Music of 2021
Dec. 8th, 2021 08:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
walleyeI need you to be bold around me
김예림 (Lim Kim) – Falling (Prod. by DPR Cream)
The way I organize music is really silly, kind of. Basically every time I’m listening to a song I like, I add it to a super long playlist (used to just have one super long 500+ song one before realizing it was unsustainable).
The very first one spanned from Aug 25th, 2016 to March 19th 2019. I guess aries season pushed me to make a new one. It says this isn’t kevin because me and kevin use the same spotify account LOL (and that works well for us! Though our spotify wrapped gets a little skewed but who cares I know what I listen to...). In 2016/before I used to be really into vaporwave (no need to call me out when I have bared my heart to you like this) which is why I named it vapouer (semi-ironically) but the name has stuck (ironically).
The second, spanned from March 20, 2019 to Dec 30, 2020
The last, which is meant to be for 2021 in its entirety, now that I’m more organized! Need to come up with a name for the next one. Maybe baper.
I like this because 1.) Songs I listen to the most at any one time will always be grouped together at the bottom fo the playlist 2.) Going through the playlist is like going through my life story <3 3.) I don’t like themed-playlists that much because i change my mood based on the song I want to listen to. So i can listen to sad songs when i’m happy and happy songs when i’m mad, etc, so it just gets harder for me to find songs i want to listen to when they’re based on theme but not time. Im sure other people do this too but my point is that i’m immune to themed playlists.
Random note: I didn’t start listening to full albums until 2020 hit because before I didn’t get the point (too lazy..). Now I do! I’ve been listening to a greater variety of music these days, always looking for songs to listen to (suggestions welcome!). When I list songs here, they weren’t necessarily released in 2021, but my first-time listen to them had to have been in 2021 (unless it was really special...).
I’m going to limit it to 1-3 songs from each month!! Otherwise this list will get very big.
Here’s some of the songs and albums that meant a lot to me this year.
Songs
January
pretty havoc.
Okay this song is a LITTLE silly but it’s all good fun. Like imagine lyrics like this, but alt rock:
Why so pissy missy?
Missed it, Kristi Yamaguchi
Boujee in that Valentino
LAX to Bernardino
Literally so much fun.
February
CHUNG HA
This is my top song of 2021 according to spotify and i’m not surprised because...it’s really good. I really love songs that are a bit “whiny” so to be speak, like the need is palpable, and this is one of those tracks to me, plus it has a perfect amount of oomph. To be honest i didn’t like the title tracks from Qurencia but the sides are Gooooooood.
Ayano Kaneko
This also fits the “whine” factor i love. Singing out of tune is okay if its on purpose! The lyrics for this are very beautiful and i find it very fitting that i discovered this gem as i approached spring.
March
Big Thief
This song was my inspo for my gahdong apocalypse fic that i wrote for ggjukebox (oh! You’re curious! Well it’s right here!) i listened to this song a lot while writing and i think it’s one of the first that led me to appreciate slower indie tracks more (technically the first actual one was Silk by Wolf Alice which I listened to in Dec 2020 but. 2021 is my year of starting to slow down and chill because before i could not STAND slow songs unless they were special. I’d get bored too fast!!!)
DPR IAN
What I most associate this song with is being very wasted at a friend hangout and going to the bathroom and then staring into the mirror and thinking “This is me this is what i look like that is what other people see when they look at me” and going kind of nuts. It wasn’t even a necessarily bad moment (i mean, most of the time.) but i found it very exploratory in ways i didn’t recognize before. The album in general....Good.
Sarah Kinsley
Your superstition keeps me thinking it was karma
But I can't listen my intuition says I want you
You say everything comes back around it'll haunt you
But I can't admit my intuition says I want you
And I want you, I want you
April
WJSN
Honestly very strong contender for kpop soty. This song is juice. So so good. REALLY REALLY REALLY UNNATURAL WAE! I don’t think i need to say more because i’m sure u all already understand.
May
Flying Lotus
Me in my ~tender~ phase at this point (I was also listening to JADE - Monsune and Rider - Mereba) I’d be going on my walks listening to this like “My heart is so open right now I am ready to feel things more earnestly than before” and nature would be like “okay?”
Me Maten - Live at NPR’s Tiny Desk
C. Tangana, Antonio Carmona
I love the music video for this...it’s very joyous and celebratory full of being surrounded by people you love after a good meal making music! The latter of which would not happen to me personally as i do not make music but all the same...this version sounds very raw and beautiful to me :’)
June
WILLOW, Travis Barker
WILLOW!!! Thank u for the album. She is literally such a classic and the instrumentals on this song sound so niceeeeeeee. Cheering for her always...
Adrianne Lenker
This was around the time of year that i started thinking a lot about Cycles and i love love this song so much (i think i found it on some random tumblrinas playlist asdfasdf the rest of the songs were okay but THIS ONE.)
Everything eats and is eaten, time is fed
So precious and beautiful and the guitar strumming in the background makes me feel like i’m spinning...i adore it. Stages of Rot!!!
July
Alice Longyu Gao, Alice Glass
Kim “SuA” “Alice” Bora your anthem is here queen. Ive been listening to a decent amount of hyperpop this year (lol) and alice longyu gao is really the best in the field rn in my opinion. I hope one day to make an edit to this song it makes me feel very amped up!!
lyrical school
This is my fun-loving, reminds-me-of-when-i-was-young summer bop <3
Dreamcatcher
U GUYSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS this is my at heart SOTY. i know bother me rated higher but thats because i didnt feel like i deserved to listen to whistle by dreamcatcher as much as i normally would have. Godddddddd
I LOVEEEE yoohyeon’s voice in the 2nd chorus. My girl went off...the song kind of reminds me of europop in some ways it’s so much fun! I remember driving late at night on the highway with kevin blasting this song and that was the perfect vibe for it...i love how they sing thru the chorus (guy who dislikes beat drops with no singing during them) i love how the sounds make it feel like you’re Zooming i love how they just start quasi-Yodeling the reverberations in the air are resonating with my brain waves.
As for the album in general:
Whistle > BEcause > Intro > A Heart of Sunflower >> Alldaylong >>> Airplane
I really did not like airplane......when the ep came out my tl was FLOOOOOODED with kpop edits to airplane and i was so upset u guys should have used WHISTLE instead. I also didn’t like alldaylong because...i’m not really into “modern” citypop...im sorry...like i could never get into yukika either (the truth comes out). I do like classic citypop (i liked vaporwave so i have to) but something abt it now is just very bland and overproduced to me...
Anyways. BEcause was a good title track (as always with deukae) and i like the intros to their albums as well (lots of sounds for me to observe and i appreciate that). The intro is clown-funk and i respect that.
August
ATARASHII GAKKO!
The music video for this is interesting and the lead singers voice is very husky-ish which i enjoy a lot. Very cool stuff i hope 88r*sing doesn’t ruin them. adfjaksdf
Mughal-E-Funk, Meesha Shafi
This is based on a poem which is very nice and the song makes me feel like i am falling into a deep body of water but its Fine. I can’t understand the song (i think it’s in urdu which theoretically i shld be able to kinda understand butttt maybe because it’s old and uses fancy poetic language i don’t sooooooo shrogs.)
Night Club
Ugh this song is just so catty and i love it. U knowww it is on the halloween playlist!!!!
September
Yves Tumor
I keep reminding myself that i need go and look thru yves tumor’s discog more thoroughly they are very talented!!!
WAKUSEI ABNORMAL
This is my “time to go insane” song as well as Kikuo’s Voices of Svaha which siyao showed me that dropped this year. Kikuo please put it on spotify.
I worry if i play this song while driving or crossing the road or smth i’ll die but for walking on the sidewalk its all good.
October
Maison book girl
I listened to a lot of maison book girl in october and im really enjoying their sound. I love the piano in this too!!
aespa
A rare 4th gen group song that i actually like i mean whaaa.....i have had this on repeat for genuinely so long it is so catchy to me...like i genuinely listen to it every day its an earworm.
Nova Twins
Last year Athena was on repeat for some time so i was pleasantly surprised to learn when nova twins had a new single out!!!! I feel like it would be so fun to see them live....rock girls...
November
Liana Flores
This song is so relaxing and it reminds me of taking a walk at 4 PM only for it to be dark immediately after. Liana flores has a really nice voice though and the whole ep is quite good!
AOA
cunty <3
glass beach
I love songs that are more screaming than singing too and that’s so valid! I DIDN’T MISS THE COLD WEATHER I JUST MISSED YOU!
December
This month isn’t over yet...so there may be a chance it’ll change! But here’s what I found so far this month <3
Kim Petras
Look at these margari-ta-tas. Niki played this at her party and it was a gooood time LOL.
Japanese Breakfast
Did u know i listened to jbrekkie officially for the first time in my life this month <3 i enjoyed this album overall and need to take a deeper discog dive but wow i am rly late to the party huh. I think its bc in the past id hear samples from songs and they weren’t for me but i do listen to a lot of artists like jbrekkie soooooooooo...gonna take a deeper dive soon.
Albums
Outer Wilds (Original Soundtrack)
Andrew Prahlow
I dont even need to tell u if u’ve seen my last games post. U already know! (sobs)
NakamuraEmi
I listened to some NakamuraEmi in 2017 but then gave this whole album a listen now and godddd so much fun. This 2016 album and her album Momi that came out this year are so good (she is really consistent with releases too like damn). Favs: I, All My Time, 七夕
Maggie Rogers
Elle introduced me to maggie rogers and i really enjoyed this album a lot <3 my favs: The Knife, Past Life, and Say It. the lyrics to Past Life especially...make me go kinda insane! Make me go kinda nutso!!!!!
Magdalena Bay
Fun late night listening experience <3 seeing them in march, can i get a WHAT WHAT! I first listened to them in like. 2018 (thank u spotify discover weekly) because their music is always right up my alley and now im gonna see them LIVE!!! (guy who has only gone to 3 concerts in their life).
Friday Night Funkin’, Vol. 1 (Original Game Soundtrack)
Kawai Sprite
Literally so true queen (plays M.I.L.F.) Did you guys know i also found Friday Night Funkin’ x Miku Hatsune x Grave of the Fireflies fanart on tumblr.
Conclusion
I didn’t listen to a lot of kpop this year (if spotify says otherwise that’s kevin)! Maybe the only artist that was really excluded from this was my onlyoneof discog run-through (it’s so good but what da heck is going on ova dere...). Also i didn’t listen to rina much this year </3 im gonna start listening again in 2022 to prepare to see her LIVE (screams). I must do the same with mitski (though Working for the Knife has been a real staple for me <3 she knows exactly whats on my mind...). And magbay. Spring 2022 concert era.
also every year i go thru Eau de Vixx listen on repeat but man...i do miss vixx sooo much. I don’t really talk about it (and im only really talking abt kpop when my groups are active i feel) but. THEY WERE MY SPECIAL FIRST and i wont ever stop missing them. they are not dead im just being dramatic </3
im rly disappointed with lorde this year but...it’s fine...i listened to a lot of melodrama to relive my wild-and-uncontrollably-19 feelings but im starting to chill out more and more as the years pass so maybe i can follow lorde’s album in ~theme~. Stoned at the Nail Salon can have a pass tho...
Anyways. Thank u so much for reading! Maybe ill make this a monthly thing because music is the media i explore the most and it would prevent this year-end one from getting too long. Let me know if u have song recs <3 and if u listened to literally even one of these songs adafd THANK U.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-09 07:42 am (UTC)and i totally agree on wjsn unnatural k-pop soty, i'm pretty sure it's in my top 5 still *___* i need to reorganize that soon i'm trying to figure out when i should post my music 2021 roundup but i also have no idea how to structure it... lots 2 think about.
btw have u listened to any indigo sparke? she's adrianne lenker's ex and her album is like ultimate indie folk project but i quite like a few songs on there esp baby and golden age...
sorry this comment makes no sense BUT TIME MACHINE LYRICAL SCHOOL IN MY WALLEYE ROUNDUP!?!? I LOVE THAT SONGGGG TT____TT total classic j-pop rap for sure. ALSO WHISTLE AND BECAUSE ARE DEF THE BEST SONGS ON THAT EP!! WHISTLE IS SOOOO GOOD it's also in my top k-pop 2021 list. and omfg i'm the exact same with yukika ;__; it's my biggest toxic trait because i like almost all the variations of k-pop that rym circles enjoy and yukika has this kind of respectable #artiste labeling but i find modern citypop so middling... tbqh. i do like her though i just am not obsessed with her latest releases.
ALSOO YVES TUMOR KEROSENE! WAS MY 2020 SOTY... that and gospel for a new century are seriously so fucking good. and i really think the asymptoptical world ep was just really well-balanced and strong overall and that jackie is def a great addition to their discog.
btw i've never really managed to get into glassh beach but "I love songs that are more screaming than singing too" I SEE... do u listen to a lot of slacker rock/emo/shoegaze. have u considered listening to parannoul
also omfg FIRST TIME WITH JBREKKIE??? T___T i really love jubilee but i'm kind of surprised this is her ~breakout~ moment... well no i'm Not. because it makes sense considering that her memoir was a bestseller and everything but although i love jubilee i also think her past work is fantastic. i love the body is a blade and machinist from [soft sounds from another planet]!
can't wait for magbay btw ohohohoho. and ooo discog is seriously way too good considering their inherent tragedy and drâme and constant strife and scandal TT___TTTTT ANY ONLYONEOF YOU DOT MP3 FANS? also like a bitch from savanna makes me laugh every time...
ok i'll stop now but thank you for this wonderful delicious post!!! would love to see any form of monthly roundup content from uuuu i'm genuinely so delighted at our overlaps! UR ICONIC TO MEEE.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-09 09:41 pm (UTC)yessss ayano kaneko is sooo nice. it reminds me of music that would play in anthropologie (positive) (because i actually love the music they play in anthropologie whenever i go to look at expensive dishware there akljdfladjf)
do u listen to ichiko aoba? i especially love いきのこり●ぼくら maybe u will like it.
i listened to indigo sparke's Echo and yeah it is the type of Real Indie Folk that i'm starting to warm up to hehe i actually really enjoyed wolf on it too!!
u are making perfect sense to me (clown to clown communication) i loveeee lyrical school their pajama party song is also so much fun LOL.
im glad u agree with me abt whistle AND modern citypop...its like yeah yukika isn't bad to me i just wouldnt choose listening to her music but i respect her aldsfsfd.
YVES TUMOR SCREAM!!! i loveeee it i also really love Romanticist (the WHINE!!!) and yeah totally agree with u abt asymptoptical world ep hehe
ok to be honest i am very bad at identifying genres but i definitely would listen to those after a google search of what shoegaze/slacker rock is. I shall listen to parannoul, anywhere in particular i should start? :3c
omg i know im soo behind for not listening to jbrekkie ;_; yeah i feel like it took me some time to connect that she is the one who wrote crying in hmart?? i still have to read that...thank u for the recs i like the body is a blade :3c
dude i am so excited for magbay we are gonna have so much fun!!!
ONLYONEOF ASJASDD i actually love savanna as a song so much but i can't show it to anyone because of that. like i don't have the strength. bitches from savanna be like.... ooo actually got me to learn the members and stuff (rie <33) but then after libido i kinda stopped tuning in and the mess with love happened and yup....OnlyOneOf You is a CLASSIC i also lovee time leap (will do anything for bgs to make more music like this) and boss and dora maar and designer and the list goes on.....
thank u for this comment i had so much fun reading it and i loved learning abt ur music tastes too!!!! <3 <3 literally congrats on ur taste...
no subject
Date: 2021-12-09 09:53 am (UTC)also ur music taste in general is so iconic i love 2 see the range!!! i will definitely be checking out some of these cuts 😌
no subject
Date: 2021-12-09 09:43 pm (UTC)yayy thank u hope u enjoy <3 thanks for the comment queen :')