ZEAL & ARDOR Wake of a Nation

Best songs of 2021

Hello everyone! We are very glad to have our voices heard once again. This year has been a roller coaster, as I am sure it has been for many of you as well. We have compiled two great lists, one apiece, of our favorite songs that were released this year. I will personally guarantee that there will at least be a handful that you have not heard of which would make an excellent addition to a previously existing playlist that you have curated. It feels that our lives are quickly progressing and adulting has made it difficult, at least for me personally (Tyler), to release episodes frequently as we have done in years past. We hope that 2022 will bring not only new episodes but that episodes we have not released yet but recorded in the past year may see the light of day as well.  As always, we love you big time, stay safe in these trying times. Our little music community is one of the coolest corners on the internet and we're glad that you're a part of it. Happy new year, all!

Playboi Carti Whole Lotta Red

Atlanta rapper Playboi Carti [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/playboi-carti-mn0003569215] debuted with a repetitive and catchy flow like contemporaries Lil Uzi Vert [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/lil-uzi-vert-mn0003463745] and Young Thug [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/young-thug-mn0002068342], gaining recognition in the mid-2010s as an affiliate of A$AP Mob [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/aap-mob-mn0003176079]. A steady succession of viral singles helped Carti [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/carti-mn0003569215]'s first proper album, 2018's Die Lit [https://www.allmusic.com/album/die-lit-mw0003177406], debut at number three on the Billboard charts, and he moved into a new phase of his artistry with the riskier and more aggressive Whole Lotta Red [https://www.allmusic.com/album/whole-lotta-red-mw0003464112] in 2020.

ZEAL & ARDOR Wake of a Nation

The black metal, blues, and African American fusion of Zeal & Ardor [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/zeal-ardor-mn0003542426]'s music is the brainchild of musician Manuel Gagneux [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/manuel-gagneux-mn0003569940]. He moved from his native Switzerland to New York, and took up the moniker Zeal & Ardor [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/zeal-ardor-mn0003542426], having previously released music under the name Bird mask.  After a tumultuous start to the year 2020, Gagneux could not hold his tongue and released the crushing EP titled 'Wake of a Nation'.  This EP and episode are the results of atrocities that were committed earlier in the year 2020. Please consider donating to https://www.joincampaignzero.org/ or your charity of choice. Any and all proceeds from this episode will go directly to this cause.

Aesop Rock Spirit World Field Guide

Rapper, producer, and poet Aesop Rock [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/aesop-rock-mn0000929573] has received widespread acclaim and amassed a loyal following for his complex, literate rhymes. Aesop [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/aesop-mn0000929573]'s first solo album in four years, the typically heady Spirit World Field Guide [https://www.allmusic.com/album/spirit-world-field-guide-mw0003426745] appeared in November. https://soundaudits.com/ Donate 99 cents here! https://anchor.fm/soundaudits . Donations are the only way we are able to sustain the show. We love you all.

Taylor Swift Evermore

Taylor Swift [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/taylor-swift-mn0000472102] is that rarest of pop phenomena: a superstar who managed to completely cross over from country to the mainstream. Swift [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/swift-mn0000472102]'s plans to support Lover [https://www.allmusic.com/album/lover-mw0003291165] with a tour in 2020 were scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With some unexpected time on her hands, she wrote and recorded a new set of songs, many in collaboration with Aaron Dessner [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/aaron-dessner-mn0000044843] of the National [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-national-mn0000474150]; Bon Iver [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bon-iver-mn0000663645] and longtime Swift [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/swift-mn0000472102] associate Jack Antonoff [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jack-antonoff-mn0000556918] also contributed. The resulting album, folklore [https://www.allmusic.com/album/folklore-mw0003408614], was released on July 24, 2020, and went straight to the top of the Billboard 200.  Less than five months later, Swift [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/swift-mn0000472102] released a companion album to folklore [https://www.allmusic.com/album/folklore-mw0003408614] called Evermore [https://www.allmusic.com/album/evermore-mw0003459663]. Featuring many of the same collaborators as its predecessor, Evermore [https://www.allmusic.com/album/evermore-mw0003459663] debuted at number one upon its December 11, 2020 release.