The Essential Records of 2021

The year comes to an end and it's time again to look back to my personal essiential records of the year 2021:

dodie - Build A Problem

dodie (yes, no capitals) is a British singer-songwriter, YouTuber and author. And a phenomenon.

With almost two million followers on YouTube and one million on Twitter she already released three EPs - and in 2021 she was ready for her first full length record: "Build A Problem". Listen to Cool Girl and Rainbow here:

 

   

 

I'd recommend to buy the record at the official store. You can get the CD, a deluxe edition (double CD), vinyl, cassette (!) and other merchandise: 

https://www.dodie.co/shop/?ffm=FFM_cdca4358191c09e01580f1128768a4a4

 

Bleu - Six Tape

Eight long years after the last record of Bleu the new album "Six Tape" finally surfaced in 2021!

 

 

“I’m over ‘figuring out who I am’” says Bleu. “I like a mish-mosh of music, just like most people do, and when I’m writing songs for myself, I’m only focused on what will put a sh*t eating grin on my face and not really worrying about the rest.”

Tracklist
01 I Wanna Write You a Symphony
02 A Crazy Life!
03 Baby By Your Side
04 Kid Someday
05 Love You So
06 Never Believe It
07 Chasin' (featuring Lindsey Ray)
08 Snakes
09 My Emo GF
10 Mercy Girl

Bonus songs (Bandcamp exclusive)
11 Nobody Calls It Rock'n'Roll Anymore
12 JOBS
13 The Animator (featuring Rob Cantor of Tally Hall)
14 Wife Me
15 Alive and Well

Look out for Six Tape at Bandcamp (there are 5 exclusive bonus songs).You can gat the digital album, the bonus songs, tickets for a online release party, an handcrafted VHS with the complete album and surprise video content and even a SiX TAPE Canvas 3D Collage made by Bleu.

https://bleu.bandcamp.com/music

 

José González - Local Valley

You always can depend on José González. "Local Valley" is a gem.

 

Aimee Mann - Queens of the Summer Hotel

Aimee Mann shows us with "Queens Of The Summer Hotel" once more her perfect and appealing  songwriting. 

 

 

Del Amitri - Fatal Mistakes

Del Amitri left us waiting for 19 (!) years - in 2021 they were back with "Fatal Mistakes". And it's as if they had never been away.

Buy Fatal Mistakes here (signed CDs, vinyl, Outtake CD, T-Shirt): 

https://delamitri.tmstor.es

 

Crowded House - Dreamers Are Waiting

None other than Crowded House returned in 2021 with a new album, their first in eleven long years.

 

Steven Wilson - The Future Bites

For years I have always avoided Steven Wilson - and I really don't know why.
It was a revealation when I immersed into his huge catalogue. And this year "The Future Bites" surfaced. If you still don't know him, this may be a good start.

Ben Rector - The Best Is Yet To Come (Official Video)

A quite special year comes to an end - but maybe "The Best Is Yet To Come".

Ben Rector wrote a wonderful song about the new year.

Owsley - Live in Nashville (2004)

Owsley - Live in Roseville (2000)

Ivy - All Hours (2011)

In 2011 Ivy released their 6th (and final?) album: All Hours. 

 

Andy Chase, Adam Schlesinger and Dominique Durand created a superb mixture of electronic and indie pop influences. 

After Adam Schlesinger sadly passed away (by this damn pandemic) in 2020 it will presumably be their final record.

If you haven't had a chance to listen to it - do it! It may be my personal favourite album of the band.

New Music - September 2021 (José González, Andrew Stonehome, Zac Clark)

José González - Head On

  

Andrew Stonehome - Heartbreaker

 

Zac Clark - Holy Shit

 

Ward White - The Tender Age

Over the last decade, Los Angeles based art-rock crooner Ward White has delivered a spate of critically lauded albums that defy easy categorization. 

His thirteenth (!) album, The Tender Age, will be out October 8, 2021.

Album opener Dirty Clouds floats on a bubbling Wurlitzer courtesy of Grammy-nominee, Tyler Chester (Madison Cunningham, Andrew Bird) and angular electric guitar stabs, while White’s curiously sunny vocal delivers fragmented dialogue from people in nebulous peril.

 

The Lodger - Discography & New Album (Cul-De-Sac Of Love)

The Lodger is British Indie Pop in its purest form. The band was founded in 2004 and had three full length records in 2007 to 2010. 

After more than ten years of silence the new album "Cul-De-Sac Of Love" was released in early 2021. In September 2021 a non album single ("Bewildered") will follow.

 

Discography

• Grown-Ups (2007)
• Life is Sweet (2008) 
• Flashbacks (2010) 
• I Think I Need You EP (2010)
• Cul-De-Sac Of Love (2021)

 

Listen to Cul-De-Sac Of Love here:

Bleu - SiX TAPE (New Album!)

Bleu is back! Eight long years after his last record the new album "SiX TAPE" is out NOW!

 

 

“I’m over ‘figuring out who I am’” says Bleu. “I like a mish-mosh of music, just like most people do, and when I’m writing songs for myself, I’m only focused on what will put a sh*t eating grin on my face and not really worrying about the rest.”

Tracklist
01 I Wanna Write You a Symphony
02 A Crazy Life!
03 Baby By Your Side
04 Kid Someday
05 Love You So
06 Never Believe It
07 Chasin' (featuring Lindsey Ray)
08 Snakes
09 My Emo GF
10 Mercy Girl

Bonus songs (Bandcamp exclusive)
11 Nobody Calls It Rock'n'Roll Anymore
12 JOBS
13 The Animator (featuring Rob Cantor of Tally Hall)
14 Wife Me
15 Alive and Well

Look out for SiX TAPE at Bandcamp (there are 5 exclusive bonus songs).You can gat the digital album, the bonus songs, tickets for a online release party, an handcrafted VHS with the complete album and surprise video content and even a SiX TAPE Canvas 3D Collage made by Bleu.

https://bleu.bandcamp.com/music

Aimee Mann - Queens Of The Summer Hotel (11/05/2021)

Aimee Mann is back with her new album: "Queens Of The Summer Hotel" will be out November 05, 2021. 

 

Mike Viola - King Kong Hand (Hootenanny 1 Mic)

David Myhr - And Now This EP

The Swedish songwriter David Myhr announced his new EP And Now This with lead single We Wanted To Shine.

The four track EP record is again a collaboration (like Myhr's 2018 Lucky Day album) made with Nashville-based producer/musician Brad Jones (Josh Rouse, Matthew Sweet, Jill Sobule, Marshall Crenshaw) and fellow Swede Andreas Quincy Dahlbäck.  

With a day-gig as songwriting teacher (Luleå University of Technology, The Royal College of Music in Stockholm,) We Wanted To Shine saw Myhr take some of his own songwriting advice: 

"As a songwriter you're often looking for a starting point, an idea to spark off. One method I recommend to students is to simply start with a title."

"I had a Tom Petty book on the coffee table in front of me so I opened a page at random and my eyes landed on the words ‘we really wanted to shine’. It was a quote about The Heartbreakers performance at the tribute to George Harrison in The Royal Albert Hall, on the anniversary of his death." 

From there, the creative juices flowed.

"All I had to do was to start singing! The chorus came right away. A verse melody followed quickly and Brad Jones then further developed the lyrics”.

"The song could be interpreted as being about a struggling musician that craves attention and recognition, which of course is something that I can relate to! But it is also about wanting to succeed and - perhaps a bit amateur psychology - some kind of deep-seated need for validation from your parents."

There’s been talk for years now about the album format being dead. It may or may not be true but David said: "Brad Jones encouraged me to start working in the EP format. I must say I like it. This may be the first in a trilogy. If this is the powerpop EP, maybe the next one will be the acoustic EP. And the third… the Drum&Bass EP!!? We'll see!"

 And Now This is out at Lojinx (HERE) and all common digital platforms on 21st May 2021.