2021 EOY Album List Updates

Holden · Post by **Holden** » Fri Dec 03, 2021 11:18 pm

panam · Post by **panam** » Sat Dec 04, 2021 4:39 pm

discord · Post by **discord** » Sat Dec 04, 2021 8:10 pm

War on Drugs being so high baffles me.

mileswide · Post by **mileswide** » Sun Dec 05, 2021 12:42 am

Smiling with No Teeth is getting no traction so far! I imagine this thread will be made sticky?

Illiniq · Post by **Illiniq** » Sun Dec 05, 2021 2:03 am

discord wrote: ↑Sat Dec 04, 2021 8:10 pm War on Drugs being so high baffles me.

Definitely their least impressive effort recently, but it was kinda a lean year overall year musically, so compared to this years field the WOD ranking is not that out of line, it's definitely one of the years 20 best releases despite not holding a candle to the 2 WODs albums that came before...

As for the rest of the list as it presently rates...

Promises is fantastic, but it's the only genuine five-star (on a rolling stone/all music guide scale) album I heard this year - won't end #1 - my guess is when all the American pubs overwhelm the rankings Little SImz will hold or Tyler will overtake.

Little Simz, Wolf Alice, Weather Station, Arlo Parks, Squid, Low, Cassandra Jenkins all all pushing close to 4.5 star territory, and maybe also Nick Cave's Carnage (though I'm really ready for Nick to resurrect Grinderman or up the tempo like on '08's Dig, Lazarus, Dig), but that is it - a lot of other albums I like well enough this year - but nothing else genuinely memorable.

I do like that Squid is finishing ahead of the other cutting edge albums in this recent proggy post -punk wave - like all three of Black Country, New Road, Black Midi and Squid but Bright Green Fields was definitely my favorite of the three.

As far as bigggest not even making the top 50 snub - Valerie June's latest for sure.

And most overrated this year - I gotta go with either Dry Cleaning or Japanese Breakfast - just don't like Dry Cleaning all that much other than two tracks, and Japanese Breakfast is decent, but just feels bland compared to her previous outing.

Post by **Henrik** » Sun Dec 05, 2021 3:08 am

Thank you so much, Holden!!

StevieFan13 · Post by **StevieFan13** » Sun Dec 05, 2021 4:47 pm

This is gonna sound odd - well, maybe not coming from me, I suppose - but I really thought this was the year Eurovision acts might actually make something resembling a dent in the EOY lists. Måneskin were everywhere, with a well-received winning song and a strong album (of course, 'round these parts, their big hit is "Beggin'" which doesn't come close to being as good as "Zitti e buoni"), the rest of the top five all got good notices. This was the first year since I started following the contest that people who normally wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole actually gave it a chance, but it doesn't seem to have done much to change the critics' minds.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Sun Dec 05, 2021 8:13 pm

For some reason the biggest surprise to me is that Julien Baker barely even makes the top 50. When it came out it seemed to be showered with the highest of praise and I wouldn't have been surprised then if she got the same EOY treatment at Phoebe Bridgers last year.
I have to say though, that lately I have finally been catching up with many 2021 acclaimed albums and Julien Baker is one of the very few I that on first listen didn't make any impression. Maybe it didn't stick in critics minds?

I like the War on Drugs album quite a bit, though. It strikes me as for more consistent than A Deeper Understanding, even if that one has perhaps higher highs.

Holden · Post by **Holden** » Sun Dec 05, 2021 10:21 pm

If I was to make predictions, I'd say Little Simz stays as number one. I suspect Hey What, CMIYGL, PRomises, Afrique Victime, and Jubilee to stay in the Top 10 as well.

I predict Turnstile, Sleaford, Olivia Rodrigo, and Adele to fall, specifically. Olivia Rodrigo and Adele are only so high because of the US RS list specifically.

Edre Depeche Head · Post by **Edre Depeche Head** » Mon Dec 06, 2021 3:41 pm

Rob wrote: ↑Sun Dec 05, 2021 8:13 pm For some reason the biggest surprise to me is that Julien Baker barely even makes the top 50. When it came out it seemed to be showered with the highest of praise and I wouldn't have been surprised then if she got the same EOY treatment at Phoebe Bridgers last year.
I have to say though, that lately I have finally been catching up with many 2021 acclaimed albums and Julien Baker is one of the very few I that on first listen didn't make any impression. Maybe it didn't stick in critics minds?

I like the War on Drugs album quite a bit, though. It strikes me as for more consistent than A Deeper Understanding, even if that one has perhaps higher highs.

That disappoints me, Little Oblivions is my #3 this year and I think it is one of the best indie folk ones out there this year.

Edre Depeche Head · Post by **Edre Depeche Head** » Mon Dec 06, 2021 3:49 pm

Illiniq wrote: ↑Sun Dec 05, 2021 2:03 am
Little Simz, Wolf Alice, Weather Station, Arlo Parks, Squid, Low, Cassandra Jenkins all all pushing close to 4.5 star territory, and maybe also Nick Cave's Carnage (though I'm really ready for Nick to resurrect Grinderman or up the tempo like on '08's Dig, Lazarus, Dig), but that is it - a lot of other albums I like well enough this year - but nothing else genuinely memorable.

Idk, I think this year was very solid. It wasn't as good as last year though. Wolf Alice, Idles, Julien Baker, JPEGMAFIA, The Killers, Deafheaven, Japanese Breakfast, The Armed, Martin Gore, Lingua Ignota, Doja Cat, and Arlo Parks all released albums with score 80+ for me. And while the album is in the 77/100 range for me, Kanye's Donda has some of the highest highs in hip hop this year.

panam · Post by **panam** » Mon Dec 06, 2021 8:12 pm

C Tangana's "El madrileño" is going to be up! Only with American lists is close to Top 50, when Spanish and Latin American lists be released it's going to jump!

GabeBr · Post by **GabeBr** » Mon Dec 06, 2021 11:21 pm

Genesis Owusu deserved more
Justice for Smilling with No Teeth

Donchano · Post by **Donchano** » Tue Dec 07, 2021 1:28 pm

It seems to me that Little Simz, Floating Points and Tyler will be the Top 3 when it all said and done. Overall, this year kinda pale in comparison to last year imo.

FrankLotion · Post by **FrankLotion** » Tue Dec 07, 2021 6:38 pm

GabeBr wrote: ↑Mon Dec 06, 2021 11:21 pm Genesis Owusu deserved more
Justice for Smilling with No Teeth

This has been truly perplexing for me, I don’t understand how such a well-reviewed album at the time of its release can’t even break into the top 600 at the end of the year!

As far as I can tell there hasn’t been any news saying he’s problematic so I’m out of ideas.

discord · Post by **discord** » Tue Dec 07, 2021 6:53 pm

FrankLotion wrote: ↑Tue Dec 07, 2021 6:38 pm
GabeBr wrote: ↑Mon Dec 06, 2021 11:21 pm Genesis Owusu deserved more
Justice for Smilling with No Teeth
This has been truly perplexing for me, I don’t understand how such a well-reviewed album at the time of its release can’t even break into the top 600 at the end of the year!

As far as I can tell there hasn’t been any news saying he’s problematic so I’m out of ideas.

Perhaps the album doesn't have lasting appeal.

GabeBr · Post by **GabeBr** » Tue Dec 07, 2021 6:59 pm

FrankLotion wrote: ↑Tue Dec 07, 2021 6:38 pm
GabeBr wrote: ↑Mon Dec 06, 2021 11:21 pm Genesis Owusu deserved more
Justice for Smilling with No Teeth
This has been truly perplexing for me, I don’t understand how such a well-reviewed album at the time of its release can’t even break into the top 600 at the end of the year!

As far as I can tell there hasn’t been any news saying he’s problematic so I’m out of ideas.

I don't think he is involved in any controversy, in fact he won two AOTY at major awards in Australia recently.

I really don't understand why he's being ignored, anyway this year's lists are weird and none have pleased me so far.

panam · Post by **panam** » Wed Dec 08, 2021 3:29 am

GabeBr wrote: ↑Tue Dec 07, 2021 6:59 pm
FrankLotion wrote: ↑Tue Dec 07, 2021 6:38 pm
GabeBr wrote: ↑Mon Dec 06, 2021 11:21 pm Genesis Owusu deserved more
Justice for Smilling with No Teeth
This has been truly perplexing for me, I don’t understand how such a well-reviewed album at the time of its release can’t even break into the top 600 at the end of the year!

As far as I can tell there hasn’t been any news saying he’s problematic so I’m out of ideas.
I don't think he is involved in any controversy, in fact he won two AOTY at major awards in Australia recently.

I really don't understand why he's being ignored, anyway this year's lists are weird and none have pleased me so far.

My theory is because the album didn't go well outside Autralia because It hasn't a label in UK o USA for distribution and sadly it was out of radar of many list makers. For me, it's one of my albums of the year, don't care if it's acclaimed or not.

Donchano · Post by **Donchano** » Thu Dec 09, 2021 9:59 am

Amazon about to shut down Alexa ranking website by next year

BleuPanda · Post by **BleuPanda** » Thu Dec 09, 2021 3:18 pm

Donchano wrote: ↑Thu Dec 09, 2021 9:59 am Amazon about to shut down Alexa ranking website by next year

We'll probably just have to switch to a similar site; I found a site called Similarweb which seems to provide the same information? And according to Alexa, Similarweb actually has more traffic than itself.

Matski · Post by **Matski** » Sat Dec 11, 2021 2:26 pm

So Holden, when's the next update?

panam · Post by **panam** » Sat Dec 11, 2021 3:15 pm

Holden wrote: ↑Sun Dec 05, 2021 10:21 pm If I was to make predictions, I'd say Little Simz stays as number one. I suspect Hey What, CMIYGL, PRomises, Afrique Victime, and Jubilee to stay in the Top 10 as well.

I predict Turnstile, Sleaford, Olivia Rodrigo, and Adele to fall, specifically. Olivia Rodrigo and Adele are only so high because of the US RS list specifically.

Rodrigo is still doing well.

Holden · Post by **Holden** » Sat Dec 11, 2021 6:33 pm

Matski wrote: ↑Sat Dec 11, 2021 2:26 pm So Holden, when's the next update?

Later today

Matski · Post by **Matski** » Sat Dec 11, 2021 7:56 pm

Weekly updates sound like a steady aim. Well, at least until the intake slows down after new years. Hope the workload isn't too stressful.

Holden · Post by **Holden** » Sun Dec 12, 2021 1:50 am

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Sun Dec 12, 2021 5:59 pm

For those wondering which of these would make AM's official top 3000 it is interesting to note that the last 10 years consistently brought 35 to 40 albums to the list. That means that with the current standing these are holding on for dear life:

35 | Tirzah | Colourgrade
36 | Silk Sonic | An Evening with Silk Sonic
37 | Doja Cat | Planet Her
38 | PinkPantheress | To Hell With It
39 | Gojira | Fortitude
40 | Black Midi | Cavalcade

Julien Baker, whom I singled out as the underachiever earlier is now catching up. I noticed an even more notable underachiever this time around: Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine's well-liked A Beginner's Mind isn't even in the top 100 yet!

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Sun Dec 12, 2021 6:44 pm

I'm amazed at how much black midi is underperforming. That album seemed like it was destined for top 20, if not top 10, status.

Holden · Post by **Holden** » Sun Dec 12, 2021 7:20 pm

Nick wrote: ↑Sun Dec 12, 2021 6:44 pm I'm amazed at how much black midi is underperforming. That album seemed like it was destined for top 20, if not top 10, status.

I can't believe it's doing so much worse than Schlagenheim did in 2019. It felt like one of the classics of the year.

panam · Post by **panam** » Sun Dec 12, 2021 7:36 pm

Rolling Stone en Español list was missing.

Edre Depeche Head · Post by **Edre Depeche Head** » Sun Dec 12, 2021 7:51 pm

Rob wrote: ↑Sun Dec 12, 2021 5:59 pm For those wondering which of these would make AM's official top 3000 it is interesting to note that the last 10 years consistently brought 35 to 40 albums to the list. That means that with the current standing these are holding on for dear life:

35 | Tirzah | Colourgrade
36 | Silk Sonic | An Evening with Silk Sonic
37 | Doja Cat | Planet Her
38 | PinkPantheress | To Hell With It
39 | Gojira | Fortitude
40 | Black Midi | Cavalcade

Julien Baker, whom I singled out as the underachiever earlier is now catching up. I noticed an even more notable underachiever this time around: Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine's well-liked A Beginner's Mind isn't even in the top 100 yet!

I know she is not massivly respected on this site but I would love to see Doja Cat make it.

Also, while I wasn't a fan of Black Midi or Silk Sonic, I thought those would perform much better.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Sun Dec 12, 2021 7:59 pm

I was just going through the Excel and noticed that Adele, despite a placement of #29, hasn't received a single vote from her home territory of UK & Ireland. In fact, the USA is by and large responsible for her ranking: they would rank 30 at #11. The oddly named 'Rest of the world' category also doesn't go farther than #117 overall. Quite a discrepancy.

Chambord · Post by **Chambord** » Mon Dec 13, 2021 7:37 am

It's a shame that the Shame album is being shamefully snubbed by the same crix who were unashamed to rate it as the 25th AOTY in MCCh but now shamelessly think it's only 133rd.

Nassim · Post by **Nassim** » Mon Dec 13, 2021 8:53 am

For me the biggest surprise is how much Little Simz is dominating. I'm not stunned she is #1 but I expected a pretty close race with no clear frontrunner and that's far from the case.
I'm especially surprised she is #2 in the US and #1 in Rest of the World (I expected Black Country New Road to dominate through Europe for some reason... ).

Holden · Post by **Holden** » Wed Dec 15, 2021 11:20 pm

For those who don't look at the spreadsheet, Little Simz is absolutely dominating. It is further ahead of No. 2 than Fetch the Bolt Cutters was last year.

panam · Post by **panam** » Wed Dec 15, 2021 11:30 pm

Holden wrote: ↑Wed Dec 15, 2021 11:20 pm For those who don't look at the spreadsheet, Little Simz is absolutely dominating. It is further ahead of No. 2 than Fetch the Bolt Cutters was last year.

Rateyourmusic influence? Both albums debuted very well on RYM. In the Top 200 of alltime.

discord · Post by **discord** » Wed Dec 15, 2021 11:50 pm

Lttle Simz baffles me. The lyrics are vacuous.

Donchano · Post by **Donchano** » Thu Dec 16, 2021 12:54 am

Holden wrote: ↑Wed Dec 15, 2021 11:20 pm For those who don't look at the spreadsheet, Little Simz is absolutely dominating. It is further ahead of No. 2 than Fetch the Bolt Cutters was last year.

Last year competition was more fierce and tight than this year. That being said, if SIMBI was released last year I doubt it can even make it into Top 5 imo but Top 10 it's a guarantee.

Jackson · Post by **Jackson** » Thu Dec 16, 2021 1:12 am

I will take a victory lap after my comment a month ago on another thread and say that Little Simz dominating in a very weak year for high profile releases was exactly what I was expecting.

I did not foresee the super-high ranking for Low, or especially for Dry Cleaning (above BC,NR, Squid, and Black midi - really?).

Holden · Post by **Holden** » Thu Dec 16, 2021 1:34 am

Dry Cleaning is, IMO, definitely worse than a lot of albums below it

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Thu Dec 16, 2021 8:13 pm

panam wrote: ↑Wed Dec 15, 2021 11:30 pm
Holden wrote: ↑Wed Dec 15, 2021 11:20 pm For those who don't look at the spreadsheet, Little Simz is absolutely dominating. It is further ahead of No. 2 than Fetch the Bolt Cutters was last year.
Rateyourmusic influence? Both albums debuted very well on RYM. In the Top 200 of alltime.

That's a very big stretch. Both albums already got massive praise when they were first reviewed. And if Rate Your Music is any influence than the enormous discrepancy between their top 100 of the year and this one above is inexplicable.

discord · Post by **discord** » Fri Dec 17, 2021 9:45 pm

Nassim wrote: ↑Mon Dec 13, 2021 8:53 am For me the biggest surprise is how much Little Simz is dominating. I'm not stunned she is #1 but I expected a pretty close race with no clear frontrunner and that's far from the case.
I'm especially surprised she is #2 in the US and #1 in Rest of the World (I expected Black Country New Road to dominate through Europe for some reason... ).

Black Country dominating throughout Europe? No chance. it's too niche. Most people do not listen to that type of music. I like rock and metal and I struggle with Black Country and Black Midi.

Cicice · Post by **Cicice** » Sat Dec 18, 2021 9:43 am

Donchano wrote: ↑Thu Dec 16, 2021 12:54 am
Holden wrote: ↑Wed Dec 15, 2021 11:20 pm For those who don't look at the spreadsheet, Little Simz is absolutely dominating. It is further ahead of No. 2 than Fetch the Bolt Cutters was last year.
Last year competition was more fierce and tight than this year. That being said, if SIMBI was released last year I doubt it can even make it into Top 5 imo but Top 10 it's a guarantee.

Last year sure was. 2020 had a strong Top 6. Had "Sometimes I Might Be Introvert" been released last year, I reckon it would have hit the #3 slot at best (behind "Fetch The Bolt Cutters" and "Punisher").

Cicice · Post by **Cicice** » Sat Dec 18, 2021 10:32 am

Although it's a bit early to predict but I got a feeling the 2021's finalized Top 10 is going to end up being:

#1 - Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
#2 - Tyler, The Creator - Call Me If You Get Lost
#3 - Floating Points, Pharaoh Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises
#4 - Arlo Parks - Collapsed In Sunbeams
#5 - Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee
#6 - Low - Hey What
#7 - Dry Cleaning - New Long Leg
#8 - Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever
#9 - Turnstile - Glow On
#10 - Olivia Rodrigo - Sour

The one sitting outside #11 will probably either be The Weather Station's "Ignorance" or Jazmine Sullivan's "Heaux Tales".

Holden · Post by **Holden** » Sat Dec 18, 2021 9:12 pm

panam · Post by **panam** » Sat Dec 18, 2021 9:58 pm

A question Holden, are you using the Top 100 Uproxx Critics Poll or only the top 50?

panam · Post by **panam** » Sat Dec 18, 2021 10:00 pm

panam wrote: ↑Sun Dec 12, 2021 7:36 pm Rolling Stone en Español list was missing.

Why are you not including it?

Holden · Post by **Holden** » Sun Dec 19, 2021 1:01 am

panam wrote: ↑Sat Dec 18, 2021 10:00 pm
panam wrote: ↑Sun Dec 12, 2021 7:36 pm Rolling Stone en Español list was missing.
Why are you not including it?

Sorry I made a mistake.

panam · Post by **panam** » Sun Dec 19, 2021 1:52 am

Holden wrote: ↑Sun Dec 19, 2021 1:01 am
panam wrote: ↑Sat Dec 18, 2021 10:00 pm
panam wrote: ↑Sun Dec 12, 2021 7:36 pm Rolling Stone en Español list was missing.
Why are you not including it?
Sorry I made a mistake.

No problem,

About the Uproxx Critics Poll..you use only the Top 50 or the Top 100? or maybe all? I wanted to know because it wans't complete in the thread and maybe it could be transcripted.

Holden · Post by **Holden** » Sun Dec 19, 2021 1:54 am

I was unaware there were 100. If someone transcribes it the full 100 will go in

panam · Post by **panam** » Sun Dec 19, 2021 2:00 am

Holden wrote: ↑Sun Dec 19, 2021 1:54 am I was unaware there were 100. If someone transcribes it the full 100 will go in

Done