Left to my own devices

An annual tradition since the inception of this blog, here again are my Top 10 favorite songs of the year. While 2020's list was the latest on record, 2021's list is coming in at the earliest. It's been a solid enough year -- musically, at least -- that I feel confident in what my top ten songs are. I've enjoyed these tracks a lot, and listen to them regularly when I go on walks. One thing of note: The top three are definitely ranked accordingly. Beyond that, numbers 4 through 8 are somewhat interchangeable, depending on the mood and depending on the day. Right. Now that's been established, let's take a look at the best songs of the year.

We are born into a world and a universe that have existed for billions of years. While we don't yet know -- and may never know -- all the secrets of our aged celestial home, what we have uncovered so far is staggering. In the age of the Internet, especially, knowledge is at our fingertips. And, if trusting potentially sketchy online sources isn't your thing, then places like libraries have been around for some time. As we grow, and learn how to talk and read and communicate and learn, the history of the world is there for the taking. It is with a mild amount of perplexity that I admit to having taken all of this for granted for many years. I just... knew things, you know? Anyone with access to books, television and the Internet can know things. The entirety of our known existence is available, should we care to research it. And that's why, starting just a few years ago, I began to realize there will come a time when I won't know everything. That time will, of course, ar...