101-200 Albums of 2021 by 
Mercury 
Some of these albums are very good and it was hard taking them off top 100 of year. I really love this year in music so far. Also, a good few of these will be revisited and commented upon later down the line and, who knows, may rise high in and into the top 100.
I will now start another chart which is 2021 spill overs or 1-and-Dones (what this chart was for months). I had to make a spreadsheet like a dork because I know that soon this will get freaking way way to confusing to keep in order across 3 charts. Hope someday we have longer chart sizes.
- Chart updated: 02/03/2022 04:45
- (Created: 04/01/2021 21:24).
- Chart size: 98 albums.
There is 1 comment for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and 101-200 Albums of 2021 has an average rating of 87 out of 100 (from 2 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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1
1
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(Pharaoh Sanders-style spiritual jazz with 2 big, meaty pieces of transcendent beauty. Really solid album here.)
I wasn’t aware how much I craved some spiritual jazz to swim around in until I pushed play on this. I instantly was just in a better place as I listened.
The album itself is composed of 2 pieces, both about 16-17 minutes, called “Dusk” and “Dawn”.
To say this sounds Pharaoh Sanders would be an understatement, as it is clearly very similar to Sanders’ work. Of course that isn’t a bad thing, as Sanders is an absolute giant and his influence and style has influenced a myriad of artists. But if you are someone who for some reason feels personally offended if a modern artist wears their influences on their sleeves, then you’ll maybe be turned off by this fact.
At the same time, their is a vibrant, joyous, exploratory atmosphere that these musicians create that is their own. For example as the music of “Dusk” builds and shifts and crescendos from its breezy and blissful opening minutes to its clattering, more abstract avant-garde final phase, it’s clear that the musicians have gone into a different creative realm. It’s quite beautiful and inspired.
“Side 2” is a completely different vibe. “Dawn” doesn’t crescendo with a noisy clash of horns nor get particularly avant-garde, instead it is a more consistently uplifting feel and the vocal line/chant comes in and makes the whole thing just groove in a powerful and beautiful way.
I’m no expert on jazz, but I do love the spiritual jazz masters I’ve delved into such as Sanders and Alice and John Coltrane. This is a beautiful modern reimagining of that music. And it’s clear that there is a really beautiful jazz scene alive and prospering in England these days. I look forward to seeing where else it takes us. [First added to this chart: 11/29/2021]
I wasn’t aware how much I craved some spiritual jazz to swim around in until I pushed play on this. I instantly was just in a better place as I listened.
The album itself is composed of 2 pieces, both about 16-17 minutes, called “Dusk” and “Dawn”.
To say this sounds Pharaoh Sanders would be an understatement, as it is clearly very similar to Sanders’ work. Of course that isn’t a bad thing, as Sanders is an absolute giant and his influence and style has influenced a myriad of artists. But if you are someone who for some reason feels personally offended if a modern artist wears their influences on their sleeves, then you’ll maybe be turned off by this fact.
At the same time, their is a vibrant, joyous, exploratory atmosphere that these musicians create that is their own. For example as the music of “Dusk” builds and shifts and crescendos from its breezy and blissful opening minutes to its clattering, more abstract avant-garde final phase, it’s clear that the musicians have gone into a different creative realm. It’s quite beautiful and inspired.
“Side 2” is a completely different vibe. “Dawn” doesn’t crescendo with a noisy clash of horns nor get particularly avant-garde, instead it is a more consistently uplifting feel and the vocal line/chant comes in and makes the whole thing just groove in a powerful and beautiful way.
I’m no expert on jazz, but I do love the spiritual jazz masters I’ve delved into such as Sanders and Alice and John Coltrane. This is a beautiful modern reimagining of that music. And it’s clear that there is a really beautiful jazz scene alive and prospering in England these days. I look forward to seeing where else it takes us. [First added to this chart: 11/29/2021]
2
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[First added to this chart: 10/17/2021]
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(Cool alt/indie rock album. Ellie on the vocals is the star, but the band is solid throughout.)
I say this a lot but it’s particularly true here: I don’t have much to say about this. It’s a very solid and at times gorgeous indie rock album. It bounces so often from one sound to another, I can’t pin down what Wolf Alice’s sound or distinctive quality is based off this mostly very good batch of songs.
The heavy rocking tracks few but they sound cool as hell. The more somber and introspective tracks also work really well. This comes down I think to the vocalist, Ellie Rowsell. She totally kicks ass on most of these tracks (not a fan of the corny kinda sorta rapping on “Smile” but the heavy track saves that song) and I just really love her style.
The album is a solid one start to finish. I can’t say I am blown away by it, but I enjoy the hell out of it. Very memorable melodies and some really dope tracks litter this one. Glad I listened that is for sure. [First added to this chart: 09/19/2021]
I say this a lot but it’s particularly true here: I don’t have much to say about this. It’s a very solid and at times gorgeous indie rock album. It bounces so often from one sound to another, I can’t pin down what Wolf Alice’s sound or distinctive quality is based off this mostly very good batch of songs.
The heavy rocking tracks few but they sound cool as hell. The more somber and introspective tracks also work really well. This comes down I think to the vocalist, Ellie Rowsell. She totally kicks ass on most of these tracks (not a fan of the corny kinda sorta rapping on “Smile” but the heavy track saves that song) and I just really love her style.
The album is a solid one start to finish. I can’t say I am blown away by it, but I enjoy the hell out of it. Very memorable melodies and some really dope tracks litter this one. Glad I listened that is for sure. [First added to this chart: 09/19/2021]
Year of Release:
2021
Appears in:
Rank Score:
953
Rank in 2021:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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(As someone who is late to the Jane Weaver experience, this is a very intriguing introduction to her music. This album is a lil pop gem full of excellent ideas executed beautifully. It dips its toes in psych pop and art pop and synth pop and more dreamy bits etc and it almost all works very nicely.)
Jane Weaver has released 11 albums since 2002. Yet she is news to me. Not sure how she has so completely and utterly alluded my attention. Well, I am glad 2021 is the year I finally have heard OF her and listened to her music.
This, her 11th studio album (per a very cursory glance at her RYM) is a beautiful simpler platter of various sounds and pop ideas that Jane dips her toes into. It sounds and feels like she has become enough of a veteran that almost any idea she gets for a melody or a sound or effect she can pull off. The whole album has an easy flow that just rolls along and is never remotely awkward or unpleasant. The consistency and the tendency of the sometimes gorgeous sounds being so short-lived makes this album almost feel insubstantial. That may be my only critique if ya wanna call it that. After a couple listens I find myself fond of every second but head over heels for none of it (outside of the infectious closing track "Solarised" which I admittedly love).
I am intrigued by the talent on display here, the songwriting, arranging, vocals, and almost every detail here is so effortlessly infectious and beautiful and fun. Certainly one of the better Art Pop/Psych Pop album I've heard this year. [First added to this chart: 04/29/2021]
Jane Weaver has released 11 albums since 2002. Yet she is news to me. Not sure how she has so completely and utterly alluded my attention. Well, I am glad 2021 is the year I finally have heard OF her and listened to her music.
This, her 11th studio album (per a very cursory glance at her RYM) is a beautiful simpler platter of various sounds and pop ideas that Jane dips her toes into. It sounds and feels like she has become enough of a veteran that almost any idea she gets for a melody or a sound or effect she can pull off. The whole album has an easy flow that just rolls along and is never remotely awkward or unpleasant. The consistency and the tendency of the sometimes gorgeous sounds being so short-lived makes this album almost feel insubstantial. That may be my only critique if ya wanna call it that. After a couple listens I find myself fond of every second but head over heels for none of it (outside of the infectious closing track "Solarised" which I admittedly love).
I am intrigued by the talent on display here, the songwriting, arranging, vocals, and almost every detail here is so effortlessly infectious and beautiful and fun. Certainly one of the better Art Pop/Psych Pop album I've heard this year. [First added to this chart: 04/29/2021]
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Weirdly this is the first Chvrches album I have ever heard in full. Back in 2013 and other years I have heard a lot of good things about them. But, never pushed play on them until now.
This is a synthpop album. Its very dramatic. It sounds nice. The vocals are cool. I had no idea the lead singer was a lady, considering my bias for female vocals in indie pop or synthpop music, I think I would have checked them out years ago had I just paid more attention.
"How Not To Drown" featuring Robert Smith is a solid song. There are other good ones here.
I like this but don't like it enough to listen on repeat and write anything sensible here. [First added to this chart: 09/18/2021]
This is a synthpop album. Its very dramatic. It sounds nice. The vocals are cool. I had no idea the lead singer was a lady, considering my bias for female vocals in indie pop or synthpop music, I think I would have checked them out years ago had I just paid more attention.
"How Not To Drown" featuring Robert Smith is a solid song. There are other good ones here.
I like this but don't like it enough to listen on repeat and write anything sensible here. [First added to this chart: 09/18/2021]
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(Almost Another Green World-ish in its mix of soft and earnest pop tunes with ambient bits. A consistently beautiful and artful album that I quite liked.)
This is a beautiful album. It flies by, and there are no moments that turned me off or annoyed or bored me. The skeletal tracks generally work well when paired with the angelic vocals and the sweet melodies. The album flows relatively nicely, only when it go into a couple of the less interesting or inspired ambient instrumental tracks does it lose a little steam. But at its peak on songs such as "Semi-Biotic", the opener "I Need To Keep You In My Life" and "Nothing At All" the level of beautiful cohesion between the synths and the vocals and melodies and lyrics and all the interlocking details is truly amazing. On these songs I feel like its clear that William Doyle is an excellent artist.
As mentioned in the opening parenthetical snippet, this does remind me quite a bit of Another Green World by Eno. Of course whenever such an iconic and game-changing album is mentioned as similar I personally feel like that is hyperbolic and silly and more an indication of my relative lack of listening experience with this style of Ambient Pop. But the similarities are there, from the skeletal yet indelible melodies, the simple percussion sounds, the flow of the album from somewhat abstract but still hummable pop tune to a slow building ambient art pop tune to a short excursion down ambient land, the same general beats are hit here as on that 1975 classic. William Doyle has an excellent voice and he sings his songs excellently here, much like Eno there.
Overall, I quite liked this album, its artful, mildly abstract, serene, and adventurous. I went back and listened to his previous album Your Wilderness Revisited and I found a similar style there and I enjoyed it (on my one listen) just as much as this one. So I think I may have found another artist to keep my eye on going forward. [First added to this chart: 09/19/2021]
This is a beautiful album. It flies by, and there are no moments that turned me off or annoyed or bored me. The skeletal tracks generally work well when paired with the angelic vocals and the sweet melodies. The album flows relatively nicely, only when it go into a couple of the less interesting or inspired ambient instrumental tracks does it lose a little steam. But at its peak on songs such as "Semi-Biotic", the opener "I Need To Keep You In My Life" and "Nothing At All" the level of beautiful cohesion between the synths and the vocals and melodies and lyrics and all the interlocking details is truly amazing. On these songs I feel like its clear that William Doyle is an excellent artist.
As mentioned in the opening parenthetical snippet, this does remind me quite a bit of Another Green World by Eno. Of course whenever such an iconic and game-changing album is mentioned as similar I personally feel like that is hyperbolic and silly and more an indication of my relative lack of listening experience with this style of Ambient Pop. But the similarities are there, from the skeletal yet indelible melodies, the simple percussion sounds, the flow of the album from somewhat abstract but still hummable pop tune to a slow building ambient art pop tune to a short excursion down ambient land, the same general beats are hit here as on that 1975 classic. William Doyle has an excellent voice and he sings his songs excellently here, much like Eno there.
Overall, I quite liked this album, its artful, mildly abstract, serene, and adventurous. I went back and listened to his previous album Your Wilderness Revisited and I found a similar style there and I enjoyed it (on my one listen) just as much as this one. So I think I may have found another artist to keep my eye on going forward. [First added to this chart: 09/19/2021]
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[First added to this chart: 09/24/2021]
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(I am far faaaar from a fan or connoisseur of Hip Hop and especially not UK Hip Hop, but I really really enjoyed this brisk album.)
I have to say I loved the production here and I thought it was consistently vibrant and there was always something cool happening to keep my ears engaged. The rapping was solid as well, and while I don't pay attention to recent events with artists at all, I could hear that he was delicately working out his shortcomings and mistakes and thoughts on recent events in his career. Again, I don't give a fuck about that aspect, but as far as the lyrics and themes dealing with it he seemed to do well.
This is a genre that I have so little insight or background on I tend to just grade or rate based off my oblivious enjoyment. That is kinda how I initially look at all music, but with a genre I am a bit more familiar with I can connect the dots and critique things based off other listening experiences. Not so with UK Hip Hop. So, all I can say is I really liked this, I liked that all the songs are good and pretty rapid fire, I like the shortness of the album, the production and the flow. Really solid stuff. [First added to this chart: 07/01/2021]
I have to say I loved the production here and I thought it was consistently vibrant and there was always something cool happening to keep my ears engaged. The rapping was solid as well, and while I don't pay attention to recent events with artists at all, I could hear that he was delicately working out his shortcomings and mistakes and thoughts on recent events in his career. Again, I don't give a fuck about that aspect, but as far as the lyrics and themes dealing with it he seemed to do well.
This is a genre that I have so little insight or background on I tend to just grade or rate based off my oblivious enjoyment. That is kinda how I initially look at all music, but with a genre I am a bit more familiar with I can connect the dots and critique things based off other listening experiences. Not so with UK Hip Hop. So, all I can say is I really liked this, I liked that all the songs are good and pretty rapid fire, I like the shortness of the album, the production and the flow. Really solid stuff. [First added to this chart: 07/01/2021]
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(A good pop/synth pop album with some soul and some massive choruses. I don’t know why I love listening to this so much, but I really do.)
Sometimes I just want some damn good and upbeat electro-pop/synth pop bubblegum-y, direct, lovely, uplifting pop jams filled with massive choruses saying positive things. And this EP provides that nicely.
I really don’t have much else to say here outside of the above and that I think this is a fun and sweet and catchy pop album and I was surprised how much I enjoyed this little gem. [First added to this chart: 07/02/2021]
Sometimes I just want some damn good and upbeat electro-pop/synth pop bubblegum-y, direct, lovely, uplifting pop jams filled with massive choruses saying positive things. And this EP provides that nicely.
I really don’t have much else to say here outside of the above and that I think this is a fun and sweet and catchy pop album and I was surprised how much I enjoyed this little gem. [First added to this chart: 07/02/2021]
Year of Release:
2021
Appears in:
Rank in 2021:
None
Rank in 2020s:
None
Average Rating:
Comments:
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(Achingly beautiful, engagingly atmospheric ambient/dream pop album that gets more and more rich and comfortable as the album progresses.)
Minimalist rhythms, whispered vocals, austere synth melodies all ever so slowly blossom as you listen to this quite fascinating dreamy ambient pop album. Probably the fact that this album is so consistently understated and reticent is what makes even the smallest sonic touches hit substantially harder than you'd expect. For example in "Subordinate" there are these sharp piano chords that come in, and due to the fact that you've just floated away into dreamland with the stellar previous track (The Softest Bond Resists Resistance) these chords sound almost indulgent. Then 2 minutes into "Subordinate" the swell of the music just has you 100% on board with the ride. This is just my experience, obviously. But I can't praise the slow build up of this album enough. The opener is so sooooo minimal and as I heard it I was thinking that with a sound so stripped down I only hope this is a set up for the end of the song or the rest of the album. And I am happy to say that yes that is indeed how this album went. By the end of the album the songs are so gorgeous and I was so invested in the atmosphere and music it was heavenly.
Personally when I see "Ambient Pop" or "Dream Pop" used to describe an album I instantly start imagining, well, pop. And pop (despite being a ridiculously broad term with no specific emotion generally connected with it) makes me think of sunshine and dancing and happiness and beauty. Well, so it was with this album. I thought maybe I'd get sunnier vibes than what I got. Instead the songs here are dark, intimate, introspective and troubled. The first indication I got of where this album was on track 3, "Misericord" in which the singer Kirsty Yates details ill-intentions and threats toward some unlucky someone. The way the words are delivered is so calm it makes the words all the more impactful. Throughout the album there are dark words read with mesmerizing whispery tones that just keeps this album vocals-wise always engaging.
The songs which stick out as the best on this album (which should be listened to in full as an album cuz the whole thing is knitted so gorgeously together) are "ghost Music", "The Softest Bonds Resist Resistance", "Subordinate", "Thin Skin" and the near-perfect 1-2 punch of the closing tracks "Half Past 4" and "Undressing".
I had no previous experience with Insides/Earwig before. Apparently this is the first album the duo of Kirsty Yates and Julien Tardo have released an album in over 20 years. Their 1993 debut "Euphoria" seems to be quite highly regarded and with my pleasant experience with this album I am very much looking forward to listening to that album.
I really liked and borderline loved this album. [First added to this chart: 08/03/2021]
Minimalist rhythms, whispered vocals, austere synth melodies all ever so slowly blossom as you listen to this quite fascinating dreamy ambient pop album. Probably the fact that this album is so consistently understated and reticent is what makes even the smallest sonic touches hit substantially harder than you'd expect. For example in "Subordinate" there are these sharp piano chords that come in, and due to the fact that you've just floated away into dreamland with the stellar previous track (The Softest Bond Resists Resistance) these chords sound almost indulgent. Then 2 minutes into "Subordinate" the swell of the music just has you 100% on board with the ride. This is just my experience, obviously. But I can't praise the slow build up of this album enough. The opener is so sooooo minimal and as I heard it I was thinking that with a sound so stripped down I only hope this is a set up for the end of the song or the rest of the album. And I am happy to say that yes that is indeed how this album went. By the end of the album the songs are so gorgeous and I was so invested in the atmosphere and music it was heavenly.
Personally when I see "Ambient Pop" or "Dream Pop" used to describe an album I instantly start imagining, well, pop. And pop (despite being a ridiculously broad term with no specific emotion generally connected with it) makes me think of sunshine and dancing and happiness and beauty. Well, so it was with this album. I thought maybe I'd get sunnier vibes than what I got. Instead the songs here are dark, intimate, introspective and troubled. The first indication I got of where this album was on track 3, "Misericord" in which the singer Kirsty Yates details ill-intentions and threats toward some unlucky someone. The way the words are delivered is so calm it makes the words all the more impactful. Throughout the album there are dark words read with mesmerizing whispery tones that just keeps this album vocals-wise always engaging.
The songs which stick out as the best on this album (which should be listened to in full as an album cuz the whole thing is knitted so gorgeously together) are "ghost Music", "The Softest Bonds Resist Resistance", "Subordinate", "Thin Skin" and the near-perfect 1-2 punch of the closing tracks "Half Past 4" and "Undressing".
I had no previous experience with Insides/Earwig before. Apparently this is the first album the duo of Kirsty Yates and Julien Tardo have released an album in over 20 years. Their 1993 debut "Euphoria" seems to be quite highly regarded and with my pleasant experience with this album I am very much looking forward to listening to that album.
I really liked and borderline loved this album. [First added to this chart: 08/03/2021]
Total albums: 17. Page 1 of 2
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101-200 Albums of 2021 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Yautja | 1 | 1% | |
| William Doyle | 1 | 1% | |
| Sarah Mary Chadwick | 1 | 1% | |
| Tinashe | 1 | 1% | |
| Sweet Trip | 1 | 1% | |
| La Femme | 1 | 1% | |
| Pinegrove | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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|
|
|
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| |
51 | 52% | |
 |
17 | 17% | |
 |
7 | 7% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
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2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
101-200 Albums of 2021 chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 1st to 2nd Calico Dreams by Sugar Wounds |
| Down 1 from 2nd to 3rd Youth Novel by Youth Novel |
| Down 1 from 3rd to 4th Solar Paroxysm by Mare Cognitum |
| New entries |
|---|
 Leap Secondby M. Caye Castagnetto |
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87/100 (from 2 votes)
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| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 95/100  | 09/21/2021 21:13 |  DommeDamian | | 90/100 |
| 90/100 | 06/16/2021 09:18 |  Purplepash | | 88/100 |
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90/100
From Purplepash 06/16/2021 09:23
Purplepash 06/16/2021 09:23
Impressive!...in both quality (of the insightful and descriptive notes and comments) and quantity (I'm only up to 69 2021 albums for the year as of now and I think I listen to a lot...wrongly I guess, hah!)
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