2021 was a year packed with great music, and we asked some of the team at Small Talks to share their albums of the year.
Emma chose Blue Weekend by Wolf Alice:
"It has been a while since an album has had as much of an emotional impact on me as Blue Weekend by UK band Wolf Alice. The first song alone had me sobbing uncontrollably-- in a good way.
The album kind of goes back and forth between emotional songs with heavy build-ups, and songs that you could easily open up the pit to. It is kind of incredible how versatile lead singer Ellie Rowsell’s voice is, and this album proves it.
It is insane how the album goes from tracks like “How can I make it OK” followed by “Play the Greatest Hits” immediately after. You could literally go from sobbing in the shower to driving down the interstate at 90 miles per hour while listening to this album, and that’s why I think it is so special.
Not only are the vocals incredible, but the production and writing on this album are one of a kind, and songs like “Safe from Heartbreak” and “Lipstick on the Glass” prove this.
Wolf Alice is a band like no other, they are consistently raising the bar with their album releases, and with only just shy of a million monthly listeners on Spotify it always confuses me why more people do not listen to them. I am hoping this release shows the world the raw and unbeatable talent this band has."
Both Claire and Taylor chose Home Video by Lucy Dacus:
Claire: "In her third LP, Lucy Dacus successfully secures herself as the voice of queer and religiously traumatized folks. Aptly named Home Video has a great balance of fun earworms such as “First Time'' and “Brando” - along with heartbreakingly powerful entries into her psyche with “Thumbs,” “Please Stay,” and “Triple Dog Dare.”
As a more recent Lucy Dacusanator, I feel like this album came at the perfect time in my silly little life. There are moments for me, and I’m sure for most listeners, where I feel as if Lucy has this innate ability to crawl into my brain and press play (i.e. the episode of Spongebob where Plankton travels into Spongebob’s brain to get the Krabby Patty Secret Formula - but not in an evil way). She is an excellent writer (and reader - check out her Goodreads!) and Home Video is the perfect piece of work showcasing her experiences with adolescence and beyond. Lucy, if you’re reading this, please come to Florida!! We need you!!!"
Taylor: "Home Video is such a perfect name for an album that recalls bittersweet nostalgia and the trauma acquired from growing up. Lucy Dacus speaks to so many of us because she is one of us. Her genuinity in her lyrics cut deep and her third album is a prime example. “VBS” is one of my personal favorites, as someone who spent many summers sleeping in a church camp bunk-bed wondering what exactly I was doing there. What solidified my love for this album was at her Austin, Texas show. It was way too hot, I had spent the first three songs crab-walking in the photo pit and simply couldn’t control my tears with the audience sweetly singing along to “Going Going Gone”. Or when you could physically feel the emotion in the air during “Thumbs” and “Please Stay.” This album definitely left its mark on me and I am so excited to see what Lucy does next.
Josh chose Magdalena Bay’s debut album Mercurial World:
"Like many records of our early 2020s, Magdalena Bay’s 2021 debut Mercurial World was birthed in isolation. A far cry from the wistful indie-folk tinge of Taylor’s Folklore, but not quite the effervescent, Hot Topic-reborn brand of pop 100 gecs spun circa quarantine-era doomscrolling, this album provides sonic escapism that can only be described as cinematic.
Even then, Mag Bay has pledged a staunch allegiance to their kitschy, DIY green screen aesthetic (a resource they lent to Jordana) and vaporwave web design.
In the vein of Charli, David Lynch, Britney Spears, Daft Punk, new age, and prog rock, the duo – consisting of Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin – aren’t afraid to get surreal in this loose narrative of time, space, and memory. The album’s singles showcased scope; each drop like ripples coaxing you into a different, earwormy plane of existence – or at least reflecting on the one we have now.
Its titular track thumps like Kiss & Tell-era Selena Gomez & The Scene, but it’s accented with Madonna interpolations and Tekken Tag Tournament instrumentation. The most bitcrushed and abrasive of the tracks, “You Lose!” plays like a Game Over screen with the indie-sleaze filter in the best way possible.
Some tracks seamlessly transition to the other, the most impressive being Something for 2 into indie anthem Chaeri. As the duo states, it’s “synth-pop straight from the simulation.” I suggest you follow the white rabbit before the Metaverse gets to you first."
Rob selected Absolutely by Dijon:
"Escapism, love and longing, and some good ol’ fashioned bump n’ grind are the secret ingredients that make Baltimore’s artist Dijon’s debut album, “Absolutely,” a true and cohesive masterpiece. He’s more confident than he’s ever been with his music- his voice is the centerpiece of each song, the instrumentals are encapsulating and emotional and drag you further and further through the album with each track.
And his lyrics, oh man, his lyrics! Dijon as a songwriter, he’s raw, he’s relatable, he’s living the same life the rest of us are living. Tracks like “The Dress” and “Rodeo Clown” are full of anger, regret, anticipation, and most importantly, desire.
Dijon is also no stranger to genre-bending and immersive storytelling, and that takes a front seat throughout the entire album. With tracks like “Many Times” jumping straight into “Annie,” pulling and pleading us straight into the catchiest, rock-jazz lovers quarrel you’ve ever heard, then sending us plummeting into a country-R&B love letter that would put Randy Travis to shame. “Absolutely” is scarred, it’s deeper than what we’ve been given in the past, it’s perfect fiction grounded squarely within an unexplainably shared experience. “Absolutely” is a must-listen album that will surely shape the scene to come."
And with that, here's to hoping 2022 releases have us waxing poetic all the same.
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