My 2021 in consumption

Madison Dong
6 min readJan 13, 2023

--

Hi………….I totally forgot to hit publish on this last year lol. Here was my annual dump of things I consumed in 2021, with things bolded and strong recommendations described. I didn’t listen to as much music as I usually do — I spent so much time working with friends in our little college covid pod and not nearly as much listening to music alone. Check out my lists from 2020 and 2018 too if you want.

I actually had a really good time writing some of descriptions, because now they were all 1–2 years ago, and it felt like finding memories I might’ve lost otherwise.

Movies

  1. In the Mood for Love
  2. Minari. Me and Michael D watched #1 and this as a double feature in a central Illinois cabin using a projector to cast it on a sheet we’d haphazardly taped up.. I later rewatched it with other friends on their big gray couch. It was great.
  3. The Cabin in the Woods
  4. Marriage Story
  5. Coded Bias
  6. The Lighthouse. I watched this in May during a strange time. My childhood cat was terminally sick and had three weeks to live, and my family had given me the grim task of caring for him on my own while they went out of town on vacation. I spent three weeks in the house all by myself, doing nothing but eating junk food and spoonfeeding my dying cat. It was making me have a bit of an existential spiral, but a few friends were really sweet and drove 2.5 hours south to visit. We want golfing, made burgers from scratch, and then, as the rain started, we turned all the lights off and watched this — it’s such a distinct night for me that I associate with feeling cared for and also grieving a creature that I really loved. But that’s not necessarily related — the movie’s just really good.
  7. The Furby
  8. What We Do in the Shadows. Watched this with Jasmine over the phone with The Furby, which was a random student short film about……. a possessed Furby……
  9. Luca
  10. It’s Such a Beautiful Day
  11. Kung Fu Hustle
  12. My Blueberry Nights. I watched this with Jasmine, Mike and Daniel M. This is a lesser-known Wong Kar-Wai movie that stars Norah Jones and Jude Law who meet and fall in love in a tiny NYC diner. I went in with low expectations because the ratings weren’t that great. In fact, someone in the audience right after the lights came on immediately started hating on Norah Jones’ acting, but I enjoyed it a lot. It’s cute and simple. Her voice fits the warm tone of the movie so well. You can still see the creative vision that Wong Kar-Wai had, even if it’s not perfectly executed. I was particularly impressed by how cramped and small the diner feels but it’s still so warm and full of tenderness thanks to the directing. The longer it’s been, the more I think about it, which seems odd to say about a movie.
  13. Pickpocket
  14. The Green Knight
  15. Your Name Engraved Herein / 刻在你底的名字
  16. The Meaning of Hitler
  17. Your Name (rewatch)
  18. About Time
  19. The Speed Cubers
  20. The Big Short
  21. Demon Slayer: Mugen Train
  22. Tampopo
  23. Lost in Translation
  24. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
  25. No Time to Die
  26. Ikiru
  27. Cam
  28. Haxx Deadroom
  29. Possession. This was a Halloween watch with Jasmine at Music Box Chicago that had unnaturally good directing/cinematography. It’s pretty nasty and makes you feel tense for 2.5 hours straight. Though I guess you could say that about most horror movies
  30. Noroi: the Curse
  31. Howl’s Moving Castle
  32. A Quiet Place
  33. Hubie Halloween
  34. The French Dispatch
  35. Eternals
  36. Spy Kids
  37. The Witch/vvitch
  38. Happy Together
  39. Carol
  40. Die Hard

Games

  1. League
  2. Amnesia
  3. Osu!
  4. Super Hexagon

TV

  1. Burn the Witch
  2. Jujutsu Kaisen season 1
  3. Big Mouth season 4
  4. Sweet Home
  5. Great Pretender
  6. What We Do in the Shadows, seasons 1–3
  7. Vincenzo
  8. Never Have I Ever season 2
  9. Naruto part 1 and maybe a third of shippuden ha.
  10. The Chair
  11. I May Destroy You. I still think about this show quite frequently. It’s so creative and raw and honest. The main theme is processing sexual assault, so a heads up that it can get heavy. But it’s also quite lighthearted at times because the protagonist is a messy charming 20 something.
  12. Sex Education season 3
  13. Feel Good
  14. Mare of Easttown
  15. Squid Game

Books

  1. Know My Name, Chanel Miller
  2. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel
  3. The Very Nice Box, Eve Gleichman and Laura Blackett
  4. Severance, Ling Ma

Manga

  1. Jujutsu Kaisen, Gege Akutami
  2. Paradise Kiss, Ai Yazawa
  3. Naruto

Albums

  1. how I’m feeling right now, Charli XCX
  2. The Perfect Red Velvet: The 2nd Album Repackage, Red
  3. Pieces of a Man, Gil Scott-Heron
  4. The SHINee World: The First Album, SHINee
  5. THE S(EX) TAPES, FLETCHER
  6. Men I Trust, self-titled
  7. Feels Like This, Sean Angus Watson
  8. If I’m Gonna See You, Sean Angus Watson
  9. I Love You, Honeybear, Father John Misty
  10. Hozier, self-titled
  11. Genshin Impact — The Wind and the Star Traveler OST — Yu-Peng Chen, HOYO-MiX
  12. TRON: Legacy — The Complete Edition OST, Daft Punk
  13. some kind of peace, Ólafur Arnalds
  14. Don’t Call Me — The 7th Album, SHINee
  15. Little Oblivions, Julien Baker
  16. jams EP, Luna Li
  17. No Burden, Lucy Dacus
  18. we just need some time together, BETWEEN FRIENDS
  19. Mabuk Laut, The Panturas
  20. Valencia, Yeek
  21. Moodswings in This Order, DPR IAN
  22. Wastewomxn, self-titled
  23. Parked Car Convos, Kaash Paige
  24. Justice, Justin Bieber
  25. 偉大的渺小, JJ Lin
  26. PINK PLANET, Pink Sweat$
  27. Luby Sparks, self-titled
  28. LP1, FKA twigs
  29. DEACON, serpentwithfeet
  30. Our Country, Miko Marks; The Resurrectors
  31. sweet baby james, James Taylor
  32. Fin, Syd
  33. ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE; BROCKHAMPTON
  34. Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Taylor Swift
  35. Live at Vidro ’77, Ryo Fukui
  36. Other Here Comes the Cowboy Demos, Mac DeMarco
  37. Shut Up Move On, Lemondrop
  38. To Kill A Sunrise, Kota the Friend
  39. Lyrics to GO, Vol. 2; Kota the Friend
  40. soil, serpentwithfeet
  41. Queer Love Songs, be steadwell
  42. Be Right Back, Jorja Smith
  43. Convocations, Sufjan Stevens
  44. SOUR, Olivia Rodrigo
  45. Unofficial Wii Sports Soundtrack, Gabriel
  46. Goodies, Ciara
  47. The Shave Experiment, Q
  48. When Smoke Rises, Mustafa
  49. Like A Good Old Friend, Vegyn
  50. Jubilee, Japanese Breakfast
  51. a liquid breakfast, AUDREY NUNA
  52. Language, MNEK
  53. Introspection Reimagined, UMI
  54. Planet Her, Doja Cat
  55. CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST, Tyler, the Creator
  56. Home Video, Lucy Dacus
  57. Deadpan Love, Cautious Clay
  58. CINEMA, The Marías
  59. Mood Valiant, Hiatus Kaiyote
  60. Our Extended Play, beabadoobee
  61. MADLO: Influences, Car Seat Headrest
  62. i like when you shine!, BETWEEN FRIENDS
  63. Magic 8ball, Mac Ayres
  64. Dreamland, Glass Animals
  65. Reflections in Real Time, Kilo Kish
  66. Across, Kilo Kish
  67. TEMPORARY HIGHS IN THE VIOLET SKIES, Snoh Aalegra
  68. Vince Staples, self-titled
  69. Pool, Porches
  70. The Turning Wheel, Spelling
  71. DAILY BOP, Lucky Kilimanjaro
  72. Sling, Clairo
  73. DID I IMAGINE, Alex Banin
  74. Cloud Hidden, Susumu Yokota
  75. Sakura, Susumu Yokota
  76. Dancing With The Devil…The Art of Starting Over, Demi Lovato
  77. Slow Dance, Aseul
  78. Amusing Her Feelings, dvsn
  79. Care, 中山信一
  80. 大陸 (Continent), 臥軌的火車 (Railway Suicide Train)
  81. the book about my idle plot on a vague anxiety, toe
  82. Happier Than Ever, Billie Eilish
  83. Under the Lilac Sky, Arushi Jain
  84. Embers, Friday Night Plans
  85. melanchole, salvia palth
  86. Good Dog, Bad Dream; Hippo Campus
  87. ひとつぶの海, Toshifumi Hinata
  88. 333, Tinashe
  89. Solar Power, Lorde
  90. The House Is Burning, Isaiah Rashad
  91. Donda, Kanye West
  92. Sampled Moods, Cherokee
  93. Queendom, Red Velvet
  94. 432, Gatsby in a Daze
  95. Hunger In Me Living, Organ Tapes
  96. It’s Never Easy, GANGGA
  97. SG8*, Duckwrth
  98. Shang Chi soundtrack
  99. Before I Die, Park Hye-Jin
  100. Euphonie, Ojard
  101. Where Have All the Flowers Gone?, Deb Never
  102. lately I feel EVERYTHING, WILLOW
  103. Esprit, Jiwoo
  104. Sundial, Osean
  105. MONTERO, Lil Nas X
  106. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, Little Simz
  107. The Albatross, Foxing
  108. ECO PACK, Faye Wong
  109. Cull Fircle, Asian Glow
  110. And Then Life Was Beautiful, Nao
  111. The Devil is Loose, Asha Puthli
  112. Amor Prohibido, Selena
  113. Aaliyah, self-titled
  114. Rat Pack, Frat Mouse
  115. Frame and Canvas, Braid
  116. Sonorite, Teruyuki Nobuchika
  117. Turn On The Bright Lights, Interpol
  118. Take Offs And Landings, Rilo Kiley
  119. Reflections, HXRY
  120. A Beginner’s Mind, Sufjan Stevens and Angelo de Augustine
  121. gelato, boylife
  122. Dancing On The Ceiling, Lionel Richie
  123. SUGARTOWN, Warren Hue; Chasu
  124. Ryo Fukui in New York, Ryo Fukui
  125. Nina Simone and Her Friends, Nina Simone
  126. Valentine, Snail Mail
  127. ken, Destroyer
  128. Red (Taylor’s version), Taylor Swift
  129. An Evening With Silk Sonic, Silk Sonic
  130. Absolutely, Dijon. This entire album sounds like it was recorded in the soft-lit living room of a house with wood flooring on a cold autumn night. Something about it is very serendipitous and natural, as if he’s just pushing record and playing whatever sounds come to mind.. and it all works and makes perfect sense.
  131. In Praise Of Shadows, Puma Blue
  132. Forest Green (Deluxe), Q
  133. TWOPOINTFIVE, Aminé
  134. LP!, JPEGMAFIA
  135. 30, Adele
  136. Unavailable, JAAS
  137. Nurture, Porter Robinson
  138. Far In, Helado Negro
  139. Heaux Tales, Jasmine Sullivan
  140. Changephobia, Rostam
  141. The Asymptotical World EP, Yves Tumor
  142. im hole, aya

--

--