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What are your favourite albums of the decade thus far?

Music
#1

So I’ve been thinking about this lately, and I decided to come to this forum right here to ask a question: what are your favourite albums of the decade thus far? You may do this in the way that you want, but I’ve done a list of my favourites below.

I’VE BEEN TRYING SO HARD TO WRITE A LIST THAT ACTUALLY PLEASES ME SO HERE IT IS

EDITING THIS AGAIN

AN HONEST TOP 10

  1. TO BE KIND - SWANS
  2. A CROW LOOKED AT ME - MOUNT EERIE
  3. PLAYS THE MUSIC OF TWIN PEAKS - XIU XIU
  4. THE ARK WORK - LITURGY
  5. THE SEER - SWANS
  6. BENJI - SUN KIL MOON
  7. THE MONEY STORE - DEATH GRIPS
  8. SKELETON TREE - NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS
  9. THE AGE OF ADZ - SUFJAN STEVENS
  10. VIRGINS - TIM HECKER

So yeah, that was my list. What is your list? Keep in mind that you can do this the way that you want, and this was just one of the ways that it can be done. Thank you!

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#2

My top 10s of each year change regularly, but Lonerism by Tame Impala is definitely my favorite of the decade. In fact, it is my favorite of all time.

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#3

Started from 2011 because that’s when I began listening to more music. These are my standings atm but I still plan on listening to plenty of albums that have come out within these years so my lists could change in the future.

2011:
10. St Vincent - Strange Mercy
9. Burial - Street Halo (EP)
8. Kendrick Lamar - Section 80
7. Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost
6. Tim Hecker - Ravendeath, 1972
5. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
4. Danny Brown - XXX
3. Big K.R.I.T. - Return Of 4eva
2. Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

  1. CunninLynguists - Oneirology

2012:
10.Wild Nothing - Nocturne
9. Ab-soul - Control System / Frank Ocean - Channel Orange
8. El-P - Cancer 4 Cure
7. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - 'Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!
6. The Weeknd - Trilogy
5. Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music
4. Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d. city
3. Tame Impala - Lonerism
2. Beach House - Bloom

  1. Death Grips - The Money Store

2013:
10. Chelsea Wolfe - Pain Is Beauty
9. Danny Brown - Old
8. Savages - Silence Yourself
7. Arcade Fire - Reflektor
6. Queens of the Stone Age - …Like Clockwork
5. The National - Trouble Will Find Me
4. Tim Hecker - Virgins
3. Arcade Fire and Owen Pallet - Her Original Motion Picture Score
2. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels

  1. Deafheaven - Sunbather

2014:
10. The War on Drugs - Lost in the Dream
9. Flying Lotus - You’re Dead
8. Wild Beasts - Present Tense
7. Fennesz - Becs
6. Perfume Genius - Too Bright
5. Ariel Pink - pom pom
4. FKA Twigs - LP1
3. Sharon Van Etten - Are We There
2. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Pinata

  1. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2

2015:
10. Everything Everything - Get to Heaven
9. Lil Ugly Mane - Third Side of Tape
8. FKA Twigs - M3LL155X
7. Joanna Newsom - Divers
6. Tame Impala - Currents
5. Bjork - Vulnicura
4. Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear
3. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly / Death Grips - The Powers That B
2. Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell

  1. Julia Holter - Have You in My Wilderness

2016:
10. Mitski - Puberty 2
9. Bon Iver - 22, A Million
8. David Bowie - Blackstar
7. Weyes Blood - Front Row Seat to Earth
6. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 3
5. Aesop Rock - The Impossible Kid
4. Frank Ocean - Blonde
3. Angel Olsen - My Woman
2. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool

  1. Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition
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#4

Nice picks! Didn’t hear some albums that were on your list, and I am going to be listening to them. Also, number 10 and number 9 on your 2015 list are very underrated - would make my top 15 for sure!

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#5

Good pick. My favourite track off of Lonerism is Nothing That Has Happened So Far Has Been Anything We Could Control.

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#6

ahhhhh, this thread really reminds me that i really need to go back through previous years and relisten to a bunch of stuff since my taste has changed so much. i’ll just put together a little list of what i think are some of the masterpieces of the decade that still hold up today.

2010:

  • Women - Public Strain
  • Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
  • MGMT - Congratulations
  • Hype Williams - Untitled
  • Janelle Monae - The Archandroid

2011:

  • The Caretaker - An Empty Bliss Beyond This World
  • Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica
  • Death Grips - Exmilitary

2012:

  • Kendrick Lamar - good kid, maad city
  • Portico Quartet - Portico Quartet
    really gotta revisit this year

2013:

  • The Drones - I See Seaweed
  • Touche Amore - Is Survived By
  • Tim Hecker - Virgins
  • Julia Holter - Loud City Song
  • Arcade Fire & Owen Pallett - Her
  • Dirty Beaches - Drifters / Love Is the Devil

2014:

  • Swans - To Be Kind
  • Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Pinata
  • Dean Blunt - Black Metal
  • Andy Stott - Faith in Strangers

2015:

  • Cindy Lee - Act of Tenderness
  • Lil Ugly Mane - Third Side of Tape
  • Jessica Pratt - On Your Own Love Again
  • Colin Stetson & Sarah Neufeld - Never Were the Way She Was
  • Nicolas Jaar - Pomegranates

still working through an actual list for 2016

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#7

I’m just going to do my top 10 favorite albums since 2010. This will be hard.

  1. Other Lives - Tamer Animals
  2. Beach House - Teen Dream
  3. Joanna Newsom - Have One on Me
  4. Shlohmo - Bad Vibes
  5. Swans - To Be Kind
  6. Volcano Choir - Repave
  7. Bowerbirds - The Clearing
  8. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
  9. Grizzly Bear - Shields
  10. Nicolas Jaar - Nymphs

Yeah this might not be very accurate. I was surprised by how much indie stuff made it on here, and how no hip-hop made it.

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#8

As for the 2000-2010 decade, that would be almost impossible for me. That might be my favorite decade of music. Literally every year had at least like 3 classics.

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#9

If no hip hop albums made it to your list, that’s totally fine, I mean it’s your list. And about the classics: I think that there were plenty of albums that I can consider classics that were released this decade, for sure. I think that most of these albums were in hip hop, but let’s see if any other album in another genre is really impactful or something.
Also, your list is pretty good! I liked seeing Grizzly Bear, Deerhunter, Beach House, Nicolas Jaar and Swans in there.

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#10

Yeah I think there are tons of classics this decade too, but it’s interesting because in the 2000-2010 decade, my personal favorites were also the classics. Whereas in this decade, I still love the classics (Good Kid M.A.A.D City, Black Up, TPAB, Channel Orange, etc.), but like none would be in my top 10.

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#11

ok so…

2010:

  • Crystal Castles - (II)
  • Actress - Splazsh
  • Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
  • Emeralds - Does It Look Like I’m Here?
  • Tame Impala - Innespeaker

2011:

  • Bill Callahan - Apocalypse
  • Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972
  • Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica
  • Destroyer - Kaputt
  • Shabazz Palaces - Black Up

2012:

  • Godspeed You! Black Emperor - 'Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!
  • Tame Impala - Lonerism
  • John Talabot - ƒin
  • El Mató a un Policía Motorizado - La dinastía scorpio
  • Beach House - Bloom

2013:

  • Jon Hopkins - Inmmunity
  • The Knife - Shaking The Habitual
  • Jai Paul - s/t
  • Tim Hecker - Virgins
  • Kanye West - Yeezus

2014:

  • Grouper - Ruins
  • FKA twigs - LP1
  • Run The Jewels - RTJ2
  • Leon Vynehall - Music for the Uninvited
  • Dean Blunt - Black Metal

2015:

  • Grimes - Art Angels
  • Tame Impala - Currents
  • Kendrick Lamar - TPAB
  • Jamie xx - In Colour
  • Jessica Pratt - In Your Love Again

2016:

  • Kanye West - The Life of Pablo
  • Angel Olsen - My Woman
  • Frank Ocean – Blonde
  • Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition
  • Huerco S. - For Those of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have)
2 Likes
#12

Favorites of this decade would have to be Julia Holter’sLoud City Song and Grouper’s A I A: Alien Observer

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#13

mbdtf, mista thug isolation, foundations of burden, first two rtj albums, ceres and calypso in deep time, niggas on the moon.

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#14

Nice picks!

#15

I didn’t think you liked the ceres and calypso album that much, I love that album.

#16

Your review of Congratulations made me go back and relisten to it. I now think it’s a masterpiece; they must have been so pissed with the reviews. I think if they were a different band or it was a different year it would have gotten the reception it deserved. I think in retrospective reviews people will realize what they missed out on.

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#17

Definitely, I think the major major major success of Oracular Spectacular and its singles completely ruined most people’s outlook on the band approaching new and challenging sounds. Which I can understand really bit them back in the ass for their 2013 album, but still find really strange considering how easy of a listen Congratulations is.

I can tell that the band, like most other groups, is not the type that pays attention to critic reviews - which is the only right way to go if you’re an artist trying to bring something completely honest with your music. Most of the time, you can tell whether an album is critic bait or not. I think the best kind of masterpieces for me to be more of the sleeper hits like Velvet Underground & Nico or Pinkerton. There’s sort of been a growing cult fanbase for Congratulations for a few years now so there’s definitely a chance for that to be seen as a lot better for most in retrospect.

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#18

Absolutely, I didn’t get into Congratulations until 2013, but now I think it’s the second best album of the decade. I’ve also gotten so many of my friends to really listen to the album and almost all of them love it. If they had released their self-titled in 2010 and Congratulations in 2013, Congratulations probably would have gotten the attention it deserved.

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#19

I know I’m late but it’s super inactive here anyways

2010:
MGMT - Congratulations
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
Joanna Newsom - Have One on Me
Sufjan Stevens - Age of Adz
Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid
2011:
Destroyer - Kaputt
Battles - Gloss Drop
St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica
2012:
Beach House - Bloom
Kendrick Lamar - GKMC
Death Grips - No Love Deep Web
Dirty Projectors - Swing Low Magellan
2013:
Candy Claws - Ceres & Calypso in the Deep Time
Tim Hecker - Virgins
Julia Holter - Loud City Song
Chelsea Wolfe - Pain is Beauty
Dirty Beaches - Drifters/Love is the Devil
2014:
Flying Lotus - You’re Dead
Swans - To Be Kind
Freddie Gibbs/Madlib - Pinata
2015:
Julia Holter - Have You in My Wilderness
Bjork - Vulnicura
Lupe Fiasco - Tetsuo & Youth
FKA Twigs - M3LL155X
2016:
Nicolas Jaar - Nymphs
Uyama Hiroto - Freeform Jazz
Angel Olsen - My Woman

Before I joined AotY:
MGMT - Congratulations
Grimes - Art Angels (Oh boy)

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#20

These are some of my favorite albums since 2013:

2013:
Modern Vampires of the City - Vampire Weekend
…Like Clockwork - Queens if he Stone Age
Settle - Disclosure

2014:
Morning Phase - Beck
Run the Jewels 2 - Run the Jewels
So Long, See You Tomorrow - Bombay Bicycle Club

2015:
Choose Your Weapon - Hiatus Kaiyote
To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar
Carrie and Lowell - Sufjan Stevens

2016:
22, A Million - Bon Iver
Goodness - The Hotelier
A Mineral Love - Bibio

It’s interesting to see how my taste in music has changed over the years.

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