The 20 Best Albums of 2021 So Far
Which albums have impressed critics the most during the first half of the year? Above, we rank the best-reviewed LPs released between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021 by Metascore. Albums must have at least 7 reviews from professional critics to be eligible, and resissues, EPs, live albums, and compilations are excluded.
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis have been collaborating for decades, with Ellis a longtime member of Cave's bands The Bad Seeds and Grinderman and the two performers combining to score films such as The Proposition and The Road. But February release Carnage is their first album of songs as a duo. Recorded last year during lockdown, it's Cave's third consecutive studio album to score above 90.
“Carnage was clearly made in the same creative breath as Ghosteen. We remain in the grip of Cave’s loss and its fractal of consequences – a haunt enabled further by Ellis at the peak of his powers.” —The Observer
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