Best Albums of the 2010s

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Listed below are the best albums of the 2010s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 58,000 greatest album charts. (Chart last updated: 1 hour ago).

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2010s decade summaryThe best artists of the 2010s were Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Tame Impala, Arcade Fire, Beach House, Frank Ocean, Sufjan Stevens, The National, Radiohead and Nick Cave.

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171.

Southeastern

Jason Isbell

"After half of a year trying to find the best way to describe this album i think I've finally decided. Maturity. Isbell as come so far from his days with DBT that he truly has become a force of nature in the Country genre with this album. My hope is that will it grow in our little BEA community, a..." [+] Reply

samistake2ice | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2013

Appears in:

205 charts

Rank Score:

1,496

Rank in 2013:

Rank in 2010s:

171

Overall Rank:

1,161

Average Rating:

76 (185 votes)

Comments:

172.

Wakin On A Pretty Daze

Kurt Vile

"A very pleasant album. The instrumentation is lush and diverse and the melodies are blissful. At times the lyrics are kind of iffy and some songs overstay their welcome a tad, but its forgivable because as a whole this album is a beautiful experience." Reply

- OFarrio | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2013

Appears in:

279 charts

Rank Score:

1,463

Rank in 2013:

Rank in 2010s:

172

Overall Rank:

1,187

Average Rating:

78 (367 votes)

Comments:

173.

Big Fish Theory

Vince Staples

"Really really reaaaally enjoying this album right now. While this album does have a fair amount of pop appeal (looking at the production on Big Fish, as well as Rain Come Down as a whole), it manages to very much have its own sound. "Yeah Right" is contagiously energetic and bombastic to no end, ..." [+] Reply

- danbell | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2017

Appears in:

311 charts

Rank Score:

1,459

Rank in 2017:

Rank in 2010s:

173

Overall Rank:

1,190

Average Rating:

78 (402 votes)

Comments:

174.

Run The Jewels 3

Run The Jewels

"There were a tale of three wise men who each brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. But, none have spoken about the other two very wise men who JUST DROPPED RTJ3, MOTHERFUCKERS" Reply

HazeyTwilight | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +9 votes (9 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2016

Appears in:

288 charts

Rank Score:

1,450

Rank in 2016:

Rank in 2010s:

174

Overall Rank:

1,193

Average Rating:

81 (411 votes)

Comments:

175.

Flying Microtonal Banana

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

"I had high expectations for this album and it's even better than I hoped. The jamming nature of opening track Rattlesnake sets up the album allowing the listener to adjust to the microtonal sound and from then on it's a lot of fun. Immediately wanted to listen to it again after first listen." Reply

Purplepash | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2017

Appears in:

270 charts

Rank Score:

1,429

Rank in 2017:

Rank in 2010s:

175

Overall Rank:

1,207

Average Rating:

79 (460 votes)

Comments:

176.

The Powers That B
Compilation

Death Grips

"For a while, The Money Store was Death Grips' best album. But The Powers That B (TPTB) is really contending for that spot. It's a bit of an unfair competition considering the fact that TPTB's two sides give it great variety. One really interesting pointer is that both sides feature someone who ha...""For a while, The Money Store was Death Grips' best album. But The Powers That B (TPTB) is really contending for that spot. It's a bit of an unfair competition considering the fact that TPTB's two sides give it great variety. One really interesting pointer is that both sides feature someone who has not directly worked with the band before. On the first part, Niggas on the Moon (NOTM) it's Icelandic singer Bjork. On the second half, Jenny Death (JD) it's guitarist Nick Reinhart of Tera Melos. While all the songs on NOTM feature Bjork's vocals (in fact, it features none of Flatlander's abrasive synths. Replacing that is Bjork's heavily edited vocals), only tracks 3, 4, 7, 8 and 9 feature Nick's guitar. NOTM is another foray into the experimental side of Death Grips, more or less continuing on from the path they took starting from No Love Deep Web. While not nearly as abrasive and in-your-face as, say, Exmilitary and The Money Store, NOTM is still an entertaining listen, with Zach really pulling of some great drumming in each of the 8 tracks. However, NOTM's variety is, unfortunately, a bit too homogenous. Each track sounds very similar to the last, and none of them have MC Ride's infamous yelled vocals (although several songs hint at it). To put simply, all the songs are far softer and less abrasive. Instead a lot of the real content is in the lyrics, which thankfully are far more understandable due to MC Ride not shouting (this may possibly be the explanation for the lack of his shouted vocals). The songs' themes range from racism (Black Quarterback, Say Hey Kid) and paranoia (Up My Sleeves) to the lifelessness of modern sex (Billy Not Really, Have a Sad Cum, Fuck Me Out) and the idolization of celebrities (Voila). Either way the lyrical content on here is, as always, cryptic but has some sort of meaning behind it. JD, the much hyped second half, is quite literally the culmination of everything they've done. From the extremely loud, harsh and unforgiving I Break Mirrors With My Face in the United States to the almost ballad-like instrumentation of On GP (which stands for On General Principle by the way. It has absolutely nothing to do with their previous album Government Plates), this side has far more variety and content than the 32 minute NOTM (JD is 50 minutes, in comparison). It opens with the I Break Mirrors With My Face in the United States, which as I described earlier, is extremely loud, harsh and unforgiving. It features MC Ride's infamous yelled vocals, something which was completely absent from NOTM. The track is so quickly paced and short that despite how much there is going on, it goes by in a flash, as if it never happened. Then we get Inanimate Sensation, which is probably the most progressive song Death Grips has ever written. Although following the old "verse-chorus-verse" structure, each verse is drastically different from the other. The track opens with a chorus of voices ascending pitch. It's quite difficult to explain, really. The first verse is your average Death Grips verse, opening with the line "IN-ANIMATE SEN-SUH-A-TION", in MC Rides typical yelled rapping style. Then we get the chorus "BLOWNOUT, BASE", which leads to the second verse, which is rapped entirely in MC Ride's whispering voice, with the exception of the line "I'M NOT WITH YOU". Then we have the chorus again, and we move on to the third verse, which is rapped entirely with MC Ride's shouted vocals pitch shifted down. The third chorus continues with these pitch shifted vocals, and we have the fourth verse, where MC Ride makes multiple references to classic rock and popular music in general. Then we have the chorus again, and we have a miniature fifth verse which is quite similar to the first verse. And then we finally end with the chorus. Either way the entire 6 minute experience is extremely thrilling. The next song is Turned Off, which really does sound like a nu metal piece. Thankfully, it isn't terrible, in fact it's one of the best songs on the album. Then we have Why a Bitch Gotta Lie?, which follows the same nu metal style that Turned Off had. Although this song is less accessible than Turned Off due to the strange digital manipulation on MC Ride's vocals, it's actually pretty good once you get used to it. Then Pss Pss plays, a song about the lifelessness of sex. This song, quite interestingly, also references Have a Sad Cum early on. After that we get the title track, which is easily the loudest, sludgiest, heaviest, and most brutal thing Death Grips has ever put out. It's quite the experience, and really is quite indescribable. Then it's Beyond Alive, which would probably be my least favorite track on here if not for the final track (I'll get to that one later). It retains the nu metal style from tracks 3 and 4 but simply does not have the same magic that the aforementioned tracks have. Then we have Centuries of Damn, which, while good, has nothing too special about it to make it stand out. After this we have On GP, which in my opinion is one of the best tracks on JD as a whole, alongside Inanimate Sensation. Nick's guitar is extremely prominent on this track, and he really adds on to Flatlander's sound. It's also probably the closest Death Grips will be to a ballad or anything of the sort. The track glitches into the final (and most disappointing) track, Death Grips 2.0. From its name you'd expect some sort of amazing and revolutionary piece that will mark a complete change in Death Grips' style. But unfortunately, it isn't. It's just a repetitive instrumental track which was stretched out for way too long. Either way, the LP is abso-fucking-lutely phenomenal, perhaps even better than 2012's critically acclaimed The Money Store. Only time will tell if Death Grips can continue their streak of amazing albums. " [+] Reply

- | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2015

Appears in:

196 charts

Rank Score:

1,428

Rank in 2015:

Rank in 2010s:

176

Overall Rank:

1,208

Average Rating:

80 (379 votes)

Comments:

177.

Replica

Oneohtrix Point Never

"The epitome of informed simplicity. Its cold vibrations invade my spine and bend me to its will." Reply

SquishypuffDave | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2011

Appears in:

217 charts

Rank Score:

1,425

Rank in 2011:

Rank in 2010s:

177

Overall Rank:

1,209

Average Rating:

76 (240 votes)

Comments:

178.

This Is All Yours

alt-J

"Now, at last, an indie sensibility is turning into a movement. This (not the repetitive "An Awesome Wave") is the document. Featuring warm foothills, female rebels, and duels. Above all, "love is the warmest color"" Reply

poppmusic | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2014

Appears in:

269 charts

Rank Score:

1,422

Rank in 2014:

Rank in 2010s:

178

Overall Rank:

1,211

Average Rating:

73 (519 votes)

Comments:

179.

No Shape

Perfume Genius

"Without a doubt, one of the most sonically exciting releases all year. This is an album that feels tactile, yet otherworldly in the same breath. Not to mention that the songwriting manages to be concise, without sacrificing versatility. No Shape is a bright (though not Too Bright), uplifting work..." [+] Reply

HoldenM | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +7 votes (7 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2017

Appears in:

277 charts

Rank Score:

1,420

Rank in 2017:

Rank in 2010s:

179

Overall Rank:

1,213

Average Rating:

78 (311 votes)

Comments:

180.

Watch The Throne

Jay-Z & Kanye West

"Although certainly not the crowning achievement of either's career, Throne turned out to be a solid album with some great tracks" Reply

Sean | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2011

Appears in:

297 charts

Rank Score:

1,413

Rank in 2011:

Rank in 2010s:

180

Overall Rank:

1,216

Average Rating:

73 (443 votes)

Comments:

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 18 of 100

Best Albums of the 2010s composition

Year	Albums	%

2010	90	9%
2011	122	12%
2012	105	11%
2013	114	11%
2014	93	9%
2015	106	11%
2016	86	9%
2017	115	12%
2018	91	9%
2019	80	8%

Artist	Albums	%

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard	8	1%
Drake	6	1%
Lana Del Rey	6	1%
Death Grips	6	1%
Beach House	5	0%
The Weeknd	5	0%
Taylor Swift	5	0%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	562	56%
	216	22%
	69	7%
	32	3%
	25	2%
	20	2%
	10	1%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	990	99%
Yes	12	1%

Live?	Albums	%
No	996	99%
Yes	6	1%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	997	100%
Yes	5	0%

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Best Ever Artists
1. The Beatles
2. Radiohead
3. Pink Floyd
4. David Bowie
5. Bob Dylan
6. Led Zeppelin
7. The Rolling Stones
8. Arcade Fire
9. Neil Young
10. Nirvana
11. The Velvet Underground
12. Kendrick Lamar
13. Miles Davis
14. The Smiths
15. R.E.M.
16. The Beach Boys
17. Kanye West
18. Bruce Springsteen
19. The Cure
20. Pixies