50. Motorists - Surrounded (Bobo Integral)
Ranking albums is so much harder than singles. Ultimately I can only say how much an album speaks to me -- which is often quite mercurial. So here are 50 albums from 2021 that I found wonderful from top to bottom. My list is ordered, but otherwise presented without commentary.
49. Pom Pom Squad - Death of a Cheerleader (City Slang)
48. The Peppermint Kicks - The Peppermint Kicks (Rum Bar Records)
47. Dave Hause - Blood Harmony (Soundly Music)
46. Spearmint - Holland Park (Wiaiwya)
45. Turnstile - Glow On (Roadrunner)
44. Har Mar Superstar - Roseville (Love OnLine)
43. Chubby and the Gang - The Mutt's Nuts (Partisan Records)
42. Danko Jones - Power Trio (Sonic Unyon)
41. Boyracer - Assuaged (Emotional Response)
40. Dany Laj and The Looks - Ten Easy Pieces (We are Busy Bodies / Rum Bar Records)
39. Mogwai - As the Love Continues (Temporary Residence)
38. Dan Jones and The Squids - Serve Without Delay (self-released)
37. Descendents - 9th & Walnut (Epitaph)
36. Cheekface - Emphatically No. (New Professor Records)
35. The Connells - Steadman's Wake (Black Park)
34. Chime School - Chime School (Slumberland)
33. The Orange Peels - Celebrate the Moments of Your Life (self-released)
32. Nick Frater - Earworms (Big Stir Records)
31. Dan Vapid And The Cheats - Escape Velocity (self-released)
30. Snapped Ankles - Forest of Your Problems (The Leaf Label)
29. Fightmilk - Contender (Reckless Yes)
28. Makthaverskan - For Allting (Run for Cover Records)
27. Killer Hearts - Skintight Electric (Speghetty Town)
26. Teenage Bottlerocket - Sick Sesh! (Fat Wreck Chords)
25. Brad Marino - Looking For Trouble (Spaghetty Town)
24. The Reds, Pinks & Purples - Uncommon Weather (Slumberland)
23. Geoff Palmer - Charts & Graphs (Rum Bar Records / Stardumb Records)
22. Hurry - Fake Ideas (Lame-O Records)
21. Western Threads - Cowboys In Montmartre (self-released)
20. Tommy Ray! - Handful of Hits (Beluga Music)
19. Damien Jurado - The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania (Maraqopa Records)
18. Amyl and The Sniffers - Comfort To Me (B2B Records)
17. Modesty Blaise - The Modesty Blaise (From Lo-Fi to Disco!)
16. Death By Unga Bunga - Heavy Male Insecurity (Jansen Records)
15. Lucy Dacus - Home Video (Matador Records)
14. The Hold Steady - Open Door Policy (Positive Jams)
13. Art d'Ecco - In Standard Definition (Paper Bag Records)
12. Dry Cleaning - New Long Leg (4AD)
11. Ducks Ltd. - Modern Fiction (Car Park)
10. Massage - Still Life (Mt. St. Mnt. / Bobo Integral / Tear Jerk)
9. Fortitude Valley - Fortitude Valley (Fika)
8. Quivers - Golden Doubt (Ba Da Bing)
7. Brent Windler - New Morning Howl (self-released)
6. Early Riser - Vocations (A-F Records)
5. Swansea Sound - Live at the Rum Puncheon (HHBTM)
4. The Boys with the Perpetual Nervousness - Songs from Another Life (Bobo Integral)
3. The Courettes - Back in Mono (Damaged Goods)
2. Arab Strap - As Days Get Dark (Rock Action)
1. The Exbats - Now Where Were We (Goner Records)
And that's it. This year I added 392 releases to my library (blowing away last year's previous high of 304). However only 124 of those were full-length 2021 releases eligible for this list. Down from 201 last year. More singles and EPs? More back catalog stuff? More data mining than I'm willing to do right now.
