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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'White Ferrari' continues the calmer atmosphere created by the previous tracks, drawing attention back to the now more focused and contemplative lyrics. The final verse apparently uses heavy effects but I still kind of can't believe that it's not actually Justin Vernon singing. Either way it's a brilliant way to close the track.
This segues into the wonderfully moody Seigfried, which features even more stripped back production giving further focus to the lyrics. This is the most contemplative track on the album with “Maybe I’m a fool, maybe I should move and settle, two kids and a swimming pool”. The sense of self conflict and uncertainty is also built by lines like “Been living in an idea from another man’s mind” and “I’d rather live outside, I’d rather go to jail, I’ve tried hell. What would you recommend I do”. The spoken word that enters at the end of the song seeks to resolve some of this, with the change in delivery marking a change in attitude, and the repeated lie of “I’d do anything for you” simplifies things and closes the track out.
‘Godspeed’ marks a shift from the sadder songs that preceded it. It also marks a massive growth in maturity with lines like “I let go of my claim on you, it’s a free world”. Its short length prevents it from outstaying its welcome, so it doesn’t really matter much that the track doesn’t go anywhere.
Closer ‘Futura Free’ is the only track with more focus on production than the comparatively weak lyrics. The mix of the electronic elements with the repeated piano notes gives a more upbeat atmosphere to the record. However the lyrics pick up when the electronic elements fade away giving more power to Frank’s stream of consciousness lyrics. The interview that ends the album gives a lot of extra personality and while it doesn’t end the record with a band, ‘Blonde’ is precisely the kind of album that doesn’t need to.
Overall ‘Blonde’ is a masterpiece of emotional music throughout almost all its tracks. The weaker tracks remain interesting and the strongest are completely overwhelming. Whilst the production isn’t revolutionary it fits everything that Frank is trying to get across on the record. The growth across the runtime makes for an immense experience, giving a very full picture of one of the artists we know less about on a more personal level.
Best Track: Nights [First added to this chart: 11/25/2016]
Best track: Lazarus [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]
Best track: Girl in amber [First added to this chart: 11/25/2016]
Best track: The Glowing Man [First added to this chart: 11/25/2016]
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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 | % | |
---|---|---|---|
|
|||
Frank Ocean | 3 | 3% | |
Black Dresses | 3 | 3% | |
Swans | 3 | 3% | |
Beach House | 3 | 3% | |
Deafheaven | 2 | 2% | |
SOPHIE | 2 | 2% | |
Arcade Fire | 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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Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
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01/22/2020 22:40 | sssvnnn | 2,821 | 83/100 | |
01/25/2018 21:00 | thirstyDog | 107 | 86/100 | |
02/11/2017 18:25 | buzzdainer | 670 | 90/100 | |
12/26/2016 02:27 | Seab | 2,017 | 93/100 |
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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.
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!
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