See #100-81
Warning: Entries 74, 72, and 68 contain some NSFW-ish artwork. Also, #78 has some blood on it. Apparently all the weird covers are in this set…
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80. Spiritualized- Sweet Heart Sweet Light (2012) (Psych Rock)
A good comeback is always exciting, and 2012’s Sweet Heart Sweet Light. Following over a decade of adequate followups to Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, J. Spaceman gave us one of the most thrillingly expansive psych rock records of the decade. Each song sprawls with equal ambition, with songs like Hey Jane providing some of the most deliriously catchy rock the group has put out. It’s an album that rewards with repeat listens, proving that the band is not yet out of the game.
Try: Hey Jane, Mary. Little Girl
79. Danny Brown- Old (2013) (Hardcore Hip-Hop)
Danny Brown is one of Hip-Hop’s most exciting figures, and his followup to xxx proved that the man is a unique talent. Following his breakout’s pattern, the album is divided by side; Introspective jams on side one, heavy bangers on side two. The production, provided by talents like Skywlkr and Paul White, gives Brown a rounded sound that makes him one of the most fascinating characters in Hip-Hop. Then there’s Brown himself, who gives each song 110%. Brown can attack a beat with aggressive passion, while he can also give a beat his undivided emotion. It’s hard to believe Lonely and Smokin’ & Drinkin’ are on the same album, but Brown makes it work. It helps that he doesn’t show any weakness as an MC. Despite the fact he sounds like an alien, Old proves that Danny Brown is entirely human. It’s a rap album that has something for everyone.
Try: Lonely, Smokin’ & Drinkin’, Torture, The Return
It’s Good.
78. How to Dress Well- Total Loss (2012)
77. Diarrhea Planet- I’m Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams (2013) (Pop Punk)
Diarrhea Planet answers the question “What if Kiss didn’t suck, was fronted by 4 guitarists, and had a terrible name?”. OK, so no one is asking this question. But if they were, Diarrhea Planet would be a miraculous answer. The band flies through this album with a young energy that few other bands have. The multiple guitarists are put to great use, since songs are driven by the massive amount of sound going on at once. The band can create hooks, but their instrumental prowess is just as impressive. There are several tracks here where it is easy to become engulfed by the sheer sonic blast of the guitarists. It’s an album that can be perfectly encapsulated by one word: Rad.
Try: Kids, Separations, The Sound of My Ceiling Fan
76. Ryan Adams- Ryan Adams (2014) (Heartland Rock)
While it may not be obvious, Ryan Adams has been one of the most consistently great songwriters of the past decade. His self-titled 2014 record gave us a taste of a ripened Adams, resulting in one of the best produced rock records he’s ever done. Brimming with jams, the album perfectly captures Adams’ current career stage without being embarrassing. There are songs on this record that are just as heartfelt and just as well performed as anything from his golden era. It’s not a showy record, and that’s what makes it special.
Try: Gimme Something Good, Wrecking Ball, Kim
75. BADBADNOTGOOD- III (2014) (Instrumental Hip-Hop Jazz)
I’m just going to link to this until the end of time.
Try: Can’t Leave the Night, Triangle, CS60
74. Bat For Lashes- The Haunted Man (2012) (Art Pop)
Natasha Kahn has one of the most intimate voices in all of pop music, yet her voice can still wield an insurmountable amount of power. It would be hard for anyone to come out with anything as good as Two Suns, but Kahn did it. With massive production, Kahn gives us a lush art pop album of epic proportions. Somehow, Kahn’s airy vocals can carry orchestras, drum machines, and man choirs. The Haunted Man is a lot like its album cover. On the surface, it conveys an intimate vulnerability and nakedness. But in reality, this weakness is her greatest strength.
Try: Laura, All Your Gold, Winter Fields
73. Big K.R.I.T.- 4Eva N A Day (2012) (Southern Rap)
Big K.R.I.T. has given us some incredible projects- two of them were already on this list. However, few have been as great as his 2012 concept “mixtape”, 4Eva N A Day. Exploring a day in the life of K.R.I.T., the album provides a deeper view into one of the south’s best MCs. Featuring some of K.R.I.T.’s best production yet, the album explores jazzy experiments without overwhelming the story. It’s almost like Hip-Hop noir, oozing with intrigue. Then there’s K.R.I.T. himself, who has never sounded more confident on the mic. It’s hard to get through the end of The Alarm without realizing that K.R.I.T. is one of the greatest voices in Hip-Hop right now.
Try: The Alarm, Boobie Miles, 4EvaNADay (Theme)
72. The Weeknd- House of Balloons (2011) (Dark R&B)
Post-Drake and Post-Mediocre Major Label Debut, The Weeknd’s original hype seems ridiculous in retrospect. Abel Zoobybooby and his sense of mystique kind of disappeared after being on that gross song with Ariana Grande. Plus, Thursday and Echoes of Silence don’t really hold up as well as they did when they came out (I still like them, they’re just not the OHMYGOD releases that they initially were). However, House of Balloons remains a stunningly unique piece of sticky R&B. Absolutely depraved, the album takes us to the deepest of depths. It’s still uncomfortable to listen to (something a lot of later Weeknd converts don’t seem to understand…which…yikes), but it’s borderline thrilling. Plus, the vocals still hold up, with Abel standing his ground amid a cloud of dark, brooding production. Listening to House of Balloons, the hype begins to make sense again.
Try: Wicked Games, The Morning, High For This
71. Flying Lotus- Until the Quiet Comes (2012) (Vaguely Ambient Glitch-Hop/IDM)
Between two wild LPs, FlyLo gave us one of his most contemplative projects yet. Until the Quiet Comes is a subdued journey into the subconscious, showing some restraint in the face of wild musicianship. While it’s not a sleepy album, the instrumentals always verge on explosiveness without pulling the trigger. It’s nighttime music, an album to drive to late at night. Guest vocalists like Erykah Badu and Thom Yorke come in, offering texture without fully standing out. It’s a fascinating album that seems to quietly brew, offering a fulfilling low tide between two massive waves of insanity.
Try: Getting There, See Thru To U, Pretty Boy Strut
70. Justin Timberlake- The 20/20 Experience Part 1 (2013) (Mainstream Pop/R&B)
Part two sucks. A lot. But at least we have Part one, which is one of the most monumental mainstream pop records of the decade. Each song stretches to the limit, backed by some of Timbaland’s most interesting productions since…well…FutureSex/LoveSounds. This production sets the stage for Timberlake, who gives us some of his best songs yet. The hooks on the album soar, with each song meticulously crafted for optimal radio play. It’s not quite FutureSex/Lovesounds (What is?), but it’s one of the most entertaining records from one of pop’s most entertaining figures.
Try: Mirrors, Don’t Hold the Wall, Let the Groove Get In
69. Deafheaven- Sunbather (2013) (Metalgaze? Don’t Kill Me)
I somehow managed to ignore this record for a long time. I’m an idiot for that.
Dream House is one of the most emotional, beautiful, devastating albums I have ever listened to. Normally, I’m not much of a metal guy. Despite the fact the record is not exactly metal (According to RYM, it is a “Atmospheric Metal with elements of Shoegaze and Post-Rock” album), the album absolutely thrashes. George Clarke screeches and wails in desperation, yearning for happiness and comfort in the face of abject disappointment. The sprawling opener, Dream House, introduces the album perfectly. Clouds of guitars, smashing drums, and hard-to-hear-properly vocals. The post-rock interludes provide quiet from the storm, but they never downplay the depressive mood. It’s a moving record that needs to be heard to be understood. I recommend pulling up the lyrics. You’ll be devastated.
“I want to dream”.
Try: Dream House. For the love of god try Dream House.
68. Death Grips- The Money Store (2012) (Experimental Hardcore Hip-Hop)
Speaking of records I slept on, I certainly did not like Death Grips’ best album when I first heard it. I went from hating to ignoring to liking to loving this record in about a year. While their other records push listeners to the limits, The Money Store provides aggressiveness in a sweetly tied, catchy package. Despite the genre, the album is loaded with ear worms (“I’VE SEEN FOOTAGE, I’VE SEEN FOOTAGE, I STAY NOIDED” “GET GET GET GET GOT GOT GOT GOT” “I GOT THE FEEEVUH!” “I’M IN YO AREUHHHHHHHH!”, etc.). MC Ride gives us his best vocal performances, Zach Hill drums like he’s not a human, and Skylander creates some of the wildest sonic landscapes I have ever heard. I mean, these guys made audio samples from a tennis match sound like the world is blowing up. They’re a tough band to get into, but once you’re hooked, YOU’RE HOOKED.
67. Girls- Father, Son, Holy Ghost (2011) (Indie Rock)
Girls had something for everyone. You like pop? Here’s Honey Bunny. You like Indie Rock jams? Here’s Alex. You like massive epics with gospel choirs? Here’s Vomit. Father, Son, Holy Ghost is a record I visit sporadically. Yet whenever I visit, I am absolutely enthralled. This album magically captured the perfect mix of JR’s brilliant production and Christopher Owens’ sad-sack songwriting. Followups have been lacking (Seriously, Christopher Owens’ solo stuff can be pretty dour), but that’s probably because something as ambitious as Father, Son, Holy Ghost is impossible to replicate.
Try: Honey Bunny, Alex, Vomit, Die
66. Foxygen- We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic (2013) (Psych Rock)
If you threw the entirety of the 60s in a blender with a chunk of the early 70s, you’d probably get this album. Mixing Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Neil Young, Velvet Underground, and literally any other band you can name from that period, these guys managed to create one of the wildest debuts in recent memory. Off-kilter and unpredictable, the album shifts and moves in mysterious ways. The duo can make hooks and instrumental freakouts with equal fervor and power.
Try: On Blue Mountain, San Francisco, No Destruction
65. Janelle Monaé- The Archandroid (2010) (Experimental Soul)
Janelle Monaé is a wild, wild woman. The Archandroid is probably best described as Soul, but that’s taking the easy way out. The album twists and turns between genres, blending them together into seamlessly brilliant slices of pop. Ambitiously long (almost to a fault), the record established Monaé as one of pop’s most exciting figures. Plus, she’s a brilliant songwriter. The back half is unfortunately outdone by the front half, but the album as a whole holds up as one of the decade’s most exciting records.
Try: Tightrope, Cold War, Faster
64. Perfume Genius- Put Your Back N 2 It (2012) (Singer-Songwriter Chamber Pop)
Need a good cry? Here’s Perfume Genius!
Put Your Back N 2 It is a tough listen, mostly because the album is so achingly beautiful. It’s easy to get swept away by those twinkling pianos and those sweet vocals. Lyrically, it’s one of the most powerful records I have ever heard. Hadreas rips his heart wide open, allowing everyone to wander in and see. But don’t tough: it’s an incredibly fragile and intricate portrait of an emotionally damaged man. Not since Bon Iver released For Emma, Forever Ago has there been an album so unabashedly personal.
Try: Normal Song, Dark Parts, Dirge, Hood
63. M83- Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (2011) (Synth Pop)
I honestly cannot remember the last time I listened to this album in its entirety. It’s an incredibly dense record that takes a lot of time to process. Sure, there are those explosive singles that everyone loves (Intro, Steve McQueen, and Midnight City), but then there are instrumental blasts of sunshine and weird experiments like Raconte-Moi Une Histoire, which confounds me to this day. Yet this album’s ambition is what makes it so special. Anthony Gonzalez knows how to hit every emotional cue perfectly (Probably why he’s spent more time recently doing soundtracks), and this album proves it. Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming will carry you away into a completely new world, and you’ll be thankful for it.
Try: Midnight City, Reunion, Claudia Lewis, Echoes of Mine
62. Beach House- Teen Dream (2010) (Dream Pop)
Few bands capture the idea of “Dream Pop” better than Beach House. Their sophomore record, literally called Teen Dream, has a sleep-like quality about it. That’s not to say it’s boring, but rather that it seems to drift in and out of consciousness. It’s a sound so serene that it feels unreal. It’s a beautiful record, and that sums it up perfectly.
Try: Zebra, Walk in the Park, Take Care
61. Spoon- They Want My Soul (2014) (Indie Rock)
I’ll admit it: I’m like 19. So, for a while, Spoon didn’t make any sense to me. I just wasn’t there, you know?
Turns out that I’m just an idiot, because They Want My Soul is a brilliant, concise, and badass set of Indie Rock tunes. Heavy hitters like Rent I Pay prove that the band can still pack a punch, while Inside Out suggests that the band can still experiment with some incredibly beautiful sounds and ideas. Despite being an Indie Rock album, the entire project seems like an endless serious of smash singles (Seriously: Do You). Turns out a band I didn’t quite understand was actually one of the most talented rock bands around. My bad.
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