Favorite albums of 2021 sounded out a wide range of feelings

As much as any other year (maybe more), music lovers needed something from the songs and albums of 2021 — to name what was going wrong and to begin sketching the possibilities for how we might reconnect to one another.

Artists, as they always do, came through. 2021 was a musical year marked by technical invention and deep emotional dives that sounded out what we all were feeling.

Here are my 10 favorite albums of 2021 — and a look at those just missing the cut.

1. Chris Thile, "Laysongs"

The truest aspect of Chris Thile's genius — which was certified with a MacArthur Fellowship nearly a decade ago — lies in his ability to craft intellectually satisfying music that never forfeits a drop of soul. That genius is on full display with "Laysongs," an album that punches far, far above its supposed musical and emotional weight.

With just his voice and mandolin, the Nickel Creek and Punch Brothers veteran sounds as big as a symphony. And this set, which functions like a hymn sing for agnostics and the spiritually disenfranchised, is a fascinating, visceral exploration of the void a former faith leaves — and how it might be filled. "Laysongs" critiques religion while borrowing its shapes and contours, and while never damning the religious. It is a deeply satisfying, humanistic experience that just happens to be an exquisite listen.

2. Wild Pink, "A Billion Little Lights"

Few modern songwriters balance realism and wonder like Wild Pink leader John Ross. His work acknowledges the thousand tiny cuts we suffer each day yet acknowledges, as on the title of his band's third album, the mundane miracles that hover over us and make us come alive.

Here, Ross and Co. masterfully match mood and matter; these songs are buzzy yet spacious, grounded in gentle forward motion and open to sweeping dynamic shifts. Wild Pink marries a folk-rock ethos with unbound ambition, taking a similar path to acts like The War on Drugs (more on them in a moment). "A Billion Little Lights" realizes the band's early promise, and Wild Pink takes its place alongside such artists as peers, not followers.

3. Lucy Dacus, "Home Video "

Dacus would probably make this list if she made an album that was just the song "Thumbs" on repeat; the track — written at the intersection of narrative unfolding and emotional bloodletting — is the most powerful piece of art I experienced this year. Thankfully, the singer-songwriter surrounded that heartbreaker with 10 other remarkable songs.

"Home Video" showcases Dacus' considerable gifts as a songwriter, especially around the subjects of memory and nostalgia. Somehow, she manages to write from inside a particularly heartrending moment — testifying to fine detail and overpowering emotion — while offering the sort of mature, measured commentary only time can produce. The result is what makes Dacus a generational talent and "Home Video" unforgettable.

4. Japanese Breakfast, "Jubilee"

Having released one of the most tender and powerful memoirs of 2021 — the New York Times best-selling "Crying in H Mart" — it might be easy to forget that Japanese Breakfast's Michelle Zauner also released one of the great records of the year. "Jubilee" is a vibrant journey through pop and indie-rock scenes, an album that shines from inside out.

Zauner's presence, vocally and emotionally, is remarkable here. She never shies away from a tricky musical maneuver or lyrical admission. Her capacity for telling resonant tales across varied media inspires in confidence in listeners — to go live out stories of their own.

5. The War on Drugs, "I Don’t Live Here Anymore"

Perhaps my most-played album of the year, Adam Granduciel and Co.'s latest feels like the next beautiful step in an ongoing evolution. "I Don't Live Here Anymore" gently refines and expands the War on Drugs sound — shaggy heartland rock and sharply-focused arrangements blur together here like scenery past a train window.

The space within these songs and their searching spirit sneak up on listeners until the sense of alienation we've all been living through and the band's ache sound one and the same. There is both more hurt and hope expressed here than on any set of songs the band has written into the permanent record.

6. Anna Leone, "I’ve Felt All These Things"

Swedish singer-songwriter Anna Leone crafted one of the most quietly powerful albums of 2021 with "I've Felt All These Things." A propulsive perseverance guides Leone through these 10 folk songs as she approximates an almost-holy experience — lamenting the gaps between how life is and should be, then lifting her eyes to carry on.

The songwriting is so good, so flawlessly and assuredly composed, that it's easy to neglect Leone's physical instrument; her voice both calls back to the greats of soul yet possesses a gritty, everyday quality that adds just another layer of relatability. There isn't a note, musically or emotionally, wasted here.

7. Matthew Milia, "Keego Harbor"

Both in his work leading the band Frontier Ruckus and as a solo artist, Milia has established himself as the poet laureate of disillusioned suburban romantics. The songwriter beautifully, bleakly documents the people, places and casual ruin that comprise our image of home — holding out the flickering light of solidarity as he keeps vigil for what used to be.

"Keego Harbor" features the most realized arrangements of Milia's solo career, a subtly-layered folk-rock sound that casts him as a Harry Nilsson figure for the indie generation. The album is both a wonderful entry point into Milia's songwriting, and a soulful next step for listeners keeping stride all along.

8. Brandi Carlile, "In These Silent Days"

It is a blessed thing to witness an artist come into their own. Brandi Carlile never shrinks within the spotlight, and has made great, ever-more-popular records for more than 15 years. But 2021 felt like the year Carlile became America's Songwriter; from high-profile gigs like "Saturday Night Live" and our own Roots N Blues festival to a new album and autobiography, Carlile was everywhere.

Wherever she showed up, she toted a remarkable collection of songs. "In These Silent Days" holds up to the best work in Carlile's category — here, she finds the inherent warmth and humanity in each moment, then translates that beauty into melody, harmony and memory. "In These Silent Days" isn't a revelation to those who've long listened to Carlile, but it sounds out the next note in a gentle revolution.

9. McKinley Dixon, "For My Mama and Anyone Who Look Like Her"

On his latest, gorgeous yet marked by its gravity, the Virginia-based rapper and composer creates swirling soundtracks from hip-hop, jazz and soul, then draws the listener to the eye of the storm, conversing with them in personal tones that unlock universal truths.

"For My Mama ..." knows its family history — both its musical and blood relations — but draws upon the past in a present-tense way. Dixon's writing reflects a deep, ingrained contemplation yet he delivers his poetry in a wonderfully urgent, visceral manner.

10. Lightning Bug, "A Color of the Sky"

With its third full-length, Lightning Bug delivers exquisite, shimmering rock befitting its name and that of the album itself. Audrey Kang's hypnotic voice fits these arrangements hand in glove; textured guitars, open-handed grooves and tasteful jazz adornments frame her lyrics and feel like the components of a waking dream.

Trace elements of Mazzy Star and Spiritualized ring through the sound of a band that both knows its lineage and keeps bending toward new sources of light.

The next 15

Foxing, "Draw Down the Moon"; Snail Mail, "Valentine"; Low, "Hey What"; The Killers, "Pressure Machine"; Iceage, "Seek Shelter"; Illuminati Hotties, "Let Me Do One More"; Squid, "Bright Green Field"; Julien Baker, "Little Oblivions"; Amythyst Kiah, "Wary + Strange"; Cassandra Jenkins, "An Overview on Phenomenal Nature"; Blackstarkids, "Puppies Forever"; The Mountain Goats, "Dark In Here"; Fiddlehead, "Between the Richness"; Wolf Alice, "Blue Weekend"; Dusted, "III"

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Favorite albums of 2021 sounded out a wide range of feelings