9 of the best – sounds of 2021

Time flies, but recent feature of Beach House and Far Caspian got me thinking about committing to some favourite sounds of 2021. The following songs are in no particular order and limited by my humble opinion…

Beach House – Superstar

Big Thief – Little Things

Far Caspian – Questions

The Chemical Brothers – The Darkness That You Fear

Little Simz – I Love You, I Hate You

Current Joys – American Honey

Dope Lemon – Rose Pink Cadillac

Japanese Breakfast – Paprika

DJ Seinfeld – These Things Will Come To Be

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Honourable mentions also go to:  Cassandra Jenkins for ‘Hard Drive‘; TORRES for ‘Don’t Go Puttin Wishes In My Head‘; Sofia Kourtesis for ‘La Perla‘; Lord Huron for ‘Not Dead Yet‘; Hiatus Kaiyote feat. Arthur Verocai for ‘Get Sun‘; Indigo De Souza for ‘Hold U‘; Tyler, The Creator for ‘LUMBERJACK‘; Jungle for ‘Keep Moving‘; Loraine James for ‘Self Doubt (Leaving The Club Early)‘; William Doyle for ‘And Everything Changed (But I Feel Alright)‘; Anderson .Paak for ‘Fire In The Sky‘; Flamingosis for ‘Cosmic Feeling‘; Geese for ‘Disco‘; Faye Webster for ‘I Know I’m Funny Haha‘; and Little Simz and Japanese Breakfast again for ‘Woman‘ and ‘Be Sweet‘, respectively.

The Chemical Brothers – The Darkness That You Fear (2021)

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I was about to feature a great track from The Chemical Brothers’ last album No Geography, and lo and behold, I only go and notice that they’ve just dropped this uplifting number. Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons have been more relevant – think ‘Chemical Beats’, ‘Setting Sun’, ‘Hey Girl, Hey Boy’, ‘Star Guitar’ and ‘Galvanize’ from between 1995-2005 – but they’re still doing it. To these ears, ‘The Darkness That You Fear’ sounds like it’s lifted influences from The Good, The Bad & The Queen’s ‘Herculean’ and The Avalanches’ ‘Because I’m Me’ – neither of which is a bad thing. And the use of The Bugaloos’ (!) vocal works remarkably well. Have a great weekend.

The Chemical Brothers – The Private Psychedelic Reel (1997)

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A story of how music can save. ‘The Private Psychedelic Reel’ is the closing track off The Chemical Brothers’ second album Dig Your Own Hole. It’s a great tune in its own right, but is especially remarkable for what it brought about. Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons contacted Jonathan Donahue to fuse their electronic music with his Mercury Rev brand of  psychedelia. Donahue is credited with “Effects [Dub ‘tetix Wave’]”… whatever. Importantly, the track inspired a disillusioned Donahue to start making creative music again and Rev’s best, Deserter’s Songs, followed shortly afterwards. Thank you Tom and Ed.

The Dust Brothers – Chemical Beats (1994)

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After their first single ‘Song to the Siren’ under the name The Dust Brothers, Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons released their EP Fourteenth Century Sky in 1994. It features ‘Chemical Beats’ and in that moment The Chemical Brothers were born.

Willie Hutch – Baby Come Home (1976)

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While Willie Hutch’s most enduring work is his soundtrack for The Mack in 1973, as sampled by UGK (‘I Choose You’) and The Chemical Brothers (‘Brother’s Gonna Work It Out’), I choose ‘Baby Come Home’ and its infectious groove. It features on his Concert in Blues album for Motown and then reappeared 30 years later as a truly wonderful crate digger’s sample in Ghostface Killah’s ‘Back Like That’. Have a great weekend.