Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s by JamesMowbray 
Sorry I'm inconsistent with adding notes, I'll add the rest when i get time.
- Chart updated: 02/15/2022 20:45
- (Created: 11/26/2016 01:17).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
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[First added to this chart: 05/12/2018]
Year of Release:
2012
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,308
Rank in 2012:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
95
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Deafheaven had already demonstrated the success of their mix of black metal and post metal on their 2013 album Sunbather, but on New Bermuda things get darker and heavier giving more power to the black metal elements and emphasising the contrast of the post metal elements. The shorter tracks that served as breaks between the longer epics on Sunbather are not on New Bermuda but this works in its favour adding to the depressing nature of the album by sometimes having some of Deafheaven's heaviest music playing for 15 minutes at a time.
Best track: Luna [First added to this chart: 11/25/2016]
Best track: Luna [First added to this chart: 11/25/2016]
Year of Release:
2015
Appears in:
Rank Score:
748
Rank in 2015:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 11/25/2016]
Year of Release:
2015
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,385
Rank in 2015:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 01/28/2019]
Year of Release:
2018
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,242
Rank in 2018:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 06/16/2021]
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[First added to this chart: 05/15/2017]
Year of Release:
2011
Appears in:
Rank Score:
933
Rank in 2011:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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OEver since his 2011 breakout mixtape 'XXX', where he replaced his more standard flow with this wild yelping, Danny Brown had been one of the most important figures in the alternative hip hop scene. His delivery shouldn't work but on the right type of beats he has a presence that overshadows the rest of his competitors on the scene. 'Atrocity Exhibition' succeeds by being packed full of beats that you couldn't imagine any other rapper flowing over effectively. This coupled with the dark themes of drug addiction make for a masterpiece in the alternative hip hop subgenre.
'Downward Spiral' quickly establishes the tone and sound of the record. A distant guitar, louder electronic notes and minimalist drumming give Brown the perfect space to show off his wild delivery. When the hook hits a wave of distortion jumps into the foreground but Brown's voice is one of the few in hip hop that isn't completely drowned out by this creating the effect of the track sounding like Brown fighting through the instrumentation, fitting in with the lyrical themes of the album i.e. the 'downward spiral' that he is caught in.
'Tell Me What I Don't Know' calms the mood with Danny returning to his more typical voice, but he flows so well on the track that nothing feels lost. It also fits the serious nature of the track with the line "last night homie got killed at the liquor store" being the main focus of the hook. The track still feels linked in with 'Downward spiral' through its guitar driven instrumental, but this time it's quieter and fades more into the background, giving the less intense atmosphere that the track aims for.
'Rolling Stone' sees the return of Brown's one of a kind vocal delivery. The track features very strong percussion including a cowbell keeping the track together and bridging the gap between the slower hook sung by Petite Noir, and the verses themselves. Once again guitars feature but the lower register is used letting the electronic elements take the focus of the instrumental.
'Really Doe' is one of the strongest posse cuts in recent memory with top tier guest verses from Kendrick Lamar, Ab Soul and Earl Sweatshirt. Danny's flow provides his usual energy over a more minimal, trap influenced beat. Kendrick Lamar delivers the strongest verse of the track using a choppier flow than usual which fits the instrumental perfectly and the different style on his hook and bridge keep his performance fresh even though we've heard his hook twice before his verse. Earl delivers a energetic and confrontational verse rarely seen on the moodier 'I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside' and acts as proof that he's proficient in both environments. He also employs the most complex rhyming pattern with bars like "I strike a birdie on em while I hit your mouth with the club. I wake up early on them, getting out the house is a must. It's like a sweaty pit, sweaty sick, counting your dubs".
The beat on 'Lost' is completely different to any heard so far using a jazz and looped vocal sample, and despite the difference in the sound of the beat Danny still sounds right over it. It also features some of the funniest lines like "I'm like Spielberg with ill words and hoes on the curb".
The stakes are raised in 'Ain't it Funny' which features one of the loudest beats in all of hip hop, perfectly emblematic of beats that only Danny Brown could work on. The repeated blasts of horns make way for a far less ordered instrumental section during the verses. The lyrics also completely fit in with the completely chaotic nature of the song. Lines like "Upcoming heavy traffic, say you need to slow down cause you feel yourself crashing. Staring in the devil's face but you can't stop laughing" get to the heart of how Danny's flow sounds coupled with the subject matter, his lyrics speak very negatively of drug abuse, but Brown rarely sounds downbeat in the sound of his voice.
Guitars are reintroduced in 'Golddust' which sounds comparably calm to 'Ain't it Funny' even though the instrumental remains high energy. The lyrics effectively work in the lyrics of the Joy Division track that the project is named after with the lines "Can you understand what my life is about, cause I think that you don't, take a step inside", marking Danny's life as the atrocity exhibition of the title.
'White Lines' is less chaotic than the previous tracks but the instruments still create a really weird sound evoking the lyrics relating to drug abuse. Percussion takes centre stage on the more rhythmic 'Pneumonia' with drums building in each line, making Danny's delivery even more intense. The other instruments feel slightly flat giving an uneasy edge to the track.
The sudden introduction of 'Dance in the Water' completely change the atmosphere of the record, providing an unexpected dance track. The percussion remains the anchoring force in the verses but the tribal chants take over in the hook building up the energy. Lyrically the track feels a but disjoint from what it's followed, but the track sounds so good that this doesn't feel like much of a problem.
Brown's more standard delivery makes another return on Kelela featuring 'From the Ground', but if this makes it sound like a more regular track the beats feature a snoring sound throughout, and sudden claps and instrumental flairs prevent the track feeling dull in the wake of the wave of energy and chaos that it's followed.
'When it Rain' features the most paranoid instrumental of the record, matching the faster delivery. A bass provides a constant but the use of an alarm clock ticking and a repeated electronic refrain at the end of each line build the unease of the track. Every element of the track picks up on the hook upping the paranoia further. Once again the lyrics are a perfect fit with the tone of the track having much more confrontational lines like "your ass lucky if you on respirator".
'Today' marks the halfway point between Danny's two voices providing the effect of his more normal personality being worked up by what he's seeing on the news, with lines like "mommas crying, kids wonder, but this is the life that we all succumbed to". The flow also references Outkast's 'B.O.B.' where Andre 3000 expressed similar sentiments of using music to get away from the troubled times.
'Get Hi' is the project's weakest track. It talks about how people use drugs to get away from their own problems but this feels like a very basic message after the much more powerful thoughts brought up on 'Today'. It's clear that B-Real is going for this quirky style on the hook singing about drugs almost like a commercial, and he achieves this sound, but the trouble is it sounds awful. The beat is also the only one on the album that's completely overpowered when Brown's vocals kick in, and even when it can be clearly heard there's nothing very inspiring about it.
'Hell For It' returns to the high standard of the rest of the project. The piano led instrumental is another completely fresh sound for the album an the more upbeat lyrics work with it and provide an ending that sounds kind of hopeful on an album with hopelessness as a key theme.
The wide range of sounds on 'Atrocity Exhibition' are linked only in how effectively Danny Brown can rap over them. In addition to this the record keeps up a cohesive atmosphere throughout with the mood of each song only straying slightly from that of the project. It all makes for a completely original work that stands out as being particularly odd even on the alternative hip hop scene.
Best Track: Ain't It Funny [First added to this chart: 11/25/2016]
'Downward Spiral' quickly establishes the tone and sound of the record. A distant guitar, louder electronic notes and minimalist drumming give Brown the perfect space to show off his wild delivery. When the hook hits a wave of distortion jumps into the foreground but Brown's voice is one of the few in hip hop that isn't completely drowned out by this creating the effect of the track sounding like Brown fighting through the instrumentation, fitting in with the lyrical themes of the album i.e. the 'downward spiral' that he is caught in.
'Tell Me What I Don't Know' calms the mood with Danny returning to his more typical voice, but he flows so well on the track that nothing feels lost. It also fits the serious nature of the track with the line "last night homie got killed at the liquor store" being the main focus of the hook. The track still feels linked in with 'Downward spiral' through its guitar driven instrumental, but this time it's quieter and fades more into the background, giving the less intense atmosphere that the track aims for.
'Rolling Stone' sees the return of Brown's one of a kind vocal delivery. The track features very strong percussion including a cowbell keeping the track together and bridging the gap between the slower hook sung by Petite Noir, and the verses themselves. Once again guitars feature but the lower register is used letting the electronic elements take the focus of the instrumental.
'Really Doe' is one of the strongest posse cuts in recent memory with top tier guest verses from Kendrick Lamar, Ab Soul and Earl Sweatshirt. Danny's flow provides his usual energy over a more minimal, trap influenced beat. Kendrick Lamar delivers the strongest verse of the track using a choppier flow than usual which fits the instrumental perfectly and the different style on his hook and bridge keep his performance fresh even though we've heard his hook twice before his verse. Earl delivers a energetic and confrontational verse rarely seen on the moodier 'I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside' and acts as proof that he's proficient in both environments. He also employs the most complex rhyming pattern with bars like "I strike a birdie on em while I hit your mouth with the club. I wake up early on them, getting out the house is a must. It's like a sweaty pit, sweaty sick, counting your dubs".
The beat on 'Lost' is completely different to any heard so far using a jazz and looped vocal sample, and despite the difference in the sound of the beat Danny still sounds right over it. It also features some of the funniest lines like "I'm like Spielberg with ill words and hoes on the curb".
The stakes are raised in 'Ain't it Funny' which features one of the loudest beats in all of hip hop, perfectly emblematic of beats that only Danny Brown could work on. The repeated blasts of horns make way for a far less ordered instrumental section during the verses. The lyrics also completely fit in with the completely chaotic nature of the song. Lines like "Upcoming heavy traffic, say you need to slow down cause you feel yourself crashing. Staring in the devil's face but you can't stop laughing" get to the heart of how Danny's flow sounds coupled with the subject matter, his lyrics speak very negatively of drug abuse, but Brown rarely sounds downbeat in the sound of his voice.
Guitars are reintroduced in 'Golddust' which sounds comparably calm to 'Ain't it Funny' even though the instrumental remains high energy. The lyrics effectively work in the lyrics of the Joy Division track that the project is named after with the lines "Can you understand what my life is about, cause I think that you don't, take a step inside", marking Danny's life as the atrocity exhibition of the title.
'White Lines' is less chaotic than the previous tracks but the instruments still create a really weird sound evoking the lyrics relating to drug abuse. Percussion takes centre stage on the more rhythmic 'Pneumonia' with drums building in each line, making Danny's delivery even more intense. The other instruments feel slightly flat giving an uneasy edge to the track.
The sudden introduction of 'Dance in the Water' completely change the atmosphere of the record, providing an unexpected dance track. The percussion remains the anchoring force in the verses but the tribal chants take over in the hook building up the energy. Lyrically the track feels a but disjoint from what it's followed, but the track sounds so good that this doesn't feel like much of a problem.
Brown's more standard delivery makes another return on Kelela featuring 'From the Ground', but if this makes it sound like a more regular track the beats feature a snoring sound throughout, and sudden claps and instrumental flairs prevent the track feeling dull in the wake of the wave of energy and chaos that it's followed.
'When it Rain' features the most paranoid instrumental of the record, matching the faster delivery. A bass provides a constant but the use of an alarm clock ticking and a repeated electronic refrain at the end of each line build the unease of the track. Every element of the track picks up on the hook upping the paranoia further. Once again the lyrics are a perfect fit with the tone of the track having much more confrontational lines like "your ass lucky if you on respirator".
'Today' marks the halfway point between Danny's two voices providing the effect of his more normal personality being worked up by what he's seeing on the news, with lines like "mommas crying, kids wonder, but this is the life that we all succumbed to". The flow also references Outkast's 'B.O.B.' where Andre 3000 expressed similar sentiments of using music to get away from the troubled times.
'Get Hi' is the project's weakest track. It talks about how people use drugs to get away from their own problems but this feels like a very basic message after the much more powerful thoughts brought up on 'Today'. It's clear that B-Real is going for this quirky style on the hook singing about drugs almost like a commercial, and he achieves this sound, but the trouble is it sounds awful. The beat is also the only one on the album that's completely overpowered when Brown's vocals kick in, and even when it can be clearly heard there's nothing very inspiring about it.
'Hell For It' returns to the high standard of the rest of the project. The piano led instrumental is another completely fresh sound for the album an the more upbeat lyrics work with it and provide an ending that sounds kind of hopeful on an album with hopelessness as a key theme.
The wide range of sounds on 'Atrocity Exhibition' are linked only in how effectively Danny Brown can rap over them. In addition to this the record keeps up a cohesive atmosphere throughout with the mood of each song only straying slightly from that of the project. It all makes for a completely original work that stands out as being particularly odd even on the alternative hip hop scene.
Best Track: Ain't It Funny [First added to this chart: 11/25/2016]
Year of Release:
2016
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,968
Rank in 2016:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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On their concept album The Roots managed to make much more gentle songs than they had before without rapper Black Thought or featured rappers having to soften their vocals, through some well placed features by singers such as Bilal. The decision to have the album's story play out in reverse is also an effective move giving relevance to the instrumentals that end the album. Undun's strong lyrics and osten eerie atmosphere would make it the best album of the decade focusing on social justice until Kendrick Lamar's masterpiece To Pimp A Butterfly.
Best track: Tip the scale [First added to this chart: 11/25/2016]
Best track: Tip the scale [First added to this chart: 11/25/2016]
Year of Release:
2011
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,121
Rank in 2011:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 06/16/2021]
40. (38) 
2
2
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The Weeknd's first mixtape is a dark, moody RnB piece. Its light semi-pop instrumentals contrast with the often depressing and disturbing vocals Tesfaye incorporates. Unfortunately much of his later work increases the use of pop elements which often takes away from the sometimes unsettling nature of his vocals, but on House Of Balloons the balance is just right leaving a tape where every song is good.
Best track: The Morning [First added to this chart: 11/25/2016]
Best track: The Morning [First added to this chart: 11/25/2016]
Year of Release:
2011
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,990
Rank in 2011:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 4 of 10
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 2010 | 5 | 5% | |
| 2011 | 6 | 6% | |
| 2012 | 7 | 7% | |
| 2013 | 5 | 5% | |
| 2014 | 7 | 7% | |
| 2015 | 11 | 11% | |
| 2016 | 15 | 15% | |
| 2017 | 9 | 9% | |
| 2018 | 19 | 19% | |
| 2019 | 16 | 16% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| Beach House | 3 | 3% | |
| Frank Ocean | 3 | 3% | |
| Black Dresses | 3 | 3% | |
| Swans | 3 | 3% | |
| Ada Rook | 2 | 2% | |
| Deafheaven | 2 | 2% | |
| Brockhampton | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 73 from 94th to 21st Oil Of Every Pearl's Un-Insides by SOPHIE |
| Up 24 from 95th to 71st All My Heroes Are Cornballs by JPEGMAFIA |
| Up 3 from 5th to 2nd The Origin Of My Depression by Uboa |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 14 from 67th to 81st Heaven And Earth by Kamasi Washington |
| Down 10 from 85th to 95th Persona by Rival Consoles |
| Down 9 from 87th to 96th Saturation III by Brockhampton |
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s ratings
87/100 (from 4 votes)
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Showing all 4 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 80/100  | 01/22/2020 22:40 |  sssvnnn | | 83/100 |
| 90/100 | 01/25/2018 21:00 |  thirstyDog | | 86/100 |
| 100/100 | 02/11/2017 18:25 |  buzzdainer | | 90/100 |
| 95/100 | 12/26/2016 02:27 | Seab | | 93/100 |
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From JamesMowbray 02/14/2017 15:00
Thanks man, I'll probably do write ups for the top 50 for the moment so I don't have to end up removing albums with notes sometime later.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From buzzdainer 02/11/2017 18:31
buzzdainer 02/11/2017 18:31
Wow, thanks for the incredibly detailed and thoughtful notes on many of the top albums on this chart! They really add a lot of personality, and they make me want to hear some of the albums I've either passed over too quickly or ignored altogether, such as Undun. I love many of the albums here, especially Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit; St. Vincent; Visions; and Lost in the Dream. Great work!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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