By Joey O'Kelly
Happy 2022! To start the year off, our General Manager, Joey O'Kelly, shares some of their favorite tracks of 2021. Read about his top 10 and don't forget to check out the playlist!
Joey's Top Tracks of 2021
As 2022 has begun, I have found myself digging through my 2021 Spotify playlists, analyzing the musical growth I have gone through in the past year. I had my first rap and hip-hop phase, getting really into artists like Rico Nasty, Flo Milli, and 99 Neighbors; I saw a revival of some of my favorite artists from high school like Fleece, Lorde, and my all time favorite, The Greeting Committee; I watched as local artists, including some of my friends, put out their own music, like Iowa City local Lex Leto, an old open-mic friend qq, and SCOPE’s own Sophie Mitchell. 2021. I wrote about my 10 favorite songs of the year, but be sure to also check out the full playlist to see the rest of my picks.
Listen to Joey's Top Tracks of 2021 on Spotify
1. Wrapped Inside of Your Arms // The Greeting Committee
Hurts so good, oh, hurts so good. If you know me or anything about my music taste, you know my affinity for soul-crushing music, and this one hits the sweet spot as it takes first place on my list. This is the seventh track off of The Greeting Committee’s sophomore album Dandelion, released in September. This beautifully delicate but heart-bruising song from my personal favorite band is simple. Brandon’s floating finger-picked guitar patterns complement Addie’s soft vocals perfectly as she asks “oh, isn’t it funny how a year can pass, and I feel unchanged? Oh, isn’t it funny how a year can pass, and I need more days with you?” Weirdly enough, as I’m writing this, I’m sitting at Messenger Coffee in Kansas City, MO, where Pierce Turcotte – the bassist, saxophonist, and studio mastermind of The Greeting Committee – just took my order and made me one of the greatest macchiato’s I have ever had. I also tweeted at the band and asked them about the song. They replied, “it was written five years ago and almost didn’t make the album.” I’m glad it did. It’s one of those songs that hurts so much, you can’t stop listening to it. I forever wish I could go back and experience hearing this song for the first time again.
2. My Type (I Don’t Mind) // Fleece
Fleece released their third album Stunning & Atrocious in August, and it’s arguably my favorite overall album of the year. It was difficult to pick just one song for this list. I was lucky enough to have seen them in Chicago this past November, and seeing this song live sealed the deal. You may remember the band as the creators of the 2015 “How to Write an Alt-J Song” video, and while the band still maintains this level of goofiness, their songs go a lot deeper. The fifth track off of the album, “My Type (I Don’t Mind),” is, in a word, funky. The more you listen to it, the more you hear the intricate lines from each instrument. No matter what instrument your ears naturally gravitate towards, you’ll be able to hear the sheer talent of all four of these musicians. It takes a good musician to be able to make their instrument shine on its own, but it takes a great musician to make their instrument shine while the rest of the band does the same. Fleece has those musicians.
3. That Funny Feeling // Bo Burnham
Okay, hear me out on this one. I could go on a long tangent about how Bo Burnham’s May comedy special Inside is one of the most perfect all-around pieces of media I have ever consumed, but I’ll spare you that story for now. In contrast to the rest of the special, “That Funny Feeling” was the simplest song yet. There were no costumes, no scene changes, no multi-track recording of more than one vocal line or instrument, it was just Bo singing and playing guitar. If you’ll allow me to have a turn at being vulnerable, Summer 2021 was a really hard time for me. I was at one of the lowest points of my life, falling into deep pits of dissociation and depression, as I felt completely lost and isolated in ways I never had before. This sort of existential dread was echoed in “That Funny Feeling.” The song digs deeper and deeper in each passing verse. Bo manages to hit on the feelings we were all dealing with in the topics we could all understand. His ability to use his trademark Bo Burnham writing style to talk about massive issues like gun violence and climate change, as well as the deeply personal yet shared experiences of dissociation and thoughts of suicide, is exactly what we – or at least I – needed this past Summer. Bo Burnham manages to finally put into words that funny feeling we were dealing with but didn’t know how to explain.
4. As You Are // Samia
Falling in love with a love song is a new thing for me, given my affinity for songs that plunge me deep into emotional despair that I mentioned at the beginning of this piece. But this intimate and sentimental track off of Samia’s July EP Scout almost hits me with more emotions than any song I’ve mentioned thus far. Part of this is because of Samia’s genius use of a few different musical elements that tug at my heart strings. It starts with a voicemail from Samia’s boyfriend, Briston Maroney, that is just so endearing. The rest of the song has a delicate moving piano line, and there’s just something about a slow piano track that gets me in my feels. Finally, there’s the smooth and powerful voice combined with the lyrical poetry that make Samia the one-of-a-kind musician she is. Something else that’s special about this song, as opposed to a lot of other love songs, is that it isn’t just about love in the sense of a romantic relationship. Sure, that’s part of it, hence the voicemail from Maroney that starts the song. But later in the track, you hear another voicemail, this time from Samia’s mom. This song is about unconditional familial love as well as romantic love. Samia’s ability to be vulnerable in her exploration of love in this expansive manner is another part of what makes this song so powerful and evocative, securing its spot in my top five.
5. Going Going Gone // Lucy Dacus
Lucy Dacus last-minute postponing her Iowa City show this past October is a heartbreak I have yet to get over, and I probably won’t get over it until I attend the rescheduled February show. In the meantime, I can find comfort and solace in “Going Going Gone,” the seventh track off of her June album Home Video. This is a coming-of-age track that is filled to the brim with nostalgia. It follows the story of ‘Daniel,’ as he grows from boyhood crushes, to college-age shenanigans, to manhood and fatherhood. The track even features a star-studded backing vocal lineup that includes Mistki, as well as Dacus’s old bandmates Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers, from their supergroup boygenius. In a Pitchfork interview about the album, Dacus says of the song “that one was a little more theoretical. I did have someone in mind when I was writing it, but I wanted to write about the cycle of boy-girl, man-woman, father-daughter, and how protective fathers may be because they know firsthand what men are capable of. The cycle of innocence to corruption to fear.” The song is reflective, nostalgic, and sentimental. With this song, Lucy Dacus makes you consider where you’ve come from, where you’re going, and where you’ve gone.
6. Magic // Rico Nasty
To switch genres up a bit, this list would be incomplete without something from my favorite rapper, Rico Nasty. Her track “Magic,” released in June, is the ultimate Summer song. Rico’s music is self-described as “sugar trap,” but the delivery of that genre tends to change. While her song “Smack a Bitch” has a sort of nu-metal punk style to it, one of her other popular songs, “IPHONE,” could be considered more hyperpop, for example. With “Magic,” however, I really am struggling to pinpoint the genre. Sugar-trap-R&B – maybe 1990s R&B - would be my best judgement, thanks to the use of some clean electric guitar licks at the beginning, as well as some smoother vocal lines than Rico listeners might be used to. The track is a bit more laid back than some of her other work, but still lively enough to put on at a kickback and keep the energy high. Rico’s style is infectious, and no matter what genre you gravitate to, she has something for you. This song was a heavy part of my Summer soundtrack, so I hope that listening to it in January temporarily transports you back to the warmth of Summer.
7. Live a Little // 99 Neighbors
Of all the artists booked for virtual SCOPE shows in the 2020-2021 school year, the only artist I had not heard of prior to booking them was 99 Neighbors. Yet of all the shows, including one with Samia (one of my favorite artists), 99 Neighbors was easily my favorite. Their July-release “Live a Little,” the first single off of their September album Wherever You’re Going I Hope It’s Great, is a perfect representation of what the group is. It’s a group whose story I am fascinated by. Born as an open-house collective of talented and creative individuals in Burlington, VT, the group is composed of multimedia artists like photographers, producers, songwriters, DJs, and, obviously, rappers. Their dynamic make-up is represented in this track, where the crew brings in sounds that you don’t often find together. Piano lines and brass sections that sound straight out of a jazz club combine with record scratches that bring you back to 1990s hip-hop, complete with bars from each rapper, each adding their own signature style. Like the group itself, this song is energetic, genre-fusing, and captivating. It’s an addictive track that I couldn’t kick all Summer, making it an easy choice for this list.
8. Once Twice Melody // Beach House
Realistically, I know not everyone gets as excited as I do about certain types of music. But every time I listen to Beach House, I find myself wondering why everyone isn’t absolutely infatuated with them. The dreampop duo released the first of four chapters that will eventually turn into their eighth album, Once Twice Melody, on November 10th. The title track of the EP (and eventually the full double album), “Once Twice Melody,” is a classic Beach House song. The lyrics are a detailed story, wandering around scenes in a nameless character’s mind. It explores the contrast between our romanticized daydreams and the watered-down realities, all on top of Beach House’s standard repertoire of dreamy synths. The shoegaze-esque guitars and the traveling drums add a nice texture to this song that, to use some industry terminology, makes my brain happy. I’m going to see Beach House live with a few other SCOPE Members in Des Moines this coming February, and I fully expect an ethereal out of body experience. Because that’s what Beach House is for me, they’re an experience. They’re an experience I’m glad I got in 2021, and one I’m looking forward to more of in 2022.
9. Be Sweet // Japanese Breakfast
Oh my god, this song is so cool. “Be Sweet” was dropped in March as the lead single for Japanese Breakfast’s third album, Jubilee, which was later released in June. I first heard the song when Mission Creek festival and SCOPE collaborated on a Japanese Breakfast show for the festival in April. The song is considerably more light-hearted than earlier Japanese Breakfast works, which have often been used as an outlet for Michelle Zauner to discuss more complex issues like grief and PTSD. This track is groovy, combining elements of synth pop (which, considering the song was co-written by Jack Tatum from Wild Nothing, makes sense) and indie rock, hitting a bit of a sweet spot for me. The song is guided by a simply killer bassline that is just unbelievably funky. The guitar, drums, and synths take me back to a sort of 1980s dance synth pop, all combining to be the perfect backing track to carry Zauner’s belting vocal line, “be sweet to me, baby. I wanna believe in you, I wanna believe in something.” This high energy tune puts me in a good mood every time I hear it, and as 2022 has begun, I have found myself crawling back to it, looking for some serotonin on these cold days.
10. Hush // The Marías
To put it quite simply, this song makes me feel like the coolest, hottest, most powerful, and most interesting person walking down any street. In a way, that’s what the song is about. Released in April as the first single off The Marías June debut album, CINEMA, “Hush” shows some growth for the group. Previously falling closer to the bedroom-pop genre, this bass-heavy almost electronica song is dark, moody, and seductive, sounding like the lovechild of Depeche Mode, Faye Webster, and Still Woozy, who actually released a remix of the song in September. Frontwoman María Zardoya describes the song as “a song for when people are giving you hate or telling you how to live your life, and the only thing you have to say to them is ‘shut the f*** up’—'or hush.’ This one goes out to anyone dealing with self-assurance issues, as Zardoya sings “don’t think you’ve made it under my skin, could never get in, forget about it,” backed up by powerful basslines, metronomic drums, and pulsing synths from Zardoya’s boyfriend and multi-instrumentalist bandmate Josh Conway. Every day, I aspire to actually be as cool and powerful as this song makes me feel. I’ll get there eventually, as long as I keep spinning this track.