2021 honestly sucked. It had higher highs than 2020, but lower lows. I lost my dog Brogan after he attacked me, scarring my face and sending me to the ER. I lost friendships in the wake of it. I’ve been angry so much this year and struggling to find an outlet for it other than not sleeping a bunch. I lost two family members.
But! I got to travel again — I went to Chicago, Seattle, Montreal. Briefly, life felt normal again. After much struggling on whether I should, I adopted a lovely Mini Australian Shepherd named Bowie. I returned to the only job I haven’t completely hated.
I hope 2022 will be better, but I’m not confident. It’ll have it’s highs. It’ll have its lows. It just remains to see which there’s more of.
That miserable intro aside, let’s talk about the media I loved this year!
The Moving Picture
- Dune
Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. - Brand New Cherry Flavor
Something about this just exudes a certain Lost Highway quality to me. Gross, dark, weirdly sexy at times… I loved it. - Squid Game
I took my time getting around to watching “Battle Royale, but also Fall Guys!”, but it was worth it. I know that’s a highly reductive, and weirdly recursive, pitch for the show but Squid Game checked a lot of boxes for me. - Midnight Mass
What if angels were actually just vampires? - The French Dispatch
The twee sensibility of Wes Anderson may be dwindling for some, but not me. - Succession [Season 3]
God I love how awful Billionaires are. And that theme song never gets old… - Candyman
“What if we just made the subtext explicitly blunt like a hammer to the face?”. It’s not for everyone but the in your face, overt “racism is bad! cops are bad! gentrification is bad!” messaging worked for me. - The Green Knight
Some say lugubrious, I say haunting, methodical. An earlier in the year gem that I hope isn’t forgotten. - Get Back
You have to got to check out this documentary band about some little known band called The Beatles. - The Matrix Resurrections
Four viewings later, I land on the “I really dig it” side of the fence for this divisive, meta-narrative that’s also a love story, sequel to The Matrix trilogy. Also lordie I hope I’m as handsome as Keanu in my late 50s. - Inside
A white woman’s Instagram. Obeying all the traffic laws in Grand Theft Auto V. For as funny as Inside can be, the things that really hit is the mental breakdowns, the sadness Bo brings to the screen as his character slowly loses it. It’s performative, yes. But there’s a hit of a genuine feeling of anxiety and world weariness to it that really makes it resonate. As someone who lost his (and arguably still is losing) his mind from the isolation, the sense of abandonment from those around him, and the heartbreak he experienced over COVID… this resonated with me in a way I didn’t expect.
The Interactive Media
- Sable
Without a doubt, my game of the year. The first trailer for Sable gave off strong ~vibes~. Then Japanese Breakfast came on to score it. And I knew I had to play it. And it did not disappoint. Take the exploration and climbing of Breath of the Wild but remove all the combat and you’ve got Sable. And it’s beautiful. - Metroid Dread
Damn they don’t make ’em like this any more. But also Mercury Steam, don’t be like EA — credit everyone who worked on your damn game, thanks! - Shin Megami Tensei V
I am once again asking you, what if Pokemon fucked? - Forza Horizon 5
Sometimes you just want to take an edible and drive around Mexico, ya know? - Umurangi Generation
Pokemon Snap could learn a thing or 150 from Umurangi (“Red Sky Children”) Generation. Love the aesthetics and style of this game focused on one of my favorite hobbies — photography. - Returnal
Shoot. Die. Repeat (return?). I haven’t even beaten the first boss of Returnal (I know, I know I’m bad) but it’s aesthetics are so compelling and it just feels so damn good to play. The strongest PlayStation 5 exclusive of the year. - Halo Infinite
Okay sure the battle pass is a mess. The playlists were a mess. The story is a mess. But the game just plays so damn good. Halo is back and I’m so happy to actually enjoy a AAA first person shooter again. - Kid A mensia Experience
More of a virtual museum than a game, for sure. But it’s also basically an incredibly trippy walking simulator set to samples of Radiohead’s Kid A and Amnesiac. - Resident Evil 4 VR
Of the two European village-centric RE games to be released this year, it’s the VR re-imagining of 2005’s series defining title that really felt new and fresh. Weird how that works.
The Listening Experience
- If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power by Halsey
I don’t know that I would’ve paid this album any mind if not for the involvement of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Like Halsey is great and their appearances on tracks from Machine Gun Kelley, YUNGBLUD, and Bring Me the Horizon are fun romps. Some of her solo work is also really fun! But Halsey has never struck a chord with me. But… bring that Nine Inch Nails sonic palette to Halsey’s lyrics and vocal stylings? You’ve got yourself a killer record. - Paprika by Japanese Breakfast
I’m glad people are paying attention Michelle Zauner and co’s work. Paprika is more upbeat than Soft Sounds From Another Planet, but it’s still a great listen even for resident sadboy me. - Screen Violence by CHVRCHES
Love is Dead felt like a low-point for CHVRCHES, coming off their first two stellar albums. Screen Violence returns us to that high bar, and leans into the darker side of CHVRCHES style of pop. Oh also fucking Robert Smith is on the album. - Ultrapop by The Armed
Hyperpop is so passe (not really, it’s kinda a bit much, but I dig it). This mix of noise and metal … is not. You feel strong listening to it, you feel powerful. It’s great for working out… which is no wonder why the band got so *ahem* swole for it. - Infinite Granite by Deafheaven
What if Sunbather, but without the screaming? - Descanos/Flowers for Vases by Hayley Williams
I thought this was a late 2020 follow-up to Hayley’s early 2020 solo debut, and then realized that nope it was just so early in this never-ending year that I didn’t think of it. It’s a different vibe that Petals for Armor, but it’s mellower charm still works.
