Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s
by buzzdainer

The 2010s began for me in a cabin in the North Georgia mountains, an auspicious beginning to a decade that's had more than its share of ups and downs, but has also brought an incredible amount of musical inspiration. I have peers my age who won't listen to anything that's been released since they finished high school in the late eighties; they remind me of people in my dad's generation who think "the music died" when Don McLean said it did in "American Pie." No, no, no, folks. There is great stuff coming out all the time, if you're willing to go find it. I discover new stuff these days through BIRP! and No Depression and American Songwriter and the Americana Music Association and WNCW and Pitchfork, not to mention music festivals and word of mouth. And my tastes are surely inflected by the places I've lived--first Georgia, then across the state line in Western North Carolina, then Colorado's Front Range, then central Minnesota, and now southwest Montana, where I hope to remain. I like music from many different genres--whatever hits my sweet spot--though I am particularly fond of things that remind me of the mountain landscapes I love and the people most dear to me, even (and perhaps especially) the eccentrics, cranks, and weirdos who make life fun and constantly invigorating. I'm sure you've heard many things from this decade that I haven't, so I welcome your recommendations and your feedback on this chart. Happy reading and listening!

• Chart updated: 07/01/2024 14:15
• (Created: 02/16/2016 19:20).
• Chart size: 100 albums.

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1. (=)

The Silver Gymnasium 

 Okkervil River

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The Silver Gymnasium is a criminally underrated record, one that gets overshadowed when we talk about Okkervil River because they're recorded so many great albums in such a short time. I understand, though, that not all listeners will identify with it as much as I do. These are Will Sheff's stories of growing up in a small New England town, an experience that resonates for me, having grown up in the next state over. The stories are unsettling, with hints of violence and darkness always lurking just around the corner, as in these lyrics from "Down Down the Deep River": "We lie awake at night in a tent and I say / Tell me about your uncle and his friend / Because they seem like very bad men / Well we'll want to keep away from them." Haunting. This feels like a thematic step toward a Will Sheff solo album, although the sound of the band as a whole has never sounded more full. [First added to this chart: 02/16/2016]

Year of Release:

2013

Appears in:

41 charts

Rank Score:

206

Rank in 2013:

136

Rank in 2010s:

1,207

Overall Rank:

6,323

Average Rating:

 72 (51 votes)

Comments:

4

2. (=)

Southeastern 

 Jason Isbell

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This is the album that lifted Jason Isbell to the summit of Americana's songwriting mountain, the one that established him as the finest craftsman working today at his particular art. It's no coincidence that this was the first album he recorded after quitting drinking. While he wrote a number of terrific songs while still suffering from the ravages of alcoholism--he was a notoriously mean drunk, so much that his bandmates in Drive-By Truckers, no saints themselves, kicked him out of the band for his own good--the songs on this album have an emotional clarity, and raw honesty, that make them unlike anything he'd done previously. These are songs of heartache and addiction, but also profound redemption and gratitude. Isbell's singing has never been stronger, too, as evidenced by the powerful and fantastic opener, "Cover Me Up." I always get a lump in my throat when he sings, "In days when we raged / We flew off the page / Such damage was done / But I made it through / To somebody new / I was meant for someone." [First added to this chart: 02/16/2016]

Year of Release:

2013

Appears in:

203 charts

Rank Score:

1,458

Rank in 2013:

20

Rank in 2010s:

175

Overall Rank:

1,198

Average Rating:

 76 (184 votes)

Comments:

18

15. (=)

Once I Was An Eagle 

 Laura Marling

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A transcendently great breakup album--or at least, a deep exploration of relationship dysfunction--from Laura Marling. This album has it all: powerful vocal performances, sharp songwriting, sophisticated guitar playing, and thunderous drumming. I had the great fortune to see Laura Marling play at the Georgia Theater in Athens on her tour supporting this album, and although I thought I was initially disappointed that she didn't bring her band on the tour (it was a solo acoustic show), she more than commanded the stage, and the performance really emphasized her talents as a guitarist. The multi-song suite that opens the album is fascinating, with the relentlessly percussive "Master Hunter" as a highlight. [First added to this chart: 02/16/2016]

Year of Release:

2013

Appears in:

177 charts

Rank Score:

763

Rank in 2013:

46

Rank in 2010s:

352

Overall Rank:

2,141

Average Rating:

 76 (212 votes)

Comments:

19

22. (=)

Muchacho 

 Phosphorescent

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Of all Matthew Houck's indie folk releases under the Phosphorescent moniker, Muchacho is by far the most consistent, and the one on which his vocals are an asset rather than an early Will Oldham-esque distraction. "Song for Zula" is the album's high point, and it is genuinely lovely and affecting, one of the most heartbreaking songs of the new millenium. When Houck sings, "I will not open myself up this way again," I sense the pain underlying his words; I believe him. As Jayson Greene wrote for Pitchfork, "It’s a simple sentiment, pitched somewhere south of Zen koan and just north of heartland-rock cliche, and it maps out the coordinates of Houck’s world: It’s a place where well-worn sounds are the most beloved, where ideas and poses are settled into like old chairs. On Muchacho, Houck invests this world with new beauty and profundity." [First added to this chart: 02/18/2016]

Year of Release:

2013

Appears in:

109 charts

Rank Score:

385

Rank in 2013:

77

Rank in 2010s:

668

Overall Rank:

3,791

Average Rating:

 75 (154 votes)

Comments:

13

24. (=)

Overgrown 

 James Blake

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In terms of genre, Overgrown has James Blake exploring more expansive territory than on his excellent self-titled debut album: sometimes he's working with electronic effects, turning them over and over again to examine their various facets; at other times he's firmly in a soulful rhythm-and-blues mode, using his voice to find complicated emotional meanings. Attempting to explain his inspiration for album's great single "Retrograde," Blake said, "Falling in love. [...] I can't deny it. There's no point in trying to come up with some other explanation for what I've been writing about. When it happened, I was really struck. Y'know, 'Suddenly I'm hit!'" [First added to this chart: 06/27/2021]

Year of Release:

2013

Appears in:

286 charts

Rank Score:

1,190

Rank in 2013:

28

Rank in 2010s:

218

Overall Rank:

1,429

Average Rating:

 76 (391 votes)

Comments:

17

28. (=)

The Highway 

 Holly Williams

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Holly Williams comes from one of the great musical families, as she's the granddaughter of country legend Hank Williams. Her family pedigree shines through on this album, as both her vocals and songwriting have the sound of an assured veteran with total command over her craft. The album as a whole is a consistent collection of blues-inflected country songs, but I think my favorite is "'Til It Runs Dry," a song about wholehearted living: "Hang my heart up on that line / Let it beat 'til it runs dry." If it's true that cynicism and depression are closely linked, as I read in a very compelling blog post concerning the death of Chris Cornell yesterday, then "'Til It Runs Dry" may be the perfect antidote. Long may we both live, Holly Williams. [First added to this chart: 02/16/2016]

Year of Release:

2013

Appears in:

7 charts

Rank Score:

27

Rank in 2013:

766

Rank in 2010s:

7,200

Overall Rank:

30,468

Average Rating:

 72 (3 votes)

Comments:

1

35. (=)

Trouble Will Find Me 

 The National

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[First added to this chart: 05/28/2022]

Year of Release:

2013

Appears in:

681 charts

Rank Score:

5,776

Rank in 2013:

7

Rank in 2010s:

36

Overall Rank:

286

Average Rating:

 79 (951 votes)

Comments:

88

48. (=)

The Beast In Its Tracks 

 Josh Ritter

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The Beast in Its Tracks-- an album inspired by, and whose energy is animated by, a painful divorce that he went through--is Josh Ritter's Blood on the Tracks,. Although there are definitely moments of bitterness and anger here, what is most admirable about this album is how hopeful and forgiving it is. This is best heard on the tender and absolutely lovely "Joy to You Baby," with its lyrics that I very much hope are true, for both Josh's sake and my own: "There's pain in whatever / We stumble upon / If I never had met you / You couldn't have gone / But then I couldn't have met you / We couldn't have been / I guess it all adds up / To joy to the end." [First added to this chart: 02/16/2016]

Year of Release:

2013

Appears in:

27 charts

Rank Score:

85

Rank in 2013:

316

Rank in 2010s:

2,770

Overall Rank:

13,536

Average Rating:

 75 (19 votes)

Comments:

4

49. (=)

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Reflektor 

 Arcade Fire

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There's always been a physicality about Arcade Fire's sound--this is, after all, a band whose members used to find it necessary to wear football and motorcycle helmets on stage to be drummed upon--but the rhythm section has never popped on one of their albums the way it does here. That emphasis has producer James Murphy's stamp all over it. Win Butler says the band learned an important lesson early in the recording sessions: "If you can get James tapping his foot, you know you're on the right track." That approach really works on this album, as I find it Arcade Fire's most club-ready record yet (I say this as someone who never goes to clubs, but I might if they played songs like those on Reflektor). The title track offers the most intense moment here, when Butler and David Bowie launch into a gorgeous vocal hall of mirrors: "It’s just a reflection of a reflection / Of a reflection of a reflection of a reflection, ah!" Ah, indeed. [First added to this chart: 02/16/2016]

Year of Release:

2013

Appears in:

894 charts

Rank Score:

7,061

Rank in 2013:

6

Rank in 2010s:

26

Overall Rank:

224

Average Rating:

 79 (1,585 votes)

Comments:

165

50. (=)

The Ballad Of Boogie Christ 

 Joseph Arthur

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I had the good fortune of seeing Joseph Arthur at eTown Hall in Boulder soon after the release of The Ballad of Boogie Christ. eTown co-host Nick Forster remarked at one point that the eponymous protagonist of this concept album could easily be a resident of Redemption City, a fictional metropolis that was the title of Arthur's previous album. This album never got that much attention either from listeners or critics (which I guess you could also say about Arthur's career as a whole), but I rate it among his stream-of-consciousness best, as in these lines from "I Miss the Zoo": "I miss exposing my bones and the need that rewinds / Even my burning home, even my gutted inner child / Even my dead grandfather beneath the ground that's wild / Even my criminal family, even my weedwhacker thoughts / Whipping a thin plastic string to cut the ears of others as I sing / I miss van Gogh's revenge, I miss his nightly binge / I miss spiders surrounding my bed and lifting me as if an effigy / Or a Dead King or a prophet of doom / A Jesus for the apocalypse wearing dirt like perfume." Yep, that's a day in the life for a character with a name like Boogie Christ. [First added to this chart: 02/17/2016]

Year of Release:

2013

Appears in:

4 charts

Rank Score:

31

Rank in 2013:

700

Rank in 2010s:

6,551

Overall Rank:

28,084

Average Rating:

 76 (6 votes)

Comments:

1

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Total albums: 14. Page 1 of 2

Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s composition

Country	Albums	%
	77	77%
	8	8%
	4	4%
	3	3%
	3	3%
	2	2%
	1	1%
Show all

Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s chart changes

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Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s similarity to your chart(s)

Other decade charts by buzzdainer

buzzdainer has shared 6 more 2010s decade charts with the community. Browse them all here.

Title	Source	Type	Published	Country
Top 100 Music Albums of the 2020s	buzzdainer	2020s decade chart	2025
Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s	buzzdainer	2010s decade chart	2024
Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s	buzzdainer	2000s decade chart	2024

Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s ratings

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 17 ratings for this chart.

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Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
70/100  !	02/08/2025 16:46	SomethingSpecial	1,104	85/100
85/100  !	02/08/2025 14:41	Tamthebam	649	85/100
95/100  !	02/26/2023 02:53	craab	15	95/100
100/100  !	11/27/2021 13:41	DommeDamian	1,004	89/100
55/100  !	04/10/2021 15:07	StreakyNuno	131	82/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some charts can have several thousand ratings)
This chart is rated in the top 5% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 88.7/100, a mean average of 90.3/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 90.3/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 12.5.

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Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s favourites

Showing all 2 members who have added this chart as a favourite

WayneMC

Graeme2

Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 17 comments |
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Rating:  

95/100

From craab 02/26/2023 02:53 | #294456

Terrific chart> Can't wait to follow some of these leads!

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

100/100

From DommeDamian 11/27/2021 13:41 | #276753

God almighty what a gr8 chart.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

55/100

From StreakyNuno 04/10/2021 15:09 | #268420

Uncle tupelo anodyne best album ever and bufallo tom in second????
I don't feel like listening to the other albums this chart

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

Rating:  

100/100

From Larcx13 12/05/2020 15:29 | #262054

Nice,

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

90/100

From ExTeaSea 10/11/2020 01:42 | #259175

You have a very interesting chart as well! So different than mine but that's totally fine. I'd love to see Kishi Bashi in concert! Quite curious about the band The Dø.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

95/100

From WayneMC 05/12/2018 21:57 | #214685

Thanks for your very positive comments about my 2010s chart. I usually wait a year before adding anything recent but I've just added the new Jon Hopkins album, 'Singularity', despite only owning it a week. There are 60 albums in your chart that I haven't listened to (despite knowing many of the artists) but I'm certain there are some great albums there for me to discover.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

90/100

From ecwashere 07/14/2017 10:18 | #194276

Great!

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

100/100

From Davy 05/28/2017 11:50 | #191585

Mighty chart!

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

100/100

From Graeme2 03/13/2017 13:15 | #187349

I want to live in a cabin in the north Georgia mountains! I've discovered a few things from your charts that I've enjoyed, Americana type stuff. I like your notes and the ones you put on people's charts, cheers!

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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