To coin a phrase from an oft-cited troubadour and miscreant, “What’s another year?”
Personally speaking, I’m not a fan of barking ‘fuck you, goodbye and close the door on your way out' to 2021. Come to think of it, barking anything at a block of time, a memory feels like a fruitless exercise. For sure, there’s been an omnipresent hum of weirdness and frustration hanging over the last 12 months, but all things considered, my own personal experiences over the past year have veered on the positive. For this, I am thankful.
Most of these moments have involved connecting with 3D humans, animals, art, music & medicinal plants.
My own personal highlight of 2021 occurred whilst attending the rather brilliant Le Guess Who festival in Utrecht last November. Sat alongside a German physicist and a ginger cat in a canalside bar, Hall and Oates pouring out of the sound system, I spoke a sentence that exploded into wood and time - and all was ok in the world.
Now, let’s talk about vibrating molecules bumping off each other in the air…
The benefit of doing a ‘favorite music of the year’ list at the actual end of the year is that you get to plunder other peoples end of year lists.
Here I present a list of 21 tracks from ’21 (see what I did there) for your perusal. Some of this music I’ve lived with over the past year, some is newly discovered, all of which has filled me with joy and hope at some point. I hope it does the same for you.
Love to one and all x
Keith
playlist:
01. Beak> - Oh Know
02. Jockstrap - 50/50
03. Arca - Senorita
04. Mario Batkovic, Clive Dreamer, MXLX - Repertio
05. Circuit des Yeux - Dogma
06. John Francis Flynn - My Son Tim
07. Divide and Dissolve - We Are Really Worried About You
08. The Bug - Pressure (feat. Flowdan)
09. Loraine James - Simple Stuff
10. Mega Bog - Crumb Back
11. Richard Dawson, Circle - Lily
12. Sons of Kemet - Pick Up Your Burning Cross (feat. Moor Mother & Angel Bat Dawid)
13. Tropical Fuck Storm - G.A.F.F.
14. Les Filles de Illighadad - Irriganan
15. Black Midi - Dethroned
16. Deerhoof - Scarcity Is Manufactured
17. Black Country, New Road - Science Fair
18. William Doyle - And Everything Changed (But I Feel Alright)
19. Space Afrika - Rings (feat. Guest)
20. Sleaford Mods - Mork n Mindy (feat. Billy Nomates)
21. Nala Sinephro - Space 4