Listed below are the best albums of 2021 as calculated from their overall rankings in over 59,000 greatest album charts. (Chart last updated: 3 hours ago).
"Here we go, J. Cole, everyone has something to say when his name is being brought up. Where does one even begin? He’s been one of the biggest names of hip hop for a decade now, probably the most polarising rapper of his generation. There’s a good chance someone will tell you he is better than Ken...""Here we go, J. Cole, everyone has something to say when his name is being brought up. Where does one even begin? He’s been one of the biggest names of hip hop for a decade now, probably the most polarising rapper of his generation. There’s a good chance someone will tell you he is better than Kendrick (or even sidestep any comparisons and proclaim him the G.O.A.T) or that he is worse than Drake ( no offense to Drake, it’s just that a surprisingly large amount of people that take part in such debates barely know another rapper, so these two are the most common points of reference, lol). As it happens more often than not in similar cases, in my opinion the truth lies somewhere in the middle - boring, I know. He is a good rapper, I wouldn't call that in question, but hardly anything beyond that, the word bland perfectly characterises him. I’d go as far as to say he’s been constantly deteriorating in that regard and here he may have reached his peak. Allow me a couple of flashbacks, In 2014 Forest Hills Drive he opened up, showing a vulnerable side of himself, using his own journey as a means to deliver some universal messages. It wasn't hard to spot some flaws, in an attempt to become relatable he did get too personal in an awkward way, but at least he tried – and the jazzy laid-back sound was ear-pleasing if nothing else. 4 Your Eyez Only saw him getting more ambitious, both in terms of production, where some modern touches were added to his typical sound, but mostly in terms of the narrative, featuring story arcs that don’t restrict themselves to one song, but unfold over the entire album. Again, saying he fell short of creating a masterpiece would be an understatement, but you couldn’t blame him that much. And then (fast forward to the present , conveniently skipping some of his "lesser" albums) came The Off-Season. The basic premiss of this record is obvious simply by looking at the title: he took his time during the off-season (it's noteworthy that the sport references remain a thing throughout the album, which are almost always a positive in my book) to prepare, improve, focus on his goal and come back better than ever. Well, after listening to this, it’s fair to say it did him more harm than good. Production wise, he’s fully immersed in a modern, kinda generic trap based sound, while his performance is also dangerously close to forgettable when it comes to either rapping or lyrics. So, yeah, all this quite possibly unnecessary and undoubtedly overly long introduction just to say that his previous albums displayed some effort, no matter how the final product sounded like, while this is disappointingly indolent."[+]Reply
"(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 nicel...""(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."[+]Reply
"If you’re expecting an album of ABBA similar to their mid 70s imperial phase you will be disappointed. However if you are familiar with their later albums, particularly The Visitors there is plenty to love here. This is not just the return of ABBA, it’s the return of mature ABBA. That’s not to sa...""If you’re expecting an album of ABBA similar to their mid 70s imperial phase you will be disappointed. However if you are familiar with their later albums, particularly The Visitors there is plenty to love here. This is not just the return of ABBA, it’s the return of mature ABBA.
That’s not to say there are no upbeat tunes here, there are, Don’t Shut Me Down, Just a Notion, Keep an Eye on Dan and No Doubt About It are waiting to be blasted out of radio’s worldwide.
But there’s more, there classical touches (Ode To Freedom), Irish jigs (When You Danced With Me), Christmas (Little Things), marital strife and custody problems (I Can Be That Woman and Keep an Eye on Dan).
Bizarrely, most of the songs lack choruses, preferring to climax on the last line of the verse and left turns aplenty are taken within ABBA’s pop universe. For instance I Sill Have Faith In You’s delivery is as wordy and literal as the Manic Street Preachers at their best. There are hooks aplenty for sure but when a chorus does crop up, often than not, they’re understated giving the songs an elusive, hard to pin down nature. For a pop album it’s certainly the most awkward and uncompromising I’ve yet to hear- make of that what you will. So it’s not Little Mix.
On a final note, this album has taken 40 years to arrive, it’d be more than a little over-hasty to dismiss it after a cursory listen as I suspect much of its charms will reveal itself over time particularly as it is designed for repeat listening. Disposable pop it is not. 9/10"[+]Reply
"Man, Death's Dynamic Shroud is amazing! I have never ever heard anything like it before. I can't put it in a single genre either it's just a strong force standing there by it's own. The first half of this thing is really strong, especially songs like See Me, Someone in the Room AND FAITH IN PERSO...""Man, Death's Dynamic Shroud is amazing! I have never ever heard anything like it before. I can't put it in a single genre either it's just a strong force standing there by it's own. The first half of this thing is really strong, especially songs like See Me, Someone in the Room AND FAITH IN PERSONA easily the best track on the album, so innovative, strange and dancy. Unfortunately Just To Be Needed and Last Minutes Of the Memory don't hold up to the other tracks, they are okay, but I think they try to be more than what they are and that takes away more than it gives to me. Three dots and RIP were a breath of fresh air, a rest from the monstrous beats that have been playing until this point, RIP also reminds me of Unravel by Bjork a bit. If this dude/s continue down this path the next album is going to hold a defining role in the future of music. I see a lot of potential that shows throughout most of the first half. I guess a 8.5/10, but the title tracks breaks that scale alone :D"[+]Reply
"Honestly it’s surprisingly good for what it is. It’s has some really solid high points- Kiss Me More, Ain’t Shit, Get Into It, You Right, Need to Know. However everything else is pretty forgettable. The project lacks focus, it seems like more a vessel to hold the singles and the couple of other r...""Honestly it’s surprisingly good for what it is. It’s has some really solid high points- Kiss Me More, Ain’t Shit, Get Into It, You Right, Need to Know. However everything else is pretty forgettable. The project lacks focus, it seems like more a vessel to hold the singles and the couple of other radio digestible songs instead of a full body of work but that’s sort of to be expected for the mainstream at this point isn’t it? Maybe it’s because I went into this project with my expectations on the floor it kind of took me by surprise that there are moments on this album that are really good. You just never know what you’re gonna get from Doja she’s pretty unpredictable. Between this and Sour by Olivia Rodrigo as well as potential Adele, Rihanna, and Billie Eilish on the horizon there maybe be some hope that mainstream music is starting to make an upward climb out of the absolutely dreadful slump it went through for the past decade or two. In conclusion it’s not great but it definitely exceeded my expectations 6.5/10"[+]Reply
"(Quite heavy in several senses of that word, and generally pretty intense and loud and ugly. I respect it, but don't quite love it in all its brutal, abrasive charms.) Right from the jump with the opening slab of industrial metal insanity I knew I was in for some intense and sharp and abrasive an...""(Quite heavy in several senses of that word, and generally pretty intense and loud and ugly. I respect it, but don't quite love it in all its brutal, abrasive charms.)
Right from the jump with the opening slab of industrial metal insanity I knew I was in for some intense and sharp and abrasive and harsh industrial rock/metal stuff. And that first prediction of sorts was played out. This is indeed a very intense album with some seriously whiplash-inducing changes from some harsh industrial metal to a quirky pop tune and some fun banter back to some filthy wave of discordant intense blowtorch and so on and so forth.
And I really respect it. Its cool. I love this type of stuff usually or at least enough to think that this may be a new favorite of mine. However...sadly I didn't totally buy in and dig it as much as I thought I would. Not sure exactly why that is as of yet.
Maybe I just wasn't in the right headspace for this wild and LOUD of an album. I'm thinking even Streetcleaner would be a chore to listen to right now cuz, well, I am just not in the exact right mood for having my face absolutely caved in and my essence shattered by these sounds and these lyrics.
On a technical level, this was impressive. Like, I think some of the music and sounds here were borderline awe-inspiring. The vocals are so wild and all over the place and when they scream and let lose it sounds like the end times. So, props.
I do think I will revisit this throughout the coming months. Cuz my head is saying this is sick and should be in top 10 of the year so far territory, but my heart ain't in it.
If you love their other albums and if you like abrasive and super loud and noisy blasts of sound, I highly HIGHLY recommend this. I mean, I liked it. I just need to take a breather and return later."[+]Reply
"“I Lie Here Buried With My Rings And My Dresses” has a strange juxtaposition between novelty and repetition. Lyrically, it’s very unique with Backxwash’s striking descriptions of post-colonialism, poverty, and Transphobia. “666 In Luxaxa” paints an especially vivid narrative of forced conversion ...""“I Lie Here Buried With My Rings And My Dresses” has a strange juxtaposition between novelty and repetition. Lyrically, it’s very unique with Backxwash’s striking descriptions of post-colonialism, poverty, and Transphobia. “666 In Luxaxa” paints an especially vivid narrative of forced conversion connecting to modern political suffering. These insights are unfortunately delivered in the exact same manner. Backxwash shout raps every single line on every track with minimum difference. It’s harshness become grating to the point that it steals meaning from the writing. The blur turns horrifying critique into a stale wall of sound. "[+]Reply
Mercury | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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johnner | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
