{"id":7755,"date":"2022-02-03T09:55:57","date_gmt":"2022-02-03T14:55:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/agitreader.com\/wp2\/?p=7755"},"modified":"2022-11-13T16:05:12","modified_gmt":"2022-11-13T21:05:12","slug":"the-agit-reader-top-10-of-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agitreader.com\/wp2\/the-agit-reader-top-10-of-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"The Agit Reader Top 10 of 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

A year ago, when looking back on 2020, it seemed like things could only get better. Hell, they couldn\u2019t get any worse, right? And for a while, things did get better in 2021. Optimism spilled forth as COVID-19 vaccines become available. For a moment, it seemed like things might return to \u201cnormal.\u201d Public gatherings \u2014 most importantly, shows \u2014 returned. But with Trumpian anti-vaxxers in the States ensuring that we would never reach herd immunity, it was only a matter of time before the variants and new surges of coronavirus appeared. For every tour scheduled, there were two being canceled or optimistically postponed.<\/p>\n

As such, a new form of the pandemic set in. Where there was panic in 2020, now there was uncertainty and ennui from too many days spent working at home then staying in on the weekend, if not out of fear, then simply because there was nothing to do. As such \u2014 just like in 2020 \u2014 we needed music more than ever. Below are the records that helped get me through the past 365 days, the ones that for the span of 10 or so songs let me forget the languorous reality. (This list comes a little later than past years as a result of that languor.) No doubt they will also provide some solace in the new normal of the year to come as well.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/h4>\n

#10
\nScreensaver
\nExpressions of Interest
\nHeavy Machinery\/Upset the Rhythm<\/h4>\n

Melbourne\u2019s Screensaver works with a palette of dark post-punk hues, but on their debut album, reveal an emotional edge that distinguishes them from other cold wave revisionists. This is best exemplified on leadoff track \u201cBody Parts,\u201d on which chiming guitars and Krystal Maynard\u2019s vocals coalesce in contrast to the gloomier tones elsewhere. There are echoes of goth forefathers, as well as more recent influences like Savages (Meynard\u2019s voice has more than a passing resemblance to that of Jehnny Beth), but Screensaver\u2019s mix of wiry guitar tones, synth gurgles, and cracking beats is distinctly its own. Expressions of Interest<\/i> occupies its own sonic world and half the fun is coming out the other side.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/h4>\n

\"Lucy<\/a>#9
\nLucy Dacus
\nHome Video
\nMatador Records<\/h4>\n

On Lucy Dacus\u2019 third album, Home Video<\/i>, her distinctive mix of confessional songwriting and country-tinged rock seemingly came to full fruition. The album, befitting of its title, is imbued with childhood nostalgia, with Dacus recalling nights making out in an unnamed paramour\u2019s basement (\u201cHot & Heavy\u201d) and snorting nutmeg at summer camp (\u201cVBS\u201d). Even if you haven\u2019t done either, she paints such a vivid picture that it\u2019s hard not to feel a pang of longing for your own misspent youth. In lesser hands, such pining might come off as cheap emotional manipulation, but Dacus, belying her 26 years, comes off as an old salt of sorts and her poignant lyrics lend Home Video<\/i> a timeless quality.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Ducks<\/a>#8
\nDucks Ltd.
\nModern Fiction
\nCarpark Records<\/h4>\n

Neither a waterfowl organization nor a proper band, Ducks Ltd. is a collaboration between a couple of guitar pop enthusiasts that got together in Toronto. Tom McGreevy (lead vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards) and Evan Lewis (guitar, bass, drum programming) have channeled the sound of luminaries like the Go-Betweens, Close Lobsters, and The Bats into a record that sounds like it was made by a band firing on all cylinders and not just two guys holed up in a flat. From the first jangly Wedding Present\u2013esque chords of \u201cHow Lonely Are You,\u201d this record hits all the right notes. \u201c18 Cigarettes\u201d strikes a perfect balance between wistfulness and vigor, while \u201cFit to Burst\u201d sums up the Ducks\u2019 MO in its title. I could use a pun here about ducks being in a row, but let\u2019s just call it a brilliant debut.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>#7
\nThe Reds, Pinks & Purples
\nUncommon Weather
\nSlumberland Records<\/h4>\n

Glenn Donaldson understands how much a song can resonate when you\u2019re feeling low. On his second record under the nom de plume The Reds, Pinks & Purples, he sings of \u201cThe Record Player and the Damage Done,\u201d challenges \u201cThe Biggest Fan,\u201d and tells an unnamed inspiration that \u201cthe songs you used to write, they changed my life,\u201d on \u201cThe Songs You Used to Write.\u201d But he has similarly transformed feelings into song for his listeners when he taps his own grief on Uncommon Weather<\/i>. On \u201cI Hope I Never Fall in Love,\u201d he reveals that it\u2019s too late \u2014 he\u2019s been there and back \u2014 as he sings, \u201cI hope we never meet again… I hope you\u2019re happier a million miles away.\u201d With a charming mix of twee pop and folk tones backing such poignancy, he\u2019s made a record that is all the better for the wallowing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Riki,<\/a>#6
\nRiki
\nGold
\nDais Records<\/h4>\n

After releasing a debut that made it to our Top 10 last year<\/a>, Riki has returned with an album that\u2019s nearly every bit as entrancing. Like its predecessor, Gold<\/i> is ensconced in electronica that may be reminiscent of the synthetic sounds of the \u201880s, but even more than on Riki<\/i>, evokes an otherworldly vibe unconnected to time or place. Indeed, \u201cMarigold\u201d could be a pop hit in another dimension, while on \u201cIt\u2019s No Secret,\u201d Riki imbues an icy mood vocally to match the cold, atmospheric tones. A record that continuously reveals itself, Gold<\/i> again shows Riki to be a master of her chosen aesthetic.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>#5
\nThe Goon Sax
\nMirror II
\nMatador Records<\/h4>\n

Another group of Australians making this list, The Goon Sax has been a favorite for some years now; their sophomore effort, We\u2019re Not Talking<\/i>, made our Top 10 of 2018<\/a>. Album number three, Mirror II<\/i>, is a slightly more ambitious affair, perhaps due to its higher-profile release on the reputable Matador label. Here, the band has eschewed some of the fidgety guitars of its past in favor of an influx of moody synths. As evidenced by the leadoff \u201cIn the Stone,\u201d the record\u2019s highlight, those guitars haven\u2019t been abandoned, though here they\u2019re matched with mechanized beats and synth accents. However, it\u2019s Louis Forester\u2019s propulsive bassline that provides the song\u2019s backbone as he asks, \u201cDo you think it\u2019s better not feeling any of this at all?\u201d Overall, Mirror II<\/i> balances the band\u2019s new ambitions with retaining the quirkiness that has always made their music so damn charming.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Flyying<\/a>#4
\nFlyying Colours
\nFantasy Country
\nAC30<\/h4>\n

Yet more goodness from the land Down Under, the sophomore album from Melbourne\u2019s Flyying Colours is a shimmering mix of shoegaze atmospherics and pop melodies. The end result is a record that ably veers between delicate bittersweetness one moment and bursts of sonic noise the next. This MO is embodied in the leadoff \u201cGoodtimes,\u201d wherein Gemma O\u2019Connor determinedly voices repeatedly, \u201cI just want to have a good time.. I\u2019m going to have a good time,\u201d a want we all can perhaps relate to these days, over a surge of cracking guitars. On the subsequent \u201cBig Mess,\u201d the frantic guitar riffs of O\u2019Connor and her vocal\/guitar counterpart Brodie Br\u00fcmmer are more reminiscent of the Wedding Present, with Br\u00fcmmer\u2019s deadpan vocal also more than a little Gedge-like, and the cut is just as enthralling. The rest of the record is every bit as amazing, with O\u2019Connor and Br\u00fcmmer having created an album worthy of its influences.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>#3
\nThe Notwist
\nVertigo Days
\nMorr Music<\/h4>\n

With its ninth album, German outfit The Notwist has seemingly capitalized on its two decades of refining its innovative blend of electronica, avant-garde experimentation, and post-rock textures. Vertigo Days<\/i> is an insular record filled with surprises at every turn. Such flux is exemplified on \u201cInto Love\/Stars,\u201d wherein Markus Archer sings, \u201cNow that you know how much it hurts, it won\u2019t save you from falling into love again,\u201d over twinkling synths before the track segues into a frenetic breakdown of mechanized beats. It is these constant changes of mood and the juxtaposition of quiet, captivating moments and spirited twists that give the album its gravitas. This is one for the ages.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Nation<\/a>#2
\nNation of Language
\nA Way Forward
\nPIAS<\/h4>\n

It\u2019s not uncommon for a band to take on the synthesized sounds of the \u201880s, but where many interlopers simply go for style over substance, Brooklyn\u2019s Nation of Language have captured the innovative spirit of luminaries like OMD, New Order, and Kraftwerk. With its second album, A Way Forward<\/i>, the band takes its points of inspiration as simply starting points, and have created an album that bristles with ingenuity. From the gurgling notes of \u201cIn Manhattan\u201d to the motororik pulses of \u201cThis Fractured Mind,\u201d A Way Forward<\/i> simultaneously recalls the past, points to the future, and feels very much of the here and now.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Arab<\/a>#1
\nArab Strap
\nAs Days Get Dark
\nRock Action Records<\/h4>\n

Arab Strap\u2019s first album in 15 years couldn\u2019t have come at a better time. With a seemingly apropos title, As Days Get Dark<\/i> was the cathartic salve needed to get through another topsy-turvy year. Though not a COVID-inspired record (it was largely written before the pandemic), Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton\u2019s knack for exploring dimly lit corners of the psyche resonated when the world had gone to shit. The record begins with the lyric, \u201cI don\u2019t give a fuck about the past, our glory days gone by. All I care about right now is that wee mole inside your thigh,\u201d however Moffat\u2019s lyrical concerns are of a less carnal nature than in the past. Instead, he pokes at emotional scars, both personal and fictional, and even ventures into political allegory. With a macabre musical palette that frequently feels cinematic, As Days Get Dark<\/i> is a fully realized vision of the human condition, as poor as it may be at the moment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A year ago, when looking back on 2020, it seemed like things could only get better. Hell, they couldn\u2019t get any worse, right? And for a while, things did get better in 2021. Optimism spilled forth as COVID-19 vaccines become available. For a moment, it seemed like things might return to \u201cnormal.\u201d Public gatherings \u2014 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":7772,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2479],"tags":[1844,2499,2500,2502,1896,2504,2454,2488,2238,2503,2501,2553],"class_list":["post-7755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-best-of-the-year","tag-arab-strap","tag-best-of-2021","tag-ducks-ltd","tag-flyying-colours","tag-lucy-dacus","tag-nation-of-language","tag-riki","tag-screensaver","tag-the-goon-sax","tag-the-notwist","tag-the-reds-pinks-purples","tag-top-10"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Agit Reader Top 10 of 2021 - 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