2021 in Review: Music Column

Before we get this month’s column, consider checking out Voices’ new playlist! For December, there’s a mix of holiday deep cuts and other wintery songs.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5PsdKPeHzWfZHtxvxwozo4?si=cc5dcd5f707a4106

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/voices-december/pl.u-8aAVZ5eSv76eayZ?ls

This is a pretty long article, so I’ll keep the intro short! Below you’ll find my picks for the top five albums of the year, as well as eleven songs that defined my 2021, both lists in no particular order. Every music critic says that “X Year was a good year for music,” but 2021 truly was a year filled with deeply personal, vulnerable, and introspective music made during emotional times, along with an abundance of energetic, just-plain-fun music. Without further ado…

DOJA CAT - PLANET HER

I know I said that I wasn’t listing these albums in any order, but Planet Her is by far the album of the year. Doja really does it all on this album, covering various styles of vocal performance over countless insane beats and instrumentals. Grooves and adlibs blend with intricate rapping on songs like "Woman" and "Naked." "Get into It (Yuh)," "Payday," "Kiss Me More," and "Need to Know" are all contenders for song of the year in my book. Every feature delivers in full, and what a feature list it is, with Young Thug, Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, JID, and SZA all making appearances on the album. It’s hard to describe the true genius of this album in a school newspaper, since anyone who’s listened to Doja knows what every single one of her songs is about, but it’s that openness and expression of said certain topic that makes Planet Her incredible. This album absolutely dominated the summer, and for good reason. It’s catchy. It’s powerful. It’s sexy, and it’s near perfect.

FISHBOY - WAITSGIVING

It’s hard to describe Waitsgiving with conviction if your audience hasn’t listened to it because the premise is just so wild. The most recent addition to a deep discography of rock opera/concept album-esque indie projects by Denton, TX band Fishboy, Waitsgiving is a 35 minute audio adventure that enthralls listeners more than any movie or show. The album follows the story of a small rock band in a tiny town who decide, after no one listens to their songs, to bury their music in a time capsule. Told in 10 songs, (essentially scenes), from the perspective of nine different characters (the founding band members, their children, and their grandchildren), the album describes the holiday of “Waitsgiving,” as well as everything from a BBQ shack to a snow-cone stand to a record store to a graveyard, and concludes with the now-elderly band members’ attempt to reclaim their lost album. Fishboy (also known as Eric Michener) melds indie anthems, recurring melodies, fifty years of characters, funny names, and crazy places into a beautiful and ambitious album with themes of the values and drawbacks of waiting, importance of family and teamwork, and making art regardless of an audience. Remarkably, Michener was able to recreate the sound of a full band while writing and recording nearly every part of the album in his own house during quarantine. For so many reasons, Waitsgiving is insane, but even moreso, insanely perfect.

JEFF ROSENSTOCK - SKA DREAM

Over the past decades, Jeff Rosenstock has cemented himself as the greatest punk rocker of the generation and an absolute master of the genre, via his solo work, as well as projects like Bomb the Music Industry! and Antarctigo Vespucci. Now a core member of the ska group The Bruce Lee Band, Jeff used his talents to redo his entire 2020 album No Dream, but with ska, and in doing so, improves upon an already perfect album. The album’s horn section, led by Skatune Network and We Are The Union’s JER, rips, as does the performance of Jeff’s usual cast (Mike Huguenor, John DeDomenici, Kevin Higuchi, Dan Potthast). Recorded mainly as a passion project and described as a “fun goof” by Jeff, Ska Dream also sees the appearances of many of Jeff’s other artist friends, who all add their own bit of flavor to their respective tracks (Chris Farren, Laura Stevenson, Anika Pyle of Katie Ellen and Chumped, Augusta Koch of Cayetana, PUP, and the legendary Mike Park of Asian Man Records, to name a few). Songs like "Horn Line" and "Ohio Porkpie" are testaments to Jeff’s compositional talent, but then again, so is every song on the album. Ska Dream truly is the stuff of dreams for any ska fan.

LAURA STEVENSON - LAURA STEVENSON

I’ve written two music columns this year, and Laura Stevenson has made appearances in both of them, and she’s two for two for good reason. This project is nowhere near Stevenson’s first, and it clearly shows as her lyricism and compositional skills have reached pure perfection on this album, but it’s certainly her most personal, vulnerable, and revealing to date, hence the self-titling. This album truly is the musical representation of Laura Stevenson herself. Tender songs reflect Stevenson's mental state during the pandemic, as well as experiences as a partner and new mother throughout this trying year. This project features Stevenson’s most aggressive and frantic singing and playing to date, but also her most controlled and beautiful, with that ever-so-warm and vibrant guitar and deep, cutting bass, and surrounding drums, Laura Stevenson the album has a flawless song for any mood.

VINCE STAPLES - VINCE STAPLES

Credit where credit is due: I was put onto this album by Mr. Adam Gizis, who claims that this project, the album of the year in his eyes, is perfect for running under a waxing gibbous moon. When you think about it, it’s kind of a genius assertion that really sums up the album. It’s short, roughly twenty minutes long, and it’s powerful and hard. Good to run to while on repeat: check. Now, waxing gibbous… how does that fit in? Vince Staples is an artist finding himself on this album. His talent and humor have been evident for years, but Vince turns inward and reveals himself on this project to a far greater extent than he’s done in the past. He’s so talented and has such a large musical presence on any track, yet he’s still growing. Wouldn’t you know it, a waxing gibbous is the phase of the moon cycle where it’s mostly visible (50-99% illuminated) and still growing. Waxing gibbous: somehow, check. All analogies aside, Vince Staples is an incredible album. With production from good friend Kenny Beats, Vince is able to shine over beats crafted specifically for him, and vulnerably explore themes of loss, mental health issues, love, and more, while still remaining hilarious. Vince Staples is a masterpiece, and it’s only 20 minutes. Give it a listen.

SONGS OF THE YEAR

Doja Cat - Get into It (YUH) - By far my most listened to song of the year, "Get into It (YUH)" is an absolutely addictive two minute joyride of Doja rhyming nonsense together in the coolest way possible. It’s great music for driving, dancing, and singing with friends. Incredibly easy to listen to on repeat and just. So. Good.

Isaiah Rashad - Score feat. SZA & 6LACK - Rapper Isaiah Rashad’s self-proclaimed first R&B song, "Score" combines vulnerable singing, basketball imagery, and a shimmering Kenny Beat with incredible synth riffs and drums, into everything you could ask for in a chill hip hop love song. SZA and 6LACK both kill it (as always).

Fishboy - Seventies Singer/The Last Waitsgiving - The two-part finale to Fishboy’s rock opera Waitsgiving, this pair gets the award for “only song that made Calder cry this year," and it isn’t even sad or relatable!!! It’s the ridiculous tale of how a 73 year old man decides to dig up a time capsule he buried fifty years ago, but it’s so beautiful. Fishboy weaves the tune with recurring melodies, callbacks to various points in the album, and concludes with every wacky character he’s introduced working together, resulting in a lesson about patience and teamwork. It’s crazy. It’s overwhelming. It’s genius.

Jeff Rosenstock - Horn Line - The ska/reggae version of Jeff’s 2020 song “State Line,” "Horn Line" builds upon the original with, you guessed it, a horn line, as well as a groovy bass, crisp drums, and soft, reverbed guitar. This song was my go-to for zoning out on road trips or the train this year.

Diners - The Brain Song - This song has been played by Tyler of Diners during virtual live shows since the beginning of the pandemic, but was finally released in October of this year. "The Brain Song" is an adorable, soft indie tune about losing your mind, and it’s probably the most relatable thing ever written.

The Best of the Worst - Counterfeit Smiles - "Counterfeit Smiles" is the awesome, heavy, screaming epitome of The Best of the Worst’s ridiculous ska-punk-hardcore-deathmetal sound, and it goes fast and packs a punch. If you like this one, you’ll be happy to know that the rest of their album is this crazy.

Laura Stevenson - Sandstorm - A glowing rock song and a true masterclass on songwriting, "Sandstorm" mixes three different drum beats and verse forms into a collage of an indie jam. Laura Stevenson’s voice is as strong and iconic as always. To answer the silly question, this song would definitely be one to play at the end of my coming of age movie.

Flying Raccoon Suit - Red Herring - Yet another song from a crazy skacore band, Red Herring is an energetic highlight off of Flying Raccoon Suit’s Afterglow, an album that sees the band dominating in their familiar genre of ska while exploring everything from surf rock to metal. Red Herring is triumphant, reminiscent of a 90’s third wave ska song on steroids.

Cordae - More Life ft. Q-Tip - The first of many great Cordae releases this year, "More Life" was the young artist’s return to recorded music after a year without dropping any music. Cordae takes a step up from the already elite level of lyricism he had on 2019’s "The Lost Boy," and the chorus from the legendary Q-Tip is ethereal. Can’t wait for Cordae’s “From a Birds Eye View” to drop next month.

Doja Cat - Kiss Me More feat. SZA - I heard multiple people call this one the “song of the summer,” and I’d be inclined to agree. It’s bold, feel-good, and nothing but happy. Both Doja and SZA are incredible. And hey, like the name would suggest, it’s the perfect song for when there’s someone you want to kiss you more 🤷

Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow - Industry Baby - This list wouldn’t be complete without "Industry Baby," another year-defining song. Lil Nas X’s anthemic denouncement of everyone who’s slept on him, from haters to the industry itself, is one of the most enjoyable (and successful) songs of the year. Lil Nas is triumphant, and Jack Harlow supports in classy fashion. Great beat, great performance, legendary music video: what isn’t there to love?