Welcome back to RIFF’s top album countdown! If you’re here just to complain about the order or lack of your favorite artists, you’re still early. Or maybe you’re late; check out parts one and two.

Part three includes the most ambitious project ever from Colombian artist J Balvin, an understated folk-rock album by The Killers, a change of direction by Rostam, the hard rock of Between the Buried and Me, returns from Jackson Browne and Tori Amos.

We’ve also got some sleepers for you to check out, so hurry up and dive in!

82. Rostam

Changephobia – Matsor Projects – Domenic Strazzabosco

On Rostam Batmanglij’s second solo album, he strays from the classical influences of his first and blends elements of jazz with pop-rock synthesizers to make for a stunning combination of sounds that feels both visceral and freeing. He talks of governments and emperors and how the younger generations recognize their lack of regard for the planet or each other’s health on the opener, “These Kids We Know.” “You say we can’t afford the slow down/ But the skies won’t take it no more/ So we’re gonna slowly pull the earth back together,” he sings in one poetic call for addressing our climate’s suffering. The jazz lover uses pianos and baritone sax on most of the songs. “Starlight” feels like a Parisian night. His voice quiet and gentle, with saxophone and light snapping joining to emit the feeling of standing under a star-splattered sky.

81. Between the Buried and Me

Colors II – Sumerian Records – Derek Tobias.

Between The Buried and Me may not be on most people’s radar due to the band’s unconventional sound and tendency to push the boundaries of its own unique brand of metal. But Colors II was the perfect addition to an already iconic catalog. With nearly 80 minutes of chaos infused with calmness, Colors II borrows themes from its predecessor without imitating it outright. Dan Briggs (bass) has said that he didn’t want to make an album that sounded like it came out in 2007, and with the organ-style keys of Tommy Giles and random samples from old video games, there is no way one could pinpoint an era in which this music was composed. Colors II is definitely not for the casual metal fan, but with its constantly shifting time signatures and odd instrument pairings, this album will surely be in heavy rotation for  more open-minded progressive fans.

80. Billy Gibbons

Hardware – Concord Records – Gabrielle Poccia

Billy Gibbons’ (ZZ Top) third solo album, Hardware, was clearly inspired by the California desert, where he and his band recorded. His voice is deep and smooth, and if he wasn’t so good at shredding on the guitar, he’d make an excellent narrator of children’s books. Here, however, he narrates the life of a criminal on the run from scorpions and his own dark desires, regales the dangers of the arid landscape and the embrace of poisonous women. Hardware pairs excellently with the rushing sounds of rubber on pavement and the thoughtless drone of a drive to the middle of nowhere.

Hardware rings in another hot girl summer for anyone sitting in the bucket seat of a hotrod or riding on the back of a motorcycle. Billy Gibbons is still making drivin’ music. If you find yourself in the desert, take a look out the window at the rattlesnakes, psychedelic cacti or maybe even a man who’s been left to die by his hot-headed lady.

79. Cheekface

Emphatically No. – New Professor Music – Ben Schultz

“Mass extinction, abduction, the traffic across town/ I’m sure it’s nothing, it’s probably fine.” These are just two of many lyrics on Cheekface’s sophomore album that capture the absurdity of life in the first world—how vapid chatter and privileged ennui share space with imminent political and environmental catastrophe. For listeners who can get on the L.A. indie rock band’s deadpan, playful, sardonic wavelength, this is LOL-worthy stuff. Beneath Emphatically No.’s zingers and goofy vibe lurk dread and bitterness as dark as anything on any doom metal album.

Against such dour—and all too reasonable—sentiments, the tidy tunes and sturdy musicianship don’t offer relief, exactly. They’re more like the proverbial spoonful of sugar you take with your medicine. The end result is an album that, in its own oddball, motor-mouthed way, is as smart and bracing as The Ramones or The Clash at their best. Check out these lines from “Original Composition”: “Human trash everywhere! Tastes like excessive plastic/ Man, it’s a hot one, and everything is on fire/ Let’s see what chaos visited humanity today while I walked on a wire.”

78. J Balvin

Jose – Universal Latin – Roman Gokhman

Over 24 songs, J Balvin showcases a smorgasbord of sounds and styles he’s been exploring for almost a decade—not only reggaeton but American hip-hop, EDM and pop. While Jose doesn’t really push his sound forward, that doesn’t seem to have been the goal of J Balvin this time around. Instead, we get a sampler of sorts, with some of his most autobiographical songs, a variety of riddims and a plethora of guest stars both familiar and new to listeners here in the states. The forward momentum on Jose is the most personal lyricism of the career of J Balvin, focusing both on his own life and that of his family. Reggaeton as a genre largely grew out of boasting about rough living. That makes these songs personal to J Balvin stand out that much more.

77. The Killers

Pressure Machine – Island Records – Arianna Cook-Thajudeen

Despite the return of guitarist Dave Keuning, Pressure Machine is a bit of a departure from the Killers’ typical oeuvre. The concept album was inspired by and centers on the people of Nephi, Utah, the town where Flowers lived during his formative years. The story of the town itself is important context for understanding the album, which features recordings of residents describing (and narrating) the often bleak state of life. Each song is a self-contained vignette, which, taken together, tells the story of what it’s like to live in and experience Nephi. Focusing on themes of rural, small-town decline with opioid use, unfulfilled dreams and feelings of religious disenchantment, the album is one of the band’s most lyrically cohesive. It’s quieter, more restrained, definitely a slow-burner and shows a new side to the Killers.

76. James Blake

Friends That Break Your Heart – Republic Records – Red Dziri

James Blake’s album tackles the intensity of platonic relationships that aren’t given the same attention as infatuation. Throughout, he makes the case for a need to explore them as some of the most formative and intense experiences in one’s life. While it’s pretty clear what a romantic break-up might entail, the end of a friendship is another messy affair that doesn’t get as much representation in art. “And I can’t believe I’m still talking about you,” he sings on “Famous Last Words,” introducing a subject that permeates the entire album–a paradox exemplified in the very existence of the project.

Through interpersonal links, the tracklist also addresses the way we process emotions. It comes full circle with “If I’m Insecure,” where Blake explains how his ability to connect with others has allowed him to overcome some of his inner struggles. No matter whether relationships fizzled out, he finds beauty in loyalty and devotion. The sentiment is also mirrored in the music. Multiple risks are taken and most pay off. The meandering “Coming Back” takes the listener through melodic carousels with an ethereal SZA feature. “Say What You Will” is a majestic balance routine that highlights Blake’s versatility as a vocalist.

75. Tori Amos

Ocean to Ocean – Decca Records – Rachel Alm

Tori Amos scrapped a full album she’d had ready to go before the pandemic hit, and instead wrote a collection of songs about loss, grief and finding your way out of the morass. This year’s Ocean to Ocean is signature Amos–ever-present piano and her precise-yet-dreamy vocal delivery–but it also carries an echo of ancient Cornwall, her home for the past 22 years. Devastated by the death of her mother and best friend in close succession, she withdrew before becoming inspired by the nature surrounding her: the ocean crashing on the rocks, the trees, and the Cornish fairies that she insists are real. The string arrangements are beautiful and serve the songs well, and Amos’ self-production is excellent as always. Highlights include “Spies,” and “Speaking With Trees.”

74. Jackson Browne

Downhill From Everywhere – Inside Recordings – Sam Richards

Jackson Browne is still the master of crafting lyrics that not only sound good, but that get to the heart of sometimes complicated matters. And he can turn that trick in a variety of settings, both emotional and musical. On Downhill From Everywhere, he sounds as if he’s barely aged from when he was a 20-something songwriting prodigy who rolled out those morose classics, as well as 1977’s Running on Empty.

Browne comes in both with specific targets like the struggles of Mexican immigrants into the States and more generalized notions of basic human longing and searching in general (“If all I find is freedom, that’s all right,” he says on “Still Looking for Something”). The musical settings are varied. There’s some fairly straightforward rock and roll with “Until Justice is Real.” There are the Latin flourishes of “The Dreamer,” the acoustic guitar and piano of “Minutes to Downtown” and the more electric Spanish flavor of “A Song for Barcelona.” And even if he shows no signs of letting up on his geopolitical and humanitarian concerns, it’s also satisfying to know he’s still willing and able to lend an ear on affairs of the heart.

73. IDLES

Crawler – Partisan Records – Domenic Strazzabosco

Crawler is a grating and explosive collection of rock from Bristol group IDLES. The group employs harsh guitars across nearly all tracks, also featuring brutally raw vocal work from frontman Joe Talbot. At certain times it begins to sound loud and chaotic, though the group remembers to pare back and give listeners a bit of a reprieve. Crawler serves as a therapeutic examination of addiction and recovery, change and growth. On “Car Crash,” Talbot recounts his near-fatal accident that inspired much of the album, singing of flashes, chin to the tarmac and noticing how “everything is turning to black ash.” Talbot shows off his most impressive, growling belting on reflective lead single “The Beachland Ballroom.”

72. Paul Weller

Fat Pop, Vol.1 – Polydor – David Gill

The former frontman for The Jam once again arrives like an impeccably dressed guest at the soiree. More than mere Britishness, Weller’s dapper sophistication oozes from the speakers throughout his 16th solo album, adding to the album’s elegance and class. It’s all trousers and slacks, no one in jeans got within 50 feet of making this album. There’s a mannered formality to the music, but it’s never stuffy or pretentious. The songs’ elaborate instrumentation and arrangements harken back to the work The Beatles did with legendary producer George Martin. Fat Pop (Volume 1) feels like a fancy night out, but in comfortable clothes and surrounded by friends. After half a century of making music, Paul Weller is as good at it as anybody can be, and we’re lucky he still works very hard on his craft.

71. Jon Batiste

WE ARE – Verve Records – Roman Gokhman

This one snuck through my filter at first. It wasn’t even the first Jon Batiste album I knew most about this year; that honor fell to his “Soul”-inspired jazz album. Now he’s nominated for 11 Grammys for both of those albums (more than any artist). Batiste released a live album this year, too. But back to WE ARE, which physically moved me when I first heard it performed at BottleRock Napa.

Sometimes with love and sometimes with that pointed look you get from a knowledgeable relative (“Tell The Truth”), Batiste crafted a boost for the heart, the soul and the body. The album blends his pop sensibilities with gospel (“I Need You”), funk and hip-hop on “Whatchutalkinabout” and “Boy Hood.” There’s even some classical music with “Movement 11.” With guests like PJ Morton and Trombone Shorty, you know you’re in for a treat. But the sheer positive energy emanating from this album makes it a must listen each morning before you start your day.

82: Rostam. 81. Between the Buried and Me. 80. Billy Gibbons. 79. Cheekface. 78. J Balvin. 77. The Killers. 76. James Blake. 75. Tori Amos. 74. Jackson Browne. 73. IDLES. 72. Paul Weller. 71. Jon Batiste.

The 108 best albums of 2021: 70-61 >>