but I found it impossible to live life without having regrets, you will make mistakes plain and simple but what is truly important is how you cope with those mistakes. Of the many struggles we deal with self-doubt, self-questioning, wondering if we are good enough is another big one and it is one of the many struggles we will deal time and time again at least that has been the case for myself and its illustrated in lyrics here:

"How many times can I

Tell the same story?

Before I realize

There is no glory

I’ve got blood on my hands

Oh, this blood on my hands is my own

I started a war with myself

Oh, a war I could never have won.”

Many questions are being asked throughout the track and while it seems no direct answers to these questions are found I feel that is on purpose. I wonder if perhaps that is because there is a realization and an acceptance of the fact that some questions we may have in life don’t have answers or they have answers that we don’t like or are not ready to accept at the time. Some issues we have will last a lifetime and we may never know why we were going through them but we have to learn to be okay with that.

A Touch of the Beat Gets You Up On Your Feet…. – Aly & AJ

Paradise I tend to steer myself towards more somber, melancholy and even gut-wrenching songs. I have discussed why a number of times before so we won’t get into that now. This song is one that doesn’t fit in the description that I previously mentioned. Paradise strikes me as a track that talks about falling in love and being the best relationship that you could imagine. It is in a word, Paradise. I think the opening verse is simply fantastic:

“Running on bad ideas like they're nothing

Racing through red lights like we're young

Living on gut feelings, high rollers

Wanting the time to stop and it won't”

It perfectly describes the feeling of falling in love or losing all other worries, cares and being absorbed in your relationship in the best way. Then it goes on to talk about questioning what is happening for whatever reason. Perhaps because it is the first time you’ve experienced such a relationship or you’ve experienced it before but were burned. Maybe it is actually just so good that it is hard to believe it's happening to you; you just cannot believe that it's true. “Would you say we made it our paradise? Would we know it's paradise?”

In These Silent Days – Brandi Carlile

The second track on the album “You and Me On The Rock” has both a stupendous guitar and a lovely message. I gleaned from it the importance of having a solid foundation for your life which is especially important in an increasingly chaotic world. There are references to the biblical tale of the wise man and foolish man but really it is about the path we all travel down as we figure out what our foundation is. For Carlile it seems to be her family and her faith which has endured despite the challenges that she has faced. During my first listen it was the chorus that first made me think “WOW, what a stellar song this is.” It really sums up what the whole song is about:

“I build my house up on this rock, baby

Every day with you

There's nothin' in that town I need

After everything we've been through

Me out in my garden and you out on your walk

Is all the distance this poor girl can take

Without listenin' to you talk

I don't need their money, baby

Just you and me on the rock.”

Screen Violence – Chvrches

The theme of this album is perseverance; and it starts with the very first track which may very well be my favorite from the album. “Asking for a friend” it’s a beautifully somber, reflective track. It speaks of regret, loneliness and a heart-wrenching vulnerability seems to permeate from the track. Lauren Mayberry’s voice in this track is so striking and raw. I feel the pain and anguish as the track begins; someone is reflecting on their past mistakes and they are so very contrite. Yet by the end the mood seems almost celebratory as you realize how much of the pain and regret that you are feeling had to do with things that weren’t really all that significant. It makes for such an exceptional introduction to the story that the entire album tells us.

Enough – Kintsuku

I love just how beautifully the music mirrors and matches the lyrics in this track. From the very first time I heard this song it struck me down to the bone. It is chilling, haunting, and magnificently ethereal. Kintsuku has such a peaceful yet striking voice; each line hits with great power. Whether it was actually talking to another person or shouting out into the void; I have had very similar conversations to the one spoken of in this track. Sometimes for long stretches of time I have called out for help to be shown how to feel enough. Asking someone to “Just lead me on towards the otherside can I cross this with you?” Can I escape this nightmare? You can only feel like you are drowning for so long before it becomes too much to bear and you “just want to be free.” This was something that really got me to dive into music and it was songs such as this one which let me know that I am not alone. That there isn’t something wrong with me because I feel this way at times. Songs like this one really make all the difference.

Jubilee – Japanese Breakfast

This type of track is starting to become my favorite; this is a track that contains a heavy theme which is encapsulated in an upbeat, futuristic dance melody. This won’t surprise anyone who has read a handful of my posts but I find myself steering towards darker themes when it comes to music and other forms of entertainment media. It just tends to be the way I think. I am prone to feeling quite melancholy a vast amount of the time due to this fact and it often feels like I have to physically wrestle with myself in order to feel joy and happiness. This song is about that kind of struggle. The chorus really says it all:

“Don't mind me while

I'm tackling this void

Slide tackling my mind

This weight feels like

I'm wrestling with my head

Obsessing in the dark”

The lyrics speak of the struggle while what you are hearing is a manifestation of the joy you will feel when you are able to win this war within.

Ignorance – The Weather Station

This whole album is full of tracks just like the last one I spoke of. They all have these solid toe tapping melodies yet the album is also overflowing with a deep sense of grief and a longing for solace in a crazy world. I latched onto it’s message right away and the song that hit me the most was “Subdivisions”. This track speaks on leaving, departing, perhaps running from something. Whatever reason you are traveling, venturing into the unknown and the road you travel on is this safe haven as you make your way towards the next unknown.

Red (Taylor’s Version) – Taylor Swift

All Too Well in its new form is basically an EP all on its own. In this ten minute track not a second is wasted there is a massive amount of new content packed into this track. We get a very expanded version of the story that was told in the original track and this time there is no holding back. At some point I may do a post solely on this one song but for now I will just mention one part that really made me think. In the latter half of the second chorus we hear the lines:

“And there we are again when nobody had to know

You kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath

Sacred prayer and we'd swear

To remember it all too well, yeah”

Specifically that second line and the stark contrast it shows these two people have when it comes to their relationship. There is a canyon sized difference between a secret and an oath. The first being synonymous with hidden, mysterious and even underhanded. Whereas oath is related to promises and vows. What a magnificent way to state the differences in commitment two people have; maybe it is just me but I was hit hard by the brilliance of that chorus and its potential meanings.

Indiscreet – Katie Dwyer

“All I Can Do” is a splendid song that tells a story of a great relationship. It is two people that support each other when one is down and struggling the other is there to pick them up. Not knowing what life may bring isn’t really all that scary because you know that you have someone that you can count on. It is a delightful track with such captivating harmonies.

“No matter what life brings

You are steady and true

And when I am unstable

Your hands stop me from shaking

Your words are reassuring

And you remind me

Of all I can do.”

There is a graceful clarity to not only this track but the rest of the EP as well. I just always find the message of Katie's songs to be so clear and gracefully stated.

Indoors – Annelle Staal

One of the earliest memories that I have is hearing the sound of a slide on guitar strings as music played over the speakers in my childhood home. Due to this fact I developed a love for the acoustic guitar, so it took less than five seconds for me to start loving this song. Listening to this track feels extraordinarily sublime. It’s really the perfect track to hear while lounging in a coffee shop. I found it to be quite inspirational. Before this fall I would have been unable to relate to having an appreciation for the changing of leaves and the scenery that this time of year brings as I never before experienced it. Having recently moved away from a desert I listen to this and I get it. It isn’t the same to travel somewhere for the winter; you have to actually experience it. For me this song is a reminder to not forget to live your life and not just simply exist; it is important to take time to slow down and admire the simple things that bring joy to your life like the beauty of nature and all that there is to take in in the world around you. It is becoming increasingly easier to be wrapped up in your own little bubble and before you know it your life will pass you by and you will sit and wonder what happened. It was this line “Whose dream do I have? And why is it always indoors?” That truly caused me to think.

It’s Hard to Be Human – Kina Grannis

Before listening to this album I was keenly aware that Kina Grannis is an outstanding songwriter yet this album still managed to shock and amaze me. There are so many compelling tracks on this album but the eloquence of the message in “Another Way” was what really struck me the hardest. This track is ultimately about circumstances, how we view them and what we decide to do about them. It poignantly states how different the circumstances of our lives can be if we change our attitude and perspective. I will let the track speaks for itself:

“How would you know if someone wiser

Wasn't forging in these fires?

What if you'd washed away what could've set you free?

How would you know if you've mistaken

When your heart is bruised and aching

For a bad thing when all you needed was to bleed?”

It is so thought provoking and gut-wrenching all at once which I think also describes the album as whole. The message not only comes across but it also makes you feel it so forcefully that it hurts. There is another section towards the end of the song that I was really moved by.

“What if we choose that we'll let go of

All the things we've no control of?

What if we learn to love whatever comes to be?”

I don’t know what else I can really add to such a thought provoking piece of music. I was definitely engaged in some deep self reflection after listening to this. It shifted the way I view some things in my own life.

Songs for Being Alone - Tyler Levs

This is an entire album full of sublime tracks that magnificently capture what it’s like living in isolation; the kind of things you think about and the thoughts that may cross your mind. One track that really stuck out to me is Last One. Tyler has the uncanny ability of hooking me within the first few seconds of a song every single time and that is certainly the case here; what a brilliant use of a camera shutter sound. I have to admit that I don’t really have any brilliant insight into this track and that could be partially why I was drawn to it, since its deeper message escapes me. I am assuming it is about a relationship that is coming to an end considering lines like “I can feel the rocks start to crumble…I never saw it coming.” I just don’t know exactly what the “last one” is referring to, is it the last problem, the last fight, the last time things were good in the relationship. The first thing that came to mind when I heard the line “In my mind I’m always running back to, back to the last one, if I could go back I’d take a picture” was the Taylor Swift song “Back to December” in the sense that it is this recollection of the times when things were good and you want immortalize that in a way so you “take a picture.” I am probably nowhere near the mark but the song is great regardless.

Blindside – Jennifer Jess

The whole EP is about self-empowerment and finding the best in the various situations we may find ourselves in while traveling through the emotional spectrum of love. The opening track “I Got Me” speaks on turning our focus to what we have following a breakup rather than feeling down about what we may have lost. It embodies the sentiment that if we aren’t able to be happy alone then we will never be happy with anyone. It is a powerful message and the song does a fantastic job of conveying it.

The last track I found particularly compelling, it is a magnificent ballad of self-empowerment and the production is astounding. The backup vocals all blend together so incredibly well and it gives me that feeling of being in a concert hall and hearing a choir sing. I love it so much. This track is about taking all the lessons; both pleasant and not so pleasant, that you have learned from love and allowing them to make you stronger. It is about accepting the mistakes you have made along the way and extracting all the best things from those mistakes so that you can have a better future. Above all it’s a message about hope and perseverance in spite of what you have been through. There is greatness inside each of us and we all deserve to feel love.

I’m With You – Natalie Holmes

I think that Avril’s music tends to not get the credit it deserves. There is far more to it than what is on the surface. Her early work especially is far more cliche, emo, pop punk ballads. There are some truly evocative lyrics to be had if you really pay attention. Natalie’s cover of the track encourages you to do just that. Her take on the song is nothing short of astounding and it does a lot of emphasize the emotional gravity. You can feel the deep sense of longing and the inner turmoil with much more intensity in this stripped down version of the track. I consider myself to be a big Avril fan, have been since 2002 yet if I am being honest I enjoy this cover even more than any version I have heard from Avril.

Sunsets at 9pm – Kümmel

This won’t come as a shock to anyone reading this but I am someone who typically gravitates towards the lyrics of a track; not that I don’t appreciate all the other pieces that must come together to make up a terrific track, lyrics are simply what I know. Therefore I don’t really find myself drawn to much instrumental music outside of OSTs. All that being said, I very much enjoy music by Kümmel. As each track builds I get the sense that there is a story being told and it is a story that you can write yourself, the music gives you a sort of template to follow. I am growing to enjoy that more and more as I have immersed myself in this music. I have discovered that I find myself gaining different things from the songs as I listen and this was something that I didn’t expect. I have found that Kümmel’s music has much of the same effects on me as other music I enjoy and I am highly anticipating the upcoming EP.

Break Me In - Meg & Dia

If I had to choose a theme for the albums/songs that I put on this list I would say that theme is probably self reflection. I didn’t do this consciously but it happened. This track certainly fits into that theme. It is a song about escaping all the chaos of life to find yourself, to truly appreciate the world around you and to just have some time to really think without any outside distractions. I am especially moved by the chorus to this song “Let me lay low where the old pines grow, I can hear my soul again, finding myself is not a cry for help, It's the first time in my skin” Such beautiful imagery and vocals to match. I was extremely glad to have Meg & Dia come back from their extended hiatus; their music contains amazing harmonies and relatable messages.

Not in Chronological Order – Julia Michaels

Creating this list involved many difficult choices for me and one of the harder ones was trying to pick only a single song from such a phenomenal album. In the end I decided to highlight Little Did I Know, I remember being so incredibly blown away from the very first time I heard it. In one song Julia Michaels references Shakespeare, the Old Testament and has a line that refers to more than one definition of the word consonant. I think that her songwriting was some of the very best I came across in the entirety of 2021. I love how well the song illustrates the change that happens as someone’s perception on love is shifted so completely. To be set in your beliefs that love only happens this one way and then realize that isn’t true that it can actually be so much better than you thought. That is an emotionally jarring experience and as you listen to this song you can feel that.

The Deep – Zoe Wren

This song is deemed apocalyptic cinematic folk by the artist and I can think of no better way to describe it. It is beautifully haunting, ethereal and creates a stirring, emotional scene. I thoroughly enjoy the dynamic build up of this track. Beginning with the guitar, slowly adding the piano into a sort of swelling chorus and finally bringing in strings. It all comes together so seamlessly that it took me a few listens before I even noticed all the moving parts that were coming together. I probably still don’t notice everything, since I have been diving into music more thoroughly, I have begun to realize there are many unappreciated subtleties. My thoughts are a bit scattered but this track really brought a lot to my mind. I sincerely enjoy the opening of this song:

“There's a chill in the evening

There's a whisper in the air

That the gates below are opening

And it's us that built them there

So we hide in our houses

But it only buys us time

While the earth around us crumbles

And the bells they softly chime.”

Back to that facing your inner demons that I mentioned earlier. Whether this was intended or not I don’t know but when I listen to this track I see myself as both the person trying to hide as well as the devils outside.

“Now the devil's outside

And there's nowhere to hide

And I hear my name called from the deep

He stands in the shadows

And he wears a well pressed shirt

And his shoes of shining leather

Press our faces in the dirt

There are countless more just like him

But one day we will be free

Til then I'll pick my battles

And hope that he won't pick on me.”

What thought provoking lyrics which for me speak on facing your inner demons. It can be quite difficult to acknowledge that sometimes in life we are our own worst enemy, that we are the cause whether directly or indirectly of some problems that we face. I have come to grips with this fact and am maybe too hard on myself because of this which is why I see myself in all the roles contained within this song. A final note to tell you that you should check out the music video as it is fabulous!