Donald Trump has always been the kind of guy who’s obsessed with size. He’s got big beautiful buildings that are totally phallic-shaped structures, and so on. So, it was completely on brand when the Trump administration began (on Day One) by trotting out Press Secretary #1 Sean Spicer, who huffily gaslit America about the “crowd size” at his inauguration. He was very upset about comparison photos that showed how much larger Obama’s crowd had been, and Spicer supported Trump’s insistence that there was “like a million and half people” on hand. This was very much a Baghdad Bob situation with Spicer talking about how “grass” was really “people,” and yeah. Nuts.
So, it should come as no surprise that Trump is now obsessing about how no one gave him credit for his January 6 “crowd size.” Yes, he’s talking about the deadly MAGA insurrection on the U.S. Capitol. He’s talking about an event that’s currently being investigated by a House Select Committee. Several of Trump’s “best people” (that’d be Steve Bannon and Roger Stone) are now coping with the fallout of their roles in plotting this attack on the U.S. government, and meanwhile, Trump is bragging about size.
“And if you look, it was a massive rally with hundreds of hundreds of thousands of people. I think it was the largest crowd I’ve ever spoken before… if you would’ve looked at the crowd’s size — nobody wants to talk about that. I believe it was the biggest and most people I ever — and I’ve spoken to very big crowds. I have never spoken in front of a crowd that size — nobody ever talks about that.”
Yes, Trump believes that it’s a travesty for people to focus on his “biggest” crowd, rather than the lives that were taken on that day, along with the other countless other lives that were endangered by his MAGA rioters. When Farage asked (about Trump’s “Stop The Steal” rally at The Ellipse, where Trump instructed his followers to go “fight like hell” or “you’re not going to have a country anymore”) whether it was “a mistake” to hold that rally, Trump responded, “Well, you know, I didn’t have — that was a rally that was there.” Presumably, he meant that his rally wasn’t actually on the U.S. Capitol steps.
Then he went ahead and added this as an aside: “And then, unfortunately, some bad things happened. But also, the other side had some bad things happen.” Yep, he’s back to the “both sides” rhetoric again. And, you know, crowd size.
Cardi B’s brash lyrics and unapologetic attitude when it comes to sex and femininity have made her a fan-favorite public persona. Now, she’s bringing those qualities to a new endeavor in partnership with an institution that has long been on the forefront of sex-forward pop culture: Playboy magazine.
Today, Cardi announced that she’s joining the magazine in the newly-minted role of Creative Director In Residence. On Instagram, she told fans, “Joining the Playboy family is a dream and I know yall are going to love what we put together.”
She also announced the creation of a new, creator-led platform called “Centerfold,” and although she didn’t provide many details, she noted, “We’re going to have soooooo much fun.”
It wouldn’t be the first time Cardi adopted a role at a risque platform; in August of 2020, she joined the controversial but growing social media network OnlyFans, which at the time was primarily known for serving adult content. However, at the time, she quickly clarified that she wouldn’t be “SHOWING P*SSY , TITTIES AND ASS,” and would instead use it to live chat with fans safely protected by a paywall.
On the face of things, these partnerships make perfect sense for the outspoken “WAP” rapper who, like Playboy magazine itself over the years, has come under fire for her raunchy content while offering astute observations on politics and current events. In any event, it’s a pretty impressive career expansion for Cardi, who also recently added AMAs host and celebrity wedding officiant to her ever-growing resume.
If Hillary Clinton penned an article for The Onion, it might read a little bit like State of Terror, the new political thriller the former secretary of state and one-time aspiring POTUS penned alongside mystery writer Louise Penny. While it’s purely a work of fiction, it’s been difficult for people to believe that the main protagonist in the book isn’t at least partly based on a former president whose name rhymes with Shmonald Shrump. And, as HuffPost reports, Clinton is having some fun with the idea.
The book—which, again, is fiction—tells the story of the contentious relationship between a newly elected president, Eric Dunn, and his onetime political rival-turned-secretary of state, Ellen Adams. Their connection becomes even more problematic when, according to the book’s official summary: “What begins as a series of apparent terrorist attacks is revealed to be the beginning of an international chess game involving the volatile and Byzantine politics of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran; the race to develop nuclear weapons in the region; the Russian mob; a burgeoning rogue terrorist organization; and an American government set back on its heels in the international arena.”
The book, which immediately shot to the top of the New York Times Bestsellers List, has been getting rave reviews since it was released in October. And many readers are having fun picking up on tiny details that could be easily construed as swings in the “hamberder”-loving former president’s direction. Globe and Mail journalist Elizabeth Renzetti particularly enjoyed that Dunn is portrayed as “a hulking moron whose breath smells of meat.”
Clinton—an expert troller—saw Renzetti’s comment and seized upon the moment to tease her “fictional” antagonist even further, while wryly noting that Dunn “Could have been based on anyone….”
With Dr. Oz confirming his Pennsylvania senate run on the Republican ticket, it was only a matter of time until Jimmy Kimmel weighed in on the doctor entering the race after a well-documented career of pushing quack cures on daytime television. Oh, and also the fact that Oz doesn’t even live in the state.
“Despite living in New Jersey for the past two decades, Dr. Oz is running as a Republican in Pennsylvania where he voted this year, absentee, using his in-laws’ address,” Kimmel said. “But he promises to be the best New Jersey senator Pennsylvania has ever had.”
After showing Oz announcing his intent to run on Hannity where he promised that he “can’t be bought,” Kimmel landed a solid jab by showing a cavalcade of infomercial clips where Oz shills everything from mattresses to “miracle flower” diet pills.
“You can’t be bought when you’ve already been solid,” Kimmel quipped before turning up the heat with a “campaign ad” that the late night host said Oz is already running in PA. Obviously, it was a spoof, but the footage was very real as Kimmel’s team edited together a string of Oz pushing penis cures and enemas as he pushed audience members around giant rectums on his daytime TV set. Very senatorial!
Wrapping the segment up, Kimmel voiced a more personal concern about Oz. “I also wonder if he’s going to make it through the vetting process because I happen to know firsthand this man is a serial testicle fondler.”
It was a random accusation until the late night host pulled out the receipt.
As they did last year, Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin are celebrating Hanukkah with “The Hanukkah Sessions,” a series of covers featuring songs originally by Jewish artists. For yesterday’s installment, the fourth in this year’s batch, the Foo Fighters leader and Foo Fighters producer decided to take on a Van Halen classic, “Jump.”
Grohl wrote while sharing the cover, “Quite possibly the loudest and proudest of hard rocking Jews, @DavidLeeRoth has gone on record crediting his Bar Mitzvah preparation as his earliest vocal training. He became a rockstar the day he became a man: Diamond Dreidel DLR and @VanHalen…with ‘Jump.’”
Quite possibly the loudest and proudest of hard rocking Jews, @DavidLeeRoth has gone on record crediting his Bar Mitzvah preparation as his earliest vocal training. He became a rockstar the day he became a man: Diamond Dreidel DLR and @VanHalen…with “Jump.”#happyhanukkahpic.twitter.com/9w73lP0Wco
With Kurstin on the keyboard and Grohl behind the drums and on vocals, the duo, as they tend to do with these covers, don’t reinvent the wheel here, instead delivering a relatively straightforward rendition of the song that’s close to how the original version sounds.
Today would have been Chicago rapper Juice WRLD’s 23rd birthday, and the later rapper’s mother Carmela Wallace commemorated the occasion with a heartbreaking open letter remembering past birthdays and vowing to honor his memory through the Live Free 999 foundation she started in his name.
Juice died of an accidental overdose in December 2019. Since then, a posthumous album, Legends Never Die, has been released, with a second, Fighting Demons, planned for release next Friday, December 10. You can read Ms. Wallace’s full letter below, courtesy of Complex.
Dear Jarad,
When you were born 23 years ago, I never expected that you would not to be here today celebrating your birthday. Although it has been nearly two years since you’ve been gone, I still think about you every day and losing you has changed my life forever. I’m glad that we always made sure that we said goodbye when we left each other because we didn’t know when we would see each other again.
If you were here, I am sure that I would have said something like how it seemed like just yesterday that you were born. I know that I would have told you how proud I was of the man you became and your commitment to changing lives. I miss celebrating your birthday and all the good times that we shared. I have so many wonderful memories of you that will live in my heart forever.
I remember when you found your birthday gift the year that you turned nine. It was a white mp3 player that I hid in my closet. When you found it, you were too excited to hide the fact that you found it and proceeded to share with me how much you wanted a white mp3 player for your birthday. I thought about taking it back to the store and surprising you with something else, but I decided to give it to you anyway. As time passed and we talked about it, you realized that you would rather wait for the surprise than find your gifts early.
You and I would have reminisced about previous birthdays and I’m sure we would have laughed once again about the mp3 player. I would have tried to get as many birthday wishes in as possible like I always did on your birthday when we were together.
You touched the world through your music with honesty and transparency. You shared a message of healing and sincerely desired to make a difference in the lives of others. I still receive messages from fans saying how your music helped them with anxiety and depression. I promise to continue your message of healing and use Live Free 999 as an avenue to normalize the conversation around mental health and substance dependency and help those who suffer in silence.
Happy 23rd Birthday Jarad, I love you dearly. I’m thankful for the time that we had and will forever cherish every moment that we shared.
Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish movies available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.
This is a surprisingly star-studded — Ellie Kemper! Rob Delaney! Kenan Thompson! — addition to the Home Alone franchise, written by SNL veterans Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell. The plot remains the same: A 10-year-old boy gets left behind when his parents head off to Tokyo and he has to defend his house from various bumbling criminals. The reviews so far are… not great, but it might be worth a go if you’re looking for a nostalgia blast to the face or something to watch with younger kids. Order yourself a large cheese pizza first. Watch it on Disney Plus.
You like Turner and Hooch, right? Of course you do. Tom Hanks + a dog = good ’80s movie. OK, well, what if Turner and Hooch was set in the post-apocalyptic future… and instead of working as a cop, Tom Hanks is one of the last people on Earth and he travels the planet with his dog and a robot… and the movie was directed by the guy who did the awesome “Hardhome” and “Battle of the Bastards” episodes of Game of Thrones. It’s Finch time. Watch it on Apple TV+.
Jeymes Samuel’s slick, stylish Netflix Western is a “pick your fighter” lineup of gun-slinging, swag-dripping Black cowboys ready to dust off the history books and give us a more accurate, diverse representation of the Old West. Jonathan Majors is having a hell of a year and here, he imbues the deadly Nat Love with some impressive comedic beats that make it easy to root for the vengeance-minded outlaw – unless, of course, you’re swayed by the prospect of Regina King riding a horse and f*cking sh*t up in every scene. (Who wouldn’t be?) Idris Elba, LaKeith Stanfield, and Zazie Beetz round out the main cast members with the most things to do on screen and all of the shoot-outs and train robberies and saloon fights are timed perfectly to an eclectic mix of Reggae/Dancehall bangers produced by Samuel and collaborator Jay-Z. This ain’t your grandpa’s Western, and really, that’s kind of the point. Watch it on Netflix.
Andrew Garfield is giving theater-kids everywhere a musical-thirst-trap performance in this Lin-Manuel Miranda-directed biopic that pays tribute to Jonathan Larson, the artistic genius who changed Broadway with his seminal musical Rent. This film examines Larson’s life before fans were belting out Season of Love though, with Garfield giving an award-worthy turn as a restless visionary who feels the suffocating deadline of turning 30 without having produced a great show. The supporting cast is terrific, Garfield is doing his best work, and Miranda infuses everything with a genuine sense of love and admiration that makes it hard not to root for this one. Watch it on Netflix.
Red Notice may be making its Netflix debut (after an initial theatrical drop last week), but there’s still a cost for admission outside your subscription fee; a requirement that you unplug your brain a little and let the reliance (or overreliance) on cliches, exotic locales, and movie megastar charms wash over you. If you want to do that owing to a desire for Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Nic Cage Stealing The Declaration Of Independence nostalgias, cool. You’re going to going to get a lot out of Gal Gadot having just so much fun with a villainous turn as a master thief while Ryan Reynolds and The Rock bumble, banter, and double-cross through a sort of buddy-cop routine while globetrotting in pursuit of McGuffin-y antiquities. Just don’t look for much more. Watch it on Netflix.
6. Last Night in Soho (VOD)
Working Title
Nostalgia can be dangerous, but if you’re nostalgic for when you saw Last Night in Soho in theaters, now you can watch it again at home (hopefully your ghost-free home). And if you never got around to checking out Edgar Wright’s retro psychological horror film starring Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Diana Rigg in her final role, here’s your chance. Watch it on VOD.
The debut film from writer-director Stephen Karam, based on his Tony-winning play, sounds a little too real for the holidays. Let’s let the official description explain why: “As three generations of Erik Blake’s family gather to celebrate Thanksgiving at his daughter’s apartment in Manhattan, darkness falls and eerie things start to go bump in the night, laying bare their deepest fears – and the love that binds them together.” It’s got an interesting cast — Amy Schumer! Beanie Feldstein! Steven Yeun! June Squibb! — and it’s got a great pedigree, so, you know, maybe give it a shot. Watch it on Showtime.
Halle Berry’s MMA movie made a deal with Netflix and now Halle Berry’s MMA movie is on Netflix. Yes, that sentence said “Halle Berry’s MMA movie twice but, to be fair, it’s a phrase it takes a little bit of time to wrap your head around. Berry makes her directorial debut and stars as a disgraced fighter named Jackie Justice (Jackie Justice!) who is back in the cage to deal with various personal demons. It’s Halle Berry’s MMA movie! The reviews are pretty good! Watch it on Netflix.
As odd as it is to have a movie about two of the greatest athletes of all time told centered on, not the women winning Grand Slams and Olympic gold medals, but their determined, driven father – King Richard works. It works because Will Smith exudes charisma and charm but he also brings a believable grit and weary defiance to the role of Richard Williams, the man who gave tennis not one, but two female legends. This is Serena and Venus’ story, told from the perspective of the man who believed in them when no one else did so, yeah, grab a box of tissues before you sit down to watch. Watch it on HBO Max.
Benedict Cumberbatch gives a villainous performance for the ages in The Power of the Dog, the first film in 12 years from director Jane Campion. The western is expected (and deserves) to be an Oscars frontrunner, so hop on the horse-drawn bandwagon now. Watch it on Netflix.
You might be wondering, “There are already nine million books and documentaries and academic studies about the Beatles out there. Do we really need The Beatles: Get Back?” I can answer that: yes, we do. The three-part doc comes from Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson and includes never-before-seen footage of John, Paul, George, and Ringo in the studio recording their final masterpiece. I’ve got a feeling you’ll like it. Watch it on Disney Plus.
Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish shows available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.
Are you in the mood for an intense survival epic and psychological horror story with plenty of coming-of-age touches? How about all of that with Juliette Lewis and Christina Ricci starring as the adult versions of two female athletes who were irretrievably shaken by their experiences after a plane crash in the wilderness? Sure, that sounds like a stressful description, but it’s also a hell of a watch. Not to mention another reason not to hop onto an airplane these days. Watch it on Showtime.
10. (tie) Harlem (Amazon Prime)
Amazon Prime
The world shall never see too many comedy shows revolving around a group of friends who are navigating personal lives and making utter messes of themselves. This one’s got combo of Living Single and Sex and the City vibes going on with a contemporary spin, all going down in “the mecca of Black culture in America,” as Amazon points out. It’s not a great idea to go out and enjoy a social life right now, so if you’re looking for some vicarious living, have at it here.
Part five of the Spanish-language Netflix series sees the crew up to their eyeballs in trouble, once again, as per usual. There are surprise births and kidnappings and hostages and stolen gold, all building off of the original bank caper set in motion by the Professor. This marks the beginning of the end for the international smash hit, so one can only assume that money will finally get heisted once and for all. Or, like, not? Watch it on Netflix.
Mindy Kaling is back with a new show about, you guessed it, the sex lives of college girls. The show follows four students trying to navigate life and/or love and/or freedom on the campus of a prestigious university. There’s some heart in there and some coming of age and a whole lot of drinking out of red plastic cups. Feels like this one is worth a shot. Watch it on HBO Max.
How To with John Wilson changed my life: I will never look at scaffolding the same way ever again. Or furniture covers. Or risotto. In every episode, New York City-based filmmaker John Wilson edits together seemingly mundane footage into a compelling narrative about life’s quirks. It’s occasionally heartbreaking, but it’s always hilarious. Make it a double feature with Adult Swim’s Joe Pera Talks with You. Watch it on HBO Max.
In the seven-episode Netflix series from former Narcos showrunner Eric Newman, Wesley Snipes plays Carlton, a prideful drain on his famous comedian brother’s bank account and an impediment to him getting some distance between his bad habits. Kevin Hart is the star of the show as The Kid, and he’s never been better as his character is pushed deeper and deeper in a hole with the aid of his brother. But Hart feeds off of Snipes’ layered and wildly compelling portrait of a conman trying to work the angles no matter the heaving danger in front of him or the evidence against him, navigating these moments with bluster, charm, and pitty. In short, if you liked Uncut Gems but need something a little less frenetic for the sake of your blood pressure, this is for you. Watch it on Netflix.
The new batch of Pen15 episodes will also be the last Pen15 episodes. Creators Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle have decided to end one of the streaming era’s more unique (and hilarious and heartfelt and cringey) comedies after two seasons. To paraphrase a song that should absolutely be in the series finale, as we go on, let’s remember all the great times watching Pen15 we had together. Watch it on Hulu.
Esmé Creed-Miles is back as the pint-sized, badass title character, who’s still attempting to defeat the mysterious powers that be while Dermot Mulroney’s operative is as sinister as ever. The third season promises more fight scenes and thrills, all while more characters get backstories, and Mireille Enos’ character forms one half of a lady power duo to cross generations. Watch it on Amazon Prime.
In this stop-motion animated series, the perpetually jolly Seth Rogen voices what seems like Santa while Sarah Silverman plays the dedicated elf who’s seeking to become the first lady Santa. Let’s hope she kicks some butt and rises above all the dude candidates, and you’ll also hear the voices of Craig Robinson, Nicholas Braun, Maria Bamford, and more along the way.Watch it on HBO Max.
The wait is over. The Gang is back to offer a playbook on how not to act, Forrest Gumping 2020, feigning wokeness, venturing back to the ’90s, and then going all the way to Ireland. From that description alone, it might sound like the show’s most epic season, and it may well be… which is fitting for its record-breaking 15th season. But no matter the ambition, these are still the same hilariously wicked monsters who inspire wonder over how they don’t get stabbed at the conclusion of every episode. Enjoy! Watch it on Hulu.
The Great? More like The Great Show. Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult are back as Catherine the Great and Emperor Peter III, respectively, in season two of the wickedly funny Hulu series. If you like scheming and backstabbing, this is the show for you. Watch it on Hulu.
The MCU is in holiday mood for this series, which begins to pass the bow from Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton (who desperately wants a real retirement) to Kate Bishop, played by Hailee Steinfeld, who hits the arrow-flinging mark while learning the ropes. The two battle through some sort of Christmas hellscape that feels awfully surreal, including a Captain America-themed musical and the entry of Vera Farmiga into the MCU. Also, Florence Pugh’s Yelena is on the way for Hawkeye, so watch out, man. Watch it on Disney Plus.
Everyone’s favorite collection of monsters is back, once again, this time for a slightly delayed third season. Things left off with the Roy family in turmoil, as always, although this time from friendly fire, thanks to noted screw-up and amateur rapper Kendall making a big move. The new season is getting ugly in the best possible way, so hop on board week-to-week if you’re already a fan or load up a binge and get caught up to see what everyone’s yammering about all fall. Watch it on HBO Max.
After his iconic performance in Batman Returns, Danny DeVito has taken another crack at The Penguin, but this time, in the funny pages where he started. The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia actor contributed a story to the new comic book anthology, Gotham City Villains, and the bird-based Batman rogue gets busy in more ways than one. Not only does he stop a pandemic by launching a plot to vaccinate the whole world, but he finally wins Catwoman‘s hand after years of getting rejected by the feline felon. Via Entertainment Weekly:
“At first I was a little bit hesitant about doing the comic, but then I got into the fact that I’ve always been a big fan of Michelle Pfeiffer’s, and the Penguin obviously lusts after Catwoman. So I figured I’d put those two together, and then it was also in the middle of the pandemic, which we’re still fighting with. I thought it would be good if Penguin had a little bit of Robin Hood in him.”
Naturally, DeVito found inspiration in the real-life pandemic, which he realizes isn’t going away anytime soon because people are refusing to get vaccinated. So he decided to partake in a little wish fulfillment by having his classic Tim Burton role knock it out.
“I just want this pandemic to be behind us,” DeVito said. “That’s what Oswald wants: Get everybody vaccinated and give science a chance to get ahead of this. The thing mutates, and if we don’t give the vaccine to people all over the world, it’s going to keep mutating.”
Gotham City Villains is on sale at comic book stands now.
Before I share my list, I need to repeat my regular “year-end list” disclaimer. If you already know the drill, feel free to skip ahead.
1) Ranking albums is dumb …
We all know this. Art isn’t a competition. I can’t really distinguish between my 13th favorite album and my 19th favorite. This is all talk. None of it really matters.
2) … but it’s kind of fun …
Of course it is! Because it’s about sharing music recommendations. And I do mean share — make your own lists and show them to me, especially if you’re the sort inclined to complain about lists. Put yourself out there and let me complain about you, too!
3) … because it’s really about discovering an album or two (or possibly more!) that you might not have known about otherwise.
Exactly!
Instrumental guitar records come and go out of my life like a spa visit — they are pleasant and relaxing in the moment but the therapeutic ease they provide tends to fade after about a week. Urban Driftwood is an exception. This album hung around from the time it dropped nearly a year ago in January. While Williams’ technique has been rightly praised as unique and innovative — she plays with the guitar flat on her lap — it’s the quality of her compositions that ultimately makes Urban Driftwood such a great listen. These are wonderful songs, not merely nice background music.
19. Jimmy Montague, Casual Use
One of the most surprising success stories of recent years has been the revival of Steely Dan among younger generations, many of whom weren’t even born yet when Fagen and Becker played mathematically perfect jazz-rock songs about doing blow with college girls. But while The Dan inspires memes and homages, they haven’t had much of a musical influence on young bands, probably because ripping off this band is hard. An exception is Casual Use, a sly and witty yacht-rock throwback that cannily infuses The Royal Scam with nods to more identifiable indie touchstones like early aughts Wilco and Jim O’Rourke.
18. Turnstile, Glow On
One of 2021’s most hyped rock records, which would be a problem if it didn’t also happen to be one of the year’s most fun rock records. Ostensibly a hardcore band, Turnstile has won over legions of converts because they match their rambunctious live shows with genuine songwriting chops and a penchant for explosive alt-rock hooks. So much of contemporary indie music — even the good stuff — is insular, slow, and soft. With Glow On, Turnstile has made a vividly physical record that demands to be played loud and in the company of friends — or, at the very least, strangers who won’t mind joining an instant mosh pit.
17. Ryley Walker, Course In Fable
What would happen if you combined Genesis’ ’70s prog-rock masterwork Selling England By The Pound with Tortoise’s peerless ’90s post-rock classic Millions Now Living Will Never Die? It would sound a lot like Course In Fable, the best album yet by the wise-cracking guitar ace Ryley Walker. Starting out as an irreverent folk-rocker, Walker has been slowly building toward music as gorgeous and grandiose as this, and he finally knocks it out of the park on these intricate multi-part songs in which tricky guitar solos and even trickier time signatures never take the focus off the winning melodies.
16. The Reds, Pinks, And Purples, Uncommon Weather
Without looking at the label, you could immediately tell that this small miracle of sad-guy jangle pop came out on Slumberland Records. It might very well be the most Slumberland album that ever Slumberlanded — the Washington D.C. independent has been putting out pocket-sized melodic and melancholy wonders like this for more than 30 years. If you love this kind of music, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s still possible to write captivating songs in this style in 2021. Uncommon Weather exists in a universe in which it never stops raining, you never have to leave your bedroom, and it’s always 1992.
15. Alien Boy, Don’t Know What I Am
This lovable Portland band alternately bops and mopes — or somehow mopes while bopping — on this infectious and melancholy set of wry power-pop songs. The lyrics address all of the bedrock subjects for the genre: loneliness, desire, self-loathing. how watching TV always makes perennial sad sacks cry. Imagine if the Gin Blossoms’ New Miserable Experience sounded more like Guided By Voices and you’re in the ballpark.
14. Nation Of Language, A Way Forward
The reference points for this Brooklyn synth-rock outfit are not difficult to place — the vintage keyboard tones evoke Kraftwerk, the chilly atmosphere recalls Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, the pop choruses are pure Depeche Mode. But I think what I like most about their second record is how they seem like the sort of indie band that existed 20 years after the peak of those aforementioned acts, back when groups like this could still take over the world (or at least magazine covers). In a different timeline, Nation Of Language would’ve played with Interpol on the Antics tour.
13. The Killers, Pressure Machine
With 2020’s Imploding The Mirage, The Killers roared back to life with their best album since 2006’s Sam’s Town. If that album was a pleasant surprise, Pressure Machine registers as a genuine shock. While it doesn’t boast the hooks of their biggest hits, it is easily their best and most impactful conceptual work, a song cycle that depicts the life of a small Utah town with a sensitivity and insight that their previous work barely hinted at. Musically, Pressure Machine melds the heartland rock and Britpop sides of The Killers’ split personality, with the final result sounding like Robert Smith’s version of Nebraska.
12. Trace Mountains, House Of Confusion
This winsome project from former LVL UP member Dave Benton feels like a throwback to the rustic “out in the country” acts of the classic-rock era. (In fact their 2020 debut LP was literally called Lost In TheCountry.) This year’s Trace Mountains album goes deeper than the first record, with lovely pedal-steel lines accenting already beautiful ballads designed to be played at dusk. If you’ve been jonesing for a new Phosphorescent record — or you wish Destroyer made a sweet-natured pastoral folk LP — this will scratch that itch.
11. Lucy Dacus, Home Video
One of the best writers in the game right now when it comes to storytelling lyrics. As the title of her third album suggests, Dacus makes you see her songs as much as hear them. They unfold like character studies, in which smart but damaged people reveal themselves via dialogue that tip-toe around personal traumas until these individuals are finally subsumed. She’s also just plain funny, like the opening line of “VBS,” where Dacus drawls sardonically, “In the summer of ’07 / I was sure I’d go to heaven, but I was hedging my bets at VBS.” But what cinches Home Video as Dacus’ best effort yet is the upgrade in musical punch. For the first time, her melodies hit as hard as the words.
10. Japanese Breakfast, Jubilee
It seems early for nostalgia for that moment in mid-aughts indie when underground bands started making unabashedly grand albums like Arcade Fire’s Funeral and Joanna Newsom’ Ys. Then again, musicians like Michelle Zauner were raised on that music as teenagers, and with the third Japanese Breakfast LP, she’s made her own version of a rich and expansive “level up” record. On Jubilee, bright pop arrangements enhance the emotional authenticity of Zauner’s lyrics, making for a compulsively listenable album even as it cuts deep.
9. Lightning Bug, A Color Of The Sky
If this were an “albums I played the most at dusk in 2021” list, A Color Of The Sky would be No. 1 with a bullet. This Brooklyn band made some of the most beautiful music I heard this year, a gently twangy wisp in which Audrey Kang murmurs eloquently over soundscapes that split the difference between shoegaze and ambient Americana. I suppose I could just say “sounds like Mazzy Star” for the sake of brevity, but A Color Of The Sky really exists in its own private, shadowy, and deeply seductive world.
8. Matt Sweeney and Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Superwolves
The year’s best sequel. Sixteen years after their original collaboration Superwolf — a cult favorite for years passed among friends and musicians as a well-chosen recommendation — these best pals snap right back into a fruitful dynamic. Sweeney is the sunny musical architect armed with one long-lost Crazy Horse riff after another, and Will Oldham (once again adopting the “Prince” moniker) is the perverse lyrical genius spinning love songs from the perspective of stalkers, whore house madams, and other assorted creeps. At once a heartwarming testimony to friendship and a deeply disturbing song cycle, Superwolves demands that these guys not wait another 16 years to work together again.
7. Dry Cleaning, New Long Leg
This record took a while for me to get. Perhaps it’s my cynicism about yet another wave of talky post-punk bands from England being treated as rock saviors. But when New Long Leg was greeted with rapturous reviews last spring, I found myself resisting the album’s deadpan charm. But over time, Dry Cleaning won me over. Florence Shaw is the most unique and off-putting rock singer in years, always quick with a quip that doesn’t sound like a quip until it’s been rolling around in your head for a week and suddenly slays you. When she says that she thinks of herself “as a hardy banana with that waxy surface and the small delicate flowers / A woman in aviators firing a bazooka,” you are at first confounded, then intrigued, and finally persuaded that, yes, she’s exactly right.
6. Mdou Moctar, Afrique Victime
The year’s most exhilarating album. I mean that literally — you put it on and feel an immediate surge in your bloodstream, especially if you love long guitar jams that implore you to get up and dance. Though there is also profound sorrow on this record, as Moctar sings about the history of exploitation that has poisoned his home country for centuries. But when he plugs in and tears into another Hendrix-style riff, what comes through most vividly isn’t hurt or pain but resilience. The music on Afrique Victime is as indomitable as the man who made it.
5. Wild Pink, A Billion Little Lights
This Florida band makes inner monologues sound absolutely huge. While singer-songwriter John Ross’ soft voice superficially suggests shy introspection, he has big thoughts on his mind throughout A Billion Little Lights — about urban sprawl, manifest destiny, the death of the American west, and the dehumanizing effects of modern technology. But it’s the sparkly synth-rock sweep of the music that really makes an impression, especially when Ross deploys mile-wide pedal steel flourishes to underscore his aching melancholy.
4. Rosali, No Medium
Out of all the albums on this list, No Medium is the one I recommended the most to friends and acquaintances. Because this Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter remains unjustly unsung, and also because I’m convinced that anyone would like it if they could only hear it. Blessed with a stunning voice that’s reminiscent of Chrissie Hynde — she’s covered The Pretenders’ “Birds Of Paradise” with her pals in The War On Drugs — Rosali turns in a set of slow burners that benefit greatly from the Crazy Horse-like backing of the David Nance Group. The result is an album that will make you cry while also rocking your soul.
3. Tonsstartsbandht, Petunia
The #indiejam album of the year. This Florida duo has been kicking around for more than decade, and they have a sizable body of work that includes 16 albums released since 2008. But Petunia feels like a culmination of their years spent experimenting with a mix of psychedelia, krautrock, folk rock, and electronic music. While the vibes are easy-going, a real undertow of menace pervades the album’s highlight “What Has Happened,” which sounds like Pink Floyd’s Meddle after a bad dose and an intense religious conversion.
2. Low, Hey What
How many bands have had a career arc like this Minnesota institution? A respected indie mainstay since the early ’90s, Low had already amassed a strong catalog by the time they started collaborating with Bon Iver associate B.J. Burton in the mid-2010s. But with 2018’s Double Negative and now Hey What, Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker have somehow moved into the most sonically adventurous and artistically advantageous stage of their lives. While Double Negative was possibly a more shocking record, completely deconstructing Low’s slowcore ballads into discombobulated static, Hey What is ultimately more inviting, extending the previous album’s innovations while renewing the focus on Sparhawk and Parker’s elemental harmonies.
1. The War On Drugs, I Don’t Live Here Anymore
An interesting quandary I often face at year-end list-making time boils down to this dynamic: The Album I Love Because I Can Play it Constantly And Never Tire Of It vs. The Album I Love Because It’s So Overwhelming Emotionally I Can Only Play It When I’m In A Certain Mood. This year, I Don’t Live Here Anymore is the former album for me, and Hey What is the latter. It’s impossible to discern which is “better” because these kinds of albums are playing two completely different and equally valid games! But I’m going with I Don’t Live Here Anymore in the top slot because it’s easily the LP I played the most this year, and I suspect I’ll still be playing it a ton in 10 years.
Over the course of The War On Drugs’ 13-year recording career, Adam Granduciel has refined and streamlined his band’s heartland indie sound. Listen to 2008’s Wagonwheel Blues and it’s almost like a completely different band; what was once a noisy, lo-fi, and meandering mess of guitars and synths has now emerged on The War On Drugs’ fifth album as a world-beating collection of punchy pop-rock anthems. It remains to be seen whether this will be their most successful LP, but it is undeniably their catchiest and most engaging. It’s also loaded with the sort of grandly uplifting rock gestures that Granduciel is so good at making. I don’t think there is a better moment on any album I’ve heard this year than when the drums come in on “Old Skin.” In fact, I’m going to play it for the 219th time right now. Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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