Despite all the ups and downs in the world this year, 2021 was a good year for music of all sorts. There were thrilling returns by veteran artists, impressive debuts from newer acts, and the development of fascinating new scenes in pop, post-punk, hip-hop, and dance music. The following list counts down the cumulative favorite albums by the members of the Young Folks’ music section staff. Each music writer was asked to supply a list of their 25 favorite albums, which were then compiled and tabulated to create this cumulative list. Take a look at our 50 best albums of 2021.
50. Lil Nas X – Montero
The ramp up to Lil Nas X’s debut album Montero was an impressive feat of ingenious marketing that had Lil Nas X trolling the haters and unapologetically embracing himself. From the double drop of “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” with a heartfelt message to his younger self posted on Instagram to the Nike Blood shoes and subsequent drop of “Industry Baby,” Lil Nas X’s vision and roll out of the album was one of total conviction. The album hosts a mixture of rap and pop, with numerous guests featured on different songs, such as Megan Thee Stallion, Jack Harlow, Doja Cat, Elton John, and Miley Cyrus. Across 15 songs, Lil Nas X’s Montero takes us through his personal and professional ups and downs. The struggle of making it in the industry he sings about in “Dead Right Now” goes right into the rousing victory of “Industry Baby;” such a juxtaposition highlights the emotions in each song. When he talks about suicide in one, the success in the other is all the more important. The same could be said for the songs in which he sings about love, shame, and romance. “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and “Thats What I Want” are at the top of the album—both are about hooking up and finding love, but much later on the album, “Sun Goes Down” talks about the shame he felt for being gay when he was growing up. In the brilliant “One of Me,” Lil Nas X covers the impossibility of pleasing everyone and the hypocrisy of those perpetually online, and features a beautiful piano by Elton John. Things get introspective in “Void,” a mellow rumination on how far there’s still to go in life. A few songs later, the album ends with “Am I Dreaming?” a more bitter sweet view on success and legacy, in which he and Miley Cyrus ponder what they’ll be remembered for, and asking the collective to never forget their journey, no matter how far they go. [Katey Stoezel]
49. Cleo Sol – Mother
A solo outing from a crucial member of Sault, a London-based collective whose albums have been receiving a lot of media attention recently due to their flexible brand of modern R&B and political nature. The reception to Mother was more muted, perhaps suiting its muted tone. You have to listen very carefully to appreciate it, because so much of it is as quiet as a whisper, and could easily slip by unnoticed. But once you’ve cracked its muffled code, you’ll find some of the tightest instrumental interplay of the year burbling un-ostentatiously under every track, courtesy of producer Inflo. Every bass pluck, guitar stroke, drum tap, cymbal shiver, and keyboard tinkle is perfectly judged. You’ll also find that Cleo Sol’s soft vocals and songwriting encompass the kind of mother’s love that transcends the maternal and achieves the universal through a sustained and unshakeable pitch, which despite its quietness signifies unmistakably as strength. Such love should be an example to us all. [Oliver Hollander]
48. Serpentwithfeet – Deacon
The idiosyncratic Brooklyn-based troubadour goes pop on his sophomore LP—to breathtaking results. Serpent spends Deacon’s all-too-brief 29-minute runtime beautifully infusing Black queer imagery with the influences of his youth—traditional gospel, 90s R&B—and the riveting mysticism that’s always colored his work. The record’s masterful balance between the earthly and the otherworldly is such that a woozy ode to a well-endowed lover (“Wood Boy”), a hypnotic goofball meditation on romantic synchronicity (“Same Size Shoe”), and songs about superstitious sailors and magical flowers can sit comfortably side-by-side. It’s an atmospheric slice of freaky-deeky melodrama that makes the complicated experience of falling in love seem not only easy and fun, but like an act of divine ecstasy—because in Serpent’s eyes, it can be all these things and more. [Michael Heimbaugh]
47. Magdalena Bay – Mercurial World
The music of Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin, collectively known as Magdalena Bay, lives firmly within the digital realm. They don’t make it exactly hard to tell either. In fact, they fully embrace it. On Mercurial World, we see the band taking elements from Madonna, Kero Kero Bonito, Grimes, and more to create a spell-binding synthpop opus. The world that the duo creates is a beautifully crafted, textured digital playground. This spellbinding sonic approach makes Mercurial World a hazy, gauzy sugar high that dares you to take another hit. Whether it be parasocial relationships on “Secrets (Your Fire) or the crushing pressure to release something worthwhile on “You Lose!”, Magdalena Bay paint the internet as a living breathing organism. It’s albums like this that become the standard for the future of a genre. With luck, Magdalena Bay with lead the charge. [Mark Wesley]
46. Remi Wolf – Juno
Remi Wolf’s debut album is an explosion of color, and I don’t just mean the music videos. Listening to Juno is like being in an arcade room, jumping excitedly from one machine to another, simply having to try them all. You might have heard Wolf’s music before, in the TikTok version of Photo ID. This song was peppy and catchy, something you’d find yourself humming without realising it. And her debut album, Juno, truly exceeds the expectations this song set up. Wolf’s sudden, vivid, and delightfully random lyrics are one of the most attractive features of her music and this album. The appeal of the lyrics also lies in their specificity. Wolf sings to you like you’ve known each other for a long time, so she doesn’t need to explain everything. She’s simply saying whatever is on her mind. [Neha Nandakumar from our review]
45. JPEGMAFIA – LP!
Maverick producer and rapper JPEGMAFIA’s fourth album, LP!, coincidentally both released on his birthday and as his final album under Republic. To say that this album presents more of the same for Peggy would almost be considered an insult, if he weren’t so consistently ahead of the game. Breakneck bars in terms of speed and density, with his iconic left-of-center production style lend to the grab bag of content within the album ranging from Ridge Racer 4 samples to AEW, to an (alleged) beef with fellow New Yorkers Armand Hammer. Going so far as to upload two different versions of the album due to sample clearance issues, LP! is another middle-finger signature to an industry that took too long to give him his due credit as the black punk icon he is. [Jordan Lee]
44. Tinashe – 333
The most immediately striking element of Tinashe’s latest album 333 is the superb production values. This can be seen most easily on her title song, “333” which builds and bends without a familiar format, all of which culminates in a striking and soaring bridge. It should all sound messy but instead each part is both deliberately isolated to help the build while all seamlessly blended together to form a singular piece. The album as a whole follows suit, both managing to play with pop expectations in a way that emulates the work of FKA Twigs while also managing to keep the sound cohesive and steady. Highlights included “333,” “X” and “Let Me Down Slowly.” [Allyson Johnson]
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43. Donny Montell – 1987
If there is a pop scene that you should definitely go check out, that’s the one brewing in the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), which are having a true Golden Age, taking what they need from the trends of the anglo world while bringing their own flavor with sounds that stand out for its unique perspective. Lithuanian superstar Donatas Montvydas (billed here as Donny Montell, the moniker he also took for his 2012 and 2016 Eurovision entries) wanted to eschew his typical pop stylings and wrote and co-produced a loving tribute to the year of his birth, with the sounds, instruments and compositional currents of the era, but with today’s crystal-clear, peak-digital production. The result was perhaps the most consistent and impactful synthwave record of the past five years; an album that nailed down the sounds and sentiments of a time in history, where the Cold War had not ended yet, but where the people of his country were already imagining a dystopic, uncertain future. It feels both world-expanding and profoundly introspective, a masterful period piece that’s almost cinematic in scope. [Leonel]
42. Low Cut Connie – Tough Cookies: Best of the Quarantine Broadcasts
This rock n’ roll band have earned praise from Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, and Barack Obama over the years. But I believe it took a global pandemic for them to really lift off and achieve greatness. Upping their playful enthusiasm a notch, they chose to do free weekly livestream broadcasts during lockdown to their faithful fans (the so-called “Tough Cookies”), and nearly two dozen songs from those sessions are collected here. They exude the sort of kindness and good cheer that everyone could very much do with more of in their lives, containing generous covers of everyone from Prince to Vera Lynn; Donna Summer to David Bowie; even Cardi B to Louis Armstrong. And all done with an endearingly earnest passion, an appreciation for the joy sparked by great music, and a boogie-infused hard-rocking vitality. It’s not all upbeat – covers of “Helpless” and “American Skin (41 Shots)” darken the mood a little, appropriately. But the overall effect is a feeling of all-in-it-togetherness. There’s a reason why lead singer Adam Weiner was named “Pandemic Person of the Year” by the New Yorker. And it’s not just because of the dressing gown he always performed in. [Oliver Hollander]
41. Madlib – Sound Ancestors
The mastermind producer has always been an intrepid sonic adventurer, but this may be his most ambitious journey yet. With help from expert arranger Kieran “Four Tet” Hebden, he weaves some of the darkest, most rugged beats he’s ever created into an exquisitely trippy audio tapestry that traces and revels in Black music’s rich history—in other words, the history of music itself. Bouncy Afrobeat rhythms, doleful soul harmonies, post-punk riffs, even brief snippets from Curb Your Enthusiasm: all are fair game in Madlib’s gobsmacking plunderphonic gumbo. The ever-present spirit of his late friends and collaborators—Dilla, naturally, but also the more recently departed MF DOOM—grant the project an added poignancy. Like the cratedigging maestro’s best work, it’s solemn and jubilant, gorgeous and absurd (oftentimes all within the same track). Don’t let the title fool you, though—while Sound Ancestors draws inspiration from the past, the end result sounds unlike almost anything that came before. [Michael Heimbaugh]
40. Self Esteem – Prioritise Pleasure
With Prioritise Pleasure, Rebecca Taylor, also known as Self-Esteem, offers up one of the grandest statements of self-reflection the pop sphere has ever seen. Taylor’s unabashed ambition turns a record about confronting personal demons into a fully kaleidoscopic journey full of humor, desperation, and heartbreak. Diving adeptly into the nuances of our expressions can be messy, often times pretty humiliating. Prioritise Pleasure is crushingly honest in how it explores these feelings. And yet, Taylor never dips into solipsism. The record fully comes together on the life-affirming “I Do This All The Time.” It’s one of the most HUMAN pop records to be released in a long time. [Mark Wesley]
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39. Janet Batch – You Be the Wolf
You Be The Wolf is the latest album from alt-country singer-songwriter Janet Batch, whose sound has been called “country with an art degree.” It’s a sound summoning up suggestions of Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, and Tammy Wynette, a sound teeming with retro country savors of the ‘50s and ‘70s, simultaneously visceral and gracefully twangy. Along with her inimitable country sound, Batch stands out because of her posh drawling voice and impeccable lyricism. In other words, Batch’s music surpasses the majority of today’s country-pop music. Entry points on You Be The Wolf include “Waiting on Horses,” “Got No Idea,” “Too Much For Me,” and “Side By Side.” [Randy Radic]
38. Squid – Bright Green Field
On their debut full length album, Brighton post-punks Squid bring both the madcap energy that made their early singles and EPs so captivating as well an experimental bent that makes their signing to legendary British electronic Warp seem like the perfect fit. “Paddling” crashes together three different parts sung by three different singers into something obtuse and catchy at the same time, while “Boy Racers” starts propulsively before melting into ambience and then harsh noise. Squid may be one of many bands from the buzzy British talk-singing post-punk scene without a name, but Bright Green Field‘s engrossing mix of oozing electronic experiments and angular quirk-outs prove they are a standout with tons of potential. [Ryan Gibbs]
37. Black Midi – Cavalcade
While there were hints of that direction on their 2019 debut Schlagenheim, I bet few fans of the young British group Black Midi were expecting them to switch fully from noisy post punk to full-on progressive rock on album two. And yet, Cavalcade is one of the strongest prog records in years, tipping its hat to both genre godheads King Crimson down to the doomy saxophones on songs like “John L”, but also more obscure names in the Canterbury and Rock in Opposition scenes, giving critics a chance to name drop Henry Cow and Gentle Giant for the first time in decades. And yet, Cavalcade never devolves into a “spot the influence” type record, delivering one of the freshest takes on prog in years with its heavy guitars, angry horns and the complex drumming of band MVP Morgan Simpson on songs like the standouts “Slow” and “Chondromalacia Patella”. There’s a sense of playfulness on the record between singer guitarist Geordie Greep’s CB radio voice and the sheer fun the band seems to have playing these songs live even without an audience. Cavalcade is both a daunting record and a stunning new vision one of rock’s most revered subgenres. [Ryan Gibbs]
36. Adele – 30
The usual volcanic eruption of breakup-inspired emotion from the titanic singer. But the emotional stakes are raised significantly, as not only is the implied breakup Adele’s own divorce, but her son from the marriage is also implicated in the drama. This is most especially the case on “My Little Love”, which features audio snippets of real-life conversations with him, but it’s really everywhere, as Adele’s pain audibly intensifies with the realisation that she’s in large part to blame for her son’s emotional trauma. It’s a complex situation, like any divorce, and I love Adele for admitting that complexity into 30’s glut of emotional ballads, so that neither she nor her husband emerge as the hero or villain of the piece. I also love her for turning to music as a way out of her pain; how the gospel infusions of “Hold On” or the lounge jazz flirting of “All Night Parking” or the R&B/girl group pastiche of “Love is a Game” convey musical transcendence as a means of overcoming suffering. That she turns to predominantly black music genres in order to do so is no surprise; the history of African-American music is in large part about the triumph of rhythm and communion over suffering. Her kindness means that nobody would think to take offence at such appropriations. And that volcanic voice, more carefully controlled here than ever before, is why everyone pays attention. [Oliver Hollander]
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35. The War on Drugs – I Don’t Live Here Anymore
There is a steady sense of movement on every song on The War on Drugs’ latest offering. Adam Granduciel’s never-ending odyssey takes us from coast to coast; from attending a Bob Dylan concert with a lover to achingly trudging through a metaphorical field of glass. I Don’t Live Here Anymore is constantly in motion, yet settling on a destination seems to be a Herculean task. The theme of changing scenery plays directly into the very DNA of the record. Opener “Living Proof” is a tender and forlorn exploration on the finding new paths that come with lost love and the pain that comes from that transition. He cautiously approaches change, but recognizes the innate power that it brings. It’s through these moments of reflection that I Don’t Live Here Anymore truly thrives. [Mark Wesley]
34. Faye Webster – I Know I’m Funny haha
At a mere 23, Faye Webster has already built a catalogue that would make many indie seniors green with envy, and Americana-adjacent genre-bending I Know I’m Funny haha is just a cherry on that pie. There is no doubt that the record is unlike any other to come out in the past few years, despite the multitude of albums aiming to be the definitive sonic document of this era of fear and isolation. With her understated humor and the confidence to follow her muse, Webster once again goes at her own pace by delivering what she does best over the course of 11 songs: a cozy, intimate landscape of feel-good twang and tongue-in-cheek one-liners on the realities of life, loneliness, and getting through the hard days. [Semih Özdemir]
33. PinkPanthress – To Hell With It
Yes, TikTok has become a notorious platform for privileged kids making mediocre dance videos, but it also became a launching pad for some of the most promising young talents in the industry, like PinkPantheress. Pulling extensively from 2000s beats mixed with an intimate R&B and Garage vibe, PinkPantheress’ craft is often an ode to the distinct sounds of her childhood. She samples everyone, from Michael Jackson to Linkin Park, but also uses the past as a catapult for the future in order to create something exciting and brilliant—proving that nostalgia doesn’t have to feel dry or outdated. Being so young yet talented enough to unravel this type of sound is very impressive. The artistic vision presented here has certainly solidified PinkPantheress as a must-watch artist for the near future. [Semih Özdemir]
32. Fred again.. – Actual Life (April 14 – December 17 2020)
Equal parts eclectic and intimate, Actual Life (April 14 – December 17 2020) presents itself as the shy dude at the party. Sample heavy, but not in an overly attention-grabbing way, Fred weaves a deeply personal thread throughout the record; a singer he watched play to a handful of people in a basement, his friends literally pulling him out of more serious moments, and him surrendering to it. Each song feels like a conversation, or to put it more closely to his own words, journal entries documenting one of the hardest human moments of a generation brought to life. [Jordan Lee]
31. Black Country, New Road – For the First Time
Black Country, New Road’s debut album is a remarkable achievement. As a staple in London’s Windmill scene, the band labeled “best in the world” by The Quietus fully lived up to that description with their genre-defying approach to post-punk. The septet meticulously infuses elements of klezmer, math rock, and jazz in ways that are both exhilarating and jaw-dropping. Comparisons to Slint aside, these are some of the most talented young musicians working right now. Through Isaac Wood’s now trademark vocal quiver, Black Country, New Road speak on the earnestness of the modern day, while weaving narratives that stings of existential dread and a longing for simpler times. All of the album’s themes come together on the ten minute behemoth “Sunglasses” where Wood tells a sprawling tale of a figure of high stature slowly descending into a state of madness. For the first time is a freewheeling, wildly inventive project that cements Black Country, New Road as THE band to watch moving forward. [Mark Wesley]
30. Jazmine Sullivan – Heaux Tales
From its tongue-in-cheek title to its eye-opening spoken-word testimonies, Heaux Tales is a daring while simultaneously entertaining record that stakes a claim to its own pasture with Sullivan’s perfectionist streak balanced against occasionally raw, intimate use of sonics. And it is certainly a wonderfully precise and soulful experience divinely contoured for everyone looking to reclaim their power in sexuality and self-acknowledgement, while looking to not find themselves in a pit of grief and self-doubt. Kudos to Jazmine Sullivan for being able to do that in such an insightful yet relatable way. [Semih Özdemir]
29. Tyler the Creator – Call Me If You Get Lost
When you’ve spent the last decade evolving from Odd Future ringleader/horrorcore provocateur to superstar genre-blurring soul-pop producer in the Pharrell Williams mold, where do you go next? Evidently, you assume a Charles Baudelaire-inspired persona and release a sprawling, star-studded blockbuster “mixtape”—hosted by none other than DJ Drama—about traveling and living the good life. But make no mistake—while Call Me If You Get Lost sees Tyler Okonma exult plenty in his newfound success and world-class status, this is no mere victory lap. The 30-year-old’s raps are hungry, hilarious and honest as ever, and his production soars to dizzying new heights on a pair of epics (ten-minute R&B-reggae centerpiece “Sweet…” and devastatingly understated breakup anthem “Wilshire”). It’s refreshing to see a star of Tyler’s caliber unleash such an idiosyncratic, entertaining curveball—may he never stop discovering new ways to flex. [Michael Heimbaugh]
28. Laura Mvula – Pink Noise
Move over The Weeknd, British singer-songwriter Laura Mvula released an equally great throwback to 1980s synthwave in Pink Noise that’s just as rewarding and fun as lasy y After Hours. Unlike the Weeknd, Pink Noise is full of funk and boogie, a neon workout full of fun jams and memorable choruses. It’s another record this year where you can hear the influences – Grace Jones, The Pointer Sisters, Luther Vandross, Shalamar, Duran Duran, Level 42, of course Prince – but Mvula puts her own spin on things with her commanding voice and gift for crafting effortless hooks. The spacious “Safe Passage” and the indelible should’ve-been-a-smash “Got Me” are sophisti-pop masterpieces, while “What Matters” is a smooth ballad that turns into a duet with Simon Neil of gnarled Scottish alt-rockers Biffy Clyro, who delivers a stirring guest performance and makes you wonder why he doesn’t more of this kind of stuff. Mvula’s turn to pop may have alienated some of her artier material, but there’s so much creativity and joy on Pink Noise you hope that Mvula keeps on making these pivots as she continues on her career. [Ryan Gibbs]
27. Parannoul – To See the Next Part of the Dream
From his very own corner of the internet, Seoul-based musician Parannoul finds himself often crooning, often howling into an abyss if only to hear an echo. To See the Next Part of the Dream is, in effect, an overdriven lamentation to a world which he doesn’t seem to think cares. In the depths of his abject despondency, Parannoul isn’t exactly looking to provide any answers, or even comfort by airing his troubles. There is no moral to the story, no lesson to be learned; “Effort is overrated. if there’s no result, it’s gone”, he posits on “Excuse”. Ambitious, dour, and cathartic, Parannoul balances themes of escapism, non-adaptation, and a terminal loneliness fills much of the record in a way that both juxtaposes and synchronizes the art of the album itself over blown out post-rock instrumentation. A pale blue sky, clean smoke, a flock of birds. Perhaps ordinary, but beautiful nonetheless [Jordan Lee]
26. Genesis Owusu – Smiling with No Teeth
It’s very interesting when a debut record with such a monumental scope that’s brimming with ambition truly delivers. Smiling with No Teeth finds this young Ghanaian-Australian rapper reflecting on the nature and the dynamics of oppression and how it plays in the individual consciousness. Keenly aware of his outsider status as an African in a continent already defined by colonial abuse, Owusu concocts his own musical brew, informed by synth and industrial music, jazz, atmospheric r&b, and punk, where his indictments on white society, colonial capitalism and domestic abuse fly high. It’s a confident, all-encompassing record that gleefully throws the idea of genre out the window; a pretty impressive showing for a debut. [Leonel]
25. Clairo – Sling
On her new album, Sling, Clairo, aka Clare Cottrill, takes off in a new direction, going back to ‘70s-flavored folk music reminiscent of Carole King, Harry Nilsson, and even Burt Bacharach. Produced by Jack Antonoff, who, unlike Rostam Batmanglij, the producer of Clairo’s Immunity album, didn’t simply boost her voice with echo, Sling demonstrates the evolution of Clairo’s voice, which has definitely gotten better. The theme of the album depicts Clairo’s maturation: covering topics like loneliness, depression, college, and her hypothetical future motherhood. Earmarked by a fresh, innovative sound, Sling opens the door to myriad sonic possibilities for Clairo’s next body of work. [Randy Radic]
24. Kero Kero Bonito – Civilisation
South London electro-pop outfit Kero Kero Bonito released Civilisation, a compilation album merging two previous EPs, Civilisation I and Civilisation II, along with a 55-second ambient interlude, called “Gateway.” The album features the plush vocals listeners have come to expect from the band, along with Sarah Bonito singing in Japanese. [Randy Radic]
23. Brandi Carlile – In These Silent Days
In These Silent Days feels like trespassing onto sacred dark ground and stumbling upon angelic soundwaves that engulf you and your senses. The sheer ache that purrs out of “Right on Time” is bone-chilling; it’s a stone-cold album starter. And it’s also more than obvious that “Broken Horses” was one of the best songs to come out of 2021. The aggression and laser-sharp focus that Carlile exudes in her vocals is addictive. The emotion she spells out using simply the cracks and flips in her voice is one to be studied for sure. Carlile’s had quite a career behind her, and it’s truly heartwarming to see what she’s still capable of cooking up nowadays. [Dana Kaldy]
22. Girl in Red – If I Could Make It Go Quiet
At only 22-years-old, Norwegian singer-songwriter and record producer Marie Ulven Ringheim who created the project girl in red has already carved out a space for her and her musical sensibilities to lie. Her first album If I Could Make it Go Quiet is a purposefully structured ode to Gen Z, Queer identity and the ongoing and increasing anxieties of young adulthood and growing up. With catchy hooks and clever lyricism which in turn are playful yet shockingly somber, the album perfectly captures the fusion of acceptance, anxiety, loneliness and connection in today’s youth. [Allyson Johnson]
21. CHVRCHES – Screen Violence
On their fourth album, Glasgow synthpop trio CHVRCHES sound reinvigorated with their best set of songs in years, and take a darker guise from the upbeat direction they’d been tracking in for a while. The album’s dive into gloomier imagery peaks when goth rock legend Robert Smith shows up on “How Not to Drown”, while other songs like “Good Girls”, “Final Girl”, and “Lullabies” are soaked in horror movie iconography and bring to the forefront Lauren Mayberry’s evocative lyrics that deal in themes of anxiety, depression and the unfair treatment that she and other women in music have received over the years. Despite their darker turn, Screen Violence never disappears into full Dead Can Dance style darkwave, and still has the pop turns that make CHVRCHES music so fun. The album is a welcome return to form for one of the best new wave acts of the past decade. [Ryan Gibbs]
20. Low – HEY WHAT
Low’s 13th full-length may well be the most uplifting, life-affirming harsh noise/dark-ambient record of the century thus far. Where 2018’s Double Negative saw Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker shine an experimental spotlight on the darkest corners of their bittersweet slowcore, HEY WHAT widens the scope even further. Spectacular waves of reverb and electronic distortion crash onto the canvas of each track, the husband-wife duo’s gorgeous harmonies occasionally glinting through the noise like a lighthouse beacon amid a mighty tempest. It’s a strange but exhilarating (and altogether fitting) direction for a group that’s always excelled at peering into the darkest chasms of the human mind and soul to find whatever small bits of hope and beauty may lie therein. Churning, buzzing scorched-earth hymns like “All Night” and “Days Like These” evoke a sense of drifting through great bleakness and turmoil—and yet ultimately staying alive to fight another day. A turbulent record for our turbulent times. [Michael Heimbaugh]
19. Lorde – Solar Power
The desire of many people to bandwagon-criticize Solar Power is nothing short of odd. The internet spent years begging Lorde for a new album then sat underwhelmed in sorrow as they all so-uniquely came to the consensus that this is a bad album. The truth is Solar Power gets too much flack. Lorde’s third album is a sun ray in disguise of sweetly mellow guitar tones and early 2000s inspired lip gloss acoustic pop music. You can almost taste the Natalie Imbruglia inspiration seething out these songs. The album faced criticism for being unrelatable — as if Lorde was going to stay an angst-ridden, frowning teenager all her life. She gained popularity for her thunder-like songwriting about her experiences growing up. Yet the critics forget that lyrics like, “Teen millionaire having nightmares from the camera flash,” are still a part of her unique experience. That line is obviously not supposed to be relatable. Lorde let us into a sacred part of herself of which she feels comfortable confessing to us. It’s definitely not the album of the year, but Solar Power is solid in areas nonetheless. [Dana Kaldy]
18. Taylor Swift – Red (Taylor’s Version)
Not many artists can say they had a successful time releasing an album of theirs twice, but not many artists are Taylor Swift. With the re-release of Red, Swift soared to even newer heights, breaking records only she herself set in the past, as well as streaming records left and right. Red losing Album of the Year was quite the upset at the 2014 Grammy Awards, and fans never let it go. But it’s obvious that the passion she has for her craft is unlike anything in the modern world. The Vault tracks drive home the record with a wild, carefree innocence, filling in the blanks of an album coated in autumn-scented nostalgia. The up in production adds gratification to fan favorites, and the 10-minute version of “All Too Well” simply ties the knot too sweetly. It’s alarming to realize Taylor Swift’s music simply gets stronger with age. [Dana Kaldy]
17. Julien Baker – Little Oblivions
Since the start of her career, singer-songwriter Julien Baker has continually impressed with her raw vocals and poetic lyricism. Little Oblivions, her strongest work in an already impressive career at only 25, is an astonishing work of reflection, refinement and artistry. A natural progression for the artist, the album is a tremendous piece of work as she introduces a more well rounded sound that includes a steady percussion throughout along with plenty of other instruments that don’t appear on her other albums. It’s stirring and immaculately produced and the culmination of a career, defying expectations while staying true to her ability to divulge deeply personal truths that land with shocking universality. [Allyson Johnson]
16. Mach-Hommy – Pray for Haiti
This year was truly a watershed moment for Mach-Hommy; executive produced and curated by fellow Griselda alum Westside Gunn, who himself was delivering world-shattering material with his Hitler Wears Hermes series, the Haitian rapper took things to his terrain of deeply intellectual rap and presented his most accomplished work to date. Pray for Haiti proved, once and for all, that Hommy was completely in a league of his own, giving us a powerful lyrical voice that rages in rhymes that reflect on Haitian identity and the afro-diasporic condition. The beat selection is also supreme, complete with the trademark Griselda drumless loops and dark jazz samples, but also with some sparks of extravagance and a vanguard edge, with every instrumental perfectly underlining Hommy’s tremendous range and razor-sharp pen. [Leonel]
15. Hayley Williams – Flowers for Vases / descansos
Flowers for Vases / descansos is the world’s insight into how Hayley Williams — resident emo prodigy and powerhouse — starts off her songwriting process before all the intense production. The album itself is simplistic. It shows off the intensity of her lyrical ability with some casual acoustic strumming to back her up here and there. Williams is known for writing the book on how to pack a punch in a line or two; how to get listeners crying or head banging. But there is something so blissfully beautiful in hearing her relax into her lower register, sing from her chest and fill our cups with feelings of despair. It’s a remarkable decision to release an album so lacking in high-end production after a complete polar opposite debut, but that’s just Hayley Williams. [Dana Kaldy]
14. Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever
With Happier Than Ever, Billie Eilish delivers an even better album than When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? Primarily because it eschews the ghostly murmurs, undertones, and prodigious pitching sonic phrases of her debut album. Instead, Eilish channels prototypical music, while probing the ins and outs of fame’s burden: constant scrutiny, and the incessant analysis of everything she does or wears or says. Of course, when well-known artists delve into the woes of fame, listeners are usually turned off, simply because it’s hard to muster any sympathy for the rich and famous. But Eilish pulls it off with aplomb. Speaking subjectively, entry points include “Billie Bossa Nova,” “Oxytocin,” the title track, “Overheated,” and “Male Fantasy.” [Randy Radic]
13. Silk Sonic – An Evening with Silk Sonic
We waited nearly a year for Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak’s full length Silk Sonic album to drop, but when it did, it was worth that wait and fulfilled the promise of its crushed velvet soul lead single “Leave the Door Open” and funky second outing “Skate”. Mars and .Paak are great collaborators too, playing off each other’s strengths as singers, songwriters and instrumentalists throughout the album. An Evening with SIlk Sonic is a pure joy, bringing a contemporary spin to classic soul. [Ryan Gibbs]
12. Dry Cleaning – New Long Leg
Wry spoken-word vocals atop atmospheric swirls of feedback and broken shards of guitars shouldn’t be a unique sound. But in Dry Cleaning’s hands, it is. There’s a magic to the band’s chemistry that is greater than the constituent parts, a magic that makes you hang onto every surreal line and unsettling guitar part, resulting in this becoming pretty much the consensus pick for alt-rock album of the year in critical circles. The fascination seems near-universal, and in a year where we’ve been separated from one another more than ever before and so crave the universal more than ever as a stand-in for unity, a universally beloved new band is a genuinely moving thing. [Oliver Hollander]
11. St. Vincent – Daddy’s Home
In the past decade, St. Vincent’s themes and aesthetics have undergone several deconstructions. She played with anger, gender expression and vulnerability through a multitude of lenses. And now on Daddy’s Home, she puts on the smoky 70s swagger, fully embodies the alter ego of the infamous Candy Darling, and takes her father’s release from prison as a jumping-off point to celebrate everything she finds liberating about the different characters one meets in life, the relationships one experiences, and the sheer absurdness of it all. The playing is immaculate, the lyricism is intriguing, and the musical imagination is remarkable. It is designed for repeated listens and sounds even more magical in full. It is flawed and yet masterful, with so much emotion and sincerity. So take it easy and relax, St. Vincent has a story to tell. [Semih Özdemir]
10. Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders, and the London Symphony Orchestra – Promises
With a career of highlights going back 50 years, the collaboration between tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and Sam Shepherds, also known as Floating Points, might be just one of his best. Promises is an otherworldly, celestial jazz fusion record that mellifluously flows like an endless galaxy-spanning stream. Over 9 movements, Sanders and Shepherd, alongside the London Symphony Orchestra, stir up a deeply emotional and spiritual experience. Promises harkens back to the golden age of spiritual jazz drawing comparisons to the likes of Alice Coltrane’s Lord of Lords and Sanders’ 1969 masterpiece Karma. All three of these records tap into the cosmos to find tranquility with the music beautifully soundtracking the journey. Promises finds power through repetition. While the record may be split up into 9 movements, consider them all to be one flowing 46-minute piece. Shepherd and the LSO make up the backbone of Promises by providing lush, cinematic string arrangements. These are at their best on “Movement 6” where a near cinematic display is being presented. The track rises up to a glorious peak, reaches the crescendo, and just holds. In my own experience, I was experiencing new emotions I don’t think I had ever felt. It was as if all time had stopped for a moment. I had to check to see if I was still breathing afterwards! But then, “Movement 7” pushed past the intensity and sent me to a space above the stars. Promises is a once-in-a-generation jazz album that yearns to be listened to in one sitting. Let the celestial waves wash over you and lose yourself in every second of its beauty. [Mark Wesley]
9. Snail Mail – Valentine
In an album full to the brim with youthful wit and unabashed honesty, Lindsey Jordan scored anything other than a sophomore slump. With an opening track that speaks of ”parasitic cameras” that ”stop and stare at you,” Jordan grabs listeners by the collar and demands they pay attention to the angst and heartache she’s endured. The album bears unique treasure points — songs that sound cohesive enough to breathe together while also making their individual mark. It holds brutally honest lyrics that strike, their impassioned meanings forcing visuals out of thin air. ”Post rehab I’ve been feeling so small / I miss your attention, I wish I could call.” There is an absolute privilege here that cannot go amiss upon listeners: Jordan is so desperate to pour her full self into songwriting. And it’s breathtaking. This type of passion and lyric writing shouldn’t go over one’s head in the slightest. [Dana Kaldy]
8. Halsey – If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power
From the start of their career, singer Halsey has attempted to build a number of identities through her music. In their latest album, the stunning and rock inspired If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power solidifies them as someone with endless visions in how to utilize their voice and wrap instrumentals around it. Powerful and scathing at times, dissecting motherhood, the spotlight and identity, the album is beautifully produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails, with their influence clear from the distortion that plays at the start and the near operatic rock anthems. Halsey’s always had a distinct range that could never be boxed into strictly pop – that could to the messier but strong Maniac – and their latest is the best display of that variety. From the lullaby sweetness of “Darling,” and pop-punk inspired “Honey,” and “Easier Than Lying” to the anthemic opener “The Tradition,” there’s no limit to what they might do next. [Allyson Johnson]
7. Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend
With the resurgence of the appreciation of breakup albums, it is no coincidence that there is almost universal praise for Wolf Alice’s new album. But the album’s critical and commercial success go beyond the trends and it deserves all its praise. It is a culmination of the band’s greatest offerings and everything they have learned about themselves. There is more confidence, a change in interpretation that shows in their songwriting. There is more intimacy that allows the quartet to create clearer memories through cohesive artistic pathways. They have taken what we love them for and expanded it. Each track distinctly creates a dreamy soundscape through its cinematic production, from stripped and laid-back harmonious sceneries to dramatic build-ups and crunching riffs. The result is a cohesive, sonically experimental record that loosely studies the blue side of human connectivity, whether it be romantic partners, friends, or yourself. It is an honest, sensitive, yet enormously empowering journey that explores forgotten corners of the soul and tries to heal all the scars of the past. It is a statement from a band refusing to remain static. Beautiful, sonic perfection. [Semih Özdemir]
6. Lucy Dacus – Home Video
The brilliant songs just keep on coming from the boygenius crew, and this album continues that barrage from the irresistible “Hot & Heavy” onwards. Rarely limited by the folk-rock trappings that prevent many songwriters from widening their circle of acceptance, Lucy Dacus taps into synth-pop euphoria, basslines that do a lot of the melodic heavy-lifting, and loud drum loops, for example, to add tonal shade to her music. And as proof of her willingness to try anything in order to make a tune work, on “Partner in Crime” she even embraces auto-tune, which is a lot of folkies’ idea of sacrilege. As a semi-concept album about her young adulthood in Richmond, Virginia, Home Video peaks with “VBS”, about a vacation Bible school where she met her first boyfriend and whose poetry she tried really hard not to laugh at. You won’t laugh at any of her poetry; but don’t go calling her cerebral. [Oliver Hollander]
5. Olivia Rodrigo – Sour
More than any year in the past decade, 2021 was the year where rock and roll – supposedly dead in the mainstream, they say – rose from its grave with a vengeance. Not just through critic and hipster favorites like the talk-singing post-punk bands out of the UK, but also on the hit parade, led by Italian Eurovision winners Måneskin, former rapper Machine Gun Kelly, and veteran indie band Glass Animals. Even Coldplay got to #1 again! But no artist brought guitars back to the radio airwaves like 18-year old former TV star Olivia Rodrigo. 2021’s most popular new artist had a bona fide #1 hit with “Good 4 U”, a song that is such a loving tribute to Hot Topic/Vans Warped pop punk that Paramore got a writing credit due it interpolating “Misery Business”. Even the ballads like the hit “Drivers License” have that edge of arty singer-songwriter pop-rock filtered through Rodrigo’s love of and clear influence from Taylor Swift. The album is a vibrant slice of modern teenage life, like all good pop punk albums should be, with detailed lyrics about former relationships, the ache of breakups and the urge to get the hell out of the house. Like her hero, Rodrigo has a gift for making big moments out of little details – strawberry ice cream in Malibu, paper-white teeth, driving alone past an ex-boyfriend’s street – revealing a sharp new lyrical voice. Some of the album has been criticized for rehashing earlier sounds, but as Elvis Costello pointed out when someone complained that Rodrigo’s “Brutal” mimicked his “Pump it Up” – “It’s how rock and roll works. You take the broken pieces of another thrill and make a brand new toy.” On Sour, Olivia Rodrigo made a bunch of new toys from the pieces of the rock ‘n’ roll of the past and she’s having a blast playing them. [Ryan Gibbs]
4. Porter Robinson – Nurture
“External validation is a cup with a hole in the bottom, and it can never be filled”. Pushing through the static of a meteoric rise to fame and all of the accompanying grief that a career of such a caliber would entail, Porter Robinson’s sophomore album is a meditation on what it means to be a creative in the modern age. Employing vocal effects in order to mimic an often critical inner voice, and simultaneously serving as a mask to his own insecurities, Porter sings for a significant bulk of this record; gripping with the throes of his motivation to be a musician in the first place on “Get Your Wish”, or the feeling of circling the drain present in “Something Comforting”. The album is just as much about its shadows as it is its light, however. There is no conflict without resolution, no dark passage without its mote of light, however distant it may seem. Porter rids himself of any trepidation about his position on “Unfold”, asserting “Do you see how you’ve grown? Don’t be sorry, then”. Just about as close to walk-and-talk therapy as an electronic (sorry, pop) album can get, Nurture is the sonic equivalent to the sensation of sun on your skin. [Jordan Lee]
3. Arlo Parks – Collapsed in Sunbeams
Collapsed in Sunbeams is just one of those albums that sticks with you. It weaves its way into the grooves of your brain on the first listen, continuing to bloom within the psyche as you sit with it further—until Arlo Parks’ passionate, poetic turns of phrase have touched the very depths of your soul. Despite the richness of the breezy arrangements the young Brit poet-chanteuse crafts with co-producer Gianluca Buccellati—informed by everything from indie folk and trip-hop to dancehall and African psychedelia—her debut’s greatest strength is its simplicity. Her lovely, deceptively uncomplex lyrics, bolstered by her soothing alto, paint vivid slice-of-life narratives populated by indelible characters. She addresses friends and lovers struggling with substance abuse (“Hurt”), depression (“Hope, “Black Dog”), sexual identity (the stirring queer anthem “Green Eyes”)—and offers words of acceptance and comfort. To listen is to relish the presence of a dear friend, eager to tell you about their day and to hear about yours. In a decidedly inhuman year, Parks presented us with a record human enough to acknowledge the inherent messiness of being human—and exhibited a simultaneous knack for wringing gentle beauty from that messiness: “The turquoise in my ring matches the deep blue cramp of everything/We’re all learning to trust our bodies, making peace with our own distortions/You shouldn’t be afraid to cry in front of me, I promise.” [Michael Heimbaugh]
2. Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime
Simply put, Mdou Moctar is the only rock guitar hero that matters right now. His one-of-a-kind playing style — indebted in large part to the ngoni masters of takamba music in his native Niger, but also from guitar legend and fellow countryman Abdallah Ag Oumbadougou and the larger Tishoumaren scene,and even Westerners like Eddie Van Halen — expresses a spiritual connection with his land and Africa at-large that no other person with an ax in their hands can even match. His raging electric soloing in tunes like the title-track articulates a melodic feeling that spans entire historical eras, but his acoustic, more traditional pieces also share this ability, giving us a religious treatise that is comparable to roots-deep Southern gospel music. Mdou Moctar’s music should be always understood within the context of the Tuareg struggle, but also within the greater scope of Africa and of Maliki-school Islam. These sounds are endemic to the Sahel and informed by its history, languages, and faiths, and shaped by the movements of Berber confederations and Sub-Saharan tribes, a legacy which they wear on their clothes and their faces. Without a doubt, Mdou’s form of Tishoumaren is spiritual music, created from the deepest of devotions, but most importantly, by a foundational longing for freedom. [Leonel]
1. Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee
In the latest album from Japanese Breakfast, Jubilee, the band lead by singer Michelle Zauner takes on new, luminescent heights in their strongest work to date. 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. Her experimental, lo-fi style is perfectly encapsulated in stand out songs such as “Paprika,” the roaring lead single “Be Sweet,” “Slide Tackle” and the moody “Sit.” Her musicality has always been electrifying as she plays with form, bounding from one classical indie motif to something more daring and unmistakably modern that it doesn’t just feel as if she’s following a well tread path but forging one of her own. Perhaps, tellingly, the most significantly different aspect to this album opposed to the others is the palpable joy that rings out in the lyrics but also Zauner’s voice too. She sings in hymns and lullabies, utilizing sweet vocals to cover any obvious darkness in her writing. Not only did she manage to create one of the very best albums of 2021, she also convinced listeners both new and old that she is one of the most exciting artists to currently be on the rise. [Allyson Johnson]
Click here to check out the rest of our end of the year coverage.
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