With the holidays almost upon us, it's time to put a pin in our 2021 album rankings. Below is McQ's Best Of's first pass take on the best 2021 had to offer, 114 titles, followed by a list of another 30 or so I did take in in 2021 and received some critical buzz, but that I just didn't hear enough times to form a solid opinion on.
Highest Recommends
1. Promises - Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra
2. HEY WHAT - Low
Strong Recommends
3. Blue Weekend – Wolf Alice
4. The Moon And Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers - Valerie June
5. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert - Little Simz
6. Jubilee - Japanese Breakfast
8. Collapsed In Sunbeams – Arlo Parks
9. Carnage - Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
10. Smiling With No Teeth - Genesis Owusu
Solid Recommends
11. Bright Green Field - Squid
12. Stand For Myself - Yola
13. Prioritize Pleasure - Self Esteem
14. Daddy's Home - St. Vincent
15. Sour - Olivia Rodrigo
16. An Overview On Phenomenal Nature - Cassandra Jenkins
17. I Don't Live Here Anymore - War On Drugs
18. As The Love Continues - Mogwai
19. Heaux Tales - Jazmine Sullivan
20. Afrique Victime - Mdou Moctar
21. In These Silent Days - Brandi Carlile
23. Drunk Tank Pink – Shame
24. Glow On - Turnstile
25. 30 - Adele
26. Flock - Jane Weaver
27. G_d's Pee AT STATE'S END - Godspeed You! Black Emperor
28. Welfare Jazz - Viagra Boys
29. The Art Of Losing - The Anchoress
30. I'll Be your Mirror: A Tribute to The Velvet Underground - Various Artists
31. Vulture Prince - Arooj Aftab
32. Sympathy For Life - Parquet Courts
33. Happier Than Ever - Billie Eilish
34. Montero - Lil Nas X
35. Flying Dream 1 - Elbow
36. On All Fours - Goat Girl
37. For the first time – Black Country, New Road
38. California Soil - London Grammar
39. Long Lost - Lord Huron
40. New Long Leg - Dry Cleaning
41. Cavalcade - Black Midi
42. For Those I Love - s/t
43. Comfort To Me - Amyl & the Sniffers
44. Little Oblivions - Julien Baker
45. Urban Driftwood - Yasmin Williams
46. Good Woman - The Staves
47. A Beginner's Mind - Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine
48. Van Weezer - Weezer
49. They're Calling Me Home - Rhiannon Giddens & Francisco Turrisi
50. Infinite Granite - Deafheaven
51. A Few Stars Apart - Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real
52. Blame Game - Beach Bunny
53. Seek Shelter - Iceage
54. As Days Get Dark - Arab Strap
55. Dream Weapon - Ghengis Tron
56. Outside Child - Allison Russell
57. Conflict Of Interest - Ghetts
58. Pressure Machine - The Killers
59. Call Me If You Get Lost - Tyler, The Creator
60. Cooler Returns - Kiwi Jr.
61. Seventeen Going Under - Sam Fender
62. Playground In A Lake - Clark
63. CRAWLER - IDLES
64. American Noir - Creeper
65. A Common Turn - Anna B Savage
66. Home Video - Lucy Dacus
67. Delta Kream - The Black Keys
69. Chemtrails Over The Country Club - Lana Del Rey
70. The Path Of The Clouds - Marissa Nadler
71. Senjutsu - Iron Maiden
72. Death Of A Cheerleader - Pom Pom Squad
73. Epic Ten - Sharon Van Eten
74. Seeking New Gods - Gruff Rhys
75. Dear America - Eric Bibb
76. Black Metal 2 - Dean Blunt
77. The Apple Drop - Liars
78. J.T - Steve Earle
79. Quietly Blowing It - Hiss Golden Messenger
80. Pale Horse Rider - Cory Hanson
81. Skin - Joy Crookes
82. Raise The Roof - Robert Plant & Alison Kraus
83. SINNER GET READY - Lingua Ignota
84. Screen Violence - Chvrches
85.We're All Alone In This Together - Dave
86. If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power - Halsey
87. I Know I'm Funny Ha Ha - Faye Webster
88. Endless Arcade - Teenage Fanclub
89. Open Door Policy - The Hold Steady
90. Ultrapop - The Armed
91. Pray For Haiti - Mach-Hommy
Mild Recommends
92. DEACON - Serpentwithfeet
93. Former Things - LoneLady
94. Things Take Time, Take Time - Courtney Barnett
95. Flat White Moon - Field Music
96. The Asymptotical World EP - Yves Tumor
97. Coral Island - The Coral
98. Forever Isn't Long Enough - Alfie Templeman
99. Modern Fiction - Ducks Ltd.
100. Losing Light - Antlers
101. Vanities - W. H. Lung
102. Far In - Helado Negro
103. to hell with it - Pink Pantheress
104. Any Shape You Take - Indigo De Souza
105. Valentine - Snail Mail
106. I've Been Trying To Tell You - Saint Etienne
107. Fatigue - L'Rain
108. Let Me Do One More - Illuminati Hotties
109. Greatest Hits - Waterparks
110. Black To The Future - Sons of Kemmet
111. KID A MNESIA (Disc 3 only) - Radiohead
112. Pink Noise - Laura Mvula
113. Boy From Michigan - John Grant
114. ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH - SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE
Other 2021 Albums of Critical Note
Angel Tears In Sunlight - Pauline Anna Strom
Detroit Blues - Danny Kroha
Donda - Kanye West
Fat Pop - Paul Weller
Fever Dreams - Villagers
Fire - The Bug
Glowing In The Dark - Django Django
How Long Do You Think It's Going To Last - Big Red Machine
Illusory Walls - The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die
King's Disease II - Nas
Mood Valiant - Hiatus Kaiyote
My Morning Jacket
Planet Her - Doja Cat
Shade - Grouper
Sling - Clairo
Soberish - Liz Phair
Sound Ancestors - Madlib
Spiral - DARKSIDE
star-crossed - Kacey Musgraves
Still Over It - Summer Walker
Talk Memory - Badbadnotgood
The Blue Elephant - Matt Berry
The Myth Of Happily Ever After - Biffy Clyro
The Shadow I Remember - Cloud Nothings
The Turning Wheel - Spelling
These 13 - Jimbo Mathus & Andrew Bird
Typhoons - Royal Blood
Vince Staples
Last Updated 12.19.22
