Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s
by Romanelli

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2015 – SOUTHEATERN
Produced By DAVE COBB

1. If It Takes A Lifetime
2. 24 Frames
3. Flagship
4. How To Forget
5. Children Of Children
6. The Life You Choose
7. Something More Than Free
8. Speed Trap Town
9. Hudson Commodore
10. Palmetto Rose
11. To A Band That I Loved

A decade ago, when Jason Isbell was one of three guitarist / songwriters for Drive-By Truckers, you wouldn’t have thought he’d have the number one album in Country music someday. With Something More Than Free, his fifth studio album, he did just that. Following up his highly successful 2013 album Southeastern, Isbell takes that formula and proves once and for all that he’s no kind of fluke whatsoever. And while he moves further away from the sound he crafted while with the Truckers, he proves that the mellowing nature of his music doesn’t mean that he’s softening, or that he’s settling for a lesser blast of thunder. The fact is, and Something More Than Free is the living proof, that Isbell is a rare and powerful songwriting force whose brand of Americana will hopefully become the Nashville standard someday, instead of being great music on the outside looking in at a genre that’s been crippled by a less than exciting pop standard. This was a number one Country album, and it won the Grammy for Best Americana Album. And it’s all deserved.

Continuing the sound he turned to on Southeastern, this is a very acoustic based set of songs. The best works here stand right there with Isbell’s best: “If It Takes A Lifetime” is a joyous romp. “24 Frames” is a should-have been bigger hit than it already was. The centerpiece “Children Of Children” ranks as one of his most beautiful songs…it’s a haunting and lovely song, and the performance is perfect. The second half is even stronger, starting with “The Life You Chose”. The excellent and personal ode to getting on with life title track, the well told story of “Speed Trap Town”, the perfectly catchy “Hudson Commodore”, and the fine celebration that is “Palmetto Rose” make this album another huge victory for Isbell. In some ways, it may be his best work, but more importantly, it compliments everything he’s done to date, and presumably sets the table for more great albums to come. To put it simple. Jason Isbell has done it again. Just wow.
[First added to this chart: 08/22/2016]
Year of Release:
2015
Appears in:
Rank Score:
450
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[First added to this chart: 05/19/2017]
Year of Release:
2015
Appears in:
Rank Score:
580
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2015 – ASTHMATIC KITTY
Produced By THOMAS BARTLETT

1. Death With Dignity
2. Should Have Known Better
3. All Of Me Wants All Of You
4. Drawn To The Blood
5. Eugene
6. Fourth Of July
7. The Only Thing
8. Carrie & Lowell
9. John My Beloved
10. No Shade In The Shadow Of The Cross
11. Blue Bucket Of Gold

Just…wow. Those who were expecting another electronic based album from Sufjan Stevens were in for a massive and beautiful surprise. Carrie And Lowell is his seventh album, and it’s an acoustic masterpiece. Loaded with lovely, sparse, emotional and personal songs, this lo-fi record is one of the best albums of the decade. Stevens was grieving over the loss of his mother (Carrie), and wrote the songs based largely on his memories of growing up with her and his stepfather (Lowell). His mother lived a tortured life. She was depressed, schizophrenic, and these pains left their mark on Stevens. Some of our greatest music comes from dealing with pain and loss. This is a perfect example of that.

These songs are painful and brilliant. The best tracks are “Should Have Known Better”, “Fourth Of July”, and especially “Death With Dignity”. There is not a weak one here. And there is not a moment that will fail to pull at your heartstrings. Carrie & Lowell is why Sufjan Stevens is held in such high regard. This is his masterpiece. It’s sad and melancholy and it’s simply tremendous. This is why I buy albums…to be taken in by works as deeply emotional as this is. Stevens has had a great career, but for me, nothing by him tops this album. If you think that there’s nothing worth hearing in this decade that leaves the classic rock generation behind, then I suggest you go out and find Carrie & Lowell. You are most welcome.
[First added to this chart: 10/27/2019]
Year of Release:
2015
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Rank Score:
15,873
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Average Rating:
Top rated album (86/100 - 1488 votes)  86 (1,488 votes)
Comments:
2015 – TOP DAWG / AFTERMATH / INTERSCOPE
Produced By BOI-1DA, FLIPPA, FLYING LOTUS, KNXWLEDGE, KOZ, LARRANCE DOPSON, LOVEDRAGON, PHARRELL WILLIAMS, RAHKI, SOUNWAVE, TAE BEAST, TAZ ARNOLD, TERRACE MARTIN, THE ANTYDOTE, THUNDERCAT, TOMMY BLACK & WHOAREI

1. Wesley’s Theory (Feat. George Clinton & Thundercat)
2. For Free? (Interlude)
3. King Kunta
4. Institutionalized (Feat. Bilal, Anna Wise & Snoop Dogg)
5. These Walls (Feat. Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat)
6. U
7. Alright
8. For Sale? (Interlude)
9. Momma
10. Hood Politics
11. How Much A Dollar Cost (Feat. James Fauntleroy & Ronald Isley)
12. Complexion (A Zulu Love) (Feat. Rapsody)
13. The Blacker The Berry
14. You Ain’t Gotta Lie (Momma Said)
15. I
16. Mortal Man

If you have no faith in hip hop, then you simply have not heard To Pimp A Butterfly. Kendrick Lamar’s third album is probably not only the best album of 2015, it’s a straight out masterpiece. This is not just a rap album. It features elements of jazz, funk, r&b, and soul. It’s avant-garde. It’s experimental. It flows like a mixtape, and it’s important. Not only is it musically captivating from start to finish, it’s also emotionally and culturally and politically viable. Lamar had already proven himself to be an up and coming star before this, but here, he transcends all of what was expected of him. He recalls here the power of racially fueled subjects that Public Enemy burned through in the 90’s. He asks important questions about race, crime and life, and he does it with the touch of a musical genius. To Pimp A Butterfly is simply masterful, and should be listened to with an open mind by all.

“Wesley’s Theory” is about actor Wesley Snipes and his having been jailed for tax evasion. “King Kunta” deals with negative African American stereotypes. “U” is Lamar dealing with depression. There are so many different subjects, and so many different sounds…and somehow, it all fits together perfectly. To Pimp A Butterfly jumps out at you from every angle. It’s raw yet beautiful. It’s coarse yet intelligent. It’s shocking yet truthful. AND it was a hit. Five hit singles and 11 Grammy nominations. Wild yet accessible. I could go on and on and not run out of superlatives for this album. I’m learning to appreciate and understand and love hip hop…I adore this album, respect it greatly, and don’t want to be without it in my life. His fourth album, Damn, came out in 2017 and continued the path that Lamar set down on this album. I cannot wait to see what he has in store for us next.
[First added to this chart: 08/14/2018]
Year of Release:
2015
Appears in:
Rank Score:
30,242
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Average Rating:
Top rated album (89/100 - 2317 votes)  89 (2,317 votes)
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 03/13/2018]
Year of Release:
2015
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Rank Score:
9,672
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2015 – YEP ROC
Produced By MANDOLIN ORANGE

1. Old Ties And Companions
2. Settled Down
3. Little Worlds
4. Rounder
5. From Now On
6. Jump Mountain Blues
7. That Wrecking Ball
8. Blue Ruin
9. Daylight
10. Of Which There Is No Like

Mandolin Orange is a duo from North Carolina whose music is pretty much the definition of Americana. Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz play various stringed instruments perfectly, and they sing together like angels. Marlin’s songs are modern, yet they maintain a folksy, old time feeling that makes this a wonderful find of a group. Such Jubilee is their fourth album, and it’s a gem. This is perfect stuff for sitting on your back porch on a sunny afternoon and evening, drinking sweet tea and enjoying your life. The mix of guitars, mandolins, banjos, fiddles, and voices is calming, yet never dull. They do not rock, but they are not snoozy, either, even though the songs are pretty mellow. There’s something for almost everyone (metalheads excluded) on this album, which may be the duo’s finest work. Music you can lose yourself in, and that you can easily fall in love with.

If there’s an issue here, it’s this. Marlin emerges as the lead singer of the duo, and he sings lead on everything. Except for “From Now On”. On this track, Frantz shows, without being in the background for once, what a stunning and beautiful voice she has. But you only get to hear it up front for about three and a half minutes, on this one track. Maybe that’s the way they like it, and how they wanted it, but for me, it would make Such Jubilee so much better if the vocals were given more of a split instead of Frantz getting just a token song to sing. Otherwise, this is fine stuff. “Daylight”, “Settled Down”, and, of course, “From Now On” are the highlights, and the feel and mood of this album is pretty much perfect. Look for their other work as well…Quiet Little Room, This Side Of Jordan, Blindfaller…you pretty much can’t go wrong with this group. If you like the Americana thing, then Mandolin Orange is something you should definitely have on your radar.
[First added to this chart: 06/21/2017]
Year of Release:
2015
Appears in:
Rank Score:
34
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2015 – HARVEST
Produced By JAKE GOSLING

1. Barbarians
2. Gunga Din
3. Fame And Fortune
4. Anthem For Doomed Youth
5. You’re My Waterloo
6. Belly Of The Beast
7. Iceman
8. Heart Of The Matter
9. Fury Of Chonburi
10. The Milkman’s Horse
11. Glasgow Coma Scale Blues
12. Dead For Love

13. Love On The Dole
14. Bucket Shop
15. Lust Of The Libertines
16. 7 Deadly Sins

The Libertines hail from London, and they sound like they do. After a pair of excellent albums, the band split up in 2004, and got back together a decade later. Anthems For Doomed Youth is their comeback album from 2015, released more than ten years after the previous effort. The first thing that comes to mind here is that they have an obvious admiration for The Clash, which is a really good thing. Considered to be more of a garage band than a punk band, they incorporate elements of both here. The songs are fast and filled with angst, well played and well thought out. Led by guitarists and singers Pete Doherty and Carl Barat, The Libertines get it right.

Anthems For Doomed Youth is not quite up to the standard the band set with their first two records, Up The Bracket and their self-titled second record. But this is still very good stuff. Bands tend to lose something when they break up and regroup, but The Libertines didn’t lose a lot. The best tracks here are “Heart Of The Matter”, “Glasgow Coma Scale Blues”, and “Gunga Din”. In the early 2000’s, The Libertines were one of England’s most exciting bands, and if nothing else, Anthems For Doomed Youth serves as a reminder of that. Definitely worth checking out…and if you like this one, you will absolutely want the other two.
[First added to this chart: 06/08/2022]
Year of Release:
2015
Appears in:
Rank Score:
268
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Average Rating:
Comments:
89. (=)
25 
[First added to this chart: 11/15/2023]
Year of Release:
2015
Appears in:
Rank Score:
799
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 8. Page 1 of 1
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s composition

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Top 60 Music Albums of 2010 Romanelli2010 year chart2026
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010sTheNowhereGuy2010s decade chart2020
Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s Sean2010s decade chart2022
Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s JR2010s decade chart2024
Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010sleniad2010s decade chart2026
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010smjbreuer2010s decade chart2016
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s ratings

Average Rating: 
79/100 (from 12 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
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85/100
 
09/15/2023 11:09 Larcx13  Ratings distribution  1,13986/100
The chart has been updated since this rating was assigned   
100/100
 
12/27/2021 22:48 Rhyner  Ratings distribution  1,45299/100
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100/100
 
05/24/2019 23:02 DJENNY  Ratings distribution  4,338100/100
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70/100
 
01/02/2018 21:45 kadupheming  Ratings distribution  15393/100
The chart has been updated since this rating was assigned   
75/100
 
08/16/2017 08:04 sdees33  Ratings distribution  19781/100

Rating metrics: Help 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).
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This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 79.5/100, a mean average of 74.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 74.2/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 20.4.

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Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s comments

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Rating:  
70/100
From 01/02/2018 21:45 | #204446
i feel like there could be a bigger approach to today's electronic music tho
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 05/15/2017 03:56 | #190809
What's here is really good--particularly Southeastern and An Awesome Wave. I look forward to seeing this chart fully developed and fleshed out, as I'm sure there will be plenty of real gems here.
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From 02/29/2016 20:45 | #161032
adele's on it.... whatever
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (2 helpful | 2 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 03/28/2015 11:18 | #138021
Great but short chart!
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Rating:  
50/100
From 03/28/2014 12:45 | #107890
I haven't heard it
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (2 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
From 10/23/2013 17:56 | #88979
I have heard plenty of music from 2013. I reserve the right to not rate or rank it until I've heard it enough to be able to make an informed judgement. I don't feel the need to rush every album I've heard one time onto a chart. 2013 will be there when I feel like getting to it. And when I do get to it, I will have listened to the albums I decide to rate several times over...not just once on a crappy youtube upload.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (3 helpful | 3 unhelpful)
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