BEST IN TECH 2021: Though we’re not nearly out of the woods yet, this year has seen something of a comeback for the music industry, with artists and producers climbing bleary-eyed out of their bedrooms and returning to studios and stages across the globe to do what they do best.
In celebration, we’re recognising some of the most creative sounds produced by music-makers in 2021. To that end, we’ve rounded up a (by no means exhaustive) list of the year’s most outstanding album releases, focusing on artists, bands and producers that have impressed us with their music-making abilities, and not just the music they’ve released.
There was inspiration to be found in every corner of the musical landscape this year, from the orchestra-backed cosmic jazz of Floating Points & Pharaoh Sanders’ Promises, to Olivia Rodrigo’s world-dominating breakup-pop opus SOUR, to the warp-speed electronics of Iglooghost’s Lei Line Eon and Jimmy Edgar’s Cheetah Bend.
Vote for your pick of our picks below.
Voting closes at midnight on 5 December.
“It didn’t even represent what we were doing. Even the guitar solo has no business being in that song”: Gwen Stefani on the No Doubt song that “changed everything” after it became their biggest hit
"There was water dripping onto the gear and we got interrupted by a cave diver": How Mandy, Indiana recorded their debut album in caves, crypts and shopping malls
“It didn’t even represent what we were doing. Even the guitar solo has no business being in that song”: Gwen Stefani on the No Doubt song that “changed everything” after it became their biggest hit
"There was water dripping onto the gear and we got interrupted by a cave diver": How Mandy, Indiana recorded their debut album in caves, crypts and shopping malls
