Ten Favorite Albums of the Decade (2010-2019)

I love this idea, but like most, picking only 10 is TOUGH. I think I'll take the route of picking my favorite from each year for now. I'll probably revisit at a later date and do a proper top 10 for the whole decade.

2010 - The National - High Violet
2011 - TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light
2012 - Minus the Bear - Infinity Overhead
2013 - Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires on the City
2014 - Broken Bells - After the Disco
2015 - Silversun Pickups - Better Nature
2016 - Aesop Rock - The Impossible Kid
2017 - Gang of Youths - Go Farther in Lightness
2018 - IDLES - Joy as an Act of Resistance
2019 - TBD, at least 10 AOTY contenders so far, haven't narrowed it down yet.
 
I need to revisit some of my playlists from some of the first half of the decade to make a more definitive list, but, for starters, here is what I've got off the top of my head. I ended up deciding to not include the boygenius ep. I mean, it is perfect, but since we can only pick 10 albums, I feel like I should only include full length albums. This list kind of follows the pattern I've seen in recent years with my year end best-of lists...they lean heavily female/female fronted. This list will definitely change a bit after I dig a little deeper.
  1. Moving Panoramas - "In Two"
  2. Spoon - "They Want My Soul"
  3. Sharon Van Etten - "Are We There"
  4. Jason Isbell - "Southeastern"
  5. Japandroids - "Celebration Rock"
  6. Janelle Monae - "The Electric Lady"
  7. Sky Ferreira - "Night Time, My Time"
  8. Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis - "Cheater's Game"
  9. St. Vincent - "Strange Mercy"
  10. Nikki Lane - "Highway Queen"
 
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Fillip J Phry said:
I love this idea, but like most, picking only 10 is TOUGH. I think I'll take the route of picking my favorite from each year for now. I'll probably revisit at a later date and do a proper top 10 for the whole decade.

2010 - The National - High Violet
2011 - TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light
2012 - Minus the Bear - Infinity Overhead
2013 - Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires on the City
2014 - Broken Bells - After the Disco
2015 - Silversun Pickups - Better Nature
2016 - Aesop Rock - The Impossible Kid
2017 - Gang of Youths - Go Farther in Lightness
2018 - IDLES - Joy as an Act of Resistance
2019 - TBD, at least 10 AOTY contenders so far, haven't narrowed it down yet.
Click to expand...

Dammit - I knew I was leaving something out of my list.
That Gang of Youths is killer.
I spin that all the time.
 
According to my top 100 list:
  1. Death Grips - The Money Store (2012)
  2. Frank Ocean - Endless (2016)
  3. Frank Ocean - Blonde (2016)
  4. Freddie Gibbs/Madlib - Pinata (2014)
  5. Clams Casino - Instrumentals 2 (2012)
  6. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, Maad City (2012)
  7. James Blake - Overgrown (2013)
  8. Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver (2011)
  9. Death Grips - Exmilitary (2011)
  10. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool (2016)
 
I spent today binging music. I actually have template of 200 albums now. I'll continue to chip away at it over the course of the year while making room for the occasional 2019 release. Unfortunately, it won't let me add them to my previous post because it's too long. So I'm gonna go ahead and put them here.

There's a lot more rock in this portion interestingly. And a lot of less publicized albums.

I'll create a playlist when I have a chance.

RUNNER UPS

101) Frank Ocean: Blonde (2016) Left Field R&B
102) Warpaint: Heads Up (2016) Indie Rock, Trip-Hop
103) Black Keys: Brothers (2010) Alternative Rock, Blues
104) EL VY:‭ ‬Return to the Moon (2015) Indie Rock
105) ‬Angel Olsen:‭ ‬Burn Your Fire For No Witness (2014) Indie Singer/Songwriter
106) Badbadnotgood:‭ ‬IV‭ (2016) Jazz
107) Blood Orange: Coastal Grooves (2011) R&B, New-Wave
108) FKA Twigs: LP1 (2014) Experimental R&B, Electronic
‭‬109) Marika Hackman:‭ ‬We Slept At Last‭ (2015) Indie Folk
110) Rudimental: Home (2013) Jungle, Drum N Bass

111) Ty Segal: Sleeper (2014) Neo-Psychedelia
112) Chance the Rapper: Coloring Book (2016) Experimental Hip-Hop
113) Schoolboy Q: Blank Face LP (2016) Rap
114) Girls: Father, Son, Holy Ghost (2011) Indie Rock
115) PJ Harvey: Let England Shake (2011) Indie Rock
116) Glass Animals:‭ ‬Zaba (2014) Indie Electronic
117) Julia Holter:‭ ‬Have You in My Wilderness (2015) Singer/Songwriter, Orchestral Pop
‬118) Steve Gunn:‭ ‬Way Out Weather (2014) Indie Folk
119) LVL Up: Hoodwinked (2014) Indie Rock
120) Happyness:‭ ‬Wierd Little Birthday‭ (2014) Indie Rock

121) Destroyer: Kaput (2011)
122) Sims: Bad Time Zoo (2011) Underground Hip-Hop
123) Joey Bada$$: B4.Da.$$ (2014) Hip-Hop
124) Perfume Genius: Too Bright (2014) Indie Pop
125) ‬Soccer Mommy: Clean (2018) Indie Rock
126) Aero Flynn:‭ ‬Aero Flynn (2015) Indie Rock
127) Mount Kimbie: Love What Survives (2017) Experimental Electronic
128) ‬Lana Del Rey:‭ ‬Ultraviolence (2014) Alternative Rock
129) Foals: Holy Fire (2013) Alternative Rock
130) Kayne West:‭ ‬Life of Pablo (2016) Experimental Rap

131) Kurt Vile: Smoke Ring For My Halo (2011) Indie Folk
132) Glitch Mob: Drink the Sea (2010) EDM
133) Ought More Than Any Other Day (2014) Post-Punk
134) Lykke Li: Wounded Ryhmes (2011) Indie Rock
135) Matthew Dear: Black City (2010) Experimental Techno
136) Robyn: Honey (2018) Pop, Electronic
137) Kadhja Bonet: Childqueen (2018) R&B
138) Mac Miller: Swimming (2018) Rap
139) Shame: Songs of Praise (2018) Post-Punk
140) P.O.S: Chill, Dummy (2017) Underground Hip-Hop

141) DJ Koze: Amygdala (2013) Downtempo House
142) Ty Segal: Twins (2012) Alternative Rock, Garage Rock
143) Homeboy Sandman: First of a Living Breed (2012) Underground Hip-Hop
144) Michael Kiwanuka:‭ ‬Love and Hate (2016) Singer/Songwriter, R&B
145) Bonobo: Migration (2017) Downtempo Electronic
146) Jim James: Eternally Even (2016) Indie Rock
147) Loma: Loma (2018) Indie Folk, Post-Rock
148) Noga Erez: Off The Radar (2017) Electronic / Dance
149) Parquet Courts: Wide Awake (2018) Indie Punk
150) Vince Staples: Big Fish Theory (2017) Left-Field Rap

151) Killer Mike: R.A.P. Music (2012) Underground Hip-Hop
152) Action Bronson:‭ ‬Mr.‭ ‬Wonderful (2015) Rap
153) Sleepy Sun: Fever (2010) Neo-Psychedelia, Dessert Rock
154) Anderson .Paak: Venice (2014) Rap, Experimental R&B
155) Radiohead: King of Limbs- Live from the Basement (2011) Alternative Rock
156) DVA: Nipmo (2014) Art Rock
157) Kate Tempest: Let Them Eat Chaos (2016) Experimental Hip-Hop
158) Brand New: Science Fiction (2017)
159) Rosalia: El Mar Querer (2018) Experimental Latin
160) Arctic Monkeys: Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino (2018) Art Rock

161) Wild Beasts: Present Tense (2014) Indie Rock
162) Perfume Genius: No Shape (2017) Experimental Pop
163) Solange: A Seat at the Table (2016) R&B
164) Caroline Rose (2018) Indie Rock
165) Kendrick Lamar: Good Kid M.A.A.D City (2012) Rap
166) A Tribe Called Quest: We Got It From Here, Thank You For Your Service (2016) Hip-Hop
167) A$AP Rocky: At.Long.Last.A$AP (2015) Rap
168) Sbtrkt: Sbtrkt (2011) Electronica
169) My Morning Jacket: The Waterfall (2015) Alternative Rock
170) Four Tet: New Energy (2017) Experimental Techno

171) Wugazi: 13 Chambers (2011) Rap, Mash-Up
172) A Sunny Day In Glasgow: Sea When Absent (2014) Indie Rock
173) Vagabond: Infinite Worlds (2017) Indie Rock
174) Mac DeMarco: Salad Days (2014) Indie Rock
175) The Antlers: Burst Apart (2011) Indie Rock
176) Tamle Impala: Currents (2015)
177) Circuit Des Yeux:‭ ‬In Plain Speech‭ (2015) Experimental Folk
178) Yeasayer: Amen & Goodbye (2016) Neo-Psychedelia, Indie Electronica
179) Thurston Moore: Demolished Thoughts (2011) Indie Rock
180) Zorya: Floex (2011) Downtempo Electronica, Jazz

181) llogic & Blockhead: Capture the Sun (2013) Underground Hip-Hop
182) Mick Jenkins: The Healing Component (2016) Underground Hip-Hop
183) Idles: Joy as An Act of Rebellion (2018) Punk
184) EMA:‭ ‬The Future’s Void (2014) Indie Rock, Industrial
185) Girlpool: Powerplant (2017) Indie Rock
186) Chastity Belt: Time to Go Home (2015) Indie Rock
187) Phoebe Bridgers: Stranger in the Alps (2017) Indie Folk
‬188) Wolf Alice:‭ ‬My Love is Cool (2015) Indie Rock
189) Sampha: Process (2017) Indie Electronic
190) Grizzly Bear: Painted Ruins (2017) Indie Rock

191) Tune Yards: I Can Feel You Creeping Into My Private Life (2018) Experimental Pop
192) Iceage: Beyondless (2018) Post-Punk
193) Local Natives: Violet Street (2019) Indie Rock
194) Meg Myers: Sorry (2015) Alternative Rock
195) Deerhunter Halogyn Digest (2010) Indie Rock
196) James Blake: The Colour in Everything (2016) Indie Electronica
197) Speedy Ortiz: Major Arcana (2013) Indie Rock
198) Nothing: Tired of Tomorrow (2016) Shoegaze, Alternative Rock
199) Noname: Room 25 (2018) Hip-Hop
200) John Talobot: Fin (2012) Left-Field House
 
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Subject to modification, of course!
  1. Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel... (2012)
  2. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (2010)
  3. A Tribe Called Quest - We Got It From Here... (2016)
  4. Big Thief - Capacity (2017)
  5. Damien Jurado - Maraqopa (2012)
  6. Sleater-Kinney - No Cities to Love (2015)
  7. Wilco - Schmilco (2016)
  8. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think... (2015)
  9. Nap Eyes - I'm Bad Now (2018)
  10. Solange - A Seat at the Table (2016)
 
This is nearly impossible if not only due to incapacity to remember what actually came out this decade.

off the top of my head for now but not ranked:

Still These Bones (Acoustic) - Paige Chaplin
Capacity - Big Thief
Before The World Was Big - Girlpool
Between Two Selves - Octo Octa
Back Home - Daniel Spaleniak
Twin Fantasy - Car Seat Headrest
Devil’s Walk - Apparat
Young Alaska - Christian Loffler
The Harrow and The Harvest - Gillian Welch
Olafur Arnolds - Re:member

I am certainly skewed for later releases and surely missed some important stuff. Seems a best for each year might make more sense because a top 10 over a decade is almost nonsensical. I will note that I have less than half of the above on vinyl but would love to have all of them. The Paige Chaplin doesn’t exist in that format, the Apparat is prohibitively expensive and the Daniel Spaleniak requires overseas shipping from Poland.
 
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definitely subject to change...

1. Damien Jurado - Visions of Us On The Land
2. Bill Callahan - Apocalypse
3. Mark Kozelek&Jimmy LaValle - Perils From the Sea
4. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away
5. Bill Callahan - Dream River
6. Sun Kil Moon - Benji
7. Ola Podrida - Ghosts Go Blind
8. The National - Sleep Well Beast
9. Neko Case - Hell-On
10. Spoon - They Want My Soul
 
  1. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, Maad City (2012) Godlike Hip-Hop
  2. Kanye West ‎– My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) Hip-Hop
  3. CunninLynguists ‎– Oneirology (2011) Hip-Hop
  4. Kids See Ghosts - Kids See Ghosts (2018) Hip-Hop
  5. Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) Hip-Hop
  6. A$AP Rocky: At.Long.Last.A$AP (2015) Hip-Hop
  7. Joey Badass: All American Bada$$ (2016) Hip Hop
  8. Brockhampton: Saturation Trilogy (2017) Left-Field Rap
  9. Kendrick Lamar: Damn (2017) Hip-Hop
  10. Childish Gambino: Camp (2011) Hip-Hop
  11. Kanye West ‎– The Life Of Pablo (2016) Hip-Hop
  12. Tech N9ne ‎– K.O.D. (2009) Hip-Hop
  13. Ocean Grove - The Rhapsody Tapes (2017) Nu-Metal
  14. Big Boi Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty (2010) Hiphop
  15. Jpeg Mafia - Veteran (2018) Hip-Hop
  16. Lil Wayne - Carter 5 (2018) Hip-Hop
  17. Cliff Martinez - Drive (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2011) OST
  18. Various - Black Panther The Album (Music From And Inspired By) (2018) OST
  19. Kendrick Lamar - Untitled Unmastered (2016) Hip-Hop
  20. Childish Gambino: Because Of The Internet (2013) Hip-Hop
  21. Bones - Powder (2015) Hip-Hopish
  22. Bones ‎– Banshee (2015) Hip-Hopish
  23. Hans Zimmer ‎– Interstellar (2014) OST
  24. Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison *(Full 5LP package RSD Release)* Country
  25. Big Sean ‎– Dark Sky Paradise (2015) Hip-Hop
  26. Brotha Lynch Hung ‎– Dinner And A Movie (2010) Hip-Hop
  27. CunninLynguists ‎– Strange Journey Volume Three (2014) Hip-Hop
  28. Natti ‎– Still Motion (2013) Hip-Hop
  29. Die Antwoord ‎– $O$ (2009) Fux Me
  30. Tech N9ne ‎– All 6's And 7's (2011) Hip-Hop
  31. Rittz ‎– The Life And Times Of Jonny Valiant (2013) Hip-Hop
  32. ¡Mayday! ‎– Take Me To Your Leader (2012) Hip-Hopish


Last 10 years that I could remember. I just went last 10 yrs not 2010+
I added that Johnny Cash cause alot that release wasnt even heard until that release and I dug it!
 
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15 because 10 is not enough


1) A Winged Victory For The Sullen - A Winged Victory For The Sullen
2) The National - Trouble Will Find Me
3) Eluvium - Nightmare Ending
4) The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt
5) Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell
6) Beach House - Bloom
7) The National - High Violet
8) Angel Olsen - My Woman
9) Wild Nothing - Nocturne
10) Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
11) Julie Byrne - Not Even Happiness
12) Japandroids - Celebration Rock
13) Alvvays - Alvvays
14) Laura Marling - Once I Was An Eagle
15) Saintseneca - Dark Arc
 
I find the subjective shift between "hip-hop" and "rap" categorization on these lists as amusing as ever. Mine included.

debianlinux said:
I’m old enough now that some of my all time favorites saw things like 25th anniversary releases (Liz Phair, Garbage, Live) but it is cheating to list those, right?
Click to expand...

I feel like re-issues should be off limits but that live albums make sense to include? Bit different because it's from this decade either way, but I listed the (vastly superior) Live in the Basement version of King of Limbs on my 2nd list.
 
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Kris said:
We all love lists...what are your 10 favorite albums of this decade, subject to modification of course.
Click to expand...

Disclaimer: I've been thinking about my list for a few weeks, but it's far from finalized. I plan to revisit each of my contenders over the next few weeks or months; the list below is a work in progress.

Also, the word "favorite" is key. We all know the usual suspects that will top the critics' lists: Kanye, Kendrick, Frank Ocean, Beyonce, Solange, Taylor Swift, Kamasi, Arcade Fire (?), The War on Drugs, St. Vincent, Tame Impala, etc.

But the albums below are my favorites of the decade:

1. Grimes - Art Angels (2015)
2. Beach House - Teen Dream (2010)
3. Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear (2015)
4. Real Estate - Days (2012)
5. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake (2011)
6. Grimes - Visions (2012)
7. Chairlift - Something (2012)
8. Ladytron - Ladytron (2019)
9. Frank Ocean - channelORANGE (2012)
10. Robyn - Body Talk (2010)

You can tell that my child was born in 2016; since then I have spent much less time listening to new music, instead diving into 50s-70s jazz or revisiting old favorites (now that he is an impetuous 2-year-old Beatlemaniac, I'm lucky if I can play anything other than the Fab Four on my turntable while he's awake!). There’s only one album from the 2015-2019, and that’s just because I’m a Ladytron stan.

I'll probably do a write-up for each of the top 10 albums when I post the final list later this year. For now I just want to say that this Chairlift album is a hidden gem (and sadly an impossible album to find on vinyl).
 
Some of my personal favorites from the past (almost) decade:

1. Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel (2012)
2. Florence + The Machine - Ceremonials (2011)
3. Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell (2015)
4. Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me (2010)
5. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away (2013)
6. Alexandra Savior - Belladonna of Sadness (2017)
7. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Nonagon Infinity (2016)
8. Gordi - Reservoir (2017)
9. Maggie Rogers - Heard It In A Past Life (2019)
10. Father John Misty - God's Favorite Customer (2018)
 
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