As they say, "out with the old, in with the new". But before we head into 2022, it's time to look at the music that I had listened to throughout the past twelve months.
It's been an interesting 2021. While still in the grips of the pandemic, artists still made music, and even resumed their live performances for the first time in over a year. Well, at least before the Omicron variant wreaked havoc and canceled performances in December. But you never can stop the music!
My Top 100 of 2021 is a tradition that goes back to 1976 for me. A year brings good memories, some bad, but listing the songs that stirred the emotions and brought the memories has become a ritual for me.
If you've been reading my blog this year, you will know that one band has stood out. The band didn't make any sales or airplay charts and its songs were streamed in the thousands, not millions. But, if you've heard or seen ScreenAge play, you will agree with me that this young band of 20-year-olds have captivated me in a way I haven't seen in a long time. The members, which hail from Edison, Milltown and Freehold, New Jersey have been at it for five years now, and the release of its second album DNR, a concept piece extolling the trials and tribulations of childhood and adulthood, exceled. And blog records have been set along the way.
As I had said earlier, I've been listing my one hundred favorite songs since 1976, and retroactively back to 1964. That year, 1964 was a key year in music history. A quartet of lads from Liverpool, The Beatles, dominated the scene to an extent never experienced before.... or since. That year, the Fab Four had not only my top 3 songs, but half of the top ten as well. On a national level, they had the top two songs on Billboard. And, for a week in April of that year, John, Paul, George and Ringo had the top five songs in the country.
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| ScreenAge, performing in Farmingdale NJ, in July. |
Well, we know records are made to be broken...or at least tied. A few months ago, Drake did just that, grabbing the top 5 (and 9 of the top ten) in one week on the Hot 100. So maybe it is not a surprise that in my top songs for 2021, ScreenAge has my top two...and three of the top four songs on my list.
"Think Again", the second song released from DNR, and already my "song of the summer" this year, is my top song for 2021. With "Going Back" right behind at #2 and "Questions" at #4, it sets or equals a few records on my listings. As "Blue Eyed Addiction" held honors for 2020, the Screeners become the first act to have back-to-back year-end number one songs since the Moptops did it in 1964 and '65. They are also only the third act to have at least three songs in the top 10, following The Beatles who had five in 1964, and most recently, Fitz and the Tantrums in 2015. ScreenAge's five songs on the list are the most since 2011, when Adele also had five entries. Actually, front woman Emily MacMahon also had a solo entry on this year's list, giving her six songs. Finally, the band becomes the fifth act to lead my year-end list more than once, following The Beatles (1964, '65, '68), Tommy James & the Shondells (1966, '69); Stone Temple Pilots (1994, 2000), and Ed Sheeran (2015, '17).
It was the year of the woman, as 55 of the top 100 were either females, or female-led bands. And many of the other bands with male leads did have a woman in the lineup. In fact, two of them---Molly Burch and Anna Lavigne--- had four entries apiece, and Pageants (led by Rebecca Coleman), Jade Bird, Dua Lipa, and Cannons (Michelle Joy), all had three. No male or male-led band had more than two songs on the list, unless you want to include Ian Roberts, who scored two with his band Tinkers Lane and one solo.
While New Jersey artists had many placings in my top 100, it wasn't nearly as much as 2020. But still, aside from ScreenAge, acts like Oneiric, Vivian Girls, Tytillidie, Einstein's Dad, Elise Farnsworth, Bryan Hansen Band and Christina Alessi and the Toll Collectors still managed to place songs on the list. This year's top songs had somewhat of an international flavor to it, with bands from Iceland (Kaleo), Germany (Milky Chance), Italy (Maneskin), Australia (Middle Kids, The Murlocs, Courtney Barnett), along with the usual abundance of U.K. artists. Einstein's Dad, originally centered on local contingents The Hounds of Winter, expanded, thanks to the Sound Blend app, with artists from as far away as Israel.
Stateside, aside from the Garden State, the trend seemed to be at the West Coast, centering on Los Angeles in particular, which played the home of many an alternative--and female led--artist or band.
Pop music, shunned by me in recent years, scored somewhat of a comeback on my list this year. Hits by Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, The Weeknd, and Adele made my list this year. Even some proven pop artists in the past, like Halsey, Bebe Rexha and Miley Cyrus, while not scoring on the pop charts this year, nonetheless impacted my listing.
Interaction with artists also helped propel their songs on my list. While artists in this area like David Porfirio and Shannon Marsyada continued to be listed, as well as newbies like Oneiric, others from across the pond, such as Anna Lavigne, Tim Izzard, Tinkers Lane (and its front man, Ian Roberts), made the top 100.
Below is my Top 100 for 2021. The chart is based on the songs I had listened to this year. Note that these are not necessarily songs released in 2021, as many were just discovered this year, and/or were singles from albums released in 2020, or even prior.
I wish everyone a safe and healthy Happy New Year!
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves Top 100 of 2021
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Artist--Title |
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1 |
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Band that just had my #1 song for 2020 more than takes on the task of following up that great song. With their second album DNR, they outdone themselves. With this song, they become the first act to repeat at year-end #1 since The Beatles did it with "She Loves You", and "Help!" in 1964 and '65, respectively. |
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2 |
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This band continued to amaze me all year long. Another from DNR, the band once again makes blog history becoming the first act to have the top 2 songs since, again, The Beatles, which had the top 3 songs in 1964 with "She Loves You", "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "All My Loving". I was able to see them perform three times this summer anf fall. Their alternative- rock with pop sensibility shone through many times on this album. |
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3 |
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It took an Australian band led by Hanna Joy formed in 2016 to prevent ScreenAge from having the top 3, just barely. Heartfelt song about a complicated relationship is from the trio's second full-length album, Today I'm the Greatest. |
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4 |
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Not the same song as the Middle Kids above, but another gem from DNR. That gives the band headed by Emily MacMahon three songs in the top 5. Only the Beatles previously accomplished that feat, in 1964. |
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5 |
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A beautiful track from this Seattle band's fourth full-length album, Shore, released in 2020, in my opinion their best. Although the first single, "Can I Believe You" was the hit on Triple-A, and peaked here at #8, it was this song that captivated me, spending five weeks at the top of my blog last spring. It's their second song to hit my year-end, top 5, having previously done so with "Mykonos" (#3 for 2009) |
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6 |
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I am scratching my head as to why this fine pop artist didn't have success, either with this fine song, (which didn't make the Billboard chart and only a mid-charter on Adult Top 40), or her second album. After all, she had two top tens in the mid 2010's. This is an awesome song about commitment, and echoes recent material by, say, Miley Cyrus....then again, Ms. Cyrus deserved much better with that, too. |
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7 |
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I found out about this English band last holiday season after The Hounds of Winter recorded "Christmas at Our House", a 2015 track in which they backed up Ian Roberts, who fronts this band. In its wake, band members sent me some songs from their new The Noise is Beautiful set. This was a very palatable, catchy pop/rock song that topped my list for two weeks last March. |
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8 |
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Singer is no stranger to the top of my year-end lists; having had the #1 song in both 2015 and 2017. You can rank this one with his classics. Song hit #1 on my blog and #2 on Billboard. Sheeran had been in a mini slump, but both this song and follow-up "Shivers" from his "=" put him back on top in a hurry. |
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9 |
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Northumberland, England singer hit #5 on the Triple-A chart with this gem from her second album, Different Kinds of Light. While this album and the songs from it weren't quite successful as her debut, it btoke through with me, hitting my blog #1 for three weeks last winter and stay on my chart for 32 weeks. |
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10 |
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Canadian pop star, born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye has been a fixture on the Hot 100 for the last several years, but, except for a collaboration with Ariana Grande and a couple with Daft Punk, I pretty much avoided adding his music. Big mistake. Artist performed during Super Bowl LV, and while my friends weren't so kind to the performance, I heard some good songs. His song, "Blinding Lights" was Billboard's #1 song of 2020 and stayed on the Hot 100 for 90 weeks, but it was this radio follow-up that I finally joined in on the party, putting this one at #2 this past summer. |
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11 |
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Very talented and promising young singer who fronts ScreenAge, took temporary leave of her band to cut a couple of tracks in August 2020. While searching for new material from the band, I came across this dreamy song, which harkens back to classic pop gems like "Always and Forever" and "I Only Have Eyes for You". Keep on the lookout for this future star. She has the talent, both for songwriting and her singing. |
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12 |
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Long Beach, California alt-rockers have been pretty consistant over the past year and a half. While not as big nationally as their other songs, this one, from New Age Norms 3 shows off their pop sensibility. |
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13 |
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Anna Lavigne - Every Kind of Heaven● One of my breakout artists of 2021, this Scottish songstress with the unique voice came to my attention earlier this year. Her Angels in Sandshoes album is a very diversified set, produced and co-written with her partner Martin Stephenson of Daintees fame. Plea for peace and togetherness is timeless and heartfelt. This was my first add from this album, and one of four songs from it that made the list. |
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14 |
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David F. Porfirio - That Night on Bergenline Avenue● Aspiring guitarist from Queens grabbed his second blog #1 with this infectious and rhythmic instrumental that you can definitely groove to. His landmark changes midway through the song and the guitar and percussion jam at the end, make this a classic. What will it take for the rest of the world to join in? |
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15 |
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Modest Mouse - We Are Between● Indie-rockers from Issaquah, Washington led the back-to-basic fight for alternative success in the mid 2000's although the band's roots go back to the 1990's. At any rate, this slice of The Cure-ish jangly rocker topped the alternative chart and peaked at #3 here. |
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16 |
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Ian Roberts - So Fine Summertime● Tinkers Lane front man scored solo last holiday season with "Christmas at Our House", a 2015 recording with help from The Hounds of Winter, so it was natural, with summer coming that I'd jump on this four-year old upbeat song about summer. Artist has his pop sensibilities in full range, and it came out at the top of the heap of this years' summer-themed songs, peaking at #5 by season's end. |
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17 |
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A Place to Bury Strangers - I Might Have● Brooklyn-based rockers are classified as "noise rock", but what an awesome noise they make.is very appealing, and full of ambiance. Though they've recorded since 2007 and I loved their 2009 "In Your Heart", it took this song for me to rediscover them. It proves that the world of distorted guitars is a very good thing. |
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18 |
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Third single off of Different Kinds of Light, though only scraping the Triple-A chart at #27, became her second #1 here, one of only three artists to grab multiple blog toppers in 2021. Her majestic pop/singer-songwriter talents are definitely at work here. |
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19 |
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The Offspring - Let the Bad Times Roll● Band was one of the leaders of the mid-90's punk revival (and is one of very few bands to land two year-end top 5 songs on my list, in 1994) make a sort of comeback with this song, the title track from their 2021 album. Recorded a few years ago for that album, it was delayed two years. Catchy song which is perfectly in the same lane as what they've done in the past. Reached #5 here, #10 alternative and #1 mainstream rock. |
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20 |
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Duo comprised of former Avi Buffalo members Rebecca Coleman and Devin O'Brien release their long-awaited second album Sun and Settled Days, as well as a flood of new singles from it. Song is a bit slower compared to others on the album, but Ms. Coleman's sweet voice propelled this to #1 blog. In doing so, it sets a record for longest gap between blog #1's, coming 8 years and six months after 2013's "Musing of the Tide". |
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21 |
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Listen to this jam, and you swear you've been taken back to the prog rock of the 1970's....not bad for a local New Jersey trio aged 20, 19 and 14. Coming to my attention from my Roselle Park friend Debbie Antionette, two members--Evan and Emily Carpenter--are her grandkids. They are influenced by Rush but also echo many other classic rock bands like ELP and Jethro Tull. They have that DIY effort down pat. I look forward to more material from them. |
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22 |
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New artist hails from the Brooklyn scene (originally from Baltimore), and former co-lead singer of Durand Jones & the Indications gets right into indie-pop, mixed his with 1960's sensibilities in his first solo release. Organ and falsetto voice mark this very commercial-sounding rock tune. From his debut album Introducing... |
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23 |
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What does it say about a band who has its fourth song on the list and we're not yet even in the top 25? This was the lead single off of the quartet's second album, DNR, a concept album about the stages in life. This song, about being welcomed to the world, was one of five songs to hit #1 on my blog this year. |
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24 |
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Deb Browning - Stop Messin' With My Man● A couple times a year, I look at the Carolina Beach Music charts and add several songs from that list. It was a nice, pleasant treat to discover this song. Born in Fayetteville NC and taking up piano in third grade, she made her mark in the Raleigh area. A breast cancer survivor, she finally released her first album in 2019. This song, a nice, shuffling retro excursion topped many beach music lists this summer and led my beach music releases, peaking at #7 here. |
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25 |
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Anna Lavigne - Seashore Roses● Anna's second song on this list from her Angels in Sandshoes list has that "Girl from Ipanema " exotic vibe to his, and was a perfect summertime smash for her, and reached #8 by summer's end. Close your eyes and dream you're on a tropical island! |
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26 |
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...and she's right back again. Once again, showing her diversity, this #4 blog song employs a bit of country and Americana. Not bad for someone from Scotland. It does have British overtones as well. Another great song. |
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27 |
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German alt-rock duo has been around since 2019 and scored year-end last year with "Don't Let Me Down", a duet with Jack Johnson. Here they go it alone with this catchy song that went top 10 both alternative and, on my blog, where it peaked at #8. From their fourth album, Trip Tape |
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28 |
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Abubakar Baker Shariff-Farr is a British singer-songwriter who scored last year with Hell N Back. This was the follow-up which just missed the 2020 list, but definitely makes this one. A great mix of alt-rock, and vintage British soul (think The Jam) led this to hit #1 both on my blog and at Triple-A. |
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29 |
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Frances Forever is Frances Garrett; the song is from Frances' 2nd EP Paranoia Party, and it is good-timely vibe that reached #6. A good example of what indie pop is all about. |
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30 |
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This trio seems to be on a few years lag as far as my discovery goes. Trio is from Ridgewood NJ by way of Brooklyn. In 2014, six months after they split, they, scored a blog #1 with the 60's girl-groupish "Take It as It Comes", originally released in 2011. Little did I know that in 2019, they reformed with one new member. I discovered that this year. The sound, however, couldn't be further from that initial hit, going in a noise-pop direction a la A Place To Bury Strangers. It's nice when a band goes from one loved genre to another! From Memory. |
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31 |
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Let's go back to Europe for this quartet who had a surprise hit with this song, a rock-infused cover of the 1967 Four Season's hit. Original recorded and released worldwide in 2017, Italian band finally charted here, going to #13 on the Hot 100--a big accomplishment for a rock band, and topped my list for 2 weeks in the fall, and for 12 weeks on the alternative chart. |
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32 |
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The Mystery Lights - It's Alright● Last year, this neo-garage band scored with "21 and Counting" from their 2016 self-titled debut. This time around, I tap into 2019's sophomore effort Too Much Tension, for this three-minute slice of garage heaven. |
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33 |
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California singer-songwriter born Brittany Marie Amaradio scored last year with the #3-for-the year "Chapel". Also from her debut Black Coffee came this one, which only peaked at #20 but hung around long enough to make the list. In 2021 she released her second album The Girl Has a Dream, which I will explore in 2022. |
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34 |
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Valerie June ft Carla Thomas - Call Me a Fool● Tennessee singer-songwriter excels in many genres, and that includes this bluesy soul outing, which features soul legend Carla Thomas.. |
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35 |
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David F. Porfirio - Day at the
Beach● Another distinct outing for this Queens guitarist as he tackles the early 60's surf-rock genre for the perfect summer smash. And as a reminder of his versatility, midway through the song he injects a more current rock jam before returning to the ocean. People really need to check this guy's music out |
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36 |
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One of the pleasant surprises this year, Halsey was a traditional pop star who had #1 pophits with The Chainsmokers as well as a solo #1 with "Without Me" co-written by Delacey who we just talked about. Here, she switches gears and delivers a knock-out rock performance that netted this Edison NJ songstress a blog #1, that also was a fixture on the alternative chart. In fact, her album If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power was Grammy nominated for Best Alternative Album. |
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37 |
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I had followed her music before, but it seems 2021 was the year I fell in love with this British pop singer. While this wasn't one of her big hits this year, it did hit #1 on my list this fall. And you'll hear more of her on this list. |
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38 |
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Without looking at my stats, it's safe to say that this Texas singer-songwriter has been my favorite solo performer of the last four years, racking up 8 blog top 20 songs in that period. This year, she released her Romantic Images album and was one of the acts that rapidly released singles from it. For those that think she is just one nice lounge singer, this song and other (she has 3 more coming up) will disprove that. Still, she has that ambience sound going for her. |
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39 |
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This is pretty much the song that put her on the blog map to stay. Song released in 2020 make a big impact this year, going to #10 on my blog. More importantly, it was Billboard's #1 song of 2021. |
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40 |
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Vivian Girls - Something to Do Song by the trio was added concurrently with "Sick", both from 2019's Memory set. Like that song, this is in the noise-pop mode. |
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41 |
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The Black Keys - Crawling Kingsnake● Band that continued the revival of the stripped down "neo-garage sound" (and who had my #1 song of 2010) and numerous other top year-enders, change gears and deliver an album of hill country blues covers, Delta Kream. This song managed to peak at #2 here and #1 Triple-A |
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42 |
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Molly Burch ft. Wild Nothing - Emotion● Second entry from Ms. Burch features backing from Wild Nothing of "Nowhere" fame. Rhythmic chugger shows Molly's versatility. |
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43 |
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Einstein's Dad - See You in the Sun Probably the most "mysterious" band on this list. Well, it started out as the guys in The Hounds of Winter, cutting songs via Sound Blend with the likes of musicians out of our area and some in other parts of the world, spurred by the worldwide pandemic. Then, it evolved into a multi artist project centered around Steve Shouse that have released 4 full-lengths and 1 EP this year. And yes, Shouse is here, along with the Hounds including Tom Corea and lead singer Steve Roman. From second album, Mario's Dream. |
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44 |
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Another awesome, heartfelt track from Shore, which, by the way, was nominated in the Best Alternative Album in the upcoming Grammys (along with the aforementioned Halsey entry). |
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45 |
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Tim Izzard - Watching For the Man Listen to this song--or the whole album Starlight Rendezvous for that matter--and you swear you're listening to David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust era, circa 1972. Veteran UK musician who has worked in many genres, turned to Bowie's glam period and delivers this song that accurately captures the period. |
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46 |
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Elise Farnsworth - Pixie Dust● The third track from this Jersey singer's 2020 album Turn Her Up, this reached #2 here early this year. Though she didn't release anything this year, you can find her playing at some Shore venues with her husband John who has a jazz band, or with the likes of Jersey Shore stalwart Eddie Testa. |
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47 |
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Aussie trio led by Hannah Joy follow-up "Questions" with another palatable song which reached my top five. Also, from Today We're the Greatest. |
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48 |
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Amy is the daughter of legendary vocalist and drummer Levon Helm of The Band. From Woodstock NY, she's been at it since 1997 and does many of the styles her father played. Aside from her own albums, including What the Flood Leaves Behind which includes this song, she has appeared as a guest on many others. |
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49 |
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Bryan Hansen Band - Waiting For Tomorrow Jersey outfit which came to my attention last holiday season for their rendition of "Christmas Wrapping" caused me to check out this song released in 2020. At the time, there was a contest for listeners to send videos of them jamming to the song. Reached #8 here last winter. |
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50 |
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This country outfit has been one of my favorites for well over a decade. This song is definitely a comment on the COVID-ridden times, with the "we're in this together" motif. Hit #1 on the country chart and is still rising--#8 in a record-breaking climb of 23 weeks to get into the top 10. |
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51 |
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Nick Waterhouse - B. Santa Ana 1986● Retro-sounding favorite released his fifth album Promenade Blue this year and this was the first add off of it. Artist had my #1 song of 2018 and in 9-for-9 in blog top 20 appearances. |
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52 |
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Quarters of Change - Cyclone Trip Alt-rock quartet from New York has that rocking, yet easy-going vibe on this one. Love the guitar intro. This is a band to watch. |
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53 |
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Boy Pablo is Norwegian-Chilean singer-songwriter Nicolas Munoz, and he made some noise with this from his 2020 album Wachito Rico. A nice example of indie-and jangle pop. |
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54 |
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Lead single from the Long Beach CA duo's 2021 album Sun and Settled Days. Rebecca Coleman comes on with a sound reminiscent of the 90's band Lush. |
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55 |
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Gia Ness ft. Cameron Ness - Love Song Here's a talent that I've had the pleasure knowing since 1987. While back then she was a guitarist for some local Jersey bands, these days, she plays ukulele as "Tiny Bubbles Ukulele" in the New Paltz NY area. In late 2020 she released a covers album Incidental Music. Here, she duets on the song, which was my #1 song of 1989 by The Cure, with her son, Cameron. |
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56 |
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Aussie singer-songwriter has found much success in the Triple-A field with her indie-folk/and rock stylings. She has had many good songs, and this one...a #9 blog hit from her 2021 effort Things Take Time, Take Time, is one of her best. |
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57 |
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Gwen Stefani - Let Me Reintroduce Myself Gwen is probably known more these days as a Voice coach, and Blake Shelton's wife (Blake's ex-wife also appears further down in this list, but alas, Blake isn't) but she of course also fronted No Doubt. This song, released late in 2020 was in that ska-influenced pop sound she perfected with that outfit. |
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58 |
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Not a fan of hip-hop? Then listen to this young talent, who puts a unique and likeable spin on today's prominent genre. Tytillidie is Tyler Jones who hails from Sayreville (and his mom is a hometown friend of mine, by the way). Incidentally, Tyler just graduated from Penn State, majoring in recreation, park and Tourism Management, so he has many directions ahead of them. I am hoping music is one of these. |
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59 |
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Second entry on the list from the international Sound Blend contingent borne from the pandemic. From the debut (Remote Ready) this just seems like an extension of The Hounds of Winter's studio prowess. |
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60 |
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Versatile British pop-rock band shows off its country side for their second entry on the list. Also from their album The Noise is Beautiful. |
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61 |
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Band from Iceland that scored with "Way Down We Go", my #1 song of 2016, makes the list again with this similarly styled song from their 2020 album Surface Sounds. |
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62 |
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Second offering from Brit's Bowie-influenced album Starlight Rendezvous reached #9 on my blog earlier this year. |
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63 |
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A nice debut from this 17-year-old from Vancouver Canada from Kylie's debut album big blue. This indie-folk/rock singer has loads of potential. |
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64 |
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Illiterate Light ft. Devon Gilfillan - Freedom Jake Cochran and Jeff Gorman comprise this outfit, hailing from Harrisonburg PA. Featured on this track is Devon Gilfillian who hit #1 last year on the blog with "Good Life". |
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65 |
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Jade Bird - Open Up the Heavens Jade's third and final song on the list, also from Different Kinds of Light reached #5 here for the Northumberland, English singer. |
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66 |
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Surfer Blood - Parkland (Into the Silence) West Palm Beach, Florida proto-punk band that scored with "Karen" last year slows it down a bit and gets more serious with this song about the Valentine's Day 2018 school shooting in nearby Parkland FL which killed 17 people. |
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67 |
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Saint Motel - It's All Happening L.A. indie pop/rockers are no stranger to the alternative scene or my blog. This one peaked at #11 here. |
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68 |
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Nashville alt-rockers released When You See Yourself earlier this year. Caleb Followill's vocals have always been one of my favorites. Several tracks were released from the album, with this one coming out on top. |
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69 |
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L.A.-based singer-songwriter who scored a #4 blog hit in 2019 with a cover of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill", scored again with the third single from her 2020 effort, Thank U 4 Taking Me 2 the Disco, peaking at #6 blog. |
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70 |
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The third single from Florida band's 2020 album Hard Boiled was also released that year, but timing of the singles that I added from it coincided perfectly with this past summer, hence it scored top 20 on my blog. |
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71 |
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The singer with the beautiful voice from Hazelton PA released this stand-alone single at the end of 2020 and made my top 5 early this year. If you like Adele, you will love this awesome singer who I am proud to know and have met. |
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72 |
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Winnetka Bowling League - Romantic Way LA contingent led by Matthew Koma continued to be active in 2021, releasing several singles this year. This was from 2020's Congratulations EP which spawned last year's hits "CVS" and "Come to the Beach". |
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73 |
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Elle King and Miranda Lambert - Drunk (And I Don't Want to Go Home) Ms. King has had several blog hits, headed by her Billboard Top 10 hit "Ex's and Oh's" from 2015, but this duet with the country music star (and Blake Shelton's ex-wife) has made the most national impact since then. Song was on Triple-A first, then on Adult Top 40 and is still climbing the Country chart. |
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74 |
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Singer broke her six-year silence with this song from her fourth album, 30, and picked up where her other successes left off, despite an obvious change in the pop music stream. The lead single from her new set reached #1 for three weeks on my blog and seven on the Billboard Hot 100, |
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75 |
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Third entry on my list and from her 2021 Romantic Images set continues her singer-songwriter alternative mastery. Always love the production of her songs. |
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76 |
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Having followed her career right from the start (thanks to her friend and Roselle Parker Mary Ann Reed Nolan), it was a pleasure to learn this North Carolina native made a great impact this year with some new recordings. This one was her best and reached #6 on my list this year. Country singer definitely has that Carrie Underwood vibe. This listener thinks that a full breakout is imminent. |
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77 |
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James Hunter Six - I Can Change Your Mind Second of the two beach music entries on the list, this one by a sextet that has been on my list before. One of the appealing features of this genre is that it's a throwback to awesome soul music, and it's great that music like is still being made. From the 2020 Nick of Time album. |
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78 |
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Rochester NY band with a psychedelic take on current alt-rock music, had a #1 blog hit in early 2017 with "Turning Into Water". This one, from their 2020 EP Bird Sides is a slowed down dreamy ballad, as the title suggests. Akin to some of the obscure mid-60's garage bands' ballads. Reached #10 on the blog. |
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79 |
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Collie Buddz, the man responsible for Pepper's big blog hit "Change" which was my #2 song of 2020, takes the reins on this similar song by the other Hawaiian-turned-California reggae band. Bringing a good feel to the reggae genre, as always. |
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80 |
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4th and final entry on my list is another side of this versatile artist. Also from Romantic Images. |
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81 |
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Anna Lavigne - Dance the Last Goodbye On her fourth entry on my list (and from her debut Angels in Sandshoes), Ms. Lavigne offers a great nod to artists like Lesley Gore and Petula Clark. It is the current #1 song on my playlist. Scottish singer would release a second album late in the year, Roses for the Ride. Look for songs from that set to invade my 2022 year-end tally, |
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82 |
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Gia Ness ft Ariel Walton - Across the Universe First Fab Four cover on my year-end list since Rachel Allyn's "Dear Prudence" a few years back, is another from this friend and talented musician from her Incidental Music collection. That's her niece Ariel performing with her. |
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83 |
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Another L.A. indie pop outfit, Cannons have been around since 2013 but their breakthrough came this year with their Alternative #1 "Fire For You" (see below). Band followed it up with this standalone single which peaked at #15 both on Billboard's alternative chart and my blog. |
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84 |
 |
Elton John and Dua Lipa - Cold Heart Sir Elton makes my list for the second time in three years, thanks to this duet with the red-hot Dua Lipa. Song is actually a remixed mashup of four prior Elton songs added with Ms. Lipa's vocals. Reached #11 on Billboard and #7 here. |
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85 |
 |
LP is Long Island NY based-singer songwriter Laura Pergolizzi, who scored heavily on my blog in 2017 with "Lost on You". This one, from 2020's Churches set did almost as well, peaking here at #11. |
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86 |
 |
Christina Alessi and the Toll Collectors - Stone Meets the Sea Local, North Jersey contingent offers this nice country-rock flavored ballad from their late 2020 release Raindrops and Watercolors. |
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87 |
 |
A new, exciting London band came on the scene this year, fronted by Jamie Anderson. After a 2019 EP, band released their first full-length album in late 2020, Home for Now, which spawned this hit. This post-rave contingent has been named "one to watch". Look for them to plaster my playlist in 2022. |
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88 |
 |
Another from LA, this band headed by Chloe Chaidez had a #3 blog hit in 2019 with "Pink Champagne". This song, from a yet to be released album stirred various alternative playlists and a top 20 blog peak. |
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89 |
 |
While "Bad Dream" ranked higher, it was this song that put this Michelle Joy (no relation to Hannah from Middle Kids) band, yet another from LA to a #1 position on Billboard's alternative chart, and #2 on Triple-A. From their 2019 album Shadows.. |
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90 |
 |
Michigan hard-rock outfit that has been compared---favorably or unfavorably, take your pick--- to Led Zeppelin releases its second album The Battle of Garden's Gate, and with this, this first single, a slight departure from the Zeppelin-esque stylings. |
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91 |
 |
Ariel Marcus Rosenberg, yet another LA artist, has been recording since 1996, and has had a varied discography of records, mostly in his lo-fi and hypnagogic subgenres. But it took some controversy--his attending the January 6 march on the Capitol in support for outgoing President Trump, although he did not storm the building, and a friend's post for me to discover this artist. This song, which reached #4 on my blog is definitely in that lo-fi psychedelic realm. |
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92 |
 |
One mention of this artist probably brings a case of agita to many people I know. While I once thought that as well, it was her 2017 "Malibu" that brought an appreciation of her talents. This awesome song, which reached #1 for 3 weeks here in late 2020 (and landed in the #20 position for that year) held on to the list this year; the only song to straddle both 2020 and 2021 tallies. |
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93 |
 |
Cannons - Footsteps In the Dark The third and final entry from this band. This one is a fine cover of a 1977 Isley Brothers song. |
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94 |
 |
Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats - Survivor After some solo work, Rateliff reunites with the Sweats for their biggest national hit since "S.O.B.". Song spent several weeks at #1 on Triple-A and is still climbing the alternative chart. From band's third album, The Future. |
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95 |
 |
Winnetka Bowling League - Pulp Most recent song from Matt Koma's contingent is a bit more up-tempo than recent releases. While the band hasn't made national noises since "Kombucha" and "CVS", it's nice to see Koma sticking with this outfit. Reached blog #6 this fall. |
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96 |
 |
Another female led band, this one from Australia and around since 2012 released their fifth full-length effort this year, Bittersweet Dreams. The song made a good dent in the alt-rock charts this year and top 20 on the blog list. |
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97 |
 |
The fifth and final track from the Band of the Year, from their DNR set, wasn't officially released as a single/video but I had no choice to add this deep cut which stands up to all the other tracks on this superb album. Like the other tracks, it hit #1; its low year-end position due to being added very late in the year. The band has gained many fans and am looking forward to bigger and better things for Emily and company. |
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98 |
 |
LA seems to be the hotbed this year for music, and this proto-punk band, consisting of girls aged 11 to 17 and are of Latinx and Asian descent. Band made noise with their 2020 debut EP; this song landed on alternative playlists this year. |
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99 |
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...speaking of teens making rock in a classic style, here is the second song from these prog-rock prodigies, Ted Torres, Emily Carpenter and Evan Carpenter. While the band took a hiatus late this year, expect them to return and make some more noise in 2022. |
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100 |
 |
The final entry on my list is the third entry from this duo, culled from Sun and Settled Days. Rebecca Coleman, formerly the keyboardist for Avi Buffalo, who last year accused that band's leader of sexual assault and sexual advances back in 2009, seems to be enjoying herself once again, making music with Pageants. |
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Songs with the greatest increase in
favorite points over the prior week. ●
Songs with
25 or more plays on iTunes/iPods ▲ Songs with 50 or more plays.
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