Year-End Lists

Craig Jenkins: The Best Albums of 2021, as published by New York Magazine’s Vulture

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016]

1. Heaux Tales
   Jazmine Sullivan
2. Hey What
   Low
3. Songwrights Apothecary Lab
   Esperanza Spalding
4. Promises
   Floating Points / Pharoah Sanders / London Symphony Orchestra
5. Sound Ancestors
   Madlib
6. Pray For Haiti
   Mach-Hommy
7. Call Me If You Get Lost
   Tyler, The Creator
8. Mood Valiant
   Hiatus Kaiyote
9. Star-Crossed
   Kacey Musgraves
10. If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power
    Halsey

Honorable Mentions

• A Martyr’s Reward
  Ka
• Montero
  Lil Nas X
• Glow On
  Turnstile
• Encore
  Wanda Jackson
• Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
  Little Simz
• Happier Than Ever
  Billie Eilish
• The House Is Burning
  Isaiah Rashad
• Vince Staples
  Vince Staples
• I Lie Here Buried with My Rings and My Dresses
  Backxwash
• Inside (The Songs)
  Bo Burnham
• Still Sleep?
  Sleepy Hallow
• Reason to Live
  Lou Barlow
• The Marfa Tapes
  Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall
• Rosegold
  Ashley Monroe
• Ultrapop
  The Armed
• G_d's Pee at State's End!
  Godspeed You! Black Emperor
• Chemtrails over the Country Club
  Lana Del Rey
• Little Oblivions
  Julien Baker
• Medicine at Midnight
  Foo Fighters

The Line of Best Fit: The Best Albums of 2021 Ranked

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2020]

1. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
   Little Simz
2. Heaux Tales
   Jazmine Sullivan
3. Jubilee
   Japanese Breakfast
4. Montero
   Lil Nas X
5. to hell with it
   PinkPantheress
6. Shade
   Grouper
7. We're All Alone in This Together
   Dave
8. Sour
   Olivia Rodrigo
9. Conflict of Interest
   Ghetts
10. Before I Die
    Park Hye Jin
11. Collapsed in Sunbeams
    Arlo Parks
12. Valentine
    Snail Mail
13. Little Oblivions
    Julien Baker
14. Prioritise Pleasure
    Self Esteem
15. If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power
    Halsey
16. Call Me If You Get Lost
    Tyler, The Creator
17. SHILOH: Lost For Words
    John Glacier
18. Still Over It
    Summer Walker
19. LP!
    JPEGMAFIA
20. Somewhere
    Sun June
21. Afrique Victime
    Mdou Moctar
22. Deacon
    serpentwithfeet
23. Blue Weekend
    Wolf Alice
24. Demidevil
    Ashnikko
25. Any Shape You Take
    Indigo De Souza
26. Red (Taylor's Version)
    Taylor Swift
27. Una Rosa
    Xenia Rubinos
28. Friends That Break Your Heart
    James Blake
29. if I could make it go quiet
    girl in red
30. Sling
    Clairo
31. Juno
    Remi Wolf
32. 30
    Adele
33. Skin
    Joy Crookes
34. Home Video
    Lucy Dacus
35. Second Line
    Dawn Richard
36. The Art of Losing
    The Anchoress
37. I Don’t Live Here Anymore
    The War on Drugs
38. Fatigue
    L'Rain
39. Smiling with No Teeth
    Genesis Owusu
40. Death of a Cheerleader
    Pom Pom Squad
41. Absolutely
    Dijon
42. Pink Noise
    Laura Mvula
43. Ignorance
    The Weather Station
44. One Foot in Front of the Other
    Griff
45. Star-Crossed
    Kacey Musgraves
46. Crawler
    Idles
47. Slack
    Molly Payton
48. Super Monster
    Claud
49. Lately I Feel Everything
    Willow
50. Geist
    Shannon Lay

Spin: The 30 Best Albums Of 2021

[see also 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Glow On
   Turnstile
2. Jubilee
   Japanese Breakfast
3. Sound Ancestors
   Madlib
4. Sour
   Olivia Rodrigo
5. Home Video
   Lucy Dacus
6. Call Me If You Get Lost
   Tyler, The Creator
7. New Long Leg
   Dry Cleaning
8. In These Silent Days
   Brandi Carlile
9. 333
   Tinashe
10. Valentine
    Snail Mail
11. The Plugs I Met 2
    Benny the Butcher & Harry Fraud
12. Hushed and Grim
    Mastodon
13. I Don’t Live Here Anymore
    The War on Drugs
14. Ignorance
    The Weather Station
15. Bright Green Field
    Squid
16. Haram
    Armand Hammer & The Alchemist
17. Collapsed in Sunbeams
    Arlo Parks
18. Yol
    Altın Gün
19. By the Time I Get to Phoenix
    Injury Reserve
20. Any Shape You Take
    Indigo De Souza
21. Daddy's Home
    St. Vincent
22. Entertainment, Death
    The Spirit Of The Beehive
23. When Smoke Rises
    Mustafa
24. Butterfly 3000
    King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
25. Chemtrails over the Country Club
    Lana Del Rey
26. A Martyr’s Reward
    Ka
27. Tide Turns Eternal
    Dream Unending
28. Una Rosa
    Xenia Rubinos
29. Tha YOD Fahim
    Your Old Droog, Tha God Fahim
30. An Evening with Silk Sonic
    Silk Sonic

Vinyl Me, Please: The Best Albums of 2021

[see also 2022 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017]

• Vulture Prince
  Arooj Aftab
• Black Metal 2
  Dean Blunt
• There’s A Nightclub Inside My Head
  Boston Bun
• gelato
  boylife
• Inside (The Songs)
  Bo Burnham
• Downtiming
  Camp Trash
• Wink
  Chai
• Cosmic Transitions
  Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few
• Sensational
  Erika de Casier
• Any Shape You Take
  Indigo De Souza
• Absolutely
  Dijon
• Vincent Neil Emerson
  Vincent Neil Emerson
• Promises
  Floating Points / Pharoah Sanders / London Symphony Orchestra
• Music for Living Spaces
  Green-House
• Shade
  Grouper
• Remember Her Name
  Mickey Guyton
• Haram
  Armand Hammer & The Alchemist
• Far In
  Helado Negro
• Mood Valiant
  Hiatus Kaiyote
• Jubilee
  Japanese Breakfast
• Don't Go Tellin' Your Momma
  Topaz Jones
• Cool Dry Place
  Katy Kirby
• Butterfly 3000
  King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
• A Color of the Sky
  Lightning Bug
• Montero
  Lil Nas X
• Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
  Little Simz
• Fatigue
  L'Rain
• Mercurial World
  Magdalena Bay
• Disco!
  MIKE
• Rare Pleasure
  Mndsgn
• Star-Crossed
  Kacey Musgraves
• When Smoke Rises
  Mustafa
• Notes With Attachments
  Blake Mills and Pino Palladino
• GUMBO'!
  Pink Siifu
• All Day Gentle Hold !
  Porches
• Sour
  Olivia Rodrigo
• Surrender
  Rüfüs Du Sol
• Deacon
  serpentwithfeet
• The Ballad of Dood & Juanita
  Sturgill Simpson
• Space 1.8
  Nala Sinephro
• Mother
  Cleo Sol
• Entertainment, Death
  The Spirit Of The Beehive
• Heaux Tales
  Jazmine Sullivan
• Call Me If You Get Lost
  Tyler, The Creator
• Ookii Gekkou
  Vanishing Twin
• With Opened Eyes
  Vindata
• Public Storage
  Hana Vu
• See You Next Time
  Joshua Ray Walker
• Twin Plagues
  Wednesday
• Urban Driftwood
  Yasmin Williams

The Skinny: Top Ten Albums of 2021

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015]

1. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
   Little Simz
2. Prioritise Pleasure
   Self Esteem
3. Hey What
   Low
4. New Long Leg
   Dry Cleaning
5. Promises
   Floating Points / Pharoah Sanders / London Symphony Orchestra
6. Jubilee
   Japanese Breakfast
7. Blue Weekend
   Wolf Alice
8. Bright Green Field
   Squid
9. For the First Time
   Black Country, New Road
10. Montero
    Lil Nas X

Vinyl Factory: Our 50 Favourite Albums of 2021

[see also 2023]

1. Promises
   Floating Points / Pharoah Sanders / London Symphony Orchestra
2. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
   Little Simz
3. Sound Ancestors
   Madlib
4. Reflection
   Loraine James
5. Isles
   Bicep
6. Logue
   KMRU
7. We're All Alone in This Together
   Dave
8. Feeling Normal
   Calibre
9. Agor
   Koreless
10. Soniscope
    Midori Hirano
11. Tresor 30
    various artists
12. 30
    Adele
13. Waking the Dreaming Body
    Karima Walker
14. Pool
    Skee Mask
15. still slipping vol. 1
    Joy Orbison
16. But Only After You Have Suffered
    Jamire Williams
17. Crawler
    Idles
18. Shade
    Grouper
19. Love Letters, Nine Through Six
    96 Back
20. Call Me If You Get Lost
    Tyler, The Creator
21. Honest Labour
    Space Afrika
22. Asakusa Light
    Soichi Terada
23. Skin
    Joy Crookes
24. Quivering In Time
    Eris Drew
25. Collapsed in Sunbeams
    Arlo Parks
26. Space 1.8
    Nala Sinephro
27. Sounds of Pamoja
    various artists
28. A Recurring Nature
    Adam Pits
29. Colourgrade
    Tirzah
30. Hidemi
    Patrick Shiroishi
31. The American Negro
    Adrian Younge
32. Seventeen Going Under
    Sam Fender
33. Late Spring
    Chihei Hatakeyama
34. Tewari
    Scotch Rolex
35. Angel Tears in Sunlight
    Pauline Anna Strom
36. 1977
    The People In Fog
37. Deacon
    serpentwithfeet
38. Forfolks
    Jeff Parker
39. Mother
    Cleo Sol
40. Yellow
    Emma-Jean Thackray
41. Alkisah
    Senyawa
42. Repair Techniques
    Sofie Birch & Johan Carøe
43. Medieval Femme
    Fatima Al Qadiri
44. Boxed In
    Daniel Casimir
45. Jade
    Pan Daijing
46. Painful Enlightenment
    Jana Rush
47. Teenage Dreams
    Native Soul
48. Dancing Spirits
    Naoko Sakata
49. Equiknoxx meets Feel Free Hi Fi
    Equiknoxx, Feel Free Hi Fi
50. Happier Than Ever
    Billie Eilish

BBC Radio 6 Music: Top 10 Albums of 2021

[see also 2022]

1. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
   Little Simz
2. Collapsed in Sunbeams
   Arlo Parks
3. Flat White Moon
   Field Music
4. Homecoming
   Du Blonde
5. Crawler
   Idles
6. Flock
   Jane Weaver
7. Prioritise Pleasure
   Self Esteem
8. Promises
   Floating Points / Pharoah Sanders / London Symphony Orchestra
9. Source ⧺ We Move
   Nubya Garcia
10. Colourgrade
    Tirzah

NME: The 50 Best Albums of 2021

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Seventeen Going Under
   Sam Fender
2. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
   Little Simz
3. Blue Weekend
   Wolf Alice
4. Prioritise Pleasure
   Self Esteem
5. Call Me If You Get Lost
   Tyler, The Creator
6. Carnage
   Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
7. Collapsed in Sunbeams
   Arlo Parks
8. If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power
   Halsey
9. Glow On
   Turnstile
10. Sour
    Olivia Rodrigo
11. For Those I Love
    For Those I Love
12. I Don’t Live Here Anymore
    The War on Drugs
13. Conflict of Interest
    Ghetts
14. Sling
    Clairo
15. Happier Than Ever
    Billie Eilish
16. Spare Ribs
    Sleaford Mods
17. Blue Banisters
    Lana Del Rey
18. We're All Alone in This Together
    Dave
19. Solar Power
    Lorde
20. Montero
    Lil Nas X
21. Californian Soil
    London Grammar
22. An Evening with Silk Sonic
    Silk Sonic
23. Isles
    Bicep
24. Valentine
    Snail Mail
25. Typhoons
    Royal Blood
26. Screen Violence
    Chvrches
27. Still Over It
    Summer Walker
28. Crawler
    Idles
29. Smiling with No Teeth
    Genesis Owusu
30. Pressure Machine
    The Killers
31. Tyron
    slowthai
32. Pink Noise
    Laura Mvula
33. Flu Game
    AJ Tracey
34. Juno
    Remi Wolf
35. How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?
    Big Red Machine
36. if I could make it go quiet
    girl in red
37. Access Denied
    Ray BLK
38. The Chaos Chapter: Freeze
    Tomorrow X Together
39. Life's a Beach
    Easy Life
40. For the First Time
    Black Country, New Road
41. Skin
    Joy Crookes
42. Vince Staples
    Vince Staples
43. New Long Leg
    Dry Cleaning
44. Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night
    Bleachers
45. Punk
    Young Thug
46. And Then Life Was Beautiful
    NAO
47. Nine
    Sault
48. Star-Crossed
    Kacey Musgraves
49. It Won’t Always Be Like This
    Inhaler
50. Planet Her
    Doja Cat

Chris Willman: The Best Albums of 2021, as published by Variety

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018]

1. Outside Child
   Allison Russell
2. In These Silent Days
   Brandi Carlile
3. Happier Than Ever
   Billie Eilish
4. Soberish
   Liz Phair
5. 30
   Adele
6. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
   Little Simz
7. Sour
   Olivia Rodrigo
8. Daddy's Home
   St. Vincent
9. If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power
   Halsey
10. if I could make it go quiet
    girl in red

Some honorable mentions

• Don't Go Tellin' Your Momma
  Topaz Jones
• Queens of the Summer Hotel
  Aimee Mann
• Red (Taylor's Version)
  Taylor Swift
• Heaux Tales
  Jazmine Sullivan
• 29: Written In Stone
  Carly Pearce
• Dawn
  Yebba
• Montero
  Lil Nas X
• Remember Her Name
  Mickey Guyton
• New Long Leg
  Dry Cleaning
• A Southern Gothic
  Adia Victoria
• Star-Crossed
  Kacey Musgraves
• Stand For Myself
  Yola
• Sound Ancestors
  Madlib

Jem Aswad: The Best Albums of 2021, as published by Variety

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2020 • 2019]

1. Call Me If You Get Lost
   Tyler, The Creator
2. to hell with it
   PinkPantheress
3. A Southern Gothic
   Adia Victoria
4. Afrique Victime
   Mdou Moctar
5. Collapsed in Sunbeams
   Arlo Parks
6. Dawn
   Yebba
7. Superwolves
   Matt Sweeney & Bonnie "Prince" Billy
8. Vulture Prince
   Arooj Aftab
9. Still Over It
   Summer Walker
10. Nine
    Sault

Honorable mentions that could well have made the top 10 on a different day

• nice
  Amindi
• Deja
  Bomba Estéreo
• Crawler
  Idles
• An Evening with Silk Sonic
  Silk Sonic
• If Orange Was a Place
  Tems