{"id":381099,"date":"2021-12-14T21:27:41","date_gmt":"2021-12-14T18:27:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/"},"modified":"2021-12-14T21:27:41","modified_gmt":"2021-12-14T18:27:41","slug":"the-50-best-albums-of-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"#The 50 best albums of 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4070eebd8f9\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4070eebd8f9\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#50_Bruiser_Wolf_Dope_Game_Stupid\" >50. Bruiser Wolf, Dope Game Stupid<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#49_Aaron_Dilloway_Lucrecia_Dalt_Lucy_Aaron\" >49.  Aaron Dilloway &amp; Lucrecia Dalt, Lucy &amp; Aaron<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#48_Tirzah_Colourgrade\" >48. Tirzah, Colourgrade<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#47_Grouper_Shade\" >47. Grouper, Shade<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#46_Lojay_x_Sarz_LV_N_ATTN\" >46. Lojay x Sarz, LV N ATTN<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#45_Playboi_Carti_Whole_Lotta_Red\" >45. Playboi Carti, Whole Lotta Red<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#44_Deafheaven_Infinite_Granite\" >44. Deafheaven, Infinite Granite<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#43_PinkPantheress_to_hell_with_it\" >43. PinkPantheress, to hell with it<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#42_Lambchop_Showtunes\" >42. Lambchop, Showtunes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#41_The_Avalanches_We_Will_Always_Love_You\" >41. The Avalanches, We Will Always Love You<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#40_leroy_dariacore\" >40. leroy, dariacore<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#39_LRain_Fatigue\" >39. L&#8217;Rain, Fatigue<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#38_Slaugher_Beach_Dog_At_The_Moonbase\" >38. Slaugher Beach, Dog, At The Moonbase<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#37_Olivia_Rodrigo_Sour\" >37. Olivia Rodrigo, Sour<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#36_Sam_Gendel_Fresh_Bread\" >36. Sam Gendel, Fresh Bread<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#35_Lost_Girls_Menneskekollektivet\" >35. Lost Girls, Menneskekollektivet<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#34_Yasmin_Williams_Urban_Driftwood\" >34. Yasmin Williams, Urban Driftwood<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-18\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#33_Unknown_T_Adolescence\" >33. Unknown T, Adolescence<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-19\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#32_Navy_Blue_Navys_Reprise\" >32. Navy Blue, Navy\u2019s Reprise<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-20\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#31_Spirit_Of_The_Beehive_Entertainment_Death\" >31. Spirit Of The Beehive, Entertainment, Death<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-21\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#30_Fuubutsushi_Setsubun\" >30. Fuubutsushi, Setsubun<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-22\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#29_Boldy_James_Bo_Jackson\" >29. Boldy James, Bo Jackson<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-23\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#28_Karol_G_KG0516\" >28. Karol G, KG0516<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-24\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#27_HTRK_Rhinestones\" >27. HTRK, Rhinestones<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-25\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#26_Halsey_If_I_Cant_Have_Love_I_Want_Power\" >26. Halsey, If I Can\u2019t Have Love, I Want Power<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-26\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#25_Isaiah_Rashaad_The_House_Is_Burning\" >25. Isaiah Rashaad, The House Is Burning<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-27\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#24_Wolf_Alice_Blue_Weekend\" >24. Wolf Alice, Blue Weekend<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-28\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#23_quinn_drive-by_lullabies\" >23. quinn, drive-by lullabies<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-29\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#22_Black_Midi_Cavalcade\" >22. Black Midi, Cavalcade<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-30\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#21_Vince_Staples_Vince_Staples\" >21. Vince Staples, Vince Staples<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-31\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#20_Rachika_Nayar_fragments\" >20. Rachika Nayar, fragments<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-32\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#19_Lana_Del_Rey_Chemtrails_Over_the_Country_Club_Blue_Banisters\" >19. Lana Del Rey, Chemtrails Over the Country Club \/ Blue Banisters<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-33\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#18_Lil_Nas_X_MONTERO\" >18. Lil Nas X, MONTERO<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-34\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#17_Prettyboy_D-O_Love_Is_War\" >17. Prettyboy D-O, Love Is War<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-35\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#16_Floating_Points_Pharoah_Sanders_Promises\" >16. Floating Points &amp; Pharoah Sanders, Promises<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-36\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#15_Armand_Hammer_Haram\" >15. Armand Hammer, Haram<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-37\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#14_Turnstile_GLOW_ON\" >14. Turnstile, GLOW ON<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-38\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#13_Ethel_Cain_Inbred\" >13. Ethel Cain, Inbred<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-39\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#12_Blue_Rojo_Solitario\" >12. Blue Rojo, Solitario<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-40\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#11_Bladee_The_Fool\" >11. Bladee, The Fool<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-41\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#10_Little_Simz_Sometimes_I_Might_Be_Introvert\" >10. Little Simz, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-42\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#9_Juls_Sounds_of_My_World\" >9. Juls, Sounds of My World<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-43\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#8_Mustafa_When_Smoke_Rises\" >8. Mustafa, When Smoke Rises<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-44\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#7_Doja_Cat_Planet_Her\" >7. Doja Cat, Planet Her<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-45\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#6_Mach-Hommy_Pray_For_Haiti\" >6. Mach-Hommy, Pray For Haiti<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-46\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#5_Rauw_Alejandro_Vice_Versa\" >5. Rauw Alejandro, Vice Versa<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-47\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#4_Jazmine_Sullivan_Heaux_Tales\" >4. Jazmine Sullivan, Heaux Tales<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-48\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#3_Dijon_Absolutely\" >3. Dijon, Absolutely<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-49\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#2_Tyler_The_Creator_CALL_ME_IF_YOU_GET_LOST\" >2. Tyler, The Creator, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-50\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\/#1_Porter_Robinson_Nurture\" >1. Porter Robinson, Nurture<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#The 50 best albums of 2021<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"content_blocks\">\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<style>\n<p> article.custom .custom-title, article.custom .custom-media .caption {\n   color: #ca2c2d;\n }<\/p>\n<p> article.custom .custom-attribution, article.custom .custom-attribution a {\n   color: #ca2c2d;\n }<\/p>\n<p> article.custom .content_block blockquote.pull_quote {\n   color: #ca2c2d;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227119\" class=\"content_block flush title center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"custom-title\">\n      The 50 best albums of 2021\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"custom-description\">\n      From Tyler, The Creator to Porter Robinson, Jazmine Sullivan to Doja Cat, these are the albums that defined and transcended the past year.\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"custom-attribution\">\n<div class=\"author\">\n    <span><br \/>\n      By <span class=\"credit_name\">Alex Robert Ross, Jordan Darville, David Renshaw, Salvatore Maicki, Larisha Paul, Antoinette Isama, Son Raw, Lucas Villa, Janiel Richards, Shaad D&#8217;Souza, Sajae Elder, Raphael Helfand, Colin Joyce<\/span><br \/>\n  <\/span><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"custom-media\">\n<div class=\"triple_gutter_left triple_gutter_right image center_align\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/ALBUMBS_OF_THE_YEAR-01_klrdbh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/ALBUMBS_OF_THE_YEAR-01_klrdbh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/ALBUMBS_OF_THE_YEAR-01_klrdbh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/ALBUMBS_OF_THE_YEAR-01_klrdbh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/ALBUMBS_OF_THE_YEAR-01_klrdbh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/ALBUMBS_OF_THE_YEAR-01_klrdbh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/ALBUMBS_OF_THE_YEAR-01_klrdbh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/ALBUMBS_OF_THE_YEAR-01_klrdbh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/ALBUMBS_OF_THE_YEAR-01_klrdbh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/ALBUMBS_OF_THE_YEAR-01_klrdbh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/ALBUMBS_OF_THE_YEAR-01_klrdbh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"img_caption\"><\/p>\n<p>  <span class=\"credit\"><\/p>\n<p>      Lara Torrance<br \/>\n        \/<\/p>\n<p>      The FADER<br \/>\n  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"custom_share_buttons_top \" style=\"\">\n<div id=\"new_socials_bottom\" class=\"new_socials_footer  \">\n<p>      <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thefader.com\/assets\/FDR_SocialSharing_Facebook-747312c39722d47504a80f02500b8d4ad2e36acf922bad1c83799db1bc77f605.png\" alt=\"Fdr socialsharing facebook\"><br \/>\n      <!-- <span>Share<\/span> --><\/p>\n<p>  <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thefader.com%2F2021%2F12%2F14%2Fthe-50-best-albums-of-2021%3Futm_source%3Df%26utm_medium%3Dtw%26utm_campaign%3Dshare&amp;text=The%2050%20best%20albums%20of%202021&amp;via=thefader\" class=\"new_social_footer_button twitter new_social_share_button\" data-ga-event-category=\"Social Share\" data-ga-event-label=\"Twitter\" data-ga-on=\"click\" data-ga-event-action=\"cilck\"><\/p>\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thefader.com\/assets\/FDR_SocialSharing_Twitter-8d78f695280aa3f8a4461702c68e9fcbfd6042af1600c62d49fdec4b735fb57a.png\" alt=\"Fdr socialsharing twitter\"><br \/>\n    <!-- <span>Tweet<\/span> --><br \/>\n  <\/a><\/p>\n<p>        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thefader.com\/assets\/logo-snapchat-5f1563935ac089d0cf1773f642ddbfb6cdb16e8c4ac14fec95a3c11b6f963389.svg\" alt=\"Logo snapchat\"><br \/>\n        <!-- <span>Snap<\/span> --><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<style>\n #content_block-227120 {\n   background: ;\n   padding-bottom: 40px;\n }<\/p>\n<p> #content_block-227120,  #content_block-227120 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227120 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227120\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>            If 2020 was the year when pre-plague optimism and quarantine depression formed an uncomfortable hybrid on end-of-year lists, 2021 was something stranger still. We\u2019ve shut down, opened up, sat inside alone, shared sweaty venues with thousands of perfect strangers, flirted with lockdown again, and then found ourselves here \u2014 which is nowhere, exactly. <\/p>\n<p>            Maybe the albums on our year-end list reflect that oddness. Wide-eyed experiments in pan-global movement (Juls&#8217;s <i>Sounds of My World<\/i>), staggering cinematic compositions fit for vast concert halls (Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders, and the LSO&#8217;s <i>Promises<\/i>), furiously inventive albums from restless iconoclasts (Turnstile&#8217;s <i>GLOW ON<\/i>), and beautiful projects from master soloists (Yasmin Williams&#8217;s <i>Urban Driftwood<\/i>) co-exist here, as they did in our headphones as the year stumbled forward. But really these records, whatever their subject matter or inspiration, transcended their circumstances; they\u2019ll continue to challenge and inspire us long after this liminal era has receded into memory. \u2014\u00a0<i>Alex Robert Ross, Editorial Director<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227194\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227121,  #content_block-227121 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227121 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227121\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<p>            <i>Stream a playlist of our favorite albums of 2021 on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/playlist\/0m7tzxvgN8DERNvHQEhgsR?si=603f70c91152403b\">Spotify<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/music.apple.com\/us\/playlist\/the-faders-50-best-albums-of-2021\/pl.u-qxyll3Ys2Mdb0Do\">Apple Music<\/a>.<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227122,  #content_block-227122 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227122 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227122\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"50_Bruiser_Wolf_Dope_Game_Stupid\"><\/span>\n        50. Bruiser Wolf, <i>Dope Game Stupid<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a1721150883_10_qwnxcf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a1721150883_10_qwnxcf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a1721150883_10_qwnxcf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a1721150883_10_qwnxcf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a1721150883_10_qwnxcf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a1721150883_10_qwnxcf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a1721150883_10_qwnxcf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a1721150883_10_qwnxcf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a1721150883_10_qwnxcf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a1721150883_10_qwnxcf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a1721150883_10_qwnxcf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>After a decade in the shadows, Danny Brown\u2019s Bruiser Brigade spent 2021 taking over their woozy, sample-heavy corner of Detroit rap with a flurry of underground releases, and none was more attention-grabbing than Bruiser Wolf\u2019s <i>Dope <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Game<\/a> Stupid<\/i>. With a unique, high-pitched voice and an off-beat delivery that stands toe-to-toe with those of his younger Michigan rap peers, Wolf devotes the album to cracking wise and spitting game like a midwestern E-40 variant, couching serious drug dealing knowledge in knee-sl<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ing punchlines and borrowed 50 Cent hooks. Far from the scowling seriousness of your average punchline rap, songs like \u201cUse Me\u201d lean into Wolf\u2019s zingers, with Brigade producer Raphy providing cracked, soulful beats that could have left <i>Dope Game Stupid<\/i> feeling like an old comedy record after one too many bong hits. Then, the final track, \u201cMomma was a Dopefiend,\u201d reveals the human cost behind the laughter, adding depth and pathos to a record otherwise reveling in the fast life. \u2014 <i>Son Raw<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227123,  #content_block-227123 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227123 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227123\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"49_Aaron_Dilloway_Lucrecia_Dalt_Lucy_Aaron\"><\/span>\n        49.  Aaron Dilloway &amp; Lucrecia Dalt, <i>Lucy &amp; Aaron<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/index_izvmh1\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/index_izvmh1\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/index_izvmh1\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/index_izvmh1\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/index_izvmh1\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/index_izvmh1\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/index_izvmh1\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/index_izvmh1\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/index_izvmh1\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/index_izvmh1\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/index_izvmh1\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Aaron Dilloway has been in almost constant communion with his peers for the past two decades, burrowing deep into the experimental noise scene and collaborating with everyone from Prurient to Emeralds to Jason Lescalleet. Often he leads from behind, playing the part of deranged producer to a formidable band \u2014 as he did on November\u2019s <i>Body\/Dilloway\/Head<\/i> with Kim Gordon and Bill Nace. But on Lucy &amp; Aaron, alongside the Colombian sound artist Lucrecia Dalt, he walks in lockstep with an artist whose approach to experimentation starkly contrasts his own. Where Dilloway is a battering ram, Dalt is an unlocking charm, and each opens the door to a different world. <i>Lucy &amp; Aaron<\/i> flows constantly back and forth between Dilloway\u2019s hellacious glitches and Dalt\u2019s celestial synths. Perhaps it helps that the two are close friends. On \u201cNiles Baroque,\u201d where Dilloway\u2019s drones rumble in perfect dissonance with Dalt\u2019s haunted vocals and pure electronic tones, there\u2019s a clear sense \u2014 as there is across the album \u2014 of a mind meld that even the closest collaborators would struggle to achieve. \u2014 <i>Raphael Helfand<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227124,  #content_block-227124 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227124 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227124\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"48_Tirzah_Colourgrade\"><\/span>\n        48. Tirzah, <i>Colourgrade<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/tirzah_COLOURGRADE_3000_xzzjuj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/tirzah_COLOURGRADE_3000_xzzjuj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/tirzah_COLOURGRADE_3000_xzzjuj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/tirzah_COLOURGRADE_3000_xzzjuj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/tirzah_COLOURGRADE_3000_xzzjuj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/tirzah_COLOURGRADE_3000_xzzjuj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/tirzah_COLOURGRADE_3000_xzzjuj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/tirzah_COLOURGRADE_3000_xzzjuj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/tirzah_COLOURGRADE_3000_xzzjuj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/tirzah_COLOURGRADE_3000_xzzjuj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/tirzah_COLOURGRADE_3000_xzzjuj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Oversharing is too often confused for intimacy. The personal details that someone chooses to reveal in their music might sometimes break down a barrier between artist and audience, but diaristic lyrics don&#8217;t necessarily help the listener step over the rubble and into the artist&#8217;s space. At points on <i>Colourgrade<\/i>, Tirzah Mastin&#8217;s second album, it&#8217;s possible to pick out disjointed clauses and piece together a collage of the 34-year-old&#8217;s life since releasing her debut album <i>Devotion<\/i>, falling in love, and giving birth to her first child. But the sense of intimacy \u2014 the wordless, naked, close-up intimacy so beautifully portrayed in the three very different videos for <i>Colourgrade<\/i>&#8216;s &#8220;Send Me,&#8221; &#8220;Tectonic,&#8221; and &#8220;Sink In&#8221; \u2014 doesn&#8217;t come from these miniature revelations. Instead Tirzah&#8217;s voice barely rises above a whisper, as though half an inch from the listener&#8217;s ear. The tracks themselves are thick with bass but mostly muffled and muted, so that the indiscernible yelps on &#8220;Hive Mind&#8221; and the dissonant, wailing guitar on &#8220;Sleeping&#8221; jolt through the mix like sirens blaring down an otherwise deserted street. <i>Colourgrade<\/i> is unadorned and unpolished, its tape hiss left bare, and it leaves the listener with no choice but to sit, completely still, inside Tirzah&#8217;s world. \u2014 <i>Alex Robert Ross<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227125,  #content_block-227125 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227125 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227125\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"47_Grouper_Shade\"><\/span>\n        47. Grouper, <i>Shade<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/grouper_shade_1290_1290_aer0er\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/grouper_shade_1290_1290_aer0er\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/grouper_shade_1290_1290_aer0er\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/grouper_shade_1290_1290_aer0er\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/grouper_shade_1290_1290_aer0er\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/grouper_shade_1290_1290_aer0er\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/grouper_shade_1290_1290_aer0er\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/grouper_shade_1290_1290_aer0er\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/grouper_shade_1290_1290_aer0er\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/grouper_shade_1290_1290_aer0er\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/grouper_shade_1290_1290_aer0er\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Time flies in the songs Liz Harris makes as Grouper. Whether she\u2019s writing vaporous, otherworldly ambient pieces or intimate ballads, her music is meant for giving yourself over to the moment, for forgetting where you are. It\u2019s fitting then that <i>Shade<\/i> is made up of recordings made over 15 whole years. Though it\u2019s composed of some of her more structured melodies and legible instrumentation, the album still reflects the patience with which it was made. Songs like \u201cOde to the blue\u201d play like lullabies for a night of eternal sleep, the edges of her gentle guitar lines wavering as you drift away \u2014 unsure when you\u2019re going to wake up, or if. Somber as the songs sound, they\u2019re soothing in their own way, as her music always has been. They offer somewhere to escape to, to let a long year drift idly by, with a familiar voice whispering something comforting in your ear. \u2014 <i>Colin Joyce<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227126,  #content_block-227126 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227126 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227126\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"46_Lojay_x_Sarz_LV_N_ATTN\"><\/span>\n        46. Lojay x Sarz, <i>LV N ATTN<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/53a1e081d3300c9de40991f8ec1537f0.1000x1000x1_rgagev\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/53a1e081d3300c9de40991f8ec1537f0.1000x1000x1_rgagev\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/53a1e081d3300c9de40991f8ec1537f0.1000x1000x1_rgagev\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/53a1e081d3300c9de40991f8ec1537f0.1000x1000x1_rgagev\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/53a1e081d3300c9de40991f8ec1537f0.1000x1000x1_rgagev\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/53a1e081d3300c9de40991f8ec1537f0.1000x1000x1_rgagev\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/53a1e081d3300c9de40991f8ec1537f0.1000x1000x1_rgagev\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/53a1e081d3300c9de40991f8ec1537f0.1000x1000x1_rgagev\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/53a1e081d3300c9de40991f8ec1537f0.1000x1000x1_rgagev\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/53a1e081d3300c9de40991f8ec1537f0.1000x1000x1_rgagev\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/53a1e081d3300c9de40991f8ec1537f0.1000x1000x1_rgagev\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>It&#8217;s possible to read the title of Sarz&#8217;s debut project, <i>Sarz Is Not Your Mate<\/i>, as a statement on his process. While the genre-defying Nigerian producer&#8217;s beats are in high demand, he chooses his collaborators carefully, and there\u2019s little reason to change up the method \u2014 just about every new Sarz single makes a dent in the Nigerian pop scene. That he chose a rising Afro-Fusion star like Lojay to share an EP with is as good a cosign as a young artist could hope for. Lojay is an effective partner for Sarz\u2019s iconoclastic view of Afrobeats on <i>LOVE N ATTN<\/i>, sending his love interests playful and wildly effective flattery. \u201cMon ami I swear you causing traffic,\u201d he sings in \u201cPark O X3,\u201d \u201cMon ami I swear you got a hold on me yeah \/ And I seek permission to throw you down.\u201d \u201cTonongo\u201d and the Wizkid-featuring \u201cLV N ATTN\u201d are immersive and lustful, with Sarz\u2019s moody production proving that slowing things down can still produce hits. But things don\u2019t stay sedate throughout: \u201cMonalisa,\u201d a track inspired by the South African house hybrid subgenre of amapiano, has taken over dancefloors across the diaspora. It&#8217;s a perfect project for a world slowly adjusting to a new normal, inching back towards the dancefloor. \u2014 <i>Antoinette Isama<br \/>\n<br \/><\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227127,  #content_block-227127 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227127 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227127\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"45_Playboi_Carti_Whole_Lotta_Red\"><\/span>\n        45. Playboi Carti, <i>Whole Lotta Red<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/5a4516e086091510752ca9a49bc5bfef.1000x1000x1_pxmxjk\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/5a4516e086091510752ca9a49bc5bfef.1000x1000x1_pxmxjk\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/5a4516e086091510752ca9a49bc5bfef.1000x1000x1_pxmxjk\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/5a4516e086091510752ca9a49bc5bfef.1000x1000x1_pxmxjk\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/5a4516e086091510752ca9a49bc5bfef.1000x1000x1_pxmxjk\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/5a4516e086091510752ca9a49bc5bfef.1000x1000x1_pxmxjk\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/5a4516e086091510752ca9a49bc5bfef.1000x1000x1_pxmxjk\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/5a4516e086091510752ca9a49bc5bfef.1000x1000x1_pxmxjk\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/5a4516e086091510752ca9a49bc5bfef.1000x1000x1_pxmxjk\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/5a4516e086091510752ca9a49bc5bfef.1000x1000x1_pxmxjk\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/5a4516e086091510752ca9a49bc5bfef.1000x1000x1_pxmxjk\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>For better and worse, no other rapper captures the modern rap zeitgeist like Playboi Carti. After years of massive hype and delays \u2014 which were exacerbated by a campaign of unauthorized song leaks, the likes of which haven\u2019t been seen since Young Thug\u2019s peak \u2014 <i>Whole Lotta Red<\/i> collided with the timeline on Christmas Day 2020 like a leather-clad asteroid. The cover art, a tribute to the \u201870s underground punk zine <i>Slash<\/i>, and its opening track \u201cRockstar Made\u201d served to im<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>tely reestablish an artist who pioneered rap\u2019s luxuriously styled sonic rage. But across <i>Whole Lotta Red<\/i>, Carti grows beyond what came before. <\/p>\n<p>A new ruthlessness pervades the project. When the music is mean and aggressive, it exceeds that feeling on previous records, with a sound as tightly coiled and imposing as barbed wire brass knuckles. It\u2019s a credit to Carti that he\u2019s able to bear his teeth so convincingly over the Nosferatu-type beat of \u201cVamp Anthem,\u201d and even songs like \u201cSky,\u201d where he adopts a smoked-out flow, as the beat\u2019s synths streak like a migraine. Carti doesn\u2019t neglect his sensitive side, though, professing his love over the over zippy EDM-friendly synths on \u201cControl\u201d and mourning a lost love on \u201cOver,\u201d a transmission from the loneliest corner of the mosh pit.<\/p>\n<p>The features are sparse but huge: Kid Cudi, Future, and the album\u2019s executive producer Kanye West all appear, each rapper sounding energized, even grateful to be there. <i>Whole Lotta Red<\/i> more than justifies the authority Carti holds in the rap game. Throughout, he\u2019s a youthful god-king reborn: triumphant, petulant, and all-powerful. \u2014 <i>Jordan Darville<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227195\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227128,  #content_block-227128 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227128 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227128\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"44_Deafheaven_Infinite_Granite\"><\/span>\n        44. Deafheaven, <i>Infinite Granite<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/239910838_210882367673535_4472948528571870157_n_waovz4\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/239910838_210882367673535_4472948528571870157_n_waovz4\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/239910838_210882367673535_4472948528571870157_n_waovz4\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/239910838_210882367673535_4472948528571870157_n_waovz4\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/239910838_210882367673535_4472948528571870157_n_waovz4\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/239910838_210882367673535_4472948528571870157_n_waovz4\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/239910838_210882367673535_4472948528571870157_n_waovz4\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/239910838_210882367673535_4472948528571870157_n_waovz4\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/239910838_210882367673535_4472948528571870157_n_waovz4\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/239910838_210882367673535_4472948528571870157_n_waovz4\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/239910838_210882367673535_4472948528571870157_n_waovz4\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>The front cover of Deafheaven&#8217;s decade-old <i>Sunbather<\/i> almost looks like a negative of their latest album <i>Infinite Granite<\/i>. The former is a haze of pink and yellow, an impression of the human eyelid failing to fully guard against the sun; the latter shows a blue orb emerging from deep black, a reflection of lead singer George Clarke&#8217;s early-lockdown bouts of insomnia, sleepless hours spent pent up and half-delirious. And in many ways they are each other&#8217;s opposites \u2014 this is yet another jolt forward for Deafheaven. Clarke has replaced his unearthly black metal howl with a resonant baritone (inspired in part by Chet Baker) and drummer Daniel Tracy has done away with blast beats entirely. Almost no metal signifiers remain. And yet Infinite Granite still sounds extreme. The fidgety syncopations that interrupt the half-time beat on &#8220;In Blur&#8221; as Clarke asks what daylight looks like, Kerry McCoy and Shiv Mehra&#8217;s monumental guitars on &#8220;Lament for Wasps,&#8221; the contrast between meditative ambience and full fury on the nine-minute &#8220;Mombasa&#8221; \u2014 these are the hallmarks of a band trying to find its outer limits and somehow, as it enters its second decade, still searching. \u2014 <i>ARR<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227129,  #content_block-227129 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227129 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227129\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"43_PinkPantheress_to_hell_with_it\"><\/span>\n        43. PinkPantheress, <i>to hell with it<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/pinkpantheress-tohellwithit-art_1290_1290_mgzu5s\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/pinkpantheress-tohellwithit-art_1290_1290_mgzu5s\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/pinkpantheress-tohellwithit-art_1290_1290_mgzu5s\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/pinkpantheress-tohellwithit-art_1290_1290_mgzu5s\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/pinkpantheress-tohellwithit-art_1290_1290_mgzu5s\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/pinkpantheress-tohellwithit-art_1290_1290_mgzu5s\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/pinkpantheress-tohellwithit-art_1290_1290_mgzu5s\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/pinkpantheress-tohellwithit-art_1290_1290_mgzu5s\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/pinkpantheress-tohellwithit-art_1290_1290_mgzu5s\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/pinkpantheress-tohellwithit-art_1290_1290_mgzu5s\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/pinkpantheress-tohellwithit-art_1290_1290_mgzu5s\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>PinkPantheress&#8217;s bite-sized songs leave a complex taste in your mouth. On her debut project, her sweet, precocious hybrid of dreamy pop, drum &amp; bass, and UK Garage is neatly-wrapped in early-aughts nostalgia but peppered with lyrics about unrequited crushes and existential dread. Short but memorable enough for the bite-sized moments they\u2019ve largely been used to soundtrack, the next track begins before you\u2019ve fully processed the nuances of the last.<\/p>\n<p>Songs like her breakout hit \u201cPain\u201d and album cuts like \u201cLast Valentines\u201d call on samples from the not-so-distant past, with her light and breathy vocals fluttering over their otherwise frenetic beats. On \u201cReason,\u201d she contemplates her entire existence, tries to get back together with her ex on \u201cAll my friends know,\u201d (asking flatly, \u201cDid you ever want me? No worries if not\u201d) and rattles off youthful regrets on \u201cNineteen.\u201d Playing out like a heart-to-heart with your much cooler younger sibling, the project\u2019s intimate feel makes perfect sense when you consider that the mysterious 20-year-old has said she recorded much of her early singles lying down on her dorm room floor. With half of the project\u2019s tracks having already been released as singles, new tracks like \u201cNoticed I cried\u201d and \u201cLast valentines\u201d reveal an artist ready to expand her palette that much further. \u2014 <i>Sajae Elder<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227130,  #content_block-227130 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227130 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227130\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"42_Lambchop_Showtunes\"><\/span>\n        42. Lambchop, <i>Showtunes<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LAMBCHOP_-_SHOWTUNES_-_SLANG50362__1_q7l54h\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LAMBCHOP_-_SHOWTUNES_-_SLANG50362__1_q7l54h\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LAMBCHOP_-_SHOWTUNES_-_SLANG50362__1_q7l54h\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LAMBCHOP_-_SHOWTUNES_-_SLANG50362__1_q7l54h\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LAMBCHOP_-_SHOWTUNES_-_SLANG50362__1_q7l54h\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LAMBCHOP_-_SHOWTUNES_-_SLANG50362__1_q7l54h\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LAMBCHOP_-_SHOWTUNES_-_SLANG50362__1_q7l54h\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LAMBCHOP_-_SHOWTUNES_-_SLANG50362__1_q7l54h\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LAMBCHOP_-_SHOWTUNES_-_SLANG50362__1_q7l54h\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LAMBCHOP_-_SHOWTUNES_-_SLANG50362__1_q7l54h\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LAMBCHOP_-_SHOWTUNES_-_SLANG50362__1_q7l54h\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Kurt Wagner has never been afraid of change. Since forming Lambchop in the early \u201890s, he\u2019s seen more than two dozen musicians come, go, and occasionally return, rebuilding the project\u2019s aesthetic around his gruff baritone each time the lineup has turned over. This time around, he set out to write \u201cshowtunes for people who don\u2019t like showtunes,\u201d an idea that came to him after he converted some guitar recordings to MIDI piano on a whim. And while he\u2019s mostly flirting with sentimentality \u2014 the touching instrumental interlude \u201cPapa Was a Rolling Stone Journalist\u201d is closer to Tom Waits\u2019 <i>West Side Story<\/i> tribute on Blue Valentine than it is to <i>West Side Story<\/i> itself \u2014 there\u2019s still something recognizably theatrical about <i>Showtunes<\/i>. On \u201cFuku,\u201d the record\u2019s lynchpin, he goes full Beckett, breaking down the language he usually wields so precisely into abstract grunts and whispers. The rest of the album is more in tune with the Great American Songbook, but its edges remain too sharp for any Broadway stage. \u2014 <i>RH<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227131,  #content_block-227131 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227131 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227131\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"41_The_Avalanches_We_Will_Always_Love_You\"><\/span>\n        41. The Avalanches, <i>We Will Always Love You<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/183555-the-avalanches-we-will-always-love-you_vmlizl\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/183555-the-avalanches-we-will-always-love-you_vmlizl\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/183555-the-avalanches-we-will-always-love-you_vmlizl\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/183555-the-avalanches-we-will-always-love-you_vmlizl\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/183555-the-avalanches-we-will-always-love-you_vmlizl\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/183555-the-avalanches-we-will-always-love-you_vmlizl\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/183555-the-avalanches-we-will-always-love-you_vmlizl\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/183555-the-avalanches-we-will-always-love-you_vmlizl\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/183555-the-avalanches-we-will-always-love-you_vmlizl\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/183555-the-avalanches-we-will-always-love-you_vmlizl\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/183555-the-avalanches-we-will-always-love-you_vmlizl\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p><i>We Will Always Love You<\/i>, Robbie Chater and Toni DiBlasi\u2019s third and best record as The Avalanches, is one of the most purely spiritual pop records of the year. This is an album about music\u2019s sheer cosmic power, about its ability to transport us and ground us, to bring us closer to lost loved ones and shield us from harm and anguish. Weightier than 2016\u2019s <i>Wildflower<\/i> and more structured than 2000\u2019s <i>Since I Left You<\/i>, <i>We Will Always Love You<\/i> draws from a wide range of influences \u2014 rave, disco, R&amp;B, and soul among them \u2014 but, as ever, the joy is in seeing Chater and DiBlasi recast their familiar collaborators in new light. Who else would think to turn MGMT\u2019s Andrew VanWyngarden into a lovelorn lounge singer on \u201cThe Divine Chord,\u201d or Denzel Curry into a &#8217;90s underground rapper on \u201cTake Care In Your Dreaming\u201d? <\/p>\n<p>Underneath the freewheeling, kid-in-a-candy-store energy, <i>We Will Always Love You<\/i> is a record with a profoundly existential bent, one deeply concerned with what happens after we die and haunted by the figures of musicians gone too soon, Karen Carpenter and The Avalanches\u2019 collaborator David Berman among them. Still, the album is an overwhelmingly joyful experience, one that suggests even those lost too soon live on forever through the art they leave behind. \u2014 <i>Shaad D&#8217;Souza<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227132,  #content_block-227132 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227132 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227132\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"40_leroy_dariacore\"><\/span>\n        40. leroy, <i>dariacore<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0648401143_10_xftomc\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0648401143_10_xftomc\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0648401143_10_xftomc\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0648401143_10_xftomc\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0648401143_10_xftomc\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0648401143_10_xftomc\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0648401143_10_xftomc\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0648401143_10_xftomc\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0648401143_10_xftomc\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0648401143_10_xftomc\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0648401143_10_xftomc\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>In 2021, Zeke, an 18-year-old from New Jersey, transmuted voracious internet consumption and a love of big, emphatic music of all s<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a>es into distinct new sounds. Their breakout achievement was <i>Frailty<\/i>, a lovely debut album as dltzk that combined hyperpop with heavy emo influences. But it\u2019s <i>dariacore<\/i>, a mashup album released under the alias of leroy, that best exhibits their keen ear. Thanks to its liberal use of frenzied breakbeats, <i>dariacore<\/i> could be described as a grandson of drum and bass, with a heart that pumps Frosted Flakes milk. Take \u201coutside,\u201d a circuit-blown cyborg cheerleader\u2019s routine built on a Calvin Harris song from 2014, or \u201ccopyright strike my fucking nuts\u201d (a title that embodies <i>dariacore<\/i>\u2019s captivating lawlessness through a callback to the Internet\u2019s glory days) with its Chipmunk-ified interpolation of Vanessa Carlton\u2019s \u201cA Thousand Miles.\u201d In vibe more than sonic quality, the music contains the same entrancing absurdity that filled John Oswald\u2019s <i>Plunderphonics<\/i> experiments. Perhaps every generation needs a musical Frankenstein, and if that\u2019s the case, I\u2019m glad Gen Z has leroy. \u2014 <i>JD<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227196\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227133,  #content_block-227133 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227133 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227133\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"39_LRain_Fatigue\"><\/span>\n        39. L&#8217;Rain, <i>Fatigue<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LRain-Fatigue_Web-Standard_ym4qpz\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LRain-Fatigue_Web-Standard_ym4qpz\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LRain-Fatigue_Web-Standard_ym4qpz\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LRain-Fatigue_Web-Standard_ym4qpz\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LRain-Fatigue_Web-Standard_ym4qpz\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LRain-Fatigue_Web-Standard_ym4qpz\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LRain-Fatigue_Web-Standard_ym4qpz\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LRain-Fatigue_Web-Standard_ym4qpz\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LRain-Fatigue_Web-Standard_ym4qpz\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LRain-Fatigue_Web-Standard_ym4qpz\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LRain-Fatigue_Web-Standard_ym4qpz\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>L\u2019Rain has done everything in her power to defy categorization. It\u2019s a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/toneglow.substack.com\/p\/tone-glow-068-lrain\">defense mechanism<\/a> against intense anxiety, and it\u2019s part of what makes her music so fascinating. <i>Fatigue<\/i>, her second album, is a restless mix of free jazz, musique concr\u00e8te, and neo-soul. It seems intimidating on paper, but her vibe is welcoming on wax, even when she\u2019s expressing intense grief. Her voice glows with stubborn optimism in the face of overwhelming bleakness. Early on <i>Fatigue<\/i>, the mystical swirls of \u201cFind It\u201d give way to a recording L\u2019Rain made of a pastor singing the gospel standard \u201cI Won\u2019t Complain\u201d at her friend\u2019s funeral. Later, her roommate\u2019s jubilant joke-singing bleeds into the album\u2019s brief, haunting centerpiece, \u201cKill Self.\u201d She uses a single, hysterical inhale from her friend\u2019s laughter to punctuate the first few beats before entering with a line as enigmatic as it is unsettling: \u201cReverse evolve, kissing my dogs, killing myself.\u201d If Fatigue is proof of anything, it\u2019s that joy and misery can coexist in a single moment. \u2014 <i>RH<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227134,  #content_block-227134 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227134 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227134\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"38_Slaugher_Beach_Dog_At_The_Moonbase\"><\/span>\n        38. Slaugher Beach, Dog, <i>At The Moonbase<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Slaughter_Beach__Dog_At_The_Moonbase_artwork_lb2myd\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Slaughter_Beach__Dog_At_The_Moonbase_artwork_lb2myd\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Slaughter_Beach__Dog_At_The_Moonbase_artwork_lb2myd\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Slaughter_Beach__Dog_At_The_Moonbase_artwork_lb2myd\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Slaughter_Beach__Dog_At_The_Moonbase_artwork_lb2myd\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Slaughter_Beach__Dog_At_The_Moonbase_artwork_lb2myd\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Slaughter_Beach__Dog_At_The_Moonbase_artwork_lb2myd\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Slaughter_Beach__Dog_At_The_Moonbase_artwork_lb2myd\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Slaughter_Beach__Dog_At_The_Moonbase_artwork_lb2myd\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Slaughter_Beach__Dog_At_The_Moonbase_artwork_lb2myd\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Slaughter_Beach__Dog_At_The_Moonbase_artwork_lb2myd\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Few songwriters are as masterful at rendering minutiae as Jake Ewald. As Slaughter Beach, Dog, the project he&#8217;s focused on since the dissolution of Modern Baseball, each of his wry emo-folk songs function as little vignettes. He tells short stories about vagrants, socialites, barflies, and lovers, often all in a three-minute song, without resorting to caricature. Every one of these people sees something out the corner of their eye, notices something about the person across from them, feels something unexpected that makes them seem utterly alive. His fourth album, <i>At The Moonbase<\/i>, released by surprise last Christmas Eve, is his most ambitious, its scenes even more vivid than before. There\u2019s \u201cBlack mold on the bath rim \/ Haggard bike frames leaned against everything\u201d and \u201cemphysemic outlaws in the park \/ Hoarding fourteen nips of Dewar\u2019s in an army-jacket liquor cabinet.\u201d On the neurotically lovestruck \u201cMy Girl,\u201d there&#8217;s a \u201cFifty-dollar bill floating in the washing machine \/ Szechuan string beans, crab Rangoon.\u201d And just as the highlight of his second album, <i>Birdie<\/i>, was the love-note folk song \u201cAcolyte,\u201d so too does <i>At The Moonbase<\/i> really soar when Ewald (or the character he&#8217;s speaking through) ends up in thrall to the person across from him. \u201cI love you the most \/ You have enough time \/ You look good in white \/ You smoke without aging,\u201d he half-yells over the barroom piano on \u201cNotes From a Brief Engagement (at the Boot &amp; Saddle).\u201d Even when lovestruck and bewildered, he knows that the tiniest details can build the most affecting portraits. \u2014 <i>ARR<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227135,  #content_block-227135 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227135 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227135\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"37_Olivia_Rodrigo_Sour\"><\/span>\n        37. Olivia Rodrigo, <i>Sour<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/712U0PCvjES._AC_SL1200__vwlu9y\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/712U0PCvjES._AC_SL1200__vwlu9y\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/712U0PCvjES._AC_SL1200__vwlu9y\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/712U0PCvjES._AC_SL1200__vwlu9y\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/712U0PCvjES._AC_SL1200__vwlu9y\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/712U0PCvjES._AC_SL1200__vwlu9y\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/712U0PCvjES._AC_SL1200__vwlu9y\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/712U0PCvjES._AC_SL1200__vwlu9y\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/712U0PCvjES._AC_SL1200__vwlu9y\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/712U0PCvjES._AC_SL1200__vwlu9y\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/712U0PCvjES._AC_SL1200__vwlu9y\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Nothing is more exciting to encounter in the pop music than the unexpected. Olivia Rodrigo crash landed on the charts early in the year with \u201cdriver\u2019s license,\u201d breaking record after record, day after day. The singles that followed, \u201cDeja Vu\u201d and \u201cbrutal,\u201d displayed her range, taking in pop, rock, and all of the singer-songwriter spaces in between. On <i>Sour<\/i>, she takes another step forward. Here, Rodrigo puts on a performance of audacious melodrama so intense and cinematic it feels like a coming-of-age film. Each betrayal-recounting lyric of \u201cTraitor\u201d and \u201cHappier\u201d is delivered with such intensity that you feel as though you personally owe her an apology. The former encompasses both the best vocal display and arrangement on <i>Sour<\/i>, while the latter pulls from a bluesy, orchestral source in the vein of Rihanna\u2019s \u201cLove on the Brain,\u201d only more sharp-tongued. Rodrigo doesn\u2019t try to sugarcoat her emotions, lyrically or sonically. There\u2019s a raw honesty as she makes every wound appear devastating and fresh. \u2014 <i>Larisha Paul<br \/>\n<br \/><\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227136,  #content_block-227136 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227136 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227136\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"36_Sam_Gendel_Fresh_Bread\"><\/span>\n        36. Sam Gendel, <i>Fresh Bread<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a2248659532_16_tdgl9m\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a2248659532_16_tdgl9m\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a2248659532_16_tdgl9m\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a2248659532_16_tdgl9m\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a2248659532_16_tdgl9m\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a2248659532_16_tdgl9m\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a2248659532_16_tdgl9m\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a2248659532_16_tdgl9m\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a2248659532_16_tdgl9m\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a2248659532_16_tdgl9m\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a2248659532_16_tdgl9m\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Upon the release of her juggernaut fourth album <i>30<\/i>, Adele requested that Spotify remove its \u2018shuffle play\u2019 button from prominent view out of respect for artists. Fear was instantly struck into the hearts of fans of the virtuosic, Los Angeles-based weirdo saxophonist Sam Gendel: What about <i>Fresh Bread<\/i>? The 34-year-old\u2019s latest record is a sprawling, 52-song monster of vibey experimental jazz and ambient music that runs to three-and-a-half hours and is best consumed, by Gendel\u2019s own recommendation, by hitting the shuffle play button and sinking into it. (Shuffle still exists on Spotify, but the shuffle play button, which starts a record somewhere in the middle, is uniquely suited to <i>Fresh Bread<\/i>.) <\/p>\n<p>Every time you listen to <i>Fresh Bread<\/i>, it\u2019s a new record: sometimes, you\u2019ll only get pop-adjacent slappers like \u201cSometimes I Feel So Good\u201d or \u201cSteel String\u201d or \u201cFractl\u201d; at others, you\u2019ll get a pleasant run of ambient compositions that coil endlessly like Fibonacci spirals. Although it\u2019s long, there\u2019s barely a track on <i>Fresh Bread<\/i> that feels inessential \u2014 not even \u201cCruzin Wit,\u201d which sounds a little like if Jar Jar Binks started a cloud rap collective \u2014 which is a testament to the wit and playfulness with which Gendel approaches music. Rather than attempting to retrofit <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> to an old and linear format, Gendel has created a record that demands randomness and infinity. It\u2019s interactive art at its best \u2014 a freeform AdventureQuest for daydreamers, stoners, and freaks. \u2014 <i>SD<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227137,  #content_block-227137 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227137 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227137\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"35_Lost_Girls_Menneskekollektivet\"><\/span>\n        35. Lost Girls, <i>Menneskekollektivet<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a4284969468_10_kfff0y\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a4284969468_10_kfff0y\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a4284969468_10_kfff0y\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a4284969468_10_kfff0y\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a4284969468_10_kfff0y\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a4284969468_10_kfff0y\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a4284969468_10_kfff0y\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a4284969468_10_kfff0y\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a4284969468_10_kfff0y\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a4284969468_10_kfff0y\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a4284969468_10_kfff0y\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>It\u2019s rare that Jenny Hval is anything less than meticulous. Her train of thought is often hard to follow, but that\u2019s usually because she thinks at a higher level than most other mortals, not because she\u2019s lost control. But on <i>Menneskekollektivet<\/i>, her debut studio LP with guitarist, synth wizard, and long-time collaborator H\u00e5vard Volden as Lost Girls, she loosens her grip. The record is essentially bookended by its two most stunning (and lengthiest) songs: Its opening, title track begins with Hval waxing inchoate on the stirrings of the infant mind but unfurls over 12 minutes into a statement on linguistic development, community, and the selfishness of Jehovah&#8217;s Witnesses. And the penultimate \u201cLove, Lovers\u201d uses the interminable reiteration of an inscrutable phrase \u2014 \u201cWith each repetition \/ Making me an opposition \/ Listen, listen, listen\u201d \u2014 to illustrate that language is just as much a vehicle for sound as vice-versa. Hval\u2019s freeform verses, despite her brilliance, might feel tangential to the point of incoherence if not for Volden\u2019s methodical production. Both these cornerstone tracks begin in quiet contemplation and build slowly toward moments of pure catharsis, giving <i>Menneskekollektivet<\/i> a semblance of structure despite the chaos at its core. \u2014\u00a0<i>RH<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227138,  #content_block-227138 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227138 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227138\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"34_Yasmin_Williams_Urban_Driftwood\"><\/span>\n        34. Yasmin Williams, <i>Urban Driftwood<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/open-uri20210430-15846-bdac75_ex6fgk\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/open-uri20210430-15846-bdac75_ex6fgk\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/open-uri20210430-15846-bdac75_ex6fgk\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/open-uri20210430-15846-bdac75_ex6fgk\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/open-uri20210430-15846-bdac75_ex6fgk\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/open-uri20210430-15846-bdac75_ex6fgk\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/open-uri20210430-15846-bdac75_ex6fgk\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/open-uri20210430-15846-bdac75_ex6fgk\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/open-uri20210430-15846-bdac75_ex6fgk\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/open-uri20210430-15846-bdac75_ex6fgk\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/open-uri20210430-15846-bdac75_ex6fgk\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>To describe Yasmin Williams&#8217;s approach to the guitar as unconventional would be an understatement. She picked up a guitar for the first time after mastering <i>Guitar Hero 2<\/i> as a kid and begging her parents for a real-life electric. But after practicing five hours a day in an attempt to emulate Steve Vai, then learning the bass, 12-string, and classical guitars, she settled on the acoustic, which allowed her to flip the instrument onto her lap and tap the neck as she had when trying to nail &#8220;Hangar 18&#8221; on her TV. <\/p>\n<p>She&#8217;s since developed a truly unique style in writing and performing her lush, pastoral instrumentals. She combines rapid lap-tapping, alternate tunings, a tap shoe for percussion, a kalimba for complementary melodies, and occasionally a harp guitar for complex resonance. She is an immense technician. But what&#8217;s remarkable about <i>Urban Driftwood<\/i>, her second album, is how beautifully her technique serves the songs, meandering from the prelapsarian optimism of &#8220;Sunshowers&#8221; through the comparatively tense &#8220;Adrift&#8221; and finally into the music-box beauty of &#8220;After The Storm,&#8221; a reflection of the fragile but real hope she felt after participating in the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. She&#8217;s not, despite what casual listeners might assume, the inheritor of the Windham Hill or Takoma Records legacies. Instead, Williams is on her own distinct track as a musician and a songwriter, writing lyrical songs that need no words at all. \u2014 <i>ARR<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227139,  #content_block-227139 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227139 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227139\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"33_Unknown_T_Adolescence\"><\/span>\n        33. Unknown T, <i>Adolescence<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/unknown-t-adolescence_yn5ni1\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/unknown-t-adolescence_yn5ni1\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/unknown-t-adolescence_yn5ni1\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/unknown-t-adolescence_yn5ni1\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/unknown-t-adolescence_yn5ni1\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/unknown-t-adolescence_yn5ni1\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/unknown-t-adolescence_yn5ni1\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/unknown-t-adolescence_yn5ni1\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/unknown-t-adolescence_yn5ni1\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/unknown-t-adolescence_yn5ni1\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/unknown-t-adolescence_yn5ni1\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>A hood superstar since 2018\u2019s \u201cHomerton B,\u201d Unknown T delivered his best and most fully-formed project yet with <i>Adolescence<\/i>, widening UK drill\u2019s scope without losing the genre\u2019s signature ferocity. Whether tackling road rap tempos alongside Potter Payper on the pentatonic \u201cTrenches\u201d or revealing his romantic side on \u201cSweet Lies,\u201d <i>Adolescence<\/i> is permeated by a sense of melancholy and loss, showing the listener a world where fast money can collide with opps and law enforcement in an instant. It\u2019s on the album\u2019s uptempo moments, however, that Unknown T shines brightest, decimating singles like \u201cWW2\u201d and \u201cDriller Shit\u201d with a fast-paced delivery that simultaneously looks towards UK rhyming\u2019s future while tapping into a rhythmic tradition present since London\u2019s first forays into fast-rap dancehall. This canny ability to reimagine classic ideas in new contexts extends to the record\u2019s formidable production, a dark, bass-heavy concoction that invokes classic grime\u2019s coldness and even early dubstep\u2019s fascination with Middle Eastern and East Asian instrumentation, all while remaining defiantly drill. The UK may have delivered bigger, more approachable albums this year, but none tapped into the simmering street-level tensions preoccupying those on the outside looking in quite like <i>Adolescence<\/i>. \u2014 <i>SR<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227140,  #content_block-227140 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227140 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227140\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"32_Navy_Blue_Navys_Reprise\"><\/span>\n        32. Navy Blue, <i>Navy\u2019s Reprise<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/9541ca775f04fde4b41e0f9677d6cd91.1000x1000x1_g35a0d\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/9541ca775f04fde4b41e0f9677d6cd91.1000x1000x1_g35a0d\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/9541ca775f04fde4b41e0f9677d6cd91.1000x1000x1_g35a0d\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/9541ca775f04fde4b41e0f9677d6cd91.1000x1000x1_g35a0d\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/9541ca775f04fde4b41e0f9677d6cd91.1000x1000x1_g35a0d\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/9541ca775f04fde4b41e0f9677d6cd91.1000x1000x1_g35a0d\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/9541ca775f04fde4b41e0f9677d6cd91.1000x1000x1_g35a0d\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/9541ca775f04fde4b41e0f9677d6cd91.1000x1000x1_g35a0d\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/9541ca775f04fde4b41e0f9677d6cd91.1000x1000x1_g35a0d\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/9541ca775f04fde4b41e0f9677d6cd91.1000x1000x1_g35a0d\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/9541ca775f04fde4b41e0f9677d6cd91.1000x1000x1_g35a0d\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Sage Elsesser didn\u2019t always find it easy to bear his soul. He\u2019s been rapping as Navy Blue for a few years now, but he\u2019s been a public figure for longer, as a model, professional skateboarder, and occasional associate of the once-rowdy Odd Future collective. As much of himself as he revealed on social media and in his work, the vivid introspection of his more recent work was a leap of faith. \u201cI was fearful of being so vulnerable,\u201d he told <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pitchfork.com\/features\/rising\/navy-blue-sage-elsesser-interview\/\">Pitchfork<\/a> earlier this year. And yet <i>Navy\u2019s Reprise<\/i>, his third album in two years, reaffirms his place as one of rap\u2019s most intimate and giving storytellers. Over slivered samples of old jazz and soul records, he digs deeper than he ever has, mulling the existential problems of his mortality (\u201cRitual\u201d), the slow march of time (\u201cCode of Honor\u201d), the creeping shadow of his past mistakes (\u201cPrimo\u201d). Dizzied and reflective, Elsesser has always sounded like he\u2019s in the middle of searching for answers \u2014 half-baked hypotheses and momentary thoughts drifting off into the ether. But here he glows with the warmth of a newfound clarity, personal growth that could only come from spending so much time grappling with his innermost thoughts, then sharing them with the world. \u2014 <i>CJ<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227141,  #content_block-227141 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227141 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227141\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"31_Spirit_Of_The_Beehive_Entertainment_Death\"><\/span>\n        31. Spirit Of The Beehive, <i>Entertainment, Death<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LBJ-322_1400_RGB_z3zuho\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LBJ-322_1400_RGB_z3zuho\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LBJ-322_1400_RGB_z3zuho\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LBJ-322_1400_RGB_z3zuho\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LBJ-322_1400_RGB_z3zuho\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LBJ-322_1400_RGB_z3zuho\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LBJ-322_1400_RGB_z3zuho\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LBJ-322_1400_RGB_z3zuho\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LBJ-322_1400_RGB_z3zuho\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LBJ-322_1400_RGB_z3zuho\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/LBJ-322_1400_RGB_z3zuho\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>The tour van\u2019s tire blows out on the highway, charging the vehicle with catastrophic momentum. The people inside are no longer a rock band but the atoms of a metal bullet careening towards an oblivion they don\u2019t have time to properly reckon with. Suddenly, everything stops. There are no injuries, just a cocktail of adrenaline and chilling hypotheticals.<\/p>\n<p><i>Entertainment, Death<\/i>, the fourth album from Philly\u2019s Spirit Of The Beehive, was inspired by this real-life incident, as well as the band\u2019s struggles in retaining their creative identity in the depths of the music industry. Spirit Of The Beehive\u2019s increasingly precarious relationship with self-determination led them to an arresting, mordant new sound: a collage of samples and otherworldly guitars that evoke utter entropy and stony-eyed acceptance in equal measure. One of the most exciting experimental rock albums beyond the past 12 months, <i>Entertainment, Death<\/i> sees oblivion on the horizon and regards it with a refreshing, and occasionally piercingly ironic, clarity. \u201cSo let your ego die,\u201d frontman Zack Shwartz sings on \u201cI SUCK THE DEVIL\u2019S COCK,\u201d \u201cAnd burn up everything \/ You don&#8217;t need their help \/ You don&#8217;t need anything \/ You&#8217;re in control.\u201d \u2014 <i>JD<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227142,  #content_block-227142 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227142 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227142\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"30_Fuubutsushi_Setsubun\"><\/span>\n        30. Fuubutsushi, <i>Setsubun<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/1200x1200bf-60_rtnysv\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/1200x1200bf-60_rtnysv\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/1200x1200bf-60_rtnysv\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/1200x1200bf-60_rtnysv\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/1200x1200bf-60_rtnysv\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/1200x1200bf-60_rtnysv\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/1200x1200bf-60_rtnysv\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/1200x1200bf-60_rtnysv\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/1200x1200bf-60_rtnysv\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/1200x1200bf-60_rtnysv\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/1200x1200bf-60_rtnysv\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>This geographically disparate ambient-jazz quartet&#8217;s seasonal four-album cycle is one of the creative highlights of the past two years. Matthew Sage, Chris Jusell, Chaz Prymek, and Patrick Shiroishi had never been in the same room together when they started sharing ideas in a Dropbox folder in the late summer of 2020, but, despite being unable to feed off each other\u2019s energies in person, they sound dynamic and perfectly balanced, each album vacillating between complex improvisations, meditative drones, and organic field recordings. All four records are worth tracking down, but <i>Setsubun<\/i>, their winter album, stands out as the moment when the group first realized the limitless potential of their unconventional approach. The three-song run at the heart of the album \u2014 the quiet dissonance of  \u201cTsundora\u201d into the plaintive groove of \u201cWhite Out\u201d and then the cinematic expanse of \u201cFuyu No Tiay\u014d\u201d \u2014 is a testament to their range. But the most arresting of all is \u201cHesitant Optimism.\u201d It teeters on the edge of discordance before resolving around Jusell\u2019s infinite strings and a clip from an interview with the late activist Aki Kurose. She implores the listener to \u201cwork for peace\u201d before the track begins a long decay, and the artists are once again split off across the country. \u2014 <i>ARR<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227197\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227143,  #content_block-227143 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227143 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227143\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"29_Boldy_James_Bo_Jackson\"><\/span>\n        29. Boldy James, <i>Bo Jackson<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/boldy-james-alchemist-bo-jackson_heszbf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/boldy-james-alchemist-bo-jackson_heszbf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/boldy-james-alchemist-bo-jackson_heszbf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/boldy-james-alchemist-bo-jackson_heszbf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/boldy-james-alchemist-bo-jackson_heszbf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/boldy-james-alchemist-bo-jackson_heszbf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/boldy-james-alchemist-bo-jackson_heszbf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/boldy-james-alchemist-bo-jackson_heszbf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/boldy-james-alchemist-bo-jackson_heszbf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/boldy-james-alchemist-bo-jackson_heszbf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/boldy-james-alchemist-bo-jackson_heszbf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>A quantum leap past Boldy James and Alchemist\u2019s already impressive <i>The Price Of Tea In China<\/i> both in terms of beats and rhymes, <i>Bo Jackson<\/i> confirms the duo as the heirs to Gang Starr and Mobb Deep\u2019s legacy of insightful, sonically cohesive hip-hop, delivered in an ice-cold deadpan. Boldy James is at the peak of his powers as a rapper, comfortably transcending his usual slow flow to deliver double-time lyrics alongside Benny The Butcher on \u201cBrickmile To Montana\u201d before going bar-for-bar with Earl Sweatshirt and Roc Marciano on the reflective \u201cPhotographic Memories.\u201d Boldy uses his considerable style as a tool to secure his place as one of his generation&#8217;s best chroniclers of the drug trade, evolving into the type of lyricist able to convey the sights, sounds, and smells of the trap in vivid detail, from the exhilarating highs to the stomach-churning lows. As for Alchemist, the veteran producer masterfully blends high-pitched soul, bass heavy darkness, and emotional ballads into a fully formed statement of intent, covering the record in the post-psychedelic haze that makes his style of hip-hop sound less like rap\u2019s past than its very promising future. \u2014 <i>Son Raw<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227144,  #content_block-227144 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227144 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227144\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"28_Karol_G_KG0516\"><\/span>\n        28. Karol G, <i>KG0516<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/71FOw_K_1nL._AC_SL1400__yziwha\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/71FOw_K_1nL._AC_SL1400__yziwha\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/71FOw_K_1nL._AC_SL1400__yziwha\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/71FOw_K_1nL._AC_SL1400__yziwha\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/71FOw_K_1nL._AC_SL1400__yziwha\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/71FOw_K_1nL._AC_SL1400__yziwha\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/71FOw_K_1nL._AC_SL1400__yziwha\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/71FOw_K_1nL._AC_SL1400__yziwha\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/71FOw_K_1nL._AC_SL1400__yziwha\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/71FOw_K_1nL._AC_SL1400__yziwha\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/71FOw_K_1nL._AC_SL1400__yziwha\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Karol G celebrated her fifth year in the music industry with <i>KG0516<\/i>, which fashioned the date of signing her first record contract into a flight number. Though she often works in the male-saturated reggaeton genre, the Colombian superstar uses parts of the record to reassert her dominance with anthems like \u201cBichota\u201d and \u201cTusa\u201d featuring rap queen Nicki Minaj. Elsewhere, with the mighty \u201cLeyendas\u201d medley, Karol nods to the Puerto Rican pioneers like Ivy Queen, Wisin y Yandel, Nicky Jam, and Zion who laid the foundation for the genre. She also flexes her versatility as an all-around pop star. Karol dabbles in Mexican corridos with the boozy \u201c200 Copas,\u201d alt-pop in the dark &#8220;Gato Malo&#8221; featuring Argentine-Spanish rapper Nathy Peluso, bachata in the heartbreaker, &#8220;El Barco.&#8221; Blending sounds from around the Spanish-speaking world along with her own futuristic approach to pop, <i>KG0516<\/i> is a global victory lap piloted by one of Latin music&#8217;s fiercest ambassadors. \u2014 <i>LV<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227145,  #content_block-227145 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227145 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227145\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"27_HTRK_Rhinestones\"><\/span>\n        27. HTRK, <i>Rhinestones<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/htrk-rhinestones-album-2021_kpxrnq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/htrk-rhinestones-album-2021_kpxrnq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/htrk-rhinestones-album-2021_kpxrnq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/htrk-rhinestones-album-2021_kpxrnq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/htrk-rhinestones-album-2021_kpxrnq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/htrk-rhinestones-album-2021_kpxrnq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/htrk-rhinestones-album-2021_kpxrnq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/htrk-rhinestones-album-2021_kpxrnq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/htrk-rhinestones-album-2021_kpxrnq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/htrk-rhinestones-album-2021_kpxrnq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/htrk-rhinestones-album-2021_kpxrnq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>HTRK\u2019s remarkable sixth album <i>Rhinestones<\/i> is populated with roguish heartbreakers and reckless new friends, horror movie sirens, and ghostly specters: not the classic country &amp; western archetypes, but equally tragic silhouettes nonetheless. Although the revered Melbourne duo are known as two of the foremost electronic provocateurs of their generation, <i>Rhinestones<\/i> is a largely acoustic, eerily spacious affair, drawing from haunted country music and largely forgoing synths, while retaining the elements of dub that have made their style so distinctive. Working with a stripped-back toolkit \u2014 acoustic guitar, a drum machine, and voice \u2014 it finds Nigel Yang and Jonnine Standish at their most powerful, stitching together minimalist tales of friendship and longing that are expansive and sometimes painfully raw. With each release, Standish\u2019s writing has felt more and more viscerally emotive \u2014 almost adolescent in its purity of expression \u2014 and that quality reaches its apotheosis here, <i>Rhinestones<\/i> ending with a gut-punch: \u201cDid I ever say thank you? My best friend, did I ever say thank you?\u201d \u2014 <i>SD<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227146,  #content_block-227146 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227146 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227146\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"26_Halsey_If_I_Cant_Have_Love_I_Want_Power\"><\/span>\n        26. Halsey, <i>If I Can\u2019t Have Love, I Want Power <\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/211500676_536311200899848_5743267849763757413_n_xj0wti\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/211500676_536311200899848_5743267849763757413_n_xj0wti\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/211500676_536311200899848_5743267849763757413_n_xj0wti\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/211500676_536311200899848_5743267849763757413_n_xj0wti\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/211500676_536311200899848_5743267849763757413_n_xj0wti\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/211500676_536311200899848_5743267849763757413_n_xj0wti\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/211500676_536311200899848_5743267849763757413_n_xj0wti\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/211500676_536311200899848_5743267849763757413_n_xj0wti\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/211500676_536311200899848_5743267849763757413_n_xj0wti\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/211500676_536311200899848_5743267849763757413_n_xj0wti\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/211500676_536311200899848_5743267849763757413_n_xj0wti\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Halsey&#8217;s fourth album, an ambitious project about the psychological and physical experience of pregnancy, is gritty, industrial, and theatrical. It&#8217;s a purging of the emotions they felt as a new mother, their most compelling full-length yet, and a remarkable statement from an artist who&#8217;s never shied away from ambition. Here, with help from producers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, she crafts a detailed narrative. \u201c1121\u201d tucks the day Halsey found out they were pregnant into its title, while the skittering \u201cLilith\u201d tackles self-depreication with a nod to the biblical tale of Adam\u2019s first wife, exiled from Eden for embracing her inherent sexual nature. \u201cThe Lighthouse,\u201d meanwhile, casts the singer as a sailor-killing siren wheeling through a distorted sonic environment. It\u2019s a movie-like approach to storytelling and role playing that breaks through the world building they had attempted in the past with newfound intensity. Where they had shaped and molded the journey through the conceptual projects <i>Badlands<\/i> and <i>Hopeless Fountain Kingdom<\/i> and looked inwards on <i>Manic<\/i>, <i>If I Can\u2019t Have Love, I Want Power<\/i> cracks the code \u2014 letting the creative process exorcise the inner workings of an artist hitting their stride, setting the stage for an exciting future unbound by internal or external restrictions. \u2014 <i>LP<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227147,  #content_block-227147 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227147 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227147\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"25_Isaiah_Rashaad_The_House_Is_Burning\"><\/span>\n        25. Isaiah Rashaad, <i>The House Is Burning<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_13-11-42_stymjz3u2jqlt9bkovhp_webp_WEBP_Image_1400_1400_pixels_Scaled_41_jmlwnj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_13-11-42_stymjz3u2jqlt9bkovhp_webp_WEBP_Image_1400_1400_pixels_Scaled_41_jmlwnj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_13-11-42_stymjz3u2jqlt9bkovhp_webp_WEBP_Image_1400_1400_pixels_Scaled_41_jmlwnj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_13-11-42_stymjz3u2jqlt9bkovhp_webp_WEBP_Image_1400_1400_pixels_Scaled_41_jmlwnj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_13-11-42_stymjz3u2jqlt9bkovhp_webp_WEBP_Image_1400_1400_pixels_Scaled_41_jmlwnj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_13-11-42_stymjz3u2jqlt9bkovhp_webp_WEBP_Image_1400_1400_pixels_Scaled_41_jmlwnj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_13-11-42_stymjz3u2jqlt9bkovhp_webp_WEBP_Image_1400_1400_pixels_Scaled_41_jmlwnj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_13-11-42_stymjz3u2jqlt9bkovhp_webp_WEBP_Image_1400_1400_pixels_Scaled_41_jmlwnj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_13-11-42_stymjz3u2jqlt9bkovhp_webp_WEBP_Image_1400_1400_pixels_Scaled_41_jmlwnj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_13-11-42_stymjz3u2jqlt9bkovhp_webp_WEBP_Image_1400_1400_pixels_Scaled_41_jmlwnj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_13-11-42_stymjz3u2jqlt9bkovhp_webp_WEBP_Image_1400_1400_pixels_Scaled_41_jmlwnj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>After the tour for his second album, <i>The Sun&#8217;s Tirade<\/i>, wound down four years ago, Isaiah Rashad quickly found himself in Hell. He&#8217;d burned through his money, he was drinking through the day, and he was starting to lose his grasp. It took an honest conversation with TDE&#8217;s Top Dawg and a stay in rehab for him to regain that grip. \u201cI was dead and now I\u2019m alive,\u201d he told Jeff Weiss in a FADER cover story earlier this year. <i>The House Is Burning<\/i>, his second album, is the soundtrack to that rebirth. Laced with hypnotic hooks and Southern trap beats, the album has Rashad at his most vulnerable. On the introspective \u201cHB2U,\u201d he asks: \u201cIf you don\u2019t get yourself straight, who the fuck is you gon\u2019 help, mane?\u201d This candid self-reflection extends itself to his occasionally scene-stealing guest features, including a buoyant performance from vocalist DOECHII. Rashad himself shares that buoyancy only occasionally, blending light and shade, escapism and realism. <i>The House Is Burning<\/i> is an album that only this revived Rashad could provide \u2014 a vision of the transformative power of destruction, and the acceptance that comes after. \u2014 <i>Janiel Richards<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227148,  #content_block-227148 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227148 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227148\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"24_Wolf_Alice_Blue_Weekend\"><\/span>\n        24. Wolf Alice, <i>Blue Weekend<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/154406129_332280391555892_5239130179059251195_n_hecace\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/154406129_332280391555892_5239130179059251195_n_hecace\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/154406129_332280391555892_5239130179059251195_n_hecace\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/154406129_332280391555892_5239130179059251195_n_hecace\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/154406129_332280391555892_5239130179059251195_n_hecace\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/154406129_332280391555892_5239130179059251195_n_hecace\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/154406129_332280391555892_5239130179059251195_n_hecace\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/154406129_332280391555892_5239130179059251195_n_hecace\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/154406129_332280391555892_5239130179059251195_n_hecace\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/154406129_332280391555892_5239130179059251195_n_hecace\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/154406129_332280391555892_5239130179059251195_n_hecace\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>If Wolf Alice\u2019s first two albums oscillated between sways and thrashes, then their masterful third, <i>Blue Weekend<\/i>, is the point in which that pendulum swings off its axis and into zero-gravity. Champions of the U.K. festival circuit for the past half-decade, the London four-piece enlisted producer Markus Dravs (Arcade Fire, Florence and the Machine) to harness their anthemic tendencies. What resulted feels more massive than any speaker could contain, a breakup arc that never relinquishes its cinematic agency: \u201cThe full moon [is] rising, but it\u2019s me who makes myself mad,\u201d frontwoman Ellie Rowsell insists on \u201cLipstick On The Glass.\u201d <i>Blue Weekend<\/i> is powered by these kinds of revelations, a post-pub crawl toward clarity. \u2014 <i>Salvatore Maicki<br \/>\n<br \/><\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227149,  #content_block-227149 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227149 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227149\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"23_quinn_drive-by_lullabies\"><\/span>\n        23. quinn, <i>drive-by lullabies<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0428877819_10_wfgh61\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0428877819_10_wfgh61\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0428877819_10_wfgh61\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0428877819_10_wfgh61\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0428877819_10_wfgh61\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0428877819_10_wfgh61\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0428877819_10_wfgh61\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0428877819_10_wfgh61\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0428877819_10_wfgh61\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0428877819_10_wfgh61\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0428877819_10_wfgh61\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>In July, quinn said that her upcoming debut album would be filled with \u201cunderground big\u201d featured artists. It seemed as though the rare talent \u2014 a 16-year-old producer\/rapper\/singer, and one of the most feted artists in hyperpop \u2014 would be taking a traditional trajectory for her first project: a flag-in-the-ground release aimed beyond the scene she came up in. After a brief hiatus making drum and bass as cat mother, quinn returned in September with her album <i>drive-by lullabies<\/i>. It wasn\u2019t the record she promised; it was something better. <\/p>\n<p><i>drive-by lullabies<\/i> is, ultimately, restless. It is a heartbreaking document of depression and suicidal ideation, a triumph of progressive rave composition, and a celebration of creation for creation\u2019s sake. Occasionally, quinn nods toward the world of hyperpop she\u2019s left behind, as on \u201cfrom paris with love\u201d and \u201cperfect imperfection,\u201d but as a whole, <i>drive-by lullabies<\/i> is remarkably unshackled in emotion and form. quinn tries on lo-fi guitar dirges (\u201cit molds where it doesn\u2019t dry correctly,\u201d) glitch-adjacent balladry (\u201cchange that\u201d) and most jarringly, a traditional freestyle over the beat for ScHoolboy Q\u2019s \u201cHands on the Wheel.\u201d She excels at all of it, needing nothing but her own talents to keep us engaged. \u2014 <i>JD<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227150,  #content_block-227150 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227150 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227150\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"22_Black_Midi_Cavalcade\"><\/span>\n        22. Black Midi, <i>Cavalcade<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/164145470_474229243619696_6356194293176555123_n_ouvy7b\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/164145470_474229243619696_6356194293176555123_n_ouvy7b\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/164145470_474229243619696_6356194293176555123_n_ouvy7b\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/164145470_474229243619696_6356194293176555123_n_ouvy7b\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/164145470_474229243619696_6356194293176555123_n_ouvy7b\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/164145470_474229243619696_6356194293176555123_n_ouvy7b\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/164145470_474229243619696_6356194293176555123_n_ouvy7b\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/164145470_474229243619696_6356194293176555123_n_ouvy7b\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/164145470_474229243619696_6356194293176555123_n_ouvy7b\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/164145470_474229243619696_6356194293176555123_n_ouvy7b\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/164145470_474229243619696_6356194293176555123_n_ouvy7b\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Listening to Black Midi is a bit like going skydiving. There\u2019s always an element of danger about it, no matter how many times you do it, and getting other people to join you might prove tricky. <i>Cavalcade<\/i>, the young British band\u2019s second album, can seem intimidating at first; there\u2019s a song about silent movie star Marlene Dietrich; another is titled \u201cChondromalacia Patella.\u201d Lesser bands would call that one \u201cSore Knee.\u201d Elsewhere, Black Midi double down on their musical explorations. Prefix rock, prog, jazz, or metal with \u201cavant\u201d and you\u2019re getting close to an apt descriptor for <i>Cavalcade<\/i>\u2019s free-roaming approach to genre boundaries. The results, however, are akin to hurtling to the Earth as musical history flashes into a blur and a well-timed parachute turns jeopardy into something beautiful. There are unsettling songs like \u201cJohn L,\u201d on which frontman Geordie Greep rants like a filibustering politician over jagged strings. \u201cSlow (Loud),\u201d meanwhile, would work just as well in a rock club as it would in an orchestra hall \u2014 no doubt causing walk-outs and revelations in both rooms. Moments like these hint at a playful side to <i>Cavalcade<\/i>, a sense that Black Midi wants to shock and surprise listeners from any background, no matter what angle they approach the record from. These moments of levity \u2014 the way a wall of sound will drop to just one instrument or the ever-looming presence of Greep\u2019s arch delivery \u2014 feel comforting and bright in the midst of the record&#8217;s thunder and turbulence. They make <i>Cavalcade<\/i> feel worth the leap. \u2014 <i>David Renshaw<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227151,  #content_block-227151 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227151 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227151\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"21_Vince_Staples_Vince_Staples\"><\/span>\n        21. Vince Staples, <i>Vince Staples<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screen-Shot-2021-08-02-at-8.05.36-PM_vrztcu\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screen-Shot-2021-08-02-at-8.05.36-PM_vrztcu\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screen-Shot-2021-08-02-at-8.05.36-PM_vrztcu\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screen-Shot-2021-08-02-at-8.05.36-PM_vrztcu\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screen-Shot-2021-08-02-at-8.05.36-PM_vrztcu\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screen-Shot-2021-08-02-at-8.05.36-PM_vrztcu\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screen-Shot-2021-08-02-at-8.05.36-PM_vrztcu\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screen-Shot-2021-08-02-at-8.05.36-PM_vrztcu\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screen-Shot-2021-08-02-at-8.05.36-PM_vrztcu\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screen-Shot-2021-08-02-at-8.05.36-PM_vrztcu\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screen-Shot-2021-08-02-at-8.05.36-PM_vrztcu\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Boasting a cohesiveness usually missing from his expansive projects, Vince Staples\u2019s self-titled album may be the rapper in his final form. Bounding over and around a collection of distorted samples and woozy basslines helmed entirely by Kenny Beats, Staples is still the lyrically adept smartass he\u2019s always been, switching from heavier subject matter to snarky one-offs in a way only he can. \u201cAre You With That\u201d sees the rapper recalling friends who are no longer here, before cutting to a demand to \u201cfill these voids or fill my bank.\u201d He might be focused on the money, but his cynicism remains intact. \u201cKeep my shit off safety \/ You know you can never be too safe,\u201d he says later on in the track. With just a single feature, from L.A.-based singer Foushe\u00e9, we get even more time with Staples than usual. That&#8217;s ideal for an eponymous album that covers plenty of ground from relationship squabbles on \u201cTake Me Home\u201d (\u201cI hate every time that you ask, can we talk? \/ Tell me what I did now, drying off your tears now\u201d) to the escalating fan interactions on \u201cSundown Town.\u201d \u2014 <i>SE<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227198\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227152,  #content_block-227152 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227152 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227152\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"20_Rachika_Nayar_fragments\"><\/span>\n        20. Rachika Nayar, <i>fragments<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/THERE005_outline-01_zgvlug\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/THERE005_outline-01_zgvlug\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/THERE005_outline-01_zgvlug\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/THERE005_outline-01_zgvlug\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/THERE005_outline-01_zgvlug\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/THERE005_outline-01_zgvlug\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/THERE005_outline-01_zgvlug\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/THERE005_outline-01_zgvlug\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/THERE005_outline-01_zgvlug\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/THERE005_outline-01_zgvlug\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/THERE005_outline-01_zgvlug\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Brooklyn-based guitarist and composer Rachika Nayar\u2019s music is, as she put it in an interview earlier this year with <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/earstofeed.com\/an-interview-with-rachika-nayar\/\">Ears to Feed<\/a>, \u201ctotally obliterating.\u201d Though her debut album <i>Our Hands Against The Dusk<\/i> is full of slow and meditative instrumentals, she says drew influence from dance music and rave culture \u2014 the way that lights, fog, and booming sound systems make for an experience that captivates all the senses. <i>fragments<\/i>, a companion EP of sorts released just a few months after her debut, takes a different approach. While her album featured her guitar playing mutated and transformed, <i>fragments<\/i> presents her crystalline loops and melodies unvarnished. Though these pieces still draw on the emotional shimmer of Midwest emo and the high drama of post-rock, they are \u2014 as the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/rachika.bandcamp.com\/track\/memory-as-miniatures\">title of the opening track<\/a> suggests \u2014 miniatures, intimate instrumentals built around just a few moving parts. And yet, spare and still as these pieces are, they still fulfill her aim of being enveloping and overwhelming. The latticework of intersecting guitar lines feels surprisingly dense and dynamic. Her worlds might seem like dioramas, but look closer \u2014 they\u2019re teeming with life. \u2014 <i>CJ<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227153,  #content_block-227153 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227153 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227153\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"19_Lana_Del_Rey_Chemtrails_Over_the_Country_Club_Blue_Banisters\"><\/span>\n        19. Lana Del Rey, <i>Chemtrails Over the Country Club \/ Blue Banisters<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/lana-del-rey-chemtrails-over-the-country-club-1610317466_wrxulj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/lana-del-rey-chemtrails-over-the-country-club-1610317466_wrxulj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/lana-del-rey-chemtrails-over-the-country-club-1610317466_wrxulj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/lana-del-rey-chemtrails-over-the-country-club-1610317466_wrxulj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/lana-del-rey-chemtrails-over-the-country-club-1610317466_wrxulj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/lana-del-rey-chemtrails-over-the-country-club-1610317466_wrxulj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/lana-del-rey-chemtrails-over-the-country-club-1610317466_wrxulj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/lana-del-rey-chemtrails-over-the-country-club-1610317466_wrxulj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/lana-del-rey-chemtrails-over-the-country-club-1610317466_wrxulj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/lana-del-rey-chemtrails-over-the-country-club-1610317466_wrxulj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/lana-del-rey-chemtrails-over-the-country-club-1610317466_wrxulj\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p><i>Norman Fucking Rockwell!<\/i> earned Lana Del Rey near-universal critical acclaim, a first Album of the Year nomination from the Recording Academy, and a surprise outpouring of goodwill from listeners who might have dismissed her in the past. She\u2019s responded to this with a healthy dose of insouciance. <i>Chemtrails Over The Country Club<\/i> and <i>Blue Banisters<\/i>, twinned albums that together stand as the best of her career to date, are darker, stranger, and quieter than anything she\u2019s released before, comprising small-scale vignettes that could never fit on an album as grandiose as <i>Norman<\/i>. Knotty and sometimes deeply inscrutable, these records bring us Lana-as-troubadour, singing about simple friendships, forgotten towns, and shitty but purely enjoyable jobs with the same grace, depth, and underrated wit that she once used to analyse classic American iconography. She\u2019s totally in her element here, stretching her voice and delivery: she jumps into a wincing, syncopated soprano on \u201cWhite Dress\u201d and \u201cNot All Those Who Wander Are Lost,\u201d tries out a rock\u2019n\u2019roll wail on \u201cDance Til We Die\u201d and \u201cBlack Bathing Suit,\u201d and unleashes an almighty howl on <i>Blue Banisters<\/i>\u2019 Miles Kane duet, \u201cDealer\u201d. Although they\u2019re far from Del Rey\u2019s most accessible records, <i>Chemtrails Over The Country Club<\/i> and <i>Blue Banisters<\/i> possess an openness and ease of being. Lana herself puts it best: \u201cI\u2019m still so strange and wild.\u201d \u2014 <i>SD<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227154,  #content_block-227154 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227154 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227154\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"18_Lil_Nas_X_MONTERO\"><\/span>\n        18. Lil Nas X, <i>MONTERO<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/241010487_428899795200773_1876634937797158904_n_mx7jwh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/241010487_428899795200773_1876634937797158904_n_mx7jwh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/241010487_428899795200773_1876634937797158904_n_mx7jwh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/241010487_428899795200773_1876634937797158904_n_mx7jwh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/241010487_428899795200773_1876634937797158904_n_mx7jwh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/241010487_428899795200773_1876634937797158904_n_mx7jwh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/241010487_428899795200773_1876634937797158904_n_mx7jwh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/241010487_428899795200773_1876634937797158904_n_mx7jwh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/241010487_428899795200773_1876634937797158904_n_mx7jwh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/241010487_428899795200773_1876634937797158904_n_mx7jwh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/241010487_428899795200773_1876634937797158904_n_mx7jwh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Lil Nas X knows how to navigate an industry that doesn\u2019t usually offer pedestal people like him. On his debut album <i>MONTERO<\/i>, we are formally introduced to Lil Nas X as a multi-dimensional Black and queer artist ping-ponging between pop and hip-hop with natural ease. Where he had centered playful clapbacks and visual spectacle in the past, the full-length format album gives him room to bear more of himself \u2014 even the imperfect elements. Having something to prove has clearly pushed him to fully explore his range. Without the pressure of squeezing everything he wanted to say into a song or an EP, he lets himself run wild, approaching new sounds with the gleeful energy of a child opening up a box of toys. On some tracks, that means bearing more of himself, like on the standout \u201cDEAD RIGHT NOW,\u201d which unpacks tumultuous family relationships with scalding honesty. The worried introspection of \u201cTALES OF DOMINICA\u201d tackles upended expectations and depression. And yet, we still get to see him having fun, paired off with Doja Cat on the bouncing \u201cSCOOP\u201d and Megan Thee Stallion on the horn-filled \u201cDOLLA SIGN SLIME.\u201d In the end it&#8217;s a statement album that relies not on spectacle, but the person behind it all. \u2014 <i>LP<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227155,  #content_block-227155 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227155 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227155\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"17_Prettyboy_D-O_Love_Is_War\"><\/span>\n        17. Prettyboy D-O, <i>Love Is War <\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/244966685_1017849469002392_7336219021244971201_n_srrlgf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/244966685_1017849469002392_7336219021244971201_n_srrlgf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/244966685_1017849469002392_7336219021244971201_n_srrlgf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/244966685_1017849469002392_7336219021244971201_n_srrlgf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/244966685_1017849469002392_7336219021244971201_n_srrlgf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/244966685_1017849469002392_7336219021244971201_n_srrlgf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/244966685_1017849469002392_7336219021244971201_n_srrlgf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/244966685_1017849469002392_7336219021244971201_n_srrlgf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/244966685_1017849469002392_7336219021244971201_n_srrlgf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/244966685_1017849469002392_7336219021244971201_n_srrlgf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/244966685_1017849469002392_7336219021244971201_n_srrlgf\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>\u201c1996,\u201d the first track from Prettyboy D-O&#8217;s second album <i>Love Is War<\/i>, is bookended by harrowing soundbites from 2020\u2019s historic #EndSARS protests against corruption and police brutality in Nigeria. And when D-O breaks in, he&#8217;s breathless. \u201cThis one no be 1993 \/ This one no be 1996,\u201d he skitters, alluding to the havoc Nigerian military dictator Sani Abacha wrought in the &#8217;90s. It&#8217;s one of countless moments on <i>Love Is War<\/i> when D-O fervently reflects how Nigerian youth are navigating disenfranchisement today \u2014 maintaining resilience in the face of history\u2019s brutal cycles, and continuing to pursue a life worth living. <i>Love Is War<\/i> weaves in elements of galala music, but his jagged cadence and forthrightness matter recall the fearless Nigerian hip-hop legend Tony Tetuila. So for every \u201cToo Many Gyal&#8221; with its risky sweet-talk, there&#8217;s a \u201cLiving In Bondage,\u201d on which he&#8217;s spitting fire: \u201cLook where mi from we no get help o, In Africa here everyman dey for himself o.\u201d As he told <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/54274\/1\/prettyboy-d-o-is-redefining-punk-for-the-african-youth-love-is-war\">DAZED<\/a> in an interview earlier this year, he can&#8217;t help but write about the struggle. He&#8217;s determined to express the frustration of Nigeria\u2019s youth, and on <i>Love Is War<\/i> he does so powerfully. \u2014 <i>AI<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227156,  #content_block-227156 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227156 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227156\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"16_Floating_Points_Pharoah_Sanders_Promises\"><\/span>\n        16. Floating Points &amp; Pharoah Sanders, <i>Promises<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a2975740667_10_okwfdr\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a2975740667_10_okwfdr\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a2975740667_10_okwfdr\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a2975740667_10_okwfdr\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a2975740667_10_okwfdr\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a2975740667_10_okwfdr\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a2975740667_10_okwfdr\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a2975740667_10_okwfdr\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a2975740667_10_okwfdr\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a2975740667_10_okwfdr\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a2975740667_10_okwfdr\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p><i>Promises<\/i> starts in silence. A sold-out concert hall, orchestra poised. The conductor raises his arms above his head and holds them there for five seconds before they drop to bring in a celeste and a harpsichord, not quite in unison. They play seven notes in C minor\/Eb Major, but don\u2019t resolve in either key, the final F natural dangling above the audience like an unanswered question \u2014 one that\u2019s asked roughly every nine seconds for the duration of the 47-minute piece. The conductor and keyboardists the guests watch are all Sam Shepherd, a.k.a. Floating Points, a British producer and composer best known for IDM ideations far removed from the epic arrangements on <i>Promises<\/i>. His orchestra is the London Symphony and his star performer is Pharoah Sanders, the 80-year-old saxophone master who was essential to some of Coltrane&#8217;s best recordings and has amassed his own pioneering jazz discography since. Sanders is capable of ripping holes in spacetime with his instrument, but here he rides the tides of Shepherd\u2019s oceanic minimalism and the LSO\u2019s string swells, only soaring above the maelstrom when the tension reaches its tipping point and the waves finally break, obliterating any question Shepherd might have posed. \u2014 <i>RH<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227157,  #content_block-227157 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227157 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227157\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"15_Armand_Hammer_Haram\"><\/span>\n        15. Armand Hammer, <i>Haram<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0731622909_10_uhak6v\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0731622909_10_uhak6v\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0731622909_10_uhak6v\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0731622909_10_uhak6v\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0731622909_10_uhak6v\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0731622909_10_uhak6v\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0731622909_10_uhak6v\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0731622909_10_uhak6v\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0731622909_10_uhak6v\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0731622909_10_uhak6v\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a0731622909_10_uhak6v\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>After clawing their way up from the depths of the New York underground with a decade\u2019s worth of thoughtful, challenging rap records, Armand Hammer\u2019s billy woods and Elucid teamed with veteran producer Alchemist on <i>Haram<\/i>, their most satisfying album yet. With no concessions to the mainstream, the duo continued to deliver dense, poetic narratives that demand multiple listens. But whereas their production previously trended towards spiky rhythms and noisy loops, Alchemist instead wraps their words in shadowy, cinematic jazz, providing them with the opportunity to slow down, and even sing some hooks. As always, the lyrics take center stage, this time with a focus on the forbidden: these are story raps about shitty jobs, African funerals, #MeToo accusations and summer camp deaths, with every bar competing to be the album\u2019s best. Just as importantly, Armand Hammer tackle their weighty topics at a remove, never moralizing or preaching, instead highlighting their protagonists\u2019 contradictions and perspectives without ever resorting to shallow cynicism. In an era where political commentary mostly means empty-headed sloganeering, Armand Hammer look at our world and see darkness, pathos, and humor. We\u2019re lucky to have them chronicling our times. \u2014 <i>SR<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227158,  #content_block-227158 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227158 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227158\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"14_Turnstile_GLOW_ON\"><\/span>\n        14. Turnstile, <i>GLOW ON<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_14-17-55_p0aoyec5qKj31Y9UvftEfNGPGFT5aMpnxVRkqySTMJU_jpg_WEBP_Image_1280_1280_pixels_Scaled_..._s1rnmq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_14-17-55_p0aoyec5qKj31Y9UvftEfNGPGFT5aMpnxVRkqySTMJU_jpg_WEBP_Image_1280_1280_pixels_Scaled_..._s1rnmq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_14-17-55_p0aoyec5qKj31Y9UvftEfNGPGFT5aMpnxVRkqySTMJU_jpg_WEBP_Image_1280_1280_pixels_Scaled_..._s1rnmq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_14-17-55_p0aoyec5qKj31Y9UvftEfNGPGFT5aMpnxVRkqySTMJU_jpg_WEBP_Image_1280_1280_pixels_Scaled_..._s1rnmq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_14-17-55_p0aoyec5qKj31Y9UvftEfNGPGFT5aMpnxVRkqySTMJU_jpg_WEBP_Image_1280_1280_pixels_Scaled_..._s1rnmq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_14-17-55_p0aoyec5qKj31Y9UvftEfNGPGFT5aMpnxVRkqySTMJU_jpg_WEBP_Image_1280_1280_pixels_Scaled_..._s1rnmq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_14-17-55_p0aoyec5qKj31Y9UvftEfNGPGFT5aMpnxVRkqySTMJU_jpg_WEBP_Image_1280_1280_pixels_Scaled_..._s1rnmq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_14-17-55_p0aoyec5qKj31Y9UvftEfNGPGFT5aMpnxVRkqySTMJU_jpg_WEBP_Image_1280_1280_pixels_Scaled_..._s1rnmq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_14-17-55_p0aoyec5qKj31Y9UvftEfNGPGFT5aMpnxVRkqySTMJU_jpg_WEBP_Image_1280_1280_pixels_Scaled_..._s1rnmq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_14-17-55_p0aoyec5qKj31Y9UvftEfNGPGFT5aMpnxVRkqySTMJU_jpg_WEBP_Image_1280_1280_pixels_Scaled_..._s1rnmq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_14-17-55_p0aoyec5qKj31Y9UvftEfNGPGFT5aMpnxVRkqySTMJU_jpg_WEBP_Image_1280_1280_pixels_Scaled_..._s1rnmq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Like everyone, Turnstile were forced to take a year off of cathartic mosh pits and well-timed stage dives, and the time away seems to have only made the hardcore quintet even more ready to tear things up. It\u2019s fitting then that, when the time was right to get back into large groups, Turnstile dropped their most restless album so far. If your reaction to hearing <i>GLOW ON<\/i> opener \u201cMYSTERY\u201d isn\u2019t to sprint from your desk chair and windmill into the nearest mass of bodies then you\u2019re not listening properly. The energy levels stay consistently high throughout: \u201cHOLIDAY\u201d is all tension and release while \u201cTLC\u201d thrashes and lurches in violently. Turnstile might be the only hardcore band some fans know, and they\u2019re certainly the only one with a Dev Hynes collaboration on their album. But this isn\u2019t an album that\u2019s crossed over by watering down its strongest flavors. If anything, <i>GLOW ON<\/i> proves that doubling down on your core beliefs, however left-field, can make your riffs and rhythms start to feel transcendent. \u2014 <i>DR<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227159,  #content_block-227159 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227159 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227159\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"13_Ethel_Cain_Inbred\"><\/span>\n        13. Ethel Cain, <i>Inbred<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a3610768225_16_nz7reh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a3610768225_16_nz7reh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a3610768225_16_nz7reh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a3610768225_16_nz7reh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a3610768225_16_nz7reh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a3610768225_16_nz7reh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a3610768225_16_nz7reh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a3610768225_16_nz7reh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a3610768225_16_nz7reh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a3610768225_16_nz7reh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/a3610768225_16_nz7reh\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Terror lurks beneath the surface of the most mundane Americana \u2014 the hills and highways that unfold across the great expanses between the country\u2019s big cities hide all sorts of darkness, death, and depravity. Florida-born singer\/songwriter Ethel Cain\u2019s expresses this feeling dreamily and desperately in her intimate guitar pop songs. Her debut EP Inbred is full of reverb-cushioned yearning for people who won\u2019t give you attention, desperate explorations of fear and desire, and ballads about violent love and boys who keep guns in their lockers at school. Songs like \u201cCrush\u201d are heavy, but the gossamer arrangements and gentle guitar lines fleck her unsettling stories with moments of undeniable beauty. Even as she rips open old wounds, or bears deep emotional truths, there\u2019s a sense of stillness at the center \u2014 that all the bubbling trauma and turmoil won\u2019t ever fully unravel her. She uncovers the darkness lurking underneath the suburban boredom like Kyle McLachlan uncovering an ear in an open field in David Lynch&#8217;s <i>Blue Velvet<\/i>. She sees the evil out there in the world, and yet, somehow, she finds peace. \u201cIt was harder then,\u201d she sings on standout \u201cGod\u2019s Country,\u201d explaining her improbable perseverance. \u201cIt will be better now.\u201d \u2014\u00a0<i>CJ<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227160,  #content_block-227160 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227160 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227160\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"12_Blue_Rojo_Solitario\"><\/span>\n        12. Blue Rojo, <i>Solitario<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/257636520_478792180505994_4301707905236790702_n_efm89q\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/257636520_478792180505994_4301707905236790702_n_efm89q\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/257636520_478792180505994_4301707905236790702_n_efm89q\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/257636520_478792180505994_4301707905236790702_n_efm89q\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/257636520_478792180505994_4301707905236790702_n_efm89q\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/257636520_478792180505994_4301707905236790702_n_efm89q\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/257636520_478792180505994_4301707905236790702_n_efm89q\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/257636520_478792180505994_4301707905236790702_n_efm89q\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/257636520_478792180505994_4301707905236790702_n_efm89q\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/257636520_478792180505994_4301707905236790702_n_efm89q\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/257636520_478792180505994_4301707905236790702_n_efm89q\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Mexican-American newcomer Blue Rojo pushed the boundaries of Latin pop both lyrically and sonically with his debut album <i>Solitario<\/i>. The title itself captures the inner turmoil he felt when writing, after falling in love with a straight man who didn&#8217;t feel the same way. His heartache spilled out into tracks like trance-influenced &#8220;Despu\u00e9s De La Pandemia Volv\u00ed A Ser Cat\u00f3liko,&#8221; on which he desperately cries to the Biblical saints. But later on the record he gives into the devilish \u2014 flipping from the heavenly to the carnal \u2014 with the reggaeton-infused &#8220;Eslab\u00f3n De Bomb\u00f3n.&#8221; His operatic croon ups the drama, and there&#8217;s an emo edge to his songs, not least the industrial &#8220;El Amarre&#8221; and the surging synth-pop of &#8220;No Te Kiero Olvidar.&#8221; Rich with influences that transcend both era and genre \u2014 everything from Britney Spears to Evanescence to Kabah \u2014  <i>Solitario<\/i> feels full of life, and the promise that love can exist amidst loneliness. \u2014 <i>LV<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227199\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227161,  #content_block-227161 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227161 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227161\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"11_Bladee_The_Fool\"><\/span>\n        11. Bladee, <i>The Fool<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/191808772_401585447561741_6960263149445707136_n_pmuyey\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/191808772_401585447561741_6960263149445707136_n_pmuyey\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/191808772_401585447561741_6960263149445707136_n_pmuyey\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/191808772_401585447561741_6960263149445707136_n_pmuyey\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/191808772_401585447561741_6960263149445707136_n_pmuyey\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/191808772_401585447561741_6960263149445707136_n_pmuyey\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/191808772_401585447561741_6960263149445707136_n_pmuyey\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/191808772_401585447561741_6960263149445707136_n_pmuyey\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/191808772_401585447561741_6960263149445707136_n_pmuyey\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/191808772_401585447561741_6960263149445707136_n_pmuyey\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/191808772_401585447561741_6960263149445707136_n_pmuyey\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>The role of the fool, as the internet has defined through such archetypes as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/knowyourmeme.com\/memes\/boo-boo-the-fool\">Boo Boo The Fool<\/a>, is more often than not fulfilled through expressing vulnerability. Drainers were far from famished when Bladee unleashed <i>The Fool<\/i> this past spring. He\u2019d just released three whole albums in 2020, most recently the EDM-lacquered Mechatok collaboration <i>Good Luck<\/i>. Nevertheless, <i>The Fool <\/i>\u2014 which softens <i>Good Luck<\/i>\u2019s carnivalesque synthscapes and adds the trap beats back into the mix, via production from Lusi \u2014 satisfied like a three-course meal. It sounds like quintessential Bladee in every regard, except that you can see a bit more of him than perhaps we\u2019ve gotten used to: his fears, his infatuations, his trials and tribulations all intermingling in plain sight. Those admissions fuel some of his strongest melodies to date, songs that latch onto the psyche like \u201cI Think\u2026\u201d and \u201cegobaby.\u201d If he had to play the fool to get to these kinds of revelations, it was doubtlessly an altruistic endeavor. \u2014 <i>SM<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227162,  #content_block-227162 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227162 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227162\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"10_Little_Simz_Sometimes_I_Might_Be_Introvert\"><\/span>\n        10. Little Simz, <i>Sometimes I Might Be Introvert<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/little-simz-sometimes-i-might-be-introvert-1630159028_d1ni4a\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/little-simz-sometimes-i-might-be-introvert-1630159028_d1ni4a\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/little-simz-sometimes-i-might-be-introvert-1630159028_d1ni4a\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/little-simz-sometimes-i-might-be-introvert-1630159028_d1ni4a\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/little-simz-sometimes-i-might-be-introvert-1630159028_d1ni4a\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/little-simz-sometimes-i-might-be-introvert-1630159028_d1ni4a\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/little-simz-sometimes-i-might-be-introvert-1630159028_d1ni4a\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/little-simz-sometimes-i-might-be-introvert-1630159028_d1ni4a\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/little-simz-sometimes-i-might-be-introvert-1630159028_d1ni4a\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/little-simz-sometimes-i-might-be-introvert-1630159028_d1ni4a\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/little-simz-sometimes-i-might-be-introvert-1630159028_d1ni4a\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Through two years of isolation, everyone had to learn to spend a little more time with themselves. British rapper Little Simz was no exception, her fourth album <i>Sometimes I Might Be Introvert<\/i> acknowledging this period of reflection in its title, and its bars more personal than ever \u2014 the work of someone who\u2019s had a lot of time to sit and think. Across the record, she takes on Black womanhood (\u201cWoman\u201d), complex family dynamics (\u201cI Love You, I Hate You\u201d), youth violence and political corruption (\u201cIntrovert\u201d), and leans heavily into her Nigerian roots (\u201cPoint &amp; Kill\u201d). She carves out new space for every version of herself, both as an artist available for public consumption, and a woman navigating pride, love, regret, and sorrow behind the scenes. \u201cI hate that these conversations are surfaced \/ Simz the artist or Simbi the person?\u201d she asks on the title track. The album feels like a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> of meditative questions that Simz asks not only of herself but of her audience. \u201cWhy the desperate need for an applause?\u201d she asks on the \u201cStanding Ovation,\u201d while \u201cThe Garden\u201d finds her wondering, \u201cWhen in fear of the unknown, who do you call?\u201d She doesn\u2019t come to many definitive answers, but despite its weightiness, hope still shines through on the project. Lush, glorious production, harmonious choirs, and a feature from velvet-voiced Cleo Sol offer a counterbalance to her nagging inner monologue. Listening a bit too intently to that voice is a habit that introverts know intimately. But here, it seems, living inside your own head can produce moments of reflection, growth, and beauty too. \u2014 <i>SE<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227163,  #content_block-227163 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227163 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227163\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"9_Juls_Sounds_of_My_World\"><\/span>\n        9. Juls, <i>Sounds of My World<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/9b6791293594787d7df6e073be860e52.1000x1000x1_z9xjz5\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/9b6791293594787d7df6e073be860e52.1000x1000x1_z9xjz5\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/9b6791293594787d7df6e073be860e52.1000x1000x1_z9xjz5\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/9b6791293594787d7df6e073be860e52.1000x1000x1_z9xjz5\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/9b6791293594787d7df6e073be860e52.1000x1000x1_z9xjz5\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/9b6791293594787d7df6e073be860e52.1000x1000x1_z9xjz5\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/9b6791293594787d7df6e073be860e52.1000x1000x1_z9xjz5\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/9b6791293594787d7df6e073be860e52.1000x1000x1_z9xjz5\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/9b6791293594787d7df6e073be860e52.1000x1000x1_z9xjz5\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/9b6791293594787d7df6e073be860e52.1000x1000x1_z9xjz5\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/9b6791293594787d7df6e073be860e52.1000x1000x1_z9xjz5\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Prolific British-Ghanaian producer Juls&#8217;s debut album, <i>Sounds of My World<\/i>, feels like a family reunion. Here he celebrates the Black sounds from across the globe that have formed the basis of his sound. And to get the full scope of the album&#8217;s breadth, you have to ignore the shuffle button. He seamlessly blends Afrobeats, reggae, R&amp;B, and soul on opener \u201cClose To Me\u201d before taking a sharp left-turn into amapiano, highlife, funk, and even house as the album twists forward and then lurches sideways again with the trap-inspired \u201cAlarm,\u201d featuring Prettyboy D-O and Suspect. Afrobeats ad African pop heads know Juls&#8217;s influence \u2014 he was behind Mr. Eazi\u2019s \u201cSkin Tight,\u201d Wande Coal\u2019s \u201cSo Mi So,\u201d and Wizkid\u2019s \u201cTrue Love\u201d \u2014 but <i>Sounds of My World<\/i> takes him to new heights. \u201cI\u2019m an African at heart despite being a Londoner,\u201d he told <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/djbooth.net\/features\/2021-10-13-juls-interview-audiomack\">DJ Booth<\/a> earlier this year. \u201cIt\u2019s important that my identity is reflected quite heavily in the music.\u201d By threading together sounds that might have sounded disparate in less careful hands, <i>Sounds of My World<\/i> goes further than that \u2014 it reminds the diaspora that it&#8217;s in fact separated only by geography. \u2014 <i>AI<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227164,  #content_block-227164 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227164 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227164\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"8_Mustafa_When_Smoke_Rises\"><\/span>\n        8. Mustafa, <i>When Smoke Rises<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/167222473_482961236074366_4940967718510261506_n_xge03x\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/167222473_482961236074366_4940967718510261506_n_xge03x\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/167222473_482961236074366_4940967718510261506_n_xge03x\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/167222473_482961236074366_4940967718510261506_n_xge03x\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/167222473_482961236074366_4940967718510261506_n_xge03x\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/167222473_482961236074366_4940967718510261506_n_xge03x\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/167222473_482961236074366_4940967718510261506_n_xge03x\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/167222473_482961236074366_4940967718510261506_n_xge03x\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/167222473_482961236074366_4940967718510261506_n_xge03x\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/167222473_482961236074366_4940967718510261506_n_xge03x\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/167222473_482961236074366_4940967718510261506_n_xge03x\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>\u201cI walk down this filthy, impure neighbourhood.\u201d When a teenage Mustafa recited these lines for a TV package in 2012, the Canadian public that had embraced him for his spoken word poetry may have missed the irony. The Sudanese-Canadian artist has never shied away from drawing upon Regent Park, the housing project he grew up in: just like the violence that surrounded him, Mustafa and his beautiful creations were also a product of where he grew up. But that fact was either missed or willfully elided. A postal code can be as indelible as a brand on flesh.<\/p>\n<p>Inspired by the murder of Mustafa\u2019s close friend and Halal Gang collaborator Smoke Dawg, <i>When Smoke Rises<\/i> is an impressionistic portrait of inner city brotherhood told through an unprecedented reconfiguring of folk and electronic R&amp;B. Memory is evoked through samples of Sudanese and Egyptian chants and dusty voice recordings of Mustafa\u2019s community. But the past is not the focus; Mustafa explores the here-and-now with vibrance and humility. He takes honest stock of the carnage around him and pleads with his friends to avoid it (\u201cStay Alive,\u201d \u201cAir Forces\u201d) and then bemoans his itchy, vengeful trigger finger (\u201cThe Hearse\u201d). The music is lived-in and inviting, a gust of incense brought back from toxic shores with help from producer Frank Dukes and featured artists Jamie xx, Sampha, and James Blake. <\/p>\n<p><i>When Smoke Rises<\/i> shakes with grief, but the love that fuels deep loss is never far away, and is felt just as deeply. \u201cIf she runs her fingers through my\u2005past \/ She\u2005may lose the\u2005softness in her hands,\u201d Mustafa sings over the fading chants of &#8220;Awolayy,&#8221; the title recalling Halal Gang\u2019s signature slang. \u201cI miss when the night was made for rest \/ When my heart was more than glass.\u201d Canada may never reckon with its prejudices, but <i>When Smoke Rises<\/i> doesn\u2019t seek to convince anyone of worthiness \u2014 for itself or for its subjects. It is just so. \u2014 <i>JD<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227165,  #content_block-227165 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227165 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227165\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7_Doja_Cat_Planet_Her\"><\/span>\n        7. Doja Cat, <i>Planet Her<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/198238847_537959754118283_106066093587599761_n_omwff3\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/198238847_537959754118283_106066093587599761_n_omwff3\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/198238847_537959754118283_106066093587599761_n_omwff3\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/198238847_537959754118283_106066093587599761_n_omwff3\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/198238847_537959754118283_106066093587599761_n_omwff3\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/198238847_537959754118283_106066093587599761_n_omwff3\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/198238847_537959754118283_106066093587599761_n_omwff3\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/198238847_537959754118283_106066093587599761_n_omwff3\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/198238847_537959754118283_106066093587599761_n_omwff3\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/198238847_537959754118283_106066093587599761_n_omwff3\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/198238847_537959754118283_106066093587599761_n_omwff3\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Just weeks before the first case of COVID-19 was recirded, Doja Cat was waxing poetic on \u201cCyber Sex\u201d about the horny, internet-bound reality we\u2019d soon face: \u201cWhat a time to be alive! Living in the future, blinging on my hotline.\u201d It\u2019s the first song on <i>Hot Pink<\/i>, the album that turned a certified class clown into top 40\u2019s reigning pop emcee. Global lockdown couldn\u2019t and didn\u2019t stop her momentum: the success of deep cuts like \u201cStreets\u201d on TikTok dragged <i>Hot Pink<\/i> well into 2021, while she quietly chiseled away at the next record. <\/p>\n<p>The follow-up, <i>Planet Her<\/i>, feels like a whole victory orbit in itself, one that\u2019s equal parts space odyssey, sex fantasy, and screwball antics. That\u2019s not to say that the project is a highly conceptual endeavor, or that it\u2019s tethered to any certain narrative or aesthetic. Most often it\u2019s quite the opposite; these songs are engineered to be taken out of context, flipped, twisted, chopped, slowed, and reverbed. Doja revels in the genre anarchy of her surroundings, bouncing from Afrobeats to hyperpop to an entire number built around the conceit of Playboi Carti pantomiming <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hv8HR6gcXeI\">ShayDee<\/a> in the first four tracks alone. But in a way, this intrepid and restless spirit is a premise in itself. <\/p>\n<p><i>Planet Her<\/i> sends us spiraling through uncharted territory in search of new sensations. It\u2019s the guiding principle behind tracks like \u201cYou Right,\u201d \u201cOptions,\u201d and \u201cNeed To Know,\u201d the latter of which features some of the most imaginatively delivered raunch to have ever graced the airwaves: \u201cI can\u2019t stand it, just one night me \/ Spank me, slap me, choke me, bite me.\u201d She\u2019s just as magnetic, though, when forgoing that pursuit of pleasure \u2014 songs like \u201cBeen Like This\u201d and \u201dAlone\u201d stand out not for their apathy but for the generational malaise that Doja effuses their barren skies with. All of this, of course, precedes the Juul pod of a summer anthem \u201cKiss Me More,\u201d further punctuating the replayability of this journey. That\u2019s the real thrill of <i>Planet Her<\/i> \u2014\u00a0knowing how quickly you can return to it, and how exhilarating it will be. \u2014 <i>SM<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227166,  #content_block-227166 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227166 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227166\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Mach-Hommy_Pray_For_Haiti\"><\/span>\n        6. Mach-Hommy, <i>Pray For Haiti<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/189246338_815898585702566_8369986365613624411_n_gj3c53\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/189246338_815898585702566_8369986365613624411_n_gj3c53\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/189246338_815898585702566_8369986365613624411_n_gj3c53\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/189246338_815898585702566_8369986365613624411_n_gj3c53\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/189246338_815898585702566_8369986365613624411_n_gj3c53\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/189246338_815898585702566_8369986365613624411_n_gj3c53\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/189246338_815898585702566_8369986365613624411_n_gj3c53\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/189246338_815898585702566_8369986365613624411_n_gj3c53\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/189246338_815898585702566_8369986365613624411_n_gj3c53\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/189246338_815898585702566_8369986365613624411_n_gj3c53\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/189246338_815898585702566_8369986365613624411_n_gj3c53\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Mach-Hommy was almost one of rap\u2019s great near misses. After stunning rap purists with his Griselda debut <i>Haitian Body Odor<\/i>, he soon fell out with the label, retreating deeper underground to release increasingly shorter records at increasingly higher price points. Yes, the lyricism was exceptional, but it was also hermetic, understood solely by a rarified cabal of hip-hop futurists and mostly experienced via bootleg. <\/p>\n<p>Consider <i>Pray For Haiti<\/i>, Mach\u2019s return to Griselda overseen by curator-in-chief Westside Gunn, a corrective to these years in the wild. Mach\u2019s verbiage is still dense and prone to suddenly switching from English to Creole and back, but the message is clearer, whether he&#8217;s reminiscing on the pain of poverty, the immigrant experience and familial debts, or the opulence of one\u2019s latest high fashion purchase. Take \u201cThe Stellar Ray Theory,\u201d the wistful first single that somehow calls back to a Creole rain song, the writings of medieval philosopher Al-Kindi, The JAY-Z vs. Nas beef, and an unreleased 2001 Ghostface Killah single. On the surface, it\u2019s a patchwork of disparate references, but zoom out and this time they are all in service to the vibe and central theme: the melancholy of hard times and the hope for something better.<\/p>\n<p>Production-wise, Westside Gunn recruited a murderer\u2019s row of post-Boom Bap journeymen, keeping the color palette bright and soulful without cleaning up the mix. Even the album\u2019s most straightforward moment, the Nicholas Craven-produced \u201cKriminel,\u201d features a Creole hook that\u2019s easy enough to understand, but never completely legible to anyone outside of the Haitian diaspora. Just as impressively, three standout tracks by Conductor Williams are warped beyond measure, reimagining the limitations of old hardware samplers and tape decks into the aesthetic fetishes of today\u2019s rap era. Much like Mach\u2019s rhymes, the listener is meant to feel first and understand later.<\/p>\n<p>A stunning breakthrough for the new wave of underground hip-hop, <i>Pray For Haiti<\/i> definitively certifies Mach-Hommy as one of rap\u2019s best current writers, making it clear that while he may have come from the mud, the sky is now the limit. \u2014 <i>SR<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227167,  #content_block-227167 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227167 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227167\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Rauw_Alejandro_Vice_Versa\"><\/span>\n        5. Rauw Alejandro, <i>Vice Versa<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Rauw-Alejandro-vice-versa_qghkug\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Rauw-Alejandro-vice-versa_qghkug\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Rauw-Alejandro-vice-versa_qghkug\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Rauw-Alejandro-vice-versa_qghkug\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Rauw-Alejandro-vice-versa_qghkug\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Rauw-Alejandro-vice-versa_qghkug\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Rauw-Alejandro-vice-versa_qghkug\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Rauw-Alejandro-vice-versa_qghkug\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Rauw-Alejandro-vice-versa_qghkug\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Rauw-Alejandro-vice-versa_qghkug\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Rauw-Alejandro-vice-versa_qghkug\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Rauw Alejandro established himself as a force in reggaeton and Latin trap with his 2020 album <i>Afrodis\u00edaco<\/i>, but with his second album, <i>Vice Versa<\/i>, he proves he\u2019s ready to take those genres to new worlds altogether. This album&#8217;s lead single \u201cTodo De Ti\u201d established Alejandro\u2019s intentions for this new era, eschewing both of the genres he was known for, Alejandro instead choosing to flex talents on the dancefloor. Still, his flirty charm and magnetic personality were still at the song\u2019s center \u2014 proof of his ability to write captivating songs regardless of the style he chooses.<\/p>\n<p>For the rest of the album, instead of retreading the sounds of <i>Afrodis\u00edaco<\/i>, he blends his love of electronic dance music into reggaeton and Latin trap music. \u201cSexo Virtual\u201d feels like a Latin nod to *NSYNC&#8217;s \u201cDigital Get Down,\u201d breaking down love-making in the streaming era. \u201cNubes\u201d is a synth-filled delight where Alejandro details a dreamy romance that feels otherworldly; on \u201cLa Old Skul,\u201d he pays homage to reggaeton&#8217;s gritty perreo roots by giving Nicky Jam and Daddy Yankee&#8217;s \u201cEn La Cama\u201d a refreshing electronic update.  <\/p>\n<p>There are truly unexpected detours here, like the intoxicating, cowbell-driven funk of \u201cDesenfocao&#8217;\u201d and the bouncy \u201cBrazilera,\u201d on which he embraces baile funk with the help of Brazilian pop star Anitta. And throughout it all he sounds vital, even if he occasionally sounds like he&#8217;s trying to escape himself in his lyrics (&#8220;Ya no despertar\u00e9 a tu lado \/ \u00bfC\u00f3mo salgo del pasado? [I won&#8217;t wake up by your side anymore \/ How do I leave the past?]&#8221; he sings before the drum and bass beat kicks in on &#8220;\u00bfCu\u00e1ndo Fue?&#8221;) Rauw Alejandro sounds like he&#8217;s taking Latin pop into the future on <i>Vice Versa<\/i>; at the very least, he&#8217;s set himself up as one of its biggest stars. \u2014 <i>LV<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227200\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227168,  #content_block-227168 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227168 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227168\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Jazmine_Sullivan_Heaux_Tales\"><\/span>\n        4. Jazmine Sullivan, <i>Heaux Tales<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_13-50-44_ied3euoiyxbcmqg2nbjm_webp_WEBP_Image_1400_1400_pixels_Scaled_41_nvyfpy\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_13-50-44_ied3euoiyxbcmqg2nbjm_webp_WEBP_Image_1400_1400_pixels_Scaled_41_nvyfpy\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_13-50-44_ied3euoiyxbcmqg2nbjm_webp_WEBP_Image_1400_1400_pixels_Scaled_41_nvyfpy\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_13-50-44_ied3euoiyxbcmqg2nbjm_webp_WEBP_Image_1400_1400_pixels_Scaled_41_nvyfpy\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_13-50-44_ied3euoiyxbcmqg2nbjm_webp_WEBP_Image_1400_1400_pixels_Scaled_41_nvyfpy\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_13-50-44_ied3euoiyxbcmqg2nbjm_webp_WEBP_Image_1400_1400_pixels_Scaled_41_nvyfpy\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_13-50-44_ied3euoiyxbcmqg2nbjm_webp_WEBP_Image_1400_1400_pixels_Scaled_41_nvyfpy\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_13-50-44_ied3euoiyxbcmqg2nbjm_webp_WEBP_Image_1400_1400_pixels_Scaled_41_nvyfpy\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_13-50-44_ied3euoiyxbcmqg2nbjm_webp_WEBP_Image_1400_1400_pixels_Scaled_41_nvyfpy\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_13-50-44_ied3euoiyxbcmqg2nbjm_webp_WEBP_Image_1400_1400_pixels_Scaled_41_nvyfpy\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/Screenshot_2021-12-14_at_13-50-44_ied3euoiyxbcmqg2nbjm_webp_WEBP_Image_1400_1400_pixels_Scaled_41_nvyfpy\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Jazmine Sullivan\u2019s <i>Heaux Tales<\/i> is ambitious in its scope, bold in its storytelling and lucid in its intention. Sullivan stays within the realms of true soul and R&amp;B here \u2014 a master of her craft \u2014 but her mosaic melodies and vulnerable lyricism put her in a different universe altogether. <i>Heaux Tales<\/i> is raw, honest, and relatable beyond the music: six tales from different women act as interludes, touching on the diverse perspectives and conversations Black women have when navigating love and relationships. <\/p>\n<p>Their tales are apt additions to the visually stimulating short stories Sullivan weaves through the EP. On \u201cLost One,\u201d she sings about a partner asking for forgiveness and acknowledging the mistakes they made in the relationship they want to mend, with Sullivan unleashing her voice in the second verse: \u201cI know that that&#8217;s too much to ask \/ I know I&#8217;m a selfish bitch \/ But I want you to know I&#8217;ve been working on it.\u201d A project that makes evergreen and taboo topics feel fresh with every listen, demonstrating the true multidimensionality of Black women, <i>Heaux Tales<\/i> is an artistic level-up for Sullivan and the best R&amp;B album of the year. \u2014 <i>AI<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227169,  #content_block-227169 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227169 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227169\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Dijon_Absolutely\"><\/span>\n        3. Dijon, <i>Absolutely<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/b1bc870143ac65bc836874ad713751ca.1000x1000x1_i2g1kq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/b1bc870143ac65bc836874ad713751ca.1000x1000x1_i2g1kq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/b1bc870143ac65bc836874ad713751ca.1000x1000x1_i2g1kq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/b1bc870143ac65bc836874ad713751ca.1000x1000x1_i2g1kq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/b1bc870143ac65bc836874ad713751ca.1000x1000x1_i2g1kq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/b1bc870143ac65bc836874ad713751ca.1000x1000x1_i2g1kq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/b1bc870143ac65bc836874ad713751ca.1000x1000x1_i2g1kq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/b1bc870143ac65bc836874ad713751ca.1000x1000x1_i2g1kq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/b1bc870143ac65bc836874ad713751ca.1000x1000x1_i2g1kq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/b1bc870143ac65bc836874ad713751ca.1000x1000x1_i2g1kq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/b1bc870143ac65bc836874ad713751ca.1000x1000x1_i2g1kq\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Finding your own voice doesn&#8217;t need to be a solitary process. Dijon Duenas spent four years making dreamy and dynamic R&amp;B with his friend Abhi Raju that never really got the love it deserved. When he started working solo four years ago, he was protective of his sound, determined to establish himself as an auteur. The singles he uploaded in those first couple of years alone were promising experiments, a twentysomething figuring himself out over compressed beats, discovering the soulful variations in his range, only occasionally transcending the influences \u2014 Frank Ocean in particular \u2014 he so clearly adored.<\/p>\n<p>On <i>Absolutely<\/i>, his debut full-length album as Dijon, he realizes that early promise. It&#8217;s the result of a shift in process, away from the solitary creation of his earlier work and towards the more collaborative outlook he first tested out on the 2020 EP <i>How Do You Feel About Getting Married?<\/i> He wrote and recorded <i>Absolutely<\/i> with a full band, including the tape-deck R&amp;B artist Mk.gee. That, he told The FADER, added a &#8220;competitive edge&#8221; to sessions, everyone &#8220;constantly trying to excite each other.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>As a result <i>Absolutely<\/i> sounds alive, vibrant, joyfully imperfect. Opener &#8220;Big Mike&#8217;s&#8221; moves like a time-lapse video of a sunflower rising out of dirt, each few seconds offering some new and unique angle, Duenas&#8217;s voice finding grit in ecstasy. There are intentional nods to vintage Americana: the gorgeous Springsteen melodies of &#8220;Scratching,&#8221; the blues chords and Super 8 memories of &#8220;Noah&#8217;s Highlight Reel,&#8221; the Gillian Welch reference on &#8220;Talk Down.&#8221; But the wilful complexity of the instrumentation suggests he&#8217;s most indebted to Justin Vernon, another artist keeping an eye on the past as he continues a never-ending journey out of creative isolation. <\/p>\n<p>That journey can be exhausting. The album&#8217;s delicate middle section gives way to the unembellished howls and crackles of &#8220;Rodeo Clown,&#8221; Duenas eventually breaking down in tears after scream-asking a lover what they&#8217;re so afraid of. It&#8217;s theatrical, sure, but it&#8217;s also proof that, with the right energy, and the right people in the room, Dijon can reach thrilling parts of himself that aren&#8217;t accessible when he&#8217;s alone. \u2014 <i>ARR<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227170,  #content_block-227170 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227170 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227170\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Tyler_The_Creator_CALL_ME_IF_YOU_GET_LOST\"><\/span>\n        2. Tyler, The Creator, <i>CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/201878732_214262633754040_8168597578728905834_n_kxr2av\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/201878732_214262633754040_8168597578728905834_n_kxr2av\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/201878732_214262633754040_8168597578728905834_n_kxr2av\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/201878732_214262633754040_8168597578728905834_n_kxr2av\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/201878732_214262633754040_8168597578728905834_n_kxr2av\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/201878732_214262633754040_8168597578728905834_n_kxr2av\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/201878732_214262633754040_8168597578728905834_n_kxr2av\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/201878732_214262633754040_8168597578728905834_n_kxr2av\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/201878732_214262633754040_8168597578728905834_n_kxr2av\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/201878732_214262633754040_8168597578728905834_n_kxr2av\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/201878732_214262633754040_8168597578728905834_n_kxr2av\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>When Tyler, The Creator\u2019s <i>IGOR<\/i> was named Best Rap Album at the 2020 Grammys, he had reservations. \u201cIt sucks that whenever we \u2014 and I mean guys that look like me \u2014 do anything that\u2019s genre-bending or that\u2019s anything, they always put it in a rap or urban category,\u201d he <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/awards\/tyler-the-creator-grammys-best-rap-album-win-backstage-comments-categories-urban-8549244\/\">told reporters<\/a>. \u201cThat\u2019s just a politically correct way to say the n-word to me.\u201d Feeling stuck between worlds, too Black for the mainstream, too leftfield for the conservative rap equivalent, is nothing new to Tyler. As usual, his next move was a game-changer. <i>IGOR<\/i> was a convincing argument for belonging to the pop world, but <i>CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST<\/i> placed greater emphasis on getting bars off amid his trademark genre-bending escapades. It&#8217;s as though he took the award as a provocation \u2014 if he&#8217;s going to be labeled as a rapper, he&#8217;s going to be the best rapper you&#8217;ve ever seen.<\/p>\n<p>DJ Drama\u2019s Gangsta Grillz mixtape series of the early aughts, a period when a still-adolescent Tyler was getting his rap education, are less an influence on the album than a guiding light. Much like classic entries in the series from Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy, <i>CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST<\/i> is raw, favoring immediacy over sheen. Gone are the dreamy chords and romanticism. In their place are bass-heavy beats layered with horns custom-built to screwface to while DJ Drama, a constant presence across the album, shouts things like \u201cThis shit for the sunseekers.\u201d Operating within the mixtape-era format doesn\u2019t stop Tyler from inhabiting a colorful character, the globe-trotting Tyler Baudelaire, who enjoys the finer things in life: yachts, the French Open, getting his toes out in sight of Lake Geneva. The character even appears on the album artwork via a fake ID card in his name. Like many parts of Tyler\u2019s art, there\u2019s a Pharrell comparison here, with his 2006 mixtape <i>In My Mind: The Prequel<\/i> going hard as hell without letting you forget that his taste is expensive and out of reach to mere mortals. The beats, while in keeping with the mixtape-era griminess, are colored with splashes of jazz flute or, on \u201cManifesto,\u201d a Barry White sample. There\u2019s luxury stitched into every last detail here. <\/p>\n<p><i>CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST<\/i> was recorded in late summer 2020, boosting the idea that it is a middle finger to narrow-minded Grammy committees, while also sounding like a dream of better days, of a time where a life of travel and luxury existed outside of COVID anxieties. Validation and approval has never seemed like something that matters to Tyler, so how he feels about being nominated for another rap-centric Grammy with this album is hard to call. Maybe success this time will feel like vindication, not rejection. Maybe he\u2019s just happy defying expectations across the board, even the ones he sets himself.  \u2014 <i>DR<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<p> #content_block-227171,  #content_block-227171 blockquote.pull_quote, #content_block-227171 .img_caption .caption {\n   color: #ececec;\n }\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227171\" class=\"content_block paragraph image triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<h5 class=\"headline\" style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Porter_Robinson_Nurture\"><\/span>\n        1. Porter Robinson, <i>Nurture<\/i><br \/>\n      <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/porter-robinson-nurture_pdzs3k\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_220,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/porter-robinson-nurture_pdzs3k\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 220w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_300,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/porter-robinson-nurture_pdzs3k\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 300w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/porter-robinson-nurture_pdzs3k\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 400w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_600,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/porter-robinson-nurture_pdzs3k\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 600w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_750,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/porter-robinson-nurture_pdzs3k\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 750w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_840,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/porter-robinson-nurture_pdzs3k\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 840w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_960,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/porter-robinson-nurture_pdzs3k\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 960w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1260,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/porter-robinson-nurture_pdzs3k\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1260w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_1800,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/porter-robinson-nurture_pdzs3k\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 1800w,https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best\/porter-robinson-nurture_pdzs3k\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021.jpg 2400w,\" sizes=\"100vw\" alt=\"The 50 best albums of 2021\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper\" style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p>Sometimes it feels impossible to find a way forward. In the seven years between his acclaimed album of emotional dance music explorations <i>Worlds<\/i> and his sophomore record, Porter Robinson often found himself staring down this feeling. After grappling with a bout of depression and intense anxiety, he wasn\u2019t sure, he told The FADER earlier this year, that he would be able to make music ever again. <\/p>\n<p><i>Nurture<\/i>, the album that ultimately blossomed from this dark time, attempts to navigate Robinson\u2019s creative fog and details the desperate yearning and unlikely joy he felt when he ultimately emerged from it. He deals directly with his intense struggles, capturing the inner monologues and racing thoughts of a person facing down a mountain of worry and fear. <\/p>\n<p>Even \u201cMusician,\u201d one of the record\u2019s brightest-sounding pop moments, considers these feelings. \u201cHow do you do music?\u201d he wonders, adopting the voice of an imagined critic. \u201cWell, it\u2019s easy. You just face your fears and you become your heroes. I don\u2019t understand why you\u2019re freaking out.\u201d But the song doesn\u2019t end with that thought, instead exploding into a technicolor quilt of house pianos, ravey vocal samples, and otherworldly pitch-shifted melodies. It\u2019s a gesture he repeats throughout the album: he sulks, he worries, he gets lost in his own head, then the songs swell into dazzling bursts of life and joy. Previous Robinson records felt anthemic, but the songs on <i>Nurture<\/i> \u2014 lifted by his own buoyant voice \u2014 truly soar.  Even if they didn\u2019t, the very existence of these songs would be a rebuke to his indecision and uncertainty. He ended up making the thing, after all.<\/p>\n<p>His sense of relief, both that he was able to make these songs at all and that he was able to emerge from his funk, powers the record\u2019s best moments. He flips through sounds and styles \u2014 delirious shoegaze, piano balladry, intricate electronic experimentation \u2014 with the unrestrained glee of someone who wasn\u2019t sure they\u2019d ever be able to do the thing they love again. It\u2019s a record about perseverance, about struggling with your fears, about pushing onward when it feels like there\u2019s really no reason to. Moments like the opening of \u201cLook at the Sky,\u201d crystallize this feeling.  Before the euphoric instrumentation kicks off, he pauses, takes an audible breath, and steadies himself \u2014 for a moment, his burdens are gone. He\u2019s ready to face the world, and, maybe even more pressingly, himself. \u2014 <i>CJ<\/i><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227191\" class=\"content_block paragraph embed triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"media_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"\">\n    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/playlist\/0m7tzxvgN8DERNvHQEhgsR\" width=\"100%\" height=\"380\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<style>\n<\/style>\n<div id=\"content_block-227201\" class=\"content_block paragraph text triple_gutter_right triple_gutter_left center_align\">\n<div class=\"content_inner_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"paragraph_wrapper center_align\">\n<div class=\"\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 20px; text-align: left;\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"author\">\n    <span><br \/>\n      By <span class=\"credit_name\">Alex Robert Ross, Jordan Darville, David Renshaw, Salvatore Maicki, Larisha Paul, Antoinette Isama, Son Raw, Lucas Villa, Janiel Richards, Shaad D&#8217;Souza, Sajae Elder, Raphael Helfand, Colin Joyce<\/span><br \/>\n  <\/span><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social Media category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thefader.com\/2021\/12\/14\/the-50-best-albums-of-2021\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#The 50 best albums of 2021&#8221; The 50 best albums of 2021 From Tyler, The Creator to Porter Robinson, Jazmine Sullivan to Doja Cat, these are the albums that defined and transcended the past year. By Alex Robert Ross, Jordan Darville, David Renshaw, Salvatore Maicki, Larisha Paul, Antoinette Isama, Son Raw, Lucas Villa, Janiel Richards,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":381100,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefader-res.cloudinary.com\/private_images\/c_limit,w_1024\/c_crop,h_500,w_960,x_0,y_55,f_auto,q_auto:eco\/ALBUMBS_OF_THE_YEAR-01_kcvqcf\/ALBUMBS_OF_THE_YEAR-01_kcvqcf.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[28101,87525,90311,121393,94757,81878,87514,91223,88780,91183,70532,80471,102942,91091,87594,106606,87526,87510,91300],"class_list":["post-381099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa","tag-pop","tag-afrobeats","tag-ambient","tag-best-of-2021","tag-club","tag-country","tag-electronic","tag-emo","tag-folk","tag-grime","tag-hip-hop","tag-jazmine-sullivan","tag-little-simz","tag-porter-robinson","tag-rb","tag-rauw-alejandro","tag-reggaeton","tag-rock","tag-tyler-the-creator"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=381099"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381099\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/381100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=381099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=381099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=381099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}