Top 50 Music Albums of the 2010s
by 
ForegroundNoise 
December 2020.
A year late and completely unasked for, but today was finally the day I rated fifty albums by fifty artists from the last decade worthy of being on this list. As with my 2000s list this is an extreme WIP; I'll add short bios and other notable releases (ONR), solo records, or projects by related artists that are worth checking out are mentioned in each entry's notes when I finally open a wormhole find some time in there. Please leave your suggestions in the comments below! Never someone to turn down the recommendation of a passionate music fan.
Below are my favourite short releases of the decade, and below that any stand-out albums that do not qualify as contemporary (retrospective compilations, live albums etc.). As for the term 'short release' this refers to anything that falls under less than half an hour in length, a distinction I prefer to the outdated classifiers of traditional LP/EP boundaries (also makes for more exciting individual lists).
Top 5 Short Releases of the 2010s
1. Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs (2018) [US]
abstract hip hop • experimental hip hop (Tan Cressida, 24:48) - 9/10
2. Murmuüre - Murmuüre (2010) [FR]
atmospheric black metal • ambient (Cold Void Emanations, 29:13) - 8/10
3. Daniel Rossen - Silent Hour / Golden Mile (Warp, 23:07) [US]
indie folk - 8/10
4. The Brave Little Abacus - Okumay (2012) [US]
emo (Quote Unquote, 14:48) - 8/10
5. Mach-Hommy - Fête des Morts aka Día de las Muertos (2017) [US]
abstract hip hop (n/a, 16:57) - 8/10
________________________________________________________________
Retrospective/Archival
Neutral Milk Hotel - Ferris Wheel on Fire (2011) [US]
indie folk (NMH, 24:25) - 8/10
S.E.M. Ensemble / Julius Eastman - Femenine (2016) [US]
minimalism • chamber music (Frozen Reeds, 72:37) - 7.5/10
- Chart updated: 17 hours ago
- (Created: 04/15/2018 08:29).
- Chart size: 50 albums.
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____________________________________________________________________________
chamber folk • progressive folk
(Drag City, 124:02)
9/10
"Will you tuck your shirt?
Will you leave it loose?
You are badly hurt
You're a silly goose
You are caked in mud
And in blood, and worse
Chew your bitter cud
Grope your little nurse"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 05/01/2018]
chamber folk • progressive folk
(Drag City, 124:02)
9/10
"Will you tuck your shirt?
Will you leave it loose?
You are badly hurt
You're a silly goose
You are caked in mud
And in blood, and worse
Chew your bitter cud
Grope your little nurse"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 05/01/2018]
Year of Release:
2010
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,751
Rank in 2010:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
____________________________________________________________________________
emo • experimental rock
(n/a, 44:33)
9/10
"This is not universal
Kid is not he who abandoned that auditorium and no, I do not want to become him anymore
But yes, I do want him to become what I believe he once was, my best friend
And stop that, he still is
I don't really think about it that way, no, I don't really ever think about it that way"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 11/25/2018]
emo • experimental rock
(n/a, 44:33)
9/10
"This is not universal
Kid is not he who abandoned that auditorium and no, I do not want to become him anymore
But yes, I do want him to become what I believe he once was, my best friend
And stop that, he still is
I don't really think about it that way, no, I don't really ever think about it that way"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 11/25/2018]
Buy album
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____________________________________________________________________________
IDM • glitch hop
(Warp, 45:47)
8/10
"I need to know you're out there
Just need to know you're out there
Need to know you're out there somewhere"
ONR:
You're Dead! (2014)
nu jazz • wonky (Warp, 38:03) - 7.5/10
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 05/22/2019]
IDM • glitch hop
(Warp, 45:47)
8/10
"I need to know you're out there
Just need to know you're out there
Need to know you're out there somewhere"
ONR:
You're Dead! (2014)
nu jazz • wonky (Warp, 38:03) - 7.5/10
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 05/22/2019]
Year of Release:
2010
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,718
Rank in 2010:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
____________________________________________________________________________
chamber pop • progressive folk
(Asthmatic Kitty, 59:15)
7.5/10
"No I’m not afraid
Of death or strife or injury, accidents, they are my friends"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 12/16/2020]
chamber pop • progressive folk
(Asthmatic Kitty, 59:15)
7.5/10
"No I’m not afraid
Of death or strife or injury, accidents, they are my friends"
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 12/16/2020]
Year of Release:
2010
Appears in:
Rank Score:
420
Rank in 2010:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
____________________________________________________________________________
gothic country • progressive folk
(Alternative Tentacles, 47:45)
7.5/10
"So I grabbed my Grandfater as he fed me in my room.
I switched our roles, locked hard the door, said, 'Grandfater, now I'll teach you.
Teach you love, teach you, hate re-teach you all you know
And Grandfater, I will teach you our new family laws"
For his first album as a credited artist in six years, Jay Munly returns with a newly-named backing band to fit the theme of Petr & The Wulf: a gothic retelling of Prokofiev's Symphony for a Russian folk tale. Accentuating the freak folk and progressive influences which reared their ugly heads in his previous album (... & The Lee Lewis Harlots), Munly's pessimistic view of humanity marries perfectly with the fairytale's more disturbing elements. Anaïs Mitchell's Hadestown for the downtrodden and demented.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 06/13/2022]
gothic country • progressive folk
(Alternative Tentacles, 47:45)
7.5/10
"So I grabbed my Grandfater as he fed me in my room.
I switched our roles, locked hard the door, said, 'Grandfater, now I'll teach you.
Teach you love, teach you, hate re-teach you all you know
And Grandfater, I will teach you our new family laws"
For his first album as a credited artist in six years, Jay Munly returns with a newly-named backing band to fit the theme of Petr & The Wulf: a gothic retelling of Prokofiev's Symphony for a Russian folk tale. Accentuating the freak folk and progressive influences which reared their ugly heads in his previous album (... & The Lee Lewis Harlots), Munly's pessimistic view of humanity marries perfectly with the fairytale's more disturbing elements. Anaïs Mitchell's Hadestown for the downtrodden and demented.
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 06/13/2022]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
____________________________________________________________________________
noise • drone
(Type, 44:37)
7.5/10
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 02/25/2025]
noise • drone
(Type, 44:37)
7.5/10
____________________________________________________________________________ [First added to this chart: 02/25/2025]
Total albums: 6. Page 1 of 1
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Top 50 Music Albums of the 2010s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 6 | 12% | |
| 2011 | 4 | 8% | |
| 2012 | 5 | 10% | |
| 2013 | 4 | 8% | |
| 2014 | 3 | 6% | |
| 2015 | 7 | 14% | |
| 2016 | 8 | 16% | |
| 2017 | 5 | 10% | |
| 2018 | 5 | 10% | |
| 2019 | 3 | 6% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| 青葉市子 [Ichiko Aoba] + 三宅純 [Jun Miyake] + 山本達久 [Tatsuhisa Yamamoto] + 渡辺等 [Hitoshi Watanabe] | 1 | 2% | |
| Andy Stott | 1 | 2% | |
| Arca | 1 | 2% | |
| Lingua Ignota | 1 | 2% | |
| Everything Everything | 1 | 2% | |
| Daughters | 1 | 2% | |
| Uboa | 1 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| |
28 | 56% | |
| |
8 | 16% | |
 |
4 | 8% | |
 |
2 | 4% | |
 |
2 | 4% | |
 |
1 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 50 Music Albums of the 2010s chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 8 from 42nd to 34thGrapefruit by Kiran Leonard |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 34th to 35thThe Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do by Fiona Apple |
| Down 1 from 35th to 36thArc by Everything Everything |
| Down 1 from 36th to 37thL'Étoile Thoracique by Klô Pelgag |
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Other decade charts by ForegroundNoise
ForegroundNoise has shared 6 more 2010s decade charts with the community. Browse them all here.| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 50 Music Albums of the 2020s | ForegroundNoise | 2020s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 50 Music Albums of the 2010s | ForegroundNoise | 2010s decade chart | 2026 | |
| Top 50 Music Albums of the 2000s | ForegroundNoise | 2000s decade chart | 2025 | |
Top 50 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 2 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 02/12/2021 20:06 | DJENNY | 4,365 | 100/100 |
| ! | 12/17/2020 09:59 |  desh79 | 1,278 | 93/100 |
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