Soundtrack to the Collective Meltdown (2021) :: A Holiday At The Sea (MEGA) Playlist

The next time you’ve got nearly 5 hours to kill, I’ve got the mix for you! These are not necessarily my “favorite songs of 2021.” Instead, these are choice cuts; one representative track from each of my favorite 50 albums of the year. Regardless of length.

Get ready for a ride.

Tracklist:

1. Pray for Peace by Ustad Saami from East Pakistan Sky

2. Recessinater by Birds of Maya from Valdez

3. The People vs. the Rest of Us by Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble from NOW

4. Bell Song by 75 Dollar Bill featuring Barry Weisblat from Social Music at Troost Vol. 1

5. Ya Rossoul by Khaira Arby from Khaira Arby In New York (Live In 2010)

6. Movement by Bell Orchestre from House Music

7. Broken Mirror (A Selfie Reflection)/Composition 9 by Matthew E. White and Lonnie Holley from Broken Mirror: A Selfie Reflection

8. Riddim Rek Sa Niouy Mom by Wau Wau Collectif from Yaral Sa Doom

9. All That They Left You by Six Organs of Admittance from The Veiled Sea

10. Days Like These by Low from Hey What

11. VBS by Lucy Dacus from Home Video

12. Brothers by Phil Cook from All These Years

13. Dark In Here by the Mountain Goats from Dark In Here

14. Djougoh by Nahawa Doumbia from Kanawa

15. The Call by Madlib from Sound Ancestors

16. Beat Up Born Where I Come From by Ghost of Vroom from Ghost of Vroom 1

17. Dovetail by Girls in Airports from Leap

18. descension (Out of Our Constrictions) III by Natural Information Society and Evan Parker from descension (Out of Our Constrictions)

19. Beowulf’s Trip by Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders from Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders

20. World is Turning by Rose City Band from Earth Trip

21. Disposable Thumbs by Endless Boogie from Admonitions

22. Staggering With a Lantern by Mountain Movers from World What World

23. Albuquerque by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis from CARNAGE

24. OUR SIDE HAS TO WIN (for D.H.) by Godspeed You! Black Emperor from G_d's Pee At States End!

25. Juvenescence by Yasmin Williams from Urban Driftwood

26. Invisible Map by Derek Piotr from Making and Then Unmaking

27. You Can Regret What You Have Done by Matt Sweeney and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy from Superwolves

28. This Old World by Billy Strings from Renewal

29. Kelp Highway by Drew Gardner from Drew Gardner

30. Jnoun ! by Bachar Mar-Khalifé from Ghost Songs

31. In Remembrance Of Those Fallen by Sons of Kemet from Black To The Future

32. Bertha The Cool by Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog from Hope

33. Give Me Back My Loving by Leo Nocentelli from Another Side

34. Don’t Let The Tears by Howlin’ Rain from The Dharma Wheel

35. Tree of Tule by Daniel Lanois from Heavy Sun

36. Way To Cairo by Native Soul from Teenage Dreams

37. Ethiopian Sunshower by Adrian Younge And Ali Shaheed Muhammad from Brian Jackson JID008

38. Zengadyw Derekou by Hailu Mergia from Tezeta

39. Ya Habibti by Mdou Moctar from Afrique Victime

40. Tropicale Moon by Mouth Painter from Tropicale Moon

41. Natural Facts by Wet Tuna from Eu’d To A Fake Boogie Volume 4

42. Shrinks the Day by Ryley Walker and Kikagaku Moyo from Deep Fried Grandeur

43. Musungu Elongo Paints His Face White to Scare Small Children by Kasai Allstars from Black Ants Always Fly Together, One Bangle Makes No Sound

44. Trap Life by Sault from Nine

45. Désert by Dobe Gnahoré from Couleur

46. Part 1 by Elkhorn from The Golden Lag

47. If It Comes In The Morning by Hiss Golden Messenger from Quietly Blowing It

48. Morning River by Steve Gunn from Other You

49. Shiva With Dustpan by Ryley Walker from Course In Fable

50. Cortez the Killer (live) by Neil Young and Crazy Horse from Way Down In The Rust Bucket

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• Browse my favorite albums of the year

• Browse my “2021 Yearly Wrap-it-Up” which is really a ramble about seeing Phish

• Browse my favorite books of 2021

• Browse my favorite movies of 2021

• Browse my favorite television of 2021

• Listen to a nearly 5-hour very low quality mix of one song from each of my favorite albums of 2021 called “Soundtrack to the Collective Meltdown”

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2021 Year In Review :: Favorite Albums

Here’s the dealio, my coolios.

Each year, I keep a running diary of sorts of all of the things I liked each year. If you’re interested (which I doubt you are), you can follow along with my real-time unedited yearly bookkeeping here.

At the end of each year I try to cull down the music section to what really defined my year musically. No ranking. Just great music. Here are 50 of my favorite 2021 albums in alphabetical order.

Albums In Visual Alphabetical Order:

Albums In Alphabetical Alphabetical Order:

1. Social Music at Troost Vol.1 by 75 Dollar Bill

2. Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders by Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders // Elixor of Life by Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders

3. Khaira Arby in New York (Live in 2010) by Khaira Arby

4. House Music by Bell Orchestre

5. Valdez by Birds of Maya

6. Carnage by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis

7. All These Years by Phil Cook

8. Home Video by Lucy Dacus

9. Kanawa by Nahawa Doumbia

10. The Golden Lag by Elkhorn

11. Admonitions by Endless Boogie

12. Drew Gardner by Drew Gardner

13. Ghost of Vroom 1 by Ghost of Vroom

14. Leap by Girls in Airports

15. Couleur by Dobet Gnahoré

16. G_d's Pee At States End! by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

17. Other You by Steve Gunn

18. Quietly Blowing It by Hiss Golden Messenger

19. The Dharma Wheel by Howlin’ Rain

20. Brian Jackson JID008 by Brian Jackson, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Adrian Younge

21. Black Ants Always Fly Together, One Bangle Makes No Sound by Kasai Allstars

22. Heavy Sun by Daniel Lanois

23. Now by Damon Locks & Black Monument Ensemble

24. Hey What by Low

25. Sound Ancestors by Madlib

26. Hope by Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog

27. Ghost Songs by Bachar Mar-Khalifé

28. Tezeta by Hailu Mergia

29. Afrique Victime by Mdou Moctar

30. Dark In Here by the Mountain Goats

31. World What World by Mountain Movers

32. Tropicale Moon by Mouth Painter

33. Teenage Dreams by Native Soul

34. descension (Out of Our Constrictions) by Natural Information Society/Evan Parker

35. Another Side by Leo Nocentelli (1971)

36. Making and Then Unmaking by Derek Piotr

37. Earth Trip by Rose City Band

38. East Pakistan Sky by Ustad Saami

39. Nine by Sault

40. The Veiled Sea by Six Organs of Admittance

41. Black to the Future by Sons of Kemet

42. Renewal by Billy Strings

43. Superwolves by Matt Sweeney and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy

44. Deep Fried Grandeur by Ryley Walker And Kikagaku Moyo

45. Course In Fable by Ryley Walker

46. Yaral Sa Doom by Wau Wau Collectif

47. Eau’d To A Fake Boogie Volume 4 by Wet Tuna

48. Broken Mirror: A Selfie Reflection by Matthew E. White and Lonnie Holley

49. Urban Driftwood by Yasmin Williams

50. Way Down in the Rust Bucket by Neil Young and Crazy Horse

---

• Browse my favorite albums of the year

• Browse my “2021 Yearly Wrap-it-Up” which is really a ramble about seeing Phish

• Browse my favorite books of 2021

• Browse my favorite movies of 2021

• Browse my favorite television of 2021

• Listen to a nearly 5-hour very low quality mix of one song from each of my favorite albums of 2021 called “Soundtrack to the Collective Meltdown”

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Lanois Live :: A Holiday At The Sea Playlist

Here is a collection of unreleased live instrumental material by Daniel Lanois that I’ve collected over the years. All of these are available on Youtube, so I have included session info and links to the respective Youtube link if you’re interested. These recordings are not to be sold or distributed individually.

Enjoy.

Tracklisting:

1. Iceland // #

2. Souix Lookout // #

3. Harvest Picnic Rehearsals // %

4. Sci Fi // @

5. Satie // +

6. Burning Spear // $

7. Aquatic // #

8. Elevator // @

9. Senegal // $

10. Opera // $

11. Apres Calypso // @

12. Soho Dourado // ^

13. The End // #

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Key and Source Links:

# = Artbound Presents Studio A: Daniel Lanois (2014). KCETOnline. Daniel Lanois on various instruments and Kyle Crane on drums.

% = Harvest Picnic Rehearsals: Daniel Lanois, Jim Wilson and Steve Nistor Rehearsing (August 2013).

@ = NPR Tiny Desk Concert (2015). Daniel Lanois on knobs and wires, Jim Wilson on Bass, and Brian Blade on drums.

+ = Daniel Lanois and Rocco DeLuca live in Lanois’ studio. Song from the album 'Goodbye To Language' (2016).

$ = KEXP presents Daniel Lanois performing live in the Robert Lang Studios. Recorded February 27, 2015. Daniel Lanois, Jim Wilson, and Kyle Crane.

^ = Unknown live television appearance 

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• Visit Daniel Lanois’ official website

• Follow Daniel Lanois at Facebook

• Follow Daniel Lanois at Twitter

• Purchase Daniel Lanois’ music at Amazon

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Daniel Lanois :: Live For Artbound at Studio A

Here’s a fantastic show featuring live performance with Lanois on a variety of instruments and knobs and the amazing Kyle Crane on drums. Interview segments are sprinkled throughout.

Enjoy.

Tracklisting:

1. Elevator

2. Souix Lookout

3. Opera

4. Aquatic

5. Iceland

6. The End

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• Visit Daniel Lanois’ official website

• Follow Daniel Lanois at Facebook

• Follow Daniel Lanois at Twitter

• Purchase Daniel Lanois’ music at Amazon

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Daniel Lanois, Jim Wilson and Steve Nistor Rehearsing (August 2013)

Yesterday’s Daniel Lanois double-whammy reminded me of this 20-minute instrumental jam. Daniel Lanois, Jim Wilson and Steve Nistor are caught “rehearsing” but no other context was given. Maybe you know? Maybe you don’t.

Enjoy.

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• Visit Daniel Lanois’ official website

• Follow Daniel Lanois at Facebook

• Follow Daniel Lanois at Twitter

• Purchase Daniel Lanois’ music at Amazon

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Daniel Lanois :: WFUV and Tiny Desk

I am fascinated by these two short live sets from Daniel Lanois. Both feature the same trio of Lanios, Jim Wilson and Brian Blade. The two videos appeared less than a month apart but represent two very different live sets. The WFUV set says it was posted 12/29/14 (recorded on 11/11/14) and the NPR Tiny Desk show says it was posted 01/14/15 (not sure of the recorded date). So, like 16 or 17 days apart, these two videos both appeared representing the same trio with wildly different results and I can’t get enough.

In the WFUV set, Lanois focuses on pedal steel guitar and bassist Jim Wilson plays what appear to be the foot pedals of an organ? Anyone more knowledgeable than me as to what he is doing over there? The NPR Tiny Desk set features Blade on drums, Wilson on bass and Lanois on knobs. Seriously, I understand that things like modular synthesizers exist, it’s just beyond me how someone can get those sounds to come out of a switchboard.

Notes/Setlist:

• "Aquatic/Sonho Dourado/JJ Leaves L.A." live in Studio A. Recorded November 11th, 2014.

Important People:

• Host: Darren Devivo

• Cameras: Caroline Inzucchi & Deirdre Hynes Editor:

• Caroline Inzucchi & Deirdre Hynes

And, the Tiny Desk Concert is one of my favorite things ever. I even downloaded the audio from the NPR site and cut it into individual tracks and I listen to it all the time.

The Tiny Desk Concert Youtube page says that Lanois “led an all-instrumental, somewhat improvisational trio based on the sort of studio processing for which he's become famous. In essence, he brought the studio out of the studio — with the aid of two great players, drummer Brian Blade and bassist Jim Wilson — and directly to my desk. The title of Lanois' new album, Flesh And Machine, describes the music well. He never says a word, but he sculpts some serious, hypnotic sounds.”

Setlist:

• "Sci Fi"

• "Elevator"

• "Apres Calypso"

Important People:

• Producers: Bob Boilen, Maggie Starbard;

• Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait;

• Videographers: Colin Marshall, Maggie Starbard;

• Assistant Producer: Susan Hale Thomas;

• photo by Susan Hale Thomas/NPR

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• Visit Daniel Lanois’ official website

• Follow Daniel Lanois at Facebook

• Follow Daniel Lanois at Twitter

• Purchase Daniel Lanois’ music at Amazon

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