The Vinyl Factory's 50 Favourite Albums of 2021

Vinyl Factory's favourite albums of 2020 – the fifty records that the editorial team loved during the past 12 months.

Published: December 09, 2021 18:48 Source

# 1

Promises by Floating Points + Pharoah Sanders

Album • Mar 26 / 2021 Post-Minimalism Third Stream

# 2

Sometimes I Might Be Introvert by Little Simz

Album • Sep 03 / 2021 UK Hip Hop Conscious Hip Hop

# 3

Sound Ancestors by Madlib

Album • Jan 29 / 2021 Instrumental Hip Hop

# 4

Reflection by Loraine James

Album • Jun 04 / 2021 UK Bass IDM

# 5

Isles by Bicep

Album • Jan 22 / 2021 Progressive Breaks Future Garage

# 6

Logue by KMRU

Album • May 14 / 2021 Ambient Progressive Electronic

# 7

We're All Alone In This Together by Dave

Album • Jul 23 / 2021 UK Hip Hop Conscious Hip Hop

# 8

Feeling Normal by Calibre

Album • Feb 26 / 2021 2-Step Dubstep

# 9

Agor by Koreless

Album • Jul 09 / 2021 Progressive Electronic

# 10

Soniscope by Midori Hirano

Album • Sep 24 / 2021 Electronic

# 11

Tresor 30 by Various Artists

Album • Oct 01 / 2021

# 12

30 by Adele

Album • Nov 19 / 2021 Pop Soul

# 13

Waking the Dreaming Body by Karima Walker

Album • Feb 26 / 2021 Ambient Contemporary Folk

# 14

Pool by Skee Mask

Album • May 07 / 2021 IDM Techno Breakbeat

# 15

still slipping vol. 1 by Joy Orbison

Album • Aug 13 / 2021 UK Bass

# 16

But Only After You Have Suffered by Jamire Williams

Album • Dec 03 / 2021 Nu Jazz Jazz Rap

# 17

CRAWLER by IDLES

Album • Nov 12 / 2021 Post-Punk Art Punk

# 18

Shade by Grouper

Album • Oct 22 / 2021 Contemporary Folk Singer-Songwriter

# 19

Love Letters, Nine Through Six by 96 Back

Album • Nov 05 / 2021 IDM

# 20

CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST by Tyler, The Creator

Album • Jun 25 / 2021 West Coast Hip Hop

# 21

Honest Labour by Space Afrika

Album • Aug 27 / 2021 Sound Collage Ambient

# 22

Asakusa Light by Soichi Terada

Album • Jan 07 / 2022 Deep House

# 23

Skin by Joy Crookes

Album • Oct 15 / 2021 Neo-Soul Pop Soul

# 24

Quivering In Time by Eris Drew

Album • Oct 29 / 2021 Breakbeat Deep House

# 25

Collapsed In Sunbeams by Arlo Parks

Album • Jan 29 / 2021 Bedroom Pop Neo-Soul

# 26

Space 1.8 by Nala Sinephro

Album • Sep 03 / 2021 Nu Jazz Avant-Garde Jazz

# 27

Sounds of Pamoja by Various Artists

Album • Sep 17 / 2021

# 28

A Recurring Nature by Adam Pits

Album • Jul 16 / 2021

# 29

Colourgrade by Tirzah

Album • Oct 01 / 2021 Minimal Wave Art Pop

# 30

Hidemi by Patrick Shiroishi

Album • Oct 29 / 2021 Avant-Garde Jazz

# 31

The American Negro by Adrian Younge

Album • Feb 26 / 2021 Jazz-Funk Spoken Word

# 32

Seventeen Going Under by Sam Fender

Album • Oct 08 / 2021 Heartland Rock

# 33

Late Spring by Chihei Hatakeyama

Album • Apr 07 / 2021 Ambient

# 34

Tewari by Scotch Rolex

Album • May 28 / 2021 Experimental Hip Hop Deconstructed Club

# 35

Angel Tears in Sunlight by Pauline Anna Strom

Album • Feb 19 / 2021 Ambient New Age Progressive Electronic

# 36

1977 by THE PEOPLE IN FOG + DJ Sodeyama

Album • Jun 28 / 2021

# 37

DEACON by serpentwithfeet

Album • Mar 26 / 2021 Alternative R&B Art Pop

# 38

Forfolks by Jeff Parker

Album • Dec 10 / 2021 Post-Minimalism

# 39

Mother by Cleo Sol

Album • Aug 20 / 2021 Neo-Soul Smooth Soul

# 40

Yellow by Emma-Jean Thackray

Album • Jul 23 / 2021 Jazz Fusion

# 41

Alkisah by Senyawa

Album • Feb 19 / 2021 Avant-Folk

# 42

Repair Techniques by Sofie Birch + Johan Carøe

Album • Aug 04 / 2021 Ambient

# 43

Medieval Femme by Fatima Al Qadiri

Album • May 14 / 2021 Ambient

# 44

Boxed In by Daniel Casimir

Album • Nov 05 / 2021 Jazz

# 45

Jade by Pan Daijing

Album • Jun 04 / 2021

# 46

Painful Enlightenment by Jana Rush

Album • Aug 13 / 2021 Footwork Juke

# 47

Teenage Dreams by Native Soul

Album • Sep 24 / 2021 Amapiano

# 48

Dancing Spirits by Naoko Sakata

Album • Mar 26 / 2021 Modern Classical Free Improvisation

# 49

Equiknoxx Meets Feel Free Hi Fi by Equiknoxx + Feel Free Hi Fi

Album • Mar 26 / 2021 Digital Dancehall

# 50

Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish

Album • Jul 30 / 2021 Alt-Pop Contemporary R&B