A List of Albums I Listened to and Loved in 2021
Genre tags are (mostly) from RYM. Albums are (mostly) from 2021. Earlier stuff is asterisked, if anyone cares. Alphabetised except for top ten, which are ranked. |
| 91 |  | Adele
30
Pop Soul
Incredible, really, that Adele can pull such big hype off of 6+-minute piano ballads. |
| 90 |  | allie (USA)
maybe next time
Emo/Indie Rock
Hyper-personal, yet unassuming – for the worse, I reckon, can’t even find an RYM listing. The music itself is gorgeous and sad. |
| 89 |  | Anna Leone
I've Felt All These Things
Indie Folk
Earthy contemporary folk music from Sweden. Very straightforward for the most part, but something very, very special lurks beneath. |
| 88 |  | Anthony1
???
Freeform Hardcore/???
Overwhelming in a way that you will find either a) cathartic or b) very annoying. Listen for yourself. |
| 87 |  | Armand Hammer and The Alchemist
Haram
Hip Hop
Review for this is really good; like the album, worth checking. |
| 86 |  | Arooj Aftab
Vulture Prince
Chamber Folk/Ghazal
There’s a reggae-inspired excursion at the centre of this album that reminds me a little too much of Tash Sultana. Elsewhere, Aftab’s minimalist neo-Sufi sound is beautiful, charming, and even kind of inspiring. |
| 85 |  | Ashley Henry
Beautiful Vinyl Hunter
*Jazz Fusion/Hip Hop
There’s a video of Henry and his band performing Cranes in the Sky. They can’t stop smiling. It’s comically absurd until you realise you’re smiling too. |
| 84 |  | Attic Abasement
Dancing is Depressing
*Lo-Fi/Slacker
One of those albums YouTube is convinced you’ll love. In this case, they were right. |
| 83 |  | Avishai Cohen Trio
Gently Disturbed
*Post-Bop/Chamber Jazz
Bit of a jazz ignoramus’s wet dream. Just so listenable – and so, yeah, I’ve been listening. Quite a lot. |
| 82 |  | Baby Keem
The Melodic Blue
Hip Hop
Even when this is bad, it’s good. |
| 81 |  | Beach Bunny
Blame Game
Power Pop/Pop Punk
Band has always been good, yes, but ‘Good Girls’ is some pop-punk greatness. |
| 80 |  | Beverly Glenn-Copeland
...Keyboard Fantasies...
*Ambient Pop/New Age
Trust a Bon Iver remix in 2021 to put me onto such a charmer of a record. |
| 79 |  | Big Red Machine
How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?
Chamber Pop/Art Pop
The latest Big Red Machine is Dessner and Vernon at their least restrained . Despite this – and maybe even because of it – it’s undeniably some of their best. |
| 78 |  | Bing and Ruth
Species
*Minimalism/Progressive Electronic
Snug like a weighted blanket -- maybe unintentionally. |
| 77 |  | Brittany Howard
Jaime Reimagined
Psychedelic Soul
In the age of Spotify, remix albums feel more than ever like an attempt to saturate – to attract playlist attention and the listeners of much bigger artists. Oftentimes, though, by chance usually, they are very good. As a whole, Jaime Reimagined is (of course) less cohesive than its original; the remixes themselves, though, add a lot w/o really taking anything away from what made the songs so special in the first place, Howard’s magnificent voice. Hearing it recontextualised after spending so much time with Jaime is, at the very least, refreshing. |
| 76 |  | Bryce Dessner, Australian String Quartet and Sydney Dance Co
Impermanence/Disintegration
Chamber Music/Modern Classical
I’m sure, technically, a lot is lost by not experiencing Impermanence/Disintegration in the context of its accompanying dance performance. Even on their own, though, the string performances feel urgent and heavy. |
| 75 |  | Claire Rousay
A Softer Focus
Sound Collage/Field Recordings
On opener ‘preston ave’, you hear a typewriter, a guitar maybe, and the very set up of the microphone. An okay let’s go moment before an album of disparate sounds and instruments whose relevance I’m still not sure of, but which Rousay stitches together in a way that feels somehow obviously narrative-like, even cinematic. |
| 74 |  | Courtney Barnett
Things Take Time, Take Time
Indie Rock
Can this be the face of latte indie? And can we admit that lattes are, in fact, very good? |
| 73 |  | Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats
Unlocked 1.5
Hip Hop
Maybe I just like the novelty of remixes. |
| 72 |  | DJ Seinfeld
Mirrors
House
Cute and cool and fun and cosy and |
| 71 |  | Elori Saxl
The Blue of Distance
Ambient/Electroacoustic
A lot of time spent waiting for a particular sound or movement to occur. A lot of other cool sounds in-between. |
| 70 |  | Emily Scott Robinson
American Siren
Americana/Country
Robinson is not only sagelike, but also super empathetic in the way she writes. She tells other peoples’ stories with a humanity that I find really touching (a word I never thought I’d use). A bit like Sufjan in that way. |
| 69 |  | Ethel Cain
Inbred
Slowcore/Dream Pop
Excited for an album, eventually. |
| 68 |  | Field Medic
Songs from the Sunroom
*Indie Folk/Bedroom Pop
Borderline parodic at times, but unbelievably talented. Think The Tallest Man On Earth except he only uploads first drafts. |
| 67 |  | Foxing
Draw Down the Moon
Indie Rock/Indie Pop
Drawn Down the Moon is Foxing’s danciest. It’s also their most despairing. A winning combination. |
| 66 |  | German Error Message
Haunts
*Indie Folk/Lo-Fi
Microphones-core. |
| 65 |  | GoGo Penguin
Fanfares
*Jazz
Surprised by the (relatively) low rating on here. I agree, broadly, that this is their least interesting album. Still, I think it’s their warmest. |
| 64 |  | Gracie Gray
Oregon in a Day
*Indie Folk
Simple and quiet, but… idk, just so nice. Something I return to often, esp. when I don’t know what else to listen to. |
| 63 |  | guccihighwaters
Joke's On You
Emo Rnb
I hated (and still hate) Post Death-era guccihighwaters. This isn’t his best, but it shows just how much he’s grown. |
| 62 |  | Hand Habits
Fun House
Indie Folk
A bit disappointing given just how fantastic lead(?) single ‘Aquamarine’ was. Still, a great album; Meg Duffy has a LOT of potential. |
| 61 |  | Home is Where
I Became Birds
Midwest Emo/Folk Punk
Like if Neutral Milk Hotel did emo music. Only much, much better than that. |
| 60 |  | Hovvdy
True Love
Indie Folk/Indie Pop
Almost too pleasant. Almost. |
| 59 |  | Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
This is a Mindfulness Drill...
Contemporary Folk/Chamber Folk
Subtitled: A Reimagining of Richard Youngs’ ‘Sapphie’. The original is better (mad props to this reimagining [and, by proxy, Dewi’s lovely write-up] for helping me discover the original) – BUT: HBE does a fantastic job translating it into something slick and 2021-sounding w/o stripping it of its rustic charm (been watching a lot of MasterChef). In the process, the ensemble’s assembled Moses Sumney, Perfume Genius, and Sharon Van Etten onto the same album – that in itself is a feat worth applauding. |
| 58 |  | Indigo Girls
Swamp Ophelia
*Folk Pop
A friend/colleague admitted to loving this, sheepishly almost. Me too, now, probably. |
| 57 |  | Injury Reserve
By The Time I Get To Phoenix
Hip Hop
Unexpected, but not surprising. Injury Reserve being Injury Reserve, only now free from expectation. RIP Groggs. |
| 56 |  | James Blake
Friends That Break Your Heart
Alternative Rnb
Never thought I’d appreciate James Blake more for his singing than his production. Say What You Will has changed everything. |
| 55 |  | Jefre Cantu-Ledesma
In Summer
*Ambient/Hypnagogic Pop
Love’s Refrain never ever leaves my head. It’ll probably by on next year’s list as well. |
| 54 |  | Joanna Newsom
Walnut Whales
*Contemporary Folk
A lot of this reappears, in improved form, on the far superior Milk-Eyed Mender. Yet, there’s something so charming about the contrast between Newsom’s beautiful harp-playing and her cat-scratch of a voice. ‘Peach, Plum, Pear’ dares you to try to love it – and you do. |
| 53 |  | Johann Johannsson
Fordlandia
*Modern Classical
This album sounds like disappointment and failure. RIP. |
| 52 |  | Joy Crookes
Skin
Neo-Soul
Largely, Skin is made up of simple but powerful pop ballads. Occasionally, though, as on ‘19th Floor’, Crookes wrangles out a cinematic banger that suggests she's capable of so much more. |
| 51 |  | JPEGMAFIA
LP! (offline)
Hip Hop
This album has made me reconsider everything I’ve thought about Peggy’s music to this point. |
| 50 |  | Julien Baker
Little Oblivions
Indie Rock
Julien Baker’s music will never mean as much to me as it did when I first heard Sprained Ankle, and that’s fine. Little Oblivions is fantastic in its own right. |
| 49 |  | Ka
A Martyr's Reward
Hip Hop
Angry and heart-rending. |
| 48 |  | Kanye West
Donda
Hip Hop
Kanye is probably the worst part of this whole project. And it’s still great. |
| 47 |  | Katy Kirby
Cool Dry Place
Indie Folk/Indie Pop
The title track on this album is one of the best songs this year. |
| 46 |  | Kid Cudi
Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon
*Art Pop/Hip Hop
Listening to Balmain Jeans is embarrassing. Listening to Internal Bleeding should be. So, yeah, Cudi’s best IMO. |
| 45 |  | Low
Hey What
Ambient Pop/Experimental Rock
I need to return to pre-Double Negative Low. |
| 44 |  | Lil Ugly Mane
Volcanic Bird Enemy and the Voiced Concern
Neo-Psychedelia
Sesame Street-core. |
| 43 |  | Maggie Rogers
Notes From The Archive: Recordings 2011-2016
*Indie Folk
Convinced that Maggie Rogers is some kind of genius, she’s just yet to prove it. |
| 42 |  | Mammal Hands
Floa
*Jazz
Of the ample contemporary jazz bands I’ve listened to this year, Mammal Hands might be my favourite. Slowly unfolding, but exciting the whole time. |
| 41 |  | Material Girl
Tangram
*Sound Collage/Hip Hop
Feels like being in an art gallery and not understanding what’s happening, but not really needing to. |
| 40 |  | meat computer
parkour mental illness
Trap/Cloud Rap
Overly ironic, but hits you all the same. |
| 39 |  | Mick Jenkins
Elephant in the Room
Hip Hop
I wish this was better, but why? It’s good. |
| 38 |  | Middle Kids
Today We're the Greatest
Indie Rock
Triple J-core, but good, actually. Very good, sometimes. |
| 37 |  | Munimuni
Kulayan Natin
*Indie Folk/Emo
I worry whether, if this were sung in English, I’d like it a lot less. The band, at this point in their career, sounded a lot like a toothless Foxing. Still, there’s something really beautiful about their sound. Simple, but really gorgeous in that simplicity. |
| 36 |  | Nils Frahm
Graz
Impressionism/Modern Classical
A pre-Spaces recording released only this year. It’s a lot simpler and quieter than what-all else I’ve heard from him, but it’s really nice and pleasant-sounding and I like it. |
| 35 |  | Olivia Rodrigo
SOUR
Pop
Finding all the little borderline plagiaristic moments on this album is, much like the album itself, real fun. |
| 34 |  | Pendant
To All Sides They Will Stretch Out Their Hands
Dark Ambient
I don’t have whatever vocabulary is needed to describe this album. |
| 33 |  | Pino Palladino and Blake Mills
Notes With Attachments
Jazz Fusion
Maybe my easiest to listen to this year. |
| 32 |  | Poppy Ackroyd
Pause
Modern Classical
Sometimes, boring. Usually, just so bright and alive. |
| 31 |  | Porches
All Day Gentle Hold
Synthpop/Indie Pop
Very different to Pool, which I’ve also been loving this year. Repetitive in a way that’s less annoying than it is somehow seductive – despite how annoying it is. |
| 30 |  | Porter Robinson
Nurture
Electropop/Synthpop
Makes me feel a little like when I first listened to M83, except I actually want to come back. Very anime-sounding. |
| 29 |  | Portico Quartet
Monument
ECM Style Jazz
Of the ample contemporary jazz bands I’ve listened to this year, Portico Quartet might be my least favourite. In one ear and out the other; and yet, it’s something I return to really often. |
| 28 |  | Priya Darshini
Periphery
*Folk
Funny, in a way, how little attention a Grammy nomination actually affords an album. Sad, still, that such an incredible album got so little attention. |
| 27 |  | Silk Sonic
An Evening with Silk Sonic
Pop Soul
Oh this is fun fun fun fun fun |
| 26 |  | Skullcrusher
Storm in Summer
Indie Folk
[queue that one alanis morissette song] |
| 25 |  | Slow Pulp
Moveys
*Indie Rock/Dream Pop
Classic incoming. |
| 24 |  | Sprain
As Lost Through Collision
*Post-Hardcore/Slowcore
[loud down strum] |
| 23 |  | Steve Reich
Music for 18 Musicians
*Minimalism
Calming until it gets annoying. But, like, kinda perfect in its own right. Fidget spinner-core. |
| 22 |  | Strange Ranger
No Light in Heaven
Indie Rock/Chillwave
The type of release that alienates fanbases. |
| 21 |  | thanks for coming
#1 Flake in North America
Bedroom Pop
Not until I started listening to thanks for coming did I realise one could find enjoyment in music that is legitimately annoying. |
| 20 |  | Thao And The Get Down Stay Down
Temple
*Art Pop
Thao and the Get Down Stay Down disbanded late last year. With 2016’s A Man Alive and 2020’s Temple, I think they accomplished more than most could hope for. The title track on this one in particular is as close to perfect a song can be. |
| 19 |  | The Exit Bags
Tower of Quiet
Avant Folk/Lo-Fi
The kind of album you wish there was a visualiser for, but which really, really doesn’t need one. |
| 18 |  | The Killers
Pressure Machine
Heartland Rock (???)
Whatever Rowan thinks of this album, that’s what I think also. |
| 17 |  | The Marias
Cinema
Synthpop/Alt-Pop
This achieves a kind of pop perfection that hits you in a way you don’t really notice till you think about it. But there’s no real use in thinking about it. |
| 16 |  | The World Is a Beautiful Place...
Illusory Walls
Post-Rock/Midwest Emo
The type of band that everyone dismisses and/or forgets about until they release your new favourite album. |
| 15 |  | Wednesday
Twin Plagues
Shoegaze/Indie Rock
This would probably be in my top 10 if I listened to it more. |
| 14 |  | The Westerlies and Conrad Tao
Bricolage
Minimalism/Modern Classical
At times, pretty and cool. At others, discomfiting, even haunting. |
| 13 |  | Wiki and Nah
Telephonebooth
Hip Hop
Neither artist’s best, but a duo that just works. |
| 12 |  | Xenia Rubinos
Una Rosa
Art Pop
What feels like her most urgent, her most important. For me, nothing will beat her eclectic debut, but Rubinos manages to pay homage to her Latin roots in a way that feels totally unburdened by the past, that is loving and appreciative, but at the same time modern and creative and not afraid to build and innovate. |
| 11 |  | Yann Tiersen
Kerber
Minimalism/Progressive Electronic
I’ll watch Amelie someday. |
| 10 |  | Sarah Neufeld
Detritus
Modern Classical/Post-Minimalism
Consistently, Sarah Neufeld makes me feel like I should maybe listen to Arcade Fire. One day. Till then, I have Detritus, which is always solemn and sometimes haunting. Jane Eyre-core. |
| 9 |  | Hayley Williams
FLOWERS for VASES / descansos
Indie Folk
I might prefer this to any other Williams/Paramore. Maybe. Actually, probably not, definitely not, but I think it’s super underrated and I’m more and more convinced that Williams is a genius. |
| 8 |  | Runnner
Always Repeating
Alt-Country/Folk
There’s a Thundercat cover on here. Maybe it’s bad. I think it’s good. |
| 7 |  | Indigo De Souza
Any Shape You Take
Indie Rock/Bedroom Pop
I’d like an album of songs in the style of 17, please. |
| 6 |  | monom
scarcity
???
ft. a bunch of artists that don’t appear on the album, and some that do. |
| 5 |  | BADBADNOTGOOD
Talk Memory
Jazz Fusion
I’ve no clue where this came from, but it’s the band’s best. Simultaneously their tightest, most cohesive, and their most open, their most willing to just do what sounds good. Opener and lead single ‘Signal from the Noise’ implies something a lot more cinematic; and while that’s what drew me into the album, I’m glad the album doesn’t follow through. There’s no need. It’s just good collaboration. |
| 4 |  | Tiny Little Houses
Misericorde
Indie Rock
Young disaffected Western male type beat. Far better this than Peterson. |
| 3 |  | Mini Trees
Always In Motion
Indie Pop/Dream Pop
So exceedingly simple, and yet, like, really well-realised. A lot is owed to the very good production (Lexi is a drummer, and producer Jon Joseph is part of a dream pop band), but equally, Lexi Vega’s unassuming songwriting belies a depth that’s well worth exploring. |
| 2 |  | Ben Howard
Collections from the Whiteout
Indie Folk
Unfurling is a perfect song. Equally gorgeous and off-putting. |
| 1 |  | Corbin
Ghost with Skin
Emo Rnb
(slowed ~ reverb) versions only |
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