Colours Through The Air Best of 2021 Albums and Songs

It was so hard to choose but here is the Colours Through The Air 'Best Of' post. My favourite albums and songs of 2021. With the songs, it is one song from each artist.

I have chosen RW Hedges for best album and song. A lovely album which although is short, all the songs are beautifully crafted. Just heartfelt, memorable songs which is what it should be about really. Read the full review here 

I felt these albums were the strongest overall and had the most impact on me. You can find the reviews for all the albums (apart from Ghost Dance Collective and Reigning Sound which were late discoveries) on this blog.  

Albums

1. RW Hedges - Year After Year 

2. Daniel Wylie's Cosmic Rough Riders - Atoms and Energy

3. Sandra's Wedding - Pleasure Grounds

4. Jim McCulloch - When I Mean What I Say 

5. Sky Diving Penguins - Sky Diving Penguins

6. Reigning Sound - A Little More Time With Reigning Sound

7. Rural France - RF 

8. Sister John - I Am By Day

9. Kevin Robertson - Sundown's End 

10. Ghost Dance Collective - Dream Yourself Into The Real World

Songs

1. RW Hedges - Travelling Road 

2. Sky Diving Penguins - Run Boy 

3. The Pierce Kingans - To Lose 

4. Reigning Sound - You Don't Know What You're Missing

5. Sandra's Wedding - Lovin' Life

6. Jim McCulloch - Come Little Waves of Light 

7. Sister John - In My Place 

8. The Sadies - Stop and Start

9. The Laughing Chimes - Try To Change My Mind

10. The Shop Window - Out of Reach

All in all, it has been a good year and I have found so much great music from doing this blog. Thanks so much to everyone who has shown an interest/sent music to me.

Sister John - I Am By Day

Released: 30 July 2021
Label: Last Night From Glasgow

Buy Here

Sister John are an indie pop band from Glasgow and a new discovery for me. This is their third album and it is a wonderful listen, full of heartfelt, ambient songs.  

It opens with 'I'll Be Your Life' which is quite stripped back with Jesus and Mary Chain vibes. It is a devastating love song, full of yearning and some morbid lyrics - "I'll be your life, I'll do the calculation. I'll make sure they know you prefer cremation."

'In My Place' is my favourite here, and the most pop sounding song on the album. It is bittersweet guitar music at its finest, at times recalling The Velvet Underground.

Other highlights include 'How can I keep it Alive?' which is moody and very atmospheric. Amanda McKeown's vocals demonstrate so much emotion and a longing which is rarely heard in recent music. 

'Died Down' has slightly more electronic vibes. It is again very heartfelt with vivid lyrics and themes of depression, life and death. - "I'm waiting for my life to be summed up in five, I'm wondering what the drive is, drive to stay alive."

It ends on 'Glasgow Is A Rainbow' which is an epic ballad with later Beatles vibes. The production is lovely with strings and piano, adding to the emotional impact.

A beautiful album, full of well-written songs with so much melancholy. Highly recommended.