Our Top 10 Lists have been named in honor of late Blog Director and DJ Clarence Ewing, who pioneered and published this annual feature for nearly a decade.
Our next list is from Tony Breed.
Song of The Year
Amid the chaos and awfulness, Austin band Parker Woodland gave us a single that is a celebration of going out and having fun—Get Me to the Show. It’s got major Bangles energy and put me in a good time every time it came on, which was pretty often… I was clearly not the only DJ who loved it.
Top 10 Albums
10. Bobby's Place by Bobby Conn (Tapete)
Bobby’s Place is a concept album with three concepts. One: there is no side 2. There’s a side 1 and a side A, each one claiming the right to be the primary side. Two: Side One is a glam-rock sitcom, in which each track is a new episode, in which Bobby starts a new small business (with a cast of puppets), which inevitably fails. Three: Side A finds Bobby living in a tent on the astral plane—trading in glam rock for no-wave noise rock. Once again: “Make no small plans”. It’s a crazy plan but it works. (I’m not particularly a fan of no-wave noise rock, so I hope this recommendation carries more weight than usual.)
Listen: Bandcamp
9. Dear Deaf Angels by Jason Moody (self-released)
Chicago’s Jason Moody put out his 4th solo album this year, and it’s infused with more rock than usual. The power pop and chamber pop elements are still there, but with a harder edge. Just different enough to keep me interested, just the same enough to keep me happy. Good stuff. .
Listen: Bandcamp
8. Flying With Angels by Suzanne Vega (Cooking Vinyl)
Flying with Angels is very much the same Suzanne Vega you fell in love with 40 years ago: literate and cool, candid and catchy. Listening to this album is like spending time with an old friend.
Listen: Suzanne Vega webstore
7. Moisturizer by Wetleg (Domino)
The Isle of Wight duo is back with catchy postpunk fun. I kind of slept on the first album; I’m glad I was paying attention this time. As they sing on “Catch These Fists”: LEVEL UP.
Listen: Bandcamp
6. Boys Don't Fight by Boys Don't Fight (self-released)
This year queer New Orleans musician Chris Giarmo released his first album, under the moniker Boys Don’t Fight, funding it via kickstarter. You may recognize Giarmo as the redheaded backup singer on David Byrne’s American Utopia tour (which is how I first discovered him). Boys Don’t Fight is art pop, in the vein of Yeasayer or Django Django—it’s creative and catchy and it has a point of view.
Listen: Bandcamp
5. Second Sight by Cindy Wilson (Spin)
At 68, Cindy Wilson of the B-52s is going strong. This EP serves up 6 straight bangers, no filler. Give the people what they want: dance rock with 60s flair.
Listen: Cindy Wilson webstore
4. Neon Grey Midnight Green by Neko Case (Anti-)
Neko Case always delivers a good album, and sometimes an excellent one—this is one of those excellent ones. It’s complex and it’s heavy. Case is at her best when she is personal, vulnerable, and raw. This is a good album to listen to on headphones by yourself.
Listen: Bandcamp
3. A RUPTURE A CANYON A BIRTH by Jane Inc. (Telephone Explosion)
Introspective bangers. “I wanna get closer to death”, sings Jane Inc, over a dance beat, like a depressed Jesse Ware. Jane Inc is the stage name of Canadian musician Carlyn Bezic. This is the album I’ve been telling everyone to check out ever since I first heard it.
Listen: Bandcamp
2. LUX by Rosalía (Columbia)
LUX is an audacious concept album by a very talented musician. Barcelona native Rosalía combines pop, flamenco, fado, and other styles, with the backing of the London Symphony Orchestra. She gives us 15 songs, each inspired by a different saint. “Make no small plans,” said Daniel Burnham; he wasn’t talking about music, but it still applies. The album is a grand, bold project, and it works, start to finish.
Listen: Rosalía webstore
1. Girl Missing by Albertine Sarges (Moshi Moshi)
Albertine Sarges’ 2021 album The Sticky Fingers kind of caught me off-guard… I was lured in with quirky lyrics and found myself listening to it over and over again. I must love this album, I said to myself, because I keep listening to it. With Girl Missing, I was prepared—I’m a fan now, so it wasn’t a surprise to like it so much. Girl Missing is more of the same in the best possible way.
Listen: Bandcamp