Top 20 Albums of 2021
“Give it up for day 15”
This entire year felt like this. Just tiring ya know? But also there was some pretty good music. Tik Tok continued its utter dominance of both the musical and cultural landscape. Surprisingly it wasn’t just Doja Cat and newer hits. There was a entire few weeks dedicated to some suedo-adult swim nostalgia song (hope that was this year) and a continuing trend using a long forgotten Louis Armstrong track. In the micro sense the Tik Tok trend (and more generally songs turning into soundbites) seems detrimental to the health of the album as a piece of art but the widespread use of streaming also seems to counteract this. Since we are able to pretty much listen to any song ever conceived for next to nothing there still exists some album lovers. But alas trying to listen to as many albums as possible to build up some sort of imaginary street cred for these articles still requires me to listen to some really long shitty Drake project once a year. The only thing that kept me from McLosing it while listening to Drake’s new album was the shoutout to San Antonio and H-town. Anyways next year I will only listen to singles. I actually I’m making a comeback I just saw that Sky Ferreira is finally coming out with a new album next year I’m saved.
Enjoy the list :)
20. Silk Sonic, An Evening With Silk Sonic
After Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak unexpectedly teamed up and released “Leave the Door Open” under the guise of “Silk Sonic” the world was ready. The glitz, the glam, the 70’s sheen. There was the correct amount of swag and nostalgia to get the wine moms and the Tik Tok-ers extremely excited. “Leave the Door Open” came out in March and there was a long lull before “Smokin Out the Window” came out and completely dominated the Tok. While I adore all the previously mentioned parts of this album it does kinda feel like the embodiment of what the Force Awakens was when it first came out. I thought that movie was a fun time but it puts too much of its weight on the nostalgia of the matter. The same goes for Silk Sonic in general. It’s not a terrible thing just something to consider.
19. Cassandra Jenkins, An Overview on Phenomenal Nature
I had a hard time picking this spot for some reason. Three albums that I didn’t listen to on repeat this year but still saw their merit and genuinely enjoyed: Lingua Ignota’s Sinner Get Ready, Hayley William’s FLOWERS for VASES / descansos, and the one I chose Cassandra Jenkins’ An Overview on Phenomenal Nature. You may say, “well why aren’t one of those other albums 20?” and to this I say because it’s my list :). These albums were all great so this is more of a honorable mentions than anything else. Lingua Ignota’s record was pretty intense and there is too much catholic guilt in this soul not to be a little frightened of it. Hayley William’s record I thought was very somber but in a Michelangelo’s Pieta kind of way. I just could not get into it as much. I decided Cassandra Jenkin’s album ultimately deserved this spot because I have a quota of sad indie-rockers and I did not meet it this year (I kid). But honestly I was pretty disappointed with Lucy Dacus’, Julien Baker’s, and Snail Mail’s albums this year. Jenkins gives us a very soft and light record that focuses on the background embellishment more than anything. The cover also evokes the overall feel of the record very well in a sort of high school AP English, magical-realism kind of way. “Hard Drive” is a pretty incredible spoken-word mashup that speaks the truth. You could easily get lost and even fall asleep to this record but you would wake up in a better state I’m sure.
18. Kacey Musgraves, Star Crossed
One of my first experiences going back to the theaters this year was seeing Kacey Musgraves visual album, Star Crossed (the very first was seeing the Demon Slayer movie, take from that what you will). I have to say I love the precedent that Lemonade set for creating these visual albums. Star Crossed as a visual album I think is amazing but I feel like it has trouble standing on its own. The visuals did so much to hammer home miss Musgrave’s deep emotion about divorce and I feel like many of the songs softer and built around the visuals. There is obviously exceptions as the one Tik Tok song that came out of Star Crossed, “breadwinner,” is intensively upbeat. Also “there is a light” falls into this category. I think a couple of songs could have been cut for brevity and still have enough for the emotional impact that Kacey wanted. A lot of people that are not ride or die Kacey stans did not vibe with this album at all. Which I understand if you are looking for “Follow Your Arrow” or even “High Horse.” You will find stuff like “Oh What a World” and that is where I think this album excels. I love how Kacey keeps leaning into this odd, distorted voice on many tracks (masterfully done in “gracias a la vida”) and I think there is still much that this album has to offer. Die hard fan or not.
17. Lorde, Solar Power
This list might just end up being a manifesto to how much of a stan I have become to certain artist but I genuinely think that Solar Power is misrepresented and amazing. After Pure Heroine and Melodrama Lorde went in a slightly different direction musically. Which again isn’t a terrible thing but to lonely onlookers felt like a death sentence. All over twitter was pictures of Pure Heroine era Lorde (looking like Wednesday) juxtaposed with Solar Power era Lorde (looking like Wednesday in Addams Family Values). “She would hate what she has become” they screamed like they somehow have an intimate understanding of her psyche. To me Solar Power feels like a triumph over whatever emo demons that Lorde seemed to be facing in her teenage years. There might have been a disconnect as many of us from Lorde’s age group have definitely not made it through to the other sided paradise that she is exploring. Many of us are still in our Melodrama era. I also think that musically this album is a great 90’s jam-rock inspired album. I find a parallel musically and career wise to Vampire Weekend’s Father of the Bride from 2019. I loved that album for similar reasons and I truly think Lorde put her entire Lordussy into this album.
16. Courtney Barnett, Things Take Time, Take Time
I’m feeling like kinda old at the moment. “I don’t want that new fangled crap, give me the stuff from 2015.” Which is obviously a ridiculous sentiment to be nostalgic for 2015 but I am starting to understand my parents I guess. I put on Robyn while I was with them around Christmas time and they were like “On god son what is this crap, give me the good stuff.” I think once you find stuff you like in a formative time you yearn for that same vibe. I really love Courtney Barnett’s almost Bob Dylan disposition and lyricism and I guess I will always gravitate towards that. Barnett’s last few projects really haven’t come close to the colossus that was Sometimes I Sit and Think… but the vibe is still there. The lyricism is still there. It is just solid.
15. Lana Del Rey, Blue Banisters
Lana Del Rey is pretty cringe. After the plethora of odd remarks at the beginning of this year in the lead up to Chemtrails Over the Country Club I was too busy clowning her to really pay any attention to the music. Chemtrails is pretty mid honestly and I just kinda accepted that she was destined to be a Morrisey figure the rest of her career. So when she released her second album of the year, Blue Banisters, I rolled my eyes. Since it was over an hour I really had a hard time sitting down and listening to it. But to do my due diligence, I thought I would give it a shot and I’m glad I did. I don’t really know what it is but I love Lana’s singing (or whatever you want to call it) on this album. It is all very atmospheric and I guess that is really what Lana does best. The instrumentation is complex but very faint to truly let Lana’s voice shine. I would say lyrics but the only lyrics that really made sense to me was the funny crypto line and the beautiful sentiment in “Beautiful” (see what I did there). From what I gather this is a capital s sad album and how you can grow from the sadness. Which you know is I think a pretty healthy way to go about things. It is just a smidge too long in my opinion and could cut down a bunch of tracks after “Dealer.” She is still cringe but I gotta respect the game.
14. Kanye West, Donda
Speaking of cringe my god. At the time of writing this Kim K is currently dating the living noodle that is Pete Davidson (I love him btw) and Kanye just purchased the house across from them in some weird Great Gatsby time is a flat circle kinda way. I have to say that Donda is WAY too long (I feel a theme coming on here) and I feel like Kanye could use an editor or four. Despite this, Donda does have a bevy of incredible tracks that ESPN or Bleacher Report would definitely call “vintage Kanye.” The only time that phrase is acceptable is when Derrick Rose dropped 50 when he was on the Timberwolves. Anyways, after the incredibly mediocre Jesus Is King it looked like Kanye might have actually lost his way musically. Donda felt like a return to form of sorts. It is still messy and long but Kanye feels like he found a happy medium between his insanely creative style of producing and his gospel influence. There a lot to like on this album if you haven’t already stopped listening to Kanye and it gives a lot of hope for what is to come.
13. Spellling, The Turning Wheel
I feel like I’m losing my edge a little. Kanye, Lorde, Kacey - is this 2015? There’s no Isaiah Rashad or Sloppy Jane am I just becoming an industry shill? While I did listen to both those artists this year at some point (chiefly the end) I felt way more comfortable with my favs. I guess I gotta be more adventurous next year or something. One “adventurous” artist that I did love this year was Spellling (with three l’s). Her album The Turning Wheel famously got a 10 from the internet’s busiest music nerd and since I am a sheep I had to listen. The Turning Wheel at first seemed way to theatre-kid-esque for me (Sloppy Jane is a bit more of an offender of this imo) but after a couple of listened I started understanding its appeal. The instrumentation is lavish and exciting, the lyrics and themes about animals and nature is very zen, and the singing is definitely unique. I think it all comes together quite nicely to a very swell indie-pop adventure.
12. Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga, Love For Sale
Every good Gaga fan knows that the jazz inspired collab album with Tony Bennett, Cheek to Cheek, is absolutely elite. Love For Sale is just as good. I truly didn’t think I needed this album but Gaga’s “C’mon” at the beginning of “It’s De-Lovely” absolutely teleported me to a 50’s lounge act. 95 year old Tony Bennett is still as suave an incredible as ever. The suite of love songs from Cole Porter manages to be so much more versatile than expected. The track “Love For Sale” does a good job of exemplifying this as it is soft in the beginning and then transitions to extremely danceable. Overall just two stars showing their star-power.
11. Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine, A Beginner’s Mind
I’m a big Sufjan Stevens fan but he releases a lot of different music which can be very hit or miss for me. When I saw this was a collab with someone I had never heard of and after seeing the cover art, I was intrigued to say the least. A Beginner’s Mind is classic Sufjan with glittery folk vocals and extremely enveloping instrumentation. It truly is just something to listen and relax to while doing chores and such around the home. The only background I could find on this album (a very cursory Wikipedia search) was that Stevens and Augustine recorded this in a cabin in upstate New York while they watched movies together. From my context clues I think they only watched The Wizard of Oz and Pierce Brosnan’s finest film, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (the entire title is deserved). I kid Mama Mia! Here We Go Again is his best film. Anyway this album slaps listen to it.
10. Billie Eilish, Happier Than Ever
Is Billie Eilish in her flop era? That is what she seemed to think following the release of her latest album, Happier Than Ever. I would have to disagree. While it is not the iconoclastic behemoth that was her debut, Happier Than Ever is far from a flop. Many tracks from this album came last year so at time the album seems like a “greatest hits” which you obviously don’t want. That is my only real complaint but I guess that is more of an abstract thing. There are a lot of strong concepts on this album about body image, male gaze, and triumphant sexuality and I think as a whole Eilish is taking things in a great direction.
9. Floating Points & Pharoah Sanders, Promises (feat. London Symphony Orchestra)
Low key I’m surprised at how much the general internet loved this album. It is very abstract, ethereal, and even a little posh (like those “I only listen to classical music kids”). I guess it goes to show how amazing the album is. The London Symphony Orchestra is incredible and it creates this air of emptiness throughout most of the album that is filled with an immaculate synth line (not 100% its a synth). The first time I listened to this is when I was working out one morning (super humble brag) and it was not the vibe at all. The more I listened though the more amazing the blend of a classical orchestration with modern electronics sounded. Also this has by far the best vinyl packaging of the year. Cool kids will like the album.
8. Illuminati Hotties, Let Me Do One More
This might be the album that I listened to the most in 2021. Sadly I don’t have spotify wrapped to tell me that this album made my aura “fruity” or whatever. Illuminati Hotties is my new favorite band name of all time as I just imagine Beyoncé and Jay-Z sitting at a table making worldly decisions. This album gives me Saturday-morning-cartoon-realness in the best possible way. “Pool Hopping” is an incredible banger that is way too catchy. There is also more solemn and slow songs like “Knead” (although I do prefer the more fast-paced ecstatic cuts) that show off Illuminati Hotties’ range. This is just incredibly fun punk-ish indie rock and a fantastic listen.
7. Tyler, The Creator, Call Me If You Get Lost
As a noted Tyler, The Creator enjoyer I was of course looking forward to Call Me If You Get Lost. And while the album is fantastic, the first thing I think about with this album is the intro to “LEMONHEAD” where DJ Drama yells “I’ll show you a real pandemic.” Which is absolutely insane after the past few years but you know whatever. I don’t love this album as much as Igor or Flower Boy but it is still full of charm, grade-A instrumentation, and lots of “bangers” as the kids say. The lead single, “LUMBERJACK” is crazy and if you haven’t seen a live performance of it, go on the tubes and watch it. I’m not a huge Lil Wayne fan (I’m too young) and I think his verse on “HOT WIND BLOWS” is something else. Honestly at first I thought the DJ Drama ad libs over the record was corny at worst, cheesy at best. But I think Tyler has enough of campy style that it comes full circle to ironic? The instrumentation is a little more a backing player than in his last two records which is fine but leaves something to be desired in my opinion. I still think Tyler is one of the most versatile and creative rappers out there.
6. Low, Hey What
This album honestly blew me away the first time I heard it. The internet was very fond of Low’s last album, Double Negative, but I thought it was way too overblown. Half the time I had no idea what I was listening to and normally I am really into kinda distorted, computer noise filled albums. So I was very skeptical going into Hey What. Right off the bat “White Horses” destroyed any doubts I had about the album. The distorted style the Low is known for was still there but I felt the sound was married to the vocals in a much more compelling. The vocals sound more raw than a singer/songwriter album. This gives beautiful melody to the songs while completely contrasting the nuclear bomb that is going off in the background. The overall sound is consistent through the record but the background “noises” are varied enough to keep things interesting. A fantastic wholistic work.
5. Jazmine Sullivan, Heaux Tales
Coming out early in the year, Heaux Tales was the only really interesting project I listened to in January (this is shade against Whole Lotta Red). The storytelling on this album is a masterclass in the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill style reoccurring skits. I just looked at the wiki for this to see who exactly each “heaux” is of the tales and they also compared this to Lauryn Hill so I feel validated slightly. The songs are beautifully produced with some having the heart pounding drum beat that fill many great R&B songs. Anyways the album goes into the deep multifaceted reality that a lot of women face in regards to their sexuality and status. Not really my place to explain you know so go listen to the album :).
4. Olivia Rodrigo, Sour
I don’t know if I’ve ever had such intense emotions injected directly into my veins but that is what happened with Sour. I think a lot of people are quick to judge about music like this saying its too played out, its not real, its cheesy, etc. I don’t really think that matters because if you frame the point of music as conveying your emotions to another person, this album does it better than almost everything I have heard in my entire life. And yes there is a blueprint in the music industry and it can feel manufactured and fake at times. But this is definitely an exception. Someone young enough to use Paramore and T-Swift as inspo is doing something right. “drivers license” will be remembered amongst the pantheon of debut singles from budding female artist (“Royals,” “Wuthering Heights,” “Our Song,” etc.) and its not even the best song on Sour in my humble opinion. This album made me excited to watch High School Music: The Musical: The Series which is crazy.
3. Little Simz, Introvert
I saw Venom: Let There Be Carnage which was a big pile of shit but Little Simz was in it so that made the hour and a half somewhat bearable (not really). This is the one ”long” album on this list that I think is a perfect length. It goes to show if Drake was earnest he could make a good album that was two hours long. The reason this works for Little Simz is that the entire album plays almost like an opera or theatrical production. With cute little interludes and an overarching theme of self-discovery and such. It gives me a similar vibe to Janelle Monae’s The ArchAndroid. Simz is able to merge this theatrical production with a very funky and up-beat UK rap style. Even though it is clearly the title and central theme of the album, the line “sometime I might be introvert” in the opening track has such a cadence to it that it sends chills down my spine every time. There is a lot going on in this album and every time you listen to it you’ll find something new musically or thematically.
2. Japanese Breakfast, Jubilee
This is the album I listened to on vinyl the most throughout the year. Which is crazy cause I feel like I try to mix it up and listen to something different every time. I just kept coming back to this it is so incredibly beautiful. The vinyl is a pretty clear and yellow evoking the hoshigaki (yea I looked that up I thought they were just yellow tomatoes somehow) on the cover. I don’t really understand the pure euphoria I feel when listening to this album. The first song “Paprika” gives me the vibe of a video game song for some reason (not in a bad way of course). This may be due to the fact that Japanese Breakfast came out with a song this year for an indie game called Sable (review incoming). Anyways a lot of the songs are just so relaxingly serene. While the lead single, “Be Sweet” is conventionally the best indie-esque song off the album, I tend to prefer “Paprika” and “Kokomo, IN” for the aforementioned serenity. Although it is a bit cliché, I can firmly say this album has zero skips. Everything flows so well together you never feel caught off guard by a tonal shift. I can’t rave about this album enough and find it criminally underrated in the internet’s music discourse. So here I am championing it to the “masses.”
St. Vincent, Daddy’s Home
Although I played Jubilee on vinyl more than anything this year, I do have two slightly different version of Daddy’s Home on vinyl. When I was debating what my number one pick would be this year that kinda sealed the deal. I’m a gd Annie Clark simp till the day I die. There are not many artists I will go up to bat for (Charli XCX being the other) but St. Vincent is one of them. The one time I almost thought about starting a twitter fight is when I saw someone respond to a tweet saying “we don’t talk about how ‘Digital Witness’ was the worse song of the 2010’s.” I almost McLost it at that moment. Not only does AJR’s entire discography exist, but that song absolutely slaps and says so much about our society (Joker 2019 colorized). The only thing I will admit is her 2014 self titled album did not age that well. It is still great but I kinda prefer just about everything to it.
Anyways I think Daddy’s Home is such a beautiful big dick energy moment for St. Vincent as it is inspired by her father being released from prison in 2019 and her subsequently taking control of that relationship. The 70’s era pimp that is all over the artwork of Daddy’s Home speaks more to this point. The music is obviously inspired by 70’s era New York and seems to live in the same universe as “Walk On the Wild Side” by Lou Reed. “Pay Your Way In Pain” gives very deep Bowie influences (almost sounding like “Fame”). I love the softer cuts like “Melting Of The Sun” and “My Baby Wants A Baby” with their melancholic/introspective feeling. St. Vincent is just so good at painting a picture and doing so in the most eloquent and beautiful way.
Happy Jamming :)
