Year-End Lists

Mara Reinstein: Best Movies of 2021, as published by Us Weekly

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013]

1. CODA
   Sian Heder
2. West Side Story
   Steven Spielberg
3. King Richard
   Reinaldo Marcus Green
4. Belfast
   Kenneth Branagh
5. House of Gucci
   Ridley Scott
6. Don't Look Up
   Adam McKay
7. The Last Duel
   Ridley Scott
8. Last Night in Soho
   Edgar Wright
9. Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry
   R.J. Cutler
10. Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
    Josh Greenbaum

Consequence: Top 50 Albums of 2021

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

1. Call Me If You Get Lost
   Tyler, The Creator
2. Jubilee
   Japanese Breakfast
3. Collapsed in Sunbeams
   Arlo Parks
4. Glow On
   Turnstile
5. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
   Little Simz
6. Home Video
   Lucy Dacus
7. Screen Violence
   Chvrches
8. Montero
   Lil Nas X
9. Haram
   Armand Hammer & The Alchemist
10. Let Me Do One More
    illuminati hotties
11. Deacon
    serpentwithfeet
12. Valentine
    Snail Mail
13. Planet Her
    Doja Cat
14. The Million Masks Of God
    Manchester Orchestra
15. Little Oblivions
    Julien Baker
16. Crawler
    Idles
17. New Long Leg
    Dry Cleaning
18. Bo Jackson
    Boldy James & The Alchemist
19. Projector
    Geese
20. 30
    Adele
21. Death of a Cheerleader
    Pom Pom Squad
22. Sour
    Olivia Rodrigo
23. For My Mama and Anyone Who Look Like Her
    McKinley Dixon
24. Carnage
    Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
25. True Love
    Hovvdy
26. Happier Than Ever
    Billie Eilish
27. Nine
    Sault
28. Any Shape You Take
    Indigo De Souza
29. Juno
    Remi Wolf
30. Inside (The Songs)
    Bo Burnham
31. Red (Taylor's Version)
    Taylor Swift
32. I Don’t Live Here Anymore
    The War on Drugs
33. The House Is Burning
    Isaiah Rashad
34. We Are
    Jon Batiste
35. Afrique Victime
    Mdou Moctar
36. Pray For Haiti
    Mach-Hommy
37. For the First Time
    Black Country, New Road
38. Ultrapop
    The Armed
39. Born Against
    Amigo the Devil
40. If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power
    Halsey
41. By the Time I Get to Phoenix
    Injury Reserve
42. Ignorance
    The Weather Station
43. Bright Green Field
    Squid
44. Stock Exchange
    Haviah Mighty
45. Things Take Time, Take Time
    Courtney Barnett
46. Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine
    BROCKHAMPTON
47. Stand For Myself
    Yola
48. Comfort To Me
    Amyl and The Sniffers
49. Cool Dry Place
    Katy Kirby
50. Daddy's Home
    St. Vincent

Pitchfork: The 50 Best Albums of 2021

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

1. Heaux Tales
   Jazmine Sullivan
2. Fatigue
   L'Rain
3. Call Me If You Get Lost
   Tyler, The Creator
4. Promises
   Floating Points / Pharoah Sanders / London Symphony Orchestra
5. Hey What
   Low
6. Glow On
   Turnstile
7. Ignorance
   The Weather Station
8. Afrique Victime
   Mdou Moctar
9. Whole Lotta Red
   Playboi Carti
10. New Long Leg
    Dry Cleaning
11. I Know I'm Funny haha
    Faye Webster
12. Vulture Prince
    Arooj Aftab
13. Colourgrade
    Tirzah
14. Jubilee
    Japanese Breakfast
15. Valentine
    Snail Mail
16. Disco!
    MIKE
17. An Overview on Phenomenal Nature
    Cassandra Jenkins
18. Shade
    Grouper
19. Black Metal 2
    Dean Blunt
20. Pray For Haiti
    Mach-Hommy
21. Sour
    Olivia Rodrigo
22. Second Line
    Dawn Richard
23. Cavalcade
    black midi
24. Space 1.8
    Nala Sinephro
25. Any Shape You Take
    Indigo De Souza
26. Haram
    Armand Hammer & The Alchemist
27. Black Encyclopedia of the Air
    Moor Mother
28. Entertainment, Death
    The Spirit Of The Beehive
29. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
    Little Simz
30. a softer focus
    claire rousay
31. Half God
    Wiki
32. 30
    Adele
33. Una Rosa
    Xenia Rubinos
34. I Don’t Live Here Anymore
    The War on Drugs
35. Let Me Do One More
    illuminati hotties
36. Menneskekollektivet
    Lost Girls
37. Established!
    RP Boo
38. Song of Sage: Post Panic!
    Navy Blue
38. Navy’s Reprise
    Navy Blue
39. Reflection
    Loraine James
40. Sensational
    Erika de Casier
41. Sinner Get Ready
    Lingua Ignota
42. Uneasy
    Vijay Iyer, Linda May Han Oh, Tyshawn Sorey
43. Fun House
    Hand Habits
44. Fresia Magdalena
    Sofia Kourtesis
45. im hole
    aya
46. Far In
    Helado Negro
47. Frailty
    dltzk
48. A Martyr’s Reward
    Ka
49. Mercurial World
    Magdalena Bay
50. Urban Driftwood
    Yasmin Williams

The Ringer: The Best Albums of 2021

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

1. Call Me If You Get Lost
   Tyler, The Creator
2. Heaux Tales
   Jazmine Sullivan
3. Glow On
   Turnstile
4. Sour
   Olivia Rodrigo
5. Weight of the World
   Maxo Kream
6. Donda
   Kanye West
7. Mood Valiant
   Hiatus Kaiyote
8. New Long Leg
   Dry Cleaning
9. Pray For Haiti
   Mach-Hommy
10. to hell with it
    PinkPantheress

David Sims: The 10 Best Films of 2021, as published by The Atlantic

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

1. The Worst Person in the World
   Joachim Trier
2. Licorice Pizza
   Paul Thomas Anderson
3. Memoria
   Apichatpong Weerasethakul
4. The Power of the Dog
   Jane Campion
5. The Green Knight
   David Lowery
6. The Card Counter
   Paul Schrader
7. Dune
   Denis Villeneuve
8. Red Rocket
   Sean Baker
9. The Lost Daughter
   Maggie Gyllenhaal
10. The Souvenir Part II
    Joanna Hogg

Billboard: The 50 Best Albums of 2021

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

1. Sour
   Olivia Rodrigo
2. Call Me If You Get Lost
   Tyler, The Creator
3. Montero
   Lil Nas X
4. 30
   Adele
5. Planet Her
   Doja Cat
6. If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power
   Halsey
7. An Evening with Silk Sonic
   Silk Sonic
8. Happier Than Ever
   Billie Eilish
9. Heaux Tales
   Jazmine Sullivan
10. El Madrileño
    C. Tangana
11. The Melodic Blue
    Baby Keem
12. Inside (The Songs)
    Bo Burnham
13. Star-Crossed
    Kacey Musgraves
14. to hell with it
    PinkPantheress
15. Collapsed in Sunbeams
    Arlo Parks
16. Jubilee
    Japanese Breakfast
17. Still Over It
    Summer Walker
18. Certified Lover Boy
    Drake
19. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
    Little Simz
20. Valentine
    Snail Mail
21. The House Is Burning
    Isaiah Rashad
22. When It's All Said And Done... Take Time
    Giveon
23. In These Silent Days
    Brandi Carlile
24. KG0516
    Karol G
25. Red (Taylor's Version)
    Taylor Swift
26. if I could make it go quiet
    girl in red
27. Glow On
    Turnstile
28. Table For Two
    Lucky Daye
29. The Lockdown Sessions
    Elton John
30. Nurture
    Porter Robinson
31. Inédito
    Carin Leon
32. The Off-Season
    J. Cole
33. Seis
    Mon Laferte
34. Vince Staples
    Vince Staples
35. 29: Written In Stone
    Carly Pearce
36. Justice
    Justin Bieber
37. Vice Versa
    Rauw Alejandro
38. in defense of my own happiness complete
    Joy Oladokun
39. Donda
    Kanye West
40. I Don’t Live Here Anymore
    The War on Drugs
41. Lately I Feel Everything
    Willow
42. If Orange Was a Place
    Tems
43. Life of a Don
    Don Toliver
44. Actual Life (April 14 - December 17 2020)
    Fred again..
45. Lyke Mike
    Myke Towers
46. Little Oblivions
    Julien Baker
47. Times
    SG Lewis
48. Dum and Dummer 2
    Young Dolph & Key Glock
49. The Marfa Tapes
    Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall
50. Sling
    Clairo

Stephanie Zacharek: The 10 Best Movies of 2021, as published by Time Magazine

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

1. The Power of the Dog
   Jane Campion
2. The Worst Person in the World
   Joachim Trier
3. Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
   Questlove
4. The Souvenir Part II
   Joanna Hogg
5. Parallel Mothers
   Pedro Almodóvar
6. Passing
   Rebecca Hall
7. The Disciple
   Chaitanya Tamhane
8. C'mon C'mon
   Mike Mills
9. The Tragedy of Macbeth
   Joel Coen
10. Drive My Car
    Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

Honorable mentions

• West Side Story
  Steven Spielberg
• The Card Counter
  Paul Schrader
• The Velvet Underground
  Todd Haynes
• The Lost Daughter
  Maggie Gyllenhaal
• The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
  Will Sharpe
• I'm Your Man
  Maria Schrader
• King Richard
  Reinaldo Marcus Green
• The Green Knight
  David Lowery
• The Truffle Hunters
  Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw

Treble: The 50 Best Albums of 2021

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Hey What
   Low
2. Jubilee
   Japanese Breakfast
3. Ultrapop
   The Armed
4. Haram
   Armand Hammer & The Alchemist
5. Promises
   Floating Points / Pharoah Sanders / London Symphony Orchestra
6. For the First Time
   Black Country, New Road
7. Black To The Future
   Sons of Kemet
8. Cavalcade
   black midi
9. The Turning Wheel
   Spellling
10. Glow On
    Turnstile
11. Infinite Granite
    Deafheaven
12. An Overview on Phenomenal Nature
    Cassandra Jenkins
13. Afrique Victime
    Mdou Moctar
14. We Are Always Alone
    portrayal of guilt
15. Ignorance
    The Weather Station
16. Shade
    Grouper
17. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
    Little Simz
18. -io
    Circuit Des Yeux
19. Sinner Get Ready
    Lingua Ignota
20. Notes With Attachments
    Blake Mills and Pino Palladino
21. Leaving None But Small Birds
    The Body and BIG|BRAVE
22. Vince Staples
    Vince Staples
23. Little Oblivions
    Julien Baker
24. Valentine
    Snail Mail
25. Bo Jackson
    Boldy James & The Alchemist
26. I Lie Here Buried with My Rings and My Dresses
    Backxwash
27. Black Encyclopedia of the Air
    Moor Mother
28. Fire
    The Bug
29. Carnage
    Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
30. LP!
    JPEGMAFIA
31. City of Mirrors
    Dos Santos
32. I Know I'm Funny haha
    Faye Webster
33. Let Me Do One More
    illuminati hotties
34. Heaux Tales
    Jazmine Sullivan
35. Mythopoetics
    Half Waif
36. I Don’t Live Here Anymore
    The War on Drugs
37. Seek Shelter
    Iceage
38. Pool
    Skee Mask
39. Far In
    Helado Negro
40. Hanazono
    Satomimagae
41. Burn in Many Mirrors
    Wode
42. Reflection
    Loraine James
43. Bloodmoon: I
    Converge & Chelsea Wolfe
44. Celestial Blues
    King Woman
45. Year of the Horse
    Fucked Up
46. Fatigue
    L'Rain
47. Open The Gates
    Irreversible Entanglements
48. New Long Leg
    Dry Cleaning
49. Holoceno
    Papangu
50. Illusory Walls
    The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die

Patrick Rapa: The Best Books of 2021, as published by The Philadelphia Inquirer

[see also 2022]

• Leaving Isn't the Hardest Thing
  Lauren Hough
• My Heart Is a Chainsaw
  Stephen Graham Jones
• No One Is Talking About This
  Patricia Lockwood
• A Little Devil in America

  Notes in Praise of Black Performance
  Hanif Abdurraqib
• Crying in H Mart
  Michelle Zauner
• Appleseed
  Matt Bell
• Hell of a Book
  Jason Mott
• Land of Big Numbers
  Te-Ping Chen
• A Touch of Jen
  Beth Morgan
• The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois
  Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

Also great

• Harlem Shuffle
  Colson Whitehead
• Something New Under the Sun
  Alexandra Kleeman
• The Other Black Girl
  Zakiya Dalila Harris
• The Final Revival of Opal & Nev
  Dawnie Walton
• The Sunset Route

  Freight Trains, Forgiveness, and Freedom on the Rails in the American West
  Carrot Quinn
• Assembly
  Natasha Brown
• The Glassy, Burning Floor of Hell
  Brian Evenson
• Great Circle
  Maggie Shipstead
• The Promise
  Damon Galgut
• The Committed
  Viet Thanh Nguyen
• The Souvenir Museum
  Elizabeth McCracken
• Palmares
  Gayl Jones
• Fake Accounts
  Lauren Oyler

Stereogum: The 50 Best Albums Of 2021

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

1. I Don’t Live Here Anymore
   The War on Drugs
2. Valentine
   Snail Mail
3. Glow On
   Turnstile
4. Hey What
   Low
5. Jubilee
   Japanese Breakfast
6. Deacon
   serpentwithfeet
7. Superwolves
   Matt Sweeney & Bonnie "Prince" Billy
8. Ignorance
   The Weather Station
9. Hall of Fame
   Polo G
10. An Overview on Phenomenal Nature
    Cassandra Jenkins
11. Twin Plagues
    Wednesday
12. Promises
    Floating Points / Pharoah Sanders / London Symphony Orchestra
13. Sour
    Olivia Rodrigo
14. Home Video
    Lucy Dacus
15. Carnage
    Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
16. Call Me If You Get Lost
    Tyler, The Creator
17. As Days Get Dark
    Arab Strap
18. Colourgrade
    Tirzah
19. Sling
    Clairo
20. Between the Richness
    Fiddlehead
21. Structure
    Water From Your Eyes
22. A Martyr’s Reward
    Ka
23. Little Oblivions
    Julien Baker
24. Ultrapop
    The Armed
25. A Way Forward
    Nation of Language
26. If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power
    Halsey
27. Entertainment, Death
    The Spirit Of The Beehive
28. Star-Crossed
    Kacey Musgraves
29. Bright Green Field
    Squid
30. To See the Next Part of the Dream
    Parannoul
31. Bo Jackson
    Boldy James & The Alchemist
32. This Place You Know
    One Step Closer
33. Una Rosa
    Xenia Rubinos
34. Sound Ancestors
    Madlib
35. Black To The Future
    Sons of Kemet
36. Untourable Album
    Men I Trust
37. Haram
    Armand Hammer & The Alchemist
38. Still Over It
    Summer Walker
39. i became birds
    Home Is Where
40. Sensational
    Erika de Casier
41. one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden
    Ada Lea
42. We Are Always Alone
    portrayal of guilt
43. Reflection
    Loraine James
44. Made Out Of Sound
    Chris Corsano & Bill Orcutt
45. Seek Shelter
    Iceage
46. Screen Violence
    Chvrches
47. Pray For Haiti
    Mach-Hommy
48. Head of Roses
    Flock of Dimes
49. In These Silent Days
    Brandi Carlile
50. within one stem
    closer