Week of December 26, 2021
Listening selections for the week of December 26, 2021—featuring favorites from 2021—best enjoyed with Tim Wendelboe’s Echemo Christmas Edition for silken notes of fruit, herbs and honey.
Streaming Links:
Highlights include:
The viscerally satisfying title track from Ty Segall’s Harmonizer
BROCKHAMPTON’s most emotional poignant work to date
The year’s best hip hop release in CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST, and the record Tyler, The Creator fans have been waiting for
A towering, percussion-less achievement from Ye’s inconsistent opus Donda
Lydia Ainsworth’s breathtaking, sparsely arranged fusion of glam rock and the spirit of Kate Bush
Sublimely tuneful indie rock from Liam Kazar
Sprawling Middle East psych rock from Ouzo Bazooka
The best engineered pop record of the year: The Marías’ CINEMA
An ambitious artistic triumph from Little Simz
Swaying tropical jazz from Sons of Kemet’s stylistically diverse Black To The Future
Infectious synth-pop experimentation from King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s Butterfly 3000
One of my favorite beats of the year, courtesy of Vince Staples and Kenny Beats’ pillowy production
Dynamic left-field R&B from Hiatus Kaiyote’s Mood Valiant
Dreamy cosmic jazz from John Carroll Kirby’s vivacious outing Septet
A knotty jazz jam from double bassist Dave Holland’s sublime Another Land
Brain-breaking math rock from sonic anarchists black midi’s Cavalcade
Gloriously danceable psych punk from Pond’s 9
Crescendoing jazz fusion glory from Weedie Braimah’s sensational debut as a band leader The Hands of Time
An impressive psych-rock entry in Matt Berry’s consistently excellent and chameleonic career
Reaching, Prince-ly soul from Joel Culpepper’s Sgt Culpepper
A boisterous funk jam from Collin Miller & The Brother Nature’s sophomore LP A Lesson in Love
Jangle pop perfected on Ducks Ltd.’s Modern Fiction
A shimmering spotlight cast on the enduring influence of Springsteen from Gold Star’s Headlights U.S.A.
String-laden disco energy from Jungle’s Loving In Stereo
Evocative instrumental fusion from BADBADNOTGOOD’s Talk Memory