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The Best Albums of 2021 (So Far)

Posted by Jason Tate
best of 2021

We’re a little over half way into 2021 … so it’s that time again to recap the year in music. Below, you will find both our combined staff top 30, as well as individual lists from our contributors and moderators. Here’s hoping you find something new to love.

Note: You can share your own list in our music forum.

The Top Albums of 2021 (So Far)

  1. Manchester Orchestra – The Million Masks of God
  2. Olivia Rodrigo – Sour
  3. Origami Angel – Gami Gang
  4. Hayley Williams – Flowers for Vases / Descancos
  5. Julien Baker – Little Oblivions
  6. Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee
  7. Foo Fighters – Medicine at Midnight
  8. Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend
  9. The Night Game – Dog Years
  10. Citizen – Life in Your Glass World
  11. Wild Pink – A Billion Little Lights
  12. Lucy Dacus – Home Video
  13. Weezer – Van Weezer
  14. Modest Mouse – The Golden Casket
  15. The Sonder Bombs – Clothbound
  16. Taylor Swift – Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
  17. Rise Against – Nowhere Generation
  18. Weezer – OK Human
  19. Middle Kids – Today We’re the Greatest
  20. Twenty One Pilots – Scaled and Icy
  21. The Dirty Nil – Fuck Art
  22. KennyHoopla – Survivors Guilt
  23. Tyler, the Creator – Call Me if You Get Lost
  24. Eric Church – Heart
  25. Thomas Rhett – Country Again: Side A
  26. The Weather Station – Ignorance
  27. Fiddlehead – Between the Richness
  28. Electric Century – Electric Century
  29. Kali Masi – [laughs]
  30. The Armed – Ultrapop

The Playlist

Looking for an easy way to check out all of the albums in our top thirty? We’ve got a playlist for that. You’ll find one on Apple Music and one on Spotify with one great song from each great album.

The Nerd Stat Stuff

Our final compiled list was put together using our ranking algorithm. There were 9 contributors and 127 unique albums across all of the lists. In total, 36 albums out of the 127 were on more than one list with the number one album appearing on 8 of the 9 lists.

Contributor Lists

Jason Tate

  1. Manchester Orchestra – The Million Masks of God
  2. The Night Game – Dog Years
  3. Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend
  4. Hayley Williams – Flowers for Vases / Descansos
  5. KennyHoopla – Survivors Guilt
  6. Porter Robinson – Nurture
  7. Pale Waves – Who Am I?
  8. Chaser – Dreamers
  9. Joy Oladokun – In Defense of My Own Happiness
  10. Electric Century – Electric Century
  11. Olivia Rodrigo – Sour
  12. Julien Baker – Little Oblivions
  13. Lucy Dacus – Home Video
  14. Origami Angel – Gami Gang
  15. The Sonder Bombs – Clothbound
  16. Dream Job – Dream Job
  17. Sir Sly – The Rise and Fall of Loverboy
  18. While She Sleeps – Sleep Society
  19. Krang – Make Arcade Great Again
  20. Twenty One Pilots – Scaled and Icy

Craig Manning

  1. Mat Kearney – January Flower
  2. Patrick Droney – The State of the Heart
  3. Manchester Orchestra – The Million Masks of God
  4. Foo Fighters – Medicine at Midnight
  5. Weezer – Van Weezer
  6. Olivia Rodrigo – SOUR
  7. Parker Millsap – Be Here Instead
  8. Morgan Wade – Reckless
  9. Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall – The Marfa Tapes
  10. The Night Game – Dog Years
  11. Carly Pearce – 29
  12. Lainey Wilson – Sayin’ What I’m Thinking
  13. Eric Church – Heart
  14. Taylor Swift – Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
  15. Thomas Rhett – Country Again Side A
  16. Starlight Cleaning Co. – Starlight Cleaning Co.
  17. Origami Angel – Gami Gang
  18. Wild Pink – A Billion Little Lights
  19. Ashley Monroe – Rosegold
  20. Michigan Rattlers – That Kind of Life

Garrett Lemons

  1. Common Hymnal – Praise and Protest
  2. The Undertaking! – Funeral Psalms
  3. Manchester Orchestra – The Million Masks of God
  4. Taylor Swift – Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
  5. Origami Angel – Gami Gang
  6. Olivia Rodrigo – SOUR
  7. The Dirty Nil – Fuck Art
  8. Thomas Rhett – Country Again: Side A
  9. Kali Masi – [laughs]
  10. Eric Church – Heart
  11. Rise Against – Nowhere Generation
  12. Foo Fighters – Medicine at Midnight
  13. Kings of Leon – When You See Yourself
  14. Carrie Underwood – My Savior
  15. Julien Baker – Little Oblivions

Mary Varvaris

  1. Shame – Drunk Tank Pink
  2. Hayley Williams – Flowers for Vases / Descancos
  3. Home Is Where – I Became Birds
  4. Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend
  5. Dry Cleaning – New Long Leg
  6. Citizen – Life in Your Glass World
  7. Squid – Bright Green Field
  8. The Armed – Ultrapop
  9. The Sonder Bombs – Clothbound
  10. Architects – For Those That Wish to Exist
  11. Black Country, New Road – For the First Time
  12. Manchester Orchestra – The Million Masks of God
  13. Olivia Rodrigo – Sour
  14. Crowded House – Dreamers Are Waiting
  15. Genesis Owusu – Smiling with No Teeth
  16. Modest Mouse – The Golden Casket
  17. Downhaul – Proof
  18. The Weather Station – Ignorance
  19. Deadlights – The Uncanny Valley
  20. Pom Pom Squad – Death of a Cheerleader
  21. Fiddlehead – Between the Richness
  22. Middle Kids – Today We’re the Greatest
  23. Zeal & Ardor – Wake of a Nation
  24. Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee
  25. Carla Geneve – Learn to Like It
  26. Lucy Dacus – Home Video
  27. Tribulation – Where the Gloom Becomes Sound
  28. For Those I Love – For Those I Love
  29. Lost Girls – Menneskekollektivet
  30. Wardruna – Kvitravn

Adam Grundy

  1. Middle Kids – Today We’re The Greatest
  2. The Night Game – Dog Years
  3. Hayley Williams – Flowers For Vases
  4. Twenty One Pilots – Scaled and Icy
  5. Olivia Rodrigo – SOUR
  6. Manchester Orchestra – The Million Masks of God
  7. Foo Fighters – Medicine at Midnight
  8. Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend
  9. Taylor Swift – Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
  10. Julien Baker – Little Oblivions
  11. Origami Angel – GAMI GANG
  12. Talk Show Host – Mid-Century Modern
  13. David Cook – The Looking Glass
  14. Rise Against – Nowhere Generation
  15. Electric Century – Electric Century
  16. Royal Blood – Typhoons
  17. St. Vincent – Daddy’s Home
  18. Beach Bunny – Blame Game
  19. Chase Tremaine – Development & Compromise
  20. Lilith Czar – Created from Filth and Dust
  21. Frank Iero and the Patience – Heaven is A Place, This is a Place
  22. Weezer – OK Human
  23. Waxflower – We Might Be Alright
  24. AFI – Bodies
  25. Atreyu – Baptize
  26. Rostam – Changephobia
  27. Sir Sly – The Rise and Fall of Loverboy
  28. Ethan Gold – Earth City 1: The Longing
  29. The Juliana Theory – A Dream Away
  30. Weezer – Van Weezer

Trevor Graham

  1. Aaron Frazer – Introducing…
  2. Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee
  3. Arlo Parks – Collapsed In Sunbeams
  4. R.A.P. Ferreira – Bob’s Son
  5. The Weather Station – Ignorance
  6. Czarface & MF DOOM – Super What?
  7. Wild Pink – A Billion Little Lights
  8. Manchester Orchestra – The Million Masks of God
  9. Mach-Hommy – Pray For Haiti
  10. Yellow Ostrich – Soft
  11. Charlie Martin – Imaginary People
  12. Healy – Tungsten
  13. Kenny Mason – Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut
  14. Floatie – Voyage Out
  15. Middle Kids – Today We’re The Greatest
  16. Puma Blue – In Praise Of Shadows
  17. Ben Howard – Collections From The Whiteout
  18. Avind – Ta sjansen
  19. Nascent – Minus The Bullshit Life’s Great
  20. MIKE – Disco!
  21. Citizen – Life In Your Glass World
  22. Porter Robinson – Nurture
  23. Crumb – Ice Melt
  24. Benny Sings – Music
  25. Monobody – Comma
  26. Chester Watson – 1997
  27. The Dirty Nil – Fuck Art
  28. Claud – Super Monster
  29. Joyce Wrice – Overgrown
  30. stillhungry – stillhungry

Aaron Mook

  1. Modest Mouse – The Golden Casket
  2. Tyler, the Creator – Call Me if You Get Lost
  3. Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee
  4. Weezer – OK Human
  5. Brockhampton – ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE
  6. Armand Hammer/The Alchemist – Haram
  7. SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE – Entertainment, Death
  8. Citizen – Life in Your Glass World
  9. Weezer – Van Weezer

Brett Bodner

  1. Modest Mouse – The Golden Casket
  2. Foo Fighters – Medicine at Midnight
  3. Origami Angel – Gami Gang
  4. Olivia Rodrigo – SOUR
  5. Manchester Orchestra – The Million Masks of God
  6. Julien Baker – Little Oblivions
  7. KennyHoopla & Travis Barker – SURVIVORS GUILT: THE MIXTAPE//
  8. Tigers Jaw – I Won’t Care How You Remember Me
  9. Wild Pink – A Billion Little Lights
  10. Weezer – Van Weezer
  11. Weezer – OK Human
  12. Lucy Dacus – Home Videos
  13. Rise Against – Nowhere Generation
  14. Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend
  15. Hayley Williams – FLOWERS for VASES / descansos
  16. Kali Masi – [laughs]
  17. The Hold Steady – Open Door Policy
  18. Cloud Nothings – The Shadow I Remember
  19. The Sonder Bombs – Clothbound
  20. The Night Game – Dog Years
  21. Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee
  22. Hurry – Fake Idea
  23. Atreyu – Baptize
  24. Twenty One Pilots – Scaled and Icy
  25. AFI – Bodies

Drew Beringer

  1. Fiddlehead – Between The Richness
  2. Origami Angel – GAMI GANG
  3. Adult Mom – Driver
  4. Backxwash – I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES
  5. For Your Health – In Spite Of
  6. Hurry – Fake Ideas
  7. Lucy Dacus – Home Video
  8. God’s Hate – God’s Hate
  9. We Are The Union – Ordinary Life
  10. Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee
  11. Citizen – Life In Your Glass World
  12. Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime
  13. Julien Baker – Little Oblivions
  14. Hayley Williams – Flowers for Vases / descanos
  15. Manchester Orchestra – The Million Masks of God
  16. Portrayal of Guilt – We Are Always Alone
  17. Tyler, The Creator – CALL ME IF YOU’RE LOST
  18. The Armed – ULTRAPOP
  19. Wild Pink – A Billion Little Lights
  20. Sleater-Kinney – Path of Wellness
  21. Harmony Woods – Graceful Rage
  22. Tigers Jaw – I Won’t Care How You Remember Me
  23. Palette Knife – Ponderosa Snake House And The Chamber Of Bullshit
  24. The Dirty Nil – Fuck Art
  25. Closer – Within One Stem
  26. Faye Webster – I Know I’m Funny haha
  27. Regional Justice Center – Crime & Punishment
  28. The Sonder Bombs – Clothbpound
  29. Free Throw – Piecing It Together
  30. Beartooth – Below
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