2021 in Review: Berklee Artists Who Made Best-of-the-Year Lists

From indie to progressive pop, minimalist jazz to retro rock, listen to songs by Berklee artists that media outlets from around the world cited as the year's best.

By
Bryan Parys
December 21, 2021
Album art collage for Best-of-2021 playlist

Well, 2021 didn’t wind up being the full comeback the world had hoped for, but around here, students were able to return to campus, and they brought live music back, cautiously, to many stages. Berklee took an opportunity to take stock of our past, and we moved forward into new educational territory. We were immortalized on the big screen and made Emmy nomination history.

Meanwhile, Berklee artists continue to create music that brings comfort and pushes boundaries. While a complete list would be beyond the scope of one page on the internet, many artists in the Berklee community were namechecked as the best of 2021—some of them numerous times—on lists from major media outlets around the globe. In the following playlist, you can listen to a portion of these musicians. Read on below the playlist to find more information on the artists and the lists on which they appeared.

Credits

Arooj Aftab B.M. '10

  • Pitchfork: Best Albums, no. 12, Vulture Prince
  • Pitchfork: Best Songs, no. 9, “Mohabbat”
  • Pitchfork: Best Jazz and Experimental Music, Vulture Prince
  • NPR: Best Albums, no. 7, Vulture Prince
  • The Guardian: Best Albums, no. 20, Vulture Prince

Adrianne Lenker B.M. '12, Buck Meek B.M. '10, James Krivchenia B.M. '14 (Big Thief)

  • Pitchfork: Best Songs, no. 15, Best Songs, “Little Things”

Sarah Tudzin B.M. '14 (Illuminati Hotties)

  • Consequence of Sound: Best Albums, no. 10, Let Me Do One More
  • Pitchfork: Best Albums, no. 35, Best Albums, Let Me Do One More
  • Pitchfork: Best Songs, no. 40, “MMMOOOAAAAAYAYA”
  • NPR: Best Albums, no. 19, Let Me Do One More
  • Rolling Stone: Best Albums, no. 42, Best Albums, Let Me Do One More
  • The New York Times: Best Albums (Lindsay Zoladz’s list), no. 5, Let Me Do One More

Jess Wolfe B.M. '07, Holly Laessig B.M. '07 (Lucius)

  • Pitchfork: Best Songs, no. 50, “I Don’t Live Here Anymore,” (The War on Drugs featuring Lucius)

    Annie Clark '04 (St. Vincent)

    • USA Today: Best Albums, no. 2, Daddy’s Home
    • Rolling Stone: Best Albums, no. 50, Daddy’s Home
    • The Guardian: Best Albums, no. 27, Daddy’s Home
    • Spin: Best Albums, no. 21, Daddy’s Home
    • Consequence of Sound: Best Albums, no. 50, Daddy’s Home

    Xenia Rubinos B.M. '06

    • Pitchfork: Best Albums, no. 33, Una Rosa
    • Stereogum: Best Albums, no. 33, Una Rosa
    • NPR: Best Songs, no. 55, "Sacude"
    • Spin: Best Albums, no. 28, Una Rosa

    Jilian Medford B.M. '15 (IAN SWEET)

    • Consequence of Sound: Highest-Rated Albums, no. 27, Show Me How You Disappear

        Jeff Parker '90

        • The Quietus: Best Albums, no. 69, Forfolks

          Linda May Han Oh, Bass Department

          • Pitchfork: Best Albums, no. 42, Best Albums, Uneasy (with Vijay Iyer and Tyshawn Sorey)
          • Pitchfork: Best Jazz and Experimental Music, Uneasy (with Vijay Iyer and Tyshawn Sorey)

          Shubh Saran B.M. '14

          • Pitchfork: Best Jazz and Experimental Music, inglish

          Julian Lage '09

          • Slate: Best Jazz Albums, no. 6, Squint

          Esperanza Spalding B.M. '05

          • NPR: Best Songs, no. 36, "Formwela 10"
          • The New York Times: Best Jazz Albums, no. 10, Songwrights Apothecary Lab
          • The New York Times: Best Albums (John Pareles’s list), no. 9, Songwrights Apothecary Lab

            Jihye Lee ’14 (Jihye Lee Orchestra)

            • The Guardian: Best Jazz Albums, no. 6, Best Jazz Albums, Daring Mind
            • JazzTimes: Best Albums, no. 35, Daring Mind

              Miguel Zenón B.M. '98

              • Slate: Best Jazz Albums, no. 7, El Arte del Bolero (with Luis Perdomo)

              Joe Lovano ’72 ’98H (Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas Soundprints) 

              • Slate: Best Jazz Albums, no. 10, Other Worlds
              • JazzTimes: Best Albums, no. 39, Other Worlds