Best Albums of 2021

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1.

Sometimes I Might Be Introvert 

 Little Simz

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"Might be the most ambitious and complete hip hop album that came out since TPAB. Hope she will get the success she deserves."  Reply  
- DavideBerna | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +19 votes (21 helpful | 2 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:

494 charts

Rank Score:

3,368

Rank in 2021:

1

Rank in 2020s:

3

Overall Rank:

516

Average Rating:

 83 (409 votes)

Comments:

27

2.

For The First Time 

 Black Country, New Road

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"(An awesome mix of post-rock and post-punk and post-otherstufftooprobably, with consistently awesome rhythmic explosions, wild horn solos and just a little something for the whole fam.) This album is really, really cool. It reminds me of Slint and King Crimson and a little of Talk Talk (the parts...""(An awesome mix of post-rock and post-punk and post-otherstufftooprobably, with consistently awesome rhythmic explosions, wild horn solos and just a little something for the whole fam.) This album is really, really cool. It reminds me of Slint and King Crimson and a little of Talk Talk (the parts of Talk Talk when they really fucking explode). The musicianship is on point and while not next-level virtuosity, it more than suffices to create these big, huge multi-parted somewhat experimental rock songs. The horn parts steal the show throughout. The drummer is clearly a badass. The riffage and the build ups and breakdowns are all so cathartic. It's just a freakin rock solid album. The vocalist is hit or miss for me. He has that Conor Oberst, perpertually-on-the-edge-of-a-nervous-breakdown style that can wear thin, but generally he nails the intense shouted and screamed vocla bits. The lyrics aren't great, but not bad either, they are kind of purposefully mundane. Mundane but expressed in such an intense way they almost trick you into thinking they are quite deep and ominous. There is not a bad song here. Haven't heard the earlier single version of Sunglasses, so can't comment on whether the band made a mistake re-recording it (apparently the single is more intense and brilliant than this album version, per the loud fan outcry) but I have heard this version and its amazing and epic and just builds up so logically yet frantically. The propulsive, mind-blowing rhythmic explosion of the opening instrumental served to get me very VERY excited for the album, and that closer is an instant classic if ever such a term should be used. "Opus" is one of the most hypnotic, gorgeous and, idk another word for it, maybe "authoritative" or "assured" closing statements I've personally heard. That is how you close your much anticipated debut album."  [More]  Reply  
- Mercury | 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:

481 charts

Rank Score:

3,310

Rank in 2021:

2

Rank in 2020s:

6

Overall Rank:

528

Average Rating:

 81 (538 votes)

Comments:

44

3.

Promises 

 Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra

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"(47 minutes of minimalist spiritual jazz-meets-classical-meets subtle electronic touches. I, at first, honestly thought this would probably be something that made me think I just didn't "get it" but by the end of the 1st listen and certainly by the end of the 2nd, I did feel a certain calm come o...""(47 minutes of minimalist spiritual jazz-meets-classical-meets subtle electronic touches. I, at first, honestly thought this would probably be something that made me think I just didn't "get it" but by the end of the 1st listen and certainly by the end of the 2nd, I did feel a certain calm come over me and a certain wonder at the beauty of the music and life in general. Its a delicate, stirring, touching album that I highly recommend.) I am so set on listening to music in search of hooks, interesting riffs, drum fills, showy bite-sized solos, lyrical snippets, word plays, melodic bits, walls of sound, and many many other ear-catching and immediate and tangible things. I listen to most music and it provides what it is quick and there is something distinct and bright and loud and up front to latch on to. Very rarely does an album come along that stops me and slows me and makes me just BE. Occasionally an ambient or new age album will do it, or a more minimalist jazz album, but I listen to those albums so rarely sometimes I forget what it's like to be given a gentle "shhhh" by an album. Obviously, as I am commenting on Promises - this recent collab between electronic artist Floating Points (who I had zero previous experience with), jazz legend Pharaoh Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra - I must be indicating that this was one of those rare albums that made me stop overthinking and stop bloody fidgeting and just experience music. And, yes, you figured me out. That is exactly what I am getting at. This album on first 2 tries was rejected by me. I was up and about and getting ready for work and I put this on, and it was like my whole body and mind just said "nope" and I couldn't do it and I stopped it and put on probably a loud Grindcore or Post Punk album instead. Then a week or so later I tried again and yet again I felt like I just couldn't give this piece the time and peace it deserved. Finally today, Monday the 12th of April, after a long and stressful weekend of work, I woke up and played this album and almost the same response happened. I heard those same 7 notes played over and over and 4 minutes in I was close to just writing it off as something I just personally "don't get" or "it's not made for me". Then something happened. I told myself to just shut up, be still for a bit and just experience the music. Don't check twitter, don't play some stupid game on your phone, don't do it. Don't look online at other reviews, don't read news stories, don't start reviewing the album track by track, etc. Instead, just be still and listen to the music, the minimal and repetitive electric piano, the soulful and sad and yet peaceful and perfect saxophone "speeches" from Sanders, listen to the subtle orchestral bits swelling and waxing and waning underneath the 2 main musical instruments, listen and observe those subtle changes and the way they slowly grow and then shrink and then grow again. As I did this, I admit I started feeling myself relax and enjoy not just the music more but also I started to appreciate my current situation, I started smelling the proverbial roses. And when the album ended I enjoyed the silence for a few moments and I thought about what I had heard. I started writing this and pushed play again on Promises. My experience perhaps will be mirrored or at least similar for many other music fanatics that generally don't listen to this type of cerebral, slow and building music. There are no major pay offs in terms of large walls of sound and fury like you'll hear on many other jazz and classical and post rock pieces/albums. The start of the piece may seem familiar for many music fans, but outside of some increased intensity on Movement 6, this album isn't one to build and build until an inevitable loud and intense resolution. This work seems more to be a rumination all the way through. It takes these subtle, minimal elements and themes and rides with them and creates a quiet chamber where the listener can simply Be with the music and think of promises, life, future, past, people you know and people you may yet come to know. It's, for me anyway, a 47 minute piece of music I can put on to gather myself. That's not say that one can't also listen to this and hear some vibrant and tangible details. Because, there are dozens of moments when I was listening when I heard a particular saxophone melody that was gorgeous and clear, there are moments when the subtle electronic synth part sticks its head out and plays about with something, there are symphonic swells that can make you misty-eyed and inspired, and those are excellent moments. In the main, however, for me anyway, this is an album less involved in moment-to-moment highlights and more involved in creating its own space in this wild world we live in, a space where we can take stock, relax, ruminate and Be ourselves. It does this near-flawlessly and all musicians involved in Promises contribute what they have to creating this atmosphere with no one (not even the legend Pharaoh Sanders) ever seeming to be showy or stealing the show intentionally. Every note and little detail is there to create the atmosphere of the music. I'd be lying if I said this was 100% my style, or if I said this album alone has sold me on the virtues of minimalism and this sort of slow building atmospheric music. I doubt I will listen to this for a week non-stop or come to the conclusion this is my favorite album of the year. I doubt I will go and do one of those funny music nerd things where I research everything I can on this style and listen to almost exclusively this sort of music for months. I still prefer, given 2 or 3 options before me, a wild and loud and hook-filled album over a slow work of minimalist Third Stream or whatever this is. I will say though, that my expectations were surpassed by this and I have been enriched by having listened to this album a couple times. And, yes, its one of the better albums I've heard this year. And I suspect I will be coming back to it for years to come, If the genre description or the way this album is spoken of is possibly turning you off or making you think its an abstract and perhaps pretentious album and so you are thinking to avoid it, I recommend going ahead and clearing out 47 minutes of your life and listening. I was in the same boat as those of you who thought it wouldn't connect, and yet it did as you can see from this rambling and pointless little write up. If you finish the album and you don't feel at least a little more at peace and a little more enriched, well, 1.) I will be surprised and 2.) you can move on from the album and listen to your usual jams whatever those may be (There is nothing wrong with that either.)."  [More]  Reply  
- Mercury | 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:

394 charts

Rank Score:

2,586

Rank in 2021:

3

Rank in 2020s:

10

Overall Rank:

669

Average Rating:

 79 (315 votes)

Comments:

18

4.

Call Me If You Get Lost 

 Tyler, The Creator

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"We had The College Dropout, Late Registration, and Graduation We had Aquemini, Stankonia, and Speakerbox We had Good Kid Maad City, To Pimp a Butterfly, and Damn And now we have Flower Boy, IGOR, and Call Me If You Get Lost"  Reply  
- corenfro | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +10 votes (12 helpful | 2 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:

351 charts

Rank Score:

1,560

Rank in 2021:

4

Rank in 2020s:

27

Overall Rank:

1,112

Average Rating:

 78 (360 votes)

Comments:

22

5.

Bright Green Field 

 Squid (2020s)

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"Ok, time for a real comment and not just reference to other existing bands. This album, for me, lived fully up to the hype I gave it, which was a lot. Mostly because of how good Narrator was as a single. The Squid boys are masters of combining groovy, melodic sections with experimental walls of s...""Ok, time for a real comment and not just reference to other existing bands. This album, for me, lived fully up to the hype I gave it, which was a lot. Mostly because of how good Narrator was as a single. The Squid boys are masters of combining groovy, melodic sections with experimental walls of sound and ambient sections. The greatest example of this is "Boy Racers". The opening groove is tight and skillful, it builds with more and more layers, and has a final climax. Then, it turns into a massive, celestial ambient track. There is also a general vibe I've been getting from these newer post-punk bands. It's this careless and melodic sound that I have noticed on "2010" by Squid, "Despair" by black midi, and the end of "Athens, France" by Black Country, New Road. They're all so pretty, which is kind of a divergence away from the typical post-punk sound. Squid capture this vibe a couple times on this album. I'm excited for what's to come from them in the future. Pretty much every song is a banger so give this album a listen and have some fun."  [More]  Reply  
- AvalancheGrips | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +10 votes (10 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:

311 charts

Rank Score:

1,559

Rank in 2021:

5

Rank in 2020s:

28

Overall Rank:

1,113

Average Rating:

 78 (321 votes)

Comments:

22

6.

Jubilee 

 Japanese Breakfast

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"From ALC #19— Sounds like: The sadness which seeps after a night of consuming party drug soup dumplings, yet the memories of the good times persist. Drink of choice: Spiced yuzu lemonade with a twist Look! Persimmons! Ah, persimmons. A jubilee is a jamboree with less amor and more uil, which isn’...""From ALC #19— Sounds like: The sadness which seeps after a night of consuming party drug soup dumplings, yet the memories of the good times persist. Drink of choice: Spiced yuzu lemonade with a twist Look! Persimmons! Ah, persimmons. A jubilee is a jamboree with less amor and more uil, which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but at least we’ve steeped an album out of it. I remember when I first heard Everybody Wants To Love You and all going through my head was how I used to hang in studios with so many singer/songwriters who would have loved to create something like that. Felt like she nailed it. That was it. Absolute bullet. Questioned why she wasn’t bigger, why this wasn’t the smash of the summer, track of the year, blasting out of every car whipping down the beach front. Felt like a nugget of gold was tossed into a mall’s wish fountain. An epitome of indie pop fired at us from nowhere and we shrugged it off. We plucked it out of that wish fountain on occasion, but I’m still not quite sure people realized it was an actual gold nugget. Won’t lie, wasn’t super hot on her follow up record, but at least she gained momentum. Was happy about that. Knew the next release would be make or break time. And then something interesting happened. She was shot out of a canon. That same brain listening to Everybody Wants To Love You for the first time would have never imagined this singer would be topping bestseller lists while also having chart topping hits, but I’m glad Japanese Breakfast squeezed through the crowd. Think she made it with this one. A warm, glistening, citrus-burst of a record with a summertime fuzz and the sadness which comes along with it, a hug for tears happy or sad. I may be writing to Ms. Breakfast as to why she dedicates the final thirty seconds of her songs to building them, but otherwise, I think this record is everything it wants to be. Standouts: Posing In Bondage, Kokomo, IN., Sit, Be Sweet"  [More]  Reply  
- Hayden | 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:

364 charts

Rank Score:

1,503

Rank in 2021:

6

Rank in 2020s:

30

Overall Rank:

1,151

Average Rating:

 78 (304 votes)

Comments:

22

7.

Hey What 

 Low

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"(Total masterpiece. Genres to describe this I guess would be post-industrial, Noise, with some kind of gospel spirituality mixed in. Anyway, that doesn’t really describe this album. Not very well, anyway.) What can I possibly say that will do this album justice? I don’t think I am capable. This a...""(Total masterpiece. Genres to describe this I guess would be post-industrial, Noise, with some kind of gospel spirituality mixed in. Anyway, that doesn’t really describe this album. Not very well, anyway.) What can I possibly say that will do this album justice? I don’t think I am capable. This album is special. When I listen to HEY WHAT, it is an out-of-body experience. The detail contained within the “noise”, the way the sheer volume of the album rolls over me like waves, I feel like I am thrown into a storm in the middle of the ocean, and for a few seconds I fight it and I panic and I start to scream and cry. But then a voice reassures me that these tidal waves won’t cause me harm – not truly and not truly me -, and I am told to breathe and embrace the immensity of this place and this experience. I relax and I breathe and … I am fine, I am calm, I am free. The rest of the album is like a massive, Pacific-sized epic about modern life and spirituality. And unlike so many other unapologetically gloomy, bitter, and hopeless epics that seem to tackle this struggle, with HEY WHAT I feel love and I feel hope and I glimpse a way through this mess I find myself in. Musically, production-wise, this album makes me laugh lovingly and in awe, because I just can’t understand how humans being of flesh and blood can go and create this. Like, how? This could be called “Noisy” and “Staticy” and “Loud” but I can’t really say that those words fit to describe even the most inhuman and loud and most intense moments in this album. These scratchy, buzzing, sonically overwhelming sounds never sound harsh or hard to listen to. Again, like I said at the beginning, I have no clue how to express what this sounds like to me. The machines present on this album are simply communicating, meshing, corresponding with the human voices and harmonies. When the harmonies and the machine sounds come together, in these artist’s genius hands, what you get is transcendent music of the highest caliber. Just yesterday I was trading comments with the excellent fellow-BEA user buzzdainer. Buzzdainer mentioned about Chris Stapleton’s 2020 album Starting Over: “…for me it's the quintessential album for coping with the cruel realities of our current decade.” This description was excellent and I can see how Starting Over would have that effect. However, when I took a look and thought about what album for ME truly had such a significance in this current decade… I couldn’t think of one. The music I have loved from this decade thus far has been mostly powerful and cathartic in very different ways or, in some cases, very escapist. But no album as of yesterday had I heard that really uplifted me and helped me cope and find meaning and stabilized me in this current crazy world we live in. Then just a couple hours later I pushed play on Low’s latest. By the time I finished listening the very first time I felt emotionally satiated, understood, fulfilled. And I felt spiritually uplifted and enlightened. This is probably the most uplifting piece of music I have heard this decade so far. It for sure is. To list the specific tracks on here that I love or want to shout out seems like a silly activity. It is only silly for me because the whole album, start to finish, is the perfect example of a cohesive album experience. For example, I can point out (and – lol - I am about to) that the back-to-back majesty of the track “Hey” followed by “Days Like These” makes me legitimately weep with joy and some emotional mixing I still don’t understand. And that is true, I think Hey/Days Like These is some of the greatest music I have ever heard full stop. BUT I had heard “Days Like These” as a single and when I heard it in that out-of-context way, I thought it was a pretty song and it made me excited for the new album… and that is all I thought of it. But when I hear it now on the heals of “Hey” and also after the absolutely stunning build up to this middle portion of the album, it is cathartic, life-changing, inspiring and perfect. Every song here is special on its own but transcendent as part of the entire sweep of the album. This album expresses to me; Humanity, Human Goodness, True Affection and Love and Unity winning and triumphing in the face of inhumanity, materialism, and the bleak ubiquity of the utterly unfeeling. This album is a treasure. I actually feel a deep appreciation and an immeasurable respect for and to Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk and BJ Burton for creating this album. It’s just what I needed to hear in days like these. Now I know I have not really said much of anything in this “review”/rambling comment – I haven’t touched much upon the songs and the lyrics and the harmonies and the industrial manipulations and genres and all that. Well, sorry. But this album, more than any other this year (outside of perhaps By the Time I Get To Phoenix), really transcends words and clear description. "  [More]  Reply  
- Mercury | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +9 votes (9 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:

282 charts

Rank Score:

1,404

Rank in 2021:

7

Rank in 2020s:

32

Overall Rank:

1,228

Average Rating:

 78 (202 votes)

Comments:

8

8.

Cavalcade 

 Black Midi

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"(Avant-Prog, Prog rock, Jazz rock, noise rock, ooooh babayyyy! Prog is back! - for a more cogent statement I’ll say that this is the best Prog rock album I’ve heard that’s been released in years. And it’s bloody brilliant almost the whole way through.) What a rock solid album. Feels like somethin...""(Avant-Prog, Prog rock, Jazz rock, noise rock, ooooh babayyyy! Prog is back! - for a more cogent statement I’ll say that this is the best Prog rock album I’ve heard that’s been released in years. And it’s bloody brilliant almost the whole way through.) What a rock solid album. Feels like something significant. But maybe that is just the hype and me getting swept up in it. I have been delaying and delaying on writing any sort of comment on this beast. I have listened to it a dozen or more times. And I notice my opinions change with almost every listen. Sometimes I feel like saying hyperbolic things like “This is this generation’s In The Court of the Crimson King”, and sometimes I feel like this is a bit of an uneven and yet vibrant and exciting avant-Prog album for a new generation. I switch between feeling effusive love - and merely feeling strong, healthy respect. Haven’t landed yet on what my final thoughts are. Maybe only time can tell, after we have seen the progression of black midi, that Windmill scene, and underground rock in general over the next 3-10 years time. I don’t know. I do know that “John L” is my song of the year so far. Something special it is, indeed. I know that “Marlene Dietrich” is gorgeous and features a brilliant subdued groove that I adore. I know that the 1-2 punch of “Chondromalacia Patella” and of course the masterpiece that is “Slow” never fail to blow me away, and sweep me up and away somewhere fresh and new. I’m confident that “Diamond Stuff” is beautiful if a bit too slow in its development and a bit anti-climactic. I know that “Dethroned” is very solid but one that hasn’t yet clicked with me fully. I know that “Hogwash and Balderdash” is excellent and the closest to the sound of “John L” that this album ever comes back to and I know it’s too short. And, finally, I think “Ascending Forth” is… a bit lost on me and for some reason, despite most people considering it a stand out track or even THE standout, I think it’s my least favorite song here. Of course “Ascending Forth” is still like, idk, 70% incredible. That is an indicator of how much I like this album through and through. I also love that these songs do flow. Like, this feels like a concise yet complete album statement, where each track logically rolls to the next despite at times featuring INSANELY massive changes in tone and style. Not sure how the guys in black midi pulled that off but they did. I’m closing, I have a feeling this will be one of those memorable albums for years and decades to come. I hope it does become something of a classic as time goes on. For now, it’s too new for all that. But it is for sure amd without a doubt one of the few albums that managed to fully live up to my expectations (hopes more like) and, I think, the music fandom’s as well. "  [More]  Reply  
- Mercury | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +7 votes (7 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:

294 charts

Rank Score:

1,343

Rank in 2021:

8

Rank in 2020s:

34

Overall Rank:

1,275

Average Rating:

 79 (330 votes)

Comments:

19

9.

OK Human 

 Weezer

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"You love to see it. An album that I enjoyed enough to write two pages of the track by track breakdowns on. All my favorite songs: This song could’ve flown under the radar in the grander scheme of Weezer tracks but the orchestration is really what pulls everything together. The complex chords are ...""You love to see it. An album that I enjoyed enough to write two pages of the track by track breakdowns on. All my favorite songs: This song could’ve flown under the radar in the grander scheme of Weezer tracks but the orchestration is really what pulls everything together. The complex chords are so emotional and gosh dang those horns in that last section of the song are amazing. Lyrically it also does a really good job of just prepping you for the theme of the album. This is the only song that examines the idea of people being draining so you look for a way to escape them which is actually really interesting in the larger scheme of the album. Aloo Gobi: This song sort of takes a look at the monotony of daily life and the anger that comes from wanting your life to be something greater than it is. The song starts with the bombastic orchestra but throughout the songs, the strings pop in and out. Notably on the second verse you really just have piano and vocals to sort of capitalize on the minimalism of daily life. And that refrain of “What is happening to me” speaks volumes from the delivery to the way the instruments accompany it. SMOOTH TRANSITION INTO Grapes Of Wrath: Now knowing that Rivers is tired of the monotony of his life it makes perfect sense that he would like to take a route of escapism. In this case, that’s through listening to audiobooks. You think he cares? He just don’t care. Numbers: The heaviest hitter on this album for me. Starting off with really somber strings as Rivers sings about being too short for the team and having an IQ too low for poetry. An obvious knock at his critics that as recently as last week when my favorite songs came out, shot at Rivers for rhyming “bad, sad and mad”. As this line is read our man Pat comes in clutch with the drums to give the song some more drive that is really fitting. After the refrain of “numbers are out to get you”, we are greeted to an amazing soaring chorus reflecting the pain of these criticisms but countering them by seeking solace in others and I think that’s the beautiful message of this song. In the end, the critics are just numbers in a machine and they can’t do anything to come between real feelings between real people. Playing My Piano: Once again returning to the idea of escapism but this time through music. It’s hard to tell if this is a romanticizing of getting lost playing music for days or a criticism of himself for wishing he could spend more time with his family. Honestly, I don’t see why it can’t be both. It’s a great thing to lose yourself in what you love but you can’t lose sight of the other things that are important in your life. However, this song does a great job of showing what that journey of playing music is really like. It starts off with slow, really heartfelt melodic lines but shifts into a more forward and driving direction as the chorus kicks in and the lyrics reflect just how much he’s getting into playing. “Pounding out the bass singing out the tune, never see the sun like I’m living in my room” incredibly relatable lines for anyone who’s gotten lost in music. The second verse is more of a reflection of once you’re already in that groove as opposed to the start of your sessions. Mirror Image: This one is a pretty straightforward love song but I think placing it after Playing My Piano makes a ton of sense especially with my theory of that song being a criticism of himself. That’s not even taking into consideration the last few seconds of THIS song where Rivers says something to the extent of being shut out of heaven. That’s a pretty heavy statement to make just once for a few seconds on this album and I honestly don’t want to speculate too much as to why he’d say this but it’s interesting nonetheless. Screens: The opening piano and strings are instantly catchy and help get the ball rolling for this track. I do like what they were trying to do lyrically on this track but I don’t think it lands as much as the other tracks do. Rivers takes more of “my mate is going through this thing” when actually he’s talking about himself and really everyone I guess. I just don’t think the idea of losing yourself to your phone is shown as great as it is on the rest of the album and this track is especially over before you know it. I like it but it doesn’t make as much of an impact as it could’ve with some more length and personal lyrics. Bird With A Broken Wing: Along the lines of Eulogy For A Rock Band, we’re taken on a retrospective journey through the musical career of Weezer. I believe the broken wing referring the multiple critical failures the band has had behind them. The cat also is a reference to those same critics who put them down. Through all these experiences though, Rivers hasn’t lost his drive to sing what he has for the world, and I’m so grateful for that. The world is a better place because of his drive to create music for us. I think this song also would’ve been stunning as a closer but I don’t mind that they chose a different one. Dead Roses: I honestly don’t know what to say about this one. It’s a little more abstract lyrically than the other songs or maybe I’m just stupid. I’ve got some ideas about the lyrics but it’s all very speculative. I do really like the line “beat you until you beg to live” but I’m not confident enough about its meaning to say anything other than, it’s a good track but it could’ve been longer. Everything Happens For a Reason: I don’t know why this had to be its own song especially since it leads straight into here comes the rain but hey…. Everything happens for a reason. Here Comes The Rain: A really happy go lucky song about how even after a bad day, good things will come your way. Very fun but once again, not as heavy-hitting as other tracks. La Brea Tar Pits: A really bitter-sweet way to end the album. Sonically it’s got a resolute and accomplished sound to it but the lyrics reflect a recurring fear of fading into obscurity. This is shown the best at the chorus as the lyrics describe himself sinking to his death and desperately asking for help, yet the strings sound as if there’s nothing to be scared of and that everything will be alright in the end (where have I heard that before) As he continues to sink though we return to the idea of getting help from others. Asking to be thrown a rope as he’s sinking and how the skills of someone else can help him get farther. Then as the album closes we are left with just the orchestra slowing down and resolving into a beautiful chord. Conclusion: When this album is acting at its most concise it’s insanely touching. The ideas of taking a step away from your obsessions to spend time with those you love and learning to balance the two is an eternal idea that we need to hear. Sometimes life is boring, sometimes people are difficult, and sometimes you get kicked down, but there’s always something or someone good that will come along. Sometimes it’s the love of your life, and sometimes it’s just a really good book. The flow of this album is also something to commend. Everything feels in its right place and while other tracks shine much brighter than others, that doesn’t make the weaker ones bad at all. Also, orchestra and Weezer were meant to be. "  [More]  Reply  
- Keatownrodriguez | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 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:

262 charts

Rank Score:

1,285

Rank in 2021:

9

Rank in 2020s:

38

Overall Rank:

1,325

Average Rating:

 76 (371 votes)

Comments:

52

10.

Mercurial World 

 Magdalena Bay

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"(Consistent and cohesive debut LP from Magdalena Bay. Some top-tier synthpop - creative, catchy and quite beautiful.) I am a fan of this album. The things I love about great synthpop are here in droves. Those being a charming childlike wonderousness that is infectious when you listen, lots of cat...""(Consistent and cohesive debut LP from Magdalena Bay. Some top-tier synthpop - creative, catchy and quite beautiful.) I am a fan of this album. The things I love about great synthpop are here in droves. Those being a charming childlike wonderousness that is infectious when you listen, lots of catchy melodies, vocals that float along over the tracks like some sort of fairy spirit, and of course lots of tracks that can be danced around to like a wild person or can be enjoyed while sitting and dreaming about whatever it is you dream about. Synthpop isn't one of my go-to genres by any means, but this is being an exceptional version of the genre, I can say that I am enough of a fan of what this duo is doing with this style to consider this one of the better albums of the year. The album is indeed pretty consistent. That said the opening run of tracks from the opener "The End" through track 7 "Chaeri" is a good deal more excellent and catchy to me than the last half. Note: This may be due to the simple fact that I listened to the first half of this 3 times and got interrupted each time, so I only have heard the album in its entirety twice, but that opening half 5 times. Idk, that is probably contributing to my current take that the first half is superior. Still, even now, I can say that the 1-2 punch that ends the album is just as good as anything at the start (except maybe "Secrets (Your Fire)" which is song of the year material to my ears). The music here is dreamy and somewhat osychedelic, its got moments to inspire dancing and moments to inspire quasi-philosophical contemplation. And each track is stitched to the others in a smooth and seamless way. The album works really well as an album and not just a series of seperate tracks with occasional total standouts. I don't have much of great intelligence to say about this one (go figure) but I think its really quite beautiful and its recommended to everyone but ESPECIALLY to those of you craving a great pop album. This is perhaps the best and most bubbly and gorgeous pop album of any variety I have heard this year. Stellar debut album as well. This is a super impressive way to start your LP career."  [More]  Reply  
- Mercury | 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:

171 charts

Rank Score:

1,260

Rank in 2021:

10

Rank in 2020s:

39

Overall Rank:

1,350

Average Rating:

 77 (159 votes)

Comments:

8

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Total albums: 973. Page 1 of 98

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No	986	99%
Yes	14	1%