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The year comes to an end and it's time again to look back to my personal essiential records of the year 2021: dodie - Build A Problem dodie (yes, no capitals) is a British singer-songwriter, YouTuber and author. And a phenomenon. With almost two million followers on YouTube and one million on Twitter she already released three EPs - and in 2021 she was ready for her first full length record: " Build A Problem ". Listen to Cool Girl and Rainbow here:         I'd recommend to buy the record at the official store. You can get the CD, a deluxe edition (double CD), vinyl, cassette (!) and other merchandise:  https://www.dodie.co/shop/?ffm=FFM_cdca4358191c09e01580f1128768a4a4   Bleu - Six Tape Eight long years after the last record of Bleu the new album " Six Tape " finally surfaced in 2021!     “ I’m over ‘figuring out who I am ’” says Bleu. “ I like a mish-mosh of music, just like most people do, and when I’m writing songs for myself, I’m o...

A quite special year comes to an end - but maybe " The Best Is Yet To Come ". Ben Rector wrote a wonderful song about the new year.

In 2011 Ivy released their 6th (and final?) album: All Hours .    Andy Chase , Adam Schlesinger and Dominique Durand created a superb mixture of electronic and indie pop influences.  After Adam Schlesinger sadly passed away (by this damn pandemic) in 2020 it will presumably be their final record. If you haven't had a chance to listen to it - do it! It may be my personal favourite album of the band.

José González - Head On     Andrew Stonehome - Heartbreaker   Zac Clark - Holy Shit  

Over the last decade, Los Angeles based art-rock crooner Ward White has delivered a spate of critically lauded albums that defy easy categorization.  His thirteenth (!) album, The Tender Age , will be out October 8, 2021. Album opener Dirty Clouds floats on a bubbling Wurlitzer courtesy of Grammy-nominee, Tyler Chester (Madison Cunningham, Andrew Bird) and angular electric guitar stabs, while White’s curiously sunny vocal delivers fragmented dialogue from people in nebulous peril.   The Tender Age by Ward White

The Lodger is British Indie Pop in its purest form. The band was founded in 2004 and had three full length records in 2007 to 2010.  After more than ten years of silence the new album " Cul-De-Sac Of Love " was released in early 2021. In September 2021 a non album single ("Bewildered") will follow.   Discography Grown-Ups (2007) Life is Sweet (2008)  Flashbacks (2010)  I Think I Need You EP (2010) Cul-De-Sac Of Love (2021)   Listen to Cul-De-Sac Of Love here:

Bleu is back! Eight long years after his last record the new album " SiX TAPE " is out NOW!     “ I’m over ‘figuring out who I am ’” says Bleu. “ I like a mish-mosh of music, just like most people do, and when I’m writing songs for myself, I’m only focused on what will put a sh*t eating grin on my face and not really worrying about the rest. ” Tracklist 01 I Wanna Write You a Symphony 02 A Crazy Life! 03 Baby By Your Side 04 Kid Someday 05 Love You So 06 Never Believe It 07 Chasin' (featuring Lindsey Ray) 08 Snakes 09 My Emo GF 10 Mercy Girl Bonus songs (Bandcamp exclusive) 11 Nobody Calls It Rock'n'Roll Anymore 12 JOBS 13 The Animator (featuring Rob Cantor of Tally Hall) 14 Wife Me 15 Alive and Well Look out for SiX TAPE at Bandcamp (there are 5 exclusive bonus songs).You can gat the digital album, the bonus songs, tickets for a online release party, an handcrafted VHS with the complete album and surprise video content and even a SiX TAPE Canvas 3D Collage made ...

Aimee Mann is back with her new album: "Queens Of The Summer Hotel" will be out November 05, 2021.   

The Swedish songwriter David Myhr announced his new EP And Now This with lead single We Wanted To Shine . The four track EP record is again a collaboration (like Myhr's 2018 Lucky Day album) made with Nashville-based producer/musician Brad Jones (Josh Rouse, Matthew Sweet, Jill Sobule, Marshall Crenshaw) and fellow Swede Andreas Quincy Dahlbäck .   With a day-gig as songwriting teacher ( Luleå University of Technology, The Royal College of Music in Stockholm,) We Wanted To Shine saw Myhr take some of his own songwriting advice:  " As a songwriter you're often looking for a starting point, an idea to spark off. One method I recommend to students is to simply start with a title. " "I had a Tom Petty book on the coffee table in front of me so I opened a page at random and my eyes landed on the words ‘we really wanted to shine’. It was a quote about The Heartbreakers performance at the tribute to George Harrison in The Royal Albert Hall, on the ann...