2021 in Review: 50 Best Albums
It should go without saying that I've long abandoned this blog in terms
of its original purpose, but actually listening to, and keeping track of
what I would "rate" albums is an endeavour that I've yet to grow out
of. If you're reading this, I've probably linked it to you through
Discord or social media and are just someone that I happen to know.
Saying that: I did something similar in 2019 and - if the data supplied
to me by Blogger is reliable - it still racked up thousands of views so
perhaps I have some more reach than I thought.
Maybe one day I'll get back into in-depth reviews. For now... I listened to 113 albums, EPs and mixtapes this year and I only strongly regret, perhaps, ten of them. I used to find it a fun hobby to take an artist I absolutely loathe and defecate on their latest release (I think my most-read reviews were for albums released around 2010-2012 by the likes of the Black Eyed Peas, LMFAO, and Cher Lloyd), but now... I generally steer clear. One constant from that time period remains: Rita Ora released the year's biggest waste of time. Which is a shame, because we all know she's capable of something good.
Enough of all the dreck, though. Let's look back over the fifty better offerings. As usual, the stuff occupying the 50-30 spots are just "quite good", and are likely to be forgotten in years to come... so it's probably for the best I put it all on the internet as a time capsule!
Also: shout out to Arca for making this slightly harder than it needed to be with four bloody releases on the same day I started writing this.
Maybe one day I'll get back into in-depth reviews. For now... I listened to 113 albums, EPs and mixtapes this year and I only strongly regret, perhaps, ten of them. I used to find it a fun hobby to take an artist I absolutely loathe and defecate on their latest release (I think my most-read reviews were for albums released around 2010-2012 by the likes of the Black Eyed Peas, LMFAO, and Cher Lloyd), but now... I generally steer clear. One constant from that time period remains: Rita Ora released the year's biggest waste of time. Which is a shame, because we all know she's capable of something good.
Enough of all the dreck, though. Let's look back over the fifty better offerings. As usual, the stuff occupying the 50-30 spots are just "quite good", and are likely to be forgotten in years to come... so it's probably for the best I put it all on the internet as a time capsule!
Also: shout out to Arca for making this slightly harder than it needed to be with four bloody releases on the same day I started writing this.
#50 - Villagers - Fever Dreams
Over a decade into the game now, the Irish band have been on the cusp of releasing great music but always seem to fall down towards the bottom of these lists I make. I'm not sure that necessarily means anything, though: it's a perfectly lovely listen.
#49 - Arca - KicK iiii
Magnificent artwork, certainly the best of the four she released (and there's some stiff competition, too). I ended up loving one of the quintet more than this, but there's an ethereal, serene quality to her fourth that was a little surprising - and indeed calming, after all her signature industrial/hyper-pop carnage on its predecessor. Shirley Manson (of Garbage fame) pops up on Alien Inside, a particularly soul-cleansing rumination on topics like body dysmorphia, identity and inner peace.
#48 - Purple Disco Machine - Exotica
Fresh off the back of releasing one of 2020's most stunning and catchy singles in Hypnotized, the German musician released an album this year that is far better than your usual "there is one theme here and it is disco" fare. If you enjoyed the likes of Kylie Minogue and Jessie Ware's 2020 records, you'll have ample space in your heart for this one.
#47 - Lil Nas X - Montero
Usually when a debut album is preceded by enough stand-out single moments and the level of controversy and pop iconoclasm as Lil Nas X has offered up over the past two years, it's something of a let down and a rushed label cash-in on a new talent. Montero might not be a hip hop - or indeed pop - classic, but it's a bold introduction and has far more intrigue than just its hits. Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion pop up for great guest spots, but as Dead Right Now proves: Nas is capable enough on his own.
#46 - Lana Del Rey - Blue Banisters
Thank god we got past the original artwork. Lana Del Rey's tendency to churn out albums like Rihanna churns out eyeshadow pallets will often produce mixed results. 2021 saw two full-length records from her, and one of them was a forgettable cog in her wheel. The latter, Blue Banisters, was markedly better but still pales in comparison to the one-off majesty of 2019's Norman Fucking Rockwell. Looking back on this record, nothing in particular stands out as a career high, but it's an album of enough beauty and lyricism to be worthy of a listen.
#45 - Inhaler - It Won't Always Be Like This
Another 2021 debut record came from the Irish band Inhaler, who you probably know because the frontman is Bono's son (and also stupidly attractive). Like his father's band, the record is a largely safe and shout-along car ride that doesn't exactly push boundaries... but is extremely enjoyable and a fine blueprint for the band to develop on later.
#44 - James Blake - Friends That Break Your Heart
Still plumbing the depths of his despondency, Blake's fifth album is a far less romantic and adulatory than its predecessor. Themed around the concept of growing out of friendships, betrayals and letting relationships run their natural course, it's as bleak as some of his best work. I have to admit a feeling of disappointment though; it was two tracks in particular (Say What You Will, and Life Is Not The Same) that really saved this album from mediocrity.
#43 - Jazmine Sullivan - Heaux Tales
Pitchfork's album of the year. Apparently. No, I'll get over my confusion. Heaux Tales was probably the first album I listened to this year, released all the way back on January the 8th. Perhaps it's the sheer amount of material I've ingested since then but nothing really about this screams "best of the year". That's not to discredit it at all, though... Sullivan has released a wealth of albums since 2008 now and she's sure matured since the poppy breakthrough Bust Your Windows. I particularly loved 2015's Reality Show for its grown-up, smooth R&B that lingers into this record. 'Pick Up Your Feelings' and 'Pricetags' are standouts... but #1? Really?
#42 - Idles - Crawler
The Bristol punk-rockers' fourth album in five years retains much of the energy and sardonic wit as the others that established them as one of the most-important bands to pay attention to. Joe Talbot's is already one of the UK's - if not the world's - most unique and commanding voices, and whether that's over the oddly romantic The Beachland Ballroom or the frenetic follow-up Crawl! it's a talent that's sure to produce more must-listens over the years to come.
#41 - Vince Staples - Vince Staples
Still reeling from 2017's Big Fish Theory, I dove into this self-titled album this year and emerged just as floored by Staples' attention to detail, songwriting and world-crafting. The only thing holding this back from a higher placing was its brevity: 22 minutes is just too fleeting a visit into his discography. Take Me Home is its longest track at 2:47 and also its best.
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Over a decade into the game now, the Irish band have been on the cusp of releasing great music but always seem to fall down towards the bottom of these lists I make. I'm not sure that necessarily means anything, though: it's a perfectly lovely listen.
#49 - Arca - KicK iiii
Magnificent artwork, certainly the best of the four she released (and there's some stiff competition, too). I ended up loving one of the quintet more than this, but there's an ethereal, serene quality to her fourth that was a little surprising - and indeed calming, after all her signature industrial/hyper-pop carnage on its predecessor. Shirley Manson (of Garbage fame) pops up on Alien Inside, a particularly soul-cleansing rumination on topics like body dysmorphia, identity and inner peace.
#48 - Purple Disco Machine - Exotica
Fresh off the back of releasing one of 2020's most stunning and catchy singles in Hypnotized, the German musician released an album this year that is far better than your usual "there is one theme here and it is disco" fare. If you enjoyed the likes of Kylie Minogue and Jessie Ware's 2020 records, you'll have ample space in your heart for this one.
#47 - Lil Nas X - Montero
Usually when a debut album is preceded by enough stand-out single moments and the level of controversy and pop iconoclasm as Lil Nas X has offered up over the past two years, it's something of a let down and a rushed label cash-in on a new talent. Montero might not be a hip hop - or indeed pop - classic, but it's a bold introduction and has far more intrigue than just its hits. Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion pop up for great guest spots, but as Dead Right Now proves: Nas is capable enough on his own.
#46 - Lana Del Rey - Blue Banisters
Thank god we got past the original artwork. Lana Del Rey's tendency to churn out albums like Rihanna churns out eyeshadow pallets will often produce mixed results. 2021 saw two full-length records from her, and one of them was a forgettable cog in her wheel. The latter, Blue Banisters, was markedly better but still pales in comparison to the one-off majesty of 2019's Norman Fucking Rockwell. Looking back on this record, nothing in particular stands out as a career high, but it's an album of enough beauty and lyricism to be worthy of a listen.
#45 - Inhaler - It Won't Always Be Like This
Another 2021 debut record came from the Irish band Inhaler, who you probably know because the frontman is Bono's son (and also stupidly attractive). Like his father's band, the record is a largely safe and shout-along car ride that doesn't exactly push boundaries... but is extremely enjoyable and a fine blueprint for the band to develop on later.
#44 - James Blake - Friends That Break Your Heart
Still plumbing the depths of his despondency, Blake's fifth album is a far less romantic and adulatory than its predecessor. Themed around the concept of growing out of friendships, betrayals and letting relationships run their natural course, it's as bleak as some of his best work. I have to admit a feeling of disappointment though; it was two tracks in particular (Say What You Will, and Life Is Not The Same) that really saved this album from mediocrity.
#43 - Jazmine Sullivan - Heaux Tales
Pitchfork's album of the year. Apparently. No, I'll get over my confusion. Heaux Tales was probably the first album I listened to this year, released all the way back on January the 8th. Perhaps it's the sheer amount of material I've ingested since then but nothing really about this screams "best of the year". That's not to discredit it at all, though... Sullivan has released a wealth of albums since 2008 now and she's sure matured since the poppy breakthrough Bust Your Windows. I particularly loved 2015's Reality Show for its grown-up, smooth R&B that lingers into this record. 'Pick Up Your Feelings' and 'Pricetags' are standouts... but #1? Really?
#42 - Idles - Crawler
The Bristol punk-rockers' fourth album in five years retains much of the energy and sardonic wit as the others that established them as one of the most-important bands to pay attention to. Joe Talbot's is already one of the UK's - if not the world's - most unique and commanding voices, and whether that's over the oddly romantic The Beachland Ballroom or the frenetic follow-up Crawl! it's a talent that's sure to produce more must-listens over the years to come.
#41 - Vince Staples - Vince Staples
Still reeling from 2017's Big Fish Theory, I dove into this self-titled album this year and emerged just as floored by Staples' attention to detail, songwriting and world-crafting. The only thing holding this back from a higher placing was its brevity: 22 minutes is just too fleeting a visit into his discography. Take Me Home is its longest track at 2:47 and also its best.
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#40 - Slayyyter - Troubled Paradise
That distorted guitar riff on Cowboys has been stuck in the back of my head for pretty much the entire time since I first listened to it. Slayyyter's debut this year might have been lost in transmission by some, surrounded by contemporaries, but it stands out as one of the most assured and confident debuts in recent memory. From the early hits like Throatzilla to the dreamy, early-2000s EDM evoking Clouds, it's a blissful ride.
#39 - Lorde - Solar Power
Seen by many as the year's biggest disappointment, Solar Power landed with a muted splash back at the tail-end of this summer with a wave of public indifference. Swapping all of Melodrama's teenage angst and soul-searching for a record loosely based on... enjoying the beach? was something unforgivable for some and I have to admit, I doubt it's an LP I can see myself revisiting in the future too much, but something about its title track and the Nelly Furtadoesque Mood Ring provided enough brief reliefs for me to not totally write the whole endeavour off. Perhaps we, as a society, have outgrown the need for Jack Antonoff's production, because his Clairo and Lana Del Rey records this year were also somewhat disappointing.
#38 - slowthai - TYRON
Much of the last year or two has been spent in the field of damage limitation for slowthai, following one of the most cringe-inducing awards-show appearances at 2020's NME Awards. This, doubled with the task of trying to match 2019's incredible Nothing Great About Britain, seemed an insurmountable task. He had a wealth of support though: TYRON boasts collaborations with Skepta, James Blake, Dominic Fike and A$AP Rocky and all of them are fine. I can look past the odd punch thrown at an awards bash if the voice and writer is as good as this.
#37 - YONAKA - Seize the Power
Something of an accidental Spotify discovery for me this year were the Brighton act YONAKA, who dropped this mixtape back in July and it's one of the most ear-catching, exciting teen-bait of recent years. Singles like Raise Your Glass and Call Me A Saint don't need much effort to sell or, er, stream... pitched perfectly and sounding like the greater hits of Paramore. Its title track lends the band some serious power though, separating them from other teen-rock cookie-cutter moulds and offering something a little more nu-metal, or punk. Thank you, my tendency to let New Music Friday playlists to run on a little too long.
#36 - The Go! Team - Get Up Sequeunces Part One
Another of Brighton's many stellar and invigorating acts, but a lot more established... The Go! Team returned this year with their sixth studio album. Two records were sandwiched between this, and the last one of theirs I actually enjoyed.... 2011's Rolling Blackouts was a joyride of optimism and beauty that I felt at the time. Those other two (Semicircle, and The Scene Between) were big enough dents in my fondness for the band to leave me fearing the worst with this... but it turns out I needn't have worried. From the childlike catchiness of 'Cookie Scene' to the brassy Americana of 'Tame The Great Plains', the album rekindled my love of the band and the joy I feel when listening to them.
#35 - Adele - 30
I don't think I really need to sell anyone on Adele; there're few artists more readable and identifiable when it comes to their sound. If you had written her off as a samey balladeer with nothing left to offer your palate, though, then 30 certainly has some surprises. Whether it's the raunchy 'Can I Get It', the punchy and irreverent 'Oh My God', or the serious jazz worship on 'All Night Parking', there are more sides to Adele than you might think. Naturally, though, it's her signature sound that shines brightest: whether that's the single 'Easy On Me' or her most formidable and earth-shattering vocal on 'To Be Loved' that genuinely leaves my jaw on the floor with each listen.
#34 - John Grant - Boy From Michigan
Throwing a little back to his 2013 record Pale Green Ghosts at times, this album has this otherworldly, dark and forthright quality that can only be attributed to Grant. Some tracks feel overly long, as always, but none feel out of place or superfluous.
#33 - Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee
Something about this record just strikes me as magical; whether that's Michelle Zauner's voice or her actual craftsmanship. I can already sense the feeling that I'm making a mistake in placing this so comparatively low on the list. Almost every song here ticks my boxes so... yeah I've made a mistake. For fuck's sake.
#32 - Kacey Musgraves - Star-Crossed
As someone who took until 2018's Golden Hour to discover the easiness with which it is possible to fall in love with Musgraves' songwriting and voice, I am probably not quite entitled to yet feel a sense of "disappointment" with her oueuvre. But then, such was the strength of my connection to that previous album, that - behind all of the dark, pained gloss of this record - I found myself longing for another Slow Burn. In its stead, though, is another fine album and some wonderful introspection.
#31 - Dawn Richard - Second Line
"A second line is a dance where everybody is happy and they're doing how they feel. They don't necessarily have any set steps to do... they're just getting down," begins 'Bussifame', one of the many treats on offer on Richard's sixth studio album. She's always retained a knack for making people want to dance, and express themselves freely - but Second Line might just be her best yet.
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That distorted guitar riff on Cowboys has been stuck in the back of my head for pretty much the entire time since I first listened to it. Slayyyter's debut this year might have been lost in transmission by some, surrounded by contemporaries, but it stands out as one of the most assured and confident debuts in recent memory. From the early hits like Throatzilla to the dreamy, early-2000s EDM evoking Clouds, it's a blissful ride.
#39 - Lorde - Solar Power
Seen by many as the year's biggest disappointment, Solar Power landed with a muted splash back at the tail-end of this summer with a wave of public indifference. Swapping all of Melodrama's teenage angst and soul-searching for a record loosely based on... enjoying the beach? was something unforgivable for some and I have to admit, I doubt it's an LP I can see myself revisiting in the future too much, but something about its title track and the Nelly Furtadoesque Mood Ring provided enough brief reliefs for me to not totally write the whole endeavour off. Perhaps we, as a society, have outgrown the need for Jack Antonoff's production, because his Clairo and Lana Del Rey records this year were also somewhat disappointing.
#38 - slowthai - TYRON
Much of the last year or two has been spent in the field of damage limitation for slowthai, following one of the most cringe-inducing awards-show appearances at 2020's NME Awards. This, doubled with the task of trying to match 2019's incredible Nothing Great About Britain, seemed an insurmountable task. He had a wealth of support though: TYRON boasts collaborations with Skepta, James Blake, Dominic Fike and A$AP Rocky and all of them are fine. I can look past the odd punch thrown at an awards bash if the voice and writer is as good as this.
#37 - YONAKA - Seize the Power
Something of an accidental Spotify discovery for me this year were the Brighton act YONAKA, who dropped this mixtape back in July and it's one of the most ear-catching, exciting teen-bait of recent years. Singles like Raise Your Glass and Call Me A Saint don't need much effort to sell or, er, stream... pitched perfectly and sounding like the greater hits of Paramore. Its title track lends the band some serious power though, separating them from other teen-rock cookie-cutter moulds and offering something a little more nu-metal, or punk. Thank you, my tendency to let New Music Friday playlists to run on a little too long.
#36 - The Go! Team - Get Up Sequeunces Part One
Another of Brighton's many stellar and invigorating acts, but a lot more established... The Go! Team returned this year with their sixth studio album. Two records were sandwiched between this, and the last one of theirs I actually enjoyed.... 2011's Rolling Blackouts was a joyride of optimism and beauty that I felt at the time. Those other two (Semicircle, and The Scene Between) were big enough dents in my fondness for the band to leave me fearing the worst with this... but it turns out I needn't have worried. From the childlike catchiness of 'Cookie Scene' to the brassy Americana of 'Tame The Great Plains', the album rekindled my love of the band and the joy I feel when listening to them.
#35 - Adele - 30
I don't think I really need to sell anyone on Adele; there're few artists more readable and identifiable when it comes to their sound. If you had written her off as a samey balladeer with nothing left to offer your palate, though, then 30 certainly has some surprises. Whether it's the raunchy 'Can I Get It', the punchy and irreverent 'Oh My God', or the serious jazz worship on 'All Night Parking', there are more sides to Adele than you might think. Naturally, though, it's her signature sound that shines brightest: whether that's the single 'Easy On Me' or her most formidable and earth-shattering vocal on 'To Be Loved' that genuinely leaves my jaw on the floor with each listen.
#34 - John Grant - Boy From Michigan
Throwing a little back to his 2013 record Pale Green Ghosts at times, this album has this otherworldly, dark and forthright quality that can only be attributed to Grant. Some tracks feel overly long, as always, but none feel out of place or superfluous.
#33 - Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee
Something about this record just strikes me as magical; whether that's Michelle Zauner's voice or her actual craftsmanship. I can already sense the feeling that I'm making a mistake in placing this so comparatively low on the list. Almost every song here ticks my boxes so... yeah I've made a mistake. For fuck's sake.
#32 - Kacey Musgraves - Star-Crossed
As someone who took until 2018's Golden Hour to discover the easiness with which it is possible to fall in love with Musgraves' songwriting and voice, I am probably not quite entitled to yet feel a sense of "disappointment" with her oueuvre. But then, such was the strength of my connection to that previous album, that - behind all of the dark, pained gloss of this record - I found myself longing for another Slow Burn. In its stead, though, is another fine album and some wonderful introspection.
#31 - Dawn Richard - Second Line
"A second line is a dance where everybody is happy and they're doing how they feel. They don't necessarily have any set steps to do... they're just getting down," begins 'Bussifame', one of the many treats on offer on Richard's sixth studio album. She's always retained a knack for making people want to dance, and express themselves freely - but Second Line might just be her best yet.
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#30 - Griff - One Foot In Front of The Other
Just a mixtape for now but it's already been enough to propel Griff into an astronomical breakthrough year. Spawning the sleeper hit 'Black Hole', it also boasts enough in these brief twenty minutes to make her much more than a one-hit-wonder. All seven tracks are captivating, and proof of the twenty year old's talent and promising future.
#29 - SG Lewis - Times
A producer who I've had my eye on for a good five years now courtesy of his productions for the likes of Robyn, Ray BLK and Dua Lipa, SG Lewis broke through with his own record in 2021 ahead of some further collaborations with Mabel and Jessie Ware. His penchant for a laidback disco groove is very au fait with this current zeitgeist and his deft touch is, at times, magical. Whether that's last year's 'Impact' or this year's 'One More' featuring the God of Disco himself, Nile Rodgers.
#28 - Yebba - Dawn
A long-time collaborator with Mark Ronson, Yebba finally put out a record of her own in 2021 to muted applause. Whether it's saturation in the market or poor advertising, I'm unsure, but it's a soulful and fascinating debut to tuck into. Her voice has a commanding quality that sets her apart from the more whispery and hushed contemporaries, and production from seasoned afficionados like Ronson and Andrew Wyatt help to push it over the edge. Particularly love the collaboration with Smino, 'Louie Bag'.
#27 - Girl in Red - If I Could Make It Go Quiet
We're not exactly dying for another young singer-songwriter with a potty mouth and an edgy sense of humour so when one (or a hundred) come along they really need something to stand out. For the Norwegian girl in red (real name Marie Ringheim), it's her production and brevity of wit. Whether it's singing about her status as a 'hornylovesickmess' or her forthright tackle of mental health issues on the hit 'Serotonin', her album this year stood out as a voice far more assured than her young years.
#26 - Clairo - Sling
I'm aware I fully described her follow-up to 2019's Immunity as something of a disappointment, but that should only stand because I cherished the former record so dearly and, like Lorde, expected something to challenge for "best of the year". After her major breakthrough she suffered a little at the hands of critics and cynics alike for her privileged upbringing, and with all that aforementioned Antonoff safety surrounding this record I can certainly understand why some are abandoning ship already, but there's a warmth and a tenderness to her craft that's still keeping me captive. 'Harbor' has this lullaby quality that really seems to have stuck its claws in me.
#25 - NAO - And Then Life Was Beautiful
Having a truly unique voice in today's market is an incredibly rare thing, and Nao's is one that, I presume, has Marmite reactions. If you're a fan of it though, then you've jumped the barrier and are probably dancing to 'Antidote' by now. This album was really a selection box: there're bops, there're slow R&B jams, and there're unashamed 90s throwbacks like 'Better Friend' that would probably sit quite comfortably in a Lauryn Hill setlist.
#24 - Arlo Parks - Collapsed in Sunbeams
At this point it's beyond parody how the Mercury Prize tends to go to somebody that leaves everyone completely devoid of surprise or controversy. There were better British records released this year, but at the same time it's easy to see why Parks picked it up. Collapsed in Sunbeams is a richly-produced, and contains a wide variety of beautiful nuggets like 'Hope', 'Eugene' and 'Hurt'. I might have just cherished it more if it weren't so... safely wrapped up for industry executives, chasing that retro-soul sound?
#23 - L'Rain - Fatigue
This is still something of a recent discovery for me so I may yet grow to love it even more (or the adverse effect, I suppose). When someone is introduced to me in print with the description of "avant-pop" I can feel myself coil up in defence and anticipate the boredom already. If there's one thing Fatigue is not, it's boring. And that's not just because of the goofy outtake interlude 'Love Her'. On tracks like 'Kill Self' and 'Blame Me' she really asserts herself as an artist, wrapping up in all sorts of unexpected layers that I'm yet to unpack.
#22 - CHVRCHES - Screen Violence
After unsuccessfully chasing the majesty of their 2013 debut The Bones Of What You Believe for nearly a decade now, I'd sort-of resigned to the feeling that CHVRCHES didn't have another great record left in them. It didn't even need Robert Bloody Smith to prove me wrong, but they threw him in the mix anyway. The production of Screen Violence is the Scots back to their best, with tracks like 'Good Girls' and 'He Said She Said' really standing up there with the polish and pop perfection of their early hits.
#21 - Sufjan Stevens & Angelo de Augustine - A Beginner's Mind
After 2020's APORIA with his father, I was afraid to delve into another Sufjan Stevens record for fear that he had, for want of a better term, 'lost it'. It's probably best to write off that last one was a daft experimentation, but then I've always been in the camp that never really enjoyed The Age of Adz so perhaps I'm just afraid of anything that isn't his sad balladeer side. In 2021, he teamed up with the Californian Angelo de Augustine, and created a record that is as serene as it is inspired by cinema. Each track is inspired by a classic film, whether that's 'Cimmerian Shade' and its warped tribute to the Silence of the Lambs, or a rather direct interpretation of Hellraiser III on 'The Pillar of Souls'.
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Just a mixtape for now but it's already been enough to propel Griff into an astronomical breakthrough year. Spawning the sleeper hit 'Black Hole', it also boasts enough in these brief twenty minutes to make her much more than a one-hit-wonder. All seven tracks are captivating, and proof of the twenty year old's talent and promising future.
#29 - SG Lewis - Times
A producer who I've had my eye on for a good five years now courtesy of his productions for the likes of Robyn, Ray BLK and Dua Lipa, SG Lewis broke through with his own record in 2021 ahead of some further collaborations with Mabel and Jessie Ware. His penchant for a laidback disco groove is very au fait with this current zeitgeist and his deft touch is, at times, magical. Whether that's last year's 'Impact' or this year's 'One More' featuring the God of Disco himself, Nile Rodgers.
#28 - Yebba - Dawn
A long-time collaborator with Mark Ronson, Yebba finally put out a record of her own in 2021 to muted applause. Whether it's saturation in the market or poor advertising, I'm unsure, but it's a soulful and fascinating debut to tuck into. Her voice has a commanding quality that sets her apart from the more whispery and hushed contemporaries, and production from seasoned afficionados like Ronson and Andrew Wyatt help to push it over the edge. Particularly love the collaboration with Smino, 'Louie Bag'.
#27 - Girl in Red - If I Could Make It Go Quiet
We're not exactly dying for another young singer-songwriter with a potty mouth and an edgy sense of humour so when one (or a hundred) come along they really need something to stand out. For the Norwegian girl in red (real name Marie Ringheim), it's her production and brevity of wit. Whether it's singing about her status as a 'hornylovesickmess' or her forthright tackle of mental health issues on the hit 'Serotonin', her album this year stood out as a voice far more assured than her young years.
#26 - Clairo - Sling
I'm aware I fully described her follow-up to 2019's Immunity as something of a disappointment, but that should only stand because I cherished the former record so dearly and, like Lorde, expected something to challenge for "best of the year". After her major breakthrough she suffered a little at the hands of critics and cynics alike for her privileged upbringing, and with all that aforementioned Antonoff safety surrounding this record I can certainly understand why some are abandoning ship already, but there's a warmth and a tenderness to her craft that's still keeping me captive. 'Harbor' has this lullaby quality that really seems to have stuck its claws in me.
#25 - NAO - And Then Life Was Beautiful
Having a truly unique voice in today's market is an incredibly rare thing, and Nao's is one that, I presume, has Marmite reactions. If you're a fan of it though, then you've jumped the barrier and are probably dancing to 'Antidote' by now. This album was really a selection box: there're bops, there're slow R&B jams, and there're unashamed 90s throwbacks like 'Better Friend' that would probably sit quite comfortably in a Lauryn Hill setlist.
#24 - Arlo Parks - Collapsed in Sunbeams
At this point it's beyond parody how the Mercury Prize tends to go to somebody that leaves everyone completely devoid of surprise or controversy. There were better British records released this year, but at the same time it's easy to see why Parks picked it up. Collapsed in Sunbeams is a richly-produced, and contains a wide variety of beautiful nuggets like 'Hope', 'Eugene' and 'Hurt'. I might have just cherished it more if it weren't so... safely wrapped up for industry executives, chasing that retro-soul sound?
#23 - L'Rain - Fatigue
This is still something of a recent discovery for me so I may yet grow to love it even more (or the adverse effect, I suppose). When someone is introduced to me in print with the description of "avant-pop" I can feel myself coil up in defence and anticipate the boredom already. If there's one thing Fatigue is not, it's boring. And that's not just because of the goofy outtake interlude 'Love Her'. On tracks like 'Kill Self' and 'Blame Me' she really asserts herself as an artist, wrapping up in all sorts of unexpected layers that I'm yet to unpack.
#22 - CHVRCHES - Screen Violence
After unsuccessfully chasing the majesty of their 2013 debut The Bones Of What You Believe for nearly a decade now, I'd sort-of resigned to the feeling that CHVRCHES didn't have another great record left in them. It didn't even need Robert Bloody Smith to prove me wrong, but they threw him in the mix anyway. The production of Screen Violence is the Scots back to their best, with tracks like 'Good Girls' and 'He Said She Said' really standing up there with the polish and pop perfection of their early hits.
#21 - Sufjan Stevens & Angelo de Augustine - A Beginner's Mind
After 2020's APORIA with his father, I was afraid to delve into another Sufjan Stevens record for fear that he had, for want of a better term, 'lost it'. It's probably best to write off that last one was a daft experimentation, but then I've always been in the camp that never really enjoyed The Age of Adz so perhaps I'm just afraid of anything that isn't his sad balladeer side. In 2021, he teamed up with the Californian Angelo de Augustine, and created a record that is as serene as it is inspired by cinema. Each track is inspired by a classic film, whether that's 'Cimmerian Shade' and its warped tribute to the Silence of the Lambs, or a rather direct interpretation of Hellraiser III on 'The Pillar of Souls'.
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#20 - Low - HEY WHAT
I'm reliably informed that Low are thirteen albums in at this point, but as someone who's only dabbled with them in the past I'm probably too late to consider myself a fan in any meaningful sense. Upon listening to this, I'm still a little lost with where exactly to pin the duo as a 'sound'. I do know, however, that I am fascinated by this album.
#19 - Sam Fender - Seventeen Going Under
With each repeated listen of Hypersonic Missiles back in 2019 I grew to appreciate Fender more, and as such it wasn't really much of a surprise that his sophomore record should be just as great. The Springsteen influence is certainly still there, but so too is Fender's unique outlook: throwing in political screamers like 'Aye' that are so bursting with energy and rattling the listener's bones. There are enough romantic moments to keep him on the radio with his compatriot Lewis Capaldi, but as an artist? He's lightyears ahead.
#18 - Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview on Phenomenal Nature
More of a self-help book than a conventional folk record, Jenkins' second record is ripe for parody and can certainly come off as pretentious. Something about the past ten years, though, made this record quite the antidote and the spiritual uplift.
#17 - Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
Four albums in now but 2021 has very much been a breakthrough year for the Islington girl. This is one of the year's defining records and one I can definitely see myself coming back to for comfort and wisdom. Immaculately produced, and a showstopper for well over an hour with fantastic narration.
#16 - Lucy Dacus - Home Video
Dacus' third studio album is the first I've listened to, after a recommendation from a friend (probably because I haven't shut the fuck up about Phoebe Bridgers' Punisher). It instantly resonated with me: an overtly nostalgic and sombre reflection on childhood and an unwavering voice that sails through the record with so much clarity and ache.
#15 - Torres - Thirstier
Only a year after her last, Torres' fifth album matches Silver Tongue's score on the dot for me. Consistency is never really an exciting thing but I trust a new Torres album to be on heavy rotation whenever it drops: Mackenzie Scott has a skill and a sneerish drawl to her vocal stylings that just win me over time and time again. 'Don't Go Puttin' Wishes in My Head', in particular, stands out as a change of direction and genre for her.
#14 - The War on Drugs - I Don't Live Here Anymore
I didn't discover this band until their 2017 record A Deeper Understanding, and it was one of my favourites from that year. In 2021, they didn't dip in form whatsoever, dropping a gorgeously nostalgic collection towards the end of the year. Blending all the typical comfort you'd get from a dad-rock, drivetime sound in with more sensitive and tender lyricism, the record just radiates warmth.
#13 - Dry Cleaning - New Long Leg
I wouldn't have given this the time of day - I'd imagine - if I hadn't accidentally seen a music video for Scratchcard Lanyard back at the start of the year. The obvious draw is frontwoman Florence Shaw's inimitable drawl, evoking post-punk classics like The Fall, but the production from John Parish (long-time collaborator of PJ Harvey's, of course) really just tips it over the edge into what, I'm sure, will be stardom. There's too much in the lyrics to unpack with just this pithy little paragraph so I'll let you explore your favourites yourselves.
#12 - Tinashe - 333
Tinashe has always been lingering around the #40 mark with her albums over the past decade. Typically, I put on 333 expecting nothing major... a few cute songs I can move on from quickly. Instead... I got the songs I kept on rotation all year and still want to listen to every day. Undeniably her best album, 333 is stacked with everything I cherish about pop: 80s nostalgia (The Chase), bizarre production (Bouncin'), and bangers that I almost embarrass myself in public by singing along to with gusto (Undo). This looked like a cert for the top ten until some late discoveries, but when looking back on 2021 this will be one of the records that jump out as a classic.
#11 - Snail Mail - Valentine
One such late discovery was Snail Mail's November record. I'd definitely enjoyed its predecessor, 2018's Lush, but this one completely blew it away. It's a quick listen at just over half an hour, but the amount of punch it packs into such a condensed period is formidable; take the agonising 'Glory' and its overwhelming sense of powerlessness at someone else's control, or the fatalist yearning of 'Headlock', begging to "take me with you to nirvana". Lindsey Jordan's career trajectory is already on pretty much everyone's watchlist and it's easy to see why.
#10 - Ray BLK - Access Denied
Since winning the BBC "Sound of..." award back in 2017, the pace of Ray BLK's career has felt painfully stunted. It's an accolade customarily afforded to the next big thing, launching the platforms of the likes of Sam Smith, Ellie Goulding, Jessie J, and Adele. Perhaps there's something in the BLK part of her name that meant certain doors weren't opened for her. I've championed her since discovering her that year to all of my friends, because the talent is unquestionably there: early hits like 'My Hood' and 'Chill Out' are some of my most beloved tracks of the past decade. On finally reaching her debut album, she didn't disappoint. There are star collaborations (with Giggs, Stefflon Don, etc.), sure, but the focus is on Ray herself. "They might clip your wings before you can fly," she muses on '25', and hopefully the rave reviews for this record mean she's going to carry on soaring.
#9 - Joy Crookes - Skin
Someone who's only just breaking through herself is Crookes, whose name was murmured a lot in the 2020 breakthrough circles. Naturally, circumstances last year meant that touring and making a name for herself had to be put on hiatus, but a year later she dropped her debut and it was stunning. I don't like comparing female artists to others but there's such a heavy sheen of Amy Winehouse about this record that was just unmistakeable when I first heard it. The singles 'When You Were Mine' and 'Feet Don't Fail Me Now' are rich with that 2000s-retro sound that I grew up adoring, but there are other facets to Crookes' music that kept its head above the water of pastiche or "rip-off". The inclusions of a conversation with her mother, speaking in Bengali, when getting over a break-up at a nail salon on 'To Lose Someone' lend the record a deeply personal feel that is easy to fall in love with.
#8 - Arca - KicK iii
I went through this album at the same time I went through all of her other three released on the same weekend. One thing stood out to me, aside from "jesus christ her work ethic..."; this is the clear stand-out. Its energy, its wordplay, its production is astonishing. I waited for a dip in the album, for the customary filler track, but none came. The names of the tracklist alone should've been proof of its fire: 'Incendio', 'Skullqueen' and 'Intimate Flesh' all give some indication of its content, and indeed there are references to spitting in open wounds ('Senorita') and shitting on the pavement ('Bruja'). It's probably not a dinner party record, but for fans of Arca's by-now legendary sound, this is a huge dose of adrenaline.
#7 - Laura Mvula - Pink Noise
When I listened to Laura Mvula's breakthrough all the way back in 2013, I have to admit I was a little bored. I could understand her appeal, it just didn't apply to me. Another album and the usual record label drop later, Mvula returned in 2021 after a five year gap with this... monster. According to last.fm and Spotify, this is the album I played the most over the year and it's quite obvious why. Borrowing heavily from the glorious 80s, Pink Noise is coated in a gloss that is as addictive as it is nostalgic, so when being thrown tracks like 'Got Me', 'Safe Passage' or 'Before the Dawn' it feels simultaneously familiar and eye-opening. Like all other slices of 80s-revivalism that stand out over the past decade, whether it's the San Junipero episode of Black Mirror, or the entire premise of Stranger Things, Pink Noise is a timeless album that's going to linger in my heart for a long, long time.
#6 - Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever
How to follow up one of the biggest commercial and critical successes of all time? With a better album, probably, if you can. Eilish could, and I'm still getting my head around what exactly is my favourite portion of this feast. Even if it was slow-fed to us over time, with a whole host of advance singles and teasers like 'my future', 'your power' and 'Therefore I Am' arriving way ahead of the full LP, it still dropped back at the end of July with a walloping punch. There is, of course, her signature sound: 'Therefore I Am' might easily have slot into her debut... but it's the new experimentations that really stick out as must-listens for me. You see a song called 'Billie Bossa Nova' and get exactly what you see. There are brushes with industrial rock on 'Oxytocin', one of the most bewitching tracks on offer. And then there's the title track... we'll come to that in another post.
#5 - Lingua Ignota - Sinner Get Ready
When I was first recommended this album I was a little taken aback by the immediate impression. Screaming, guttural, almost feral with Biblical reverence and apoplexy... those can be tough facades to break through. Her earlier metal sounds are definitely present here: opener 'THE ORDER OF SPIRITUAL VIRGINS' might suggest something intense from name alone and it delivers. The intensely personal sides to her offer a charm that reaches through the abrasion and pulls you in, though: on 'REPENT NOW CONFESS NOW' she tackles the immediate agony of emergency surgery and the possibility of losing her mobility. There's also 'PERPETUAL FLAME OF CENTRALIA', which might be the most beautiful thing released all year.
#4 - Wolf Alice - Blue Weekend
Three albums in now and Wolf Alice have cemented themselves as one of my favourite bands of all time. Just where to start with the magic in this record? Well, there's the hauntingly quiet and spine-tingling 'The Last Man on Earth', condemning human arrogance and main-character syndrome with a backdrop that seems ironically primed for a poignant soundtrack appearance. There's muted heartbreak on 'No Hard Feelings', chirping along almost playfully and shrugging off the pain, whilst 'Lipstick on the Glass' tells of taking back a cheating lover. The band are experts at crafting in the middle ground between token rock and more experimental, electronic sounds, and as such their records seem to cover a lot of ground whenever I want to immerse myself in them (which is often).
#3 - Dave - We're All Alone In This Together
We're now at the stage of the countdown where, when listening to the album for the first time, feelings of being blown away were unmistakable. I gave pretty much every single track on this, the much-anticipated follow-up to that incredible PSYCHODRAMA record, a five-star rating, and I stand by it. Dave's status as the most politically-charged British rapper is unquestionable at this point, and his fiery anger is omnipresent on this record. It's impossible to pick a favourite, but in terms of sheer scope, 'In the Fire' has to be named for its audacity to throw four surprise collaborations at us in Giggs, Meekz, Ghetts and Fredo for this masterclass in storytelling that evokes major hip-hop history moments like Kanye's So Appalled. There are lighter moments, for sure: 'System' with Wizkid is an unassuming summer jam, while 'Verdansk' is essentially a 3 minute advert for Call of Duty. But it's the tracks where Dave goes hardest that floor me, like the ten-minute opus 'Heart Attack' and its incredible reflections on knife crime and London culture. Around halfway through he just goes acapella and the wordplay cements him as arguably the greatest alive.
#2 - Indigo de Souza - Any Shape You Take
Grunge made its comeback years ago but it's a genre that's difficult to get right. Too often it gets steeped in overwraught teenage angst, confining itself to a generation and never translating to the others. When done right, though, it permeates you and leaves you creatively and emotionally spent. Indigo de Souza's second album is all that and more, stacked with catharsis. Whether it's the extended screaming middle in 'Real Pain', the reassuring comfort, through sheer force if needs be, on 'Hold U' or the coy and romantic 'Pretty Pictures', the entire album oozes compassion and lavishes emotional release upon the listener.
#1 - Tyler, the Creator - CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST
Another man sealing his status as one of my must-listen artists at the moment is Tyler, whose recent albums have been incredible enough without the home-run that this one takes. I loved Flower Boy, I loved IGOR... but this one is just something else. Creating a Baudelaire character for himself, the album goes on this journey of success and fame and glory and its incompatibility with healthy relationships; 'WILSHIRE' is a genius stroke of honest storytelling and emotional honesty. There's incredible maturity since his Yonkers days, too: 'MANIFESTO' references his early Twitter troll days with a mixture of mortified embarrassment and nonchalance, while also addressing his status as a public figure and his uncertainty with how to handle politics and endorsements. Describing a record as kaleidoscopic always feels like a cop-out, as though you don't know what to say about the album, but the playful production and composition, dripping with psychedelia and cartoon noises just makes it the perfect description.
I'm reliably informed that Low are thirteen albums in at this point, but as someone who's only dabbled with them in the past I'm probably too late to consider myself a fan in any meaningful sense. Upon listening to this, I'm still a little lost with where exactly to pin the duo as a 'sound'. I do know, however, that I am fascinated by this album.
#19 - Sam Fender - Seventeen Going Under
With each repeated listen of Hypersonic Missiles back in 2019 I grew to appreciate Fender more, and as such it wasn't really much of a surprise that his sophomore record should be just as great. The Springsteen influence is certainly still there, but so too is Fender's unique outlook: throwing in political screamers like 'Aye' that are so bursting with energy and rattling the listener's bones. There are enough romantic moments to keep him on the radio with his compatriot Lewis Capaldi, but as an artist? He's lightyears ahead.
#18 - Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview on Phenomenal Nature
More of a self-help book than a conventional folk record, Jenkins' second record is ripe for parody and can certainly come off as pretentious. Something about the past ten years, though, made this record quite the antidote and the spiritual uplift.
#17 - Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
Four albums in now but 2021 has very much been a breakthrough year for the Islington girl. This is one of the year's defining records and one I can definitely see myself coming back to for comfort and wisdom. Immaculately produced, and a showstopper for well over an hour with fantastic narration.
#16 - Lucy Dacus - Home Video
Dacus' third studio album is the first I've listened to, after a recommendation from a friend (probably because I haven't shut the fuck up about Phoebe Bridgers' Punisher). It instantly resonated with me: an overtly nostalgic and sombre reflection on childhood and an unwavering voice that sails through the record with so much clarity and ache.
#15 - Torres - Thirstier
Only a year after her last, Torres' fifth album matches Silver Tongue's score on the dot for me. Consistency is never really an exciting thing but I trust a new Torres album to be on heavy rotation whenever it drops: Mackenzie Scott has a skill and a sneerish drawl to her vocal stylings that just win me over time and time again. 'Don't Go Puttin' Wishes in My Head', in particular, stands out as a change of direction and genre for her.
#14 - The War on Drugs - I Don't Live Here Anymore
I didn't discover this band until their 2017 record A Deeper Understanding, and it was one of my favourites from that year. In 2021, they didn't dip in form whatsoever, dropping a gorgeously nostalgic collection towards the end of the year. Blending all the typical comfort you'd get from a dad-rock, drivetime sound in with more sensitive and tender lyricism, the record just radiates warmth.
#13 - Dry Cleaning - New Long Leg
I wouldn't have given this the time of day - I'd imagine - if I hadn't accidentally seen a music video for Scratchcard Lanyard back at the start of the year. The obvious draw is frontwoman Florence Shaw's inimitable drawl, evoking post-punk classics like The Fall, but the production from John Parish (long-time collaborator of PJ Harvey's, of course) really just tips it over the edge into what, I'm sure, will be stardom. There's too much in the lyrics to unpack with just this pithy little paragraph so I'll let you explore your favourites yourselves.
#12 - Tinashe - 333
Tinashe has always been lingering around the #40 mark with her albums over the past decade. Typically, I put on 333 expecting nothing major... a few cute songs I can move on from quickly. Instead... I got the songs I kept on rotation all year and still want to listen to every day. Undeniably her best album, 333 is stacked with everything I cherish about pop: 80s nostalgia (The Chase), bizarre production (Bouncin'), and bangers that I almost embarrass myself in public by singing along to with gusto (Undo). This looked like a cert for the top ten until some late discoveries, but when looking back on 2021 this will be one of the records that jump out as a classic.
#11 - Snail Mail - Valentine
One such late discovery was Snail Mail's November record. I'd definitely enjoyed its predecessor, 2018's Lush, but this one completely blew it away. It's a quick listen at just over half an hour, but the amount of punch it packs into such a condensed period is formidable; take the agonising 'Glory' and its overwhelming sense of powerlessness at someone else's control, or the fatalist yearning of 'Headlock', begging to "take me with you to nirvana". Lindsey Jordan's career trajectory is already on pretty much everyone's watchlist and it's easy to see why.
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Since winning the BBC "Sound of..." award back in 2017, the pace of Ray BLK's career has felt painfully stunted. It's an accolade customarily afforded to the next big thing, launching the platforms of the likes of Sam Smith, Ellie Goulding, Jessie J, and Adele. Perhaps there's something in the BLK part of her name that meant certain doors weren't opened for her. I've championed her since discovering her that year to all of my friends, because the talent is unquestionably there: early hits like 'My Hood' and 'Chill Out' are some of my most beloved tracks of the past decade. On finally reaching her debut album, she didn't disappoint. There are star collaborations (with Giggs, Stefflon Don, etc.), sure, but the focus is on Ray herself. "They might clip your wings before you can fly," she muses on '25', and hopefully the rave reviews for this record mean she's going to carry on soaring.
#9 - Joy Crookes - Skin
Someone who's only just breaking through herself is Crookes, whose name was murmured a lot in the 2020 breakthrough circles. Naturally, circumstances last year meant that touring and making a name for herself had to be put on hiatus, but a year later she dropped her debut and it was stunning. I don't like comparing female artists to others but there's such a heavy sheen of Amy Winehouse about this record that was just unmistakeable when I first heard it. The singles 'When You Were Mine' and 'Feet Don't Fail Me Now' are rich with that 2000s-retro sound that I grew up adoring, but there are other facets to Crookes' music that kept its head above the water of pastiche or "rip-off". The inclusions of a conversation with her mother, speaking in Bengali, when getting over a break-up at a nail salon on 'To Lose Someone' lend the record a deeply personal feel that is easy to fall in love with.
#8 - Arca - KicK iii
I went through this album at the same time I went through all of her other three released on the same weekend. One thing stood out to me, aside from "jesus christ her work ethic..."; this is the clear stand-out. Its energy, its wordplay, its production is astonishing. I waited for a dip in the album, for the customary filler track, but none came. The names of the tracklist alone should've been proof of its fire: 'Incendio', 'Skullqueen' and 'Intimate Flesh' all give some indication of its content, and indeed there are references to spitting in open wounds ('Senorita') and shitting on the pavement ('Bruja'). It's probably not a dinner party record, but for fans of Arca's by-now legendary sound, this is a huge dose of adrenaline.
#7 - Laura Mvula - Pink Noise
When I listened to Laura Mvula's breakthrough all the way back in 2013, I have to admit I was a little bored. I could understand her appeal, it just didn't apply to me. Another album and the usual record label drop later, Mvula returned in 2021 after a five year gap with this... monster. According to last.fm and Spotify, this is the album I played the most over the year and it's quite obvious why. Borrowing heavily from the glorious 80s, Pink Noise is coated in a gloss that is as addictive as it is nostalgic, so when being thrown tracks like 'Got Me', 'Safe Passage' or 'Before the Dawn' it feels simultaneously familiar and eye-opening. Like all other slices of 80s-revivalism that stand out over the past decade, whether it's the San Junipero episode of Black Mirror, or the entire premise of Stranger Things, Pink Noise is a timeless album that's going to linger in my heart for a long, long time.
#6 - Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever
How to follow up one of the biggest commercial and critical successes of all time? With a better album, probably, if you can. Eilish could, and I'm still getting my head around what exactly is my favourite portion of this feast. Even if it was slow-fed to us over time, with a whole host of advance singles and teasers like 'my future', 'your power' and 'Therefore I Am' arriving way ahead of the full LP, it still dropped back at the end of July with a walloping punch. There is, of course, her signature sound: 'Therefore I Am' might easily have slot into her debut... but it's the new experimentations that really stick out as must-listens for me. You see a song called 'Billie Bossa Nova' and get exactly what you see. There are brushes with industrial rock on 'Oxytocin', one of the most bewitching tracks on offer. And then there's the title track... we'll come to that in another post.
#5 - Lingua Ignota - Sinner Get Ready
When I was first recommended this album I was a little taken aback by the immediate impression. Screaming, guttural, almost feral with Biblical reverence and apoplexy... those can be tough facades to break through. Her earlier metal sounds are definitely present here: opener 'THE ORDER OF SPIRITUAL VIRGINS' might suggest something intense from name alone and it delivers. The intensely personal sides to her offer a charm that reaches through the abrasion and pulls you in, though: on 'REPENT NOW CONFESS NOW' she tackles the immediate agony of emergency surgery and the possibility of losing her mobility. There's also 'PERPETUAL FLAME OF CENTRALIA', which might be the most beautiful thing released all year.
#4 - Wolf Alice - Blue Weekend
Three albums in now and Wolf Alice have cemented themselves as one of my favourite bands of all time. Just where to start with the magic in this record? Well, there's the hauntingly quiet and spine-tingling 'The Last Man on Earth', condemning human arrogance and main-character syndrome with a backdrop that seems ironically primed for a poignant soundtrack appearance. There's muted heartbreak on 'No Hard Feelings', chirping along almost playfully and shrugging off the pain, whilst 'Lipstick on the Glass' tells of taking back a cheating lover. The band are experts at crafting in the middle ground between token rock and more experimental, electronic sounds, and as such their records seem to cover a lot of ground whenever I want to immerse myself in them (which is often).
#3 - Dave - We're All Alone In This Together
We're now at the stage of the countdown where, when listening to the album for the first time, feelings of being blown away were unmistakable. I gave pretty much every single track on this, the much-anticipated follow-up to that incredible PSYCHODRAMA record, a five-star rating, and I stand by it. Dave's status as the most politically-charged British rapper is unquestionable at this point, and his fiery anger is omnipresent on this record. It's impossible to pick a favourite, but in terms of sheer scope, 'In the Fire' has to be named for its audacity to throw four surprise collaborations at us in Giggs, Meekz, Ghetts and Fredo for this masterclass in storytelling that evokes major hip-hop history moments like Kanye's So Appalled. There are lighter moments, for sure: 'System' with Wizkid is an unassuming summer jam, while 'Verdansk' is essentially a 3 minute advert for Call of Duty. But it's the tracks where Dave goes hardest that floor me, like the ten-minute opus 'Heart Attack' and its incredible reflections on knife crime and London culture. Around halfway through he just goes acapella and the wordplay cements him as arguably the greatest alive.
#2 - Indigo de Souza - Any Shape You Take
Grunge made its comeback years ago but it's a genre that's difficult to get right. Too often it gets steeped in overwraught teenage angst, confining itself to a generation and never translating to the others. When done right, though, it permeates you and leaves you creatively and emotionally spent. Indigo de Souza's second album is all that and more, stacked with catharsis. Whether it's the extended screaming middle in 'Real Pain', the reassuring comfort, through sheer force if needs be, on 'Hold U' or the coy and romantic 'Pretty Pictures', the entire album oozes compassion and lavishes emotional release upon the listener.
#1 - Tyler, the Creator - CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST
Another man sealing his status as one of my must-listen artists at the moment is Tyler, whose recent albums have been incredible enough without the home-run that this one takes. I loved Flower Boy, I loved IGOR... but this one is just something else. Creating a Baudelaire character for himself, the album goes on this journey of success and fame and glory and its incompatibility with healthy relationships; 'WILSHIRE' is a genius stroke of honest storytelling and emotional honesty. There's incredible maturity since his Yonkers days, too: 'MANIFESTO' references his early Twitter troll days with a mixture of mortified embarrassment and nonchalance, while also addressing his status as a public figure and his uncertainty with how to handle politics and endorsements. Describing a record as kaleidoscopic always feels like a cop-out, as though you don't know what to say about the album, but the playful production and composition, dripping with psychedelia and cartoon noises just makes it the perfect description.
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If you were curious, here is a list of the other albums I listened to and a provisional score I gave them. Some of them at the top came quite close to qualifying for this list, but I feel Olivia Rodrigo has received way more than she deserved this year anyway.
Ethel Cain - Inbred - 7.7
Olivia Rodrigo - Sour - 7.7
Marina - Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land - 7.7
Wavves - Hideaway - 7.6
Alfie Templeman - Forever Isn't Long Enough - 7.5
Angel Haze - Girl With The Gun - 7.5
Royal Blood - Typhoons - 7.4
St. Vincent - Daddy's Home - 7.4
PinkPantheress - To Hell With It - 7.4
Arca - Kick II - 7.4
Celeste - Not Your Muse - 7.4
Agnes - Magic Still Exists - 7.4
Lana del Rey - Chemtrails Over the Country Club - 7.4
Halsey - If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power - 7.3
Greentea Peng - Man Made - 7.3
Radiohead - Kid Amnesiae - 7.3
London Grammar - Californian Soil - 7.3
ABBA - Voyage - 7.3
Twin Shadow - Twin Shadow - 7.3
Arca - Kick iiiii - 7.2
Rostam - Changephobia - 7.2
Holly Humberstone - The Walls Are Way Too Thin - 7.2
Mykki Blanco - Broken Hearts & Beauty Sleep - 7.2
The Killers - Pressure Machine - 7.1
Jungle - Loving in Stereo - 7
dodie. - Build a Problem - 7
Doja Cat - Planet Her - 6.9
Saint Etienne - I've Been Trying to Tell You - 6.8
Alessia Cara - In the Meantime - 6.7
Maisie Peters - You Signed Up For This - 6.6
Tierra Whack - Rap? - 6.5
Django Django - Glowing in the Dark - 6.5
Kanye West - Donda - 6.4
Lady Gaga - Dawn of Chromatica - 6.3
Cloud Nothings - The Shadow I Remember - 6.3
Big Red Machine - How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last - 6.2
Ladyhawke - Time Flies - 6.2
Summer Walker - Still Over It - 6.2
J. Cole - The Off-Season - 6.2
Finneas - Optimist - 6.1
Zara Larsson - Poster Girl - 6.1
Justin Bieber - Justice - 6
Will Young - Crying on the Bathroom Floor - 6
Sleigh Bells - Texis - 6
Anne-Marie - Therapy - 6
Manic Street Preachers - The Ultra Vivid Lament - 5.9
Rag 'n' Bone Man - Life By Misadventure - 5.9
Courtney Barnett - Things Take Time, Take Time - 5.8
H.E.R. - Back of my Mind - 5.7
Bleachers - Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night - 5.6
Coldplay - Music of the Spheres - 5.3
Silk Sonic - An Evening With Silk Sonic - 5.1
Becky Hill - Only Honest on the Weekend - 5.0
Real Estate - Half a Human - 4.8
Demi Lovato - Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over - 4.7
The Joy Formidable - Into the Blue - 4.5
ZAYN - Nobody is Listening - 4.5
Ed Sheeran - = - 4.4
Katy B - Peace and Offerings - 4.1
Glasvegas - Godspeed - 3.9
Bebe Rexha - Better Mistakes - 3.4
Foo Fighters - Medicine at Midnight - 3.1
Drake - Certified Lover Boy - 2.6
Rita Ora - Bang - 2.3
Olivia Rodrigo - Sour - 7.7
Marina - Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land - 7.7
Wavves - Hideaway - 7.6
Alfie Templeman - Forever Isn't Long Enough - 7.5
Angel Haze - Girl With The Gun - 7.5
Royal Blood - Typhoons - 7.4
St. Vincent - Daddy's Home - 7.4
PinkPantheress - To Hell With It - 7.4
Arca - Kick II - 7.4
Celeste - Not Your Muse - 7.4
Agnes - Magic Still Exists - 7.4
Lana del Rey - Chemtrails Over the Country Club - 7.4
Halsey - If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power - 7.3
Greentea Peng - Man Made - 7.3
Radiohead - Kid Amnesiae - 7.3
London Grammar - Californian Soil - 7.3
ABBA - Voyage - 7.3
Twin Shadow - Twin Shadow - 7.3
Arca - Kick iiiii - 7.2
Rostam - Changephobia - 7.2
Holly Humberstone - The Walls Are Way Too Thin - 7.2
Mykki Blanco - Broken Hearts & Beauty Sleep - 7.2
The Killers - Pressure Machine - 7.1
Jungle - Loving in Stereo - 7
dodie. - Build a Problem - 7
Doja Cat - Planet Her - 6.9
Saint Etienne - I've Been Trying to Tell You - 6.8
Alessia Cara - In the Meantime - 6.7
Maisie Peters - You Signed Up For This - 6.6
Tierra Whack - Rap? - 6.5
Django Django - Glowing in the Dark - 6.5
Kanye West - Donda - 6.4
Lady Gaga - Dawn of Chromatica - 6.3
Cloud Nothings - The Shadow I Remember - 6.3
Big Red Machine - How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last - 6.2
Ladyhawke - Time Flies - 6.2
Summer Walker - Still Over It - 6.2
J. Cole - The Off-Season - 6.2
Finneas - Optimist - 6.1
Zara Larsson - Poster Girl - 6.1
Justin Bieber - Justice - 6
Will Young - Crying on the Bathroom Floor - 6
Sleigh Bells - Texis - 6
Anne-Marie - Therapy - 6
Manic Street Preachers - The Ultra Vivid Lament - 5.9
Rag 'n' Bone Man - Life By Misadventure - 5.9
Courtney Barnett - Things Take Time, Take Time - 5.8
H.E.R. - Back of my Mind - 5.7
Bleachers - Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night - 5.6
Coldplay - Music of the Spheres - 5.3
Silk Sonic - An Evening With Silk Sonic - 5.1
Becky Hill - Only Honest on the Weekend - 5.0
Real Estate - Half a Human - 4.8
Demi Lovato - Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over - 4.7
The Joy Formidable - Into the Blue - 4.5
ZAYN - Nobody is Listening - 4.5
Ed Sheeran - = - 4.4
Katy B - Peace and Offerings - 4.1
Glasvegas - Godspeed - 3.9
Bebe Rexha - Better Mistakes - 3.4
Foo Fighters - Medicine at Midnight - 3.1
Drake - Certified Lover Boy - 2.6
Rita Ora - Bang - 2.3
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