If you went into 2021 with high expectations, you weren\u2019t alone. Even if it was hard to feel optimistic this time last year, it certainly seemed as if things could get no worse. Live music did return, after all \u2013 though with the appearance of Delta, and now Omicron, the joyful noise comes with a caveat. After sixteen months of having to livestream shows (fun, but not the same) little could stop me from attending shows in person; wearing a mask as an extra precaution felt like no big deal, even if no one else was doing it. But luck (and vaccines) feel like the real reason I emerged unscathed from dozens of risky experiences, and with performances on the horizon canceled once again, maybe it\u2019s wise to enter 2022 with slightly lower expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s always recorded music, anyhow. Maybe the tumult of the year just has me personally feeling a bit unfocused, but it seems as though I barely scaled the mountain of this year\u2019s musical offerings without getting a bit buried in the avalanche of releases \u2013 ones that had been pushed back, ones that were created in lockdown. I\u2019ll be playing catch up well into the new year, but that doesn\u2019t mean there weren\u2019t gems I connected with almost immediately, and very deeply. And that\u2019s what I\u2019ve heard across the board, from those in the industry as well as casual music fans \u2013 is that our favorites this year stayed on heavy rotation, as we latched onto music that accurately reflected our moods, which evolved moment to moment and of course happened to be different for all of us at any given time. What does that mean for year-end lists? Audiofemme has always compiled an eclectic list, including favorites from each of our contributors without overall rank \u2013 consider any repeats to be the best of the best. But this year, the list seems even more diverse, meaning there\u2019s a wealth of weird and wonderful music below to discover, dear reader. Thanks for sticking with us through another wild year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EDITOR LISTS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

• Marianne White (Executive Director)<\/strong>
  • Top 10 Albums:<\/strong>
    1) PinkPantheress \u2013 to hell with it<\/em>
    2) Mdou Moctar \u2013 Afrique Victime<\/em>
    3) Low \u2013 Hey What<\/em>
    4) Jazmine Sullivan \u2013 Heaux Tales<\/em>
    5) Julien Baker \u2013 Little Oblivions<\/em>
    6) Dawn Richard \u2013 Second Line: An Electro Revival
    <\/em>7) Indigo De Souza \u2013 Any Shape You Take<\/em>
    8) aya \u2013 im hole<\/em>
    9) Flock of Dimes \u2013 Head of Roses<\/em>
    10) Tyler, the Creator \u2013 CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST<\/em><\/li>
  • Top 5 Singles:<\/strong>
    1) Japanese Breakfast \u2013 \u201cBe Sweet\u201d
    2) Loraine James (feat. Eden Samara) \u2013 \u201cRunning Like That\u201d
    3) Hand Habits \u2013 \u201cMore Than Love\u201d
    4) Sharon Van Etten & Angel Olsen \u2013 \u201cLike I Used To\u201d
    5) Julien Baker \u2013 \u201cFaith Healer (Half Waif Remix)\u201d<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n