The best albums of 2021: The ballots

The A.V. Club’s list of 2021’s best albums was determined by 11 critics, who each submitted a ranked ballot of their 20 records of the year. Those ballots can be found below, along with their picks for additional nominations—including best EPs and best reissues. If you’re looking to explore the best records of the year that didn’t make our official list, this is the place to find them. Additionally, this is where you can find our critics’ picks for the best singles of the year. (Spoiler alert: Hope you like “Thot Shit.”)

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Alex McLevy

Top 20 LPs

Indigo De Souza, Any Shape You Take

The Weather Station, Ignorance

The Armed, ULTRAPOP

Torres, Thirstier

Low, Hey What

Son Lux, Tomorrows III

Madlib, Sound Ancestors

Chvrches, Screen Violence

McKinley Dixon, For My Mama And Anyone Who Look Like Her

Jon Hopkins, Music For Psychedelic Therapy

Wednesday, Twin Plagues

Arooj Aftab, Vulture Prince

Noga Erez, KIDS

Bad Bad Hats, Walkman

The Notwist, Vertigo Days

Snail Mail, Valentine

Jazmine Sullivan, Heaux Tales

Ratboys, Happy Birthday, Ratboy

Japanese Breakfast, Jubilee

Little Simz, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

Top 5 singles

Julien Baker, “Faith Healer”

Tkay Maidza, “Kim”

Lucy Dacus, “Thumbs”

Mdou Moctar, “Afrique Victime”

Megan Thee Stallion, ‘Thot Shit”

Top 5 EPs

Beach Bunny, Blame Game

Holly Humberstone, The Walls Are Way Too Thin

Benny The Butcher and Harry Fraud, The Plugz I Met 2

Lee Ranaldo, In Virus Times

Rebecca Black, Rebecca Black Was Here

Top 5 reissues

Radiohead, Kid A Mnesia

Joni Mitchell, The Reprise Albums (1968-1971)

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concert

John Coltrane, A Love Supreme: Live In Seattle

Nirvana, Nevermind: 30th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition

Baraka Kaseko

Top 20 LPs

Little Simz, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

Isaiah Rashad, The House Is Burning

Jazmine Sullivan, Heaux Tales

Genesis Owusu, Smiling With No Teeth

Cleo Sol, Mother

Jungle, Loving in Stereo

Mach Hommy, Pray For Haiti

McKinley Dixon, For My Mama And Anyone Who Look Like Her

Serpentwithfeet, Deacon

Tyler The Creator, Call Me If You Get Lost

Silk Sonic, An Evening With Silk Sonic

Rejjie Snow, Baw Baw Black Sheep

Nao, And Then Life Was Beautiful

Dave, We’re All Alone In This Together

Vince Staples, s/t

Topaz Jones, Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma

Pink Sweat$, Pink Planet

Lil Nas X, Montero

Snoh Aalegra, Temporary Highs In The Violet Skies 

Tinashe, 333

Top 5 singles

Noname, “Rainforest”

Amber Mark, “Foreign Things”

Megan Thee Stallion, “Thot Shit”

Brent Faiyaz feat. Tyler, The Creator, “Gravity”

J. Cole, Lil Baby, “Pride Is the Devil”

Gabrielle Sanchez

Top 20 LPs

Japanese Breakfast, Jubilee

Snail Mail, Valentine

Adele, 30

Summer Walker, Still Over It

Clairo, Sling

Jazmine Sullivan, Heaux Tales

Tyler, The Creator, Call Me If You Get Lost

Katy Kirby, Cool Dry Place

Faye Webster, I Know I’m Funny Haha

Turnstile, GLOW ON

Remi Wolf, Juno

Silk Sonic, An Evening With Silk Sonic

Tasha, Tell Me What You Miss The Most

Doja Cat, Planet Her 

Kacey Musgraves, starcrossed

PinkPantheress, to hell with it

Lil Nas X, Montero

Arlo Parks, Collapsed In Sunbeams

St. Vincent, Daddy’s Home

Lorde, Solar Power

Top 5 singles

Doja Cat feat. SZA, “Kiss Me More”

Japanese Breakfast, “Paprika”

Snail Mail, “Valentine”

MUNA featuring Phoebe Bridgers, “Silk Chiffon”

Mitski, “Working For The Knife”

Cameron Scheetz

Top 20 LPs

Japanese Breakfast, Jubilee

Lil Nas X, Montero

Rostam, Changephobia

Jazmine Sullivan, Heaux Tales

Adele, 30

Arlo Parks, Collapsed In Sunbeams

Magdalena Bay, Mercurial World

Snail Mail, Valentine

Tyler The Creator, Call Me If You Get Lost

Remi Wolf, Juno

Girl In Red, If I Could Make It Go Quiet

Wet, Letter Blue

Doja Cat, Planet Her

Yola, Stand For Myself

Lucy Daucus, Home Video

serpentwithfeet, Deacon

Olivia Rodrigo, Sour

Julien Baker, Little Oblivians

Billie Eilish, Happier Than Ever

Kacey Musgraves, star-crossed

Top 5 singles

Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen, “Like I Used To”

MUNA featuring Phoebe Bridgers, “Silk Chiffon”

Ari Lennox, “Pressure”

Jessie Ware, “Please”

Remi Wolf, “Liz”

Tatiana Tenreyro

Top 20 LPs

Japanese Breakfast, Jubilee

Olivia Rodrigo, SOUR

Indigo De Souza, Any Shape You Take

Julien Baker, Little Oblivions

Snail Mail, Valentine

Katy Kirby, Cool Dry Place

Pom Pom Squad, Death Of A Cheerleader

Rosie Tucker, Sucker Supreme

Helado Negro, Far In

Halsey, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power

The Armed, Ultrapop

Lana Del Rey, Blue Banisters

Modest Mouse, The Golden Casket

PinkPantheress, To Hell With It

We Are The Union, Ordinary Life

Petey, Lean Into Life

Cheekface, Emphatically No.

Rostam, Changephobia

Lucy Dacus, Home Video

Girl In Red, If I Could Make It Go Quiet

Top 5 singles

Olivia Rodrigo, “Deja Vu”

Parquet Courts, “Walking At A Downtown Pace”

Snail Mail, “Valentine”

Megan Thee Stallion, “Thot Shit”

Mitski, “Working For The Knife”

Top 5 EPs

Mannequin Pussy, Perfect

Hannah Jadagu, What Is Going On

Pronoun, SOUND THE ALARMS!!!1!

Jhariah, A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO FAKING YOUR DEATH

Rebecca Black, Rebecca Black Was Here

Top reissues

My Bloody Valentine, Loveless

Radiohead, Kid A Mnesia

Nirvana, Nevermind (30th anniversary edition)

David Anthony

Top 20 LPs

Turnstile, Glow On

Fiddlehead, Between The Richness

The Armed, ULTRAPOP

Hyperdontia, Hideous Entity

Pan-Amerikan Native Front, Little Turtle’s War

Carcass, Torn Arteries

Anika Pyle, Wild River

Regional Justice Center, Crime and Punishment

Hurry, Fake Ideas

Hulder, Godslastering: Hymns of a Forlorn Peasantry

Canal Irreal, Canal Irreal

Thirdface, Do It With A Smile

Concrete Winds, Nerve Butcherer

Slant, 1집

Galvanizer, Prying Sight of Imperception

Jeff Rosenstock, Ska Dream

Socioclast, Socioclast

Laura Stevenson, Laura Stevenson

Ratboys, Happy Birthday, Ratboy

Floatie, Voyage Out

Top single

Snow Ellet, “Cannonball”

Somewhere between untitled-era blink-182, mid-period Get Up Kids, and the Postal Service is this incredible Snow Ellet song. Easily the hookiest thing in a year full of pop-minded singles.

Top EP

Militarie Gun, All Roads Lead To The Gun II

This band’s development has been absolutely thrilling to watch, and if not for that Snow Ellet tracks, “Big Disappointment” would easily have been my song of the year.

Top reissue

Dazy, MAXIMUMBLASTSUPERLOUD: The First 24 Songs

A collection of 24 lo-fi jams that fall somewhere between brit-pop and noise-rock. What’s not to love

Max Freedman

Top 20 LPs

The Weather Station, Ignorance

L’Rain, Fatigue

Indigo de Souza, Any Shape You Take

Turnstile, GLOW UP

SPELLLING, The Turning Wheel

Japanese Breakfast, Jubilee

Jazmine Sullivan, Heaux Tales

Tyler, the Creator, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST

Snail Mail, Valentine

Low, HEY WHAT

Halsey, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power

The Armed, ULTRAPOP

Dry Cleaning, New Long Leg

TORRES, Thirstier

St. Vincent, Daddy’s Home

Remi Wolf, Juno

Lucy Dacus, Home Video

ada lea, one hand on the steering wheel the other sewing a garden

Lingua Ignota, SINNER GET READY

Lily Konigsberg, Lily We Need To Talk Now

Top 5 singles

The Weather Station, “Atlantic”

Indigo de Souza, “Real Pain”

L’Rain, “Kill Self”

Turnstile, “BLACKOUT”

Spirit of the Beehive, “THERE’S NOTHING YOU CAN’T DO”

Top EP

LSDXOXO: Dedicated 2 Disrespect

The Berlin-via-New-York-via-Philly producer’s first release for XL is full of tough-as-nails techno shuffling, monotone vocal delivery, and unflinchingly horny, campy lyrics. Together, all these elements bring the 4 a.m. queer rave vibes to you anytime, anywhere.

Nina Hernandez

Top 20 LPs

Billie Eilish, Happier Than Ever

James Blake, Friends That Break Your Heart

Willow Smith, Lately I Feel Everything

Renee Goust, Resister

Doja Cat, Planet Her

Young MA, Off The Yak

Olivia Rodrigo, SOUR

Arlo Parks, Collapsed In Sunbeans

Fana Hues, Hues

Rico Nasty, Nightmare Vacation

Isaiah Rashad, The House Is Burning

Summer Walker, Still Over it

Dawn Richard, Second Line

Jazmine Sullivan, Heaux Tales

Mach-Hommy, Pray For Haiti

Japanese Breakfast, Jubilee

Little Simz, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

Lil Nas X, Montero

Tyler, The Creator, Call Me if You Get Lost

Karol G, KGO516

Top single

“Girls Girls Girls,” Fletcher

New Jersey vocalist Fletcher stuns by twisting Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl” into a truly sexy ode to women who unapologetically love other women. Beyond content, Fletcher completely remakes Perry’s bubblegum pop into a raucous club banger.

Lily Moayeri

Top 20 LPs

Silk Sonic, An Evening With Silk Sonic

Little Simz, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

Jungle, Loving in Stereo

Yebba, Dawn

IDLES, Crawler

Duran Duran, Future Past

Hard Feelings, Hard Feelings

Leon Bridges, Gold-Diggers Sound

Billie Eilish, Happier Than Ever

Still Woozy, If This Isn’t Nice, I Don’t Know What Is 

Dave Gahan And The Soulsavers, Imposter

Rhys Langston, Stalin Bollywood

Martina Topley-Bird, Forever I Wait

Greta Van Fleet, The Battle at Garden’s Gate

Lady Blackbird, Black Acid Soul

POND, 9

José González, Local Valley 

Rufus du Sol, Surrender

Gorgon City, Olympia

The The, The Comeback Special

Clayton Purdom

Top 20 LPs

Tyler, The Creator, Call Me If You Get Lost

Madlib, Sound Ancestors

Isaiah Rashad, The House Is Burning

Floating Points, Promises

Dry Cleaning, New Long Leg

Armand Hammer, Haram

Wiki, Half God

Tirzah, Colourgrade

Ka, A Martyr’s Reward

Kacy Hill, Simple, Sweet, And Smiling

Aesop Rock, Garbology

Low, Hey What

Faye Webster, I Know I’m Funny Haha

Mach-Hommy, Pray For Haiti

JPEGMafia, LP!

Darkside, Spiral

Grouper, Shade

Pink Siifu & Fly Anakin, Smokebreak

Lone, Always Inside Your Head

Space Afrika, Honest Labour

Top single

Baby Keem featuring Kendrick Lamar, “Family Ties”

And then Kenny returned from the mountaintop batshit gonzo, like mad that rap continued without him, mad that rappers rapped at all, standing behind you while you listen to the track, mad that you’re listening to it. Like the man says: burn that shit. But have some fun doing it, you know

Annie Zaleski

Top 20 LPs

Duran Duran, Future Past

Tents, Limbo

Tori Amos, Ocean to Ocean

Garbage, No Gods No Masters

PONY, TV Baby

Crowded House, Dreamers are Waiting

Quivers, Golden Doubt

The Chills, Scatterbrain

Mogwai, As The Love Continues

Halsey, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power

Palberta, Palberta5000

The Goon Sax, Mirror II

Marissa Nadler, The Path Of The Clouds 

Mammoth WVH, Mammoth WVH

Snail Mail, Valentine

Adult Mom, Driver

Remi Wolf, Juno

The Go! Team, Get Up Sequences Part One

Arlo Parks, Collapsed In Sunbeams

Turnstile, Glow On

Top 5 singles

MUNA featuring Phoebe Bridgers, “Silk Chiffon”

Halsey, “I Am Not a Woman, I’m a God”

The Linda Lindas, “Oh!”

Duran Duran, “Anniversary”

Sarko Montaug, “Possessive”

Best reissue

Rhythm And Paranoia: The Best Of Bush Tetras (Wharfcat)

This compilation is a comprehensive intro to post-punk legends the Bush Tetras, but also is a reminder that their catalog remains as fresh, vital, and searing now as it was 40 years ago.