The top is intractable. The end is ineluctable. The finish is forthcoming. We resume the revealing of our revered records of rock with picks 13 through 7; an all-new episode of The Pick. Watch the promo above, then go to our Pick 100 page to link to the episode. It’s also your LAST CHANCE to call The Pick Line and tell us some of your favorite albums. Dial 1-484-374-2534, and leave your picks at the beep!

As we push our way to #1, we tick off picks from Zeppelin, Liz Phair, Rage Against The Machine, The Police, and Marvin Gaye. We have our first guest on a Pick 100 episode, Leif Sandaas, college friend and man responsible for our love for R.E.M. And a “radio play” to tell the story of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall.” Watch the promo below, and see all picks thus far and more at The Pick 100 page.

Anticipated by no one and ignored by most, here are my picks for best albums and songs of 2021. You can click on each album to link to Spotify, or the underlined album title for Apple Music. My favorite songs are compiled on playlists on both Spotify and Apple. Click here for song playlist on Spotify.

Albums

Songs: 21 for ’21

Wet Leg Chaise Longue
The Marías Hush
Sofi Tukker & John Summit
          Sun Came Up
Shungudzo
  It’s a good day (to fight the system)
Leon Bridges Motorbike
Arlo Parks Too Good
Robert Finley
        Better Than I Treat Myself
The Black Keys Crawling Kingsnake
Gabriels Blame

Madi Diaz New Person, Old Place
St. Vincent The Melting Of The Sun
Priya Ragu Kamali
Park Hye Jin Let’s Sing Let’s Dance
Ora The Molecule Sugar
Wolf Alice Lipstick on the Glass
Aida Victoria Magnolia Blues
Helado Negro Outside the Outside
Little Simz Woman
Billie Eilish Oxytocin
Olivia Rodrigo brutal
The Linda Lindas Racist, Sexist Boy

The whole fam damily joins in as Jeff’s dad, mom, sister, other sister, nephew and stepson all give their thoughts on movies, TV, and sports from 2021. Also, in our second annual sports segment, Kevin is challenged to appear at least somewhat competent next to sportswriting legend Bob Payne. Join us for The Pick podcast’s Year-End Special. Go to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen now!

American Kevin & Jeff’s Top 40!

Just in time for the holidays, we are continuing our countdown of our Favorite Albums of All Time. We are in our TOP 40. Go to thepickcast.com/100-2/#40-31 for links to the podcast and more details. See the video promo above, or here: https://youtu.be/KaLxzTdbs3I

We cover many new songs to add to your playlist… The Pick podcast, New Music Listening Party… go to thepickcast.com/episodes

Which Pink Floyd album does David Gilmour consider the band’s best? Which album signaled the end of The Police? Which song is likely Queen’s fastest, but was never performed live? Which album does Kevin rank as his 47th favorite, earning scorn from Jeff? All these answers and more are now available as The Pick 100 continues with picks #50-41. Go to https://thepickcast.com/100-2/#50-41 to link to the episodes!

The Pick podcast returns on Friday, June 25 with the next installment of our All-Time Favorite Album countdown, The Pick 100! Watch the promo below, then hear the available episodes and see the list so far at https://thepickcast.com/100

The Pick Daily is available on Instagram and Facebook — follow us on either or both! We provide a recommendation and brief review every day for movies, TV, music, and more. Recently, one installment covered five new female-led movies available on streaming. Here’s that roundup…. don’t forget to follow us for more! // A roundup of five new movies is the Pick Daily for 5/15/21: OXYGEN, STOWAWAY, THINGS HEARD AND SEEN, THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD, and THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW. The pandemic gives us the chance to see so many new films at home; note that all but one of these films (THINGS HEARD) was developed and produced with the intention of theatrical release. Four of the five have premiered on Netflix, with THOSE WHO WISH getting a theatrical release simultaneous with its premiere on HBO Max. All five have female leads. And in my view, the results vary. Here we go, from “least good” to “least bad”… THINGS HEARD AND SEEN is the one I’d advise to avoid the most. Amanda Seyfried is certainly ready to carry a film, but this one ain’t really worthy of any of its talented cast or directors. A fairly dull and unscary ghost story, with an ambiguous and disappointing ending. THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW should be good. The modern homage to the Hitchcock classic REAR WINDOW stars Amy Adams, rising above the material as an agoraphobe who believes she has witnessed a murder. Despite Adams’ usual talent (good fun to see her perform next to the also great Julianne Moore), the all-star cast, and some slick stylistic choices early on, this one falls apart under a plodding plot and predictable ending. STOWAWAY reminds us of several recent space exploration films, and works decently as a tense moral dilemma. The cast is top notch, led by Anna Kendrick, who displays her usual goofy charm alongside dramatic chops. Also on board are Toni Collette, who couldn’t deliver a bad performance if she tried, the under-used Daniel Day Kim, and the effective Shamier Anderson in the titular role. This one works as a Netflix offering, whereas a $50 night at the movies would have been a disappointment. OXYGEN was conceived as an Anne Hathaway movie but went through a development turnstile and now is a French-language thriller starring Mélanie Laurent, whom American audiences mostly know for her great role in INGLORIOUS BASTERDS. She is excellent in a film that is almost all closeups of her lying down in a cryogenic chamber, unsure of why and even who she is. It’s a clever story and again, probably works better as streaming choice than a theater outing. And finally, Angelina Jolie returns in her first action role since 2010’s SALT. Although, THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD feels almost like an ensemble piece, focusing equally on several characters in addition to Jolie’s smokejumper: the boy (Finn Little) who witnesses his father’s murder, the baddies chasing him (Aidan Gillen and Nicholas Hoult), and the sheriff looking for them all (Jon Bernthal). The cast is all on point and the film works as a throwback to the DIE-HARD-inspired rush of films in the 90’s. Placing the action on the edge of a horrific forest fire works better than one might expect. Jolie seems a bit under utilized, but it is good to see her back in a suspenseful lead role. -Jeff. “Those Who Wish Me Dead” is on HBO Max for 31 days, and in theaters; the other four are on Netflix. Follow us on Instagram here, and Facebook here.