Top 50 Music Albums of the 2010s by ForegroundNoise

December 2020.

A year late and completely unasked for, but today was finally the day I rated fifty albums by fifty artists from the last decade worthy of being on this list. As with my 2000s list this is an extreme WIP; I'll add short bios and other notable releases (ONR), solo records, or projects by related artists that are worth checking out are mentioned in each entry's notes when I finally open a wormhole find some time in there. Please leave your suggestions in the comments below! Never someone to turn down the recommendation of a passionate music fan.

Below are my favourite short releases of the decade, and below that any stand-out albums that do not qualify as contemporary (retrospective compilations, live albums etc.). As for the term 'short release' this refers to anything that falls under less than half an hour in length, a distinction I prefer to the outdated classifiers of traditional LP/EP boundaries (also makes for more exciting individual lists).


Top 5 Short Releases of the 2010s

1. Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs (2018) [US]
abstract hip hop • experimental hip hop (Tan Cressida, 24:48) - 9/10
2. Murmuüre - Murmuüre (2010) [FR]
atmospheric black metal • ambient (Cold Void Emanations, 29:13) - 8/10
3. Daniel Rossen - Silent Hour / Golden Mile (Warp, 23:07) [US]
indie folk - 8/10
4. The Brave Little Abacus - Okumay (2012) [US]
emo (Quote Unquote, 14:48) - 8/10
5. Mach-Hommy - Fête des Morts aka Día de las Muertos (2017) [US]
abstract hip hop (n/a, 16:57) - 8/10
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Retrospective/Archival

Neutral Milk Hotel - Ferris Wheel on Fire (2011) [US]
indie folk (NMH, 24:25) - 8/10
S.E.M. Ensemble / Julius Eastman - Femenine (2016) [US]
minimalism • chamber music (Frozen Reeds, 72:37) - 7.5/10

• Chart updated: 03/15/2024 15:45
• (Created: 04/15/2018 08:29).
• Chart size: 50 albums.

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1. (=)

To Pimp A Butterfly 

 Kendrick Lamar

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conscious hip hop • jazz rap

(Top Dawg, 78:51)

9.5/10

"I'm African-American, I'm African
I'm black as the heart of a fucking Aryan"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 05/01/2018]

Year of Release:

2015

Appears in:

1,776 charts

Rank Score:

36,895

Rank in 2015:

1

Rank in 2010s:

1

Overall Rank:

19

Average Rating:

 89 (2,232 votes)

Comments:

365

2. (=)

Virgins 

 Tim Hecker

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ambient • drone • electroacoustic

(Kranky, 48:54)

9.5/10

ONR:

Ravedeath, 1972 (2011)
ambient • drone (Kranky, 52:23) - 8.5/10
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 05/01/2018]

Year of Release:

2013

Appears in:

184 charts

Rank Score:

1,258

Rank in 2013:

27

Rank in 2010s:

213

Overall Rank:

1,381

Average Rating:

 78 (196 votes)

Comments:

4

3. (=)

Have One On Me 

 Joanna Newsom

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chamber folk • progressive folk

(Drag City, 124:02)

9/10

"Will you tuck your shirt?
Will you leave it loose?
You are badly hurt
You're a silly goose
You are caked in mud
And in blood, and worse
Chew your bitter cud
Grope your little nurse"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 05/01/2018]

Year of Release:

2010

Appears in:

487 charts

Rank Score:

4,936

Rank in 2010:

10

Rank in 2010s:

47

Overall Rank:

366

Average Rating:

 81 (507 votes)

Comments:

39

4. (=)

Caligula 

 Lingua Ignota

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neoclassical darkwave • death industrial

(Profound Lore, 66:01)

9/10

"I'll only say this once
Life is cruel, and time heals nothing
And everyone you love will leave you
But not me

So will you join me?
Will you join me?
If you lay your life down, no man can take it"

ONR:

Let the Evil of His Own Lips Cover Him (2017)
neoclassical darkwave (n/a, 42:24) - 8/10

All Bitches Die (2017)
death industrial • neoclassical darkwave (n/a, 42:24) - 8.5/10
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 11/27/2019]

Year of Release:

2019

Appears in:

125 charts

Rank Score:

721

Rank in 2019:

26

Rank in 2010s:

374

Overall Rank:

2,255

Average Rating:

 78 (144 votes)

Comments:

7

5. (=)

To Be Kind 

 Swans

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experimental rock • post-rock

(Young God, 121:12)

9/10

"Pink little lamb, on a granite slab
Black chasm creeping, forever leaking
Oh universe
Sing in reverse"

ONR:

The Seer (2012)
experimental rock • post-rock (Young God, 118:58) - 8.5/10
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 02/09/2020]

Year of Release:

2014

Appears in:

611 charts

Rank Score:

7,084

Rank in 2014:

2

Rank in 2010s:

29

Overall Rank:

244

Average Rating:

 82 (862 votes)

Comments:

100

6. (=)

Just Got Back From The Discomfort - We're Alright 

 The Brave Little Abacus

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emo • experimental rock

(n/a, 44:33)

9/10

"This is not universal
Kid is not he who abandoned that auditorium and no, I do not want to become him anymore
But yes, I do want him to become what I believe he once was, my best friend
And stop that, he still is
I don't really think about it that way, no, I don't really ever think about it that way"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 11/25/2018]

Year of Release:

2010

Appears in:

64 charts

Rank Score:

510

Rank in 2010:

47

Rank in 2010s:

495

Overall Rank:

2,964

Average Rating:

 77 (64 votes)

Comments:

2

7. (=)

'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! 

 Godspeed You! Black Emperor

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post-rock

(Constellation, 53:07)

8.5/10
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 05/01/2018]

Year of Release:

2012

Appears in:

283 charts

Rank Score:

1,698

Rank in 2012:

15

Rank in 2010s:

152

Overall Rank:

1,044

Average Rating:

 80 (401 votes)

Comments:

17

8. (=)

A Crow Looked At Me 

 Mount Eerie

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indie folk • contemporary folk

(P.W. Elverum & Sun, 41:30)

8.5/10

"You were probably inside
You were probably aching, wanting not to die
Your body transformed
I couldn't bear to look so I turned my head west
Like an early death

Now I can only see you on the fridge in lifeless pictures"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 05/01/2018]

Year of Release:

2017

Appears in:

427 charts

Rank Score:

3,363

Rank in 2017:

6

Rank in 2010s:

75

Overall Rank:

538

Average Rating:

 80 (590 votes)

Comments:

62

9. (=)

The Magic Place 

 Julianna Barwick

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ambient pop • ambient

(Asthmatic Kitty, 43:44)

8.5/10

"Rolling with my rag top down
Rolling with my rag top down
Rolling with my rag top down"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 05/11/2018]

Year of Release:

2011

Appears in:

67 charts

Rank Score:

416

Rank in 2011:

80

Rank in 2010s:

623

Overall Rank:

3,516

Average Rating:

 77 (74 votes)

Comments:

8

10. (=)

Exmilitary 

 Death Grips

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hardcore hip hop • industrial hip hop • experimental hip hop • abstract hip hop

(Third Worlds, 48:44)

8.5/10

"Worship is not on bended knee
Nature knows not of mercy
To pray is to accept defeat
Power pisses on the weak"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 06/30/2018]

Year of Release:

2011

Appears in:

252 charts

Rank Score:

2,176

Rank in 2011:

14

Rank in 2010s:

120

Overall Rank:

819

Average Rating:

 81 (456 votes)

Comments:

28

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Total albums: 50. Page 1 of 5

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Top 50 Music Albums of the 2010s composition

Year	Albums	%
2010	6	12%
2011	4	8%
2012	5	10%
2013	4	8%
2014	3	6%
2015	7	14%
2016	6	12%
2017	5	10%
2018	5	10%
2019	5	10%

Artist	Albums	%
Yves Tumor	1	2%
Dean Blunt	1	2%
Julianna Barwick	1	2%
Everything Everything	1	2%
青葉市子 [Ichiko Aoba] + 三宅純 [Jun Miyake] + 山本達久 [Tatsuhisa Yamamoto] + 渡辺等 [Hitoshi Watanabe]	1	2%
Fiona Apple	1	2%
Anna Von Hausswolff	1	2%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	27	54%
	9	18%
	3	6%
	3	6%
	2	4%
	1	2%
	1	2%
Show all

Top 50 Music Albums of the 2010s chart changes

Biggest fallers
Down 1 from 47th to 48th Oil Of Every Pearl's Un-Insides by SOPHIE
Down 1 from 48th to 49th Schlagenheim by Black Midi

New entries
Going Places by Yellow Swans

Leavers
Logic Songs by Little Kid

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Top 50 Music Albums of the 2010s similarity to your chart(s)

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Top 50 Music Albums of the 2010s ratings

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Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
100/100	02/12/2021 20:06	DJENNY	4,408	100/100
90/100	12/17/2020 09:59	desh79	1,281	93/100

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