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The Observer
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www.theguardian.com/observer
Highest Rated Albums of 2021
Decade
2020s
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2020s
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Genre
All
All
Alternative R&B
Alternative Rock
Art Pop
Contemporary Folk
Contemporary R&B
Country
Electronic
Folk
Hip Hop
Indie Pop
Indie Rock
Jazz
Neo-Soul
Pop
Pop Rap
Pop Rock
Psychedelia
R&B
Rock
Singer-Songwriter
Soul
Trap
UK Hip Hop
2020s
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
This is an ordered list of The Observer's highest rated albums of 2021. Check out
The Observer's Year End List
.
1
.
IDLES - CRAWLER
November 12, 2021
Post-Punk
,
Art Punk
Score
100
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
2
.
Self Esteem - Prioritise Pleasure
October 22, 2021
Electropop
,
Alt-Pop
Score
100
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
3
.
Leon Bridges - Gold-Diggers Sound
July 23, 2021
Pop Soul
,
Contemporary R&B
Score
100
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
4
.
SAULT - Nine
June 25, 2021
Neo-Soul
,
UK Hip Hop
,
R&B
Score
100
Source →
Amazon
5
.
Dry Cleaning - New Long Leg
April 2, 2021
Post-Punk
,
Art Punk
,
Spoken Word
,
Indie Rock
Score
100
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
6
.
Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises
March 26, 2021
Post-Minimalism
,
Third Stream
Score
100
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
7
.
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - CARNAGE
February 25, 2021
Art Pop
,
Chamber Pop
Score
100
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
8
.
Ghetts - Conflict Of Interest
February 19, 2021
UK Hip Hop
,
Grime
,
Conscious Hip Hop
Score
100
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
9
.
Black Country, New Road - For the first time
February 5, 2021
Experimental Rock
,
Post-Punk
,
Post-Rock
,
Art Rock
Score
100
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
10
.
The Weather Station - Ignorance
February 5, 2021
Art Pop
,
Sophisti-Pop
,
Chamber Pop
Score
100
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
11
.
Joyce DiDonato / Yannick Nézet-Séguin - Schubert: Winterreise
April 23, 2021
Romanticism
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
12
.
Jeff Parker - Forfolks
December 10, 2021
Free Improvisation
,
Cool Jazz
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
13
.
Kansas Smitty's - Plunderphonia
October 29, 2021
Jazz Fusion
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
14
.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Barn
December 10, 2021
Folk Rock
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
15
.
Arca - KicK iii
December 1, 2021
Deconstructed Club
,
Glitch Hop
,
Experimental Hip Hop
,
Latin Electronic
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
16
.
Bill Callahan & Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Blind Date Party
December 10, 2021
Folk Rock
,
Indie Folk
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
17
.
Richard Dawson & Circle - Henki
November 26, 2021
Progressive Rock
,
Art Rock
,
Psychedelic Rock
,
Krautrock
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
18
.
Daedelus & Joshua Idehen - Holy Water Over Suns
November 26, 2021
Spoken Word
,
Experimental Hip Hop
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
19
.
Christy Moore - Flying Into Mystery
November 19, 2021
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
20
.
Elbow - Flying Dream 1
November 19, 2021
Art Pop
,
Chamber Pop
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
21
.
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raise The Roof
November 19, 2021
Americana
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
22
.
Adele - 30
November 19, 2021
Pop Soul
,
Adult Contemporary
,
Pop
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
23
.
Buffalo Nichols - Buffalo Nichols
October 15, 2021
Blues
,
Americana
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
24
.
Justin Adams & Mauro Durante - Still Moving
October 29, 2021
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
25
.
Joan As Police Woman, Tony Allen & Dave Okumu - The Solution Is Restless
November 5, 2021
Neo-Soul
,
Art Pop
Score
80
Source →
Amazon
1
2
3
4
...
7
NOTE:
This is not a year end list. This list is ordered by the ratings The Observer awarded albums throughout 2021.
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Rolling Stone's Highest Rated Albums of 2021
NME's Highest Rated Albums of 2021
AllMusic's Highest Rated Albums of 2021
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