2021 Albums of the Year Bracket Results

The results are in! Last month we named Change the Rotation's 32 favorite albums of 2021. Now we have the results of our 9th annual albums of the year bracket beatdown. How did the matchups go down and who was the last album standing? Find out below. First, a little bracketology: four of us (Dave Anians, Danny Collins, Steve O and myself) each submit a list of our favorite full-length albums of the year. Any record appearing on at least two of our lists automatically makes it onto the bracket. The remaining spots are divided evenly between the four of us. Once we have our field of 32, the albums are drawn randomly into their positions on the bracket. All four of us vote on each matchup until we have a champion. Four voters means there are bound to be some ties. We each assign a point value to each album before the voting begins (32 points to our favorite album, 1 point to least favorite). In the case of a tie, we add the four point values for each album to determine the winner. Below, see how it all came out, stream all 32 albums through the links toward the bottom of the post, and finally, a video of this year's virtual voting if you want to see how each individual matchup went down.

The Muslims took region 1 with their Epitaph debut Fuck These Fuckin Fascists. This is their third time on the bracket - Mayo Supreme finished second in 2019. Amyl and the Sniffers and Blind Adam and the Federal League return for their second times on the bracket. This is the first time on the bracket for the remainder of this quadrant.

Joystick carried the ska torch into the final four from region 2. I Can't Take It Anymore marks Joystick's first time on the bracket. They took down 2018 champions The Kreutzer Sonata, returning band Surfbort and Vial, who had a strong showing in their first time on the bracket.

Chicago post hardcore group The Ableist cruised to the final four with their self-titled debut album, taking out 2017 champions Sincere Engineer on the way. Uglybones' final album took out Ska Dream before losing to fellow locals Sincere Engineer.

Canal Irreal took the last final four spot with their self-titled debut album. Generacion Suicida had a strong showing in their first time on the bracket. Illuminati Hotties were the only band in this quadrant who had been on the bracket in the past.

The Muslims defeated Joystick in the first semifinal matchup.

The Ableist won a tiebreaker with Canal Irreal to advance to the final. This set the final matchup as The Ableist vs. Fuck These Fuckin Fascists.

Fuck These Fuckin Fascists by The Muslims is Change the Rotation's album of the year! Fuck These Fuckin Fascists joins our previous bracket champions: The Beauty Between by RVIVR (2013,) Transgender Dysphoria Blues by Against Me! (2014,) Constructs of the State by Leftöver Crack (2015,) , Dies by Gouge Away (2016,) Rhombithian by Sincere Engineer (2017,) The Gutters of Paradise by The Kreutzer Sonata (2018,) Cut & Stitch by Petrol Girls (2019) and Imperio Maldito by Evil Empire (2020). Congratulations to all the bands on this year's bracket. Stream all 32 albums through the links below.

The Ableist - The Ableist
Amyl and the Sniffers - Comfort to Me
The Armed - ULTRAPOP
Blind Adam and the Federal League - An Act of Desperation
Bob Vylan - We Live Here
Canal Irreal - Canal Irreal
Corrupt Vision - These Hands of Mine
DARE - Against All Odds
Dollar Signs - Hearts of Gold
Doom Scroll - Immoral Compass
Fiddlehead - Between the Richness
Generacion Suicida - Regeneracion
Heet Deth - Heet Deth HOORAY!
Hostages - Climate of Hate
Illuminati Hotties - Let Me Do One More
Jeff Rosenstock - SKA DREAM
Joe Vickers - Waiting on a Muse
Joystick - I Can't Take It Anymore
Kali Masi - [laughs]
The Kreutzer Sonata - Cradle to the Grave
The Muslims - Fuck These Fuckin Fascists
Postage - Postage
Rent Strike - NOW
Scowl - How Flowers Grow
Sincere Engineer - Bless My Psyche
Slant - 1집
The Suburbanists - Eat From The Tree
Surfbort - Keep On Truckin'
Uglybones - Erasure
Vial - Loudmouth
We Are The Union - Ordinary Life
Won't Stay Dead - Purgatory

Finally, if you want to see how each individual matchup went down, check out the lenghty video below!