2021…well, it was another year. Another weary, creaky year of being unable to do many of the things we’d like to, another year of watching our youth pass by when we should be out dating, partying, and generally living. From COVID-19 to ever-worsening climate change to billionaires whose only real interests seem to lie in space…it’s been a lot.

Thus, we can’t help but be more thankful than ever for music. Whether as an escape, a security blanket, a partner in fear and anxiety, great tunes are always there, no matter the hour or situation.

Speaking for us, Beats Per Minute remains something of a safe place amidst the turmoil and general depressive state of the world, so we’re truly grateful to be able to continue sharing (if I may say so) great music with you all.

I hope you’ve found some songs that mean something to you on our site this year, and I hope you’ll continue to for years to come. – Chase McMullen

Contents:

Chase McMullen’s 2021 Round-up

Several Uninspired Ways of Re-listing My Year in Music, by Rob Hakimian

Enough Is Enough: Looking Back On 2021, by Ray Finlayson

John Wohlmacher’s 2021 Nutshell

Jasper Willems’ Roundup

Kyle Kohner’s Top 50 Albums of 2021

It’s All Cyclical: A Look at 20 Reissues that Deserved Your Attention in 2021, by Joshua Pickard

The Best Albums of 2021 According to this Humble Lit. Major: An Adjectival Journey Through Jeremy F’s Albums of the Year

Looking Back on 2021, by John Amen

Some Thoughts (and Tunes) on a Truly Bizarre Year, by Carlo Thomas

Great 2021 Albums That Haven’t Been Talked to Death Elsewhere, by Mimi Kenny

Top 5 Things Remembered or Forgotten, by Aleksandr Smirnov

My Year in Concerts, by Ethan Reis