I try not to live in the past too much so, as always, I kept searching out new music throughout this past year.
While I don’t know if music will ever excite me as much as it did in my youth, one way of trying to maintain a semblance of that youth despite another year turning over and my body reflecting that, is through discovering new music.
I wouldn’t call 2021 a great year for music, but a decent one that’s probably about on par with last year.
Below you’ll see my favourite 30 albums (from the hundreds I listened to) in order. I’ve also included: my favourite EPs; and my favourite compilations, live albums and reissues.
Just like many artists who performed frequent live streams through 2020 got a bit burnt out on them this year, I did too. So my viewing decreased significantly and you’ll see a lot of names repeated in the favourite concert list since I’d return to people I knew I could rely on during those times I found myself without other things to do and a live stream happened to be on.
Live music in Toronto was basically shut down through the first seven months of the year and even when it returned there were often restrictions placed on shows and I lost my enthusiasm for attending concerts and only caught three that genuinely entertained me.
Hopefully live performances in my hometown will return unfettered at some point in the not too distant future and my appetite for them will also reappear, like I’m sure it would have at the Jon Langford, Sally Timms and The Sadies show I was supposed to see tonight at the Horseshoe Tavern for New Year’s Eve before Omicron threw a wrench that caused it to be cancelled.
Thanks to everyone who continues to make music or is involved with bringing it to people either in recorded or live formats. Your work is appreciated and hopefully I’ll be able to convey that in person to some of you this year.
With that, here are the recordings and performances that did the most for me in 2021.
My favourite 10 albums
1. Legendary Shack Shakers - Cockadoodledeux
2. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - When God Was Great
3. Charley Crockett - Music City USA
4. Together Pangea - Dye
5. Skegss - Rehearsal
6. Catbite - Nice One
7. Dropkick Murphys - Turn Up That Dial
8. Goodbye Honolulu - Goodbye Honolulu
9. Jr. Gone Wild - Still Got The Jacket
10. The Rumjacks - Hestia
The next 10 albums
11. Ike Reilly - Because The Angels
12. Bobby Ramone - Rocket to Kingston
13. Gramps Morgan - Positive Vibration
14. The Deathray Davies - Time Well Wasted
15. The Fleshtones - Face of the Screaming Werewolf
16. Southern Culture On The Skids - At Home With Southern Culture On The Skids
17. Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band - Dance Songs for Hard Times
18. The Human Rights - Reggae Strong
19. Wavves - Hideaway
20. Nine Pound Hammer - When the Shit Goes Down
The next 10 albums after that
21. Dany Laj and The Looks - Ten Easy Pieces
22. Dinosaur Jr. - Sweep It Into Space
23. U-Roy - Solid Gold U-Roy
24. Half Past Two - Half Past Two
25. Whitehorse - Strike Me Down
26. The Blips - The Blips
27. Big Chief Monk Boudreaux - Bloodstains and Teardrops
28. Jakob Mind - The One Who Got Away
29. Dean Wareham - I Have Nothing To Say To The Mayor of L.A.
30. The Weeks - Inside The Covers
My favourite EPs
1. Blacklist Royals - Doomsday Girl
2. Teenage Joans - Taste Of Me
3, The Tragically Hip - Saskadelphia
4, Mento Buru - Skalloween
5, Billy Bragg - Mid-Century Modern
My favourite compilations, live albums and reissues
1. Lowest of the Low - Taverns and Palaces
2. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts
3. Joe Strummer - Assembly
4. Neil Young - Young Shakespeare
5. The Palace Guard - All Night Long: An Anthology 1965-1966
6. Various artists - I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to The Velvet Underground and Nico
7. Various artists - Heroes of the Night
8. Bob Marley and The Wailers - The Capitol Session ’73
9. Pixies - Live from Coachella, Indio, CA. May 1st, 2004
10. Scott B. Sympathy - Drinking with the Poet
Chixdiggit
My favourite concerts (chronological order)
Monte Warden - Jan. 1, online concert
Frank Turner - Jan. 14, online concert
Frank Turner - Jan. 21, online concert
Frank Turner - Jan. 28, online concert
Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - Jan. 30, online concert
Dean Schlabowske - Jan. 31, online concert
Steve Wynn and Linda Pitmon - Jan. 31, online concert
Bruce Smith - Feb. 3, online concert
Monte Warden - Feb. 12, online concert
Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - Feb. 13, online concert
Jeff Tweedy and his family - Feb. 15, online concert
Frank Turner - Feb. 18, online concert
Monte Warden - Feb. 19, online concert
Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - Feb. 20, online concert
Steve Wynn and Linda Pitmon - Feb. 28, online concert
Ron Hawkins - March 2, online concert
Monte Warden - March 5, online concert
Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - March 6, online concert
Jeff Tweedy, John Stiratt and Glenn Kotche - March 8, online concert
Monte Warden - March 12, online concert
Ike Reilly & The Holy Family House Band and guests - March 13, online concert
Hayes Carll - March 16, online concert
Dropkick Murphys - March 17, online concert
Micah Schnabel, Frank Turner - March 18, online concert
Jeff Tweedy and his family - March 18, online concert
Waco Brothers - March 19, online concert
Lucky Ron - March 27, online concert
Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - March 27, online concert
Jeff Tweedy and his family and Liam Kazar - March 30, online concert
Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie) - June 27, online concert
The ARC Sound - Aug. 7, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto
Danny Laj and The Looks, UIC - Sept. 18, online concert
Luau Or Die, The Ichi-Bons, Mark Malibu and The Wasagas - Oct. 30, Lee’s Palace, Toronto
Chixdiggit - Nov. 4, Bovine Sex Club, Toronto
Monte Warden - Nov. 5, online concert
Frank Turner - Dec. 21, online concert
Lucky Ron - Dec. 26, online concert
No comments:
Post a Comment