Here Are My 50 Favorite Albums of 2021, Part 4: Numbers 20 - 11

Getting into my most loved records of the year featuring Bachelor, John Carroll Kirby, Juan Wauters, The Felice Brothers, and others

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A funny thing happened while putting together my year-end list - I realized that many of my favorite records from this year weren’t featured in the Check This Out! newsletters. Instead, I wrote about some of them in mini-reviews on my Instagram page. With four of ten albums spotlighted below falling into this category, just because I don’t have as much to say about a record doesn’t mean I’m not connecting with it.

With 20 albums left, I’m digging into the stuff I’ve been spinning the most and hope you find something here that has you listening repeatedly. Tuesday’s column will have my ten favorite records of the year, so stay tuned!

(and if you missed something, catch up on part 1, part 2, and part 3 here.

20. Resort Realism - Resort Realism

I relocated to Santa Fe this year, which required a jaunt in the spring to find housing. When I wasn’t on an apartment tour, I spent time poolside at the lovely El Rey Court, a freshly remodeled old haunt nestled on Route 66 for the past 85 years. The timing couldn’t have been better with the release of Resort Realism’s self-titled debut, with songs like “Redstone,” “Mescal,” “Blood Sport,” and “Horizons” providing the perfect soundtrack. Alabama natives Crawford King and Robert Wason offer a refreshing new twist on the chillwave genre, self-producing an album that constantly gives permission to “get away.” If any further evidence is needed, you can buy the record on their Platinum Luau™ Key Card, which entitles you to a special stay at their “family of resorts.”

Have the winter blues? Escape with Resort Realism today.

Resort Realism is self-released and available on Bandcamp.

19. The Coral - Coral Island

The “return” of The Coral is one of the best stories in music this year. When their self-titled debut was released, I was in high school, perfectly fitting in with the rest of the Britpop I enjoyed. After falling off my radar, the band returns twenty years later with their first-rate new album, Coral Island. I stand by my initial review that the A-side is untouchable. While I understand the idea of the narration in between tracks to tie the concept record together, Coral Island would have placed even higher on my list if the band included just the songs.

What I said in my review: “‘Lover Undiscovered’ is a psychedelic pop track about remembering someone you took for granted, while ‘Change Your Mind’ picks up the tempo and harmonies. It’s an absolute earworm that will be stuck in your head. The record also dips into Laurel Canyon with ‘Mist on the River,’ a hazy CSN number, followed by the Doors-esque ‘Vacancy.’ I’d be hard-pressed to come up with an A-side that I have enjoyed more this year.”

Coral Island is available now on Run On Records.

18. Various Artists - Highway Butterfly: The Songs of Neal Casal

So many of my admired artists came together to pay tribute to my favorite guitarist, who was an equally great songwriter.

What I said in my review: “If you’ve talked music with me, I have no doubt brought up Casal, whom I’ve been a long time fan (I once ran into him with the rest of The Cardinals at the now gone Denver Diner after a Red Rocks set in 2007, and completely froze like a dork) and awarded his last outing with Circles Around the Sun as my favorite record from last year, so needless to say I’ve been looking forward to this one. As an admirer of his solo albums, it’s beyond touching to hear all of these fantastic artists come together for a good cause, as all proceeds will go to the Neal Casal Music Foundation.”

Highway Butterfly: The Songs of Neal Casal is available on Royal Potato Family.

17. Lucy Dacus - Home Video

Home Video is the best yet from Lucy Dacus as she uses her hometown as a muse in this confessional masterpiece. Friend of the newsletter, Either/Or, named “Thumbs” their song of the year and notes:

“'Thumbs' is a song to be treasured, a work of art that defies streaming numbers, Spotify Wrapped or any other number of distractions that interfere with the pure connection between artist and listener. 'Thumbs' will make you pause and feel. That is an increasingly rare gift, so don't let the greatest piece of music made in 2021 pass you by.”

What I said in my review: “A few years ago, a wise friend told me that Lucy Dacus is the true star of boygenius, which features her alongside fellow sad girls Julian Baker and Phoebe Bridgers. No Burden was a strong debut and her second album Historian made me a fan. But with her latest, Home Video, Lucy Dacus takes such a giant leap in her songwriting that it’s easy to hear how she has surpassed the latest efforts from her bandmates.”

Home Video is available on Matador.

16. St. Lenox - Ten Songs of Worship and Praise for our Tumultuous Times

There may be two saints on this year’s list, but St. Lenox’s Ten Songs of Worship and Praise for our Tumultuous Times is what I’ve connected with the most. I’m not sure that there is anyone else this year that comes off as authentic as Andrew Choi does on this record, full of some of my favorite songs of the year like “Arthur Is at a Shiva,” “Kroger Twilight,” and “Teenage Eyes.”

What I said in my review: “St. Lenox is a vehicle for Choi to explore a wide variety of topics, and his lyrical gift for making you chuckle during a most serious moment is on par with legends like Warren Zevon and Randy Newman…Ten Songs of Worship and Praise for our Tumultuous Times is a rumination of religion that is never preachy. Instead, Choi walks through human situations while remaining hopeful. Its spirit is independent in the truest form and is unlike anything else you’ll hear this year.”

Ten Songs of Worship and Praise for our Tumultuous Times is available on Don Giovanni Records.

15. The Felice Brothers - From Dreams to Dust

This year, no other album covers as many crushing modern topics as From Dreams to Dust while managing to slip in a line that makes you laugh at the absurdity of life and the passage of time. This one happily caught me off guard, and the review that followed was one of the most-read of the year. Thanks, Felice Brothers for these wonderful moments.

What I said in my review: “In an increasingly rare feat, From Dreams to Dust is one of those albums that demands your full attention, and preferably good headphones - the restored church the album was recorded in plays out as its own character. With each listen, there is a new gift or drop of wisdom throughout this sprawling journey, as The Felice Brothers remind us we’re all looking for flashes of humanity in these gonzo times. One of those moments of humanity is this record. Don’t wait any longer as I did. Listen to The Felice Brothers and From Dreams to Dust now.”

From Dreams to Dust is available on Yep Roc Records.

14. Billy Strings - Renewal

Renewal builds upon the bluegrass foundations laid down on Billy Strings’ last album, Home, but his songwriting is that much better this time around. Strings’ backing band is perfect for this outing, dipping into ballads, soul music, and psychedelic odysseys. One of my most-listened-to albums of the year, Renewal’s long-running time works to its benefit as Strings never lets a legacy genre turn stale.

What I said in my review: “It’s crazy to think of Strings as an emerging artist when he’s already won a Grammy and topped the bluegrass charts for 25 weeks with his last album, Home, but Strings possesses an appeal outside of the genre that has the potential to make him a household name. Having just turned 29 and connecting his acoustic guitar to about as many pedals, Strings hits that sweet jamgrass spot in the vein of his forefathers Greensky Bluegrass and Yonder Mountain.”

Renewal is available on Rounder Records.

13. Bachelor - Doomin’ Sun

One of the greatest gifts to come out of last year is Melina Duterte and Ellen Kempner coming together to create Bachelor. Doomin’ Sun is a complete catchy package, and I find “Stay in the Car” stuck in my head almost daily, which turns out is a great thing.

What I said in my review: “While Doomin’ Sun is front-loaded with singles, it’s the middle portion that clicks. ‘Spin Out’ is a hazy track full of twisted shimmering melodies, as Duterte and Kempner harmonize with lovely results. The funky pop groove of ‘Anything At All’ is a catchy number with pads and keys ducking in and out, interspersed between stabbing riffage. ‘Moon’ is a gorgeous whispery sad girl number that stands above the currently oversaturated genre, and the psychedelic twang of ‘Sick of Spiraling’ is an album highlight.”

Doomin’ Sun is available now on Polyvinyl.

12. Juan Wauters - Real Life Situations

This past summer, I had a conversation with a friend who is also a former New Yorker about HBO’s How To with John Wilson and how it’s the only accurate portrayal of the city in television and film. Forgoing the approach of most media that wants to make it DA BIG CITY, John Wilson’s guerilla video clips and interviews with locals get down to the neighborhood level and the authentic everyday experience. Real Life Situations is the music version of the show, with Uruguayan ex-pat Juan Wauters rolling his mobile recording rig around town during the pandemic. Full of field recordings of the city and collaborations with friends, Real Life Situations magically captures the small moments, like a conversation at Peter Pan Donuts or the Latinx beauty of “Carmina Pensá” and “Acordes.” Full of uneasiness from the past few years, Wauters’ snapshots demonstrate the importance of community in the city and finding the happy moments, even when it’s in the form of self-reflection on “Real” with Mac DeMarco.

Real Life Situations is available on Captured Tracks.

11. John Carroll Kirby - Septet

John Carroll Kirby’s My Garden narrowly missed my year-end list in 2020, but I’m not about to make the same mistake twice. Kirby has assembled a crack team for Septet, an album that presents as a jazz and electronic aperitif. While I’ve included some of the tracks in my mixes throughout the past six months, it’s hard to resist playing this record and floating away for the complete journey. Septet is the gift that keeps on giving, with closer “Nucleo” being my current favorite.

What I said in my review: "‘Rainmaker’ is an excellent introduction to the project, with Wannomae and Horne, in particular, giving the song a breezy strut. On ‘P64 By My Side,’ an ode to LA's notorious mountain lion, Mancini takes over with fun results. Kirby's keys are front and center on ‘Swallow Tail,’ a carefree track that flirts with Herbie Hancock wizardry. There have been so many outstanding jazz records already this year, but 'Septet' deserves your attention. Made for cocktails at dusk, it's a sweet relief from the summer heat and an album that will indeed remain in heavy rotation for the season.”

Septet is available on Stones Throw Records.