Most of us want to forget the last year, but that would discount a lot of great music. The pandemic has forced mainstream pop to bend its rules, and loosen up. The result is all time greats reaching new peaks, and newcomers finding solid footing. Things like two surprise albums in quick succession from our resident long rollout devotee, Taylor Swift. Halsey combining Trent Reznor, a feature length film, and zero singles to create their fourth studio album. Pinkpanthress coming out of nowhere to drop an album full of songs that sound like raindrops, and last just as long. What follows is the best of the best, or at least, some really solid projects. 

21) Faking My Own Death - Allison Ponthier It’s the classic story: artist moves to New York, falls in love with the city, and finally finds their creative “voice.” Still, Ponthier has a tone husky enough, and lyrics knotty enough, to pull it off. She appears on the album cover posed in a technicolor grave, staring ahead. It’s a ghoulishly comedic image - a style that comes across in the low tempo, but vivid music. The title track says good riddance to the past in a most apologetic way: “You're swimming through my wake and I'm slipping through your hands / And you'll never see me again.” Indeed, it’s the many ways Ponthier is able to say goodbye that stick with you. “Every free fall / I put myself through,” she sings, “Is worth all of the fear to sing the truth.”

20) Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land - Marina When Marina sings “Don't underestimate me 'cause one day, you're gonna see” in “Venus Fly Trap” it can come off as accusatory. She’s spent the past few album cycles in a kind of odd limbo, where her dedicated fanbase sustains her, but the charts don’t. Her latest album seems to make peace with this, offering a combination of more standard pop breakup fare, and uptempo political songs/rants. Uneven, yes, but the highs are most definitely worth it. One of Marina’s greatest gifts has always been her voice, how it can scream one second and croon the next. On the title track she puts it to good use, chanting like a cheerleader about being “the eye of the storm.” Ancient Dreams is a bold, melodramatic record and it deserves to be appreciated because, not in spite, of it’s messiness. 19) To Hell With It - Pinkpanthress Pinkpanthress is an artist that seems content to disappear behind the music. In fact, before she dropped the music video for “Just for Me” many people didn’t even know what she looked like. This kind of deliberate non-branding is perfect for Tiktok, which has fallen in love with all of her under-three-minute songs. The minimalist, deadpan style of her music works because it’s paired with blood-and-guts confessions. “Your hair’s under my pillow so I sleep,” she sings in “Just for Me.” She’s found her lover’s house, and she follows them around in her car. During the last verse, she begs for them to just listen to this song, to just be with her alone, once. This kind of juxtaposition, of eerie lyrics sung with a high pitched, detached voice, isn’t new. That’s the wonder of Pinkpanthress - she makes it sound fresh. 

18) SOUR - Olivia Rodrigo These days, every album needs an operatic backstory. So Olivia Rodrigo has arrived in the music industry fully formed - heart broken, a few Disney shows under her belt, and blessed by Taylor Swift. It’s hard to complain though, when the songs are this good. “Deja Vu”, the album’s second single, is a dream-pop masterpiece, making lyrics like “A different girl now, but there's nothing new / I know you get déjà vu!” froth with tension. There’s plenty of sad ballads to digest, and each takes a menacing turn. “Favorite Crime” morphs into, well, crime, and “Traitor” into mascara-stained denial. “Jealousy Jealousy” comes out of nowhere to declare war on anyone doing better than you. Nothing about this album is consistent, but that’s the point. To capture teenage angst so vividly is admirable.  17) Voyage - ABBA Only the most inexperienced gambler would bet on a band comprised of two now-divorced couples, that retired in 1983, to suddenly reunite and release new music in 2021. Yet ABBA were always the ones to beat the odds. They faced years of criticism for their poppy, upbeat, “uncool” music only to emerge as critically acclaimed commercial titans. Voyage is not a departure from their previous sound, and thank god. We don’t need ABBA to be different - we only need them to be here. It’s frankly a marvel that this band can pick up right where they left off four decades down the line. No hiccups, just uplifting tunes that shine through 2021’s darkness. Perhaps it’s only fitting that this album is their highest charting on the Billboard 200 - peaking at number two.

16) In These Silent Days - Brandi Carlile For many, their introduction to Brandi Carlile was the 61st Grammy Awards, where she was the most nominated woman with six nominations. Carlile was a breath of fresh air then, and she’s a breath of fresh air now. Her music is classic Nashville songwriting - laden with themes of dark forests and broken hearts. “Broken Horses” has the credo “Only broken horses know how to run” - country-rock with a sinister twist. Like any serious Americana artist, Carlile knows when to lace her voice with cracks, and when to belt. Still, the most striking moments are when she scales back. Carlile is a mother of two, and has been with her wife for ten years now. Domesticity will always contain mild terror - fear of this paradise going away. On “Mama Werewolf” she turns this paranoia into a lullaby. “If I cause you pain, my own sweet child / Won't you promise me you'll be the one?” She hums, “my silver bullet in the gun.”

15) Screen Violence - CHVRCHES CHVRCHES can be an odd band to place - too much synth for alternative, too much EDM for pop. When they play to their strengths though (frontwoman Lauren Mayberry’s ghostly voice, dadaist lyrics), they're a sound to behold. Screen Violence succeeds by wrapping the malleable CHVRCHES brand in horror imagery. Songs like “Violent Delights” and “How Not to Drown” are deeply haunting. When Mayberry sings “A photograph will steal your soul / An epitaph won't make you whole,” it could be a Dorian Gray reference, or an anti-suicide message, or both. What matters is the balance between urgency and vagueness, message and moral. The best song here is “Good Girls,” an anthem that tosses out one liners like they’re going out of style. “They tell me I'm hell-bеnt on revenge / I cut my teeth on wеaker men.” But of course! 

14) Blue Banisters - Lana Del Rey Being a Lana Del Rey fan these past few years has been a cruel and unusual rollercoaster. First she was at a new career peak, with more critical acclaim than ever before. People applauded Norman Fucking Rockwell as an album for the ages. Then it was scandal after scandal, Instagram comments in such poor taste that Del Rey would end up deleting all her social media accounts. From that low, however, was born an album made purely for the die-hards. It’s full of unreleased tracks that before now, could only be illegally downloaded. Given how many eras of Del Rey’s career it spans, the album is surprisingly cohesive. A family’s close bond, and the exact chemistry of an unhealthy relationship are central motifs. Gorgeous piano, strings, and her signature low vocals are back. This isn’t another masterpiece, but our lives would be lacking without songs like “Cherry Blossom” or “Thunder.” 13) An Evening With Silk Sonic - Silk Sonic The phrase ‘retro’ might get a lot of mileage right now, but Silk Sonic truly owns it. From the minute-long intro to it’s two towering singles, this is a love letter to every long gone musical trend. Confidence isn’t new to Bruno Mars’ or Anderson Paak’s music, but it’s still notable how cool this album makes you feel. Even if it’s just for three minutes and thirty-nine seconds, yes - you do “deserve to be with somebody as fly as” you. “This bitch got” you “paying her rent!” At least you’re a “pretty motherfucker with money to blow.” Sure, it can get cheesy. But this is deliberate cheese. Well produced, beautifully sung cheese. Not to mention, every second, of every song, is a hook. You’d have to be pretty stiff not to dance to this.  12) Cape God (Deluxe) - Allie X Some albums announce their presence at the top of their lungs. Cape God sneaks up on you, despite, objectively speaking, being an upbeat pop album. There’s a song here called “Super Duper Party People” and yet, it’s not abrasive. Since she emerged in 2013, Allie X has been making poised, witty pop with a masochistic edge. Her first two projects, CollXtion I and CollXtion II, were full of references to brainwashing and love-is-disease metaphors. Cape God is, comparatively, more down to earth. It takes on a more familiar monster: drug addiction. The album is a concept one, exploring a fictional town based on the heroin epidemic that hit Cape Cod hard. Allie X’s high, lilting voice suits this theme perfectly, making the soft moments soothing and the punchy moments bite-size. Listen to this album, and chew on some refrigerated insanity. 

11) Razzmatazz (Deluxe) - I Don’t Know How But They Found Me To go full throttle on something is an oft underrated skill. Salt Lake City duo I Don’t Know How But They Found Me, or iDKHOW, have mastered it. Their name is a Back to the Future reference, and their songs are embellished with more little details and dramatic lyrics than one could count. There are two saxophone solos on this album, sitting alongside ukulele, piano, and plenty of bass guitar. “For you’d die or kill myself / Whichever makes you smile” is a line that frontman Dallon Weekes sells convincingly, and then repeats in a robot voice because why not. The two best songs here are “Clusterhug” and “Razzmatazz.” As they lament the wickedness of young love and the cruelty of big cities, it’s near impossible to not sing along.  10) Something For Thee Hotties - Megan Thee Stallion If we’re being technical, Something For Thee Hotties is a mixtape, not an album. Still, it’s a collection of songs, and it was released in 2021, and it’s too good to ignore. From the start, Stallion has all cannons firing, spitting lines like “Pressed, stressed, obsessed, I got 'em / Everything I do keep another bitch talkin’” in rapid succession. More than technical proficiency, more than beats, what distinguishes Megan is her charisma. “God’s Favorite” pulls off the rare funny brag - “I bought a crib next to my crib 'cause I ain't want no neighbors.” Closing out the self-mythologizing mixtape is, of course, a message thanking the fans. It’s the perfect balance - music that reminds everyone why she’s on top, and appreciates the people who got her there.

9) STAINS - De’wayne   Another re-emergent trend in music is punk - or at least, the punk aesthetic. Warped tour eyeliner, scene queen hair, the works. Calling yourself a punk is commercial once more, with all the contradictions that implies. Perhaps no artist combines the punk sound with more modern sounds better than De’wayne. His voice adapts to every musical shift: rapping over synths on “Walking to Work” and humming softly on “Jungle.” De’wayne tells a compelling story on the album, of hard work, poverty, and affirmations, but even if he wasn’t, you’d listen anyway because of his swagger. This album almost overflows with pure joy. The choruses are bigger than big, phrases built to sung back at concerts. “Don’t need no validation / I know I look good” is a couplet from “Walking to Work,” and it’s delivered with the most stubborn grin. 8) Planet Her - Doja Cat Few artists arrive with such loud ambivalence as Doja Cat. The woman is on billboards, your TikTok For You page, and tweets the phrase “mike penis” regularly. Becoming a pop star requires an almost superhuman amount of work, but Doja prefers to chill. Planet Her reflects this duality perfectly. The big, poppier than pop hits are here - “Need To Know”, “Kiss Me More.” There’s also two duets with some of the biggest artists alive (Ariana Grande and The Weeknd on “I Don’t Do Drugs” and “You Right” respectively). A different artist might attempt to create their signature pop maximalist hits. Doja has them become laid back seducers, harmonizing with her and sliding into hooks that seem effortless. While songs can be lyrically similar - talking of hookups and partying, falling in love - the lyrics are also where Doja shines. She can be wickedly funny, turning sex into an opportunity for a Pokemon pun. 7) Little Oblivions - Julien Baker I had the privilege of seeing Julien Baker recently, at the Fox Theater. It was my mom’s birthday, and I held out a sign that said, “CAN YOU SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MOM (JILL)” in all caps. Baker miraculously saw the sign, and after initiating a cheer for my mom, she began to worry. “I realize this might not be your thing,” she said. “So thanks for coming, Jill.” This is the spirit of Julien Baker’s music: kindness, with self doubt piled on top. Little Oblivions is an album that reaches out to you with open-mouthed compliments, then decides it’s dragging everyone down. What makes it great are the moments of catharsis, the way Baker’s voice can fill a stadium with thoughts of self-sabotage. It’s a special kind of artist that can make you cry when they’re playing the piano, and when they’re headbanging to drums.  6) Red (Taylor’s Version) - Taylor Swift In an interview with Rolling Stone, Swift stated that she considered Red to be her “only true breakup album.” Indeed, Red’s rerecording is full of devastation. Swift’s newly adult writing lingers on the little details: handwritten notes left in lockets and on doors, matching signs and eye colors, a now infamous scarf. The tracklist follows a chronological order, guiding you through every twist and turn of a dying relationship. Back in 2012, it was the first album Swift released where she expressed dread about falling in love. Gone was a “fearless” first kiss. Instead there were “mosaic broken hearts'' and “treacherous” hopes. The rerecording adds From The Vault tracks, or songs that were supposed to be on the album but didn’t make it. The result is not only a more rounded portrait of heartbreak, but a more rounded portrait of young adulthood too.

5) If I Can’t Have Love I Want Power - Halsey It’s easy to make fun of Halsey. They broke into the mainstream during the Tumblr era, when flower crowns and ‘aesthetic’ reigned supreme. Badlands, their debut, was filled with lyrics built to be edited onto gradient backgrounds, for better or for worse. But just like her Tumblr contemporary, Lana Del Rey, Halsey kept working. She kept improving. Now, her fourth studio album is her best yet. It’s the kind of genre-melding smorgasbord of pop, rock, and grunge that only a massive talent could pull off. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ production finds a perfect companion in Halsey’s scratchy, rage-filled voice. It’s all held together with Halsey’s poignant reflections on “the joys and horrors of pregnancy and childbirth.” Listening to If I Can’t Have Love is the magical feeling of watching an artist finally find their sound. 4) Jubilee - Japanese Breakfast Few albums are as easy to love as this one. After two albums and a book that talked about her mother’s death, it’s the first project where frontwoman Michelle Zauner focused on happiness. She’s stated it’s “a record about fighting to feel.” If that sounds a little suspiciously tinged with sadness to you, fair enough. There are moments of depression in Jubilee, songs like “In Hell” that make poetry out of a pet’s future demise. It’s a testament to Zauner’s talent that these songs are presented as part of joy, rather than a hindrance to it. Things are changing, she says, but for the better. The album's lush production and sonic variety - from orchestral swells, to guitar solos, to panging synths - help get the message across. Jubilee is a warm hug of an album. Never before has the phrase “You know that I'll be here always” been sung with such longing, so comfortingly. 3) FLOWERS for VASES / descansos - Hayley Williams For over a decade, Hayley Williams swore she would never go solo. Paramore was (and still is) her lifeblood - the band that kept her belting through a divorce, childhood tragedies, and countless lost friends. During the pandemic, Williams realized that processing trauma isn’t the same as singing about it, and made two astonishing solo records. The latter of them, FLOWERS for VASES, is more mellow than its predecessor. For the first time in years, Williams holds back on the guitar solos and drums, and lets her revelatory voice wander. Songs like “HYD” and “Over Those Hills” are full of hushed reflections on pain, and how it shapes a person (“The hurt is half the fun” is a line given immense narrative weight). Besides writing every song, Williams also plays every instrument on the album, giving it the true essence of solitude. Of learning how to be alone when you’re not given the choice.  2) Evermore (Deluxe) - Taylor Swift This album made it onto this list by a hair, considering it’s non-deluxe version was released in 2020. Still, Evermore is easy to overlook. It debuted at number one and spawned a number one single, but that’s small potatoes for an artist like Swift. Nevermind that it has some of her most succinct reflections on grief and loss - lines like “Showed you all of my hiding spots / I was dancing when the music stopped” that cut right to the bone. Nevermind that it’s stunning to watch beloved celebrity Taylor Swift self-lacerate like never before (“Your heart was glass, I dropped it” “Did I leave you hanging every single day?”), and explore songwriting styles she’d previously never touched. Evermore is a meditation on endings, on dreaming about a person you can’t talk to anymore. We shouldn’t discount another masterful Swift album just because in these past two years we’ve gotten four of them. 1) Home Video - Lucy Dacus One of the biggest impacts the pandemic has had on music is pushing more soft spoken, emotionally vulnerable indie pop to the mainstream. Home Video is an album in this vein, but it’s also another beast entirely. It’s lyrics are expertly crafted, mini novels in their own right. Dacus is devoted to telling the whole story, fleshing out narrative arcs for even the smallest moments. The too-late dinner with an absent father. A friend falling asleep on your shoulder. Dacus is a sympathetic writer, second guessing in the same breath that she swears revenge. Sonically, the album’s not just stripped down, either. Dacus’ voice is soft, but not sad, and it glides through the uptempo verses of “Hot & Heavy” with ease. This is an album built to be played over and over. You’ll always come away with a new favorite lyric. I’m currently in debt to the line that closes out “Cartwheel:” “The future is a benevolent black hole."