Okay, so 2021 didn’t provide the relief, the respite, and the redemption from 2020 that we were all hoping for. It was a very strange year, to put it mildly. But through all of the craziness, the ups and downs of 2021, music was there to hold up a mirror to the world, and to offer us an escape from it.
Some of the most reoccuring themes that came up time and again from artists throughout the year were those of longing, escapism, hopefulness (and hopelessness), love and loss… And with concerts and festivals still not fully back in full swing because of the ongoing pandemic, artists continued to find new and exciting ways to get their music out there.
Of course, like any year-end rundown, this Best Albums of 2021 is incredibly subjective. It’s just me, and what I thought was the most interesting, stylistically diverse, well-written, and best-performed music of the year. And while there are a great many interesting, stylistically diverse, well-written, and well-performed music out there, these are the albums I found the most enjoyable to listen to.
Many of the albums below you’ll find on a lot of other year-end rundowns; some, you’ll only find here. My hope is that you’ll find some new and interesting music you’ve never listened to before.
And now without further ado…
The Most Noteworthy and Best Albums of 2021
(these albums can be found on my Spotify playlist HERE)
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What were YOUR best albums of 2021? Contact me, or enter a comment below!
Andrew is a husband, father, dog lover, craft beverage enthusiast, content creator, and niche market Internet celebrity. Formerly of A Table in the Corner of the Cafe and The Pulitzer Project and contributor to Barista Magazine and Mental Floss, he’s been writing on the Internet for years.