Top 88 Music Albums of 2021 by 
babyBlueSedan 
My new year's resolution, besides stopping all the pollution, is to create a happy, positive 2021 year chart. Nice critiques only! Well, at least as far as I can without saying nice things about bad albums, because positivity without realism is worthless. But in a positive way!
Also putting more effort into nonsensical genres because what's more fun than that?!
May update: well so much for positivity - I feel like my rating has gotten even harsher. My optimistic side thinks it's because I've heard so much good music that it's harder for new things I hear to stand out, but my pessimistic side thinks it's because I'm too old and can no longer enjoy new music. I guess in both cases it just means I'm even pickier now.
- Chart updated: 02/12/2022 23:15
- (Created: 01/24/2021 03:31).
- Chart size: 88 albums.
There are 2 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 88 Music Albums of 2021 has an average rating of 89 out of 100 (from 3 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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55/100
Minimal rap
Tom Breihan described this as an album where it sounds like Vince doesn't want to be making music, and I have to agree with that. I kind of thought as much given the long wait from FM, after which Vince said he'd be coming out with four albums and actually came out with zero. And this album sounds fairly lazy.
But lazy is not the same thing as uninspired I suppose, and in this case sounding lazy is probably the point. This is a different side of Vince, a rapper who is always evolving, and while it's a bit surprising he went from the futuristic dance rap of Big Fish Theory to working with Kenny Beats, we can hopefully at least agree that this is a much more distinct sound that FM. But it's also a sound I just get bored with in much the same way I get bored with MIKE and Earl and everyone in their orbit. The beats here are almost nonexistent, and in some cases I forget they're even there. The production is by Kenny Beats but I'm not sure it matters since the beats could be by anyone - or no one I suppose - and the album would sound about the same.
Lyrically Vince is at the top of his game, and while he's not rapping with the speed and dexterity of Norf Norf or Senorita he's bringing the same wordiness, just in a much more restrained way. When I'm able to focus on the lyrics I really enjoy this, but the slow speed combined with the invisible production makes those moments rare. IT sounds like a lot of people love this and there is certainly some stuff to love about it, but I just don't think those pieces come together in the end. [First added to this chart: 08/21/2021]
Minimal rap
Tom Breihan described this as an album where it sounds like Vince doesn't want to be making music, and I have to agree with that. I kind of thought as much given the long wait from FM, after which Vince said he'd be coming out with four albums and actually came out with zero. And this album sounds fairly lazy.
But lazy is not the same thing as uninspired I suppose, and in this case sounding lazy is probably the point. This is a different side of Vince, a rapper who is always evolving, and while it's a bit surprising he went from the futuristic dance rap of Big Fish Theory to working with Kenny Beats, we can hopefully at least agree that this is a much more distinct sound that FM. But it's also a sound I just get bored with in much the same way I get bored with MIKE and Earl and everyone in their orbit. The beats here are almost nonexistent, and in some cases I forget they're even there. The production is by Kenny Beats but I'm not sure it matters since the beats could be by anyone - or no one I suppose - and the album would sound about the same.
Lyrically Vince is at the top of his game, and while he's not rapping with the speed and dexterity of Norf Norf or Senorita he's bringing the same wordiness, just in a much more restrained way. When I'm able to focus on the lyrics I really enjoy this, but the slow speed combined with the invisible production makes those moments rare. IT sounds like a lot of people love this and there is certainly some stuff to love about it, but I just don't think those pieces come together in the end. [First added to this chart: 08/21/2021]
1
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55/100
Broadway breakup
I can't really put my finger on why I can't get into this. I think it's partially because of the super dramatic "let me set the scene and then paint you a picture of this tragedy" framing device that sets up the album to be this overblown production. I feel like a more lowkey album would have hit harder. But I also think it's mostly because none of these songs really blow me away. I'd love more country tinged here, but "High Horse" was a straight pop song and it ripped so I'm not sure that matters. I really like "Breadwinner" and how its bitterness stands in contrast to the rest of the album but I couldn't tell you how any of the other songs on this album go. [First added to this chart: 09/29/2021]
Broadway breakup
I can't really put my finger on why I can't get into this. I think it's partially because of the super dramatic "let me set the scene and then paint you a picture of this tragedy" framing device that sets up the album to be this overblown production. I feel like a more lowkey album would have hit harder. But I also think it's mostly because none of these songs really blow me away. I'd love more country tinged here, but "High Horse" was a straight pop song and it ripped so I'm not sure that matters. I really like "Breadwinner" and how its bitterness stands in contrast to the rest of the album but I couldn't tell you how any of the other songs on this album go. [First added to this chart: 09/29/2021]
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55/100
Journey to the center of the lost Icelandic elf civilization
There are some really pretty sounds here. RYM is drooling over the "sound design" of this album, whatever that is. I guess they just mean the sounds are better than the sounds on other albums? Like they're sounds that they haven't heard used before? Wild that it's 2021 and we're still discovering new sounds, I thought we'd have them all nailed down by now.
Those sounds are used well but not in a way that grabs me at all. Admiring sounds or production is not at all how I enjoy music, and these formless classical inspired albums give me nothing to latch onto. In other words, your sounds are nice but do you have tunes? In all seriousness when I saw this tagged as progressive electronic on RYM I knew I wouldn't like it.
Near the end there's some vocals from what I think are fairies that are really cool and it helps to add another layer to the music, something that feels like was missing in the beginning. Apparently there's lore behind this album and the fairies probably fit into that so it's too bad the fairies didn't reveal themselves earlier or whatever.
TL;DR I prefer the wiggly worms to the fairies. [First added to this chart: 04/13/2021]
Journey to the center of the lost Icelandic elf civilization
There are some really pretty sounds here. RYM is drooling over the "sound design" of this album, whatever that is. I guess they just mean the sounds are better than the sounds on other albums? Like they're sounds that they haven't heard used before? Wild that it's 2021 and we're still discovering new sounds, I thought we'd have them all nailed down by now.
Those sounds are used well but not in a way that grabs me at all. Admiring sounds or production is not at all how I enjoy music, and these formless classical inspired albums give me nothing to latch onto. In other words, your sounds are nice but do you have tunes? In all seriousness when I saw this tagged as progressive electronic on RYM I knew I wouldn't like it.
Near the end there's some vocals from what I think are fairies that are really cool and it helps to add another layer to the music, something that feels like was missing in the beginning. Apparently there's lore behind this album and the fairies probably fit into that so it's too bad the fairies didn't reveal themselves earlier or whatever.
TL;DR I prefer the wiggly worms to the fairies. [First added to this chart: 04/13/2021]
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55/100
Britpop but like for TikTok
Wolf Alice's last album was a British rock throwback that I remember reminding me of Loveless in addition to other bands and albums. No music fan on the Internet has ever said good things about an album that feels like a throwback so you'd think I'd like this one more. This one mixes alt rock with some rapping bits and choruses that feel straight out of current pop trends. It's good in a different way than their last one (it's fresher I guess?) but also bad in a different way. It almost sounds like it's trying too hard? Idk I'm not a Wolf Alice fan and it's cool that they're trying something new but I mostly listened to this out of curiosity. [First added to this chart: 09/29/2021]
Britpop but like for TikTok
Wolf Alice's last album was a British rock throwback that I remember reminding me of Loveless in addition to other bands and albums. No music fan on the Internet has ever said good things about an album that feels like a throwback so you'd think I'd like this one more. This one mixes alt rock with some rapping bits and choruses that feel straight out of current pop trends. It's good in a different way than their last one (it's fresher I guess?) but also bad in a different way. It almost sounds like it's trying too hard? Idk I'm not a Wolf Alice fan and it's cool that they're trying something new but I mostly listened to this out of curiosity. [First added to this chart: 09/29/2021]
Year of Release:
2021
Appears in:
Rank Score:
965
Rank in 2021:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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55/100
Cinema jazz
Cool mixture of jazz and samples / sound collage. I'd like this more if the two elements were mixed, but as it is there's samples that fade into jazz playing and then back into samples. Kind of lessens the impact I think. The playing is very loose and feels like a jam session (partially thanks to the studio chatter at the end). [First added to this chart: 12/10/2021]
Cinema jazz
Cool mixture of jazz and samples / sound collage. I'd like this more if the two elements were mixed, but as it is there's samples that fade into jazz playing and then back into samples. Kind of lessens the impact I think. The playing is very loose and feels like a jam session (partially thanks to the studio chatter at the end). [First added to this chart: 12/10/2021]
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55/100
Lurker punk
This is much better than their heavy-handed last album, and it goes in a new musical direction as well with a much more subterranean, menacing feel. I much prefer the sound of Joy as an Act of Resistance to this, and though the lyrics are better here I still feel they're kind of silly. [First added to this chart: 12/16/2021]
Lurker punk
This is much better than their heavy-handed last album, and it goes in a new musical direction as well with a much more subterranean, menacing feel. I much prefer the sound of Joy as an Act of Resistance to this, and though the lyrics are better here I still feel they're kind of silly. [First added to this chart: 12/16/2021]
Year of Release:
2021
Appears in:
Rank Score:
292
Rank in 2021:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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55/100
More-el canyon
Maybe I shouldn't even rate this after listening to it once while playing Stardew Valley, but I don't want to listen to this again and I have to rate it after raving about NFR, right? I like Arcadia and its horn solo at the end, but it and pretty much all of the songs here sound so plain. NFR had a nice depth of sound and sounded like folk mixed with dream pop, but this is pretty much a straight folk album and I don't think the songwriting can carry it. The lyrics especially are a bit weak, I think Lana is relying too much on cultural references and it's providing diminishing returns. [First added to this chart: 11/29/2021]
More-el canyon
Maybe I shouldn't even rate this after listening to it once while playing Stardew Valley, but I don't want to listen to this again and I have to rate it after raving about NFR, right? I like Arcadia and its horn solo at the end, but it and pretty much all of the songs here sound so plain. NFR had a nice depth of sound and sounded like folk mixed with dream pop, but this is pretty much a straight folk album and I don't think the songwriting can carry it. The lyrics especially are a bit weak, I think Lana is relying too much on cultural references and it's providing diminishing returns. [First added to this chart: 11/29/2021]
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55/100
Sophisti-rock
I got pretty into sophisti-pop in late 2020 and was excited for this based on the description, but none of the singles spoke to me. Ditto for the full album - it's a pleasant sound but nothing blows me away. Might be because I'm comparing every sophisti-indie album to Kaputt now and doing so is a way to guarantee I'll be let down. [First added to this chart: 02/21/2021]
Sophisti-rock
I got pretty into sophisti-pop in late 2020 and was excited for this based on the description, but none of the singles spoke to me. Ditto for the full album - it's a pleasant sound but nothing blows me away. Might be because I'm comparing every sophisti-indie album to Kaputt now and doing so is a way to guarantee I'll be let down. [First added to this chart: 02/21/2021]
Year of Release:
2021
Appears in:
Rank Score:
541
Rank in 2021:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
79. (=)
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55/100
Forbidden rap
Another Armand Hammer album, another album that makes me feel like I'm too dumb to get it.
I've been struggling when listening to hip hop in general lately because my attention span has severely degraded but something like this is nearly impenetrable for me. I love love love woods, and before this came out I relistened to Known Unknowns and it was the shit. But then I try to listen to this and can't get into it at all. Normally I have issues with Elucid and the slippery, beatless production here just makes it worse. And it doesn't help that woods is much more subdued, with the production not accentuating his delivery as much as it's just a platform for him to deliver his poetry over. The lyrics are really great but I guess I don't get the point of hip hop that requires you to pore over the lyrics to get anything out of. It's supposed to hit you in the moment, not when you're reading through the Genius annotations later*.
*This is coming from someone who is admittedly a fan of Aesop Rock, and woods's other material doesn't exactly reveal itself on a single listen either. So I've definitely spent a lot of time with those lyrics on Genius. So perhaps my problem is more the production and the fact that difficult lyrics will only bring people back if there's something else rewarding to be found.
UPDATE: I saw a YouTube video (but didn't watch it) that asked "Is this grad school rap" and I feel kind of vindicated now because grad school rap just sounds like the worst thing ever. [First added to this chart: 04/13/2021]
Forbidden rap
Another Armand Hammer album, another album that makes me feel like I'm too dumb to get it.
I've been struggling when listening to hip hop in general lately because my attention span has severely degraded but something like this is nearly impenetrable for me. I love love love woods, and before this came out I relistened to Known Unknowns and it was the shit. But then I try to listen to this and can't get into it at all. Normally I have issues with Elucid and the slippery, beatless production here just makes it worse. And it doesn't help that woods is much more subdued, with the production not accentuating his delivery as much as it's just a platform for him to deliver his poetry over. The lyrics are really great but I guess I don't get the point of hip hop that requires you to pore over the lyrics to get anything out of. It's supposed to hit you in the moment, not when you're reading through the Genius annotations later*.
*This is coming from someone who is admittedly a fan of Aesop Rock, and woods's other material doesn't exactly reveal itself on a single listen either. So I've definitely spent a lot of time with those lyrics on Genius. So perhaps my problem is more the production and the fact that difficult lyrics will only bring people back if there's something else rewarding to be found.
UPDATE: I saw a YouTube video (but didn't watch it) that asked "Is this grad school rap" and I feel kind of vindicated now because grad school rap just sounds like the worst thing ever. [First added to this chart: 04/13/2021]
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50/100
Klezmer Spiderland
I've heard people say things like "I'd like this album more if it were instrumental," but I don't think I've ever personally felt that way before. Well, I have now. I don't dislike the singer's voice here, but the hammy, smarmy inflection he uses is infuriating to listen to. And the lyrics are so bad. Maybe just not my cup of tea, as I don't think I've read other complaints about them, but they're epically, impressively bad for me. Lyrical gems on this album include:
- Referencing that "the car goes beep beep beep" song
- "She sells chemtrails"
- Using the word Nutribullet, which isn't bad on its own I guess (Nick Cave once namedropped Wikipedia and it didn't ruin the song) but it sounded pretty bad in context
- Shouting "references, references!" in a dizzy climactic spiral
- Mentioning black midi, which was easily the worst lyrical moment here
I'm sure there were others too. What I dislike about that last one was its self-awareness, which came off a lot less clever than they probably thought. If you've read anything about this album it's probably about how indebted it is to Slint and the post-rock greats, and that they're kind of in the same class as black midi in that way (though they were much more indebted to post punk). There actually was a kind of funny part here where they call themselves the second best Slint tribute band, which at the time I thought was clever, but after hearing them continue to reference other bands, especially black midi, it just got tiring.
Here's the thing: I don't think the music here is really all that indebted to Slint. It's really great musically, and this isn't even a sound I typically like. The horns come in at just the right times, the drums skip along playfully, and the Eastern European influences are integrated well. I was pretty worried going into this that it would sound like a retread, and instrumentally I don't think it does. But slap on those vocals and you instantly get what might not even be the second best Slint tribute band. It's pretty hard to ignore especially when these songs are largely about ennui and feel like they're trying to be copies of "Don Aman," but one version of that song on an album is enough. Also nothing here sounds as creepy or suffocating as "Don Aman." I'm really not sure what vibe they were going for. Middle class disillusionment? Not something I'm totally interested in right now.
So yeah, if you're able to ignore lyrics give this a listen. [First added to this chart: 02/27/2021]
Klezmer Spiderland
I've heard people say things like "I'd like this album more if it were instrumental," but I don't think I've ever personally felt that way before. Well, I have now. I don't dislike the singer's voice here, but the hammy, smarmy inflection he uses is infuriating to listen to. And the lyrics are so bad. Maybe just not my cup of tea, as I don't think I've read other complaints about them, but they're epically, impressively bad for me. Lyrical gems on this album include:
- Referencing that "the car goes beep beep beep" song
- "She sells chemtrails"
- Using the word Nutribullet, which isn't bad on its own I guess (Nick Cave once namedropped Wikipedia and it didn't ruin the song) but it sounded pretty bad in context
- Shouting "references, references!" in a dizzy climactic spiral
- Mentioning black midi, which was easily the worst lyrical moment here
I'm sure there were others too. What I dislike about that last one was its self-awareness, which came off a lot less clever than they probably thought. If you've read anything about this album it's probably about how indebted it is to Slint and the post-rock greats, and that they're kind of in the same class as black midi in that way (though they were much more indebted to post punk). There actually was a kind of funny part here where they call themselves the second best Slint tribute band, which at the time I thought was clever, but after hearing them continue to reference other bands, especially black midi, it just got tiring.
Here's the thing: I don't think the music here is really all that indebted to Slint. It's really great musically, and this isn't even a sound I typically like. The horns come in at just the right times, the drums skip along playfully, and the Eastern European influences are integrated well. I was pretty worried going into this that it would sound like a retread, and instrumentally I don't think it does. But slap on those vocals and you instantly get what might not even be the second best Slint tribute band. It's pretty hard to ignore especially when these songs are largely about ennui and feel like they're trying to be copies of "Don Aman," but one version of that song on an album is enough. Also nothing here sounds as creepy or suffocating as "Don Aman." I'm really not sure what vibe they were going for. Middle class disillusionment? Not something I'm totally interested in right now.
So yeah, if you're able to ignore lyrics give this a listen. [First added to this chart: 02/27/2021]
Year of Release:
2021
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,744
Rank in 2021:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 88. Page 8 of 9
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Top 88 Music Albums of 2021 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| R.A.P. Ferreira | 2 | 2% | |
| Lana Del Rey | 2 | 2% | |
| Fiddlehead | 1 | 1% | |
| Viagra Boys | 1 | 1% | |
| Wolves In The Throne Room | 1 | 1% | |
| 파란노을 [Parannoul] | 1 | 1% | |
| Kacey Musgraves | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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55 | 63% | |
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14 | 16% | |
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3 | 3% | |
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3 | 3% | |
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2 | 2% | |
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2 | 2% | |
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2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 88 Music Albums of 2021 chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
 Up 3 from 6th to 3rdInpariquipê by Kaatayra |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 3rd to 4th Glow On by Turnstile |
| Down 1 from 4th to 5th Seek Shelter by Iceage |
| Down 1 from 5th to 6th Nafs At Peace by جو بھی [Jaubi] |
Top 88 Music Albums of 2021 ratings
89/100 (from 3 votes)
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
N.B. The average rating for this chart will not be reliable as it has been rated very few times.
Showing all 3 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 100/100  | 02/09/2022 19:45 | DJENNY | | 100/100 |
| 100/100 | 06/06/2021 13:24 |  travelful | | 99/100 |
| 95/100 | 05/18/2021 08:34 |  Purplepash | | 88/100 |
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From babyBlueSedan 06/13/2021 16:13
babyBlueSedan 06/13/2021 16:13
Thanks for the rec! I've definitely been out of the hip hop loop the past few years, I hadn't even heard of Mach-Hommy until he showed up on one of billy woods's albums in 2019. I think I knew about the album he released a single copy of before hearing about the new one but then I saw he's got a huge discography and wasn't sure where to go next. It's hard for me to find the time lately to spend digesting new hip hop albums to the extent they deserve but I'll try to give it a chance when I can.
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100/100
From travelful 06/06/2021 13:29
travelful 06/06/2021 13:29
Glad you liked Mach-Hommy! He's one of the most underrated rappers currently, and its primarily his fault for making his music so inaccessible. His best album in my opinion is "Haitian Body Odor" (HBO) and thankfully it's on SoundCloud. Similar to "Pray For Haiti" it released under Griselda Records. It was his Griselda debut back in 2016 before him and Westside Gunn had a falling out due to creative differences. I think it's a top 10 hip-hop album of the last decade, maybe it would interest you.
Always love following your charts.
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