I'm a consummate listmaker, so you know I wasn't going to let the decade end without making a list or two of my favorite music of the decade. I don't have the time to do a full write-up on each album here, so I'll just present them in list form (along with a few bonus lists after). The order would probably change if I were to revisit this list in a year or two or ten, but this is where things stand right now, on the eve of the 2020s. I used no scientific criteria, but I considered the albums I thought were "best," that were the most culturally important, that had some sort of personal impact on me, and just what I listened to the most. I hope you enjoyed some of these albums, and that you'll check out the ones you're not familiar with. They were my favorite of this decade.
1) Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly (2015)
2) Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)
3) Metric – Synthetica (2012)
4) The Decemberists – The King Is Dead (2011)
5) Jenny Lewis – The Voyager (2014)
6) Taylor Swift –1989 (2014)
7) Kanye West – Yeezus (2013)
8) Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city (2012)
9) The Social Network – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2010)
10) The Menzingers – After the Party (2017)
11) Brand New – Science Fiction (2017)
12) The Gaslight Anthem – American Slang (2010)
13) Childish Gambino – Camp (2011)
14) Counting Crows – Somewhere Under Wonderland (2014)
15) Lucero – All a Man Should Do (2015)
16) Metric – Art of Doubt (2018)
17) Lydia Loveless – Somewhere Else (2014)
18) Chance The Rapper – Coloring Book (2016)
19) Kanye West – The Life of Pablo (2016)
20) Jimmy Eat World – Invented (2010)
21) Against Me! – White Crosses (2010)
22) The Hold Steady – Teeth Dreams (2014)
23) Paramore – After Laughter (2017)
24) Soccer Mommy – Clean (2018)
25) Japandroids – Celebration Rock (2012)
Albums/Songs of the Year
Here are the albums/songs I ranked #1 for each year of the decade. They mostly overlap, with just three exceptions. You can also click the hyperlinks to see my complete lists for each year.
Album of the Year: Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Song of the Year: The Gaslight Anthem – "The Diamond Church Street Choir"
Album of the Year: The Decemberists – The King Is Dead
Song of the Year: The Decemberists – "This Is Why We Fight"
Album of the Year: Metric – Synthetica
Song of the Year: Metric – "Speed the Collapse"
Album of the Year: Kanye West – Yeezus
Song of the Year: Tegan and Sara – "I Was a Fool"
Album of the Year: Jenny Lewis – The Voyager
Song of the Year: Jenny Lewis – "She's Not Me"
Album of the Year: Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly
Song of the Year: Lucero – "Went Looking for Warren Zevon's Los Angeles"
Album of the Year: Chance the Rapper – Coloring Book
Song of the Year: Chance the Rapper – "Same Drugs"
Album of the Year: The Menzingers – After the Party
Song of the Year: The Menzingers – "Your Wild Years"
Album of the Year: Metric – Art of Doubt
Song of the Year: Metric – "Now or Never Now"
Album of the Year: Jenny Lewis – On the Line
Song of the Year: Jenny Lewis – "Red Bull & Hennessy"
Best of the Decade Playlists
Below are links to my best of the decade playlists on Spotify: A-sides, B-sides, and honorable mentions. They're all 80 minutes or less to reflect the CDR playlists people were still making at the beginning of the decade. (Note: I used a one song per album limit for these playlists.)
I think that about captures the decade that was. I'll post a similar list for movies tomorrow. As always, thanks for reading—whoever you are!
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