{"id":1252282,"date":"2021-12-16T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-16T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1252282"},"modified":"2021-12-16T15:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-12-16T12:00:00","slug":"the-best-underrated-albums-of-2021-according-to-pitchfork-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1252282","title":{"rendered":"The Best Underrated Albums of 2021, According to Pitchfork Staff"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Lists & Guides<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Best Underrated Albums of 2021, According to Pitchfork Staff<\/h1>\n
<\/div>\n
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Personal favorites that didn\u2019t make our list of the best albums of the year, including Willow, Baby Keem, Mickey Guyton, and more<\/div>\n
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By <\/span>Pitchfork<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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Graphic by Callum Abbott. Willow photo by\u00a0Jerritt Clark\/Getty Images, Colleen Green photo by David A. Smith\/Getty Images, Baby Keem photo by\u00a0Johnny Nunez\/Getty Images, Ryan Sambol photo by Andrea Calo<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Here at Pitchfork, we listen to a lot of music. A lot<\/em>. Every year, whittling down our best albums list to only 50 albums and our best songs list to only 100 songs is incredibly difficult. There\u2019s just too much great stuff to choose from, and inevitably, even things that our staff members feel super passionate about end up on the cutting room floor.<\/p>\n

This year, we decided to give our writers and editors one last chance to make the case for their personal favorites. This list features picks across genres and levels of fame; the only criteria for inclusion was that the album was not on our Best Albums of 2021 list. We hope you enjoy reading as much as we enjoyed listening.<\/p>\n

Check out all of Pitchfork\u2019s 2021 wrap-up coverage here.<\/p>\n

(All releases featured here are independently selected by our editors. When you buy something through our retail links, however, Pitchfork may earn an affiliate commission.)<\/em><\/p>\n

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\"pgLang<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

pgLang \/ Columbia<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Baby Keem: The Melodic Blue<\/em><\/h2>\n

Best Moment:<\/strong> \u201cTwo-phone Baby Keem, fuck you mean? I am here, ho\/Ice cream, booger colored piss, Sub-Zero\/No ho hookers in my clique, we don\u2019t fear ho\/Lit, lit, lit, lit, lit, lit, lit, lit\u201d (\u201cVent\u201d).<\/p>\n

Best Song:<\/strong> \u201cFamily Ties\u201d [ft. Kendrick Lamar]<\/p>\n

RIYL:<\/strong> Postmodern hip-hop<\/p>\n

\u2013Matthew Strauss<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen\/Buy:<\/strong> Amazon | Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal<\/p>\n

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\"Forever<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

Forever Living Originals<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Cleo Sol: Mother<\/em><\/h2>\n

Best Moment:<\/strong> The way she wrings drama from every word on the first line of \u201cBuild Me Up,\u201d slowly working up to the gospel-choir crescendo<\/p>\n

Best Song:<\/strong> \u201c23\u201d<\/p>\n

RIYL:<\/strong>Spirit in the Dark<\/em> on a Sunday morning, easing into tender domesticity, the Inflo-produced tracks on Adele\u2019s 30<\/em> or the softer side of SAULT, crying for reasons both happy and sad<\/p>\n

\u2013Jillian Mapes<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen\/Buy:<\/strong> Rough Trade | Amazon | Apple Music | Bandcamp | Spotify | Tidal<\/p>\n

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\"Hardly<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

Hardly Art<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Colleen Green: Cool<\/em><\/h2>\n

Best Moment:<\/strong> The not one but two<\/em> songs dedicated to becoming a nicer, happier person, goddammit<\/p>\n

Best Song:<\/strong> \u201cI Wanna Be a Dog\u201d<\/p>\n

RIYL:<\/strong> Illuminati Hotties, chorus effect, one-woman shows, deleting your Facebook, going to the park, ear scratches, treats<\/p>\n

\u2013Anna Gaca<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen\/Buy:<\/strong> Rough Trade | Amazon | Apple Music | Bandcamp | Spotify | Tidal<\/p>\n

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\"RVNG<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

RVNG Intl.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Dialect: Under~Between<\/em><\/h2>\n

Best Moment:<\/strong> The soft, glassy strings that flutter across \u201cYamaha Birds,\u201d suggesting streaks of movement across a sun-warmed aviary<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Best Song:<\/strong> \u201cUnder~Between\u201d<\/p>\n

RIYL:<\/strong> Talk Talk, Bing & Ruth, the sounds of nature while a minimalist chamber ensemble rehearses outdoors<\/p>\n

\u2013Philip Sherburne<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen\/Buy:<\/strong> Rough Trade | Amazon | Apple Music | Bandcamp | Spotify | Tidal<\/p>\n

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\"20<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

20 Buck Spin<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Dream Unending: Tide Turns Eternal<\/em><\/h2>\n

Best Moment:<\/strong> The ambient breakdown in the title track, which leads to a gut-punch guitar solo whose final note resonates for almost 30 seconds<\/p>\n

Best Song:<\/strong> \u201cDream Undending\u201d<\/p>\n

RIYL:<\/strong> Metal with fretless bass and spoken word, the Cure patch on your battle jacket, crying to 1980s sci-fi movies, describing your dreams in great detail.<\/p>\n

\u2013Sam Sodomsky<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen\/Buy:<\/strong> Amazon | Apple Music | Bandcamp | Spotify | Tidal<\/p>\n

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\"Run<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

Run for Cover<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Fiddlehead: Between the Richness<\/em><\/h2>\n

Best Moment:<\/strong> At the start of \u201cLife Notice,\u201d when Pat Flynn\u2019s wife reads a eulogy for her childhood best friend, and it segues into an ominous yet moving guitar riff honoring the life she lived<\/p>\n

Best Song:<\/strong> \u201cGet My Mind Right\u201d<\/p>\n

RIYL:<\/strong> Post-hardcore with an emo urgency, Floral Green<\/em> by Title Fight, Samiam lyrics, Drug Church, telling your friends you love them<\/p>\n

\u2013Nina Corcoran<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen\/Buy:<\/strong> Rough Trade | Amazon | Apple Music | Bandcamp | Spotify | Tidal<\/p>\n

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\"Sacred<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

Sacred Bones<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Indigo Sparke: Echo<\/em><\/h2>\n

Best Moment:<\/strong> The lonesome whistling that comes in at the very end of \u201cColourblind\u201d that could go on for another three minutes.<\/p>\n

Best Song:<\/strong> \u201cCarnival\u201d<\/p>\n

RIYL:<\/strong> Early Sharon Van Etten, the softer side of Big Thief and Lucinda Williams, kissing and whispering, the void in general<\/p>\n

\u2013Jeremy D. Larson<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen\/Buy:<\/strong> Rough Trade | Amazon | Apple Music | Bandcamp | Spotify | Tidal<\/p>\n

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\"Joyface\"<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

Joyface<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Jenevieve: Division<\/em><\/h2>\n

Best Moment:<\/strong> When the beat casually reduces from a throb to a sensuous simmer in the middle of \u201cBlameless\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Best Song:<\/strong> \u201cBaby Powder\u201d<\/p>\n

RIYL:<\/strong> Cryptic flirting, ethereal soul, bubble-bath-and-chill nights<\/p>\n

\u2013Clover Hope<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen\/Buy:<\/strong> Amazon | Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal<\/p>\n

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\"Katy<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

Keeled Scales<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Katy Kirby: Cool Dry Place<\/em><\/h2>\n

Best Moment:<\/strong> The final 30 seconds of \u201cTap Twice\u201d when the serene indie-folk swells to a climactic finish as Kirby bellows a vivid image: \u201cYou thrashed around like goldfish in a garbage bag\u201d<\/p>\n

Best Song:<\/strong> \u201cJuniper\u201d<\/p>\n

RIYL:<\/strong> Singing saws, a cool beer enjoyed beneath the blazing sun, Mitski\u2019s Bury Me at Makeout Creek<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2013Quinn Moreland<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen\/Buy:<\/strong> Rough Trade | Amazon | Apple Music | Bandcamp | Spotify | Tidal<\/p>\n

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\"Interscope\"<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

Interscope<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Mereba: AZEB<\/em> EP<\/h2>\n

Best Moment:<\/strong> The beatific handclaps and improvised vocal riffs that close \u201cGo(l)d\u201d on a glorious, sun-kissed note.<\/p>\n

Best Song:<\/strong> \u201cRider\u201d<\/p>\n

RIYL:<\/strong> The head rush of falling in love, earth signs, summer picnics, inner peace<\/p>\n

\u2013Eric Torres<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen\/Buy:<\/strong> Amazon | Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal<\/p>\n

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\"UMG\"<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

UMG<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Mickey Guyton: Remember Her Name<\/em><\/h2>\n

Best Moment:<\/strong> The way Guyton wails \u201cIf you think we live in the land of the free\u201d at the climax of \u201cBlack Like Me\u201d<\/p>\n

Best Song:<\/strong> \u201cWhat Are You Gonna Tell Her?\u201d<\/p>\n

RIYL:<\/strong> When Beyonc\u00e9 collaborated with the Dixie Chicks, early Kacey Musgraves, dismantling racist institutions, drinking ros\u00e9<\/p>\n

\u2013Amy Phillips<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen\/Buy:<\/strong> Rough Trade | Amazon | Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal<\/p>\n

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\"Selfreleased\"<\/span><\/div>\n
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Self-released<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Myriam Gendron: Ma d\u00e9lire – Songs of love, lost & found<\/em><\/h2>\n

Best Moment:<\/strong> The long tail of gnarled guitar and fuzz at the end of \u201cPar un dimanche au soir\u201d sliding into the opening of \u201cAu c\u0153ur de ma d\u00e9lire\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Best Song:<\/strong> \u201cI Wonder As I Wander\u201d<\/p>\n

RIYL:<\/strong> Quiet contemplation, stormy afternoons, pale sunbeams, interpreting and re-interpreting, women with secrets<\/p>\n

\u2013Allison Hussey<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen\/Buy:<\/strong> Rough Trade | Amazon | Apple Music | Bandcamp | Spotify | Tidal<\/p>\n

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\"Buffalo<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

Buffalo Public Service<\/p>\n

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Quadry: They Think We Ghetto<\/em><\/h2>\n

Best Moment:<\/strong> Quadry, GRIP, and Tommy Rogue taking turns demolishing a crispy and humid Ahwlee beat on \u201cI Can\u2019t Throw No Stones\u201d<\/p>\n

Best Song:<\/strong> \u201cThat Scent (The New Me)\u201d<\/p>\n

RIYL:<\/strong> Organic explorations of Black manhood, Pivot Gang sprinkled with beignet sugar and left in the fryer for a few seconds extra, the film New Jersey Drive<\/em> as told by your homie from around the way<\/p>\n

\u2013Dylan Green<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen\/Buy:<\/strong> Amazon | Apple Music | Bandcamp | Spotify | Tidal<\/p>\n

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\"Selfreleased\"<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

Self-released<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

quinn: i\u2019m definitely getting sued for this (beat tape no.1)<\/em><\/h2>\n

Best Moment:<\/strong> When Azealia Banks first says \u201cI\u2019mma ruin you cunt\u201d on the track of the same title<\/p>\n

Best Song:<\/strong> \u201cwhere we goin?\u201d<\/p>\n

RIYL:<\/strong> \u201c212,\u201d chilled-out house music, \u201990s hip-hop, the opening notes to Fall Out Boy\u2019s \u201cCenturies,\u201d following digicore artists to wherever their interest takes them<\/p>\n

\u2013Cat Zhang<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen:<\/strong> SoundCloud<\/p>\n

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\"The<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Saint Etienne: I’ve Been Trying to Tell You<\/em><\/h2>\n

Best Moment:<\/strong> The way \u201cPenlop\u201d explodes after an endlessly peaking buildup and Sarah Cracknell sings \u201cI don\u2019t really know you\/But I\u2019d like to show you\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Best Song:<\/strong> \u201cBlue Kite\u201d<\/p>\n

RIYL:<\/strong> Late-1990s irrational exuberance as melted into hypnotic sample fodder by pop-besotted UK indie luminaries, Natalie Imbruglia deep cuts, PinkPantheress, made-up memories, people who love music recommending music you\u2019d also love, dub, harp, the thrill of discovery<\/p>\n

\u2013Marc Hogan<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen\/Buy:<\/strong> Rough Trade | Amazon | Apple Music | Bandcamp | Spotify | Tidal<\/p>\n

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\"Groove<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

Groove Family<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Ryan Sambol: Gestalt<\/em><\/h2>\n

Best Moment:<\/strong> When Sambol mumbles, \u201cWe met in the comments of one of our favorite singers\u2019 songs\u201d on \u201cJust Like Golden Hours\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Best Song:<\/strong> \u201cYou\u2019re Still Lovable to Someone\u201d<\/p>\n

RIYL:<\/strong> Hang-dog blues, hungover country, Townes Van Zandt<\/p>\n

\u2013Madison Bloom<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen:<\/strong>\u00a0 Bandcamp | Spotify<\/p>\n

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\"Total<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

Total Punk<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Smirk: EP<\/em><\/h2>\n

Best Moment:<\/strong> The golden age country-sounding guitar lick that opens \u201cSo Original\u201d and how it\u2019s subsequently wiped out by budget punk power chords<\/p>\n

Best Song:<\/strong> \u201cStaring at Screens\u201d<\/p>\n

RIYL:<\/strong> Weird punks playing basement shows, \u201970s power pop, Parquet Courts<\/p>\n

\u2013Evan Minsker<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen\/Buy:<\/strong> Amazon | Apple Music | Bandcamp | Spotify | Tidal<\/p>\n

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\"Dojo\"<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

Dojo<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Tony Shhnow: Authentic Goods<\/em><\/h2>\n

Best Moment:<\/strong> The transition from BoofPaxkMooky\u2019s graceful melody to Tony Shhnow rapping about \u201cbad bitches\u201d that happens halfway through \u201cK\u2019s Around Me\u201d<\/p>\n

Best Song:<\/strong> \u201cRight Now\u201d<\/p>\n

RIYL:<\/strong> If you wish there was an album of Hoodrich Pablo Juan rapping on \u201990s R&B beats, Knxwledge remixes of Gucci Mane songs<\/p>\n

\u2013Alphonse Pierre<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen\/Buy:<\/strong> Amazon | Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal<\/p>\n

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\"Universal\"<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

Universal<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Willow: lately I feel EVERYTHING<\/em><\/h2>\n

Best Moment:<\/strong> The pure, very direct angst when Willow yells, \u201cFUCK YOU FOR FUCKING UP MY HEART\/ DON\u2019T YOU EVER GET INVOLVED WITH ME AGAIN!\u201d<\/p>\n

Best Song:<\/strong> \u201ct r a n s p a r e n t s o u l\u201d<\/p>\n

RIYL:<\/strong> 2000s pop punk, Fefe Dobson, \u201cI Don\u2019t Smoke\u201d by Mitski, Manic Panic hair dye, movie montages where the protagonist gets over a shitty ex while singing into a hairbrush in her bedroom, revisiting the mall in your hometown over the holidays<\/p>\n

\u2013Vrinda Jagota<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen\/Buy:<\/strong> Amazon | Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal<\/p>\n

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\"Driftless\"<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

Driftless<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

yes\/and: yes\/and<\/em><\/h2>\n

Best Moment:<\/strong> On closer \u201cIn My Heaven All Faucets Are Fountains,\u201d producer Joel Ford dusts Meg Duffy\u2019s fingerpicked guitar with enough angelic effects to guarantee ascension.<\/p>\n

Best Song:<\/strong> \u201cUgly Orange\u201d<\/p>\n

RIYL:<\/strong> Majestic solo guitar dissolving into mist, the Books\u2019 The Lemon of Pink<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2013Ryan Dombal<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen\/Buy:<\/strong> Rough Trade | Amazon | Apple Music | Bandcamp | Spotify | Tidal<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

Source URL: https:\/\/pitchfork.com\/features\/lists-and-guides\/best-underrated-albums-2021\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lists & Guides The Best Underrated Albums of 2021, According to Pitchfork Staff Personal favorites that didn\u2019t make our list of the best albums of the year, including Willow, Baby Keem, Mickey Guyton, and more By Pitchfork December 16, 2021 Graphic by Callum Abbott. Willow photo by\u00a0Jerritt Clark\/Getty Images, Colleen Green photo by David A. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[54],"class_list":["post-1252282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-pitchfork-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1252282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1252282"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1252282\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1252282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1252282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1252282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}