Best Albums of 2021 so far

It’s been a good six months for music in the first half of 2021, with both a slew of great albums and concerts making their return to the calendar. The Young Folks asked its music staff to compile lists of their favorite albums of 2021 so far, which we then tallied to create this cumulative mid-year list. Unlike past years, every album released between January 1 and June 30 were eligible – no late June cut-off this time. Before we get to that main list, we have a few honorable mentions that some music writers loved, but did not have the votes to make the main list

Honorable mentions

Lord Huron – Long Lost

Lord Huron brings top-of-the-line highway folk music to the masses. “Not Dead Yet” is the hit Long Lost hangs its hat on, but the entire album feels balanced and engaging over a nearly hour-long run time. It’s a slow burn through and through, and they deftly take their time swooning their audience before the occasional crescendo latches onto a listener’s heartstrings and gently guides them back down to Earth. Experiencing the album is like sitting on a lawn chair while watching a quiet street disappear into the sunset. Compared to the hyper-polished albums of today, Lord Huron sounds like they have been on the road for a long time, and they’ve brought in the dust from their long journey with them. – Max Russell

AJR – OK Orchestra

Just two years after their release of Neotheater comes the quarantine-created and inspired album OK Orchestra. Marking the band’s fourth full-length release is an album that is packed to bursting with wonderfully strange sounds — it is bombastic and powerful, full of jazz and funk and stunning lyrics whose meanings are constantly shifting. It is a perfect reflection of the world around us, a world full of confusion and rage and, inexplicably, joy. Between the pain that is belted out through such cleverly written lyrics is an almost intangible element of pure joy, an element that is only made stronger with the heavy prevalence of swinging, soulful brass. It is the stories AJR tells, and the way they tell those stories, that makes OK Orchestra more than just a good album. It is the stories that make this album powerful and utterly unique – Ian Kreitzberg

Spirit of the Beehive – Entertainment, Death

Recently, there has been a vested interest in the concept of “liminal spaces.” These are locations that, as the name would suggest, refer to a space that simultaneously feels present and future. It feels lost in time, but teeters on the edge of something familiar. Spirit of the Beehive’s new album feels like “liminal music.” Often disorienting, yet strangely comforting, ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH offers listeners a sense of deep paranoia. The band accomplishes this primarily through the use of intentional sonic detours and dead-ends. Opening track “ENTERTAINMENT” begins with a barrage of harsh noise that sounds right out of Pharmakon’s playbook. And while the record has you fooled, it abruptly transitions into a string section while bandleader Jack Schwartz delivers some lines that are no doubt abstract, but shrouded in a sense of familiarity. The entire album manages to evoke this liminal feeling. At turns it can be a very harsh listen, but other times, ENTERTAINMENT DEATH will surprise you with how vulnerable it is. – Mark Wesley

Justin Bieber – Justice

Justin Bieber has come a long, long way in the little over a decade since his debut album, My World. He’s matured and evolved from that talented teenager, usually not far from bad press. In Justice, his eleventh studio album, he’s intimate, romantic but most importantly he’s sincere. Songs like “2 Much”, “Lifetime” and “As I Am” are exemplary while “Peaches” is one of Bieber’s best bops (just in time for Summer). There’s also a smattering of featured artists that bring a welcome number of diverse voices and styles. Justice is a colorful, vibrant album, and arguably Biebers best he’s ever created. – Noah Abbott

Squid – Bright Green Field

The long-awaited full length from the British band Squid is a perfect amalgamation of nervous, off-kilter post-punk, alternately arty and noisy instrumental passages and homages to the German motorik beat of Kraftwerk and NEU! fame. “Paddling” manages to be catchy and propulsive even as it oscillates between the band’s three lead vocalists. “Narrator” moves through multiple passages as if the band are leafing through a pocket history of experimental pop starting off sounding akin to early XTC before exploding into a dark, cacophony of noise and avant garde vocals from guest Martha Skye Murphy. Other tracks like “GSK” and “Pamphlets” are updates to the art-punk/post-punk template, bringing the style into the future and out into the unknown. It’s no wonder that Squid were so confident in the material on this album that they left off all of the great singles they’ve have put out over the years; As good as “Houseplants” and “The Dial” and “Sludge” are, their presence isn’t needed here. In Bright Green Field, Squid have released one of the most invigorating debut full lengths from a rock group in recent memory. – Ryan GIbbs

Oliva Rodrigo – Sour

Olivia Rodrigo has turned into a summer sensation with her album ‘Sour.’ And while her songs shift stylistically from angst-driven jams to solemn reflective ballads, her album is relatable in some way to anyone who’s been a teenage girl at one point. But while that nostalgia is her strength, it’s also a bit of a downfall as negative emotions can tend feel one-noted. While Rodrigo rightfully deserves her spot in the charts and on the radar, what’s most enjoyable about youthful artists like her is experiencing her growth over time as burgeoning artists take in life and their music grows with them. – Amanda Reimer

Other honorable mentions

Black Country, New Road – For the First Time
Fred Again – Actual Life
Lucy Dacus – Home Video
No No Boy – 1975
SG Lewis – Times
Tyler, the Creator – Call Me If You Get Lost
Weezer – OK Human

And now, our top 10:

10. Brockhampton – Roadrunner: New Light New Machine

Coming off of the much more moody GINGER, BROCKHAMPTON’s newest record is a return of their braggadociousness. With more featured artists than ever, ROADRUNNER uses its additional talent (Danny Brown, JPEGMAFIA) to fuel hard-hitting bangers we haven’t seen from the group in years. But the project’s greatest highlights are when they return to their darker side. Joba and co. tell us gut-wrenching moments of weakness and vulnerability that humanize the group as much as GINGER already did, and the crux of the record is learning to intertwine their newer, less-enthused themes with their undying hype-up ability. And though it struggles to bring those two worlds together at times, certain moments (“DON’T SHOOT UP THE PARTY”) confirm this is still the best version of BROCKHAMPTON we’ve ever seen. – Hunter Church

9. Girl in Red – If I Could Make It Go Quiet

Marie Ringheim, known as girl in red, has broken the music scene wide open with her catchy album, if i could make it go quiet. “Serotonin” kickstarts it with unwavering melancholic feels, followed by the witty “Did You Come?,” exemplifying Ringheim’s cleverness. “Stupid Bitch” is an anthem for everyone drowning from unrequited love while “Rue” thunders and echoes with the sensitive struggle of those dealing with depression. The album composes a powerful dialogue about relationships and mental health. “I’ll Call You Mine” claps and strums to the optimistic message of letting someone in. Ringheim’s vocal delivery, and the production around it, encapsulates her unique blend of intimacy, honesty, and openness. The denouement, “it would feel like this,” is a moment of hopeful reflection driven by a piano melody, bringing this wondrous album to a fitting close. – Noah Abbott

8. Sleater-Kinney – Path of Wellness

Path of Wellness is the first Sleater-Kinney album sans drummer Janet Weiss since 1996, as well as being their first self-produced effort. Dissimilar from their last album, The Center Won’t Hold, with its perplexing pop, new wave savors, Path of Wellness utilizes heavier guitars and thrilling choruses to charm and delight listeners. The two remaining founding members, Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker, miss the mark on a few tracks, such as “Tomorrow’s Grave” and “No Knives,” but redeem themselves with dazzlers like “High In The Grass” and “Complex Female Characters.” Sleater-Kinney has not lost their magic, just their drummer. Path of Wellness reveals they still have their musical mojo. – Randy Radic

7. Black Midi – Cavalcade

The sophomore set by British band Black Midi harkens back the classic prog rock of Henry Cow and King Crimson with its sprawling-but-dense sound. There’s so much going on in every track, from the time signatures to the layered instrumentation to the surrealist lyrics. On single “John L,” the band utilizes stop-start mechanics and menacing horns to create a nightmarish portrait of a cult leader’s fall from grace. Meanwhile, “Slow” is a monstrous avant-prog blowout that both simmers and explodes at various points, while “Hogwash and Balderdash” cascades between jazzier segments and blasts of noise. Cavalcade is a thrilling listen from a talented young band going in multiple thrilling directions at once. – Ryan Gibbs

6. Dry Cleaning – New Long Leg

They aren’t the first post punk band to employ shards of unusual notes and squalling feedback on guitars in a style that’s usually called “angular”—in fact they’ve drawn plenty of comparisons to Gang of Four and Sonic Youth in particular. They aren’t the first band to have a female vocalist who speaks rather than sings—though Florence Shaw’s tone is at once droller and more colloquially English (the band are from South London) than any other I can recall. They certainly aren’t the first group to shore up most of their mystery and allusiveness from surreal and seemingly disconnected lyrics—though the humour of their combined pop culture and metaphysical musings somehow seems fresh. Essentially, there’s nothing new about the individual components that make up the music on this band’s debut full-length LP, but mixed together there’s a strange alchemic reaction that makes it sound like nothing else ever heard before. Such is the magic of rock music: the simplicity of its constituent parts can keep being shuffled about and reassembled by brave new bands into surprising shapes that sound new and exciting again. Such is the magic of Dry Cleaning – Oliver Hollander

4. (tie) Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime

Primarily recorded during tour breaks, Mdou Moctar and his band-mates offer up a masterclass in chemistry, technical skill, and pure kinetic energy. The Tuareg songwriter and guitarist takes on a sonic journey that, as he describes,”sounds and feels like a Tuareg hand reaching down from the sky.” Opening track “Chismiten” is a dizzying, hypnotic frenzy of an introduction to this new era of contemporary Saharan music. Moctar’s music feels steeped in history and tradition, all the while forging a whole new sonic path. Afrique Victime also contains moments of sorrow, reflection, and introspection alongside the moments of flair. As the title suggests, a large part of the album covers the exploitation of Western Africa due to the ever-growing hands of colonialism. Moctar’s love and appreciation for Africa is at the forefront of the album. He sings in his native language with his voice ranging from mournful on the title track to vibrant on “Taliat.” It never falls out of place and the result is a vision of what rock music of the future could and should sound like. – Mark Wesley

4. (tie) Arlo Parks – Collapsed in Sunbeams

A balm for the soul in turbulent times, Arlo Parks’ stunning full-length debut nails a tricky balancing act between weary melancholy and wry warmth. Over breezy, rich arrangements informed by everyone from Portishead to Frank Ocean, the 20-year-old Brit weaves bittersweet tales of love, mental illness, heartbreak and friendship, demonstrating a naturalistic, poetic storytelling style all her own. On cuts like “Hope” and “Black Dog,” she plays guardian angel to struggling pals, her honey-sweet croon a font of endless encouragement and empathy; a “shining” refrain for a troubled ex-lover boosts “Green Eyes” into the pantheon of this young decade’s great queer anthems. Parks is in full command of her powers throughout Sunbeams, and from the looks of it, she’s just getting warmed up. – Michael Heimbaugh

3. Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee

Through albums such as Soft Sounds from Another Planet and the emotionally potent debut Pyschopomp in 2016, artist Japanese Breakfast has managed to marry haunting vocals with dream pop instrumentation to extraordinary piercing levels. However, in their latest album Jubilee, the band lead by singer Michelle Zauner takes on new, luminescent heights in their strongest work to date. Her experimental, lo-fi styles is perfectly encapsulated in stand out songs such as “Paprika,” the roaring lead single “Be Sweet,” “Slide Tackle” and the moody “Sit.” Sonically advanced from her previous two albums, the greatest change and indication of growth through her music is indicated in the clear, palpable joy that rings through. While the first two albums dealt with grief, largely in relation to the death of her mother in 2014 from pancreatic cancer, Jubilee takes a much more upbeat approach and the result is something invigorating and electric, showcasing a talent that had already made a name for themselves while also shining a light on all of the promise they have yet still to share. Few artists are as genuinely exciting as Japanese Breakfast are, especially Zauner who contains a multitude of talents. – Allyson Johnson

2. Floating Points, Pharaoh Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra – Promises

For jazz enthusiasts, the merits of legendary tenor saxophonist Pharaoh Sanders requires no justification. His career has spanned well past 50 years and includes a myriad of accolades. A simple peek at his discography and involvement in the burgeoning spiritual jazz movement of the 1960s is enough to show that Sanders’ influence is immediately recognizable. And now, at 80 years old, Pharaoh Sanders adds another late-era opus under his belt. With Promises, Sanders joins forces with Sam Shepherd, also known as Floating Points, and the London Symphony Orchestra to craft a singular, otherworldly 46-minute composition, divided into nine separate movements. The “movements” flow like a celestial river coursing through our solar system. Shepherd repeats a series of notes played on various instruments including harpsichord, piano, and synthesizer. These notes are the central foundation of the piece as they are repeated in all of the movements. The London Symphony Orchestra takes charge on the string arrangements, as they provide more a lush, transcendental background. But it’s Pharaoh Sanders who brings it all together. On movement six, Sanders pushes his sax to the forefront of the mix, almost overpowering the others. The crescendo rises and holds for a few moments before gracefully dissipating at the end. Promises yearns to be listened to in one setting. Do yourself a favor and let yourself be immersed in the world that Sanders and Floating Points create. – Mark Wesley

1. Porter Robinson – Nurture

After not having any “new” Porter Robinson material for the better part of 7 years (excluding projects like “Shelter” and Virtual Self), Nurture was an absolute tidal wave of emotion. I even put myself off of listening to anything of his after the debut of the music video for “Musician” to try to enhance any potential effect. Suffice it to say, the last week of April saw me losing at least a couple percentage points from my body’s natural water content in tears. Even outside of my own attachment to Porter’s material in the past, it’s hard to deny the impact of such an emotionally wrought and dense work. Beginning with the release of “Get Your Wish” back in January 2020—a full year before the album was released properly—Porter was exceedingly transparent with everything from his songwriting philosophy to the actual inside baseball and production techniques he used throughout. Consistently as vulnerable and experimental, Nurture feels like the hug so many of us needed given the past year. Cuts like “Lifelike,” “Look at the Sky,” and “Wind Tempos” function like surrogate breaths of warm air, adding to what is already one of the paramount spring albums of the decade – Jordan Lee