I spent a lot of this year with 파란노을 (Parannoul)’s music, this Korean kid buried in some Seoul bedroom making blurry shoegaze on his laptop who went Rateyourmusic viral sometime early last year. I’m conversationally fluent in Korean (thanks mom, thanks dad) but the swaying murmurs here are uttered ten degrees off center from the “when’s dinner” Korean I grew up on. I have no idea what he’s saying, save the occasional word that lingers an extra second or that he gives extra oomph; it matters little, though, because I know I’d be able to understand if I really needed to. Sometimes this does not feel too dissimilar from my relationship to the haziest of plugg vocalists or even the screechiest registers of PC Music, and I then start to have a crisis about why I want to listen to music where words are ornamental when I am so obsessed with the written word, but then I decide this is Stupid and listen to some POLO PERKS.
Music continues to be the best thing in the world — I keep a list of every album I’ve ever listened to like a maniac and even as it creeps through the thousands I’ve still never listened to a Talking Heads album. Listen to some Rxk Nephew this year!
Best Songs, 2021 (Spotify)
25. brakence - “argyle” (self)
24. SICKBOYRARI - “Spaz Wit Them Bands” (shinju)
23. Kanye West & André 3000 - “Life of the Party” (Brian Miller, BoogzDaBeast, Dem Jointz, Federico Vindver, Fonzworth Bentley, Kanye West, Ojivolta & The Twilite Tone)
22. Dijon - “Many Times” (Andrew Sarlo, Dijon & Mk.gee)
21. Shawny Binladen - “Maneuver” (1yungspank & Animism MRDA)
20. Chris Crack - “Sex Dreams About Platonic Friends” (blckwndr)
19. Fredo Bang - “Top (Remix)” feat. Lil Durk (DJ Chose)
18. Remble - “Touchable” (10Fifty & Jaasu)
17. Young Thug - “Stupid/Asking” (Charlie Handsome, Crater, Metro Boomin, Taurus & Yo Benji)
16. Tyler, the Creator - “WUSYANAME” feat. Youngboy Never Broke Again & Ty Dolla $ign (self)
15. Dirty Bird - “Wet” feat. Dazegxd & Leon English (self)
14. PinkPantheress - “Passion” (IZCO & Jkarri)
13. Wiki - “Roof” (Navy Blue)
12. Rx Papi - “A Man Apart (Intervention)” (Noisy Neighbors)
11. midwxst - “Trying” (Elxnce & ThisLandIs)
10. Tony Seltzer - “WYD” feat. Mavi (Jam City & Tony Seltzer)
9. Babyface Ray - “Like Daisy Lane” (Da Realest Beats)
8. dltzk - “your clothes” (dltzk)
7. Yeat - “Kant changë” (SUBZEROTWIS)
6. Lil Ugly Mane - “IN TO A LIFE” (self)
5. 파란노을 (Parannoul) - “휜 천장 (White Ceiling)” (self)
4. Mach-Hommy - “The Stellar Ray Theory” (Cee Gee)
3. 454 - “FACE TIME” (L.J.)
2. Yves Tumor - “Jackie” (self)
1. Pi’erre Bourne - “4U” (self)
Best Albums, 2021
25. Magdalena Bay - Mercurial World
24. Young Thug - PUNK
23. Yves Tumor - The Asymptotical World EP
22. Lil Ugly Mane - VOLCANIC BIRD ENEMY AND ALL THE VOICED CONCERN
21. Connis - Somebody
20. Bruiser Wolf - Dope Game Stupid
19. Wiki - Half God
18. underscores - Fishmonger
17. Isaiah Rashad - The House is Burning
16. Rxk Nephew - Shawty Rxk Too
15. midwxst - SUMMER03
14. Navy Blue - Navy’s Reprise
13. Ka - A Martyr’s Reward
12. Pink Siifu - GUMBO’!
11. Yeat - Up 2 Më
10. Mach-Hommy - Balens Cho (Hot Candles)
9. Young Nudy - Rich Shooter
8. Pi’erre Bourne - The Life of Pi’erre 5
7. Mach-Hommy - Pray for Haiti
6. Boldy James & The Alchemist - Bo Jackson
5. dltzk - Frailty
4. 파란노을 (Parannoul) - To See the Next Part of the Dream
3. Tyler, the Creator - CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST
2. Floating Points, Pharaoh Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises
1. MIKE - “Disco!”
Best, The Rest, 2021
25. Migos - “Vaccine” (Buddah Bless & Jabz)
24. Tirzah - Colourgrade
23. Summer Walker’s last album, probably more so than the new one
22. Lil Baby on Drake - “Girls Want Girls” (40, Ambezza & OZ)
21. Lil Baby on Kanye West - “Hurricane” (BoogzDaBeats, DJ Khalil, Kanye West, Mike Dean, Nascent, Ojivolta & Ronny J)
20. CashCache
19. The Bruiser Brigade output, Bruiser Wolf is the king but the second J.U.S is cold
18. DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ
17. The Brent Faiyaz back catalog
16. Porter Robinson - “Mirror” (self), and frankly the whole album
15. Icewear Vezzo - “Sippin” feat. Babyface Ray (?)
14. Xenia Rubinos - Una Rosa, the start of which rings weird Kanye Mike Dean in 2011 to me
13. The Armed - ULTRAPOP, especially the intro track
12. Surf Gang, especially POLO PERKS
11. Bartees Strange - Live Forever, probably my biggest 2020 whiff
10. MoMA Ready, AceMo, and pretty much everything in their sphere
9. Seeing Pi’erre Bourne at the Polish community center they had pierogies
8. CHAI - “Donuts Mind If I Do” (self)
7. Papo2oo4, especially “Barkley” and “4 Point”
6. Lil Tecca (my hero) - “MONEY ON ME” (Paryo & Taz Taylor)
5. Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York
4. Seeing Yves Tumor play “Kerosene!” in the pouring rain right before everyone ran for cover
3. Blxst, always
2. Playboi Carti - Whole Lotta Red!, because we know where this would be on this list if it was released a week later
1. Lil Baby - My Turn