Favorite Songs of 2021 - Songs 1-11

One would be tempted to bid 2021 a less-than-fond good riddance ... if we hadn't already done that with 2020. So let's just appreciate the new music that our seemingly endless pandemic brought us. Including three albums (which happen to contain the first three songs on my list) that could have filled out the Top Ten all on their own.

1. Stop Making This Hurt by Bleachers.

"But if we take the sadness 

Out of Saturday night

I wonder what we'll be left with

Anything worth the fight?

I wanna run from the darkness

Wanna shout at the light

It's coming over me now

Two, three, four, five oh God we barely survived!"

I went back-and-forth a lot between this and number two on the list for much of the second half of the year. Stop Making This Hurt, however, was the one song that I never skipped on any device throughout the year, and it's the one that compels me to crank up the volume more than any other. And so, here are the Jersey boys, with their horns and Jack's goofy dancing. Long may they rock. I also recommend giving a listen to Don't Go Dark and How Dare You Want More from the LP Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night (along with the already nominated Chinatown).

2. Not Dead Yet by Lord Huron.

"I've been out way too long

Heading right for the edge

If she asks about me

Tell her I'm not dead yet."

The boys from Michigan return to their western/rockabilly roots on their new album Long Lost and I for one am glad for it. I believe that Lord Huron now holds the distinction of having two Number Two songs on my list through the years (Until the Night Turns was second in 2015). So close ... I also recommend to you Mine Forever, Long Lost, Love Me Like You Used To, and I Lied from their 2021 offering as well.

3. Hot & Heavy by Lucy Dacus.

"You knew that I wanted you to bend the rules

How did I believe I had a hold on you?

You were always stronger than people suspected

Underestimated and overprotected."

The above lyrics are perhaps my favorites of the year. If not them, then the ones I will gift you immediately below. Lucy's latest album Home Video (which, as the title suggests, is based on memories from her past) is chock full of them. Check out VBS and Brando from that LP as well, at the minimum. The video's fun too and consistent with the Home Video theme. I'm sure it was made in RVA (but didn't look it up to confirm).

4. Family Farm by The Hold Steady.

"When she was combing through the carpet I could not resist her charms

She brought me to a fortress she called the family farm

Out along the towers there were guards with heavy arms

I guess there was some tension with the neighbors."

So do you prefer Lucy's wry observation or Craig Finn's deadpan understatement? Tough call for me. The boys from Brooklyn (by way of Minneapolis - the midwest is the setting for many of their tracks) are back with another set of lyrically brilliant songs courtesy of Mr. Finn in their new album Open Door Policy. Give Lanyards a listen as well.

5. Empire Builder by Typhoon.

"You and I know we both know that

Everybody's angry

Everybody's lonely

Maybe it's hopeless

And maybe love is not enough

But let's not rule out the possibility."

Definitely a pandemic song. Perhaps an apocalyptic song. At least Kyle Morton's still got a bit of hope. Typhoon recorded their album Sympathetic Magic remotely, no small feat for a notoriously large ensemble. The entire LP is very good, especially (in addition to Empire Builder) And so What if You Were Right.

6. Fire and Brimstone by Sean Rowe.

"I had a dream

Last night

When I was lying

On my bed

And the whole world

Was standing still

And the moon

Was turning red."

My New Year wish: that, for one day in 2022, I can sing like Sean Rowe.

7. Dino's by Gordi and Alex Lahey.

"There was a greatest hits on the stereo

There was a nun drinking her doubt

There was a young boy making promises

To a Dolly Parton cardboard cutout."

A pretty ode to ... a Nashville dive bar (okay, I admit that I looked up the location). Both Gordi and Alex hail from Australia. I'm glad that they found their way to Tennessee, at least for one evening.

8. Seventeen Going Under by Sam Fender.

"I was far too scared to hit him

But I would hit him in a heartbeat now.

That's the thing with anger

It begs to stick around.

So it can fleece you of your beauty

And leave you spent with nowt to offer

Makes you hurt the ones who love you."

A song of teenage rage (and an abusive father, I'm guessing). But with the redemptive vision of someone who "got out" reflecting on the person he was, the one he could have become, and the one that he became instead.

9. Questions by Middle Kids.

"And I got questions

And you got answers

And I'm not sure

 if they're fact or fiction

And I got questions

And you got answers

And I'm not sure

 if they're even worth asking."

The Kids are back with another stellar effort, part of their 2021 album Today We're the Greatest. Not much doubt where they stand with regard to whomever this song was written about. Cellophane (Brain) is also worth a listen from their newest LP.

10. Faith Healer by Julien Baker.

"Faith healer

Come put your hands on me

A snake oil dealer

I'll believe you if you make 

Me feel something."

The third member of boygenius didn't quite make the top of my list, unlike her cohorts Lucy Dacus and Phoebe Bridgers. But her 2021 album Little Oblivions was well regarded by people whose opinions count more than mine (in other words, just about everyone's). This is my favorite song from that effort. We're all searching for something, aren't we?

11. New Fragility by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. 

"On a holiday, you said you just need to get away

Taking some midnight ride out to Long Beach Island

Stranded, half-naked on a strange man's couch

No hearts are broken when there's no one to let down."

All the low notes of a break-up (or, more exactly, post-break-up) song. That last line gets me everytime.

Here's to (hopefully) seeing some live music in 2022 - that would be a good way to restart, wouldn't it?

Favorite Songs of 2019 - Songs 1-11

1. Blown to Bits by Charly Bliss.

"Every empty calorie
Expanding sweets inside of me
You're light as a feather, astronomically huge
Laughing out loud in your bathing suit
And I'm still alive, best year of my life."

Marry my perverse love of apocalyptic songs with my unusual appreciation of '80's girl bands' (The Bangles, The Go Gos) pop, and some pretty wicked guitar and what do you get? My favorite song of the year, that's what. Charly Bliss front woman Eva Hendricks describes the genesis of the song as: " I started writing this song the day that everyone in Hawaii was alerted to a nuclear missile headed their way. Luckily it ended up being a false alarm, but that day I couldn’t stop thinking about actually living out the end of your world, and THE world, and how devastated I would be by the loss of things that are for the most part, really simple and small ... This is a love song to little moments that make me feel like we might make it out the other end." Also check out the songs "Capacity," (which has actually made some critics' best songs lists), "Young Enough," and "The Truth." 

2.  Little Trouble by Better Oblivion Community Center.

"Not every certain death can be so brave
Not every psychopath can act so well-behaved."

Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst combined their talents in Better Oblivion Community Center and on their eponymous first album (which contains the oft-heard "Dylan Thomas"). They then released this song, which I favor over Dylan Thomas. The bouncy, drum-led music belies the snarky lyrics, which I hear as an indictment of class and privilege. And the above lyrics? Perfect.

3.  This Life by Vampire Weekend. 

"You've been cheating on, cheating on me
I've been cheating on, cheating on you
You've been cheating on me
But I've been cheating through ...
This life
And all its suffering
Oh Christ,
Am I good for nothing?"

Hard to read this as anything other than the songwriter's (in this case, Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig) guilt at how well he's got things compared to much of the rest of the world - sort of a self-examining complement to "Little Trouble" now that I think about it. Also highly recommended is the band's "Harmony Hall" from the excellent Father of the Bride album. Vampire Weekend's musicianship shines through in this live version.

4.  Quarter-Life Crisis by Judah & the Lion. 

"All these stories probably should be just for my therapist
I've been fightin', hidin', tryin' my best not to let you in
I can't do this all alone."

The song, and the whole album Pep Talks, are the reflection of a crisis for the Nashville boys and particularly front-man Judah Akers brought on by family turmoil. Whether quarter-life or nearly full, we can all relate. Also recommended from this fine collection, at the least, are "Over my head," and "i'm ok."

5.  basking in the glow by oso oso. 

"Cut me up, I've said enough
Learned this lesson far too much
It'll only bring you down
Carrying someone around
In your head, in your head."

Jade Lilitri is oso oso, and as with many songs I love, the bouncy music is at odds with the introspective lyrics. Sounds to me like he's at least trying to figure things out. Also check out "one sick plan," "wake up next to god," and the first song on the album, simply called "intro."

6.  Way Way Back by Matt Nathanson. 

"I'm sure he's easier than I was
If you like that sorta thing
He looks better with his shirt off
Yeah, but can he sing?"

The final artist in the triumvirate of those that I heard (and liked) at Mountain Stage back in April. At the least, also check out "Used To Be" from his latest album "Sings His Sad Heart."

You can also here his entire Mountain Stage set here.

7.  Nobody by Hozier.

"I've been fed gold
By sweet fools in Abu Dhabi
And I've danced real slow
With Rockettes on dodgy molly
But I've had no love like your love (ooh hoo)
From nobody."

I can almost hear my Dad complain (as he often did about songs I would play for him): "I guess I like it but I can't understand a word he's saying." Pretty sure he wouldn't pick up on the "dodgy molly" (as, admittedly, I failed to do as well). Also check out "Almost (Sweet Music)" the seemingly more preferred but in my opinion less desirable Hozier song from his latest album Wasteland, Baby!

8.  Quiet Light by The National.

"Guess I don't know what I'm saying

Just call me

I'll come to where you are

Alone in the quiet light

I'm always thinking you're behind me

And I turn around and you're always there."

A departure for the boys from NYC (via Cincinnati) on the excellent album I Am Easy to Find as they incorporate the voices of a number of female singers. None to better effect, in my opinion, than on this song. But be sure to check out "Not in Kansas" and "Rylan" too (at the least).

9.  High Alert by Junius Meyvant. 

"You got my soul on fire

You got my heart beneath you

You got the one desire

To break me down just to please you."

This year's blue-eyed soul entry. Can't get much more blue-eyed than Iceland, which is where Unnar Gísli Sigurmundsson (aka Junius Meyvant) hails from.

10.  Tenebrist by The Ballroom Thieves. 

"We all muddy the water, oh

To make it seem less shallow

If our grief grows like a shadow

And in the morning that's alright

We need the dark to know the light."

Anyone who has listened to more than a few of my favorite songs over the years would recognize this one as in my wheelhouse on may levels, chief among them the chorus, the interplay between the male and female voices, and the horns (which are unfortunately absent on the live version above).

11.  Will We Talk? by Sam Fender. 

"She said

'I don't usually do this kind of thing

Does it change the way you think of me?'

Thinking isn't his forte."

Speaking of The Boss, who has been all over my previous lists this year (here and here), Sam seems to have more than a bit of Bruce in him. And perhaps a little U2 to boot. 

Happy listening - thanks as always for following along!