Wednesday, December 29, 2021

jeffery berg's top 10 singles of 2021



Here are my Top 10 Singles of 2021!




10. "STAND FOR MYSELF"

Yola


Yola hits a mighty climax with her emphatic "I'm alive!" refrains in this glimmery and rootsy anthem.


 



9. "NEW MIRRORS"

Minimal Schlager


Sunny wave of synthpop from sibling duo Minimal Schlager.





8. "KNUCKLE TATTOO"

girlhouse


An immediate earworm--girlhouse's pulsating rock single with distinctive lyrics ("Don't trust a man that can dance with a knuckle tattoo ... / he's got a band with a van and a bad attitude") felt both familiar, like a worn 90s grunge track, and yet, like a breath of fresh air.





7. "KEEP MOVIN'"

Jungle


In another difficult year, Jungle kept things going with this forward-looking, string-drenched dance nosh





6. "BACK TO OZ"

Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine


Somehow Sufjan Stevens manages to churn out so many well-crafted, yearning pop songs. This bittersweet tune reaches back into childhood and the fever dream that is Return to Oz.






5. "THE MELTING OF THE SUN"

St. Vincent


Extremely grand rock song cleverly references some golden music influences of yesteryear and also includes a killer vibrating guitar solo. The SNL performance from this year was a memorable showstopper.







4. "ACROSS THAT FINE LINE"

Nation of Language


Pleasing, driving epic post-punk tune that feels celebratory and bittersweet. Like the girlhouse song, this one is a cozy alt-rock throwback while simultaneously sounding fresh. 






3. "LUMBERJACK"

Tyler, the Creator


Fabulous song from Tyler, the Creator. Unapologetic (and funny) lyrics. Its sounds swirling like a record, this brief track was on repeat for me throughout the year.





2. "MAGIC"

Polo & Pan


I've been a fan of Polo & Pan's trip-pop music and remixes for a few years now, and also Pino Donaggio's Body Double score is a favorite of mine. So I was particularly chuffed to hear a mashup of Donaggio with Pilot's "Magic": a skilled, incredible sonic experience.





1. "BE SWEET"

Japanese Breakfast


Beautiful, quietly powerful pop-rock. The chorus, perhaps unintentionally, reflects the hope a lot of us are feeling in the midst of chaos right now ("Be sweet to me, baby / I wanna believe in you"). Impressively, lead singer Michelle Zauner also released her haunting memoir Crying in H-Mart this year as well.




My Spotify playlist of all my favorite tracks of 2021.




My Top 10 singles of 2020, if you want to look back.


-Jeffery Berg

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