Listed below are the best albums of 2021 as calculated from their overall rankings in over 58,000 greatest album charts. (Chart last updated: 7 hours ago).
"“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
"A little rough around the edges, but there are lots of interesting ideas, most of which are well executed. This album is quite the ride and never gets boring. Keem is definentely one of the most interesting and creative young up and coming hip hop artists. I'm very excited to see what he does on ...""A little rough around the edges, but there are lots of interesting ideas, most of which are well executed. This album is quite the ride and never gets boring. Keem is definentely one of the most interesting and creative young up and coming hip hop artists. I'm very excited to see what he does on his next project."[+]Reply
"This one's growing on me. I didn't like it at first but there are some great tracks and the album flows really well. Best tracks: Good Day, Choker, No Chances, Redecorate Worst tracks: Formidable, Bounce Man"Reply
"I’ve been following Mackenzie Scott’s unique stylings of raw vocals and introspective lyrics for a while now and for 2020’s strong ‘Silver Tongue’ I wrote - “Each album has been progressively more assured and here on album number 4 she has released her best album to date . I’ve no doubt the maste...""I’ve been following Mackenzie Scott’s unique stylings of raw vocals and introspective lyrics for a while now and for 2020’s strong ‘Silver Tongue’ I wrote -
“Each album has been progressively more assured and here on album number 4 she has released her best album to date . I’ve no doubt the masterpiece or breakout album is just around the corner for Mackenzie , remember it took Sharon Van Etten until album 5 to hit pay-dirt with ‘Are We There’ “
So here we have that number 5 album from Torres and whilst this one is clearly her best album to date with a decidedly more edgy and crunchy sound its not quite that sublime gem we had hoped for. Reading the music press the critics agree, raising Scotts profile immensely and setting the scene for a huge breakthrough on album 6 (hopefully)
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"I've listened to this a bunch of times, and I gotta be honest, it really washes over me. But there are a few strong highlights, and as far as I'm concerned, Vince can really do no wrong."Reply
"Very stripped back Elbow Sparse and beautiful, sort of like their "get back" project. The last two songs are a test to check if you have a heart. Seldom seen kid paints a picture of what would have happened if his wife had had the opportunity to meet his best friend who died. While I read the las...""Very stripped back Elbow
Sparse and beautiful, sort of like their "get back" project.
The last two songs are a test to check if you have a heart.
Seldom seen kid paints a picture of what would have happened if his wife had had the opportunity to meet his best friend who died.
While I read the last one as an ode to fatherhood in the simplest of things.
I could totally understand if people dont like it as it is very mellow, but if you are on the mood for it. Its one of their best works to date."[+]Reply
"(One of the best albums of this year. Easily. From one of the greatest and most consistent musicians of this millennium so far. Again, that is easily the case. This woman doesn't miss. If you love heartfelt singer/songwriter albums and songs and if you love albums that are rooted in American folk...""(One of the best albums of this year. Easily. From one of the greatest and most consistent musicians of this millennium so far. Again, that is easily the case. This woman doesn't miss. If you love heartfelt singer/songwriter albums and songs and if you love albums that are rooted in American folk, country, country rock and all that stuff, then I highly recommend this to you.)
This album took a little while to worm its way into my heart. At first I thought it was just another solid album from Carlile - one of the best and most consistent singer/songwriters of the last decade and a half - and that was it. I thought maybe some of the songs were too sacharrine and sentimental and I thought this album had some special something missing. But after several listens it feels like this album is much better than I was giving it credit for. It has a certain depth of feeling and of course some incredible production that now strike me as exceptional.
The opener "Right On Time" is perhaps the source of my feeling of over-sentimentality earlier on. Now that track feels heartfelt and wise. On first listen it felt too much, too direct, too much like a pick-me-up type song. But now I just think its a beautiful song that is, truthfully, pretty damn direct in its advice-like messaging, but also gorgeous with some solid piano melodies and its a solid opener.
Aftyer that opener is when this album opens up and sonically is just a damn feast. Whether Brandi is rocking out with some cosmic american badassery, or is bringing the songs down to the earthy ground with a folk ballad, or if she is doing a somewhat old American standards sounding song, or really whatever avenue she chooses to sue, the songs here are consistently warm and full and the production is just so gorgeously fleshed out! The singing is solid throughout, the only complaint I have for the vocals is that Brandi does that big vibrato trick. I love it sometimes when she does that, but sometimes it feels a bit much. Still, overall, she is a great singer, she knows when to imbue a line with a certain croak or strain to get across a feeling, and she knows when to really belt out these big notes and when to take it down to a quieter and more intimate affair.
The band here and the way the instruments interact are incredible. The guitar playing here is earthy and powerful and gorgeous, the drums and percussion are consistently beautiful and hard hitting, and when the songs are layered with strings or horns or back up singers, they are produced and performed excellently and work to add a certain drama and largeness to the tracks.
Standout tracks include: the heavy as hell and epic "Sinners, Saint and Fools" - the way that song builds and then crescendos at its close is...HOLY SHIT! Amazing stuff. The touching and lullaby-soft closer "Throwing Good After Bad" is a standout - her vocals here are stunning and soulful and brilliant. Also, track 2 "You and Me on the Rock (Feat. Lucius)" is a buoyant and loving and exuberant Americana jam that puts a smile on my face, and its a sweet love song... I think... and I love a good love song. "This Time Tomorrow", oh boy, I love that acoustic melody that comes in and those 2 part harmonies, and those lyrics, and the whole vibe of this track is just what I want injected straight into my folk-loving veins. Fuck me, I love this sound and song. Of course there is MASSIVE country rocking masterpiece that is "Broken Horses" - this song has everything going for it, incredible lyrics and a chorus that is so inspiring it should be illegal and a massive rocking stomp and riff that can make me feel renewed in these demoralizing times, and it has some of the most intense vocals of her career, and the way the song - which is already epic as hell - opens up toward the end with a face melting passionate guitar solo after a slow, sensual build, holy shit when those last 90 seconds of music come in, I am on cloud nine! Oh and the piano chords are so strident and powerful. anyway, you get the idea this track is a badass one and you should check it out. "Letter to the Past" melts my heart and somehow this songs makes me love Brandi more than I already did, this feels like a message from a dear friend. "Mama Werewolf" has a vein of sadness and grief running through it that it is excellent and at times overwhelming, then there is also the drama and power of the singing and the rhythm and the piano and the way this song builds up stronger and stronger - it feels larger than life and I love it. "When You're Wrong" is pained and beautiful and has a very soft sound and Brandi's vocals are excellent and touching. "Stay Gentle" sounds like an old timey American standard, and it works as a track to rock away your worries and woes. And it seems weird to leave one single solitary song out of this massive paragraph of standout tracks, especially when the one song left off is the opener and so, I'll say that now that I have heard it a dozen times, the opening track "Right On Time" is a standout and is a beautiful and reassuring little song. Of course now that I have listed here every song as a standout that means none are stabndouts or it means each of these songs is a standout in comparison to most music I hear in general. I will say that latter option is true. I think this album is just fabulous, its uplifting and its emotional and gritty and real and sad and hopeful... this is a great album in my opinion and I recommend it. "[+]Reply
"Disappointed with this album. Im not sure why they don't use Calebs vocals more dynamically, his voice is unreal. It just sits and stays when I want the explosion. Back round music is as always pretty solid."Reply