Greetings from Laurel Canyon!
Well it’s a wrap for 2021. As I said earlier, not the greatest year in rock ‘n’ roll, but let’s not give up on new music and stick to our wax.
Thanks to Jon and everyone at The Vinyl District for keeping the platform going. Love and props to all my pals who reached out over the last month to send love and support.
I wanna dedicate this set of the my favorites songs of 2021 to my dad Kenny. Have a safe and Happy Holiday. Let’s find a way to have fun in ’22!
Rock on! xo
Over the last two decades, 
5. Chris Corsano & Bill Orcutt, Made Out of Sound (Palilalia) & Binker & Moses, Escape the Flames (Gearbox) Versatility and adaptability are common, near constant, traits in the great “jazz” drummers, characteristics that allowed Elvin Jones to productively create with Barry Harris (RIP), John Coltrane (of course), Lee Konitz and Sonny Sharrock.
Corsano and Orcutt dish an exemplary serving of duo exchange, but Escape the Flames hits the “classic” exploratory sax-drums target right in its bullseye with “The Departure,” and then takes a big groove offramp with “Intoxication From the Jahvmonishi Leaves.” That means this 2LP is likely not as skronky as some hardcore aficionados of freedom might prefer, but Binker Golding’s tenor is still cut from the cloth of ’60s Coltrane (some of finest woven aural threads, anywhere). And with “Fete By the River” he brings Impulse-era Sonny Rollins to mind, partly because Boyd displays some of that versatility spoken of up above. The crowd loves it (yes, this set was recorded live). Then they tear it up some more…
4. Thumbscrew, Never Is Enough (Cuneiform) & Colleen, The Tunnel and the Clearing (Thrill Jockey) Is there a better leaderless “jazz” trio than Thumbscrew currently working? By which, let me clarify, amassing a discography; this is guitarist Mary Halvorson, bassist (upright and plugged-in) Michael Formanek, and drummer Tomas Fujiwara’s sixth album. The appeal is partly based in ceaselessly sharp playing, partly in structural acumen (each point on this triangle brings three compositions to the table), and partly about heightened interaction. One could call it a series of beautiful conversations, but it’s more like snapshots of three brilliant humans living together and attaining a rare level of harmony.
Shifting from group settings to the solo paradigm, The Tunnel and the Clearing is another exceptional record from Cécile Schott. With a synth and keyboard-based approach, often glistening in its retrofuturist qualities (but never trite), her stuff is solid as marble structurally, with her vocals adding considerable value. And there is a sense of quiet, of intimacy, on her latest that is never labored. The songs, and Schott is as much a crafter of songs as she is an architect of atmospheres, are excellent listening any time of day, but especially so late at night.
Memphis, TN | One and 100: John Miller, Shangri La Records owner: This story is part of the special project “One and 100: One pandemic uprooted our lives. One hundred stories tell its impact on the South.” Some days, life feels almost normal inside Shangri-La Records in Memphis. For John Miller, co-owner of the venerable record shop — which exudes the unique smell of vinyl LPs, a combination of old cardboard mixed with PVC, it’s a comforting feeling. “When there’s people in the store browsing and buying, sometimes I’ll be thinking, ‘Wow, this feels like the pandemic isn’t happening — other than folks have masks on,” says Miller. “We’re still missing all the international customers, the ones who would visit Sun and Stax and then come here and buy a piece of that history. So, no, it doesn’t feel quite like it did before, but hopefully, we’ll get back to that.” Over Shangri-La’s 32 years in business, music-buying tastes and trends have shifted, but in the last few years, the store has witnessed a full-blown renaissance in sales of vinyl records —
Boston, MA | Streaming rules, but vinyl still grooves: Record stores see new generation of shoppers: There was a time when Jack Woker wasn’t sure his business would survive. It was the early 2000s, when CD sales were beginning to decline in the U.S. His store, Stereo Jack’s Records in Cambridge, had been selling vinyl records since 1982. By the ’90s, he mostly depended on CDs as vinyl and cassette tapes went by the wayside. But if there’s anything Woker has learned over his four decades in the retail music business, it’s that 
10. Alicja-Pop, Howlin’ (Black & Wyatt) & Deerhoof, Actually, You Can (Joyful Noise) From a standpoint of a music reviewer, one reliable yardstick of high quality is when you keep a record in heavy rotation for a week or two (or more) after the review has posted. The problem of course, it that this situation is never evident until…well, you’ve probably figured it out.
But it just dawned on me that I could mention this circumstance in relation to Howlin’ by Alicja-Pop, the solo endeavor/ group venture of the extremely musically active Alicja Trout of Memphis, TN, because I’d already sussed that this self-described compilation of several years of songs was a solid effort while reviewing it a few months back. That Trout’s forte on Howlin’ is modestly scaled pop-rock likely solidified my initial level of assessment, but after soaking up “Vines B” for the umpteenth time and for the sheer hell of it, the depth of her talents became clear. And so here we are.
9. Van Dyke Parks & Verónica Valerio, “Only in America–Solo en América” (Modern Recordings) & Okuté, S/T (Chulo) As was mentioned earlier this week in part one of 2021’s best reissues, rarely do singles and EPs make these lists, but there are exceptions, as is the case this year with the repress of Maximum Joy’s debut 12-inch (which inspired the observation), as so it is with this 4-song 10-inch.
“Only in America–Solo en América” is a collaboration of uncommon richness, though that’s not especially surprising, as Van Dyke Parks is handling the orchestrations, and he’s near the very top of his game. This is immediately apparent in the opening version of Agustin Lara’s “Veracruz,” and it continues through the three original compositions by Valerio. Make that three vibrant compositions by Valerio. Whose singing (and speaking) elevates this EP to a special plateau. And the cover art by Klaus Voormann? Mighty nice on the eyes.
This is the most beautiful vinyl player we’ve ever seen: Record players have been dipping in and out of fashion for the past couple of decades now (thank you, hipsters). But we have found a turntable that is sure to remain cool for years to come. Say hello to the Brian Eno turntable. This beautiful turntable was 
Styria, AT | Napalm Records And Austrovinyl Sign Strategic Partnership in Response to Rising Vinyl Demand: Napalm Records, one of the world’s leading independent Rock & Metal labels, and vinyl manufacturing company Austrovinyl – both based in Styria, Austria – are thrilled to announce that they have joined forces for a strategic partnership, strengthening the domestic music market and expanding international structures. The new collaboration will cover the increased in-house demand for vinyl, while strategically expanding business for Napalm Records, who have already ventured into different fields with their booking agency “Napalm Events” as well as their festival brands “Metal On The Hill” and “Rock In Graz”. Austrovinyl, located in the midst of the beautiful Styrian thermal spa & wine region, will continue to establish itself as one of the most state-of-the-art record pressing plants in Europe, and a reliable, 
