ALBUMS OF THE DECADE
As 2019 bumps to a close, we’d like to look back on a decade of music that shaped us as human beings.
Music that helped us to grow, that scored our great triumphs and consoled our tender failures. These albums represent the many facets of our personalities and influence the way we see the world.
We hope you enjoy.
Click the artwork to listen to each album. Albums are ordered chronologically by year, and not by preference.
There is Love in You (2010) by Four Tet
Four Tet's fifth studio album and first of five albums in this decade alone, is an album that focuses on movement. It's a dynamic of piece of electronic music whose form shifts from dance music, to hip hop-inspired beats, to house. It's eclectic but at the same time very much carries Kieren Hebden's signature sound like a badge of honor. Favorite tracks: Sing, This Unfolds, Plastic People
Swim (2010) by Caribou
It was very difficult to decide between Swim and Our Love but ultimately, Swim represents a metamorphic transformation from Dan Snaith's previous albums: Andorra, and The Milk of Human Kindness. Where the earlier albums took the form of indie/folktronica, Swim is dark, it's heavy, and hypnotic. Favorite tracks: Found Out, Bowls, Odessa.
Lucky Shiner (2010) by Gold Panda
The decade started off in the feels. Gold Panda's debut LP demonstrates the UK-based, Derwin Schlecker's ability to pour his emotions into his music and produce sounds that are both rhythmically, and emotionally beautiful. Favorite tracks: You, Marriage, Snow & Taxis.
Halcyon Digest (2010) by Deerhunter
Deerhunter has helped me through some shit in adolescence. The sounds coming out of the band's fifth studio album is the last of their releases that, to me, is true Deerhunter. The droney melancholy that characterizes Deerhunter's albums Weird Era Cont., Microcastle, and Cryptograms, is most present in this album compared to the other four albums released this year. They just don't make me feel the way this one makes me feel. Favorite tracks: Earthquake, Helicopter, Revival.
Cosmogramma (2010) by Flying Lotus
One of Los Angeles' finest artists in the electronic music scene, Flying Lotus pulled out all the stops to deliver Cosmogramma and what we've come to know as FlyLo's signature sound. It was a difficult time choosing among this album, Until the Quiet Comes, You're Dead, and Flamagra. Favorite tracks: Zodiac Shit, ...And The World Laughs With You, Do The Astral Plane.
Black Noise (2010) by Pantha Du Prince
Pantha Du Prince is a genius and one of Berlin's best in minimal electronic music. Black Noise is straight up beautiful. His signature recipes of house beats, bells, chimes, and sometimes harps, form a concoction so smooth and divine that it's hard not to be take it all in one shot. Favorite tracks: The Splendour, Satellite Snyper, Stick To My Side.
Black Sands (2010) by Bonobo
Simon Green is a world-renowned electronic producer from the UK, better known by his longstanding stage name Bonobo. Famous for expansive, nature-inspired downtempo beats, lush instrumentation and heavy dance floor energy, Black Sands is the perfect mix between the synthetic and natural worlds. Favorite tracks: Kiara, Stay the Same.
Dive (2011) by Tycho
Scott Hansen's first-of-four albums of this decade is Tycho in his purest form. Where the last three records (Weather, Epoch, and Awake) were created in collaboration with his fellow bandmates, Dive represents Scott Hansen's psyche in sonic form. The album is bright with sunlight, while simultaneously melancholic and reminiscent. Favorite tracks: Coastal Brake, Hours, Dive.
The King of Limbs (2011) by Radiohead
We got a lot of shit for not including A Moon Shaped Pool instead of TKOL, but truth be told, I love and appreciate Radiohead's explorations into the abstract, experimental electronic space. Where A Moon Shaped Pool felt like a reversion to older Radiohead, TKOL demonstrated an urge to flourish into something more. I don't know how you can listen to Feral and not get down on your knees and pray. Favorite tracks: Feral, Seperator, Lotus Flower.
A Forest (2012) by Christian Loffler
Harnessing strong minimal techno vibes like fellow German electronic musician, Pantha Du Prince, A Forest teleports you into the inner-depths of his cerebellum. It takes you on a journey through fields of raw emotion. It grabs you by the hand, pulls you in close, and sways you back and forth until you can’t differentiate between the tears and sweat trickling down your face. Favorite tracks: A Forest, Eleven, A Hundred Lights
Måsstaden (2012) by Vildhjarta
From the dark 2012 forests of Sweden crawled something sinister and new - a subgenre of technical death metal so discordant and heavy that it earned itself its own name - Thall. Vildhjarta is a 7-man outfit that turned the metal world on its head with dual vocalists and a trio of stringsmen doing their best to evoke bleating goats and darker things with their guitars. Favorite tracks: Shadow, The Lone Deranger.
Koloss (2012) by Meshuggah
One of the great titans of metal music, Meshuggah are responsible for the creation of the djent subgenre and have inspired countless musicians to go against the grain with their fearlessly bizarre and discordant brand of groove metal. Discordant, brutal, technical and conceptually challenging, Koloss is heavier than a neutron star and more complex than a labyrinth. Favorite tracks: Do Not Look Down, Demiurge.
Danza 4: The Alpha - The Omega (2012) by The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza
One of the bands Zach is saddest no longer exists - this posthardcore group created some of the most aggressive and creative music of the early 2010s with squalling 7-string ingenuity and feverishly intense vocals. Guaranteed to get your adrenaline pumping in 0 seconds flat. Favorite tracks: Rudy X3, You Won’t.
The Parallax 2: Future Sequence (2012) by Between the Buried and Me
The metal version of Yes, if they practiced for another 100 years. BTBAM is one of the most forward-thinking bands of our time, fusing progressive metal with hardcore, opera, jazz and most other genres you could name. The Parallax II is a follow-up to a 3-track, 30 minute EP that deals in space and time, polyrhythms and genre fusions so blindingly fast and smooth it’ll send you into the future. Favorite tracks: Extremophile Elite, Melting City.
m b v (2013) by My Bloody Valentine
Twenty-two long-ass years following their iconic shoegaze album, Loveless, Kevin Shields released m b v: a perfect follow-up that demonstrates their signature sound and legendary status as shoegaze musicians. Listening to this now feels like we’re living in 1991. Favorite tracks: She Found Now, Who Sees You, New You.
Tomorrow’s Harvest (2013) by Boards of Canada
The legendary Scottish recluses, Boards of Canada made their return in 2013 with the release of their fourth LP Tomorrow's Harvest: a true paradigm of the IDM genre and BoC true-to-form. It's textural, cinematic, and moody nature work together to create soundscapes that leave you floored on a physical and emotional level. Our favorite tracks: Palace Posey, A Cold Earth, New Seeds, Reach For The Dead.
Silver Wilkinson (2013) by Bibio
Oh, Bibio. I've always considered Bibio to be a master of genre-fucking. One minute, you're listening to the eloquently intricate guitar work and angelic vocals of Mirroring All, and the next minute you're thrown into a electro-psychedelic anthem that encapsulates the album's metamorphosis from wispy, moody folk music into an electronic masterpiece. Favorite tracks: Mirroring All, You, Look At Orion!
Psychic (2013) by Darkside
Darkside is the partnership between Nicolas Jaar and guitarist Dave Harrington, and Psychic is the duo's debut album and we can't get enough of it. It's sinister, it's funky, and it's driven by the urge to experiment and form soundscapes simultaneously smooth and textured. Favorite tracks: Freak Go Home, Golden Arrow, The Only Shrine I've Seen.
Cold Spring Fault Less Youth (2013) by Mount Kimbie
While I do thoroughly love 2017's Love What Survives, Cold Spring Fault Less Youth exemplifies Dom and Kai's mastery of genres ranging from hip hop, house, and overall experimentation of sounds. It also helps that King Krule is featured on a few tracks, and we love Archie. Favorite tracks: Made to Stray, You Took Your Time, Sullen Ground.
No Better Time Than Now (2013) by Shigeto
One of Ghostly International's more notable artists in their roster, Shigeto's third studio album is a mix of instrumental hip hop, electronica, and jazz. The Detroit-based artist has been one of our favorite live performers (and you can read about one of those performances here), and will always have a spot in my record collection without a doubt. Favorite tracks: Detroit Part 1, Miss U, No Better Time Than Now.
II (2014) by Moderat
The second LP of the Berlin-based super group, Moderat (made up of Apparat, and Modeselektor), is more than just "that artist whose song (The Mark - Interlude) they used in the climax of the 2018 movie, Annihilation." They're a fucking force to be reckoned with, and while they are currently taking some time apart to work on their solo stuff, we still have Moderat II to keep us plenty occupied. Favorite tracks: Milk, Versions, Gita.
Syro (2014) by Aphex Twin
One of the pioneers of contemporary electronic music as we know it made his return in 2014 in the form of this massive LP release, Syro. 13 years since the release of his last album, Drukqs, Syro demonstrates Richard D. James' mastery over his unique sound and style. This album is a 65-minute long mathematical equation of a madman materialized into sound and it's perfect. Our favorite tracks: xmas_evet10 [120][thanaton3 mix], produk 29 [101], aisatsana [102]
Where Will We Go pt. 1 and 2 (2014) by Nick Hakim
Effortlessly deep and soulful, these two EPs were released as a single LP featuring warm, swelling harmonies, bluesy tenderness and Hakim’s voice of liquid gold. An essential for cold winter nights with fiery whiskey, this album is rife with dense harmony and stormy, bluesy heartbreak. Favorite tracks: Cold, Where Will We Go?
The Joy of Motion (2014) by Animals as Leaders
It’s out opinion that jazz-metal savant Tosin Abasi has seen the future and put it down for all the world to hear. Undeniably unique and punishingly complex, this album swerves from crushing metal polyrhythms to fingerpicked jazz and classical in a heartbeat. Favorite tracks: Tooth and Claw, Mind = Spun.
To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) by Kendrick Lamar
This album changed our perception of hip-hop forever. Each track is a single line in a jazz-infused epic poem that takes an unflinching look at blackness in society. Kendrick’s unorthodox flow swerves in and out of time but somehow always lands powerfully. Favorite tracks: Wesley’s Theory, How Much a Dollar Cost?
Mockroot (2015) by Tigran Hamasyan
Armenian-American composer and pianist Tigran Hamasyan brought something truly new to the world with Mockroot. Fusing classical, jazz, math rock and Armenian folk music, this album features both mind-bending polyrhythms and tragically beautiful piano passages. Favorite tracks: Lilac, Kars 1.
Malibu (2016) by Anderson .Paak
With an explosively energetic stage show and two double handfuls of personality, Anderson .Paak stormed the scene in 2016 with his addictive fusion of soul, hip-hop, funk and jazz. Beachy and consistently uproarious, Malibu is a true classic. Favorite tracks: The Seasons | Carry Me, Come Down.
Bright Moments (2016) by Flamingosis
For us, Flamingosis is the shining pinnacle of the newly hyper-popular chillhop genre, fusing disco with funk and backing it up with trunk-exploding hip-hop beats. Tropical, rambunctious and downright pleasant, this album is perfect for slow mornings at home or sunbaked parties on the water. Favorite tracks: Make Me Late for Breakfast, Brunch at the Bodega.
IV (2016) by BADBADNOTGOOD
A jazz trio with the swagger of trap music and energy of a rockband, BBNG push the boundaries of genre in an extraordinary way. They’ve collaborated with a similarly genre-defying lineup of musicians to craft a technically impressive and incredibly diverse sophomore album. Favorite tracks: Lavender, In Your Eyes.
How To Be a Human Being (2016) by Glass Animals
Fronted by the enigmatic Dave Bayley, this alt-pop quartet have risen to well-deserved world acclaim with a danceable mixture of electronic, rock and syrupy pop that digs deep into the emotional psyche and stays playfully light all at once. Favorite tracks: Agnes, The Other Side of Paradise.
Dreamless (2016) by Fallujah
If the aurora borealis had teeth it would sound like Dreamless. Ethereal, breathtakingly beautiful and tirelessly technical, this album is one of the most innovative metal records we’ve ever heard. Favorite tracks: The Void Alone, Scar Queen.
The Dream Is Over (2016) by PUP
This album plays like an ear-to-ear grin with blood on the teeth - sometimes cheerful, sometimes seething, always unabashedly catchy. PUP’s live performance is second to none, the very essence of crowd-surf-singalongs. Favorite tracks: Sleep in the Heat, DVP.
Sirens (Deluxe Edition) (2017) by Nicolas Jaar
New York-based Chilean-American, Nicolas Jaar releeased his second LP, Sirens in 2016, with an additional release of a Deluxe Edition the following year. It is a heady, down-tempo mix of psychedelia and experimental electronic music that redefines what it means to produce electronic. Favorite tracks: Wildflowers, A Coin in Nine Hands, No.
Every Country’s Sun (2017) by Mogwai
Glasgow-based Mogwai has always and will forever be my favorite post-rock band. Their ninth studio album, Every Country's Sun, was released sandwiched between several television and film soundtracks. For a while it felt like the Scottish sonic pioneers were at risk of becoming strict movie soundtrack composers. But Every Country's Sun stands as a combo-breaker and a return to form: it's heavy, it's dramatic, and it's quintessential Mogwai. Favorite tracks: Coolverine, Every Country's Sun, Battered At A Scramble
Where The World Ends (2017) by Indian Wells
A fairly newer discography, Indian Wells' third LP has quickly grown to be one of my favorite albums of all time. Where The World Ends is a dark, heady, and textural dystopia wherein the only way to pass time is to throw on some headphones and dance in the dark. Favorite tracks: Some Stripes, The Alps, It's Where the World Ends.
FKJ (2017) by FKJ
Probably Zach’s most played album of the year since it’s been released, this sun-drenched jazz/funk/soul/electronic vacation is so easily repeatable it could definitely be a desert island album. FKJ’s one-man multi-instrumentation circus is incredibly impressive on wax, but seeing him craft each song from the ground up live is truly mind-blowing. Favorite tracks: Joy, Lying Together.
Control (2017) by SZA
SZA has one of the most impressive and evocative voices in modern R&B - delicate enough to balance on moth’s wings and powerful enough to pull stars from orbit. Control lets this golden vocal shine its brightest with carefully curated, minimalist instrumentals and audio from SZA’s mother interspersed throughout. Favorite tracks: Drew Barrymore, Supermodel.
Villains (2017) by Queens of the Stone Age
Not many bands make it 7 albums in and remain so creative and true to themselves. Queens of the Stone Age have been a favorite band of ours since we started listening to rock music, and their latest release is just as enjoyable as their first. Josh Homme continues sounding like exactly no other vocalists and the band lays down an adrenaline pumping performance that straddles funk, rock, psych garage and general desert weirdness. Favorite tracks: Feet Don’t Fail Me Now, The Way You Used to Do.
Freudian (2017) by Daniel Caesar
Freudian is a sun-dappled love letter of an album, beautifully produced and deeply groovy. Daniel Caesar’s voice is both smooth and raw, conveying a deep yearning to love and be loved that is a perfect compliment to the fluttering, elegant instrumentals. Favorite tracks: Neu Roses (Transgressor’s Song), Best Part.
Persona (2018) by Rival Consoles
We can't get enough of Rival Consoles. Ryan West's unique signature synth tones and melodies deliver profound soundscapes and beats that move you literally and figuratively. It was a toss up between this album, Odyssey/Sonne, Howl, and Night Melody. Just go listen to him, please. He deserves the world. Favorite tracks: Unfolding, Sun's Abandon, Persona.
Infinite Moment (2018) by The Field
The fifth studio album from the Swedish-based artist, The Field is yet another example of how simplicity and minimalism can be manipulated to create complex pieces of music that induce euphoria and non-stop loop-fueled convulsions. While not for everyone, The Field is a legendary artist whose loops will engrain themselves into your DNA and never let go. Favorite tracks: Divide Now, Something Left Something Right, Something Wrong, Infinite Moment
Honey (2018) by Robyn
Robyn's first release since 2010's Body Talk, 2018's Honey marks the return of our Queen of Pop. The Swedish icon delivers another example of powerful, intoxicating control of the dance floor. Hypnotic synth-pop beats behind catchy, unforgettable lyrics combine to reach levels of artistry that others could never. Favorite tracks: Human Being, Send to Robin Immediately, Honey,
D’ANGELO (2018) by David August
D'Angelo is a dark, gritty reality in the same vein as Nicolas Jaar's 2016 release of Sirens. Throughout the album there are elements of dance, goth-rock, and even jazz. The resulting outcome of these elements is a demonstration of experimentation that work as a cohesive album and forces you to wonder why the heck is this album is so short. Favorite tracks: NARCISO, 33CHANTS, THE LIFE OF MERISI
2012 - 2017 (2018) by A.A.L (Against All Logic)
This is Nicolas Jaar's third appearance on our top albums of the decade list and I'm not apologizing. A.A.L.'s collection of tracks spanning 6 years demonstrates Nicolas Jaar's profound methods of expermentation. 2012-2017 is a pounding collision of funk, r&b, house, and it's so god damn perfect. Favorite tracks: Now U've Got Me Hooked, Rave On U, You Are Going to Love Me And Scream
Chrome Sparks (2018) by Chrome Sparks
The humble king of retrowave, Chrome Sparks is both an ambitious producer and natural performer. His self titled debut album is ethereal, majestic and absolutely bangs on every track. Massive drums and vintage synths are even more impressive when the white-clad retrowarrior takes a powerstance and shreds independently on both hands live. Favorite tracks: Still Think, Sugar.
Apollonia (2018) by Garden City Movement
The sophomore album from Tel Aviv electronic duo Garden City Movement is lush with exotic instrumentation, dreamy affected vocals and beautifully fragmented production throughout. The duo nails the balance between live elements and studio genius, crafting otherworldly songs from darkness and luminescence. Favorite tracks: Slightly All the Time, Bitter Moon.
For Ever (2018) by Jungle
Sleek and soulful as ever, the long-awaited follow up to Jungle’s explosive debut runs with their irreplaceable sound and improves on perfection. With liquid gold harmonies and lush instrumentals, the dance party never ends. Favorite tracks: Happy Man, Heavy, California.
Swimming (2018) by Mac Miller
Beloved worldwide, Mac Miller released this unparalleled masterpiece of hip-hop, R&B and funk just months before his shocking and tragic death. A resolute, contemplative Mac rejoiced and reflected in equal parts over beautiful, groovy instrumentals. Favorite tracks: Ladders, 2009.
The Weight (2019) by Weval
Psychedelic, lo-fi and deeply emotive, the second album from Dutch production duo Weval is a bold continuation of a sound we thought couldn’t get any better. This release takes a hard left into psychedelia and textural experimentation that is just. so. good- and the music video for Someday is definitely the coolest thing we’ve ever seen. Favorite tracks: Are You Even Real, Someday.
No Geography (2019) by The Chemical Brothers
The Chemical Brothers are another act with incredible staying power, crafting a sound over the course of 20+ years and iterating on it in constantly new and groundbreaking ways. No Geography expands this sonic horizon in some regards but really goes back to the core tenets of Chemical sound in many others - psychedelic swells, crashing crescendos and stripped down acid bass. Favorite tracks: We’ve Got to Try, The Universe Sent Me.
While we’d prefer that you listen to as many albums in their entirety, we put together a playlist of our some of our favorites from the decade below!
We hope you’ve had a splendid decade. We can’t wait to see what 2020 has in store for us all.
Love and light,
<3 Zach and Mando
