Top 100 Albums of the Decade So Far (2010-2014)

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top 100 albums of the decade so far

top 100 albums of the decade so far big boi60. Big BoiSir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
(2010; Def Jam)

As the more traditionalist half of OutKast, Antwan Patton’s work often seemed (especially on Speakerboxxx) as the sturdy, geological rail on which Andre 3000 would ride his psychedelic locomotive with passengers happily, druggily falling off along the route. Therefore his first order of business on his solo debut was to blow that perception up, and Big Boi showed up huge. Sir Lucious Left Foot is an expansive and lushly detailed party album that aims for something different in every track: The bedrock beats fly off the track, the plush keyboards ring and swerve, and the instrumentation sounds like it was programmed by roulette. (The opera of “General Patton”? The gurgling of “Shutterbugg”? The Philly soul mangling of “Shine Blockas”?) As per usual Big Boi’s an expert lyricist, an exacting weapon of speed, high concept and just slightly lower humor. – PP


essential 4ad tracks purity ring59. Purity RingShrines
(2012; 4AD)

Favoring electro-pop sounds that walk the line between disconcerting and playful, Purity Ring show a penchant for all things strange. In 2011, the inspired duo immediately set themselves apart the moment their debut track “Ungirthed” hit the internet, showcasing the band’s ominous yet effervescent sound. Like similar electro-pop acts, Purity Ring embrace the quirky darkness that snakes through their debut full-length Shrines. Megan James’ lyrics aren’t literate and smart so much as eerie and borderline gory, from the “I’ll take up your guts / To the little shed outside / I’ll shuck all the light from my skin” in “Shuck,” to the request in “Fineshrine” to “cut open my sternum and poke.” As poetry alone, the lines are mysterious and enigmatic, perhaps just a bit fun—who doesn’t like to throw an occasional guts into their daily conversation?—but when paired with Corin Roddick’s oft-times sparse and baleful sonic-scape, the effect is unsettling. – NG


wild-flag58. Wild FlagWild Flag
(2011; Merge)

The one-and-done album from indie supergroup Wild Flag is one of this decade’s most standout yet overlooked guitar records. The flow between Carrie Brownstein’s and Mary Timony’s guitars had a conversational feel that recalled Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd’s interplay in Television in literate moments and the Voidoids’ Robert Quine and Ivan Julian in the rougher edges. That rich instrumentation would work with almost anything, but it really pays off with Brownstein’s and Timony’s melody-rich but streetwise vocals that blend classic rock epoch with clarity and certainty. Also, it would make all of our lives so much easier if we could acknowledge en masse that Janet Weiss is one of the greatest drummers of the past quarter-century. – PP


mac-257. Mac DeMarco2
(2012; Captured Tracks)

The kids are all right. Despite outward appearances that include general goofballery, casual male nudity, and raucous crowds (a few months ago cops dragged Mac DeMarco out of his own show, unaware he was performing), DeMarco is one of the most sincere, humble, and introspective singer-songwriters of the decade. A free spirit also sympathetic to older, gentler outlooks; on “Freaking out the Neighborhood” he sings: “sorry mama, there are times I get carried away, please, don’t worry, next time I’m home, I’ll be the same.” Being the same is about having character; principles and moral integrity drive much of DeMarco’s music as he urges listeners to respect women, be honest to others, and stay cognizant of vices. – DG


Bon_iver56. Bon IverBon Iver
(2011; Jagjaguwar)

Justin Vernon is a gentle force to reckon with, like a breeze or a light rain. Moving mountains may happen slowly and softly, but give it time and you’ll have a chasm. Vernon’s second full length, Bon Iver, broods and builds, his falsetto as much an instrument as the synths that flesh out the empty space, sunk low in the mix rather than skating over it like vocals often do. Tracks boast titles ranging from geological eras like “Holocene” with its aching sense of loss, to those named for cities like the charging, distorted “Calgary.” “Perth,” “Wash.,” “Hinnom, TX,” “Lisbon, OH.” It reads like a train or flight schedule. Safe behind the band name, Vernon explores a sense of place, not just in the the world, but in time, as in the already mentioned nostalgia tinged “Holocene.” One look at the thoughtful, gorgeous music video and it’s obvious that Vernon is weighing all things against time: how memory relates to it, how the land yields to it, how our bodies dwindle beneath it. It’s startling, pensive, and lush. After Bon Iver’s surprising For Emma, Forever Ago, it was hard to believe he could do better. But Bon Iver is that record, not so much a one-up, but a step in a journey moving his artistry forward. – NG


top 100 albums of the decade so far replica55. Oneohtrix Point NeverReplica
(2011; Software)

It speaks to the strength of electronic composer/producer Daniel Lopatin’s work as Oneohtrix Point Never that I didn’t even realize his work fit into a new press-generated genre. Vaporwave (OK, whatever) is electronica and culture referencing the technologies and societal excesses of the 1980s and 1990s. By that definition, 2011’s Replica album should be a landmark of the style. Using manipulated sounds from infomercials and videocassettes, Lopatin assembles stumbling rhythms, frightening electro-acoustics, and majestic atmospheres; sometimes, he even layers those on top of one another. Replica is part challenge, part discovery. – AB


Daft Punk - Random Access Memories54. Daft PunkRandom Access Memories
(2013; Columbia)

I’m not sure anyone could have predicted that Daft Punk would release one of the most commercially successful albums of 2013, and possibly just as unlikely, that it would also turn out to be one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the year as well. All of the fanfare was well earned; Random Access Memories is a brilliant ode to early electronica with heavy nods to ’70s album rock. It’s packed with a wide ranging list of collaborators (Nile Rodgers, Giorgio Moroder, Panda Bear), all of whom seem to bring something relevant to the table. Sure the production is flawless, but this is more than just a record collector’s dream come true, RAM also happens to be one of the most fun albums released this decade so far. – CK


Aphex Twin Syro53. Aphex TwinSyro
(2014; Warp)

Thirteen years removed from his last album, Drukqs, Richard D. James is still feverishly tuning synthesizers, sequencers, and drum machines — searching for sounds that both unnerve and transcend expectations. A decidedly tighter and more accessible package than Drukqs, Syro feels like the juiciest fruit from countless tangled and endlessly tweaked experiments. Lead single “Minipops 67 [120.2][source field mix]” provides one of the most sublime moments of the album as an uncharacteristically audible voice comes in just after the three-minute mark, recalling some of Radiohead’s best forays into electronic music (forays which were ironically influenced by James’ early ’90s work as Aphex Twin). While his style has evolved, Syro is in part so enjoyable because of its familiarity; the washed out synths and spastic drums of “PAPAT4 [155][pineal mix]” expand upon ideas from 1996’s Richard D James Album, and the closing cut “aisatasana [102]” is one of James’ most peaceful piano melodies, an aesthetic from his dreamlike ambient albums.- DG


Kurt Vile - Wakin on a Pretty Daze52. Kurt VileWakin on a Pretty Daze
(2013; Matador)

The City of Philadelphia declared Aug. 28, 2013 Kurt Vile Day in honor of its long-haired, easy-going and melody rich resident singer/songwriter. This couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time: Just six months prior, Vile had released Wakin on a Pretty Daze, the strongest album of his career to date, and also his longest. Spread out on two LPs, Pretty Daze is much like the dreamy and semi-surreal scene its title suggests — a hazy and half-awake stroll through our protagonist’s good-natured if sometimes insecure thoughts. But for an album so caught up in weightlessly dreamy sounds, it’s got a kind of momentum that keeps its epic song lengths from ever feeling over-indulgent, be it the 9-minute quasi title track “Wakin on a Pretty Day” or the folkgaze pulse of “Was All Talk.” Vile himself sums it up best in the latter: “Watch me goin’, I’m gone.”  – JT


top 100 albums of the decade so far caribou51. CaribouSwim
(2010; Merge)

To truly respect Dan Snaith’s majesty, you must listen real deep. Take “Bowls,” the fifth track on Swim — Snaith records the clang of actual stainless steel bowls and blends it perfectly with rushes of harp and the lowest of rumbling low ends. Or how about the little scribble of a pencil and the rummaging of coins on “Leave House”? Or the triumphant horns on “Hannibal” and the wild saxophone on “Kaili”? Whatever it may be, Swim is a significant elevator of the senses — from ear to ear, around the entire head, and down to the toes. Snaith repeats the title of “Sun” over and over; the song starts to feel like an object in the far distance that gets closer and closer, but unable to be touched. Swim dances in the cosmos. You’ll spend your entire life trying to reach it. – JJM

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View Comments (3)
  • Such bias in this list. Indie and alternative music is all right to listen to but this list is severely lacking in the genre of metal. For example listen to Mastodon’s The Hunter. True art work. Wake up because there is more out there than your hipster junk.

    • We included Baroness, Pallbearer, Converge, KEN Mode and Deafheaven. Keep in mind that we’re not exclusively a metal site, and that some of our writers are more steeped in hip-hop, electronic or what have you.

      The Hunter is a good album, though, certainly.

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