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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Radiohead's most divisive album, and probably one of the most divisive records of the past 20 years splits people by being so unlike their 2007 classic 'In Rainbows', but unlike 'Kid A' which similarly split listeners by subverting expectations, the reputation of 'The King of Limbs' has not grown over time because appreciating the project is much more a case of personal taste than taking the time to explore an entirely different soundscape. However if you enjoy layered rhythmic elements and open breezy tracks in the vain of Thom Yorke's solo material 'The King of Limbs' is the very best of this sound.
The record opens with a looping piano intro which suddenly becomes an eerie repetition of two notes, almost as if the previous sound has been trapped in a moment in time. When the drums and bass of the track kick in the rhythmic core of the track becomes apparent. These provide the constants of the track whilst the rest involves layering of vocals and introduction of new instruments all the while being anchored by the rhythm section. The very free sounding vocal performance of drawn out words presents a brilliant duality with the cagey nature of the powerful rhythms of the track.
In 'Morning Mr Magpie' the rhythmic elements of guitar, bass and drums kick in immediately providing a much more tense atmosphere, complimented by a harsher vocal performance from Yorke which includes vague confrontational lyrics. At the chorus drones are added to the mix building up the strength of the sound before using a brief break away from the drums to leave again, where the rhythmic sections start to return by layering over each other before launching into the second verse, replicating the paranoid atmosphere of before.
'Little by Little' has a similarly sinister sounding guitar riff that contrasts with the much faster and more energetic drumbeat of the track. The drums slow down for the chorus to give more focus to the vocals of the track which have a sinister edge similar to that of the guitars.
The album hits its weirdest moment with 'Feral' a track defined by intense rhythms and abstract vocals not seen leading a Radiohead album track since 'Pulk/ Pull Revolving Doors' off of 2001's 'Amnesiac'. One of the more interesting elements of the track is how the mix changes over time with the vocals and drumbeat fighting for dominance, only adding to the chaotic elements. The vocals are warped to the point of lyrics being impossible to pick up, and instead Yorke's voice becomes the most unpredictable instrument in the mix.
'Feral' segues perfectly into the slower growing sound of 'Lotus Flower' signalling the start of the less cagey second half of the record. Whilst the strong rhythms of the previous tracks are still present here they no longer have an oppressive nature with the bass sounding more like a drone at times, leaving most of the focus on the commanding vocal performance.
The change in atmosphere goes even further with 'Codex' maybe the most expansive and open sounding song Radiohead have created, especially fitting with the lyrics mentioning "a clear lake". Percussion is barely present giving full focus to lyrics, vocal delivery and the repeating piano melody throughout the track. The sombre tone is built up by the lyrics like "jump off the end" and "no one gets hurt". A string section closes out the track preventing any kind of abrupt end.
'Give up the Ghost' is even more bare-bones evoking 'House of Cards' of 'In Rainbows'. The slow drums, calm guitar, looped distorted vocals and echoing lead vocals create a beautifully serene atmosphere with a touch of sadness. Once again the lyrical content backs up the atmosphere of the track with a repetition of "Don't hurt me, don't haunt me' carrying across the song, whilst the lead vocals peak with "I think I should give up the ghost" before closing out the song with repetition of "into your arms".
'Separator' is a brilliant closing track, though at the very start its transition in from give up the ghost sounds very abrupt. The rhythm section is back in the foreground again building a much more positive atmosphere than on previous tracks, aided by a dreamlike guitar riff and from more positive lyrics like "finally I'm free from all the weight I've being carrying". The album ends on a positive note with the guitar being layered along with 2 vocal patterns, one saying "if you think this is over then you're wrong" and the other saying "wake me up", giving an almost euphoric ending to one of Radiohead's gloomier albums.
The main success of 'the King of Limbs' is its ability to create a mood purely through sound and more abstract lyrics. Sadness is created by piano loops with quiet and slow drums instead of having to mention "red wine and sleeping pills" or "a job that slowly kills you", whereas paranoia is created through distorted vocals and tight rhythms. I also think the record is at a perfect length, any longer in the first half may have made it too oppressive and any longer on the second may have made it easy to just zone out from it. 'The King of Limbs' sits perfectly in Radiohead's discography by providing experimental soundscapes in a time in their career when they became more associated with the more straightforward (but excellent) music of 'In Rainbows' and 'A Moon Shaped Pool'.
Best Track : Bloom [First added to this chart: 09/07/2017]
The record opens with a looping piano intro which suddenly becomes an eerie repetition of two notes, almost as if the previous sound has been trapped in a moment in time. When the drums and bass of the track kick in the rhythmic core of the track becomes apparent. These provide the constants of the track whilst the rest involves layering of vocals and introduction of new instruments all the while being anchored by the rhythm section. The very free sounding vocal performance of drawn out words presents a brilliant duality with the cagey nature of the powerful rhythms of the track.
In 'Morning Mr Magpie' the rhythmic elements of guitar, bass and drums kick in immediately providing a much more tense atmosphere, complimented by a harsher vocal performance from Yorke which includes vague confrontational lyrics. At the chorus drones are added to the mix building up the strength of the sound before using a brief break away from the drums to leave again, where the rhythmic sections start to return by layering over each other before launching into the second verse, replicating the paranoid atmosphere of before.
'Little by Little' has a similarly sinister sounding guitar riff that contrasts with the much faster and more energetic drumbeat of the track. The drums slow down for the chorus to give more focus to the vocals of the track which have a sinister edge similar to that of the guitars.
The album hits its weirdest moment with 'Feral' a track defined by intense rhythms and abstract vocals not seen leading a Radiohead album track since 'Pulk/ Pull Revolving Doors' off of 2001's 'Amnesiac'. One of the more interesting elements of the track is how the mix changes over time with the vocals and drumbeat fighting for dominance, only adding to the chaotic elements. The vocals are warped to the point of lyrics being impossible to pick up, and instead Yorke's voice becomes the most unpredictable instrument in the mix.
'Feral' segues perfectly into the slower growing sound of 'Lotus Flower' signalling the start of the less cagey second half of the record. Whilst the strong rhythms of the previous tracks are still present here they no longer have an oppressive nature with the bass sounding more like a drone at times, leaving most of the focus on the commanding vocal performance.
The change in atmosphere goes even further with 'Codex' maybe the most expansive and open sounding song Radiohead have created, especially fitting with the lyrics mentioning "a clear lake". Percussion is barely present giving full focus to lyrics, vocal delivery and the repeating piano melody throughout the track. The sombre tone is built up by the lyrics like "jump off the end" and "no one gets hurt". A string section closes out the track preventing any kind of abrupt end.
'Give up the Ghost' is even more bare-bones evoking 'House of Cards' of 'In Rainbows'. The slow drums, calm guitar, looped distorted vocals and echoing lead vocals create a beautifully serene atmosphere with a touch of sadness. Once again the lyrical content backs up the atmosphere of the track with a repetition of "Don't hurt me, don't haunt me' carrying across the song, whilst the lead vocals peak with "I think I should give up the ghost" before closing out the song with repetition of "into your arms".
'Separator' is a brilliant closing track, though at the very start its transition in from give up the ghost sounds very abrupt. The rhythm section is back in the foreground again building a much more positive atmosphere than on previous tracks, aided by a dreamlike guitar riff and from more positive lyrics like "finally I'm free from all the weight I've being carrying". The album ends on a positive note with the guitar being layered along with 2 vocal patterns, one saying "if you think this is over then you're wrong" and the other saying "wake me up", giving an almost euphoric ending to one of Radiohead's gloomier albums.
The main success of 'the King of Limbs' is its ability to create a mood purely through sound and more abstract lyrics. Sadness is created by piano loops with quiet and slow drums instead of having to mention "red wine and sleeping pills" or "a job that slowly kills you", whereas paranoia is created through distorted vocals and tight rhythms. I also think the record is at a perfect length, any longer in the first half may have made it too oppressive and any longer on the second may have made it easy to just zone out from it. 'The King of Limbs' sits perfectly in Radiohead's discography by providing experimental soundscapes in a time in their career when they became more associated with the more straightforward (but excellent) music of 'In Rainbows' and 'A Moon Shaped Pool'.
Best Track : Bloom [First added to this chart: 09/07/2017]
Year of Release:
2011
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,614
Rank in 2011:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 05/15/2017]
Year of Release:
2011
Appears in:
Rank Score:
861
Rank in 2011:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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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:
1,009
Rank in 2011:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
40. (38) 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:
1,878
Rank in 2011:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 11/25/2016]
Year of Release:
2011
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,542
Rank in 2011:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 11/25/2016]
Year of Release:
2011
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,020
Rank in 2011:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 6. Page 1 of 1
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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% | |
| Kanye West | 2 | 2% | |
| Deafheaven | 2 | 2% | |
| SOPHIE | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 73 from 94th to 21stOil Of Every Pearl's Un-Insides by SOPHIE |
| Up 24 from 95th to 71stAll My Heroes Are Cornballs by JPEGMAFIA |
| Up 3 from 5th to 2ndThe Origin Of My Depression by Uboa |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 14 from 67th to 81stHeaven And Earth by Kamasi Washington |
| Down 10 from 85th to 95thPersona by Rival Consoles |
| Down 9 from 87th to 96thSaturation III by Brockhampton |
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Other decade charts by JamesMowbray
JamesMowbray 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 | JamesMowbray | 2020s decade chart | 2021 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | JamesMowbray | 2010s decade chart | 2022 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s | JamesMowbray | 2000s decade chart | 2019 | |
Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
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N.B. The average rating for this chart will not be reliable as it has been rated very few times.
Showing all 4 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 01/22/2020 22:40 |  sssvnnn | 2,865 | 83/100 |
| ! | 01/25/2018 21:00 |  thirstyDog | 106 | 86/100 |
| ! | 02/11/2017 18:25 |  buzzdainer | 669 | 90/100 |
| ! | 12/26/2016 02:27 | Seab | 2,005 | 93/100 |
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s comments
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From buzzdainer 02/11/2017 18:31 | #185317
buzzdainer 02/11/2017 18:31 | #185317
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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