Top 25 Albums of 2021

In mid-December, I stumbled upon an album that blew me away. One of those mesmerizing albums to listen over and over. I won’t forget where I was listening to this, when, and it’s impact on me. The band is Turnstile. The album is their third, GLOW ON.

Turnstile isn’t a rock band, they’re not hardcore, they’re not 90s grunge, they’re not punk, they’re not screamo. They’re an amalgamation of the best of all of these genres being played at the perfect times during songs. It’s raw and unique, influenced by previous generations, yet no one has made music like this.

Each band member’s instrument stands out on so many tracks. And the sounds, lyrics, and emotion explain the rest.

This is an album for you to experience. It’s for the opener, “MYSTERY” to blast off your speaker doors. It’s for the cowbell to break down on “BLACKOUT” and the piano to explain on “DON’T PLAY.” It’s a relaxing state of calm on “ALIEN LOVE CALL” amidst the surrounding chaos, culminated in the massive mosh pit that is “T.L.C.”

And only after the album ends to you fully exhale…

As for the other 24 albums, Isaiah Rashad’s The House Is Burning, his third album, continues to astound me. His music is on his terms. There are songs that people unfamiliar with Rashad would scoff at because it doesn’t sound like it’s supposed to, but those are the true artists you have to pay attention to. The more time you spend with all of Isaiah Rashad’s three albums, the more you’ll fall in love.

Speaking of falling in love, Faye Webster is a gem. Her low-key, maximum chill albums are meant for sunsets with your feet up. Her music is epitome of “state of mind” music where it just relaxes me. She’s not catchy, no songs get stuck in my head, but I’m always coming back.

Vince Staples self-titled album comes in at #4. It’s my favorite album he’s released in a discography with great quality control. Like Rashad, Staples is underrated (though not nearly as ignored by critics as Rashad) because of his lack of “hits” and “star power,” yet that’s his exact strength. He is who he is. He makes the music to express himself, nothing more, nothing less.

Staples’ 2021 album is melancholy and trauma. On first rep, the album sounds chill, but digging deeper it’s haunting. Staples is lonely and in a dark place. He can’t escape (mentally or physically) his hometown of Longbeach, CA, where his traumatic past of murder, gangs, guns, and survival still ring inside his head today.

As always, the artist says it the best:

Fuck a friend, I don't want no friends with no open hands (Fuck 'em)
Count my bands, all alone at home, don't you call my phone (Fuck 'em)
Everyone that I've ever known asked me for a loan
- “Law of Averages”

When I see my fans, I'm too paranoid to shake they hands
Clutching on the blam, don't know if you foe or if you fam
I don't got a plan, I'm just out here thugging 'til the end…
I am tired, tired, over again.
- “Sundown Town”

Don’t get murdered, lil’ niggas out here with no purpose…
It's not what you think
I could be gone in a blink
I don't wanna leave
Yeah, it's not what you thought
We dying broke or live with broken hearts
- “The Shining”

Verse 1
I don't wanna die, but I will for the cause…
I don't wanna rebound, I just wanna sleep sound
Don't wanna dream 'bout the shit I done did
You know these trips come with baggage, been all 'cross this atlas
But keep coming back to this place 'cause they trapped us
I preach what I practice, these streets all I know
And there's no place like home

Verse 2 (The BEST verse on the whole album!)
Yeah, I'm on PCH, going south, blower on the seat
With the windows down, music loud, let 'em hear the beat
When it's quiet out, I hear the sound of those who rest in peace
Tryna drown the violence out, but let 'em say that they want beef
And we riding out, finding out where them niggas be
If they hanging out, lay 'em out, airing out the street
Then it's out the way, out-of-state, please don't tell on me
Don't need no more felonies, all these broken memories
I be solo dolo, never know who working with police
When I hit the set, it's loaded; I don't know who envy me
I'm the only one who made it out—you remember me?
Is you a frenemy? You plan on killing me? No?

Finally, my #5 Album of 2021 is a veteran, one that was my #16 (criminally underrate by me!) Album in 2017 and #2 Album in 2014, The War on Drugs. It’s a great album yet only their third best album. Check it out.

And some quick hits on the other 20:

• The Deafheaven album is a must-listen if you enjoyed “Great Mass of Color”

• The Floating Points album is the only instrumental album this year. Great study music.

• CHVRCHES continues to put good music out.

• Black Country, New Road is for a very specific crowd, but it was one of the most unique albums I heard this year.

• Arlo Parks has been hailed by every critic for this album, rightly so. It’s worth checking out.

• Lute is a rapper who tells it like it is and sounds like he means it. I loved this album, and there are so many great features (like JID, Little Brother, Saba, and Cozz) on it.

• Big Red Machine is a super duo (Justin Vernon and The National’s Aaron Dessener) who got a ridiculous amount of performers (Taylor Swift, Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes, and Sharon Van Etten), and the album is very mellow. A great weekend play.

• Benny the Butcher is one of my favorite new rappers out there. He’s “drug rap” which isn’t everyone’s thing, but the man played the game to get to this point and tells the tales.

• Parquet Courts keeps making their unique blend of rock sound compelling.

• Little Simz should probably be higher, she’s a phenomenal MC, lyricist, and storyteller. This album was on all the big publications’ year end lists.

• Speaking of artists on big publications lists, Tyler, the Creator’s album this year was rated as the best album or in the top five by a number of the most noteworthy publications. I did not feel their love of the album nearly as much, but the album is great from front to back, and no one sounds like Tyler.

• Last one I’ll mention is Doja Cat. I seem to have one album on the pop spectrum every year (last year, it was Dua Lipa), and this album is ridiculous entertaining, upbeat, and enjoyable. She’s a great performer and rapper. I listened to this album all the way through and was wowed.

That’s it for the year of 2021! Thank goodness. But at least we had music. Here’s to 2022!

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 200

I had forgotten how loud indoor concerts could be. Band of Horses graciously reminded me this past week as they ripped and their speakers EXPLODED in distortion during “Is There a Ghost.” All concerts are loud, I suppose, but sometimes, they’re really, really, loud. This was one of those. My ears were awash in sirens of ringing, and I could do nothing but smile as a few people rushed to the exits in dismay.

As the song ended, someone tapped me on my shoulder. I came to the show solo, sitting in the balcony in line with the sound engineer. I turned my head to locate the tap, and a gentlemen, sitting down, with a walker to his left, easily 80 years old, gives me two thumbs up with a big smile on his face, basking in the enormity of sound. I gave him a fist bump, helped him get on his feet at the end of the show, and we went on our way. 

This week’s mixtape features a number of tracks Band of Horses played at the show, including two covers, one by Brooks & Dunn and another by INXS. For the record, both covers were phenomenally well done, and I thought the INXS cover was better than the original. But I can’t disrespect Brooks & Dunn, that’s just a great damn song.

Have a great week!  

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 199

Getting back in the groove of things, there’s some hip-hop on this week’s mixtape that has been blasting through my ears.

We’ll start with the unknown Ahmad Anonimis, and the first track I heard from him, “Butterflies.” I’ve always been a sucker for songs built around a piano, and this is no exception. The beat definitely has that 90s era vibe, and he sounds a bit like a mix between JID and (the even more unknown) Nemo Achida. I highly recommend his 2021 album, clocking in at a palatable 30 minutes!

Then there’s Lute, a rapper I’ve been listening to since he was sporting verses on a bunch of Dreamville (J. Cole’s music label, including rappers Bas and Cozz) compilations. His new album, Gold Mouf, is one of my favorite rap albums this year, a melange of beats and influences, and flows.

More War on Drugs, please! I’ll absorb their album for the rest of the year, hearing new nuggets and trinkets along the way, appreciating the many layers this band inserts into their songs. Their albums usually only get better with time. Their last two albums, A Deeper Understanding and Lost In The Dream, are arguably two - if not at least one, take your personal pick - masterpieces, so I had no expectations that this album would exceed the past albums, and it has not, but it’s still fantastic.

I think the best song on the album, certainly the most catchy, is “I Don’t Live Here Anymore” with help from Lucius on the chorus. However, singer/songwriter, Adam Granduciel, is also a pro at the more subtle and subdued tracks, like “Occasional Rain.”

I included “Mimi” because I was taken by Ilsey’s vocals on the chorus. Gorgeous voice. Who is this chick?? She’s an unknown on Spotify with one song! Tell me more!

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 198

The War on Drugs released a new album, one I have not been able to ingest enough, but i did include one track that caught my attention. More to come.

Mac Miller’s 2014 mixtape Faces just got released on vinyl and streaming services, and it’s the one mixtape of his I had never heard! There are many, many references to drugs. Many. And it is obviously taking place in the middle of the blurry road he was on to his tragic overdoes only four years later. “Should have died already…” is Miller’s first line on the mixtape.

Listening to Faces, an album he mostly produced himself, it’s wild he was only 22 years old. His rapping and lyrics were really crafty and clever, and his production showed so many signs of the brilliance he could create. You may notice the sample in this week’s track, “Diablo,” a straight lift from “In a Sentimental Mood” by Coltrane and Ellington.

Although he took the back seat to producing his next few albums (while still writing every song), his final and posthumous album, Circles, was produced by him and super producer, Jon Brion. Faces is worth a deep dive for any Miller fan, and I’ll be adding my favorite tracks over the next few weeks.

Spotify led me to Yeek or Verzache, and I’m digging their sound!

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 193

All sorts of stuff on this week’s mixtape to absorb! I had never listened to Deafheaven until this past week, and I really dig their new album. They’re best described as shoe-gaze rock (although many categorize them as metal, which I imagine comes from their previous albums because this album doesn’t have much metal sound albeit some screaming and kick ass distorted guitars), and if you like the band Nothing, these guys are for you!

My buddy introduced me to The Brook & The Bluff, and I think this track from their 2019 album is the best. Great rhythm, good singer, upbeat.

More Kacey Musgraves for all those who didn't get enough of her on last week’s mixtape.

Remember Sneaker Pimps?? Remember the greatest song that every 90s kid should know?

Well they’re back with their first album in…checks Spotify…double checks Spotify…19 years!! I need to listen to it a bit more because they have their own sound, but if you like “Fighter,” listen to the rest of the album.

And finally, a band that is slowly becoming one of my favorite bands, The War On Drugs. They’ve released two new singles from their forthcoming album on October 29th. They are on an epic run as their last two albums were phenomenal. Each year, I love both albums more and more (and I still need to listen to their three earlier albums much more.). Also, the markings of a special band is when they’re even better live. These guys are a must see in concert.

That’s all I got. Enjoy the week!

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 84

I am getting married in 12 days. It's a surreal feeling to finally be headed somewhere I also dreamed. She's a very special person, and all I know is I feel warm when she is near. I've been working a lot on the music for our wedding, and I will share some of the playlists to our wedding in a few weeks.

All I know is throughout my time with her, music has played an integral role in our relationship, in our life. She has an unending passion to explore what she doesn't know, which makes me so happy when she falls in love with Tame Impala, Kendrick Lamar, and loves seeing Radiohead live. And I've learned a lot of country diddy's that I never knew.

As usual, I have curated a list of songs to play for this week, many drastically different than the next.

LCD Soundsystem came out of retirement (let's be honest, no one actually expected them to retire. No one believes music retirements anymore, and I've become more skeptical of them as money grabs to go on farewell tours. I'm sure some are sincere and others aren't) and released a great album which I still need to digest, but I was running recently when this song came on, and I had the "DAMN, who is this??" moment. Great track. 

The War On Drugs released another incredible album that seamlessly plays from front to back. The modern day Springsteen, or that's what some say. 

I'll put basically every single Frank Ocean song on Monday Mixtape, so this is another example of his brilliance. 

Bryson Tiller's sophomore album was a bit disappointing given how much I loved his first album. Nonetheless, there are some jams on his new one, particularly "High Stakes," his Jay-Z-like "December 4th" coming of age track. 

XXXTENTACION gets the annual award for worst name. I can't pronounce it nor understand it and I just feel old reading it. But I do like this track. 

Happy Monday all, love somebody! 

Coachella - Day 1 Recap

85 degrees, bluebird sky, slight breeze. A 300 pound Albanian-American with a beard to his chest is rapping about culinary items, blunts, and women. His name is Action Bronson, and I couldn’t be happier he’s the first act I see. I think all good rap acts follow one main theme: he/she does not have a hype-man, i.e. the other rapper present just to fill in words and lines that a) rappers forget b) can’t rap because it takes too much breath to get through the whole line, or c) they think people like it? It ruins a live rap performance. 

All the great live rappers I saw yesterday, including Action Bronson, Ghostface Killah & Raekwon, and the surprisingly amazing Azealia Banks (whose stage presence was inviting, electric, and engaging while her rapping was ON POINT), did not have a hype-man (or woman), and displayed the vocal dexterity and rhythm that the great rappers can display not only on the record but live. 

But the whole day was made by one act, someone I had just listened to a few days prior because I had heard such great things: Charles Bradley, the 66 year old soul singer who got into singing because he saw James Brown perform at the Apollo when he was 14. Or as he was introduced to the crowd by his bandmate, “Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for the Black Swan, the Black Rose, the Screaming Eagle of Soul, Charles Bradley!” Out Bradley rolls in an all yellow suit, saunters up to the mic, and lets out a heart rattling howl, so loud, hitting such high notes, everyone just starts clapping in appreciation. His vocals were better than anyone I heard yesterday. 

Listening to Bradley and his band, His Extraordinaries, I could hear his influence on the Alabama Shakes’ sound. The Shakes were another great act, Brittany Howard’s pipes came second place to Bradley’s. They played songs from their new album which sounded pretty great and a bit different. 

The War on Drugs deservedly got a set on the main stage and started with the long jam and one of their best, “Under the Pressure.” The set culminated with “Red Eyes” as the crowd hooted and hollered. 

The band I was most excited to see was Tame Impala. They did not disappoint. As I posted earlier, I think “Let It Happen” is the best song they’ve written. It sounded incredible live, and the crowd seemed really awed by the ins and outs of the song and the different directions it took. Kevin Parker told the crowd it was the most nervous he’d been in a while, but it didn’t show as the played most of their hits, including “Elephant,” “It Feels Like We Only Go Backwards,” “Mind Mischief,” “Apocalypse Dreams,” and the new slow jam, “‘Cause I’m a Man.”

Then, finally, there was the headliner: AC/DC. From the first note, the crowd was loving it. I can’t get over how Brian Johnson still manages to scream and squawk and sound like it was still the 1970s. And guitarist Angus Young’s patented flip kick as he motors across the stage is without a doubt the best original guitar move of all time. There’s nothing like seeing it live.

One day down! I'll try to post more pictures tomorrow. 

Top 5 shows today:

1. Charles Bradley
2. AC/DC
3. Tame Impala
4. Alabama Shakes
5. Azealia Banks