Yesterday, Pitchfork put out their list of the top 100 songs of 2021, and today their year-end rollout continues with the 50 best albums of 2021. As always, you can predict a lot of the list by keeping up with what gets Best New Music and/or high scores all year, but it never totally lines up with BNMs or scores. It doesn’t include the BNM-ed albums by Arca (which just got BNM today), Taylor Swift, Iceage, or The Armed, and it does include stuff that scored below an 8.0 like Japanese Breakfast (at #14), Little Simz, Moor Mother, Olivia Rodrigo, and more. Numbers aside, it’s a list that’s very worth reading, and you’ll probably discover at least a couple new things from it.
Read commentary on each pick here and see the full list below…
50. Yasmin Williams: Urban Driftwood
49. Magdalena Bay: Mercurial World
48. Ka: A Martyr’s Reward
47. dltzk: Frailty
46. Helado Negro: Far In
45. aya: im hole
44. Sofia Kourtesis: Fresia Magdalena EP
43. Hand Habits: Fun House
42. Vijay Iyer / Linda May Han Oh / Tyshawn Sorey: Uneasy
41. Lingua Ignota: Sinner Get Ready
40. Erika de Casier: Sensational
39. Loraine James: Reflection
38. Navy Blue: Song of Sage: Post Panic! / Navy’s Reprise
37. RP Boo: Established!
36. Lost Girls: Menneskekollektivet
35. Illuminati Hotties: Let Me Do One More
34. The War on Drugs: I Don’t Live Here Anymore
33. Xenia Rubinos: Una Rosa
32. Adele: 30
31. Wiki: Half God
30. Claire Rousay: a softer focus
29. Little Simz: Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
28. Spirit of the Beehive: ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH
27. Moor Mother: Black Encyclopedia of the Air
26. Armand Hammer and the Alchemist: Haram
25. Indigo De Souza: Any Shape You Take
24. Nala Sinephro: Space 1.8
23. black midi: Cavalcade
22. Dawn Richard: Second Line: An Electro Revival
21. Olivia Rodrigo: SOUR
20. Mach-Hommy: Pray for Haiti
19. Dean Blunt: Black Metal 2
18. Grouper: Shade
17. Cassandra Jenkins: An Overview on Phenomenal Nature
16. MIKE: Disco!
15. Snail Mail: Valentine
14. Japanese Breakfast: Jubilee
13. Tirzah: Colourgrade
12. Arooj Aftab: Vulture Prince
11. Faye Webster: I Know I’m Funny haha
10. Dry Cleaning: New Long Leg
9. Playboi Carti: Whole Lotta Red
8. Mdou Moctar: Afrique Victime
7. The Weather Station: Ignorance
6. Turnstile: Glow On
5. Low: HEY WHAT
4. Floating Points / Pharoah Sanders / The London Symphony Orchestra: Promises
3. Tyler, the Creator: Call Me If You Get Lost
2. L’Rain: Fatigue
1. Jazmine Sullivan: Heaux Tales