Music

2021’s Best Record

According to me

Narrowing down a favorite of anything can be tough.

Much easier to overdeliver and give someone a list of 5, or even 10 top picks. But as Mike Crittenden recently wrote that defeats the purpose. Instead of a nudge in the right direction — or sharing something great — you’ve given the other person homework.

Much better — but tougher — to commit to one choice.

“I see it every time someone asks for a recommendation. Books, movies, bands, apps, restaurants, whatever. They ask for one and they get a dozen…Please, just give me one. There’s something beautiful about getting exactly one suggestion. I can take it or leave it. And if you don’t know enough about what I need to pick just one, then ask me for details instead of trying to land a direct hit via scattershot.”

I should be clear here; I love lists- especially when it comes to music.

I mean, I’ve written almost 50 in a row now. How could I not? Sharing music/playlists is one of my favorite things (see what I did there?).

But Crittenden has a point.

When someone asks you for your favorite, they want to hear what your one pick is, not a battery of them.

So what’s my favorite record of the year?

That’s a long list. A lot of great bands put out a lot of great music this year. Even knowing my own tastes and applying absolutely subjective criteria, it still took a while.

The game was rigged, and I still managed to take it to extra time.

A few records came close:

Japanese Breakfast-Jubilee: Let’s be honest. There’s a greater-than-zero chance that this page will devolve into a JBrekkie fan account. Still, it’s a great record. And “Be Sweet” gets the nod for my favorite song of 2021.

Lily Konigsberg- Lily We Need To Talk Now: This one slid in just under the wire. I only recently came across it, but it’s been in heavy rotation ever since. A member of NYC art band Palberta, Konigsberg has crafted a record that’s alternately introspective and rollicking — and fantastic from start to finish.

Put loosely, it’s a breakup record. But it’s a breakup record that doesn’t drag you down. This is for sunny days, not quiet hours.

But if you only have enough time/money/whatever for ONE record, and ask me which 2021 release to pick up, it would have to be:

Dry Cleaning’s “New Long Leg.”

Taking its place on all kinds of year-end best lists, The English post-punk band knocked it out of the park with their debut album.

New York Times critic Lindsay Zoladz:

“The instrumentation around (lead singer Florence) Shaw swells like a sudden squall, but her dead-pan spoken-word musings are the eye of the storm, remaining steady and strangely unperturbed in all kinds of weather.”

The musings/vocals mix well with the layered, dense soundscapes she’s talking over (but not overtaking). Dry Cleaning reminds me a bit of King Missle, except Shaw’s talking about things like lanyards and helicopters, and not detachable…organs…

All of which is to say, that if you are looking to buy one record for the holidays, and you asked me to pick, “New Long Leg” is the answer you’d get.

Check it out here, and then run to your local record store and grab a copy.

I’d love to know what you think. I’d also love to hear what your best 2021 release is. Let me know in the comments!

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