Two Thousand Twenty One
What We Learned About the Economy in 2021
For people who study the vicissitudes of the economy, 2021 has been the most interesting year of the 2000s. It hasn’t been the most dramatic (that would be 2008 or 2020), and neither the best (2000 or 2019) nor the worst (2009). Rather, it has been a year in which economic dynamics that had seemed […]
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For Pop Music, 2021 Was the Year of the Deep Dive
The pandemic, it seems, sent certain enterprising music lovers into editing rooms. For those still leery of gathering for a live concert, the 2021 consolation prize was not a slew of ephemeral livestreams, but an outpouring of smart, intent music documentaries that weren’t afraid to stretch past two hours long. With screen time begging to […]
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Reggaeton and Electronic Music Have a Long History. 2021 Revived It.
It takes nerve to stretch the boundaries of reggaeton, a street sound a little over three decades old propelled by its signature dembow rhythm, a two-bar loop threaded from Jamaican dancehall. Maybe a dizzying breakbeat arrives from drum-and-bass, like on Tainy and Rauw Alejandro’s “¿Cuándo Fue?” Or perhaps there’s a strategically deployed four-on-the-floor rhythm, a […]
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18 Sports Highlights From 2021 Worth Watching Again
The sports world is entering another period of uncertainty, with a surge in coronavirus cases, more game postponements and questions about the Beijing Olympics. But 2021 was also a great year in sports. There were challenges and disruptions, but there were also plenty of memorable moments. Take a minute or two and scroll through this […]
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The Biggest Black History Events in 2021
By Dodai Stewart On a Wednesday morning in January, Kamala Harris became the first Black woman — and the first woman of color — sworn into the office of Vice President of the United States. During the inauguration ceremony, Amanda Gorman, a Black writer and, at 22, the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, recited […]
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The 25 Best Classical Music Tracks of 2021
Andy Akiho: ‘Pillar III’ “Seven Pillars”; Sandbox Percussion (Aki Rhythm Productions) A lush, brooding celebration of noise, “Seven Pillars” is the sprawling result of a deep collaboration between a composer and a percussion quartet. Mixing antsy chimes and a low-slung beat below, “Pillar III” builds in force before collapsing in ferocious shudders, explosions and shivers […]
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New York’s Top 10 New Restaurants of 2021
“Eat every meal as if it were your last,” Nora Ephron once said, “because when the last one comes you probably won’t be hungry.” I’ve always appreciated the gallows humor of that remark, but its advice struck me as unwise. Every meal? I love you, Nora, but I’ve got school lunches to make in the […]
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Best Art Books of 2021
In a lockdown year, with travel reduced, there was no movable feast quite like an art book. Art is made by all sorts of people, everywhere, all the time, along many different paths, some of which are illuminated by these intriguing publications chosen by our critics. Holland Cotter’s Favorites ‘Ray Johnson c/o’ The maverick American […]
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Best Movies of 2021
Also … “Annette” (Leos Carax), “The Disciple” (Chaitanya Tamhane), “Flee” (Jonas Poher Rasmussen), “The Green Knight” (David Lowery), “The Hand of God” (Paolo Sorrentino), “King Richard” (Reinaldo Marcus Green), “Mogul Mowgli” (Bassam Tariq), “Parallel Mothers” (Pedro Almodóvar), “Passing” (Rebecca Hall), “El Planeta” (Amalia Ulman), “The Souvenir Part II” (Joanna Hogg), “Spencer” (Pablo Larraín), “The Tragedy […]
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