The 2010s: Best Of A Decade

The 2010s were an odd decade. We endured the end of the world several separate occasions, between various crackpot pastors and the long-speculated Mayan Calendar. We lost a number of legendary performers, including many of the best to ever live (Prince, Bowie, Lemmy, etc). We watched terrorism and fascism rise as the lines between truth and opinion blurred and vanished. Memes rose and fell like empires.

And in the midst of it, an onslaught of incredible music was released. Personally, my record collection grew from under a hundred to over a thousand. My tastes shifted drastically and corrected course throughout the course of the decade.

Reducing those ten years to fifty records feels like a fool’s errand, but here I am.

Deafheaven – Sunbather

One of the biggest shifts in my own musical experience was the sudden explosion of my love for metal. After years of dismissing it as too juvenile or too aggressive for my tastes, I realized just how beautiful heavy music could be.

Sunbather may not be the best record to come out in the last ten years, but it absolutely had the largest impact on my listening habits. Its release is a pivot point in my musical history that affected how I viewed everything I heard after listening to it. And because of that impact, it is undeniably the most important record I heard in the 2010s.

mewithoutYou – Pale Horses

After a two-album foray into quirky folk rock, many fans thought that mewithoutYou’s most furious days were behind them.

That is, until Pale Horses dropped. The group hired a new producer and dropped nearly all of the Danielson-produced folkiness in favor of a hard hitting, viby shout punk. It wasn’t just a return to form—it offered a valid challenge to their classic records for the title of their best work ever.

Local Natives – Hummingbird

In an indiescape filled with hand clapping, harmony-laden indie folk, it seemed for a bit that Local Natives would be remembered as another, more indie Fleet Foxes soundalike.

But Hummingbird took a turn for the darker, and with great success. With a mournful tone underpinning their unforgettable hooks and incredible harmony work, Hummingbird still has its hooks in me in a way few albums do.

Alcest – Kodama

The 2010s saw a huge explosion among heavy music as metal bands around the world stretched out to bring elements of shoegaze and post rock into their sonic arsenals.

An that’s largely thanks to French blackgazers Alcest, who were pulling that trick all the way in 2005. While all of their output is can’t-miss, 2016’s Kodama is perhaps the best summation of what they do best.

Bon Iver, Bon Iver

After the stark minimalist folk of For Emma, Forever Ago, Bon Iver’s sophomore record felt like a nuclear blast.

As far as a gentle, hushed chamber pop record can feel like a nuclear blast. Horns and strings meander around Justin Vernon’s multi-layered voice as he sings indecipherable lyrics that land somewhere between riddles and word salad.

Throughout numerous collaborations, side projects, and follow ups, Bon Iver, Bon Iver remains the best thing he’s put his hand on.

M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming

Concept-heavy, experimental double albums aren’t exactly known for their accessibility. But M83’s opus manages to fill 73 minutes without wasting a single second, while offering up post rock epics, amorphous ambience, and some of the 2010’s best pop songs.

Sigur Ros – Kveikur

After exploding into the 2000s with the absolute masterpiece that was Agaetis Byrjun, Sigur Ros released a string of otherworldly, billowing post rock throughout the decade. But after 2012’s Valtari, it felt a bit like they’d fallen asleep.

Kveikur roars back with the Icelandic outfit at their heaviest and darkest. Blasts of bass distortion fights against chimes and overdriven string sections while Jonsi’s angelic falsetto soars over all of it.

Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

As far all the chaos of Kanye’s decade, it’s essential to remember that at one point, he was the best person in the game.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is an undeniable masterpiece, rampaging through track after track of hip hop existentialism with a stunning mastery that many have reached for but few have attained.

Lorde – Pure Heroine

Listen to any pop record that came out before Pure Heroine and listen to any pop record that came out since, and you’ll understand how impressive it is that a 16 year old from a small village in New Zealand managed to shift the entire trajectory of Top 40.

Slowdive – Slowdive

The social media age has led to hundreds of reunions of much loved bands, but few have felt as essential as Slowdive’s. Their self titled doesn’t just live up to the shoegaze legends’ legacy: it adds to it.

Lantlos – Melting Sun

It’s a rare record that manages to achieve punishing heaviness without indulging in the usual tropes. Melting Sun is that rare record, managing to hit just as hard as any of their metal contemporaries without relying on many metal conventions.

The first time I heard it, it fundamentally shifted the way I thought about heaviness as a guitar player, and still holds that pull over me.

Palms – Palms

Similar to Melting Sun, this Deftones/ISIS supergroup manages to create a great heft without breaking its dreamy atmospheres. It’s like being suffocated in a down blanket, being crushed by softness and warmth. Few records have hit me the same way, and I am desperate for them to.

Janelle Monae – The ArchAndroid

This is a double album concept record about a robot who falls in love with her maker in a futuristic society where dancing is illegal. And it slaps harder than anything.

Diiv – Oshin

This jangling, understated piece of post punk and surf rock didn’t seem too entirely special upon its release. But seven years later, it’s still just as infectious as ever.

David Bowie – Blackstar

David Bowie never quite felt human. He seemed more like an alien tourist who dropped by for a visit and was enjoying himself too much to leave.

But Blackstar was his goodbye kiss. Released two days before succumbing to liver cancer, it feels all the world like an otherworldly visitor putting on his hat and jacket and saying, “it’s been swell, but I must be going now.” A perfectly odd end cap to one of the most indelible careers in pop music.

Pianos Become the Teeth – Keep You

I have tired and failed many times to explain what it is about this record that makes it so irresistible. Suffice it to say, it encapsulates all of the best parts of the emo revival without succumbing to its dreadful self awareness.

Washed Out – Within and Without

Remember the few weird months where everyone was making chillwave? Within and Without remains the best of that fad, sustaining long after the trend died out.

Radiohead – The King of Limbs

The King of Limbs might be a controversial pick in the same decade that A Moon Shaped Pool came out, but something about the polyrhythmic skittering of TKOL hit me hard when it came out. This is Radiohead at their most primal, getting out of their own heads for a bit so they can dance.

Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

After a perfect debut, Fleet Foxes managed to get out of their own shadows while expanding on their genius. Their sophomore record stretched into psychedelic rock without losing the poppy folk mastery that made everyone pay attention. The result is an absolute masterpiece.

My Bloody Valentine – m b v

No one thought we would ever get a follow up to Loveless. But twenty-two years after their opus, Kevin Shields & Co. finally released the sequel. It recaptures the best part of their masterpiece’s disorienting blissfullness without sounding like a knockoff. And that’s not easy to do.

Beach House – Teen Dream

The 2010s saw a huge resurgence in the tender dream pop of the 80s and 90s, and that is largely thanks to this record. Teen Dream is text book dream pop that hits every check mark without feeling formulaic.

Russian Circles – Empros

The Chicago post-metal vets showed everybody how it’s done with a record that shifts from amorphous ambience to brutal riffing better than anyone.

Slow Crush – Aurora

The shoegaze revival brought no shortage of Loveless soundalikes, but no one was as convincing or as fresh as Belgium’s Slow Crush.

Warpaint – Warpaint

The all-female Warpaint delivers a druggy mix of psychedelic, shoegaze, and ambient alternative that doesn’t skimp on the grooves.

Spotlights – Love & Decay

Sludgegaze trio Spotlights stunned me with literally every release, but nothing captures exactly why they’re so great quite like their 2019 offering.

Sufjan Stevens – Carrie & Lowell

After abandoning the 50 States project and indulging in a stunning bit of electronic baroque maximalism, Sufjan returned to his hushed folk roots with one of the most heartbreaking records in recent memory.

Gorillaz – Plastic Beach

The cartoon band shed it’s cartooniness, offering up a masterpiece of synth pop that brings in everyone from Snoop to The Clash to Bobby Womack to Lou Reed.

Holy Fawn – Death Spells

In a decade where everyone is cross pollinating between dream pop, shoegaze, post rock, and metal, Holy Fawn released a record that sounded truly fresh. In a scene where everyone is reaching for the same musical queues, this Arizona outfit manages to outshine everyone without sounding like anyone else.

The War On Drugs – Slave Ambient

Dad rock and krautrock don’t really feel like obvious bed fellows , but that never stopped The War On Drugs from combining Americana songwriting with sonic meanderings. After several of great records with the same formula, Slave Ambient remains the most accessible.

Rutabega – Brother, the Lights Don’t Work

Don’t look now, but the slacker rock album of the decade came out of my hometown. And no, I’m not just being biased.

Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest

Deerhunter’s constant metamorphisizing reached its apex with their third studio record, which combines rock and roll classicism with their more obscure influences. The result is a record that is as challenging as it is catchy.

Thrice – Major/Minor

The post-hardcore heroes have no shortage of copycats, and the last record of their pre-hiatus run shows why. This record’s hard hitting riffs, inventive time signatures, and heartfelt songwriting offer some of the best songs of their career.

Baroness – Purple

Admittedly, I’m a very latecomer to Baroness—this was my introduction to their peerless mix of heavy metal, prog rock, and psychedelic. But even after a deeper dive, it remains the most agile and accessible of their catalog.

Elder – Reflections of a Floating World

A punishing blend of doom metal, stoner rock, and krautrock that is generous on the psychedelia without being tripped out beyond coherence. A crushing record that hits just right.

If These Trees Could Talk – The Bones of a Dying World

A post metal masterpiece that hints at arena rock and prog in a way that transcends its wordlessness. You don’t need lyrics to catch the narrative.

Comrades – Lone/Grey

Comrades’ blend of post rock, hardcore, and indie rock makes them one of the most important new bands of the decade. If you aren’t paying attention, start.

Chvrches – The Bones Of What You Believe

Hipsters and poptimists alike have something to love in this wonderful piece of synthpop.

Volcano Choir – Repave

The team up of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and math rock wizards Collections of Colonies of Bees capitalizes on the obvious mixture of what both projects do best, and with unforgettable results.

No Joy – Wait To Pleasure

These shoegaze revivalists mix just enough experimentation to the classic shoegaze textbook to keep it from getting derivative and released one of the best shoegaze records of the decade.

Grizzly Bear – Painted Ruins

After the psych-pop masterpiece of Veckatimest cast a long shadow on everything else the group would do, Painted Ruins was slept on by a large portion of music fans. If that’s you, it’s okay: there’s still time to change that.

Gates – Parallel Lives

Post rock isn’t typically noted for its introspective lyrics. But on their sophomore effort, Gates manages to combine cinematic composition with excellent songwriting to build a record that demands endless relistens.

Pedro the Lion – Phoenix

After a decade of retiring the Pedro moniker, David Bazan picks it back up with what might be his best album ever. The songs are as introspective and heartwrenching as ever, and the composition has never been better.

Pallbearer – Foundations of Burden

Sometimes, the best way to create a genre record is to follow every trope and turn it up to eleven. Pallbearer creates one of the greatest doom records of all time by cutting away the dead weight and playing to formula. It’s loud, slow, low, and perfect.

Astronoid – Air

With what seemed like every metal band in the world bringing non-metal influences into their palette, Astronoid created something truly unique. Their patented dreamthrash hits all the right notes every time.

Deftones – Koi No Yokan

Can you believe it took me until 2018 to listen to Deftones? While their entirely catalog is filled with bangers, Ko No Yokan takes top honors for the tune “Entombed.”

Oathbreaker – Rheia

Belgium’s Oathbreaker turns the blackgaze toolkit into a tool for recovery with a hard hitting album exploring their frontwoman’s trauma. A heavy listen in every respect.