Best Albums of 2021

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31.

Afrique Victime 

 Mdou Moctar

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"I will shamelessly admit I had no idea who Mdou Moctar is prior to listening to this album, so you can easily imagine it was quite the experience, something like a punch in the face. The first thing I noticed is that - in my opinion at least - the production’s handling is exemplary. Despite addin...""I will shamelessly admit I had no idea who Mdou Moctar is prior to listening to this album, so you can easily imagine it was quite the experience, something like a punch in the face. The first thing I noticed is that - in my opinion at least - the production’s handling is exemplary. Despite adding some not so subtle psychedelic touches to the African/blues rhythms, everything remains so bright, almost crystal-clear. Of course, this can’t be a coincidence, it has to be intentional and I believe it is connected with the artist’s general attitude towards his art. Music is for him a means to an end, used to raise the awareness and cohesiveness of the community, so he needs a "transparent" sound that will allow his point to come across more easily -other factors that contribute to that result are a slight tendency towards repetitiveness and the contrast between the light nature of the music and the dark themes explored by the lyrics. In that sense, the obvious comparison as far as 2021 albums go would be - considering how much I liked that one, this is one of the biggest compliments I can give - We Are by Jon Batiste. Actually the first part of the above sentence regarding the value of music in terms of spreading socio-politcal messages is almost a copy/paste from my comment on that album, as I find it fits like a glove here as well. The vocals are another great example of his willingness to get everyone involved, a “the more the merrier” mentality if you will. The fact that he is a modern guitar hero doesn’t hurt either. When he gets too fancy he somewhat loses me (if I'm being completely honest, I’m not that much of a guitar guy to begin with, so it's more my problem than anything else), when he compromises some of his flair for lyricism’s sake, the world instantly becomes a better place, he is so convincing yet not forcing, you 'll follow him of your own free will without asking any questions or having second thoughts. I read somewhere that the studio barely does his work justice and you have to watch him live to conceive the full extent of his artistic statement, a claim which I suspect may be true. "  [+]  Reply

- kokkinos | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 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.

Year of Release:

2021

Appears in:

173 charts

Rank Score:

819

Rank in 2021:

31

Rank in 2020s:

106

Overall Rank:

2,041

Average Rating:

 76 (117 votes)

Comments:

6

32.

Smiling With No Teeth 

 Genesis Owusu

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"Highly promising debut album, there are some instances where he's given more than he can handle, but that's always a danger when going all out on diversity. His acrobatics moving so effortlessly across different styles are nothing short of spectacular. Anyone can find something appealing here. If...""Highly promising debut album, there are some instances where he's given more than he can handle, but that's always a danger when going all out on diversity. His acrobatics moving so effortlessly across different styles are nothing short of spectacular. Anyone can find something appealing here. If I had to pick a standout moment, it would probably be No Looking Back, but this is an album that deserves multiple repeats and my opinion is subject to change at any given moment."  [+]  Reply

- kokkinos | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 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.

Year of Release:

2021

Appears in:

170 charts

Rank Score:

791

Rank in 2021:

32

Rank in 2020s:

114

Overall Rank:

2,106

Average Rating:

 77 (149 votes)

Comments:

10

33.

Ignorance 

 The Weather Station

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"(Pristine sophisti-pop album with incredibly dynamic production, slick and sexy saxophone, and that sweet and unassuming vocal work from Tamara Lindeman.) This is just a fabulously executed and gorgeous album. Every drum beat and horn and line and detail is so pristinely recorded and intentional ...""(Pristine sophisti-pop album with incredibly dynamic production, slick and sexy saxophone, and that sweet and unassuming vocal work from Tamara Lindeman.) This is just a fabulously executed and gorgeous album. Every drum beat and horn and line and detail is so pristinely recorded and intentional and exact. It shines as a nocturnal, sexy, dramatic sophisti-pop and Art Pop album. The songs are consistently just these thought out, precise and complete works. And, while I haven't yet delved into the lyrics, the bits I hear are beautifully written. The voals are good, if not at all the focus here. They are simple and effective and they work well with the detailed sax and drum and other aspects. I don't have much else to say. This is just really solid."  [+]  Reply

- Mercury | 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.

Year of Release:

2021

Appears in:

202 charts

Rank Score:

746

Rank in 2021:

33

Rank in 2020s:

120

Overall Rank:

2,207

Average Rating:

 74 (175 votes)

Comments:

8

34.

An Overview On Phenomenal Nature 

 Cassandra Jenkins

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"(A really beautiful, at times philosophical, serene singer/songwriter album with just a really peaceful atmosphere and thought-provoking themes.) This is a sort and sweet, 33 minute and 7 track singer/songwriter album. The lyrics are pretty and beautifully specific, ruminative and consistently go...""(A really beautiful, at times philosophical, serene singer/songwriter album with just a really peaceful atmosphere and thought-provoking themes.) This is a sort and sweet, 33 minute and 7 track singer/songwriter album. The lyrics are pretty and beautifully specific, ruminative and consistently gorgeous. The arrangements are understated and filled with just the right sounds to flesh-out the emotion and vibe of the songs. There are elements of chamber folk/pop, some art pop, lots of more general contemporary folk, and all these beautiful touches are nicely worked in and the whole album is quite beautiful and unified. By the end of the album I felt slightly more refreshed, slightly more whole and slightly more enriched. Its just a really gorgeous album. Don't have much else to say. Maybe once I've returned a few times to this my thoughts will be a bit more full and abundant. For now after 2 listens its just one of my fave albums of the year thus far. Really solid."  [+]  Reply

- Mercury | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 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.

Year of Release:

2021

Appears in:

163 charts

Rank Score:

672

Rank in 2021:

34

Rank in 2020s:

133

Overall Rank:

2,394

Average Rating:

 73 (129 votes)

Comments:

6

35.

Comfort To Me 

 Amyl And The Sniffers

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"(Lovers of Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers and The Sex Pistols and good, lively Garage punk albums of yore then you will love this... I think so. I mean, I do. This album fucking kicks ass!!!) As I listened to this album for the thousandth time and noticed I was putting on my stink face and...""(Lovers of Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers and The Sex Pistols and good, lively Garage punk albums of yore then you will love this... I think so. I mean, I do. This album fucking kicks ass!!!) As I listened to this album for the thousandth time and noticed I was putting on my stink face and was bobbing my head like I was 16, I felt a sense of joy and returning. Its been awhile since I heard a brand new album that even remotely got me into that L.A.M.F./1977 Punk rock state-of-mind. Its an almost purely somatic experience, where my whole body feels like a mad dog ready to say "fuck off" to every authority figure within 6 square blocks. Its a bloody great feeling! Now, I'm a bit like Freddie Gibbs, still livin' like I'm 16, but not completely. I have so few moments even within this hobby of music listening when I feel like a teen again, that when an album reminds me of that feeling I for sure appreciate it. I had a somewhat similar experience in January when I heard Shame's 2021 album Drunk Tank Pink. But even on that album, there was a bit too much art punk, Talking Heads and Gang of Four going on to fully transport me to that time and place. This new Amyl and the Sniffers eschews the post punk/art punk offshoots and instead sinks its teeth fully into that first couple years of pure punkr ock and roll and its glorious. This album has some sick simple heavy badass punk riffs. lol "some" ... no, it has LOADS. It has some of those fiery, imprecise, 100% passion Thunders solos, it has some garage punk in its bristly simplicity, it has some Garage Rock Revival in it with stomping swaggering badassery somewhat similar to The Hives. Hell it even has a little bit of Maiden that crops up briefly with that chugging old school heavy metal riff on "Capital"! But most importantly this album has Amyl. Or rather real name Amy Taylor. Let me tell ya something about Amy: she is a total badass motherfucker and you do not want to mess around with her or you may be stabbed. This woman is so damn sexy, feral, so damn filthy and slovenly and gives so little fucks it should be a crime. Something about how brash and bold she sounds on these pure punk bangers, it blows me away. Her thick aussie accent just absolutely tears into these songs like no one else. She is a badass and the MVP of this album without a doubt. I love her. The songs here are incredible. "Security" is probably my most listened to song of the year, perfect garage punk anthem. the aforementioned "Capital" and "Maggot" just drip with furious raging anger. "Hertz" is that garage rock revival sounding song, but damn it has a brashness and coolness that is unmatched and a chorus that reaffirms my love of punk rock. "Choices" is a badass song all about saying fuck you to people trying to control you and tell you what to do. Yeah its as simple and simply perfect as that. Etec etc, there are more brilliant punk jams here. Its a solid through and through hard pummeling balls to the wall adrenalized punk rock album of albums. If you love '73-'78 Johnny Thunders/Heartnreakers/NY Dolls projects, early Sex Pistols (lol, I like saying early pistols), Saints, Dead Boys, Radio Birdman, X-Ray Spex etc ... or Garage punk and Garage Rock Revival bands like Jay Reatard, King Khan, or early Hives, etc... then you will like this a lot methinks. Its just so great!"  [+]  Reply

- Mercury | 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.

Year of Release:

2021

Appears in:

109 charts

Rank Score:

625

Rank in 2021:

35

Rank in 2020s:

146

Overall Rank:

2,540

Average Rating:

 74 (74 votes)

Comments:

6

36.

Screen Violence 

 CHVRCHES

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"This was a thoroughly enjoyable album and there seems to be a few more risks taken on this album than their previous work. While there still is the odd generic song that could and should have been cut, there is also a lot of great songs. Such as Good Girls and How Not To Drown where the Robert Sm...""This was a thoroughly enjoyable album and there seems to be a few more risks taken on this album than their previous work. While there still is the odd generic song that could and should have been cut, there is also a lot of great songs. Such as Good Girls and How Not To Drown where the Robert Smith feature works brilliantly. Then there is the vocal performance from Mayberry, which I absolutely adore and is the strongest part of the record. Even if your not a fan of their synth pop style you can still get joy out of the record by solely focusing on the vocal alone. Overall, it isn't their greatest album but there is still a lot to love and so well worth a listen. "  [+]  Reply

- Untitled | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 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.

Year of Release:

2021

Appears in:

104 charts

Rank Score:

606

Rank in 2021:

36

Rank in 2020s:

153

Overall Rank:

2,612

Average Rating:

 74 (94 votes)

Comments:

4

37.

Pressure Machine 

 The Killers

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"The Killers Most Cohesive Album Yet A lot of people’s biggest problem with the Killers is their lack of album flow and consistency. The biggest example of this is Hot Fuss. The first side of the album is LOADED with hit after hit and contains some of the best music of the early 2000s. Only to be ...""The Killers Most Cohesive Album Yet A lot of people’s biggest problem with the Killers is their lack of album flow and consistency. The biggest example of this is Hot Fuss. The first side of the album is LOADED with hit after hit and contains some of the best music of the early 2000s. Only to be followed by a second side that isn’t terrible by any means but compared to the first side it’s like comparing Nikes to Reeboks. With Pressure Machine the Killers have finally made an album that works together throughout the entire runtime. Instead of the indie pop and pop rock that is typical of the band that has gotten a little bit old they lean more into a folkier Heartland Rock. In my opinion this change in sound suits them and is very refreshing coming from them. The opener West Hills has already became one of my favorites from them and showcases the sound in a great way. There are some moments on here that get a little dull and boring but there are some excellent tracks that pull it up. This is also a concept album which is also new for the band. Brandon Flowers grew in a small town in Utah called Nephi. Throughout the album there are clippings and interviews from various people in the town. In Flowers lyrics he details different stories and perspectives of people in this said town. These all showcase not only what it’s like growing up in Nephi, Utah but also all small towns in general. Growing up in a small town in Idaho I relate a lot to this. With a cohesive concept album The Killers have released a great modern album that I will definitely return to often. And also they didn’t mess up the Phoebe Bridgers feature. "  [+]  Reply

- pjohnsongolf | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 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.

Year of Release:

2021

Appears in:

117 charts

Rank Score:

562

Rank in 2021:

37

Rank in 2020s:

160

Overall Rank:

2,776

Average Rating:

 73 (127 votes)

Comments:

8

38.

Blue Banisters 

 Lana Del Rey

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"Honestly I was underwhelmed by Chemtrails, it's not bad but any means. Starts off great and sadly falls into the uninspiring/kinda boring realm for me.. Blue Banisters is a vast improvement! I really enjoyed this one. It's beautifully crafted and more interesting to my ears and her vocals are won...""Honestly I was underwhelmed by Chemtrails, it's not bad but any means. Starts off great and sadly falls into the uninspiring/kinda boring realm for me.. Blue Banisters is a vast improvement! I really enjoyed this one. It's beautifully crafted and more interesting to my ears and her vocals are wonderful. "  [+]  Reply

- ExTeaSea | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 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.

Year of Release:

2021

Appears in:

111 charts

Rank Score:

523

Rank in 2021:

38

Rank in 2020s:

171

Overall Rank:

2,946

Average Rating:

 73 (140 votes)

Comments:

10

39.

Volcanic Bird Enemy And The Voiced Concern 

 Lil Ugly Mane

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"Suppose you're bored one morning so you decide to time travel back to 1996. When you get there, you happen to run into Beck, Ween, and The Magnetic Fields. So you roofie them all (cuz you're gangsta like that). Then you drag them home and throw them into a blender (cuz you're Dahmer like that). T...""Suppose you're bored one morning so you decide to time travel back to 1996. When you get there, you happen to run into Beck, Ween, and The Magnetic Fields. So you roofie them all (cuz you're gangsta like that). Then you drag them home and throw them into a blender (cuz you're Dahmer like that). Then you pack the resulting cocktail into the freezer, and promptly forget about it. Fast forward back to the present and you suddenly remember, "Oh snap! I forgot about my Late 90's Hipster smoothie. That would taste pretty good right about now". So you open up your freezer, dig out the ice-crusted concoction and set it out to thaw, hoping that it will still be good after all these years. Yeah, it's still good."  [+]  Reply

- BorderFreeAndrew | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 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.

Year of Release:

2021

Appears in:

85 charts

Rank Score:

509

Rank in 2021:

39

Rank in 2020s:

180

Overall Rank:

3,015

Average Rating:

 78 (77 votes)

Comments:

2

40.

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Solar Power 

 Lorde

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"Maybe I'm judging too quickly, and I'll fully own up to that if I realise I am, but good god what a let down. Production is fantastic, Lorde's singing is better than ever - but the songwriting is so lifeless. No song finds itself standing out or having anything to say, even though it feels like i...""Maybe I'm judging too quickly, and I'll fully own up to that if I realise I am, but good god what a let down. Production is fantastic, Lorde's singing is better than ever - but the songwriting is so lifeless. No song finds itself standing out or having anything to say, even though it feels like its trying to. The easiest comparison I can make would be Everything Now by Arcade Fire, really miscalculated change in direction from an artist who could do no wrong that thinks its saying more than it actually is. Dire."  [+]  Reply

- Copeland | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (7 helpful | 1 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.

Year of Release:

2021

Appears in:

117 charts

Rank Score:

508

Rank in 2021:

40

Rank in 2020s:

182

Overall Rank:

3,018

Average Rating:

 66 (165 votes)

Comments:

17

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 4 of 100

Best Albums of 2021 composition

Top 1,000 Top 500 Top 250 Top 100

Artist	Albums	%
Various Artists	6	1%
Arca	4	0%
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard	3	0%
The Telescopes	2	0%
Dltzk	2	0%
R.A.P. Ferreira	2	0%
Max Richter	2	0%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	445	45%
	195	20%
	50	5%
	46	5%
	33	3%
	24	2%
	22	2%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	986	99%
Yes	14	1%

Live?	Albums	%
No	976	98%
Yes	24	2%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	986	99%
Yes	14	1%