Top 10 Albums of the 2010’s

TOP THREE SONGS:

1. Lonely Boy
2. Gold on the Ceiling
3. Little Black Submarines

The Black Keys were everybody’s favourite Alternative Rock band in the early 2010’s, and for good reason – they only write bangers.

This is Rock with a southern twang. I can vividly imagine cruising through the American deserts to “Gold on the Ceiling”, or partaking in a shindig with the local town whilst listening to “Lonely Boy”.

TOP THREE SONGS:

1. Reborn
2. 4th Dimension
3. Cudi Montage

Kid Cudi and Kanye West are two of the greatest rappers of this generation … but I could’ve never expected their collaboration “Kids See Ghosts” to be as good as it was.

It’s seven songs, not even twenty-five minutes long, and yet it’s all heaters. My favourite is “Reborn” but it could’ve been any of them – the only thing stopping this album from ranking higher is that it’s really short.

TOP THREE SONGS:

1. Burn the Witch
2. Decks Dark
3. Daydreaming

All in all, I thought “A Moon Shaped Pool” was as middle-of-the-road as a Radiohead album can be … but it’s still great enough to make the decade’s top ten. Radiohead’s standards are far above 99% of other bands.

It’s a more ethereal, depressing album than what Radiohead had done up until that point (which is saying something …). The first three songs are definitely my favourites, but there’s plenty of introspective songwriting to keep me engaged throughout.

TOP THREE SONGS:

1. Let It Happen
2. The Less I Know The Better
3. New Person, Same Old Mistakes

If there’s one artist who perhaps best exemplified 2010’s music, it was Tame Impala. I know that’s a weird thing to say when there are so many “better”, more critically acclaimed artists, but people growing up in that decade (i.e. my generation) all like a Tame Impala song or three. And there’s a good chance those three songs come from “Currents”.

The album opens with my favourite Tame Impala song, “Let It Happen”, and the closer “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” bookends it in style. A couple of the songs in the middle aren’t very memorable (such as “Past Life”), but “The Less I Know The Better” serves as a thrilling halfway bump.

TOP THREE SONGS:

1. I Appear Missing
2. Smooth Sailing
3. My God Is the Sun

TOP THREE SONGS:

1. Dance Yrself Clean
2. I Can Change
3. Home

Is “This Is Happening” better than LCD Soundsystem’s other masterpiece “Sound of Silver”? I genuinely couldn’t tell you – my opinion switches depending on which one I’m listening to. All I know for certain is that those are two of my favourite albums ever.

The first half of this album is insanely strong. “Dance Yrself Clean” is one of the most danceable and euphoric songs of all time, “Drunk Girls” is a bop, “One Touch” is hypnotic as hell and “I Can Change” is one of the most commercially-accessible songs they’ve ever done.

The second half, however, is very weak in comparison and stops this album from ranking higher than fifth. “You Wanted a Hit” is fun, but then “Pow Pow” and “Somebody’s Calling Me” feel awkward and unfinished. Luckily, the final track “Home” concludes the album on a sweet and memorable note.

TOP THREE SONGS:

1. Giorgio by Moroder
2. Touch
3. Get Lucky

It shocks me how quickly people have forgotten about “Random Access Memories”. It was everywhere on its release – especially “Get Lucky” – but nowadays I think people refer more to Daft Punk’s “Discovery” era than this one. I think that’s such a shame – their final album is an undisputed classic.

Every track here is great. Yes, even the weirder instrumentals like “Motherboard” and “Contact” (which only get better with each listen). But the songs people come for, such as “Giorgio by Moroder”, “Touch” and “Instant Crush”, are top tier Daft Punk songs.

Daft Punk mastered the art of production on this album, so it’s no wonder they then became producers for other top artists like the Weeknd for the rest of the decade.

TOP THREE SONGS:

1. Feels Like We Only Go Backwards
2. Elephant
3. Apocalypse Dreams

Tame Impala was the only artist to get two albums in my top ten. As I said before, I think they (specifically Kevin Parker) are one of the most influential acts of this era. “Lonerism” in particular was a very important album for teenage Matt.

The worst song is probably “She Just Won’t Believe Me”, but it’s thankfully less than a minute. The rest are all Psychedelic classics – especially tracks like “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” and “Elephant” which have been in my playlist for over a decade.

I love the sense of loneliness / paranoia / self-deprecation this album captures. It’s a nerdy kind of music sung by an social outcast, but that’s why outcasts like me respond to it so well.

TOP THREE SONGS:

1. Blackstar
2. Lazarus
3. Dollar Days

It’s hard to talk about “Blackstar” without taking into account Bowie’s passing mere days after its release. As a result, every time I listen to this album it feels like the music is haunted … but in a good way? If that makes sense?

All seven tracks are fantastic. My least favourite is “Girl Loves Me” but I still think that song is great and has its place. When this album hits its existential themes – like on “Lazarus”, “Dollar Days” and the title track – you can’t help but be in awe of the craftsmanship and humility.

If nothing else, I’m glad Bowie went out with one of his – and the decade’s – greatest albums. My GOAT.

TOP THREE SONGS:

1. Wesley’s Theory
2. How Much A Dollar Cost
3. The Blacker The Berry

“To Pimp A Butterfly” is an album that has been hyped to high heaven, but I kept my expectations fair when I first listened to it from start to finish. Yeah. It’s everything people always say it is – and more.

It’s an ambitious fusion of Rap with many genres, and I love the jazzy, highly-produced presentation of it all. My favourite song from it used to be “King Kunta” but now that’s dropped down after listening to masterpieces like “Wesley’s Theory”, “How Much A Dollar Cost” and “The Blacker The Berry”.

Kendrick will continue to create amazing Rap albums for as long as he’s willing and able, but I don’t think he’ll ever top this landmark record.