Lil Nas X, Japanese Breakfast, Vince Staples (pictured above) and more share their favorite music of 2021 with NPR. Photo Illustration by Renee Klahr/NPR; Getty Images; Album art courtesy of Polydor & Wolf Tone Records, Saddle Creek Records, Kemosabe & RCA Records hide caption
Clockwise from upper left: IKOQWE, Joyce Wrice, Solomon Fox, Joe'l Young, Hirsch, Floating Points and Pharaoh Sanders. Courtesy of the artists hide caption
Pharoah Sanders and Sam Shepherd (a.k.a. Floating Points) in the studio making Promises. Eric Welles-Nyström/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Pharoah Sanders and Floating Points in the studio. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Caroline Polachek. Her new solo album, Pang is on our shortlist for the best new releases out on Oct. 18. Nedda Afsari hide caption
Floating Points, in a still from Reflections — Mojave Desert. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Armand Van Helden and Disclosure's Guy Lawrence at Holy Ship!, January 2015. Erik Voake/courtesy of the artists/Holy Ship! hide caption
Floating Points' new album, Elaenia, comes out Nov. 6. Louise Haywood Schiefer/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Avalon Emerson's remix of Some Ember's "The Thrashing Whip" is one of our favorite tracks of June. Courtesy of the artist hide caption