This chart includes music albums, mini-albums + EPs that premiered with a new repertoire during 2021.
The ranking is the result of an attempt to map the music of countries around the world. The selection and placement were not affected by: popularity, advertising, fashion, mass opinions, genre distinctiveness, nationality. After each album title, there is the name of the country that its creators represent and the musical genres that predominate on it.
1.
Marisa Monte – Portas (Brazil)
MPB, baroque pop, bossa nova
2.
Low – Hey What (USA)
Ambient pop, experimental rock, noise
3.
Alessandro Mannarino – V. (Italy)
Pop, folk, world music
4.
Club Des Belugas – How to Avoid Difficult Situations (Germany)
Nu jazz, downtempo
5.
Celeste – Not Your Muse (USA – United Kingdom)
Neo-soul, contemporary R&B
6.
Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine – A Beginner’s Mind (USA)
Chamber folk
7.
Frederik Valentin – EP 0011001 (Denmark)
Ambient pop, experimental electronic
8.
Frederik Valentin – EP 0011000 (Denmark)
Ambient pop, experimental electronic
9.
Kevin Godley – Muscle Memory (UK)
Art pop, art rock
10.
Shannon and the Clams – Year of the Spider (USA)
Surf rock, psychedelic pop
11.
Fanfare Ciocarlia – It Wasn’t Hard To Love You (Romania)
World music, gypsy brass band
12.
Yat-Kha – We Will Never Die (Tuva)
World music, tuvan throat singing
13.
Polo & Pan – Cyclorama (France)
Tropical house, electropop
14.
Neon Bunny – Kosmos (South Korea)
Sophisti-pop, ambient pop
15.
The Swan and The Lake – Voices (Denmark)
Electronic ambient, cinematic score
16.
Rachel Chinouriri – EP Four° in Winter (UK-Zimbabwe)
Alternative R&B, wonky
17.
The Chills – Scatterbrain (New Zeland)
Dunedin sound, indie pop
18.
Mouss et Hakim – Darons de la Garonne (France)
Chanson, raï, world music
19.
Kings of Convenience – Peace or Love (Nórsko)
Indie folk, chamber folk
20.
Lauren Auder – EP 5 Songs for the Dysphoric (UK)
Art Pop
21.
Mon Laferte – SEIS (Chile-Mexiko)
Bolero, ranchera, latin art pop
22.
Rome – Parlez-Vous Hate? (Luxembourg)
Neofolk, folk rock
23.
Ela Minus – Acts of Rebellion (Columbia-USA)
Synthpop, progressive electronic
24.
HK – EP Danser encore (France)
Chanson, folk, world music
25.
Kaleema – Mirror (Argentina)
Ambient House, Downtempo
26.
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Raise the Roof (Anglicko-USA)
Americana, country rock
27.
Beach House – EP Once Twice Melody: Chapter 1 (USA)
Dream pop
28.
Arab Strap – As Days Get Dark (Scotland)
Indietronica, post–punk, spoken word
29.
Mexican Institute of Sound – Distrito Federal (Mexiko)
Latin electronic, cumbia mexicana
30.
Billy F. Gibbons – Hardware (USA)
Southern rock, blues rock, boogie rock
