2021โ€ฆwell, it was another year. Another weary, creaky year of being unable to do many of the things weโ€™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 spaceโ€ฆitโ€™s been a lot.

Thus, we canโ€™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 weโ€™re truly grateful to be able to continue sharing (if I may say so) great music with you all.

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

Contents:

Chase McMullenโ€™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

Itโ€™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 Fโ€™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 Havenโ€™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