the top 50 best albums of 2021
I’ve described lists like this as a professional obligation before - the final one to check off, the big one where I rattle through albums where given that they’re larger bodies of music you can’t always have the same in-depth personal connection compared to individual songs. And when you consider a list of this size… goddamn, there was a part of me that thought it could well feel like it putting this together!
And yet… while it’s always a lot of work going through all the projects in my catalog to see what order makes sense for a specific brief window of time, I’m still inordinately proud I’ve got a solid fifty records here that I think are great and are worth that shoutout. Given that I covered slightly less than the 350+ I reviewed in 2020, I was a little concerned I wouldn’t have enough to flesh out this list, but turns out a stiff veto and a sharper eye for digging in the weirder parts of the internet gave me a wealth of material. And all the genres delivered - yeah, even metal managed to sneak in some great surprises across the year to go along with rock having an uncommonly strong showing. But I’ll say this now: this might be the last year in which keen viewers can adequately or completely predict how this list falls out, due to changes on the channel to come - unless of course you saw my UPROXX ballot a month ago, which in that case stay tuned for what could have possibly changed!
But okay, we’re keeping things a little shorter for the first half, with the top 25 going in a little more depth, so let’s start with…
50. Grandbrothers - All The Unknown
Best Song: ‘What We See’
50. I bet those of you who didn’t watch my ASMR ambient episode of On The Pulse don’t recognize what this is - although a surprising number of you did, of which I’m still a little perversely impressed. Anyways, Grandbrothers are a piano-driven electronic duo who dabble in the most soaring, post-rock esque style of ambient music, and this album was remarkably beautiful front to back, a crystalline adventure in gleaming sound design that remains one of the most engaging ambient-leaning projects I heard all year. I can recommend this to folks who are even on the fence about this genre, it’s that pretty, and even if it sprawls more than you might expect, it’s still special.
49. Moron Police - The Stranger and the Hightide
Best Song: ‘Parachutes’
49. I don’t normally segregate EPs into their own list - mostly because I don’t cover enough of them throughout the course of a year and the length of projects either in number of songs or time is completely arbitrary - and that means Moron Police’s little western diversion winds up on this list, where the bleakness is a little more obvious but the melodic compositions are still so manic and well-balanced that it’s hard to care! The group has described this as a bridge to their next project, and while I’m not sure this has the spark their synth-driven work does, when the tunes hit this hard, I think I’ll still get down on the floor.
48. Pony Bradshaw - Calico Jim
Best Song: ‘Calico Jim’
48. This is one of those albums you’ll remember more for the off-the-wall details and poetry than anything - provided of course you heard it, given this is an acoustic indie country affair that I found months after it had already been released early in 2021. But it was the sort of album that kept pulling me in with its uncompromising poetry and flair for taking those who live deep down on the backroads and daring you to sympathize and understand their faith and struggles. Definitely shaggier and rougher than anything Pony Bradshaw had cut before now, but all the more real for it - another gem you’ll want to check out.
47. Emotional Oranges - The Juicebox
Best Song: ‘Give Me Up’
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47. Yeah, this one did seem to come and go remarkably fast - I think if I had had more of a chance to spend time outside or actually had gone to any parties this summer it may have grown on me more, but Canada was a lot slower to open things up in 2021, and thus Emotional Oranges’ album/mixtape basically fell here. And yes, it’s more scattered and I’m not sure they made the most of the influx of guest stars and I’m seriously starting to wonder if their central formula might be coasting and they may have missed their window… but come on, when the grooves are this slick and the vibes this fun, I take notice.
46. Ethereal Shroud - Trisagion
Best Song: ‘Discarnate’
46. The latest of possible entries - and why I reckon you shouldn’t put that much stock in placements given that these orders are really just how I feel within a specific window of time and can fluctuate - Ethereal Shroud slid in with a monster of a symphonic black metal project, one that didn’t just wow me with furious compositions and impeccable transitions and just how well they could balance their slower doom elements, but where the emotional drama in the content felt visceral and righteous. This is a project waging war not just against the crumbling strictures of modern society, but also one’s own nihilism where it would be so easy to succumb to cynicism… and yet in weathering the storm, he refuses. Not exactly an easy listen given the genre and track lengths, but if you give it enough time…yeah, this was the end of the year rallying cry I needed.
45. Rise Against - Nowhere Generation
Best Song: ‘Sooner Or Later’
45. Turns out the best way to reinvigorate a long-running punk band is to go back to the independent circuit, get your best production in decades, and refine that righteous formula a little further for a furious comeback that nobody saw coming. Those who just said this was Rise Against playing to formula missed the details - yeah, they paint in broad strokes and might be saying things we already know, but with this much power and populism and the most sinuous, punchy grooves and hooks they’ve had in years, Rise Against prove not only how their message is still relevant, but how they can still sell it with fervour and firepower. This was a comeback I don’t think anyone saw coming… but wow, have to give them props for landing it.
44. Really From - Really From
Best Song: ‘Yellow Fever’
44. So if there was a genre that seemed like it was overtaking 2021, it was post-punk infused, off-kilter experimental rock, and while there’s going to be some of it on this list because a lot of it was really damn good, this was the album I think was slept on the most, mostly because Really From are a little closer to emo and post-hardcore in their compositional structures, even if the integration of jazz and horns showed just how well they could play in that territory. But this is an album where the writing does a lot of heavy lifting, telling the Asian immigrant story not just with respect to a world that can treat them with disinterest, fetishization, or hostility, but also the family expectations to fit in that introduce a whole new set of complicated burdens that Really From unpack impressively well. For everyone who puts black midi and Squid and Shame on a pedestal in 2021, show them this - I think they’d appreciate it.
43. Dominique Fils-Aimé - Three Little Words
Best Song: ‘Love Take Over’
43. She did it - capping off of a trilogy of sinuous, low-key R&B, Dominique Fils-Aime dropped a record that looks both backwards and forwards, integrating old-school soul and jazz progressions all the while pushing towards a worldview that feels more global, textured, and centered around a healing journey that’s all the more necessary. Absolutely a slow-burn like the previous albums in her catalog - and I still think lyrically I may like her 2019 sophomore album a bit more - but Three Little Words is a conscious, comforting listen that had remarkable staying power for me. An easy sell to anyone who likes the most tasteful of R&B, but who’ll stick around for the details to reveal the light.
42. Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever
Best Song: ‘NDA’
42. Yeah, this is here - and I’d argue it’s better than her debut across the board. In discussing Happier Than Ever I’ve heard it described as a bit of a sampler platter, dabbling in a bunch of different ideas that Billie and Finneas wanted to explore, which is one reason why its pace feels oddly languid and it might seem to be a little all over the place, but dig a little deeper and you start hearing the underlying thematic connections, the impeccable transitions across ideas, and Billie showcasing a wisdom surrounding her newfound power and influence within a bad breakup and a world eager to eat her alive that once again showcased bottomless potential, even if I know in my gut we’re probably going to get far fewer albums from Billie Eilish than we’ll want. No, stans and chartwatchers, this was never Billie’s ‘flop era’ - just the point where she expects you to work a little harder to keep up. And you should, the music rewards it.
41. Epica - Omega
Best Song: ‘The Skeleton Key’
41. I’ve been up and down on this album all year. Yes, Omega is a tour de force, another incredibly powerful conclusion to a trilogy that might stand as one of Epica’s best ever projects, not just with production that puts them on the a-list of symphonic metal, but also how their writing untangles and explores faith and spiritualism in the face of endings - one of the most fiercely intelligent and rationalist metal bands confronting the unknown makes for quite the cinematic adventure. At the same time… it’s a bit of a behemoth that can be tough to approach in its entirety, and I’ll admit I didn’t quite go back to it as often as I would have liked. Still a phenomenal release, though - I was thrilled to see Epica finally get some overdue praise, and then set the bar for anyone who dares challenge it.
40. Aesop Rock x Blockhead - Garbology
Best Song: ‘Difficult’
40. The funny thing with this project is that Aesop Rock and Blockhead have been working together for decades already, formalizing it for a full project just feels like gravy, especially as Blockhead can give our rapper the most comfortable production he’s had in years. But even beyond that, while Spirit World Field Guide was dreamlike and went down wild tangents, Garbology is a little more grounded in sifting through the wreckage, where Aesop Rock is adapted well enough to a changed world to persist or at least keep transforming… but that doesn’t seem to be all that good for everyone else here. In either case, the wordplay is still wildly creative and the hooks are still sharp as can be - not so much dumpster diving as turning trash into treasure.
39. Turnstile - GLOW ON
Best Song: ‘MYSTERY’
39. So this is the “hardcore” album everyone lost their minds about this year, eh? Well, I’m not about to really disagree - it turns out adding a bunch of fluttery touches dabbling in pop and psychedelic R&B won’t just give you some of your strongest hooks, but also a textural diversity that helps your project stand out and cross over. Not quite as unique as many have made it out to be - hardcore has had its pop dalliances before - but when you have lyrics that seem acutely aware of the coming unknown and a fervent desire to hold onto the visceral now, Turnstile were able to erupt onto the scene and feel crushing and immediate in the best way possible.
38. Emma Blackery - Girl In A Box
Best Song: ‘Shadowplay’
38. …are you honestly surprised about this one? Yeah, a YouTuber followed off of her underrated pop debut with an even better pop rock project that showcases not just a unique voice and lyrical style, but also how she can throw down with any of them working in this lane right now. Emma Blackery is a more interesting artist than she’s often been given credit, and here she complexifies the darkness in her writing to expose a more frustrated and layered humanity where she’s consciously aware of the audience and will punch back… often justifiably so. Coupled with production and compositional instincts both taking a measurable step forward… yeah, Emma Blackery is becoming a force to be reckoned with, and y’all should take notice.
37. Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - CARNAGE
Best Song: ‘Albuquerque’
37. This was another album that was up and down all over this list - hell, I said that six months at the midyear, you find it slipping out of your mind and then find yourself wondering whether it was really that great… and then you relisten and realize it absolutely was, and while a more robust arrangement could have made this a Bad Seeds album proper, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis still put out one of their most immediate and timely projects in years, where the metatext intersects with socially charged commentary and Cave questioning his own place and relevancy as he clings to a marriage that may be fraying. Absolutely an uncanny listen… but when it’s still this great, I can’t complain.
36. Spellling - The Turning Wheel
Best Song: ‘Awaken’
36. Please, let’s not make the placement of this album on this list a bigger deal than it is. Yes, Spelllling made a gorgeous, genre-blending album that bends across baroque pop, R&B, progressive rock, and plenty more, easily her best album to date even if I do think some of the tangents don’t quite come together fully and not all the tunes or production quite work for me and she absolutely wears the Kate Bush influence on her sleeves. But so what - Spellling’s album is tangled and transcendent in a way few are, I’m still amazed how she could put together so much of this on her own in house, and it’s an album that defies easy quantification. That’s kind of what magic does - and I’ve got to respect that.
35. Armand Hammer x The Alchemist - Haram
Best Song: ‘Falling Out The Sky’
35. Not gonna lie, this one cooled on me a little bit, and while a certain beef with another artist on this list might have contributed to that, Haram was always going to be a complicated album to discuss and unpack - a collab with the Alchemist that gives billy woods and Elucid their most accessible production to date, the questions of how to communicate and explore success within a system they openly distrust, guest verses that only seem to add more complicating wrinkles by exploring the messy humanity that comes along through even communicating some of this in code in plain sight. I’m not sure how I feel about it in comparison with other Armand Hammer projects as well - I still think I like billy woods solo a little more, and it doesn’t touch ROME or Paraffin - but success gives the duo an interesting suite to work with, and with even more momentum behind them, I’m fascinated where they go next.
34. Cole Chaney - Mercy
Best Song: ‘The Flood’
34. And to think at one point I was nearly going to skip this album, the sort of acoustic indie country project that can easily slip out of sight, out of mind… until you go back to it and realize not just how burnished and layered the arrangements are, but also how well Cole Chaney can paint those coal-ravaged Kentucky hills and being pulled between chasing dreams in a place that is not his own… or his own place being torn away beneath him. Raw almost to a fault, and certainly a tough listen divorced from any sort of label streamlining, Cole Chaney’s Mercy nevertheless stands out as sharp, well-composed, heartfelt, and another underground gem you just have to blast away to find.
33. Xiu Xiu - OH NO
Best Song: ‘Fuzz Gong Fight’
33. Somehow I wound up as among the most vocal praising this album, but I guess I’m going to keep on doing it because this is Xiu Xiu’s most compelling and accessible work in decades! It’s an album where Xiu Xiu are just as dark, deviant, sexually charged but smart enough to make it weird and disquieting in fascinating ways but also immensely quotable, with production that can bend their gothic and baroque sensibilities until they fracture and snap… but when bringing so many other voices into the room, it serves as a moment of temperance from Jamie Stewart’s hangdog nihilism to tug him back from the brink, maybe even rekindle some of the romance that’s made Xiu Xiu’s best albums so striking. Or hell, maybe it’s just embracing a few of those hooks Xiu Xiu have casually ignored, where the ragged magic can strike yet again, and the ‘oh no’ turns into ‘oh god yes!’.
32. Genesis Owusu - Smiling With No Teeth
Best Song: ‘No Looking Back’
32. This one kept growing on me all year. Yeah, the synths and staccato grooves still aren’t all the way there for me, but Genesis Owusu was such an elastic and remarkable performer leaping across hip-hop, R&B, soul, and even electronic rock where I was stunned how well he could command every stage. And it wasn’t just that the hooks were great and the transitions were masterful, but the content took major strides as well, drilling into self-hatred and depression alongside the societal conditions that might drive and profit off of those emotions, embracing the racial subtext and giving the album a layered but no less bruising impact. The fact that this is a debut is mind-blowing - Genesis Owusu has indicated just how blazing his future will be, where every chain will be broken.
31. R.A.P. Ferreira - the Light Emitting Diamond Cutter Scriptures
Best Song: ‘Hot Bref’
31. He took the leap - goddamn it, he finally took that next step and R.A.P. Ferreira delivered one of his best albums to date. His second of the year - and one that nobody seems to have remembered actually came out - and to some it feels a little more conventional in an instrumental palette that pulls more on jazz and blues. And sure, when the grooves are this good and you get a few hooks to match the poetry, that certainly helps, but the poetry is where R.A.P. Ferreira really stepped up, taking his sly postmodernist lens not just to how he sidesteps definition and plays in abstraction, but also to mock the capitalist hip-hop landscape where he increasingly realizes the emptiness of those accolades he once chases… even if there’s a part of him that yearns for the recognition still. And it wasn’t just the wider angle that won me over, it was how much less standoffish he seems to be, especially as the late MF DOOM influences feel more prominent and he embraces a more playful self-awareness that has a lot of charm. So yeah, it might be wordy and tangled and weird… but it’s a lot more fun this time around, and you should all hear it.
30. Foxing - Draw Down The Moon
Best Song: ‘Go Down Together’
30. This album wound up as way more contentious than I think anyone expected - sure, it might have been a slight step back compared to Nearer My God, but it was done in favour of the band’s catchiest and most accessible songs to date in a lean, efficient package that nevertheless still managed to rip your heart out as it seemed like everything went wrong for Foxing and they still found ways to persist. And as a result the album got savaged by a certain critical set, which felt disingenuous, especially for a band in the throes of changing labels and having to find a new distributor and, you know, the utter chaos of the past two years. And this harrowing listen managed to capture that mood distinctly… while displaying some of the most refined and focused compositions of the band’s career. It might be a step back, but for emo-tinged indie rock, it was still excellent
29. Alan Jackson - Where Have You Gone
Best Song: ‘The Boot’
29. Sometimes the old stalwarts deliver in spades - it had been six years since a new Alan Jackson album and he delivered the weightiest double album of his career in response. And while it might be easy to dismiss it as just another Alan Jackson project - this man has been consistent to a fault for over thirty years - when the writing is this heartfelt, the production remains this refined, and Jackson remains one of the most comfortable, empathetic personalities in country, it’s really hard to go astray. Perhaps a little long and tilting a bit conservative for most younger audiences, but as someone who grew up on this and who has no qualms putting Alan Jackson on my list before… yeah, one of his best in many years.
28. Black Country, New Road - For the first time
Best Song: ‘Sunglasses’
28. So remember when I was talking about post-punk-adjacent experimental rock erupting onto the scene in 2021? Yeah, this was the best of them and Black Country, New Road made it very clear they’d be an immediate force to be reckoned with in this debut. The wildly cinematic compositions and production that gave them all the space and texture to operate across its genre diversions, a thick cushion of metacommentary that merged amazingly well with their theatricality, all of which supplemented an anxiety-wracked piece that explores generational privilege, self-sabotage, and the ability to build up anything out of the wreckage. And the fact that the band is saying they already have another album around the corner… yeah, we could be in for something special.
27. CHVRCHES - Screen Violence
Best Song: ‘How Not To Drown’
27. Oh thank the higher powers, CHVRCHES managed to rebound with their best album in years! And what I greatly appreciate here isn’t just the corrective steps that CHVRCHES took in bringing the production back in house, but also how they didn’t feel the need to recycle the same relationship arc of their first two albums, using horror movie iconography and drawing on the trappings of goth rock to dig into the paralyzing fears and neuroses preventing the band from breaking out of their shells, where their own minds can be greater bulwarks than the larger world. For the first time, though, CHVRCHES sounds like they’re breaching their comfort zone and are looking to sweep into uncharted territory - and with compositional fundamentals as rock solid as ever, this was a return to greatness that was so welcome to behold.
26. Brandi Carlile - In These Silent Days
Best Song: ‘Sinners, Saints & Fools’
26. This was the year where I really got onboard with Brandi Carlile’s solo work - yeah, I know, I’m late to the party - but in all due fairness, this might be one of her best on which to get onboard anyway, as she embraces more wild, flavourful pivots dabbing across Americana and even southern rock with Dave Cobb maintaining that textured foundation for her incredible voice. But what I think won me over most with this album is the writing - Carlile has one of the most uniquely expressive voices in alternative country, this is well-known, but what I appreciated here was how creative she was in stretching her imagery to both werewolves and Biblical apocrypha, which still having the capacity to rip your heart out with her soft-focus ballads like no other. This album does not seem to have received the same attention as By The Way, I Forgive You - I don’t know why, while if that project might be more refined this is more experimental and interesting - but it did convince me that be it on her own or with the Highwomen, Carlile has all of my attention going forward.
And that’s the first half of this list… now onto the slightly meatier entries for the top half…
25. You know, when it comes to albums I find on Bandcamp, I’m used to feeling like the only one talking about them. But with this band, where I feel like I’m three albums late to the party… yeah, there’s no excuse for this to be ignored.
25. Slothrust - Parallel Timeline
Best Song: ‘Once More For The Ocean’
Now on some level I’m not surprised that this album might have been ignored or would have the feel of being tainted to some audiences - the band fired their founding bassist after allegations came out a month before this project was released, and along with a pretty considerable shift in sound, the band looks to be a rocky space for the foreseeable future. Kind of a shame, because this album absolutely rules and it came with amplifying everything that made them great - the guitars are meatier and drive a much heavier melodic groove, the pop elements only accentuate the warped, psychedelic crunch, their production remains some of the best in indie rock, and even the content nails the balance between trying to repair the mess and overcorrecting to spiral out of control, even if they had all the best of intentions. This is a band that could have very easily imploded in 2021, with this album feeling so much like the desperate struggle to hold anything together as the world burns around them - and it’s probably their best in years. You likely missed this - it’s worth hearing.
24. This is one of those albums that dropped late and surprised me - a collaboration where I didn’t know one of the long-running bands and the other was a singer-songwriter with whom I have had the most mixed of opinions. So this turning out be a moment of greatness… it’s lightning in a bottle.
24. Richard Dawson & Circle - Henki
Best Song: ‘Silphium’
What I think works best about Circle working with Richard Dawson is how the band gives him the one thing he’s never consistently had: a foundation. It’s a weird foundation, rooted in folk and proto-metal of the late 60s and early 70s, but with robust underlying grooves and terrific balance in the cycling progressions and hooks, it gave Dawson the earth to plant his seeds of this odd, naturalistic exploration of plant life, ancient myths, and human entropy, the last of which has been his bread and butter but now feels coaxed through framing that doesn’t feel so eminently soul-crushing! It’s one of those collaborations where I don’t expect followthrough with anything else - not the only time one of those will show up on this list either - but for a one-off experiment unlike anything you’ll hear this year, this was a strange garden of uncanny ideas, and one where I certainly enjoyed the wandering.
23. I know some folks are going to think it’s close to heresy this placed this high on this list - or at the very least they’ll say it’s revealing or telling of my taste - or maybe just say nothing, I tend to overthink these things and I guarantee most people forgot this came out late in 2021. But I don’t care - this is Elbow’s best album since the 2000s, I’m going to give it praise.
23. Elbow - Flying Dream 1
Best Song: ‘The Seldom-Seen Kid’
It’s tough for me to place this album in context with Elbow’s career, especially as it’s not as special as their progressive rock experimentation in the 2000s that culminated with The Seldom Seen Kid, an album that intentionally shares a title with a song on this album. And that might be the most revealing part of this project - the band might be starting to mine their own history, but the timbre of it is far smoother, liquid, and refined than they’ve really ever been, with simply gorgeous production to supplement the low-key arrangements as the band peels back the artifice to find middle-aged emotions that still hit. Coming off of a decade where the band did feel lacking in coherent direction, Flying Dream 1 is the first time in a while where Elbow’s work has felt cohesive, their hooks nailing the quiet complexity of their prog roots, and their writing recapturing the ground level humanity. It’s an utterly beautiful surprise that as a long-time fan was a real treat to hear - if you like this streak of prog or art rock, you may have still missed this, a lot of folks did, but you owe it to yourself for one of the most soothing listens of this past year
22. In contrast, this album was the opposite of soothing - if you found catharsis out of it, those feelings were far more visceral and biting and while I didn’t initially think this would place this highly for me… yeah, she did it again.
22. Lingua Ignota - SINNER GET READY
Best Song: ‘I WHO BEND THE TALL GRASSES’
It’s hard to talk about Lingua Ignota albums in terms of ‘enjoyment’ - they’re aiming to cleanse, to salve deep wounds and then rip them open to bleed freely, and while Caligula will forever have a place for me given how visceral and timely it was in my life, SINNER GET READY with every added bit of context I discovered became a much closer second than I realized. In my solo review of the album I spoke at length surrounding my thoughts on religion and faith, a lot of which shapes the liturgical foundations of this album’s construction and potency, to say nothing of its utterly unique instrumental palette, but drill deeper and you find a more layered wellspring of pain that encompasses righteous judgement, religious strictures used and abused to exploit and then absolve, and a yearning for salvation that would reveal the spirit and ahd purify in blood. It’s always difficult to recommend Lingua Ignota albums, not just because of their sheer intensity but also the context that informs them, but I also know to a certain set of folks nearest to Protestant, evangelical Christianity, this’ll be the most powerful thing they’ll hear all year. And for the one who is not worthy for his name to be spoken…you shall face your judgement in time. In the meanwhile, it’s on sight.
21. So that was a lot… how about something paradoxically a little lighter, but that nevertheless featured its own brand of relief and ecstacy?
21. Bleachers - Take The Sadness Out Of Saturday Night
Best Song: ‘Chinatown’
I feel obliged to mention that this is not better than Strange Desire - it’s more ramshackle, it doesn’t have as strong of an ending and you can argue it’s more wildly consistent than even that messy debut. But Jack Antonoff somehow managed to wrangle his unabashed New Jersey love for Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel into a careening shot of release that was stacked to the gills with hooks and enough self-awareness to both play the indulgent rock star and then savagely critique him at every turn. This is an immensely frustrated and frustrating album, returning home to unpack its angst but also wanting to run wild at a time when nobody can, and if Antonoff could have fixed some of his glaringly missteps in production, he could have had one for the absolute ages. In the meantime, though, it’s got enough gleaming greatness to grow me every step of the way, and even if mainstream pop stans are sick of him, I don’t see him going dark on me anytime soon.
20. I’m a little shocked this wound as high as it did on this list… for a lot of similar reasons that Bleachers did, come to think of it. The flaws are obvious, it’s certainly more shallow, and while it’s her best album in nearly a decade, it’s also the sort of return to roots that will not impress everyone. But when you stack it with some of her best every compositions in bangers and ballads…
20. MARINA - Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land
Best Song: ‘Highly Emotional People’
The funny thing with this project from MARINA is that initially, I thought the piano ballads were by far the best moments on this album! Seriously, she’s always had a tremendous voice and command of theatricality, she could capture so many evocative moments in stripping it down and just letting her huge presence and emotionality carry the load… but then you realize that her old-school electro pop songs kick a lot of ass too and the entire album balances itself out. Yes, it’s shallow, and you can argue the writing the is online leftist-meets-2014-tumblrcore, which does lead to a few missteps… but so what? She’s got enough populism and firepower to mostly overcome her broader strokes, and I get the feeling that more were disparaging the messages on display for many of the same reasons they crapped on Rise Against. Well hate to break to you, but earnest and honest drive for real change tends to be a better risk taken than ironic disaffection, and when it has this much style and flair to boot… yeah, I know where my allegiances will fall.
19. Honestly, when it comes to putting projects like this on my year-end list, I don’t need to say much - when the formula works this well for so long, there’s not much needed.
19. The War On Drugs - I Don’t Live Here Anymore
Best Song: ‘I Don’t Live Here Anymore’
Now as I said in the review, I do think this is a slightly weaker War On Drugs album in comparison with their last few - the production is less consistent, the writing is tilting towards cliche a little more obviously, and while I appreciate the poppier elements pulled from 80s heartland rock, the cracks in that formula are becoming more obvious. That said, it’s such a rock-solid formula that it’s really damn hard to complain, especially when Adam Granduciel is going to use a poppier pivot to write more immediate and striking songs, which he did here. And hey, call it the most obvious of white boy critic bait - it is - but when it soars this much, it’s hard to take my eyes off the horizon.
18. Whereas this project… I’ll admit I’m a little surprised how much it got to me. Maybe it’s my fondness for b-listers who finally get a moment to cut loose, maybe it’s how she finally showcased the personality to back up all that refinement and talent, maybe it was watching music row screw her over in one of the most insulting ways possible. Either way, this is Carly Pearce’s best album to date - you can write that in stone.
18. Carly Pearce - 29: Written In Stone
Best Song: ‘Next Girl’
It turns out all she needed was her marriage to implode for Carly Pearce to take that step and improve across the board from an artist I could respect to one I genuinely liked and want to see win. And while I could praise the writing all day for finally showing more of the personality and bite that went along with her seasoned technical skills, where she won me over was delivery - this was a project where the hard reality of the breakup and recovery forced the performance to audibly crack, and when you couple it with the slap in the face of Music Row elevating her ex and giving him a hit for absolutely no discernible reason over the best hooks she’s ever had in her career… yeah, that gives this project a different sort of edge. It’s an album of plans facing contact with a far less pliant reality, and Pearce proved strong enough to fight through the storm, even if Big Machine couldn’t rev up to support it. But when you have an avalanche… sometimes you just need to get out of its way
17. So there’s a lot of surprises on this list - I reckon this might be among the biggest, mostly because I never would have predicted this to work, especially not for the reasons that it does. But it turns out over a decade into your career, this band found a way to fill a niche I never expected.
17. Manchester Orchestra - The Million Masks Of God
Best Song: ‘Angel Of Death’
You can argue with Manchester Orchestra’s 2017 album that there were glimpses this band was tapping into something special with their conceptual explorations of family drama, but The Million Masks Of God took that messy territory and launched it into the stratosphere at the intersection point of deaths and new beginnings. But more than that, continuing to work with Catherine Marks and getting more hands on in the production saw the band not just pull together their best ever hooks, but also the sort of desaturated swell and vocal arrangements that recall everything Mumford & Sons tried to do after ditching folk but never able to bring the power or nuance. That’s one reason this album stuck so strongly for me, it had density but felt unpretentiously anthemic, where the smallest of moments felt huge and earned their dramatic weight. The band is now touring with Foxing on what might be one of the most inspired double bills I’ve seen in a long time, but even beyond that, Manchester Orchestra delivered a true stunner.
16. And you know, while we’re on the topic of out of nowhere stunners that I should have probably been on top of earlier and who only continue to exceed expectations…
16. Yola - Stand For Myself
Best Song: ‘Be My Friend’
Yeah, I’m still kicking myself for not covering Yola’s 2019 album that leaned a little heavier on country and for a while I’d argue was better than this… and yet this was an album that grew on me so much that I’m not sure I could make that argument anymore. The soul flourishes are more robust, the arc of the album feels more defined and emotionally rich, the nuance of the self-repair journey expands into interesting places, and Yola is the sort of powerhouse vocalist who is all the more potent with every new track. Yeah, I want her working with a producer not named Dan Auerbach, maybe give the arrangements a little more colour - or just have her as a standing member of the Highwomen, that makes all the sense in the world - but in the meantime, this was a strident and triumphant assertion of presence - you’re out of excuses to not pay attention.
15. So there are certain albums that win me over very quickly, especially from an artist I’ve been supporting the past few years - and then you try and follow up to see if they’re getting the acclaim you’d hope and it’s not there, and the rationale feels really flimsy. I did not expect to have to make a case for this project… but if a proper push back is needed, I can deliver.
15. Jetty Bones - Push Back
Best Song: ‘Dolly’
Jetty Bones’ breakthrough on Rise Records does not have a gutpunch as utterly devastating as “better”, at least for me… but in every other element, this is the theatrical pop/emo fusion she seemed entirely prepared to delivery and it was overflowing with colourful hooks, vibrant production, and content that got way too real in its exploration of heartbreak, depression and alcohol abuse, a searing juxtaposition that was the underlying root of her appeal right from the start. And yet even if I’d nitpick some production issues, I was shocked by how many people recoiled from the pop elements here, or how her label seemingly mismanaged her sound - perhaps a bit more accessible, but it did feel like a natural continuation and it wasn’t as if the writing lost any of its sting, especially by the second half where even the most playful veneers were burned away. Regardless, Jetty Bones made an album as catchy and therapeutic as ever - I hope to all graces she’s in a good place, especially if it can help deliver more refined quality every step of the way.
14. But you know, while we’re on the topic of pop-leaning pivots that didn’t deserve nearly as much backlash as they got…
14. twenty one pilots - Scaled And Icy
Best Song: ‘Bounce Man’
At this point, I feel like I’ve already run through my twenty one pilots talking points for the most polarizing - and in my opinion misunderstood - project in their entire career. A pivot back towards pop that nevertheless sees Tyler Joseph confront messier questions of legacy in the context of his family and the expectations placed upon the duo that rings as both more mature and bleak than many would notice, this is a quarantine album that almost seemed to appreciate the moments locked inside to untangle its obligations, for when the world opens up it feels implacable as the running metaphorical arc of Trench roars back to the forefront and the duo sees themselves pushed back into the brink… and by that I mean the stage. It’s an album as rich in metatext as the group has brought to bear, and while it’s not quite as stacked to the gills with hooks as Blurryface, it features the band at their tightest and sharpest - and it’s a damn shame so many hated or just outright misunderstood it. What can I say - by scaling down, twenty one pilots grew up, and it’s what made this work, should you choose to meet them.
13. I think I’ve praised this album every chance I’ve gotten since I found it on Bandcamp, where the artist in question got enough attention that he was able to get a small vinyl pressing of the album of which of course I bought my copy. I mean, when it sounds this good, you need the texture to set that vibe.
13. Tenant From Zero - Flight
Best Song: ‘Perfect Words’
The sophistipop of Tenant From Zero is easily one of the greatest underrated gems of 2021, and it’s not close. The production with its tasteful callbacks to the sleek sounds of the mid-to-late 80s but with enough maturity and refinement to feel contemporary, backed by the liquid delivery of Paul Darrah and the lyrics that know how to hit the precise balance between class, taste, and the emotive fractures that reflect a man struggling to express himself within that space, with genuine tact and the revealing moments where that just slips away. Gorgeously romantic and stylish but never overplaying his hand, this is an album that put me in a perfect comfort zone at any time - my go-to chill album in 2021, and one that I can’t recommend highly enough.
12. One of the themes of this list has been artists for which I feel later to the party than I might actually be. Now in this case, I feel I’ve got some justification, as the artists she’s worked with have not impressed me that much despite all of their critical acclaim, so I just didn’t make the time. But in 2021 I did… and Lucy Dacus proved that she doesn’t miss.
12. Lucy Dacus - Home Video
Best Song: ‘Thumbs’
I’ve mentioned this in passing before, but there’s something about writing about Lucy Dacus’ albums and especially this one where words feel inadequate, that she’s already perceptive enough to know what I’d say and it wouldn’t be enough. So while I could just go off about the layered and fascinating production or how Dacus’ alto gives her songs the gravitas and intensity to cut in both romance and everywhere that goes askew, or how her balance of high emotional intelligence and perceptiveness clashes violently with her instincts to say too much and push things a little too far in a way I found profoundly resonant, or simply how the scenes she paints are so vivid and human that she leaves her peers grasping for impact. Either way, I’m kicking myself that I wasn’t into her music five years ago, and while Home Video is a difficult listen, it’s a profoundly rewarding one.
11. But you know, while we are the topic of folk-leaning songwriters with fascinating production that nevertheless expose all new layers of intensity that suck me in every time… they’re two for two, folks, they did it again.
11. SUNDAYS - Inner Coasts
Best Song: ‘All We Have Is Time’
At this point I think SUNDAYS is my Bon Iver or Fleet Foxes - the indie pop folk act with strikingly great falsetto that will get a mountain of critical acclaim but are such a uniquely acquired taste that I completely understand if the emotional resonance doesn’t connect. And given this album doesn’t have a ‘Shape Of The Pines’, I get why it doesn’t strike as strongly - the moral ambiguity tilts even further as the justifications for artistic myopia hollow out our frontman’s relationships, even as he increasingly realizes he needs those connections to have any compelling muse at all, an exercise in ego inflation and deflation for which any artist can find some resonance. But when you pair it with gorgeously lush melodies, striking vocal harmonies, terrific grooves, and a few legit wonderful cuts that still manage to soar… yeah, SUNDAYS are still there for me, and I can only dream to what coast they’ll head next.
10. So here’s a true story: I tried to get significant chunks of this album on my gym’s common workout playlist - I’m not sure it worked, a lot of folks were thrown by the experience and then worked to swap out this project with new Drake and Logic songs, which goes to show that if you ask me for stuff that’s off the beaten path, I’ll give you material of which the majority is not ready. I have the feeling that that’s on them, not me or this album.
10. ‘LP! (OFFLINE)’ by JPEGMAFIA
Best Song: ‘REBOUND!’
I get the impression that if JPEGMAFIA and I were ever in a conversation for an extended period of time, we’d probably end up in a fight - and given that he was previously in the military, I’d probably get my ass kicked, but I’d still appreciate the confrontation. Because that is what LP! is - it wants to get in your face and challenge your expectations and get under your skin to actively make you uncomfortable, especially in gutting the soft underbelly of the phony machismo of mainstream hip-hop culture. But I appreciate how much further JPEGMAFIA goes, not just in how he takes production queues from everywhere while still manifesting a clear affinity for classic rap music, but also how he’ll bring his explosive tendencies to rip through the hypocrisy of fandoms and even his underground peers who refuse to live the revolutionary spirit of their content. And while I’m happy the beef was squashed and JPEGMAFIA still has a tendency to push a little too far past reasonable taste… I refuse to complain that he does, especially when he’s proven willing to back it all up in spades. Pick up the OFFLINE edition and go for a burnout - it might sting for a while, but it’s a burn you’ll appreciate.
9. So by sheer coincidence, this is the second country album on this list after the older artist took an extended break for six years, coming back to deliver what you might expect but also so much more along the way…
9. James McMurtry - The Horses & The Hounds
Best Song: ‘Canola Fields’
James McMurtry is such an insanely good writer it’s hard not to be a little shocked when he comes back and makes it all look easy. Picking up faster tempos and a slightly sharper sense of urgency as he ruminates through midlife scenes of frustration, desperation, and crisis, all the while with the sort of richly organic southern rock production that can match his cantankerous wit and impeccable eye for detail. He’s always been canny to avoid discussing themes or autobiography, but they’re certainly there in chronicling those getting older, left behind in modern America, and how they might scrabble to find a shot of life or even just respite, where if it’s political it comes in extended humanity and empathy where it’s rarely afforded, especially against businesses and institutions that have left them all behind. Either way, this album has already gotten plenty of rave reviews from those in the know, and even if we only get an album every five or so years, when it’s this good I’ll take it.
8. So here’s the thing with this next album - the last one represented a lot of country’s past and legacy - and hell, there’s a decent amount of that on this list. This is an album that to me has that historical grounding, but also could stand for a better future… and man, it’s a thrill to see it realized.
8. Adeem The Artist - Cast-Iron Pansexual
Best Song: ‘Reclaim My Name’
Adeem The Artist came out of nowhere for me but feels like an artist that deserves to be essential among indie country singer-songwriters. A good voice, an absolutely excellent command of atmosphere especially in their production, and then there’s writing that hits an incredible balance of witty, charged, and genuinely heartfelt. I love how it feels rooted in traditionalism but also how country used to stand against the machine, and should be inclusive of those who are queer and further to the left than anything else getting attention. Not just a reclamation of their own identity, but of how country itself has that pedigree and they can take a stand to amplify it, and do so overflowing with charm, humour, and even romance. It’s worth noting that Adeem The Artist was able to crowdfund their next album that looks to be a more involved affair - if Cast-Iron Pansexual was just setting the scene, we could have something very special coming down the pipeline.
7. The more I reflect on this album… it’s not just that it destroys everything in its path and wild, rancorous abandon… it’s that, like Adeem The Artist, it shows all the promise in the world to what can come next after the storm. Sometimes you need the bulldozer and the molotov cocktail, especially when from the inferno we get this.
7. Backxwash - I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES
Best Song: ‘I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES’
Full disclosure, this was not an everyday album for me - but when it hit this hard, in the right moments there was nothing could compare. A feedback loop of self-flagellation and systemic injustice that only built off the grooves to a cyclonic nightmare in which was difficult to escape, where agony was its own cathartic reward but also exposed the raw nerves of someone pushed to the brink. And when paired with her best ever hooks, production, and a streamlined focus to showcase so many varied sides of industrial rap metal while brushing through noise, African music, and even post-rock, Backxwash’s newest project doesn’t just pulverize everything it touches, but showcases endless potential for growth and experimentation. And at this point… shit, I just want to experience this live, because it fucking slays.
6. You know, I said earlier this year that odds were high that this EP would wind up on streaming services eventually… and it didn’t happen. I got my vinyl pressing of it and I’ve been able to stream it through his proprietary whenever I want, and that’s been great… but come on, Eric Church, please stop hiding the best thing you’ve ever made, it’s getting annoying.
6. Eric Church - &
Best Song: ‘Doing Life With Me’
So yeah, Eric Church’s & EP might be the first album ever to make my year-end list that’s only available for distribution in the most siloed and restrictive ways possible - his fan club and an exceptionally limited vinyl pressing. And yes, for six songs it’s concentrated wonderful, the sort of alternative country that would make the fans who know diehards who get a sample of some of Church’s best production and vocals and writing to date, where almost on its own it redeems the goofy package with the double album Heart and Soul. But so few have actually heard it, and Church seems content to keep it exclusive and by some miracle none of the fans have leaked it… and I can’t ask anyone to shell out a decent chunk of change for a EP that could appeal to more but is no guarantee. I dunno, maybe he didn’t think EMI Nashville would promote it properly, or maybe he’s just committed to a trust with his fandom that’s persisted better than I think anyone could imagine… but for those who have heard it, the & EP is a marvel and the best thing mainstream country has produced in goddamn years. It’s worth being a fan to catch this magic.
5. So here’s an observation: I’ve never placed a black metal album this highly on my year-end list before now. But the more listens I gave it… yeah, such raw transcendent beauty deserves its pedestal.
5. Unreqvited - Beautiful Ghosts
Best Song: ‘All Is Found’
When I first reviewed Unreqvited back in 2020, I knew the artist was on the cusp of greatness - the symphonic swells of black metal were striking and pretty as hell, but it needed a little more structure, slightly stronger tunes and more refined production, just that added step to put it over the top… and Beautiful Ghosts is precisely that. You don’t need to be able to make out the distant screams to trace the arc at one’s ending, crossing the bridge beyond time and space, especially when the riffs maintain texture and tune with the best of them and the melodic crescendos can feel both wildly dynamic and profoundly satisfying. It’s a project of such striking beauty that I’m also a little tentative to recommend it to raw black metal fans - it is pretty damn near to a fault - but when the coursing melodies can grab your heartstrings this powerfully, it showcases the epic, gothic power of this genre that’s unlike anything else. Utterly miraculous, where even if you might be put off by the visceral nature of this genre, it’s still stunning enough to be worth the journey.
4. You know, you hear about collaborations that might be obvious, and they might even drop a good single and you’re left thinking that it might be a good idea to ask for more… but how often have we seen the moment work but nothing else? Especially if it’s a stylistic diversion for both artists, and lord help you if you want to actually sell copies beyond the diehard fans, especially if both acts have slightly different level of fame and fanbases. So even when I heard the first shots of this collaboration, I almost didn’t want to ask for more… and yet…
4. Silk Sonic - An Evening With Silk Sonic
Best Song: ‘Smokin Out The Window’
Call it a throwback. Call it cheesy beyond measure. Call it a goof where its theatricality doesn’t quite capture all of the organic imperfections of its era, and then call it a one-off experiment for good measure. All of that is true, and yet it doesn’t make An Evening With Silk Sonic any less concentrated wonderful, a career highlight for both Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak that might stand among the best thing they’ve made to date. Absolutely dripping with retro affection for soul, R&B, funk, and blues, understanding the melodic textures and grooves to make it all materialize, to say nothing of the attitude and swagger to walk the line between sincerity and parody, what I think makes the album work best is actually the content, which is just tastefully updated for the modern era just enough to make it not as far afield as many would expect. Yes, I don’t expect them to do anything more with it after they tour and win a Grammy or two, but in all due honesty, I’m fine with them capturing this vibrant moment and giving us all another great soulful bedroom record for all sorts of adult activities. Easily one of the most openly enjoyable wins of 2021, where for once fans and critics were mostly in alignment, and as soon as they get the damn thing pressed on vinyl, the better off we’ll all be!
3. Even being very comfortable with this album as high as it is on my list, I’m legit shocked it is. I’m shocked that I found lightning in a bottle like this, the sort of album that fits within the indie pop rock / emo trends rising now, clearly echoing back to the 2000s, but also one that feels like it’s head-and-shoulders above everyone and nobody’s quite caught up yet. And for a debut as well…. it’s almost like she hit the bullseye, or something.
3. Charli Adams - Bullseye
Best Song: ‘Headspace’
There’s a lot I could unpack with Charli Adams and this album - the emotional breadth and depth of the heartbreaks and therapeutic examination of her past and present straits, the husky expressiveness with a sweetness that can pull you in even as the edge is just below the surface, to how the rock elements and grooves course beneath the gauzy synths and glittery hooks that might have so much restraint but never fail to pull me in, where if there are psychedelic touches they only underscore the emotional wellspring on display. But it goes deeper - not only does the album feel contemporary with any of Adams’ peers, but carries with it an emotional maturity and self-awareness to penetrate beyond sheer adolescence - the scope may feel younger but the resonance never does, the sort of project that I would call subtle if the writing didn’t bleed so freely and capture scenes with such nuanced reality. In my opinion Charli Adams should be mentioned among the great wave of women in pop, rock, and emo who are pulling old sounds to shape a new reality, because across this varied but tightly knit project, she delivered among the very best of it.
2. Ever since this album was announced, I knew in my gut it would be the project to beat this year - call it confidence but I knew what this artist was capable of delivering, and I had all the faith in the world that she would, even with the stiffest competition she’s faced to date. And… again, two for two, and this time it seemed like the doors began opening - and for damn good reason.
2. Emily Scott Robinson - American Siren
Best Song: ‘Let Em Burn’
I’ve been cheerleading for Emily Scott Robinson since 2019, and while I don’t think American Siren is as consistent as Traveling Mercies, the high points are on a different playing field. More importantly this was an album that felt like a breakthrough - the production felt more lush and layered and settled in itself, Robinson’s writing picked up more texture and form, and her singing is the best it’s even been. I don’t like relying on statements like ‘the talent is self-evident’, but there’s such a potency to her presence and her ear for lyrical meter and her flair for transgressive detail that even those who don’t like country that I’ve showed this album to have wound up with grudging appreciation. But for an album all about losing the ribs of religion to find the heartbeat of faith and passion - one where I suggested a pairing with Lingua Ignota’s SINNER GET READY and I stand by how much that makes more sense than you might think - Robinson saw a pick up by a larger label and budget and finally more folks are paying attention. The rest of the world is finally starting to pay attention to one of the most talented songwriters of this generation who has a humility and grace to deliver on it with texture and empathy… and one of the most striking country/folk albums of 2021 along the way.
1. I don’t want to say it was no contest - in the last months of 2021, it absolutely was very much an open question who’d get this slot. But at the end of the day, the first time I heard this rapper on Bandcamp I was floored, another artist completing a trilogy with the most varied colour and experimentation to date, where I don’t often get shocked on first listen anymore but he pulled it off. And by now, anyone who knows will recognize exactly who it is.
1. McKinley Dixon - For My Mama And Anyone Who Look Like Her
Best Song: ‘make a poet Black’
McKinley Dixon made the sort of album that is excellent across so many dimensions that if he had the marketing push of when TDE and Aftermath was behind To Pimp A Butterfly, the album might wind up in similar conversations - and I do not make that comparison lightly. McKinley Dixon is a rapper who can bend and find a pocket damn near anywhere, against a vibrantly organic palette of southern-inflected jazz rap instrumentals where only the best could ride them… and he makes it sound conversational! The sheer ability to change up his flow and command melody and bend across genre and wring out guest performances that all fit the thematic arc would be one thing - actually it’s many things, all of them amazing - but then we get to that content, building off of the context established with his first two records to unpack layers of personal and societal trauma with a breathtaking sense of ambiguity, empathy, and dimensionality. It’s certainly one of the most thoughtful and comprehensive takes on religion I’ve ever heard in rap music that goes beyond the chains of leadership or the aspirations to wings, because McKinley Dixon knows everything else that comes with them. Cavalier in its bravado - and rooted in the sort of reference points any diehard nerd will appreciate - but also a powerful note of healing and ritual among communities that, well, shuns religion… and finds a faith among family and heritage that’s about as organic and emotive as it comes. Oh, and it also happens to bang like nobody’s business and is overflowing with wit and melodic hooks for days, so while there may be pain exposed, there’s also a salve to staunch the bleeding. And for me in 2021, it’s handily the best album of this past year. 2022… yeah, you’ve got your work cut out for you.