ILM’s Top 77 Albums of 2021

while Moka tortures us, I will disclose that I was underrating the Dawn album, I sincerely apologize and hope to do better in future

Arlo Parks is good and there's stuff way more boring to me here.

(Although much less than there used to be in previous years tbf)

Revisited the GYBE album. I sometimes just forget to listen more to things that I know I will enjoy in familiar ways vs things that may be new or complex or challenging but it's completely solid and all holds together really well and satisfyingly.

Was looking at the 2019 poll just now -- forgot that Weyes Blood somehow beat out LDR, Purple Mountains, and Big Thief! Maybe another upset year but Low does feel like the frontrunner.

Aw, I was really hoping L'Rain would break the top 10. If we're taking apologies for underrating albums right now I think he could give one, too :P

Sorry I was on a meeting! Torture over

https://i.imgur.com/3RsXijU.jpg
10. Tinashe - 333
441 points / 18 votes / 1 #1 vote
Video from the album: “X”
Tinashe - Aquarius (out October 7 2014)

worth the wait, thank you Moka

Nice. I voted for the last 3, all good. I agree that Second Line is not my favorite of hers, but it works on its own terms. The L'Rain album I may be slightly overrating because it's the album that introduced me to L'Rain overall, so my vote is probably really for both albums. But she's pretty awesome. And 333 always seems over too soon, even though it's like 47 minutes.

tinashes best album

"X" is p good.

https://i.imgur.com/6heZbPP.jpg
9. Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee
464 points / 17 votes / 2 #1 votes
Video from the album: “Savage Good Boy”
Japanese Breakfast - Soft Sounds From Another Planet

Tinashe my #1

I didn't vote.

Japanese Breakfast was number one. As I mentioned in the tracks list, this band meant everything to me last year. Really happy and surprised to see them so high.

Tinashe is great. This and her last album are the best things she's done.

https://i.imgur.com/bkhRfLf.jpg
8. Wolf Alice - Blue Weekend
465 points / 14 votes / 3 #1 votes
Video from the album: “The Beach”
Wolf Alice

this was my favorite album of the year for about two months, delivered completely on the promise of their first two records by submerging itself in a form of alt rock that's closer to a melancholic dreamspace than pure rock fury (tho it has some of that too)

My favorite Tinashe album, too!

Agree with kp that it's great to see Jubilee this high. Feel like she was always underrated here. Did her first two albums place at all?

always find myself connecting really hard to about 3-4 songs on every wolf alice album and this one was no exception. "how can i make it ok" was a very much deserving placer in the traxx poll

The previous Wolf Alice album grew on me a lot, but it was always overshadowed by Don't Delete The Kisses. This one was brilliant all the way through and made me kind of understand why the NME kept calling them the best British band going.

Soft Sounds From Another Planet did place in our 2017 list Indexed, but much lower down. In the 40s I think?

https://i.imgur.com/eH1Wi30.jpg
7. CHVRCHES - Screen Violence
502 points / 16 votes / 3 #1 votes
Video from the album: “He Said She Said”
Chvrches

Tinashe my #1
I did vote

yes!!!! my aoty

Great album. I never knew they had an album this good in them.

not sure i voted for any of these but the tinashe record really is outstanding

https://i.imgur.com/AnANJIl.jpg
6. Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever
509 points / 16 votes / 1 #1 vote
Song from the album: “I Didn’t Change My Number”
billie eilish

Tinashe's journey from brief fling with chart-topping super stardom to this phase of her career is pretty wild

Didn't find an in to this Eilish album but may not have tried hard enough

Feel like the 11-30 range is always my sweet spot in these polls, then we get into the kind of music that I hear (and appreciate!) while trying to decide if I'm too old to pull off these dusty rose-colored slim fit chinos (I am).

I've said this elsewhere but:

- the CHVRCHES album singlehandedly revived my interest in them in a band after years of going "well they're all right I guess but ultimately *yawn*", every single song is fire
- I would argue that few, if any, songs on Happier Than Ever reach the heights of Billie's previous singles but the album is way greater than the sum of its parts and much, much better than the debut

Think I voted for everything in the top ten so far.

After lowering my expectations for the Billie album based on the singles, I ended up loving it more than the debut.

God today's rollout is making me depressed

yep

I think it's been mentioned by other posters on other threads, but I agree that it's bemusing how Eilish's debut is massively popular and Grammy-winning when the EP and the second album are much better.

I'm assuming Arooj Aftab and Floating Points make it into the top 5 from here?

I do think the need to state "why would you listen to female-fronted pop music when you could listen instead to this guy farting into a tuba for 4 hours" is an impulse worth interrogating

Nala Sinephro made it! Had no expectations of that one placing, but I'm stoked others recognize how gorgeous and well produced it is. Definitely play that one on your best system/cans sometime

The Floating Points record is one where conceptually it should have been one of my favorites, but it just left me empty and it didn't even make my ballot. I'm sure it makes top 5 though...

table/imago otm

do think the need to state "why would you listen to female-fronted pop music when you could listen instead to this guy farting into a tuba for 4 hours" is an impulse worth interrogating

― castanuts (DJP), Friday, February 11, 2022 1:52 PM (one minute ago) bookmarkflaglink

You tell that cloud!

https://i.imgur.com/ceZ1atL.jpg
5. Magdalena Bay - Mercurial World
559 points / 17 votes / 1 #1 vote
Video from the album: “Secrets (Your Fire)”
https://www.ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?boardid=41&threadid=110343

Mercurial World the only album on this list i truly love

maybe i just don't like music anymore

Honestly, in the context of what's to come, too low. I wasn't completely impressed with the whole, but I was VERY impressed with parts. I think they have greater in store. They're a sort of music I expect and demand ILM to champion.

can't believe birthday ass made top 4

This list has been 50% 50 year old rockers and 50% instrumental introversion and some posters still have the gall to complain about a few pop albums showing up.

No way Floating Points is in the top 5, although from the discussion on the album thread there would be riots.

Lots of alternative rock music today, huh.

Love this album, also my personal #5.

I'm think we might need a goon-style rolling thread where me/table/imago/Raymond can just talk about noise/free improv/sound art/field recordings without having to constantly butt our heads against the Jepsen Actuallys

I swear every pop singer sounds exactly the same nowadays (well, the men all sound alike and the women all sound alike), don't know how ppl aren't sick of it by now *shakes fist at cloud*

https://i.imgur.com/kbjLYK7.jpg
4. Cleo Sol - Mother
587 points / 20 votes
Song from the album: “Promises”
Sault - What's the story?