A hundred 2010s albums I loved
Ten years ago, I was convinced I wanted to pursue music journalism as a career. Over the course of the decade, I was lucky enough to write for some great publications, review hundreds of albums, interview artists from a range of styles and traditions, and stand in festival fields drinking copious amounts of overpriced cider, usually in exchange for 500 words copy and a free ticket. I improved a fair bit as a writer and critic in that time, but I never felt quite good enough to do it as a full time career. That, and the pay was shite. C’est la vie.
I discovered a lot of records I loved, even though, if I’m honest, I could only count the top 20 or so as all-time favourites, maybe because I’d already stubbornly settled on those as a teenager. To save an essay, I’ll just say I found the 2010s quite disappointing for artistic innovation. Music has never been so globalised, but it’s meant a lot of trite ideas and approaches have become hegemonic and few genuinely groundbreaking countercultural movements have emerged from the ground up (grime being an obvious exception). That’s had an effect on music journalism, too. In this postmodern age, we’ve internalised the idea we all make our own truth, and why should anyone really care what some ‘tastemaker’ thinks anymore? If we simultaneously like death metal and twee pop that just shows we’re obviously very intelligent and deserve kudos, so it goes.
That’s not to put a downer on this list before it’s even begun, but it adds some vague context to why I actually have enjoyed the albums on this list. All music journalists can do is make sense of the noise as they understand it. So, here’s yet another self-indulgent listicle to appeal to your hoarder instincts. Or, to be more sentimental: I really love a good chunk of these records and want to share them with you.
Some of them have something really interesting to say about wider society and the human condition; some of them resonate with me for unfathomable reasons that I struggle to explain; some of them just ‘slap’ (don’t worry — there’s a word I won’t use again). I’ve included a few soundtracks, compilations and mixtapes, which I justify on the basis they’re sequenced collections as opposed to ‘best ofs’. For clarity, I doubt anyone can truly quantify why their 64th favourite record is better than their 65th, but being left housebound by a global pandemic obviously helps focus the mind on these important questions.
That’s enough faff. A quick thanks to the editors who have commissioned me to write about music over the past decade, particularly Huw Baines, Jon Stickler, Tallah Brash and Richard Walker. You’re all patient, supportive people who are great at what you do.
Enjoy and please reply with your own x
100. Gorillaz — Plastic Beach (Electronic, Pop — 2010)
A messy, eclectic pop record with big conceptual ideas. Panned by some when it came out, but looking back I think it was ahead of its time.
99. Katatonia — The Fall of Hearts (Metal, Prog — 2016) Gloomy Swedish band who were a gateway to a lot of heavy music I enjoyed in my teens. This was their most progressive — and best — record yet. My review in 2016.
98. Year of No Light — Ausserwelt (Metal, Post-Rock — 2010) French band I only discovered last year. Like fellow Frenchmen Alcest, they deliver dense metal instrumentals amid lush atmospherics.
97. Brockhampton — Brockhampton III (Hip Hop — 2017) Kicks off with Boogie, the most banging hip hop track of the decade. Brockhampton are introspective yet energetic, exploring the big issues around identity.
96. Mitski — Puberty 2 (Indie, Rock, Pop — 2016) Mitski is a certified superstar, with a powerful voice and an adventurous approach to songwriting. My review in 2016.
95. Injury Reserve — Floss (Hip Hop — 2016) Underground rap trio with three excellent projects dropped since 2014. This is the most bombastic and confrontational. Surprised they’ve not broken through yet.
94. Akala — 10 Years of Akala (Hip Hop — 2016) Technically cheating as this is a compilation and, if anything, I preferred his excellent book Natives to any individual record. I had the privilege of interviewing him twice — here’s the most recent from 2018.
93. David Bowie — Blackstar (Rock — 2016) It took me years to get Bowie — after years listening to 70s classics, it was his last record that did it for me. One of his most personal efforts, he sounds absolutely liberated.
92. A Mote of Dust — A Mote of Dust (Slowcore — 2015) Glasgow’s Aereogramme were one of my favourite Scottish bands from the 2000s. This delicate record by Craig B was as powerful as anything they produced.
91. Esben and the Witch — A New Nature (Post-Punk, Post-Rock — 2014) An ethereal and psychedelic record which draws from seminal 80s acts like Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance, who appear further up this list…
90. Swans — To Be Kind (Experimental Rock, Post-Rock — 2014) Michael Gira’s work isn’t the easiest to get into. I won’t pretend to love everything he does, but this one really clicks for me. A dense, beautiful and often chaotic collage of ideas, as enthralling as they are challenging.
89. Plug — Back On Time (Drum & Bass, EDM — 2012) I don’t claim to be any kind of expert on this scene — and I recognise that Back on Time is essentially a remastered archival of older material — but Luke Vibert makes drum & bass fun, inventive and accessible.
88. Oceansize — Self Preserved While the Bodies Float Up (Alternative Rock, Prog — 2010) Oceansize were underexposed geniuses and remain one of the best rock bands this country has ever produced. This is their last hurrah — and their weakest record — but still full of quirks I love coming back to.
87. Cyrus Malachi — Ancient Future (Hip Hop — 2011) A snarling beast of a record, packed with macabre metaphors and dusty boom bap beats that Primo himself would screwface at. And Cyrus’ menacing vocal delivery is something else.
86. Mick Jenkins — The Water[s] (Hip Hop — 2014) An aquatic concept album, this introduced Chicago’s most fascinating new voice back in 2014 (before he was eclipsed by Chance/Noname…). Subsequent efforts didn’t set the world alight, but he’s at his most commanding and captivating here.
85. JME — Integrity> (Grime — 2015) Everyone cites Stormzy’s Shut Up video and Skepta’s Konnichiwa album as defining moments in grime’s resurgence, but this is the album that reignited my interest. Razor-sharp rhymes and technicolour beats.
84. Idles — Brutalism (Post-Punk, Post-Hardcore — 2017) All the UK post-hardcore bands I loved had broken up by the 2010s. Idles not only filled that void — their take on the sound felt more current and emblematic of the *ahem* desperate austerity that defined the decade.
83. M9 — Old Pictures (Hip Hop — 2017) London’s most gifted and underrated spitter. His prose is personal and thoughtful, fitted neatly alongside lush lo-fi production.
82. BATS — Alter Nature (Math Rock, Post-Hardcore — 2019) One of my favourite bands full stop. An Irish dude with a piratey voice yelling science equations over manic riffs and weird time signatures. What’s not to like?
81. Proc Fiskal — Insula (Grime — 2018) Grime put through an Aphex Twin filter courtesy of an Edinburgh producer. I’m not that up on this decade’s wave of garage-influence producers so would love to hear more in this vein.
80. Black Peaks — All That Divides (Rock, Post-Hardcore — 2018) One of the UK’s most criminally underrated heavy bands. They’re passionate, atmospheric, technical — all I want from this kind of music.
79. The Brave Little Abacus — Just Got Back from the Discomfort — We’re Alright (Emo, Experimental Rock — 2010) I’ve been re-listening to some of the weepy Midwest records I liked as a teenager. A lot of them have aged quite badly, but this one’s quirky and eclectic enough to keep me coming back.
78. mewithoutyou — [Untitled] (Indie, Rock — 2018) As someone who grew up in an evangelical Christian family, I’ve always interested in artists from a similar background boldly exploring dark and existential themes. Like Brand New, I find mewithoutyou uncomfortable but engrossing. My review in 2018.
77. Kids See Ghosts — Kids See Ghosts (Hip Hop, R&B — 2018) With the exception of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, I think this is Kanye’s best project of the decade. An ambitious album brimming with colour. My review in 2018.
76. Gasp — CUNT. (Hip Hop — 2018) A sprawling, death-defying record. One of Scottish hip hop’s greatest achievements, which I somehow didn’t get around to reviewing. It wouldn’t have measured up to Bram Gieben’s own superb take.
75. Avantdale Bowling Club — Avantdale Bowling Club (Jazz, Hip Hop — 2018) A melancholic jazz rap record concerned with social cohesion and gentrification, delivered in a breathless, almost Joycian manner by a captivating Kiwi narrator.
74. Nao — Saturn (R&B — 2018) R&B with sensual production and intimate lyricism started its comeback at the start of the decade. By 2018, I was absolutely sick of it, and yet Nao’s trim and triumphant album hit me straight away. My review from then.
73. Disclosure — Settle (Garage, House — 2013) I’d not listened to this in a good six years when I started this list, which seems strange because this was everywhere in 2013. It’s a defiantly upbeat dance record I swear I heard/threw on at every house party I attended around that time. Still sounds good today.
72. Beach House — 7 (Pop, Indie — 2018) It’s probably not generally the critics’ choice, but this is my favourite of the five Beach House records released in the 2010s. Every tune takes you on a journey and the panoramas they construct are absorbing. My review from 2018.
71. Amenra — Mass V (Metal — 2012) Like many people, I usually listen to metal because I find the unbridled anger cathartic. But bands like Amenra do something else entirely, focusing more on tension and loud/quiet dynamics. Vocalist Colin Eekhout’s tortured wails are akin to that of a wounded animal.
70. Mac DeMarco — 2 (Pop, Indie — 2012) Pretty much the opposite of the album above in every conceivable way. A quirky summer album with mellow vocals and jangly guitars, 2 proved a creative highpoint for Canadian songwriter MDM. I appreciated the subtle bluesy licks, too.
69. And So I Watch You From Afar — The Endless Shimmering (Math Rock, Post-Rock — 2017) Something of a mini-comeback for Northern Irish instrumentalists ASIWYFA. As expected, it’s upbeat and full of colour but with unpredictable detours that make it more structurally intriguing than other records. My review from 2017.
68. CHVRCHES — The Bones of What You Believe (Synthpop, Synthwave — 2013) I love every record by these guys and have had some amazing times seeing them with pals. Their first record fit nicely in the retro electro/80s revivalist niche that emerged at the time but leaves its own indelible Glaswegian mark.
67. Solstafir — Otta (Post-Rock, Metal — 2014) More proof, if needed, that Iceland is home to the most beautiful music. A sombre piece with occasional heavy moments, it’s one to listen to alone with your thoughts.
66. Kendrick Lamar — DAMN. (Hip Hop — 2017) This might be the most hyped I ever got about an album dropping. His ‘Control’ verse confirmed as the new king of hip hop, To Pimp a Butterfly cemented his status as an artistic genius, and DAMN. was the icing on top. His most existential piece of work.
65. Noname — Room 25 (Hip Hop, Jazz — 2018) Noname manages to be simultaneously endearing, likeable and fiercely intelligent on this follow-up project. Room 25 is about defending yourself and your community from malicious forces. My review from 2018. (Also, check her book club!)
64. Jam Baxter — The Gruesome Features (Hip Hop — 2012) Baxter is a perfectionist and auteur who paints pictures with painstaking detail. This is his best full release: a vivid, macabre rap masterpiece with impeccable word choice and noir production.
63. Andy Stott — Luxury Problems (Techno, Ambient — 2012) Having discovered Boards of Canada and Aphex Twin in my youth, I’ve found it nigh impossible to find techno producers who impress me in the same way. Stott’s music has its own distinctive sonic palette, enhanced by the uniquely elegant vocals of Alison Skidmore.
62. Pro Era — PEEP: The aPROcalypse (Hip Hop, 2012) I have mixed feelings about stacked rap crews— what works for a Brockhampton feels aimless and cumbersome for an OFWGKTA. Led by the talented Joey Bada$$, Pro Era keep things simple with throwback beats, playful cypher verses and (given their age) surprisingly advanced wordplay.
61. Three Trapped Tigers — Silent Earthling (Electronic, Math Rock — 2016) In my review at the time I described this as “maximalist” music and I haven’t come up with a better description since. This is futuristic synth-led post-rock delivered with the precision of a technical metal band.
60. Vennart — To Cure a Blizzard Upon a Plastic Sea (Alternative Rock, Progressive Rock — 2018) Frontman of Oceansize and former live guitarist for Biffy Clyro, Mike Vennart is the unsung hero of UK art rock. This is the best of his solo records, intelligent and well structured with earworm melodies.
59. Sectioned — Annihilated (Metal, Hardcore — 2018) When it comes to metalcore, I’ll admit I can’t help but compare anything I hear to Jane Doe. Sectioned get very close to this unreasonably high bar. Controlled chaos.
58. Olafur Arnalds — re:member (Modern Classical, Ambient — 2018) Arnalds’ music has always been simple yet cinematic: dynamic 4–5 minute compositions built around broken piano chords, delicate strings and pulsing electronics. This is his best record yet, even if it soundtracks virtually every “stirring” documentary you’ve watched over the past two years.
57. Loki — Government Issue Music Protest (Hip Hop — 2014) Recorded before the Scottish independence referendum, GIMP paints a bleak, dystopian vision of “new Glasgow” in the event of a No vote. A review from the very dated looking hip hop blog I wrote for in 2014.
56. Crash of Rhinos — Distal (Emo, Post-Hardcore — 2012) An explosive crescendo-oriented indie rock record packed with dazzling performances. The twinkly guitar patterns and bittersweet vocals are pure Midwest emo — even if they’re inexplicably from Derby.
55. Forest Swords — Engravings (Ambient, Electronic — 2013) The brainchild of Liverpool-based producer Matthew Barnes, Forest Swords is a dub techno project in the mould of Orb or Deepcord. But the eerie loops and samples give this a stunning psychedelic quality of its own.
54. Jehst — The Dragon of an Ordinary Family (Hip Hop — 2011) Jehst should rightfully be recognised as England’s rap laureate, having indisputably created some of UK hip hop’s crowning achievements. His 2010s output combines dizzying multisyllabic rhyme schemes with more esoteric production styles.
53. Kate Tempest — Everybody Down (Hip Hop, Spoken Word — 2014) Let Them Eat Chaos might be Tempest’s sociopolitical triumph, but I always slightly preferred its moody older sister. Experimental spoken word with bite, a worthy rap successor to the likes of John Cooper Clarke.
52. Janelle Monae — Dirty Computer (R&B, Pop — 2018) I don’t doubt Monae will be even higher up others’ lists, but shamefully I only paid attention after being blown away by her performance at Primavera last year. Pop songs that feel like they were beamed from another planet.
51. Black Midi — Schlagenheim (Experimental Rock — 2019) It’s gratifying there are still bands making rock music with such ambition. Black Midi are avant-garde but still playful, unlike some of their more pofaced contemporaries.
50. IAMX — The Unified Field (Electropop, Gothic Rock — 2013) It’s puzzling Chris Corner isn’t more of a household name in the UK, as he is in much of Europe, given his proclivity for staggering falsetto hooks. If Matt Bellamy was less into prog rock and more into dark cabaret, this might be the album he’d make.
49. Jamie Lenman — Devolver (Alternative Rock, Post-Hardcore — 2017) Lenman’s angsty 2000s albums with Reuben defined my teens, but he’s since gone on to reinvent himself many times over. Devolver is the most eclectic of the bunch, incorporating funk and techno influences. (He’s also one of the funniest artists I’ve ever interviewed).
48. Phaeleh — Fallen Light (Garage, Dubstep, Ambient — 2010) Of all the ethereal “post-dubstep” records I listened to at the turn of the decade (okay, about half a dozen), this was the most immersive. The sequenced remix version is even better.
47. Kamasi Washington — The Epic (Jazz, 2015) They say jazz is something you don’t get into until you’re older — like bingo or going on cruises. But The Epic is as vibrant and youthful an album as you’re likely to hear, with blissful vocal harmonies and euphoric Coltrane-esque motifs.
46. Amplifier — The Octopus (Progressive Rock, 2011) After a string of earlier records reminiscent of stoner kings Kyuss or Clutch, The Octopus was an ambitious left turn. A mammoth double album of psychedelic tones and Floydian melodrama.
45. Sigur Rós — Kveikur (Post-Rock, 2013) It feels trite to even describe the magic this Icelandic four piece produce — one of the few acts that never fail to leave me speechless. That said, Kveikur is the first album in a while that represents a marked evolution for the band, incorporating industrial influences and utilising more claustrophobic production.
44. Converge — All We Love We Leave Behind (Metal, Punk — 2012) Converge’s unique brand of sophisticated chaos isn’t for the fainthearted at the best of times. This one took even more listens than their abrasive earlier material, moving the band into darker, more existential territory.
43. Kathryn Joseph — Bones You Have Thrown Me and Blood I’ve Spilled (Folk, Alternative — 2015) Critics have called Joseph the Scottish Joanne Newsome, but it’s the Scottish element that tends to get downplayed. Her voice is astounding, but it’s her highland roots bleed out in the rhythms and melodies of this record.
42. Cliff Martinez — Drive Soundtrack (Ambient, Synthwave — 2011) The whole ‘revive everything 80s’ thing might be a bit stale at this point, but when Drive first dropped it was gamechanging. A Real Hero is the standout, but Martinez’s score is wonderful in its own right.
41. Little Simz — Grey Area (Hip Hop — 2019) An incredible talent. Little Simz has flows for days anyway, but this is the most re-listenable of her three projects due to its layered production and no holds barred approach to commentary.
40. Triple Darkness — Darker Than Black (Hip Hop — 2015) Dusty boom bap from a battle hardened UK collective. The back and forth between emcees like M9 and Cyrus Malachi give this an enthralling tension. And the beats just chill the blood.
39. Run the Jewels — Run the Jewels 3 (Hip Hop — 2016) Run the Jewels are a rare beast, having released effectively the same record three times without losing any energy or momentum. In full effect, Killer Mike and El-P’s back-and-forth rhymes are akin to a freight train, a relentless onslaught amid riotous electronic production.
38. Bicep — Bicep (House — 2017) Apparently it’s become a bit of a meme in raver circles to toast this album, but it’s clearly one of the more important EDM releases of the decade in terms of impact. The influence of the likes of Jon Hopkins is evident, but this still has its own dystopian aesthetic.
37. Slowdive — Slowdive (Shoegaze — 2017) It was quite difficult placing this, Slowdive’s first release in 22 years but the first I heard. I’ve inevitably become more enamoured by their classic release Souvlaki, but their sound is just as timeless here.
36. Airiel — Molten Young Lovers (Shoegaze — 2017) Another album awash with lush guitar textures, to the point where the vocals feel almost inconsequential. In a crowded field, this may well be the prettiest entry on this list.
35. Andrew Hale & Simon Hale — LA Noire Soundtrack (Jazz, Modern Classical — 2011) LA Noire sucked me in like virtually no other video game in the 2010s, awaking an obsession with hard-boiled 40s detective novels. The Hale brothers’ cinematic soundtrack remains one of the most evocative I’ve heard, an ominous swirl of staccato horns and dramatic strings.
34. TesseracT — One (Metal, Progressive Rock — 2011) A band who tend to be lumped in with the wider “djent” crowd, mostly carbon copy tech wizards obsessed with palm muted guitars and polyrhythms. TesseracT stand out, placing as much emphasis on melody as wonkish grooves, led by their terrific Buckley-esque frontman Dan Tompkins.
33. Real Estate — Days (Indie Rock — 2011) A wistful jangle pop record that I played to death at university. The nostalgic lyrics and hazy production are hardly groundbreaking — elements of this are straight out of the R.E.M. playbook. It’s the songwriting where Days truly shines, though. Structurally, everything fits perfectly.
32. CHVRCHES — Every Open Eye (Synthpop — 2015) All three of Chvrches’ records have their merits. On balance, this is the most well-rounded: the synths, patterns and effects are used purposefully and vocalist Lauren Mayberry is on the top of her game.
31. Radiohead — A Moon Shaped Pool (Alternative Rock, Chamber Pop — 2016) This doesn’t get me in the gut in the way some of their albums do, but it’s still a gripping reminder that they’re the best band in the world on form. Taking things in a chamber pop direction, with a dark and mysterious tone, this record is well-structured and technically brilliant.
30. Frank Ocean — Blonde (R&B, Soul — 2016) A woozy, lo-fi record by a boyish protagonist, sketching out tortured stories in small bursts. The fact this was so successful goes to show you how much R&B transformed in the 2010s. As I said in my 2016 review, an immersive mood piece I never tire of returning to.
29. Jamie Lenman — Muscle Memory (Folk, Post-Hardcore — 2013) The first of Lenman’s solo records, this is an absolute mess on paper: a contrasting double album encompassing a disc of masochistic alt-metal and a disc of bluesy folk tunes on banjo/acoustics. Somehow, both sides are superb.
28. Run the Jewels — Run the Jewels 2 (Hip Hop — 2015) The most overtly political of RTJ’s trilogy, packed with anti-establishment diatribes and slogans. Concurently, it’s their most fun-loving record: Killer Mike and El-P are both in their bag, bouncing wordplay off one other and mixing up flows.
27. Ed Scissor — Better.Luck.Next.Life (Hip Hop — 2012) The most outright talented of the High Focus crew, who dominated the underground UK hip hop scene throughout the decade. His lucid writing and clear, crisp delivery make for a mesmeric record that flies by despite its lengthy run time.
26. Carly Rae Jepsen — E·MO·TION (Synthpop — 2015) Yes, the lass who wrote Call Me Maybe, and yes, that’s an absolute anthem whatever the snobs say. Putting that aside, I’m still blown away by the breadth of, well, emotions on display here from Jepsen. It’s so energetic, charming and well-written, it feels like a greatest hits in its own right, like all truly great pop records.
25. Lowkey — Soundtrack to the Struggle (Hip Hop — 2011) There’s no doubt Lowkey’s earnest lyrical messaging— on Palestine and Iraq in particular — is moralistic and lacks subtlety. What critics miss is that is the very point. He’s a master of his medium, a spellbinding emcee as skilled in persuasion as any political orator you could think of.
24. Foals — Total Life Forever (Indie Rock — 2010) When Foals first appeared, I’d written them off as another 2000s post-Strokes landfill indie clone. This, their sophomore record, forced a complete 180: it’s a tight and meticulous record built around staccato and syncopated rhythms, yet submerged in luxurious reverb.
23. Maybeshewill — I Was Here for a Moment, Then I Was Gone… (Post-Rock — 2011) They’re best known for their iconic use of film samples, but my favourite record of theirs is the one that dispenses with them. This is more impressionistic, fixating on a deft guitar progression here or building a crescendo with a broken piano chord there. And these moments jump out at you again and again.
22. Brockhampton — Saturation II (Hip Hop — 2017) The album that made me fall in love with hip hop again. As an ensemble, Brockhampton are just peerless, with each member (sometimes quite literally) boasting a distinctive style. The bombastic strings and G-funk inspired synth lines are just the icing.
21. Against All Logic — 2012–2017 (House — 2018) This is what I’ve been desperate for Nicholas Jaar to make for years, a cohesive sample-heavy project filled with ambition and ideas but packed with grooves that make you dance. There is an epic feel to this I can only compare to Daft Punk in their prime.
20. Deftones — Koi No Yokan (Alternative Rock, Metal — 2012) I never cease preaching about the virtues of these guys. Their hybrid shoegaze/metal sound has changed the rock landscape in ways the hipster press are only starting to come to terms with. Koi No Yokan is arguably their most dynamic record in the way it transitions between the two styles.
19. Deftones — Diamond Eyes (Alternative Rock, Metal — 2010) While its successor (above) is more sonically adventurous, Diamond Eyes is the heavier, older brother, stacked with bone-crunching riffs. Guitarist Abe Cunningham is the Johnny Marr to dulcet vocalist Chino Moreno’s Morrissey — their duality shouldn’t work but absolutely does.
18. Ibrahim Maalouf — Wind (Jazz — 2012) One of the most thrilling jazz musicians I’ve heard, Maalouf draws inspiration from the free-flowing improv of the likes of Herbie Hancock but uses Arabic and Phrygian scales less commonly heard in this style.
17. Happy Particles — Under Sleeping Waves (Indie Rock, Post-Rock — 2011) I’ve seen countless moody slowcore type bands at dingy Glasgow basement shows the years, to the point where most tend to blur into one. Happy Particles are an exception. Their self-released debut, a leisurely collection of glacial pop tunes augmented by gentle strings, is gorgeous from start to finish.
16. Nils Frahm — All Melody (Modern Classical, Electronic — 2018) Frahm is best known for his romantic piano work, but this is another beast. Recorded in Berlin’s legendary Funkhaus studio, it’s an album anchored around stunning choral harmonies and subtle electronics. My review from 2018.
15. Grum — Heartbeats (Electropop, Synthwave — 2010) It feels like glossy disco-inspired records are a dime a dozen these days. Despite its revivalist instincts, then, Heartbeats feels oddly ahead of its time, a shimmering collection of analog synth grooves and anthemic vocal hooks. Grum swiftly abandoned this approach for a more progressive trance sound — and that’s cool — but I love coming back to this, even if he doesn’t.
14. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib — Pinata (Hip Hop — 2014) For all he’s the most out-and-out charismastic rap performer since 2pac, Gibbs’ solo records are mostly solid but uninspiring. This collaboration takes things up a notch: Madlib’s cuts and old school samples provide the perfect platform as Gibbs constructs his very own 70s blaxploitation persona. Utterly compelling.
13. La Dispute — Wildlife (Post-Hardcore — 2011) For me, this is the album where Jordan Dreyer transformed from a melodramatic emo singer into one of the great songwriters of our generation. Wildlife is cinematic in scope, as Dreyer’s dramatic monologues about love, loss and longing come to life within an intense hardcore environment. The result is one of the most emotionally pummelling long plays you’ll ever hear.
12. Idles — Joy As an Act of Resistance (Post-Punk, Post-Hardcore — 2018) When I interviewed these guys, I suggested they’d provided punk with the short, sharp shock it needed like Refused or Fugazi before them. But there’s something else at work on their follow-up — it’s an album almost inexplicably defiant in its positivity given the extreme and dark forces it rails against. What it should get more credit for is that it’s also humorous, self-deprecating and endlessly fun.
11. Deepchord Presents Echospace — Liumin (Ambient, Techno — 2010) It’s rare for an electronic record to sound so effortlessly naturalistic and immersive. On one hand, Liumin is perpetually busy, capturing the noise and colour of a nocturnal urban environment to the point where it’s headache inducing; on the other hand, such phonography is breathtaking amidst endless techno build.
10. Blue Sky Black Death — NOIR (Instrumental Hip Hop, Electronic — 2011) The emergence of things like cloud rap (and “emo rap”) have been attributed to high profile producers like Clams Casino. But this San Francisco duo were using hip hop to create dramatic soundscapes when it was less fashionable. Maybe Noir sounds saccharine to some ears, but this is the sentimental American inverse to the gloomy trip hop/garage that’s so pervasive here. I unashamedly adore it.
9. Kendrick Lamar — good kid, m.A.A.d city (Hip Hop — 2012) His first masterpiece, unfairly overshadowed by what followed it. Like Rakim, Chuck D and Nas before him, Kendrick has reinvented what it means to be a rap storyteller. This is only semi-autobiographical, but the imagery he conjures is so precise it doesn’t matter. This runs the gamut of emotions, aided by a revolving cast of west coast hip hop characters.
8. M9 — Magna Carta (Hip Hop — 2012) An absorbing and multi-layered record that sees London’s Melanin 9 dissect everything from cosmological theology to neo-colonialism over head-nodding boom bap beats and eerie Chopin samples. On the surface, this will appeal to anyone who loves Wu-Tang and Mobb Deep, but the knowledge he’s dropping is on another level.
7. Boards of Canada — Tomorrow’s Harvest (Ambient, Techno — 2013) Everything these guys do is otherworldly, but this takes their apocalyptic techno sound to another realm entirely. Whereas previous records sought to capture a peculiar cold war nihilism with haunting field recordings I was too young to relate to, Tomorrow’s Harvest is a smog-filled disasterpiece to soundtrack ecological collapse. In other words, simultaneously depressing and absolutely awe-inspiring.
6. Noname — Telefone (Hip Hop, Soul — 2016) Perhaps the antithesis of the record above, Noname’s Telefone is a tape absolutely brimming with hope for the future. It’s not an escapist record — far from it, as she conveys the self-doubt and racial pressures experienced from a young age — but it’s tender and compassionate. The understated vocals and radiant keys give this an irresistible quality.
5. Burial — Tunes 2011–2019 (Garage, Ambient, Dubstep — 2019) Aye, I’m definitely cheating with this one, but it would remiss of me not to include Burial’s sublime 2010s material. This is a slow-burn journey into his post-dubstep era, spanning experimental mood sketches and the more ghost-like post-club staples of the ilk only he’s capable of. Not necessarily the best intro to his work but further evidence of his genius.
4. The Weeknd — Trilogy (R&B — 2012) Before his 80s horror phase, before his Michael Jackson phase, even before his creepy/perverted whatever-Kissland-was phase, Abel Tesfaye had earned a reputation as a progressive pop artist with big ambitions. What makes his first trilogy of mixtapes so alluring isn’t the graphic depictions of his sex, drugs and all-round hedonistic lifestyle, but rather how dark, miserable and anaesthetising he makes it seem. It’s the counterpoint between sensual overload and heartfelt anguish that make Tesfaye such a gripping protagonist.
3. Dead Can Dance — Anastasis (Modern Classical, Darkwave — 2012) No one in the world sounds entirely like Dead Can Dance and it’s hard to pinpoint what makes them special. They’re clearly more than just students of different folk traditions — it’s at the heart of what they do, and Anastastis incorporates both Greek and Turkish influences onto its Gothic template. One thing that’s beyond words, though, is Lisa Gerrard’s voice, a uniquely mournful contralto that defies comprehension.
2. And So I Watch You From Afar — Gangs (Math Rock, Post-Rock — 2011) ASIWYFA’s gang emblem (see above) is the closest to a tattoo design I’ve ever considered. It’s probably off the strength of this album, an instrumental rock record designed to unify and uplift. The band’s celtic roots bleed throughout, but they also build recognisable motifs around reggae and carnival patterns they’ve encountered from years of touring. At only eight tracks, it’s a tight, taut and energetic record to make you mosh, dance and jump around. What more do you want?
1. Kendrick Lamar — To Pimp a Butterfly (Hip Hop, Jazz, Soul — 2015) A multi-faceted, novelistic and wildly entertaining ride that doesn’t fully announce its overarching theme— the music industry’s exploitation of black artistry — until the close. This is hip hop’s very own The Wire, a piece of art that manages to build in various perspectives, stylistically borrowing from jazz, soul, funk and everything in between, and doing so in a way that’s cohesive. Of all the albums I reviewed over the last ten years, this gives me the most pleasure. The sort of album that reminds me why I love music, and more aptly, why I still love writing about music — at least every now and then.
