The Top 10 Best Albums of 2021 (from a guy who is not a music journalist)
Quick background
At the end of 2020, I looked back at all the new music I listened to and did up a little chart of my favorite albums from that year. In doing so, I realized that I hadn’t listened to all that much new music; my finger was woefully not on the pulse. I decided I needed to be a better music nerd, so my resolution for 2021 was to listen to a fresh, recently-released album every week for the year. 52 weeks later, and I’m proud to say that I’ve listened to just over 200 releases from this past year. Given that I don’t work in the music industry at all, I’m pretty proud of this feat, and it makes me feel all the more confident in my choices for best albums of 2021.
Honorable mentions
These are releases from the year that didn’t feel quite right to include on the list proper, but I enjoyed them a lot nonetheless and feel an urge to at least write about them.
Meat Wave — Volcano Park
I’ll get this out of the way now: Meat Wave is an unusual name for a band. Disturbing, even. Regardless of this, Volcano Park basically dominated my Spotify Wrapped for the year. This tight, 6-track EP is some of the finest post-hardcore around. Perfectly paced with barn-burner bangers and haunting ambience, I simply could not get enough of it. Chris Sutter is a natural powerhouse on vocals and guitar, while Ryan Wizniak keeps up on drums to drive the record throughout the full runtime. Hats of to bassist Joe Gac as well for engineering the album and making it sound all the better. If you want to hear the EP that basically dominated my year, this is it.
Pile — Songs Known Together, Alone
I’ll be the first to admit: I am a huge fan of Pile. Originally a solo project by Rick Maguire out of Boston, Pile would eventually become a full-fledged band making hard-hitting indie rock with some post-hardcore leanings. With a cool 8 albums under their belt (including an experimental drone album!), Maguire would return to his solo roots by revisiting a handful of Pile songs, hence the name Songs Known Together, Alone. Half the album is done using loops and triggers while playing along on guitar, creating a nice, full ambiance for each track. Past track 8, Rick trades his guitar for a piano, something not commonly heard on Pile records. Combined with the beautiful artwork by Mike Boroda, I felt a warm comfort listening to these reimagined songs. Not just for Pile superfans!
Stuck — Content That Makes You Feel Good
Another EP that kicked so much ass this year. Post-punk outfit Stuck had released a pretty good album in 2020, but this EP shows some strong growth. Each song on here is biting, scathing, and unique, from the danceable opener “Labor Leisure” to the full-throttled “Serf the Web”. Content That Makes You Feel Good ultimately left me want more, with only 5 tracks to satiate for now. These are the guys to watch in the coming years if this is the direction for modern post-punk.
Slant — 1집
We now cross over to South Korea, where hardcore punk still alive and well. Slant provides the music to mosh too: killer riffs, blasting drums, and signature visceral vocals from frontwoman Yeji. It’s so fucking tight. You can spare 16 minutes to hear Slant rip it up.
The List Proper
10. Arlo Parks — Collapsed in Sunbeams
The first album that really wowed me this year. Arlo Parks dropped this amazing debut album after a couple of EPs back in 2019, and she clearly knocked it out of the park with a number 3 spot on the UK charts and two Grammy nominations (even though the Grammys are bunk). Parks’ songs are earnest and beautiful, naturally flowing around her poetry. In her words, she captures scenes, confessions, and vibes. I am at ease when I listen to Collapsed in Sunbeams, thanks to the wonderful and warm production of Gianluca Buccellati. Despite her strong start, I believe Parks can only improve off of this. Excited to see what this young artist has in store for us in the future!
9. Japanese Breakfast — Jubilee
Japanese Breakfast should be the gold standard for pop music going in to 2022. Compositions are sweeping and beautiful, giving Michelle Zauner a fully-realized sonic soundscape for her sweet singing. Dipping into synthpop on one track and following it up with summery acoustic guitar accompanied by strings is a showcase of Jubilee’s range. The album is full of highlights, but “Posing In Bondage” perfects the ambiance of loneliness and yearning. Every time I look back on Jubilee, I reflect on Zauner’s expert songwriting and the depth of her talent. The world needs more Jubilee’s.
8. Frontierer — Oxidized
This album is a punch to the jaw. It’s heavy, harsh, and dense, like being beaten with a rusty pipe. Frontierer wants you enveloped in the hard-hitting drums and chaotic guitar. For every break in between songs, you have a moment to collect yourself before the tidal wave of mathcore. But if you brace yourself and dig a little deeper, you’ll hear what makes this album so incredible. Not just a barrage of sounds, Oxidized pulls elements from Djent and Glitch to keep things fresh and interesting. One moment, you’re getting a great breakdown with deep, chugging guitars. The next, you’re sounds that can only be described a fax machine on fire. It may sounds like a cacophony of terrible noise, but Frontierer does a fantastic job of bringing everything together. Not for the faint of heart, but those who can endure it will find much to appreciate.
7. Silk Sonic — An Evening With Silk Sonic
In 2019, Tyler, The Creator perfected the relationship concept album with Igor, describing the rise and fall of emotions alongside masterful neo-soul. In 2021, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak delivered their own spin on the relationship album, but it’s moreso about loving the music than loving someone else. Yes, this is truly the music-lover’s album. With clear inspiration from smooth soul of the 70’s, Silk Sonic 100% leans into the greatest of the genre: upbeat funk that makes you feel like a million bucks, cheesy ballads reflecting heartbreaking woes, and even a disco track to help you bounce back. At only 31 minutes, An Evening With Silk Sonic makes me wish it was a full day instead, but I’m happy to settle with what we have. No filler, guaranteed.
6. Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders, & The London Symphony Orchestra — Promises
Not a conventional album in the slightest. Each track is a “movement” in the larger piece that is Promises. Coming from a minimalist stream of western classical music and jazz, Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders, and The London Symphony Orchestra each come together to bring unique sounds to this album. It’s beautifully hypnotic, taking time to build while the same string of seven notes plays as a baseline. Throughout the entire runtime, it feels like drifting slowly in a peaceful space. This is accentuated in movement 6, where the swell of strings from The London Symphony Orchestra bring things to a head. Few albums leave me in awe throughout the entire runtime. Be sure to give Promises your full attention to get the most out of the experience.
5. Lingua Ignota — Sinner Get Ready
Sinner Get Ready is a deeply intense album. It can only be compared to funeral, but I can’t quite say who the funeral is for. Kristin Hayter’s vocal delivery acts as a choir delivering forbidden hymns that chill to the bone. The string arrangements are naturally ugly, grounding the album’s tone in a hazy and morose sound. This album is pained, but works through the trauma using Christian framework in a unique and compelling way. Hayter has gone on to tell her story and I won’t retell it here, but needless to say that Sinner Get Ready carries much more weight when you know the context. Lingua Ignota is in her own league.
4. Little Simz — Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
I can only gush about this album. Production? Impeccable. It’s so lush and dynamic, with every space of this album being filled with great instrumentation. It really becomes more than just a hip-hop album without losing footing or getting lost in the sauce, so to speak. Rapping? Clean. Little Simz brings such a fresh and wonderful spirit to every song. Simz is larger than life here and fits the album’s production so well. The framing and pacing is also something to revere, with interludes giving way to bigger moments on the album without feeling like they take up space or time. It’s what I would want out of any album (not interludes specifically, but good pacing) and I would say that Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is the blueprint for all truly excellent albums.
3. Jeff Rosenstock — SKA DREAM
April 1st: Jeff Rosenstock posts an image which is a pretty funny edit of his 2020 album No Dream. “Haha, could you imagine?” I chuckle to myself. Good little April Fool’s gag.
April 20th: Jeff Rosenstock drops Ska Dream (on a Tuesday, no less). Rosenstock is no stranger to ska, having been in ska punk bands The Arrogant Sons of Bitches and Bomb the Music Industry! prior to his solo career. This album, however, faced an uphill battle upon release. Not only was it all the same songs from his 2020 album No Dream, but it was all done in the style of ska, a genre adored by few. This would be Rosenstock’s greatest challenge yet: how do you sell people a ska album in 2021? By talking about the genre’s rich history and roots. And it fucking worked! This album had people arguing about whether it was ska punk or just ska in the genre voting comment box on Rate Your Music Dot Com. It’s an impressive feat of taking a huge risk and paying off in spades. Ska Dream had me in awe, so I’d say that qualifies it for my top 10 list. Pickitup!
2. JPEGMAFIA — LP! (Offline version)
Quick distinction: some samples didn’t clear for streaming which resulted in two different versions of the album: an “online” version which you can stream on Spotify and Apple Music, and an “offline” version which you can download (for free!) on Bandcamp. You want the Bandcamp version.
Fuckin’ slaps. LP! pushes limits and feels way ahead of it’s time. I won’t lie, this was a grower for me, but when it clicked, it clicked hard. I’m still stoked every time I put on “END CREDITS” or “OG!”. And of course, “HAZARD DUTY PAY!” is an easy contender for song of the year with it’s amazing sample and energy. I also love the little bit at the end of “TIRED, NERVOUS & BROKE!” where Peggy sings with Kimbra (which also happens to encompass the thesis of the album). There’s so much more I could say about this album but it really needs to be heard to be believed. The bottom line is that there are few rappers out there like JPEGMAFIA, and LP! is proof that his artistic vision is one of the greatest when uninhibited.
1. Squid — Bright Green Field
Bright Green Field got me excited about music again in 2021. In a year filled with great new post-punk releases, this was the album that I kept coming back to. Going above and just making great post-punk grooves, Squid managed to pull from great dance-punk, krautrock, and drone music to build something that’s greater than the sum of it’s parts. Despite the many elements swirling around like a tornado of music, one of the greatest strengths of this album lies in it’s simplicity: start with a motif and repeat it over and over, weaving other instruments in and out to create a fully realized experience. This is most indicative with Ollie Judge’s lyrics, which he sings while playing drums on the album. I’ll admit, this repetitive building is my favorite form of songwriting (one of the reasons I love LCD Soundsystem so much). I absolutely adore how Squid plays with their songs. Even after all my other listens, I still get a rush from the album’s builds. What an exciting and innovative record.
Final thoughts
I’m pretty excited that I got to listen to so many great albums this year. I took some risks and was pleasantly surprised by all the new artists I ended up enjoying. I also took a few risks on some stinkers but I won’t mention them here. I think my resolution for 2021 payed off and I’m happy I made the most of the year expanding my music tastes.
As for next year, I’m resolving to write more about music. Hopefully you can see more of my words and get something out of them, but I’m mostly doing it for me as a creative outlet. Here’s to another year of great music!
