Farewell 2021. While the year was yet another weird/scary one, we had the return of concerts and were given plenty of great music to power us all through the highs and lows of 2021. Turnstile dropped GLOW ON, which proved heavy guitar driven music is far from dead, Olivia Rodrigo burst onto the scene with SOUR, Weezer released two good albums in the same year with OK Human and Van Weezer, and we had the return of both Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, who both put out excellent new records.
2021 was a year where we continued to navigate our way through the pandemic, but it was also a year where I became a homeowner for the first time, got a new job and my wife and I became proud puppy parents. Throughout the many moments of joys and challenges, I was fortunate to have many great albums to guide me through. With so many great releases, it was tough to narrow the best-of list down to 30 but I did my best. As we turn the page onto what I hope is a better 2022 for everyone, here are my top 30 albums of 2021:
- Turnstile – GLOW ON
- Olivia Rodrigo – Sour
- Modest Mouse – The Golden Casket
- Origami Angel – GAMI GANG
- Weezer – OK Human
- Wild Pink – A Billion Little Lights
- Foxing – Draw Down the Moon
- Lucy Dacus – Home Video
- Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever
- Weezer – Van Weezer
- Manchester Orchestra – The Million Masks of God
- Dave Hause – Blood Harmony
- Rise Against – Nowhere Generation
- Halsey – If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power
- Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend
- Taylor Swift – Red (Taylor’s Version)
- The War On Drugs – I Don’t Live Here Anymore
- The Killers – Pressure Machine
- Julien Baker – Little Oblivions
- The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die – Illusory Walls
- Drake – Certified Lover Boy
- Limp Bizkit – Still Sucks
- Kali Masi – [laughs]
- Tigers Jaw – I Won’t Care How You Remember Me
- Thrice – Horizons/East
- Cloud Nothings – The Shadow I Remember
- Angels and Airwaves – Lifeforms
- The Hold Steady – Open Door Policy
- Beartooth – Below
- Wage War – Manic