Matt's Books and Music

[This post is part of a large project in which I am going through the popular music released in each year. Please see the note at the bottom of the post re: omissions and limitations.]

Introduction

It’s a testament to Taylor Swift’s huge presence that she can dominate the conversation in a year in which she didn’t release a new album. But 2021 marked the launch of her ‘Taylor’s Version’ project, in which, in an attempt to devalue the original masters for her first seven albums, which were sold out from under her to a company led by an odious man, she began to re-record her earlier work. Cobbling together the two bonus tracks from Evermore released in January, and the previously unreleased ‘From the Vault’ tracks from Fearless and Red (Taylor’s Version), she was once again by far my top-placing artist of the year. Another artist whose success was distributed between multiple albums was Lana Del Rey, who released both Blue Banisters and Chemtrails Over the Country Club in 2021, both of which were strong but not superlative albums for me.

But 2021 also saw the release of Olivia Rodrigo’s first album, Sour. Combining the lyricism of Taylor Swift, with the edge of early Alanis Morissette, and a genuine comedic sensibility rarely seen in pop writing, Sour was a shot across the bow of the music industry. Guitar-driven rock music is not dead, and I count myself lucky to have witnessed the proof here.

Top 10 Albums

1. Sour (Olivia Rodrigo): (see above)
2. Red (Taylor’s Version) (Taylor Swift): For the sake of my album rankings, only the nine ‘From the Vault’ tracks count for this placement. But on the strength of all-timers “All Too Well (10-minute Version)” and “Better Man”, it still makes it high in my top ten. (On the same criteria, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) also made the top twenty albums.)
3. Cry Forever (Amy Shark): Amy Shark is one of those artists I’m convinced deserves to be far far bigger than she is. While this doesn’t hit the highs of her 2017 release Love Monster (which is one of my all-time favourite albums), it’s still a beautifully consistent album.
4. Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night (Bleachers): The ‘80s vibes here are strong, complete with a great collaboration with Bruce Springsteen (”Chinatown”). I understand those who find that a little Jack Antonoff goes a long way, but his production works for me more often than it doesn’t, and this album is a great example.
5. How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? (Big Red Machine): While the highlight of this album for me is unquestionably the Taylor Swift-penned and -led “Renegade,” other standouts include the two Anais Mitchell collaborations, “Latter Days” and “Phoenix.”
6. Screen Violence (CHVRCHES): This album by quintessential 2010s band CHVRCHES succeeds on its depth. You won’t find any songs from it on the playlist, but it’s a solid album from start-to-finish.
7. Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land (MARINA): Contrary to the prevailing wisdom that MARINA (fka Marina and the Diamonds) hasn’t had a good album since 2012, I think this is a strong album that warranted a better reception than it got. Standouts include “Venus Fly Trap,” “Goodbye,” and “I Love You But …”.
8. 30 (Adele): This may be a controversial opinion, but for me, Adele is a singles artist more than an album artist. Like her previous efforts, 30 has a couple standouts, on whose strengths it makes my top 10, but lower than one might expect from a huge artist.
9. Blue Banisters (Lana Del Rey): Led by “Thunder,” “Arcadia,” and “Wildflower Wildfire”, this is contemporary Lana at her haunting and atmospheric best.
10. This Is What It Feels Like (Gracie Abrams): For me, the slow-but-steady growth of Gracie Abrams’ career has been one of the most interesting musical stories of the 2020s. This EP is really good and features the beautiful “Feels Like” and “Hard to Sleep.”

Other Albums of Note

2021 was a year of many strong albums that didn’t quite resonate with me enough to make the top 10 for me, but are still worth highlighting:

• Happier Than Ever (Billie Eilish): I suspect a generational difference may be at play, but Billie Eilish is an artist I like and appreciate but don’t love. But her talent and unique point of view are unmistakable and on full display here.
• MONTERO (Lil Nas X): Re-listening to this album makes me hope Lil Nas X can overcome his recent troubles and come back and fulfill his potential.
• An Evening with Silk Sonic (Silk Sonic): This collaboration between Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak hearkens back to the glory days of soul music in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Its unabashed nostalgia is both its strength and weakness, but it makes it a unique and noteworthy contribution to 2021 in music.

Top 10 Songs

1. “All Too Well” (10 Minute Version) (Taylor Swift): This song is not fair to other songs. It has a half-dozen lyrics (at least) that most songs could only dream of. (Favourite lyric: “You kept me like a secret but I kept you like an oath”)
2. “driver’s license” (Olivia Rodrigo): Much like Swift’s early work, Rodrigo’s songwriting here perfectly applies precocious perspective and lyricism to classic teenage experiences. (Favourite lyric: “today I drove through the suburbs / ‘Cause how could I ever love someone else?”)
3. “good 4 u” (Olivia Rodrigo): The biting, angry sarcasm and big rock energy of this song expresses the big feelings of breakups so well. (Favourite lyric: “And good for you, I guess that you’ve been working on yourself / I guess that therapist I found for you, she really helped”)
4. “happier” (Olivia Rodrigo): If “good 4 u” expresses the anger of a breakup, “happier” captures the later feeling of being mostly happy your ex is moving on, with Rodrigo’s characteristic humour. (Favourite lyric: “So find someone great, but don’t find no one better / I hope you’re happy, but don’t be happier”)
5. “Renegade (feat. Taylor Swift)” (Big Red Machine): This seems to have been written during the production of Evermore and likely was put on the Big Red Machine album so as not to pop the public-facing bubble of Swift’s relationship with Joe Alwyn before they were ready. As a music fan, it’s a shame, because this deserved the higher profile that comes with being on a Taylor Swift album. (Favourite lyric: “Is it really your anxiety / That stops you from giving me everything? / Or do you just not want to?”)
6. “Walk” (Griff): The best songs often express something I didn’t know I needed expressed. This song has a simple premise — how when you love someone, even seeing them walk down the street can leave you swooning — and simple lyrics, but combines them with an infectious pop production to create a fun, joyful song. (Favourite lyric: “And all you gotta do now is walk”)
7. “Easy On Me” (Adele): By her own admission, songwriting is not an easy process for Adele. But when inspiration strikes, few people can express as heartfelt emotion as she can. Combine that with her generational, soulful voice and you’ve got something special here. (Favourite lyric: “I had no time to choose / What I chose to do”)
8. “Mr. Perfectly Fine (From the Vault)” (Taylor Swift): As much as I prefer her more mature songwriting, there’s something special about the snarky teenage Taylor, which we see on display here in this vault track. (Favourite lyric: “Hello Mr. “Perfectly fine” / How’s your heart after breaking mine?”)
9. “deja vu” (Olivia Rodrigo): Speaking of teenage snark, here we have another great example from Olivia Rodrigo, about noticing an ex sharing the same things with a new love that they shared with you. (Favourite lyric: “So when you gonna tell her that we did that, too? / She thinks it’s special but it’s all reused”)
10. “Moves” (Suki Waterhouse): And speaking of emerging talents, this early Suki Waterhouse track bodes so well for her future. (Favourite lyric: “I’ma put some goddamn moves on you, babe, I know you need it”)

Other Songs of Note

• “How Dare You Want More” (Bleachers): There’s something to be said for a good old fashioned jam session style song that can go on as long as the spirit moves. And this is the best example of such a song in recent memory.
• “Fucking Wizardry” (Self Esteem): British artist Self Esteem does some of the most interesting and experimental pop in the mainstream. When it hits, like it does here, it hits hard.
• “Walking at Midnight” (Kacy Hill): This is the standout track from Hill’s wonderful third album, Simple, Sweet, and Smiling. It strikes a great balance of feeling both nostalgic and fresh.

Most Surprising Inclusion

• “Llevame al cielo” (Supremme Deluxe): Not a lot of music from drag artists is going to make my best-of-the-year playlists; nor will a lot of non-English-language music. But this is a deserved exception on both counts. Dance pop perfection.

Notable Song that Missed the Cut

• “Mood” (24kGoldn, feat. Iann Dior): Despite being very pop-forward, and therefore more accessible to pop fans like me than a lot of hiphop and rap, and being Billboard’s number 4 song of 2021, for whatever reason it just didn’t hit for me.

[Note: It’s of course impossible to listen to everything, so while I’ve tried to be as comprehensive as possible, omissions are inevitable. For consistency’s sake, I’ve gone with the year music was released, rather than when it became popular. Any ratings or rankings are my own and entirely subjective. This has nothing to do with objective quality but is simply reflective of my personal taste.]