The Commune 2021: Q1 (January-March)
Featuring albums from Morgan Wallen, Tenant From Zero, Trippie Redd, Grandbrothers, YOASOBI, Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, Jetty Bones, Selena Gomez, Benny The Butcher & Harry Fraud, AJR, Rod Wave & more!
So, I have a very specific predicament. I work in a completely different city from the one I currently live in. I have pretty bad car anxiety, so I’ve never been in any rush to get a car. As such, my only way to work is to take an hour-long commune where I hop on two different buses and also walk a little when I need to. It takes a while and pretty much robs me two hours of my day any time I have to go to work. But I’ve seen this commune as more of a mixed blessing than a curse. I’ve been using those two hours to catch up on albums I had been meaning to get to, whether they’d be new albums or even old albums I’d been curious about for a while. I’ve even used this commune to revisit albums, mainly for album lists or just to pass the time. It helps because I’m usually pretty unfocused when listening to albums. I always have to be doing something else, whether it’d be drawing, walking, or playing a game that doesn’t require too much of my brainpower. So taking an hour to get to one or two albums while I make my way to work is a no-brainer!
I decided to use this to be the center of my new quarterly album reviews. Not really meant to be in-depth or definitive, just sharing my thoughts on some of the albums that have accompanied me on this transit (or if I heard it somewhere else but that’s not as catchy).
Dangerous: The Double Album by Morgan Wallen
Best Songs: “Sand In My Boots”, “Cover Me Up”, “7 Summers”, “Livin’ The Dream”, “Neon Eyes”, “More Than My Hometown”
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to talk about this album after… you know… the thing… But it’s not like I’m giving him a platform by talking about it. He already has the most successful country album, maybe of all time. Not much else I can do from here. And since I posted that thinkpiece on Morgan Wallen, he’s put out an apology video announcing his sobriety and admitting fault for how badly he fucked up. Now, that’s not my apology to accept, but it’s not mine to reject either. This is clearly a personal journey that he needs to deal with on his own, and whether or not he ever recovers from being seen as “the racist country guy” is going to depend on if he can stick to that sobriety and pay it back to the black people he’s hurt. It paints the album in a weird light though. Now the songs about drinking the pain away and wanting to fuck your life up just to feel something are a lot more uncomfortable in retrospect. But you can’t really turn to the happy songs either because the ones that lean hardest to the bro-country sound are easily the album’s worst songs. Not gonna lie, they feel like a label compromise. There’s a reason why the first disc is significantly more popular than the second. The first disc just has better songs, and the themes of heartbreak and regret resonated with audiences a lot more than Morgan Wallen bragging about the “country ass shit” he does on the daily. I feel so mixed on this album now than I did before. Back when it first released, I was really encouraged by how genuinely great a lot of the album is. Even with the bad songs, the good songs significantly outnumber them, and the inspired spark that I hear throughout the album’s best songs and singles made me so encouraged for country music’s future! That this guy can go from a Nashville pawn to a star in his own right, bringing a modern version of country that’s exciting and at times brilliant! Maybe his next album won’t have to rely on the Nashville garbage to keep itself afloat!
And then he yelled out the n-word on camera, Nashville yanked support, and mainstream country is currently being ruled by shitty hack trap country and generic trend chasers who only ever get this far because Nashville plays favorites. Go figure.
Magic Mirror by Pearl Charles
Best Songs: “Don’t Feel Like Myself”, “Only For Tonight”, “Magic Mirror”, “Sweet Sunshine Wine”, “As Long As You’re Mine”
This was probably the first album I truly loved this year. It was an out of nowhere gem that blended so many genres at once that it in itself became its own genre. A nostalgic adventure where Pearl Charles fights through insecurity and turbulent romance as the shining synths and grounded guitars guide her through the mystery of who the fuck she even is. It’s an album that feels lost but experiences a burst of euphoria during those moments of clarity. Even if they’re merely moments, those inspired crescendos and triumphant climaxes are the moments that make this album worth it from front to back. Not a single dud from this one, just pure, unfiltered bliss.
Collapsed In Sunbeams by Arlo Parks
Best Songs: “Too Much”, “Just Go”, “For Violet”, “Eugene”, “Hope”
I’ve heard a mild amount of discourse surrounding this album. How it seems like really easy critical darling bait despite being very milquetoast and safe. An album that takes no risks or does anything transgressive other than pandering to people who fall for this kind of style and songwriting very very easily. And you know what? Sure, maybe it is kind of like that. It’s not a particularly daring album, and it’s not like this is such an amazing album that I’m going to pin it as one of the best of the year. But you know what? Fuck it. I AM going to pin this as one of the best of the year. Who said coffee shop music has to be bad? I love this sound of relaxed, flirty, acoustic pop! Arlo Parks is a great singer, and her musings on relationships and queer yearning is exactly the kind of music that makes me feel at ease. I like challenging myself with more transgressive art, sure, but sometimes I just want something that makes me feel comfortable that I can quietly groove along to when I’m feeling a little lonely, but still confident in myself.
Flight by Tenant From Zero
Best Songs: “The End Away”, “The Bomb You Dropped”, “Properly Wrecked By John”, “Still Empty Rooms”, “This Can’t Wait Until Later”
Always fun to find hidden gems that will probably be overlooked by most people, but hold a special place in your heart. I was smitten by this album the first time I’d heard it. It feels like a constant wave of melancholy that takes you through all the memories and emotions you’ve gone through over the past year and tries to find an escape from the uncertainty and heartbreak you’re going through. The production is MARVELOUS. I love hearing the cavalcade of instruments and sounds that build up this album’s unique sophistipop atmosphere. One minute the song is ruled by synths and guitars, the next you’re being overwhelmed by the gloriousness of the saxophone. It’s another throwback that does so much to distinguish itself that it becomes its own entity. Not to mention Paul Darrah’s vocals are so passionate and convinced of its own importance that it sells the album’s romanticism with flying colors. That’s the best way to describe this album. It’s a spectrum of colors that fades across different moods and forms of melancholy, and it all ties back to simply wanting to be loved.
NEON SHARK vs Pegasus by Trippie Redd & Travis Barker
Best Songs: “SAVE YOURSELF”, “DROP DEAD” ft. Scarlxd & Zillakami, “WITHOUT YOU”, “SEA WORLD”, “FEMALE SHARK”
It was pretty easy to miss that this happened, but I’m not surprised. Trippie Redd has been fading in relevancy for a few years now. Not because he got worse or anything, I think mainstream music just passed him by as melodic emo-rap evolved into something different and more innovative while Trippie Redd has been mostly doing the same shtick he’s always done. That’s why I at the very least respect the jump he made with NEON SHARK. After all, if anyone’s brand of melodic trap would translate well into pop-punk, it’d be Trippie. Yeah, it’s trend-chasing, but it’s still the most I’ve been invested in him since “Topanga”. And in all honesty, this album isn’t so bad! There are a couple of mixing and production issues that keep this from being as pleasant of a surprise as say, Tickets To My Downfall, but I still think there’s plenty of great moments here to salvage it. The main difference between Trippie and MGK is that Trippie’s brand of pop-punk is a lot more based on raw emotion rather than reckless adolescence. Trippie lets the fuck loose on a lot of these songs, amplifying his usual crooning over crunchy guitars and driving grooves. And it leads to songs that at their best make you want to scream your angst at the top of your lungs just to relieve the stress and heartache inside of you. It’s not too complicated. Sometimes you just gotta feel it.
All The Unknown by Grandbrothers
Best Songs: “What We See”, “All The Unknown”, “Black Frost”, “Organism”, “Mourning Express”, “Shorelines”
And here’s the album to beat in 2021. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve had an ambient album captivate me like this. Grandbrothers already knocked it out of the park with their debut, Dilation, but All The Unknown is on a completely different level. The Grandbrothers’ melodies are always moving. Their piano-driven compositions traverse through the soft atmospheres and immerse you in a world that’s as familiar as it is magical. And yet, it feels like every world this album brings you to is something different. Not to mention the way they all transition so smoothly into each other is mesmerizing. It feels like one complete journey, soaring through the many landscapes that all of these songs represent and admiring the scale of it all. It’s hard to describe how joyous this album makes me feel in words. Even with the hour-long runtime, I return to this album so, so easily because the compositions are that beautiful and the production is that outstanding.
THE BOOK by Yoasobi
Best Songs: “夜に駆ける (Track 8)”, “ハルジオン (Track 3)”, “群青 (Track 6)”, “たぶん (Track 5)”, “アンコール” (Track 2)
I need to start checking out overseas albums more often. It’s not that I’m not occasionally fascinated by music from other countries, I think I just feel too comfortable in my American comfort zone. Hell, I feel the same about my definition of a “hit song”. Because arguably, this entire album should qualify for any hit list of this year and last year. This duo is MASSIVE, especially in Japan. “夜に駆ける” is to Japan what “Blinding Lights” is to the US. And they fucking deserve it. This album is wonderful. One of the most vibrant and cheerful albums I’ve heard in recent memory. It’s yet another album led by piano-driven melodies and progressions, only this time with more explosive fun hooks and at least two or three key changes per song. You’d think that’d get annoying after a while, but they’re so good at building their songs up to the climax that even when you expect it, they’re an absolute delight whenever it happens. Honestly, part of me wishes there were one or two more songs to complete the album because it’s a blast from front to back and quickly resonated as one of the easiest albums I’m coming back to this year.
CARNAGE by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
I need to be on fucking alert for new Nick Cave projects at this point. Back in 2019, he announced his new album Ghosteen was going to come out a week later, and this year he skipped announcing his new album altogether and just dropped it without warning. Though this isn’t a Bad Seeds album, instead shrinking the team to just Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, who over the years have done a lot of work in film scores together. This one is a full-fledged album, and it’s one that’s considerably lower stakes than Ghosteen was. So I wasn’t so much disappointed by it as much as I understood this wasn’t meant to live up to his output in the 2010s. That said, it’s still a Nick Cave album, and it’s still as great as it always is. In a weird way, it’s actually a bit more accessible than his usual material. It can be a bit heavy and bizarre in its instrumentation, but the themes are a lot more direct and it focuses a bit more on the swells of each song and how it reaches its emotional climax. And they all sound fucking great, even if they’re not as distinct or breathtaking as his previous albums (Though “Albequerque” comes real close). As much as I like some of the more intense stuff on the album though, it’s always the ballads that are going to captivate me the most, especially as the album as a whole seems to have found a bit more optimism after a tough year. Nick Cave isn’t exactly in the best position, what with losing his son and how that’s thrown his family, mortality, and anxiety out of control. But the fact that he manages to find some compromises to better his life anyway? That’s powerful.
Push Back by Jetty Bones
Best Songs: “Taking Up Space”, “Nothing”, “Dolly”, “Bug Life”, “Bad Trick”
Content Warning: References to suicide and mental health
Ever since I heard “Taking Up Space” for the first time, I knew Jetty Bones was going to drop an incredible album whenever she does. I was already impressed by her EP from 2019, - (Hyphen), but I wanted to hear more from her. See what she could do with a full-length project. The result is an album that is as delightful as it is heartbreaking. I adore how Jetty’s voice can push her enthusiasm and sarcasm in a way that isn’t insufferable, but instead genuinely charming and wonderful to listen to. Still, it’s not so drenched in irony and sarcasm that you don’t hear the genuine pain in her voice, and realize her feelings of depression, imposter syndrome, and suicidal thoughts are frighteningly real. The most chilling fact about this album is learning that the final song on the album, “Bug Life”, was originally intended as a suicide note. And the voice messages at the end of the song, from friends, family, and herself, are essentially a montage of the final moments before she decides to stay strong. Because what would have happened to those people if the last words she ever spoke were, “I’m sorry”? As close as she was to let it all go, she’s still here. She got to release this album and that song. By the end of the album, I just feel so sad. Even when it has that shred of hope that she’s willing to keep living for those few people who truly love and care about her, it’s not like those feelings will go away. This might not even be the last time she tries to go through with it. But she’s still here. That’s all that matters. I for one am glad that she is.
29 by Carly Pearce
Best Songs: “29”, “Liability”, “Show Me Around”, “Messy”, “Next Girl”
Fresh off her biggest hit to date with “I Hope You’re Happy Now” (holy shit I regret not including that song in my best hits list), Carly Pearce takes a brief detour to make a short EP of songs about how her 2020 kind of fucking sucked! Her debut album released, but not only did she lose her producer busbee the previous year, she got married to and divorced fellow country artist Michael “Yeah, He Definitely Looks Like An Asshole” Ray. 29 refers to her age as she starts reaching her 30s, the time where she’s supposed to have everything figured out, and instead she’s left feeling like her younger years was wasted and all built up to nothing. It’s a really sad album, one that’s brutally honest in a way I rarely see from artists in Carly’s lane. Yeah, country artists love personal stories, but this is a full-on mid-life crisis coming after a public divorce. You hear every detail of that divorce too, even exposing the uglier side where she’d occasionally climb back into his arms because she’s that lonely and desperate for attention. Even if the album isn’t very long and doesn’t have many songs, you still see Carly go through all the stages of grief, and even if she doesn’t reach any revelation by the end, she’s still willing to make the most of her new life. Damned if she’s 29 or 35, she’s going to be okay. I already had a respect for Carly Pearce as a pretty damn good pop-country artist, but this showed a whole new side of her alongside some really great neotraditional production that makes me more than excited for her future. The sooner “Next Girl” becomes a hit, the better.
Heaux Tales by Jazmine Sullivan
Best Songs: “Pick Up Your Feelings”, “Put It Down”, “Lost One”, “The Other Side”, “On It” ft. Annie Lennox
Jazmine Sullivan has been in the game for quite a while, but since I don’t follow R&B all that closely I wasn’t really aware of her until this year. She even has two Top 40 hits under her belt! I never knew that! She’s had a bit of a lull period since then, and surprisingly her comeback EP Heaux Tales managed to pick up some mainstream attention, with “Pick Up Your Feelings” slowly climbing up the charts and proving to be a fairly sizable hit! There isn’t much to say about Heaux Tales. It’s a self-explanatory series of songs about women and their relationship with sex and empowerment. I find the angle it took interesting because it reframes your perspective on the women who date and hook up with rapper-types, those who flash their wealth and brag about their sexual conquests in their music. In reality, the women they have sex with have their own personal gain when they agree to hook up with these rappers. The EP is dispersed with these perspectives of women and what sex means to them, whether they simply use men for pleasure and free gifts, or if they feel more in control of the relationship than the men, or even as simple as problems sorting out their personal and sexual feelings. Some of these women aren’t even straight, and that adds a whole new dynamic to the expectations of their relationships. Listening to those monologues paints the EP in an interesting light for me. These “hoe tales” remind us that the women in these relationships aren’t just bragging rights for the people they sleep with. They’re people with their own selfish needs. Sometimes, they just want jewelry and sex. It’s relatable in a mutual respect kind of way. Damned if anyone calls you “immoral” for it.
Super Monster by Claud
Best Songs: “Overnight”, “This Town”, “Soft Spot”, “Pepsi”, “Gold”
I’ve had my eye on Claud for a couple of years now. I stumbled upon their breakthrough song “Wish You Were Gay” while looking for queer pop songs and it stuck with me as one of my sleeper favorite songs of the year. I liked their EP Sideline Star which came out later that year, but I was waiting to hear what a full debut album would sound like from them. Super Monster ended up reminding me of an introverted, gayer version of BENEE’s Hey u xx. It’s a cute, charming little album where Claud yearns and anxiously flirts with the people they’re deeply in love with. Not in a “high schooler learning what love is” kind of way, but in the young adult jitterbug kind of way where that anxiousness is part of the reason they’re so easy to like. Claud has already come into their own in regards to their gender and sexual identity, now it’s just a matter of finding people who will embrace that part of them. Speaking as a trans non-binary lesbian myself, I kind of felt a kinship with the way Claud so easily falls in love and grows attached to the few people who would not only validate their identity but also love them and cherish them for it. Which makes the sadder, melancholic moments all the more devastating in their own little world. I wouldn’t say Super Monster is one of the best albums of the year, it doesn’t have a song quite as good as “I Wish You Were Gay”, but I still hold it close to my heart. If only because I know what it feels like.
Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! by Aaron Lee Tasjan
Best Songs: “Another Lonely Day”, “Up All Night”, “Feminine Walk”, “Dada Bois”, “Computer of Love”
What a fascinating little album! It’s a weird combo; a mix of pop and country that doesn’t really play in either’s ballpark and instead melds the two with a soft rock coat and a sprinkle of psychedelia to make a sound that’s familiar, but still unlike a lot of music I hear in this lane. Aaron Lee Tasjan himself is also a strange character. One who has a really laid-back rockstar swagger that isn’t so much toxic as it is reckless with a smirk. He has the earnestness to keep him from being insufferable, but the brazen sexuality that lets him play in dicier territory, especially when he leans into the sleazy bisexual stereotype, paints a pretty messy picture when all is said and done. But the guy’s got enough charisma and wit to keep me engaged. For an album that’s kind of lowkey in the way it struts through life, Tasjan’s life is awfully chaotic. For as many bad decisions and regrettable partners as he may have, there’s still something controlled about the way he doesn’t have his shit together. Like he knows how fucked the situation is but is willing to go with the flow and see where it goes. Guess I’ve needed that confident recklessness in my life lately, and it makes me connect with this album in a strange way no other album this year has managed to do. Good stuff!
Revelacion by Selena Gomez
Best Songs: “Bailia Conmigo” ft. Rauw Alejandro, “Damelo To” ft. Myke Towers, “De Una Ves”, “Adios”, “Vicio”
Of all the major pop stars we’ve gotten over the past decade, Selena Gomez is admittedly one of my least favorites. I’m not even sure how much of it is her fault. She’s not a bad artist or anything, she’s not untalented. I think it’s just that her style of soft-spoken pop music just doesn’t really work for me. There have only been a few times I’ve really gotten into a song of hers, and even then it’s not always because of her as an artist. That kind of makes me feel bad, especially because her shortcomings as a performer are related to things beyond her control as someone with lupus. So when she decided to take a small detour and make the Latin EP she’s wanted to make for a decade, I was very open to it! Especially as it seemed that her singing in Spanish felt more lively and expressive than when she sang in English. Admittedly, this EP doesn’t do much to innovate her music beyond playing in Latin tropes and having Tainy carry the production, but it’s still the most I’ve liked anything from Selena Gomez since “It Ain’t Me”. Tainy kills it on production, of course, being bouncy and flavorful enough while still giving Selena the room to breathe, but major props have to go to Selena for how well she slides into this style! She sounds more alive than she did on her album last year, and playing up her sensuality with some of the racier songs in here makes for some of the most distinctive pop music she’s ever made! I remember being kind of thrown off by how much “Damelo To” was working for me but that breathy, needy delivery Selena has going on there as she begs for the listener’s touch… Oh wow.
Queer + Black by Grove
Best Songs: “Sticky”, “Ur Boyfriend’s Wack”, “Black” ft. Griz-O, “F-I-U”
I had a lot of fun with this one! It’s a short EP only consisting of five songs, but they’re five songs that are well worth your time. Grove is a black, non-binary, lesbian, radical lefist, and they make sure you remember that. So much of their life and their music ties back to their identity, especially since their intersectionality makes them an easier target for the people who refuse to acknowledge they exist. So on Queer + Black, they flex both aspects of their personality through their immense sexual prowess and pride in the music they make as a black person and what it means to them regardless of their oppressors. They’re riotous, aggressive, commanding, and it’s all behind a blast of hip-hop and jungle beats that keep up the momentum, even with their choppy beats that sound like they’re breaking in real-time. I had a blast with this EP, and “Sticky” is shaping up to be one of the best songs of the year. Don’t sleep on this, it rules!
The Plugs I Met 2 by Benny The Butcher & Harry Fraud
Best Songs: “Live By It”, “Survivor’s Remorse” ft. Rick Hayes, “No Instructions”, “Talkin’ Back” ft. Fat Joe, “Plug Talk” ft. 2 Chainz
Benny’s debut album Burden of Proof faded on me disappointingly fast. Not that it was bad, on the contrary! It was a great album and I love that it provided the Griselda team a window into possibly breaking into the mainstream. It just didn’t feel like his best foot forward. And I think the reason why is because while Benny sounded good against these more mainstream, trap-adjacent beats, his real calling has always been within the darker sides of trap. Where he leans into his gangster side and threatens to kill the listener where they stand. Hence why The Plugs I Met is without a doubt his best project, and the follow-up is just as good. I just love hearing Benny’s imposing bars over Harry Fraud’s tremendous beats, capturing the luxuries that drug dealing can lead you to while not shying away from its ugliest faces. This project leans more into the trauma and torture that Benny has gone through in his gangster life, especially when it comes to survivor’s guilt and having to live with the fact that this lifestyle has taken the lives of so many peers. Whether it’s due to the brutality of the game or the oppressors who cut their lives short. Even outside of the gangster life, Benny never feels safe anywhere he goes. You can tell it’s taken a real toll on him. So much so that after processing that grief, ending on the celebratory “Thanksgiving” where he does appreciate the good things in his life keeps it all together, makes it all the more satisfying. Now if only French Montana wasn’t here.
OK ORCHESTRA by AJR
Best Songs: “Bang!”, “The Trick”, “My Play”, “World’s Smallest Violin”, “Christmas In June”, “Adventure Is Out There”
I already talked about this album at length in my extensive coverage of AJR’s discography, so I really don’t have much else to say about it. It’s easily AJR’s best album that shows genuine improvement on all angles. Not the least of which being its content, where they get a better grasp of growing up and actually add layers to their music that doesn’t default to petulant whining. There are more stakes in their fears of growing up and facing adulthood, and that growth is enough for me to ease up on the band. Even if no one else will.
SoulFly by Rod Wave
Best Songs: “Street Runner”, “Moving On”, “Shock da World”, “How The Game Go”, “Believe Me”, “Pillz & Billz”, “All I Got”, “Invisible Scar”, “What’s Love??”
Finally, we’re ending this quarter off on Rod Wave. The trap crooner who showed his cards last year and is now reaping the rewards. This one genuinely surprised me. I expected to like this album a lot, but it might honestly be one of the best albums of the year. The weird thing it doesn’t do that much differently from Rod Wave’s previous albums. Hell, you could argue that’s the album’s biggest flaw. It still ruminates in a lot of the same content as it did before. The reminiscence of broken hearts and a broken home turned him into a dangerous gangster life that leads to a bright spot in appreciating the place he’s in now. These themes were on Ghetto Gospel and Pray 4 Love, and it’s easy to assume not much has changed since. But I also feel that’s not entirely fair to the album because then you have to ask yourself: What exactly are you expecting when you say “more varied content”? Even if he were to start getting specific about his experiences, they still play within the same ballpark he’s created for himself. Even if it can get kind of samey, which it does and is notable with the album length, SoulFly is easily his best album because it improves in the areas that matter the most.
The production, for instance, feels more distinct and beautiful than it has in previous albums. It’s still the same mellow piano-driven trap beat, but it's improved in subtle ways. Like richer textures and more elegant melodies that are allowed to really let loose when Rod Wave steps back from singing. Speaking of, Rod Wave himself sounds at his best here. I’ve always liked when he can get soft and croony while still having the sharp edge in his voice that reminds you he still comes from a hard, intense life. Here, it feels like we have more of a balance of both while not having as many duds. In exchange, we get some of his best-ever songs. Inspired sample choices, incredible arrangements to compliment Rod Wave’s voice (I am officially a massive fan of producer TnTXD), and writing that cuts a little deeper as it really taps into the inner torment inside of Rod Wave’s mind, even when he’s achieved the fame and success he’s always wanted. It’s never too much that it feels like whining. If anything, you start to feel worried about Rod Wave’s mental health in some areas where he’s at his lowest. But by the end, he has a sense of peace and closure that makes the whole journey worth it. That last stretch of songs especially cemented this as one of my favorite albums of the year thus far. An emotional, potent moment where the pain of this album seems to subside in favor of an elation that feels different from the ones before. And all the better for it.
The Best Albums of 2021 Q1
