Best Albums of the 2020s (so far)

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Listed below are the best albums of the 2020s (so far) as calculated from their overall rankings in over 59,000 greatest album charts. (Chart last updated: 2 hours ago).

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2020s decade summaryThe best artists of the 2020s are Black Country, New Road, The Strokes, Charli XCX, Little Simz, Magdalena Bay, Fontaines D.C., Kendrick Lamar, Big Thief, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and The Smile.

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13.

Javelin

Sufjan Stevens

"Having listened to it thrice today, and knowing the impetus for the record, Javelin stands as Sufjan Stevens's most open-hearted and devastating work to date, even more so than the thorny beauty of his magnificent Carrie & Lowell. Elegiac, wounded, and life-affirming through and through, Javelin ..." [+] Reply

HoldenM | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (13 helpful | 5 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2023

Appears in:

388 charts

Rank Score:

2,425

Rank in 2023:

Rank in 2020s:

Overall Rank:

709

Average Rating:

81 (295 votes)

Comments:

17.

Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd

Lana Del Rey

"This surprised me a lot, after following up her critical breakthrough Norman Fucking Rockwell with a couple of substantially weaker albums I figured that Lana's music had peaked and that the still quite decent standard of Chemtrails and Blue Banisters would be the new normal. I think I was about ...""This surprised me a lot, after following up her critical breakthrough Norman Fucking Rockwell with a couple of substantially weaker albums I figured that Lana's music had peaked and that the still quite decent standard of Chemtrails and Blue Banisters would be the new normal. I think I was about a couple of tracks into this record when I realised that wasn't the case, Ocean Boulevard isn't just a great piece of work but one that elevates the rest of Lana's discography. The opening run of tracks is just as good as on NFR, the effortless emotional build of The Grants, the full production of the title track and the lyrical directness of the second half of Sweet work incredibly together. They also set the stage for Lana's most contemplative and thoughtful album, breaking into new ground while drawing on the fear of being left in the past. This is most successful on A&W which mirrors the lyrical themes of her earliest records but adds some depth to them with its downbeat frustration as she tries to trace the roots of the unfulfilling and demeaning relationships that she used to only cover at a surface level. For me Ocean Boulevard matches NFR in its earlier tracks but it's deeper into the tracklist that it starts to pull away from it, it stays compelling to the end. There are some especially strong melodies on tracks like Paris Texas and Candy Necklace and a warmth to others like Let the Light In. Each of the tracks I've highlighted has a really effective feature on it, Lana's sense for collaboration is at its best here, we're a long way from unnecessary rap features being stuffed into dull tracks. Only Bleachers doesn't quite pull his weight vocally, but his involvement in Margaret feels fair considering his personal connection to the track. It sets up a great finale as things come full circle with the looseness of the first few seconds of the album being mirrored by the almost conversational conclusion to Margaret. Except the album just keeps on going and this is still what really confuses me. Fishtail, Peppers and Taco Truck are all really good but they feel like bonus tracks within the structure of the album. I really enjoy the switch up in sound towards something more hip hop influenced, Peppers especially is one of the catchiest tracks of the past year, it's a shame that it just doesn't fit. I think these songs could have made for a really good EP instead of being grafted onto the end of the record, it's a bit annoying though the fact that it stands out so clearly as an issue shows how well the rest of Ocean Boulevard is structured." [+] Reply

- JamesMowbray | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (5 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2023

Appears in:

312 charts

Rank Score:

2,170

Rank in 2023:

Rank in 2020s:

Overall Rank:

795

Average Rating:

77 (289 votes)

Comments:

33.

Scaring The Hoes

JPEGMAFIA x Danny Brown

"Easily one of the most interesting and exciting albums this year so far." Reply

ExTeaSea | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +10 votes (10 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2023

Appears in:

253 charts

Rank Score:

1,637

Rank in 2023:

Rank in 2020s:

Overall Rank:

1,070

Average Rating:

80 (260 votes)

Comments:

38.

Desire, I Want To Turn Into You

Caroline Polachek

"Very quirky and playful. Polachek excitedly ruffles around in her toy box of production tricks. Those whistles, chirps and finger snaps gilding the beat of “Bunny is a Rider” dropping right into the flamenco strings of “Sunset”, then the echoing quartz crystal pops of “Crude Drawing of An Angel”,..." [+] Reply

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

Year of Release:

2023

Appears in:

302 charts

Rank Score:

1,500

Rank in 2023:

Rank in 2020s:

Overall Rank:

1,159

Average Rating:

76 (245 votes)

Comments:

62.

Everything Is Alive

Slowdive

"For a band that was releasing brilliant music 30 years ago to come out with something as good as this in 2023 is remarkable. Its albums and artists like these that reminds us of why we all love music so much , certainly one of years best albums and possibly the most pleasing return by a band last..." [+] Reply

- | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2023

Appears in:

237 charts

Rank Score:

1,153

Rank in 2023:

Rank in 2020s:

Overall Rank:

1,477

Average Rating:

77 (189 votes)

Comments:

63.

The Record

Boygenius

"Remarkable how these three idiosyncratic songwriters consciously decide to subsume their quirks within a group voice. Individual traits haven't been erased so much as they've been sanded so they can fit neatly together. Boygenius feels heftier and hookier than Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus do on the..." [+] Reply

- shanelovesyou1111 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2023

Appears in:

289 charts

Rank Score:

1,152

Rank in 2023:

Rank in 2020s:

Overall Rank:

1,483

Average Rating:

76 (228 votes)

Comments:

80.

Live At Bush Hall
Live soundtrack

Black Country, New Road

"Any doubts that they wouldn't recover from Isaac Woods departure are quickly squished with this fantastic live album. Definitely prefer the tracks with Mae Kershaw as the lead vocalist over the male vocalists. Not that Tyler Hyde's and Lewis Evan's vocals are inherently bad, just that with Mae sh..." [+] Reply

- Rm12398 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +9 votes (9 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2023

Appears in:

150 charts

Rank Score:

1,020

Rank in 2023:

Rank in 2020s:

Overall Rank:

1,678

Average Rating:

82 (192 votes)

Comments:

81.

That! Feels Good!

Jessie Ware

"Enjoyably listenable pop. Tons of disco and soul influence on the writing and sound. Just a good modern take on that whole genre. Not innovative or avant garde, just really listenable." Reply

- meltchett | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2023

Appears in:

220 charts

Rank Score:

1,018

Rank in 2023:

Rank in 2020s:

Overall Rank:

1,684

Average Rating:

77 (195 votes)

Comments:

104.

Maps

Billy Woods & Kenny Segal

"Pure poetry from Woods, matched by the illest beats cooked up by Segal" Reply

- jbentley3997 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2023

Appears in:

176 charts

Rank Score:

832

Rank in 2023:

Rank in 2020s:

104

Overall Rank:

2,011

Average Rating:

76 (130 votes)

Comments:

110.

The Ballad Of Darren

Blur

"Probably the Narcissist is the best single of 2023." Reply

- Juneof44 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

2023

Appears in:

220 charts

Rank Score:

804

Rank in 2023:

Rank in 2020s:

110

Overall Rank:

2,074

Average Rating:

74 (185 votes)

Comments:

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Total albums: 157. Page 1 of 16

Best Albums of the 2020s (so far) composition

Year	Albums	%

2020	200	20%
2021	203	20%
2022	194	19%
2023	157	16%
2024	149	15%
2025	98	10%
2026	7	1%

Artist	Albums	%

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard	12	1%
Taylor Swift	7	1%
Nas	5	0%
Black Country, New Road	4	0%
Maruja	4	0%
파란노을 [Parannoul]	4	0%
Bad Bunny	4	0%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	503	50%
	245	24%
	44	4%
	40	4%
	31	3%
	19	2%
	15	1%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	1,002	99%
Yes	6	1%

Live?	Albums	%
No	994	99%
Yes	14	1%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	1,005	100%
Yes	3	0%

« View best albums of the 2010s

Best Artists of 2017
1. Kendrick Lamar
2. Lorde
3. Brockhampton
4. Tyler, The Creator
5. The War On Drugs
6. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
7. Slowdive
8. Mount Eerie
9. Phil Elverum
10. The National
11. LCD Soundsystem
12. Fleet Foxes
13. Father John Misty
14. Alvvays
15. SZA
16. St. Vincent
17. Vince Staples
18. Perfume Genius
19. Phoebe Bridgers
20. Brand New

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