The Best Songs of 2021 (Part Four: 10-1) #YCTR
Welcome to the final part of this Top 40 list which has been an uphill, impractical and impossible battle attempting to quantify a numeric value to things that got me singing out loud on public transport this year. On a different day, it could be different songs, in different orders but I hope by writing these blogs out it perhaps makes someone check out a new song they will love as much as me or maybe this can help sooth an artist with a wee bit of much-needed validation.
The unscientific method behind making this list was adding all the good new stuff I heard throughout the year to a spotify playlist called YCTR Recommends you can check out here . Then last month I began to narrow it down from 300 songs to 40 of my favourites. This means there are songs I forgot to add to the list or songs that ain’t on spotify which means an honourable mentions list will have to follow next week.
I`m going to delete all the songs soon so I can make way for a 2022 playlist but please like/ follow it to keep up to date with what I find in the months ahead . I have also made a new playlist of the top 40 of the best of 2021 here so you can listen at your leisure but made sense to update the old playlist as it’s starting to get a a small following who check it out already. As always, this website, the podcast and all the events by You Call That Radio would not be possible without our patreons at http://patreon.com/youcallthatradio so thank you for supporting.
Anyway, science bit over here is the best tunes of 2021 from 10-1 according to me.
10. Steg G feat. Solareye, Freestyle Master, Empress & CCTV - ‘Funeral For A Friend’
2021 had way too many funerals, many of which were attended via zoom as the pandemic descended into a particularly dark episode of Black Mirror. The Scottish way of dealing with grief is for better or worse, gathering together and sharing stories over vast quantities of alcohol. That was not possible so epic songs like this helped us grieve in a different way. Steg G compiled a stunning album called ‘Live Today’ and this grande finale was chilling and poignant, especially when it blared out the speakers at our dearly departed friend Kyle’s funeral. It also held an aura of hope when seen it performed live at Drygate with The Glasgow Barons orchestral hauners. Lyrically, all emcees bring their A-games as they bring Steg G’s most ambitious and spiralling production to a sudden and poetic hault.
9. Minerva Wakes- ‘Redefine’
Lockdown turned Jo D’arc from punk icon of The Twistettes into a glitchy witch called Minerva Wakes who dropped a stunning trip hop /electro album called ‘Mirrored Moon’ . The highlight for me was this magnificent music video by Martin Windebank which captures the essence of the jittery , space out, banging beats and the lush, ethereal vocals perfectly. The album dropped in spring 2021 which meant no live audience but we managed to stream the full show into everyone’s living rooms via the magic of Captureworks studios which you can watch back over here . Jo gets a lot of deserved credit for songwriting but nowhere near enough for the production on this. Was marvelous to see this live with an audience at Hug n Pint and at The Messy festival and hopefully much more live shows on the way in 2022 as it needs to be heard to be believed through a banging sound system.
8. She Drew the Gun- ‘Class War’
Another bit of science I forgot to mention at the start of the blog is that I tried to not pick more than one song from each artist in order to shine a spotlight on 40 different acts which was somtimes presented a challenge especially in the shape of She Drew the Gun who easily could have had 3/4 in the top 40. In the end , I decided on ‘Class War’ as that song echoed in my head for days after their Cop26 Coalition gig at The Landing Hub which you can watch back here . Building on the rich heritage of Liverpool’s thriving music scene SDTG are everything I look for in a band. Political, melodic and noisy with a lyrical scouse wit. Catchy hooks that deliver a purposeful, societal message directly to your soul. Catch them in Glasgow at Drygate on February 12th by getting your ticket here.
7. Darren McGarvey- ‘Run to It’
When it comes to purposeful, societal messages then Mr. McGarvey is always at the forefront whether it’s through TV, Books or his music as well his influential tweets . Most people in Glasgow will be aware of his music through his Loki alias but this year he has rebranded himself under his real name which has a bigger international reach and dropped his first single on Spotify under it. ‘Run To It’ initially appeared last year as part of the hard-hitting short film/ music video ‘I W!$H ! W^$ D£AD’ (Gasp/ Tommy Slack) which deals with subjects many of us , mainly governments, would rather sweep under the carpet. It`s raw depiction of mental health and suicidal ideation are nestled atop a rich bed of production from Jim Sutherland evoking a canvas for Darren to battle with his demons on the track as he realises fame and fortune is no solution to trauma. Despite the tortured nature of the themes here , Darren provides a chorus of hope and a battle cry to keep going . He explores complex darkness but has just enough well-timed use of ‘jakeball’ and ‘bevy o clock’ plus a host of clever writing that requires repeated , enjoyable listens . I hope we will be hearing a lot more music from Darren in 2022 but you can definitely expect a new book and a host of TV appearances.
You can see this song live as part of the set he did for You Call That Radio over here
BNM made my favourite album of 2020 then returned in 2021 with the superb ‘Emergency Telephone’ E.P with ‘Heels’ being my highlight. It would be lazy of me to draw comparisons with any other artists as there simply isn’t anything comparable now or ever. She is in her own lane of making anthemic, electro bangers with serious social commentary and enough sprinkles of humour to make the frightening truths all the more bareable , and very danceable. The pandemic postponed many opportunities to see this music live but luckily, got to see it for myself at Mono which you can read all about it here . What else is there to say apart from she makes unique masterpieces, she is the most exciting solo acts in the country and she will not do heels,
5. Morphamish -’Spark’
I know what your going to say ‘But you made a song with Morphamish, that’s no fair’ and yes I did (you can hear that one ‘On It Again’ over here ) but this is my list and no song brought me any greater joy this year than hearing his ‘Spark’ played live at a festival post-lockdown. Yes, he is a mate and yes, he has helped me with tech issues for my podcast but listen to this tune and tell me it’s not a banger deserving of Top 10 status. It invokes joy, happiness and makes you want to dance around like an idiot. It is everything that has been missing for the last two years and it slots into my list easily. Very underrated producer and DJ such is his humility. He is sitting on a sea of bangers that I hope will be released into the world in 2022.
4. Aesop Rock - ‘Long Legged Larry’
As an Aesop Rock fan, you think you know what your gonna get when you click play. That is usually a masterclass in vocabulary, clinical storytelling and esoteric concepts over dark, phat beats. This song is not what I was expecting. Maybe I am missing some hidden meaning, feel free to correct me in the comments if I am, but to my ear- it is a song about a frog. A frog called Long-Legged Larry’ who to be quite frank, is a bit of a legend. A local hero who can jump very high indeed and routinely saves the day. Firemen, princesses and cats alike love him and many would even like him to be mayor (here! here!) . It was the song we never knew we needed far less deserved. Even Aesop’s nursery rhymes blow most rappers out the water. A happy tale that will go down in Hip Hop folklore, delivered with poker face precision over a chirpy, endearing beat. What’s not to love? Go Larry! Go Larry! Go! Go! Go!
There are a few gems on their new album ‘Modern Kunst’ but since ‘Rang Wi Me’ technically dropped in 2020 then this one is most deserving of a mention although ‘Full American’ , ‘Raw’ & ‘Music’ all could have effortlessly slotted into the Top 10. ‘Yer grans in the slam tent, yer maw’s in the snake pit… yer kids are on e’s and ye lost yer fucking keys’ . A bizarre festival anthem that was brought to ferocious life during their Garage gig in October as the world seemed to return back to normal (for a week or two) .
The whole album is a masterpiece go and check it out here
See their You Call That Radio interview here
See them perform ‘Rang wi’ Mi’ Live at Doune the Rabbit Hole here
and watch them perform in front of your eyes at Doune the Rabbit Hole 2022 here
This is not number 2 but joint number 1 on the list. The true anthem of 2021 , that came out of nowhere and has been rinsed on jukeboxes, DJ sets and house parties all across the planet. I am sure even 10 Downing Street must have blared it loud at one of their many, many, MANY cheese n wine work event gathering things. An equally good follow up single ‘Wet Dream’ proved they are no mere one-hit wonders either and having seen them play their forthcoming album live at McChuills (A small Glasgow pub) I can confirm that these guys are the real deal. They have proper catchy songs, clever lyrics and they seemed very humble, down to earth and surprised at their viral success when we spoke to them after the show. I doubt we will ever see them play such a small venue ever again as the world embraces a band from the Isle of Wight who seem intent on bringing some actual fun into the indie guitar world that has been missing for some time. They are also bringing some cracking riffs and proper songwriting into the mainstream. A great live band and their album will likely be one of the top sellers of 2022. They are getting so big that there is even a small backlash starting from grumpy old men who don’t get it. That’s how you know you have made it .
You can pre-order their forthcoming classic album on vinyl over here
1. Alabama 3- ‘Tranquilize Brittania’
When deciding on my favourite song of the year, I played a playlist back LOUD alongside my fellow Girobabies members as we shared a few drinks and enjoyed a long overdue catch-up. This song was definitely the one. Alabama 3 has always been one of our favourite bands. One of the few bands we could actually ever all agree on and this song just ticks all the boxes. The return of the Reverend D Wayne Love from beyond the grave to bam up the British state is inspired and the song as a whole instantly becomes one of the greatest Alabama 3 songs ever made. It could not have been easy for the band making a post-jake album, especially with pandemic conditions and restrictions, but ‘Step 13’ is a triumph of an LP and their Lindisfarne set in September will stay with me forever. The music for ‘Tranquilize Brittania’ is epic and Larry Love’s trademark dulcet tones builds on the Reverend’s poetic verses. It ends in a crescendo of gang vocals ‘Blaze, blaze away the pain, from empire to opium, from cradle to the grave’ . It makes you sad, it makes you smile and it makes you think. It`s a 10/10 song. A classic. An anthem. A belter. A cracker. The best song I heard in 2021.
See Alabama 3 on tour by going here
Watch the Reverend D Wayne Love interview on You Call That Radio here
Watch Mark Sams interview on You Call That Radio here where he talks about the tribute album he made to the Reverend
Watch Nick Reynolds interview on You Call That Radio here
AND FINALLY….
Did I get it right? Who would be in your top 5 songs of 2021? please leave a comment with your thoughts.
Listen to all Top 40 of my favourite songs of 2021 on this spotify playlist over here
Like/ Follow the YCTR Recommends playlist here for weekly updated tunes I stumble upon in 2022
You can support this website, the podcasts and all our events by becoming a patreon from only £3 per month over here . Thank you if you already do support, you saved me over lockdown. Hopefully we can party together a bit more in 2022 . Our live streams will return to our youtube channel next week.
Much love and all the best for 2022,
