Louder: Everything We (Almost) Missed in 2021

Plus: Boxed Sets, Shane MacGowan, the Year in Photos and More
Author Headshot

By Caryn Ganz

Pop Music Editor

I’m not going to say I leave things to the last minute, so I’ll say: Just in time for the final Louder of 2021, here are my lists of the best albums and songs of the year. No. 1 album, as promised on Popcast a few weeks ago: Halsey’s “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power”; No. 1 song: Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever.” (Aside from the top few tracks, the songs list is mostly arranged as a playlist.)

We all squeezed our final 2021 recaps in this week, most impressively our critics’ picks for 27 outstanding boxed sets and reissues. The team also plucked out 15 songs they (almost) missed, our photo editors combed the archives for a wonderful visual recap and Jon Pareles wrote about what some of the year’s biggest music documentaries revealed about their subjects. Jon Caramanica, Joe Coscarelli and I also caught up on the topics we skipped on Popcast this year. (I’m not sure if my audible gasp when someone asked about “The Real Housewives of Potomac” made the final cut, but trust me, it happened.)

Mark Yarm profiled Shane MacGowan, the still surly former Pogues frontman, who's exploring other ways to express himself. And Jon Caramanica wrote a beautiful piece about seeing concerts with his mom: “More than anyone, my mother — who died late last year — gave me music She gave me the idea that there was freedom, or identity, to be found within.”

Happy New Year, Louder readers, and thanks for sticking with us. We have a lot of projects planned for next year we’re looking forward to sharing with you!

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Make a friend’s day: Forward this email!

Get this from a friend? Sign up here.

Follow us on Twitter @nytimesmusic.

Send your feedback on Louder at theplaylist@nytimes.com.

Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance.

You received this email because you signed up for Louder from The New York Times.

To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences.

Subscribe to The Times

Connect with us on:

twitter

Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices

LiveIntent LogoAdChoices Logo

The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018

Older messages

Your Friday Briefing: Biden and Putin discuss Ukraine

Thursday, December 30, 2021

Putin requested the call amid tensions on Ukrainian border. View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story Morning Briefing, Asia Pacific Edition December 31, 2021 Author Headshot By

Your Tuesday Briefing: Israel collects data on fourth dose

Monday, December 27, 2021

The studies will be watched by governments around the world. View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story Morning Briefing, Asia Pacific Edition December 28, 2021 Author Headshot By

Your Monday Briefing: Covid spikes in Africa

Sunday, December 26, 2021

Several countries reintroduce restrictions and mandates. View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story Morning Briefing, Asia Pacific Edition December 27, 2021 Author Headshot By Matthew

Louder: TikTok Made Them Famous. Now What?

Friday, December 24, 2021

Plus: Catalog Sales, 'Christmas on Death Row' and More View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story NYTimes.com/Music December 24, 2021 Author Headshot By Caryn Ganz Pop Music

Your Thursday Briefing: Omicron may be less severe

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

UK studies found fewer hospitalizations compared to Delta. View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story Morning Briefing, Asia Pacific Edition December 23, 2021 Author Headshot By Melina

You Might Also Like

☕ I can see it now

Friday, March 29, 2024

Is video the next AI frontier? March 29, 2024 Tech Brew PRESENTED BY Infinity Fuel It's Friday. Today we've rounded up AI news from the extended Brewniverse: Tech Brew's Patrick Kulp kicks

The Police Have A Dark Money Slush Fund

Friday, March 29, 2024

Corporate interests are funneling far more money to law enforcement than previously known — often with scant oversight. Police are receiving hundreds of millions of dollars a year in secret funding

A very bad year for press freedom

Friday, March 29, 2024

Plus: Beyoncé's new album, Netanyahu's new crisis, and more. March 29, 2024 View in browser Good morning! I'm back, here to dig into a topic close to my heart. —Caroline Houck, senior

Numlock News: March 29, 2024 • Trading Cards, Kite Fights, Breadfruit

Friday, March 29, 2024

By Walt Hickey Have a great weekend! Kite Fighting A popular competitive sport in Brazil is kite fighting, where competitors try to cut down their opponents kites while avoiding getting their own kite

☕️ Floppy-haired fraudster

Friday, March 29, 2024

SBF is sentenced to 25 years... March 29, 2024 View Online | Sign Up | Shop Morning Brew PRESENTED BY Impact.com Good morning. Today marks one year since Evan Gershkovich, a 32-year-old American Wall

AI hallucinates software packages and devs download them – even if potentially poisoned with malware [Fri Mar 29 2024]

Friday, March 29, 2024

Hi The Register Subscriber | Log in The Register {* Daily Headlines *} 29 March 2024 Illustration of someone in a hoodie looking at a bench with a cloud over it AI hallucinates software packages and

What A Day: Clown by law

Friday, March 29, 2024

Trump's lawyers are having another rough one. And the mainstream media could learn a lesson from the legal world about handling corruption. Thursday, March 28, 2024 BY CROOKED MEDIA —Steve Bannon,

🌶️ Is it getting hot in here?

Friday, March 29, 2024

Introducing our theme for April plus fun stuff to read, watch, and click on. March 28, 2024 Open in new tab Did a friend forward this? Subscribe today! April's Theme is SPICY It was chosen by our

What 58 Famous People Smell Like

Friday, March 29, 2024

Here's what you missed on the Strategist. The Strategist Every product is independently selected by editors. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission. What

Trump Would Need New Tactics to Steal the 2024 Election

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Columns and commentary on news, politics, business, and technology from the Intelligencer team. Intelligencer early and often Trump Would Need New Tactics to Steal the 2024 Election Many avenues Trump