Even with a flurry of excellent releases in the final months that improved the forecast pretty considerably, 2021's musical offerings had a shadow of disappointment cast over them that it ultimately just couldn't escape. To its credit, these deflating letdowns manifested in many different forms including artists taking ambitious swings that didn't pay off (Young Thug, Injury Reserve, A Day to Remember), artists who saw their signature formula post diminishing returns (Drake, City Morgue, Dropkick Murphys) and artists that released competent efforts that just had the misfortunate of being significantly weaker than the release that immediately preceded it (Whitechapel, Lorde, Don Toliver). While a year being full of unremarkable and/or underwhelming records isn't exactly an unprecedented phenomenon, it's been a hot minute since a year featured such a high clip of records that failed to live up to the output quality that the artists that released them have displayed in the past.
Below, you'll find a list of every EP and LP I heard in 2021 ranked from worst to best (w/grades) and a variety of awards and superlatives that celebrate the most memorable records and songs 2021 had to offer and look ahead to what 2022 might hold. Hope you enjoy.
EP's:
9.If I Die First-They Drew Blood (C+)
8.Yves Tumor-The Asymmetrical World EP (C+)
7.Benny the Butcher-Pyrex Picasso (B-)
6.SeeYouSpaceCowboy.../If I Die First-A Sure Disaster (B-)
5.Drake-Scary Hours 2 (B)
4.Slaughter Gang & 21 Savage-Spiral: From the Book of Saw Soundtrack (B)
3.Sunami/Gulch-Sunami/Gulch (split) (B)
2.Thank You Scientist-Plague Accommodations (B)
1.Knocked Loose-A Tear in the Fabric of Life (B+)
LP's:
107.Trippie Redd and Travis Barker-Neon Shark vs. Pegasus (D+)
106.black midi-Cavalcade (D+)
105.Wolf Alice-Blue Weekend (D+)
104.Drake-Certified Lover Boy (D+)
103.A Day to Remember-You're Welcome (C-)
102.Pink Sifu-Gumbo'! (C-)
101.SG Lewis-Times (C)
100.BabyTron-Bin Reaper 2 (C)
99.Dropkick Murphys-Turn Up That Dial (C)
98.Architects-For Those That Wish to Exist (C)
97.Foo Fighters-Medicine at Midnight (C)
96.The Armed-Ultrapop (C)
95.Young Thug-Punk (C)
94.Nas-King's Disease II (C)
93.Injury Reserve-By the Time I Get to Phoenix (C)
92.Times of Grace-Songs of Loss and Separation (C)
91.Olivia Rodrigo-Sour (C)
90.God's Hate-God's Hate (C+)
89.24kGoldn-El Dorado (C+)
88.Yaujta-The Lurch (C+)
87.Gojira-Fortitude (C+)
86.Migos-Culture III (C+)
85.Don Broco-Amazing Things (C+)
84.Andrew W.K.-God is Partying (C+)
83.City Morgue-Vol 3: Bottom of the Barrel (C+)
82.Pi'erre Bourne-The Life of Pi'erre 5 (C+)
81.Gustaf-Audio Drag for Ego Slobs (B-)
80.Weezer-OK Human (B-)
79.Hayley Williams-Flowers for Vases/Descanos (B-)
78.John Mayer-Sob Rock (B-)
77.Baby Keem-The Melodic Blue (B-)
76.Origami Angel-Gami Gang (B-)
75.Demi Lovato-Dance with the Devil... The Art of Starting Over (B-)
74.Trivium-In the Court of the Dragon (B-)
73.Japanese Breakfast-Jubilee (B-)
72.Magdalena Bay-Mercurial World (B-)
71.Obsolete-Animate//Isolate (B-)
70.Depths of Hatred-Inheritance (B-)
69.Abiotic-Ikigai (B-)
68.Signs of the Swarm-Absolvere (B-)
67.Vola-Witness (B-)
66.Trippie Redd-Trip at Knight (B-)
65.Slaughter to Prevail-Kostolom (B-)
64.Don Toliver-Life of a Don (B-)
63.$uicideboy$-Long Term Effects of Suffering (B-)
62.Chevelle-Niratias (B-)
61.Carnifex-Graveside Confessions (B-)
60.Isaiah Rashad-The House is Burning (B-)
59.Kacey Musgraves-Star-Crossed (B-)
58.ERRA-ERRA (B-)
57.Lorde-Solar Power (B-)
56.Hail the Sun-New Age Filth (B-)
55.Rob Zombie-The Lunar Injection Kool-Aid Eclipse Conspiracy (B-)
54.Enforced-Kill Grid (B-)
53.Cryptosis-Bionic Swarm (B)
52.Diskord-Degenerations (B)
51.Born of Osiris-Angel or Alien (B)
50.Sturgill Simpson-The Ballad of Dood and Juanita (B)
49.King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard-Butterfly 3000 (B)
48.Royal Blood-Typhoons (B)
47.Megan Thee Stallion-Something for Thee Hotties (B)
46.Anna Pest-Dark Arms Reach Skyward with Bone White Fingers (B)
45.Remi Wolf-Juno (B)
44.Whitechapel-Kin (B)
43.Little Simz-Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (B)
42.At the Gates-The Nightmare of Being (B)
41.Dying Wish-Fragments of a Bitter Memory (B)
40.Waking the Cadaver-Authority Through Intimidation (B)
39.JPEGMAFIA-LP! (B)
38.Cannibal Corpse-Violence Unimagined (B)
37.Idles-Crawler (B)
36.slowthai-tyron (B)
35.Vince Staples-Vince Staples (B)
34.Genesis Owusu-Smiling with No Teeth (B)
33.RXK Nephew-Slitherman Activated (B)
32.Limp Bizkit-Still Sucks (B)
31.Atvm-Famine, Putrid and Fucking Endless (B)
30.Silk Sonic-An Evening with Silk Sonic (B)
29.Lana Del Rey-Blue Bannisters (B)
28.Wage War-Manic (B)
27.SeeYouSpaceCowboy...-The Romance of Affliction (B)
26.St.Vincent-Daddy's Home (B)
25.Mastodon-Hushed and Grim (B)
24.First Fragment-Gloire eternelle (B)
23.BROCKHAMPTON-ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE (B)
22.While She Sleeps-SLEEPS SOCIETY (B)
21.Inferi-Vile Genesis (B)
20.Lil Nas X-Montero (B)
19.Doja Cat-Planet Her (B)
18.Frontierer-Oxidized (B+)
17.Steel Bearing Hand-Slay in Hell (B+)
16.Spiritbox-Eternal Blue (B+)
15.Pupil Slicer-Mirrors (B+)
14.Archspire-Bleed the Future (B+)
13.Silent Planet-Iridescent (B+)
12.Converge and Chelsea Wolfe-Bloodmoon: I (B+)
11.Obscura-A Valediction (B+)
10.Billie Eilish-Happier Than Ever (B+)
9.King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard-L.W. (B+)
8.Lana Del Rey-Chemtrails Over the Country Club (A-)
7.Rivers of Nihil-The Work (A-)
6.Tyler, the Creator-CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST (A-)
5.Halsey-If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power (A-)
4.Brand of Sacrifice-Lifeblood (A)
3.Between the Buried and Me-Colors II (A)
2.Every Time I Die-Radical (A)
1.Turnstile-Glow On (A)
Biggest Surprises:
1.King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard-L.W.
2.Silent Planet-Iridescent
3.Mastodon-Hushed and Grim
4.Wage War-Manic
5.Waking the Cadaver-Authority Through Intimidation
Biggest Letdowns:
1.Young Thug-Punk
2.Drake-Certfied Lover Boy
3.A Day to Remember-You're Welcome
4.Times of Grace-Songs of Loss and Separation
5.Migos-Culture III
Most Underrated:
1.Halsey-If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power
2.Rivers of Nihil-The Work
3.Doja Cat-Planet Her
4.Wage War-Manic
5.Limp Bizkit-Still Sucks
Most Overrated:
1.Olivia Rodrigo-Sour
2.Nas-King's Disease II
3.Injury Reserve-By the Time I Get to Phoenix
4.Baby Keem-The Melodic Blue
5.Magadelena Bay-Mercurial World
Top Discoveries:
1.Brand of Sacrifice
2.Pupil Slicer
3.Steel Bearing Hand
4.Frontierer
5.Genesis Owusu
Top Artists That I Hope Drop an Album in 2022 (That Aren't Already Confirmed To):
1.SZA
2.Kendrick Lamar
3.Rina Sawayama
4.Revocation
5.Moon Tooth
Most Anticipated Albums That Are Confirmed to Be Released in 2022:
1.Allegaeon-Damnum
2.Vein.fm-The World is Going to Ruin You
3.Animals as Leaders-Parrhesia
4.Coheed and Cambria-TBD
5.Entheos-TBD
Top 50 Songs (in alphabetical order):
21 Savage-Spiral
Animals as Leaders-Monomyth
Archspire-Drain of Incarnation
Between the Buried and Me-Human is Hell (Another One with Love)
Between the Buried and Me-Never Seen/Future Shock
Between the Buried and Me-The Double Helix of Extinction
Billie Eilish-Billie Bossa Nova
Billie Eilish-Oxytocin
Brand of Sacrifice-Animal
Brand of Sacrifice-Lifeblood
BROCKHAMPTON-Buzzcut (feat. Danny Brown)
Coheed and Cambria-Shoulders
Converge and Chelsea Wolfe-Lord of Liars
Doja Cat-Kiss Me More (feat. SZA)
Every Time I Die-All This and War (feat. '68)
Every Time I Die-Thing with Feathers (feat. Andy Hull)
Frontierer-Heirloom
Halsey-Bells in Santa Fe
Halsey-Easier than Lying
Halsey-The Lighthouse
Idles-The Wheel
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard-Ataraxia
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard-Pleura
Knocked Loose-God Knows
Lana Del Rey-Chemtrails Over the Country Club
Lana Del Rey-Wild at Heart
Lil Nas X-Industry Baby (feat. Jack Harlow)
Limp Bizkit-Out of Style
Lorde-Fallen Fruit
Mastodon-Pushing the Tides
Pupil Slicer-Martyrs
Rina Sawayama-Enter Sandman (Metallica cover)
Rivers of Nihil-Dreaming Black Clockwork
Rivers of Nihil-Wait
Silent Planet-Translate the Night
Silk Sonic-Fly as Me
Spiritbox-Sun Killer
Spiritbox-Silk in the Strings
St.Vincent-Down
Sturgil Simpson-Ol' Dood (Part I)
The Weeknd-Take My Breath
Trippie Redd-Miss the Rage (feat. Playboi Carti)
Turnstile-Blackout
Turnstile-Don't Play
Turnstile-Mystery
Turnstile-Wild WRLD
Tyler, the Creator-Hot Wind Blows (feat. Lil Wayne)
Tyler, the Creator-Lemonhead (feat. 42 Dugg)
Tyler, the Creator-Massa
While She Sleeps-Enlightenment (?)
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