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I MADE YOU A PLAYLIST, Vol. 13: "Base Camp" — 2021 Favorites

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I MADE YOU A PLAYLIST, Vol. 13: "Base Camp" — 2021 Favorites

Songs that seem evergreen 🌲

Natalie Schumann
Dec 22, 2021
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If you’ve ever gone camping for multiple nights (I’m talking >5 days or so), I’m sure you’ll agree that the campsite usually hits its sweet spot around days 2-4. If you’ve never had this experience, no worries—I’ll explain.

On day 1, everything is exciting but also strange and chaotic because no one knows whose pack holds which cooking utensils and it takes a minimum of ten minutes to find a single s’mores ingredient. On the last day, everyone is sad but pretending not to be (one of the worst combos ever, in my opinion), and even though you’re in desperate need of a shower, no one actually wants to leave. This leaves us with days 2-4. Prime campsite time hits smack in the middle of the trip, when you’ve settled in enough to develop a micro-routine in your micro-corner of the world, and you start to worry less about the weird noises in the woods and instead notice nice things like the patterns the trees make on your tent in the mornings.

(I will now wrap up the extended camping metaphor and explain how it relates to my music listening habits of the past year. Hang in there.)

My point? Sometimes it’s good to build a bubble for yourself and just live there for a while, soaking in the familiarity. Change is necessary, and I’m all about expanding horizons, etc. etc., but in the middle of all our adventuring it’s nice to have a comfy place to come back to—a base camp, if you will.

Just some top-notch trees I visited in August.

If last year’s listening theme was escapism, this year was about realizing that sometimes escape simply isn’t possible, and in that case it’s best to build a bubble, settle in, and get to know your surroundings.

Personally, I made some Big Changes in 2021—new job in a new-ish industry, new city, new mattress (!!), new daily walking route. Lots of transitions. So it makes sense that musically, I feel like I was less intent on chasing uncharted territory and instead embraced songs that sounded familiar, comfortable, satisfying, and, in some cases, extremely conventional.

Maybe I spent too much time hanging around my musical campsite when I could have been exploring a new trail or discovering the 8th World Wonder or whatever. But the thing is, I like it here!!! Unlike the streets of my new neighborhood in Nashville, I know these songs like the back of my hand, and it’s been a blast to push the limits of their appeal, only to find that yes, they still hold up after 1,357-odd replays.

Before I pack up the tent and move on to 2022, I’ve rounded up my favorite albums, lyrics, musical moments, and songs from the friendly voices that soundtracked the past 365 days.

Welcome to base camp! Make yourselves at home.


ALBUMS

Ten albums I had on repeat this year (in no particular order):

  1. maybe i will see you at the end of the world — Sydney Sprague

    • MVPs: object permanence, quitter, time is gone

  2. State of the Heart — Patrick Droney

    • MVPs: When the Lights Go Out, Little By Little, On Your Way Home

  3. Vince Staples — Vince Staples

    • MVPs: Are You With That?, Sundown Town, Take Me Home

  4. HOUSE OF CONFUSION — Trace Mountains

    • MVPs: SEEN IT COMING, THE MOON, EYES ON THE ROAD

  5. Del Water Gap — Del Water Gap

    • MVPs: Perfume, Sorry I Am, Bug Bites

  6. Cool Dry Place — Katy Kirby

    • MVPs: Cool Dry Place, Secret Language, Fireman

  7. Collapsed in Sunbeams — Arlo Parks

    • MVPs: Caroline, Eugene, Too Good

  8. Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma — Topaz Jones

    • MVPs: Rich, D.I.A.L., Black Tame

  9. Sob Rock — John Mayer

    • MVPs: Last Train Home, Shot in the Dark, Til the Right One Comes

  10. Sad Night Dynamite — Sad Night Dynamite

    • MVPs: Krunk, Icy Violence, Killshot

***Honorable Mentions: isolation by John The Blind, Summerland by Diamond White, Juno by Remi Wolf, Digital Meadow by Dora Jar, Take The Sadness Out of Saturday Night by Bleachers, Far From Here by Emmit Fenn, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert by Little Simz


MOMENTS

If I could bottle up these musical moments and drink them like a tonic or a green juice, I’d be guaranteed to live to 101. Here’s the shortlist of “favorite parts” that kept me coming back for more:

The beat drop in Sad Night Dynamite’s “Krunk” 🔥🔥 my god

When Maren Morris’ background vocals come in on John Mayer’s “Last Train Home”

Basically every single outro on John Mayer’s Sob Rock

“Mood Ring” @ 2:34-2:40, when it sounds like Lorde is underwater and in outer space at the same time

MUNA’s bonus little high harmony on “Ohhh when she’s on meeee” in the last chorus of “Silk Chiffon”

The dramatic let’s-jump-off-this-cliff-together delivery of the final chorus in Patrick Droney’s “Like The Water”

The sax solo at the end of “Lockeland” by Moody Joody

The bridge of “drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo… 🚦 for obvious reasons

“Like a damn SOCIOPATHHH” — also Olivia Rodrigo… 😈 also for obvious reasons

“IstillputmyhandaroundtheheadrestinmyHondaACCORRRDDDDDDD!” from the second verse (ish) in “Off My Mind” by joe p

“Obstacle” by Manchester Orchestra @ 2:27-2:34—can’t explain it, it just sends me into the stratosphere every single time


LYRICS

Every year I say I’ll start journaling and every year I fail, but if I ever succeeded, these lyrics would line the pages:

if i had a penny for all your potential / i’d be left drowning, my mouth full of metal (Jade Bird, “Now is the Time”)

if time is a river running, well let’s be stones underwater, carry each other (Patrick Droney, “River”)

all’s well that ends well, but i’m in a new hell every time you double cross my mind (Taylor Swift, “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)”)

god, i’m so obsessed with forever (Carol Ades, “Crying During Sex”)

i’ll let you borrow the spare room in my heart (Delilah Montagu, “BABY”)

life's so fun, life's so fun / got my mini skirt and my rollerblades on (MUNA, “Silk Chiffon”)

when the wheels come off, i’ll be your spare / when the party’s over, i’ll be stacking the chairs (Middle Kids, “Stacking Chairs”)

jiminy cricket lickety split (Dora Jar, “Polly”)

and with all my extra rods and cones, i see / that the rhythm’s more important than the melody (Katy Kirby, “Cool Dry Place”)

i wish i could tell you, you’re drop dead kind / you’re easy to talk to, and you’re generous with time (Del Water Gap, “Sorry I Am”)

you’re better than ever, but i knew you when (Lucy Dacus, “Hot & Heavy”)

small talk in the fishmonger shop (Georgia Parker, “Anna”)

and then when you're ready, i'll be outside and we can go look at the sunrise by euphoria mixed with existential vertigo? cool. (Robyn’s interlude on Lorde’s “Secrets From A Girl (Who’s Seen It All)”)


SONGS

Drumroll please… Guess what! I made you another playlist! These are the steady, reliable, surefire-hit songs I’ve revisited as the past year ricocheted from pandemic life to normal-ish life and back to pandemic life again. Some picks are probably expected (“deja vu,” “Silk Chiffon,” “Anyone,” etc.), but I would like to think that some are fun little surprises. For example, we’ve got ourselves a sneakily satisfying pop-punk cover of “drivers license,” and a time-travel trip back to 2006 thanks to my Hot Vax Summer™️ rediscovery, “Stars Are Blind,” plus Sir Paul McCartney’s otherwise-forgettable “The Kiss of Venus,” fascinatingly reimagined by Dominic Fike.

Note: You can listen however you want—in order, on shuffle, forwards, backwards, break it off in bite-sized pieces, whatever floats your boat. But just know that I slaved over this sequencing for hours.

Okay, here we go! 100 songs that have earned permanent spots in my micro-corner of the world. I hope you find something familiar. 🥰

Base Camp: 2021 Favorites

  1. Feels Like - Gracie Abrams

  2. When The Lights Go Out - Patrick Droney (watch this version, too)

  3. Anyone - Justin Bieber

  4. Silk Chiffon - MUNA feat. Phoebe Bridgers

  5. drivers license - jxdn

  6. object permanence - Sydney Sprague feat. Danielle Durack

  7. You Sexy Thing - Zella Day

  8. The King of Wishful Thinking - Go West

  9. the angel of 8th ave. - Gang of Youths

  10. Amalfi - Wild Pink

  11. Last Train Home - John Mayer

  12. The Runaround - Joshua Speers (also my favorite music video of the year)

  13. Crying During Sex - Carol Ades

  14. Got Me - Laura Mvula

  15. Lockeland - Moody Joody

  16. He Gets Me So High - beabadoobee

  17. Can We - Jim-E Stack feat. Kacy Hill

  18. RUBBER BANDS - BERWYN

  19. Deserve You - Justin Bieber

  20. BABY - Delilah Montagu

  21. Rich - Topaz Jones

  22. Icy Violence - Sad Night Dynamite

  23. TAKE ME HOME - Vince Staples feat. Fousheé

  24. Go Easy, Kid - Monica Martin

  25. Good Days - SZA

  26. deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo

  27. 4Runner - Rostam

  28. Polly - Dora Jar

  29. Stacking Chairs - Middle Kids

  30. Now is the Time - Jade Bird

  31. Mimi - Big Red Machine feat. Ilsey

  32. Getting Over Our Love - Ric Robertson feat. Lucius

  33. Cool Dry Place - Katy Kirby

  34. Caroline - Arlo Parks

  35. PACK IT UP BOY - City Girl feat. tiffi

  36. The Promise - Samia feat. Jelani Aryeh

  37. The Walls Are Way Too Thin - Holly Humberstone

  38. quitter - Sydney Sprague

  39. Matches and Metaphors - Morgan Wade

  40. Yours in the Morning - Patrick Droney

  41. Wildfire - Cautious Clay

  42. Bonafide - Emotional Oranges feat. Chiiild

  43. Totally - Inhaler

  44. Boilermaker - Royal Blood

  45. knuckle tattoo - girlhouse

  46. I Can’t Wait to Be British - Carol Ades

  47. Dreams with You - Kississippi

  48. Stop Making This Hurt - Bleachers

  49. Harmonia’s Dream - The War On Drugs

  50. Show Up - Samia

  51. Mood Ring - Lorde

  52. jealousy, jealousy - Olivia Rodrigo

  53. One Night - Griff

  54. You Could Be The One - Niko Rubio

  55. Grumpy Old Man - Remi Wolf

  56. Slide Tackle - Japanese Breakfast

  57. Golden - Zella Day

  58. Til the Right One Comes - John Mayer

  59. Stars Are Blind - Paris Hilton

  60. Spit Of You - Sam Fender

  61. Heart On Fire - Eric Church

  62. Off My Mind - joe p

  63. Perfume - Del Water Gap

  64. Hood of My Car - Anderson East

  65. Fall Into Me - The Chain Gang of 1974

  66. Far from Here - Emmit Fenn

  67. alien jewelry - John The Blind

  68. barcelona - Winnetka Bowling League feat. Sasha Sloan

  69. Secrets from a Girl (Who’s Seen It All) - Lorde

  70. Hot & Heavy - Lucy Dacus

  71. Cub Pilot - Fruit Bats

  72. Don’t Stop Loving Me - Joshua Speers feat. SKAAR

  73. Five N’ Dime - Mills

  74. Wouldn’t Come Back - Trousdale

  75. Last Resort - Natalie Hemby

  76. Obstacle - Manchester Orchestra

  77. Better - Michigander

  78. Please Don’t Leave Just Yet - Holly Humberstone

  79. Nothing New - Taylor Swift feat. Phoebe Bridgers

  80. What If I Love You - Gatlin

  81. Symptom of Your Touch - Aly & AJ

  82. Oh shit… are we in love? - Valley

  83. Free - Parcels

  84. Distance - Yebba

  85. Old & Fine - serpentwithfeet

  86. Coming Back - James Blake feat. SZA

  87. The Kiss of Venus - Paul McCartney feat. Dominic Fike

  88. Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You - Lauryn Hill

  89. SUNDOWN TOWN - Vince Staples

  90. Introvert - Little Simz

  91. The Dress - Dijon

  92. All Night Parking (Interlude) - Adele feat. Erroll Garner

  93. End of a Dark Age - Amy Allen

  94. Anna - Georgia Parker

  95. My Place - Goldpark

  96. Pivot in Place - Bre Kennedy

  97. SEEN IT COMING - Trace Mountains

  98. Signs of Life - Foy Vance

  99. New Person, Old Place - Madi Diaz

  100. All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) - Taylor Swift

Listen HERE:

Or HERE if you’re team Apple Music.


Thanks for reading, listening, caring, etc. See you next year! ❤️🎶

Natalie

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