There are many ways to tell a story: Words are only one.
◆ Watch Arlo Parks' Tiny Desk (home) concert Whether it's the visceral pain of Charlie, who longs to "feel somethin' for once" on the track "Hurt" or Millie, who "tried to talk the pleasure back into being alive" on "Hope," Parks encapsulates the sense of anxiety that's become a staple of pandemic life and assures us that we're not alone. With the savvy of an industry veteran, the 21-year-old London artist brings a refreshing vulnerability to the landscape of pop through detailed and relatable character sketches. In January, Arlo Parks came out swinging with her debut full-length, Collapsed In Sunbeams, which went on to win the Mercury Prize for Album of the Year, certified Parks as Best New Artist at the Brit Awards, and garnered her nominations in the same categories at the upcoming 64th Grammy Awards. One of the year's most powerful releases has been my companion for the entirety of 2021. When I begin compiling my list of favorite releases at the end of any given year, I have to refamiliarize myself with those earlier album drops, as records that came out in the latter half of the year have the advantage of being top of mind. Or listen on the streaming platform of your choice. (As a bonus, you can find our list of the 100 Best Songs of 2021 here.) You'll find something fortifying to build you up for the road ahead. Even when slight they are composed, with a sense of purpose. Many of these albums are stacked with great songs, but these aren't snacks. There's plenty of fun, but little escapism. Everywhere on this list you'll find the thrill of artistic revelation, musicians finding themselves, willing something new into reality. Our list of the year's 50 best is topped by an album that was unmatched in concept, songwriting or performance, but it had so much good company. So maybe that's why, when we sat down together to discuss which albums we loved the most over the course of 2021, NPR Music's staff and contributors found ourselves drawn to albums by artists making breakthroughs, moving forward with clarity, without balking at the obstacles falling in their way. Either way, it's hard to resist.If the year presently coming to a close was a dance, it'd be a hesitant shuffle, tentative steps toward - or heyyyy, maybe away from? - an uncertain future. If you didn't play "Far Cry 3," you get a solid sample for one-quarter of the price. If you loved the parent game, you get a fresh new adventure using the same mechanics. "Blood Dragon" is an intriguing experiment in downloadable content from a big publisher like Ubisoft. It takes just six hours or so to play through, which isn't necessarily a bad thing if you felt "FC3" dragged on too long. You don't need that game to play "Blood Dragon." Instead, your $15 buys you a scaled-down version of "FC3" with a smaller map, fewer weapons and a streamlined leveling-up system. The plot is laid out in pixelated, minimally animated cut scenes, although most of the action takes place in the fully up-to-date engine Ubisoft created for last year's "Far Cry 3."
The story has everything you could want from the genre, including a painfully awkward sex scene, a montage of Rex training and a flamboyantly over-the-top climax. Rex is voiced by Michael Biehn, a veteran of genuine '80s classics like "The Terminator" and "Aliens," and his growly one-liners contribute as much to the atmosphere as the game's pulsing synth-heavy soundtrack. The musclehead here is Rex "Power" Colt, a cybernetically enhanced supersoldier who's sent to a remote island to prevent a madman from building an unstoppable army.
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