Kearney returns with his upbeat, spoken-word, singer-songwriter anthems. Favorite lyric: “When everything you know / Starts daring you to go / There’s a stirring in your soul / When you feel it.”Ĩ. Thankfully, he unlocked the time capsule just before the sun set on 2021. Much like Tory Lanez (above), Outlaw might have kept this 80s-pop-Americana LP buried for the last four decades. Favorite lyric: “I left my love at your place today / We’re too young for these incidents / Wore my heart on my sleeve too long / Goin’ through heartbreak won’t be too long.”ħ. Lanez may be unaccompanied at prom, but he isn’t letting that prevent him from having fun. Indeed, 80s pop music is back in fashion, but with a twist of rhythm and blues. Favorite lyric: “If she runs her fingers through my past / She may lose the softness in her hands.”Ħ. If Nick Drake recorded an album with Drake it might sound like this urban alt-folk masterwork. This Toronto native is understated, incisive, and gritty on his minimalist, eight-track debut. Favorite lyric: “Hey, Miss Donda / You run into my mama, please tell her I said ‘Say something’ / I’m startin’ to believe ain’t no such thing as Heaven’s trumpets / No after-over, this is it, done / If there’s a Heaven, you would think they’d let ya speak to your son.”ĥ. Believe it or not, I didn’t enjoy this sonic masterpiece on the first spin, but then I let go of my expectations, and by the time Ye resequenced the album for the deluxe version, I found myself unconsciously returning to Donda almost daily. A staggering portrait of a confused genius re-finding-and refining-himself. Favorite lyric: “Sometimes you’re toxic / I’m through with nonsense / And whatever you call this.”Ĥ.
Toliver doesn’t say much on this album, but his songs are so stunningly melodious that he doesn’t need to. Favorite lyric: “You’re learning that everyone in a room is in love with their own tongue / Last night I thought of you / And the color lifted me from the ground / Last night I swallowed you / And there’s a spectrum inside my mouth.” (Note: You can listen to Andrew on The Minimalists Podcast here.)ģ. From the album’s soul-crushing opening line, “I don’t think of you much anymore,” to the reflective breakout single, “My Poor Heart,” to my favorite track, the diaphanous “Numbers,” every song is a delicate reflection on life, loss, and love. The third installment in his trilogy of ethereal gems, Nightshade is composed of ten flawlessly sequenced songs. Favorite lyric: “I’m so close I can taste it / Off to the races / I ain’t got no neighbors / Traded them for acres.”Ģ. Is it hip-hop, pop, country, or R&B? Yes, all of the above, and then some. Clocking in at 23 songs, The Highs is a shockingly uncluttered classic-the perfect album to take us out of the lows of the pandemic. formerly Mike Stud) before releasing this genre-less album that became the soundtrack to countless coastal drives. During lockdown, the musician Michael Francis Seander stumbled into maturity, dropped his frat-boy persona, and rebranded himself as simply Mike (stylized as mike. I hate to invoke a cliche to start this list, but there’s no better way to say it: this album is a vibe. While the last couple years have been difficult for most of us, the angst of the pandemic created some, ahem, breakout albums. Ryan and I started The Minimalists eleven years ago this month, and each year since I’ve catalogued my favorite albums of the past twelve months.
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