Today we launched our best albums of the decade feature. Lists like these are really hard to make, and even after I finished my list I knew I was missing things. But, at some point hard cuts have to get made and you just have to accept that you’re not going to be able to put everything on and that you’re going to forget a few albums along the way.
Here’s what my final best of the decade, top 50, looked like:
- Bon Iver – Bon Iver
- Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly
- The 1975 – I Like It When You Sleep…
- The Horrible Crowes – Elsie
- Against Me – Transgender Dysphoria Blues
- Bleachers – Strange Desire
- Noah Gundersen – Ledges
- The Hotelier – Home, Like Noplace Is There
- Thursday – No Devolucion
- Phoebe Bridgers – Strangers in the Alps
- Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
- Radiohead – The King of Limbs
- Carly Rae Jepsen – Emotion
- Japandroids – Celebration Rock
- The Maine – Lovely Little Lonely
- Taylor Swift – 1989
- A Wilhelm Scream – Partycrasher
- Deafheaven – Sunbather
- Sufjan Stevens – Carrie & Lowell
- Now, Now – Saved
- Sturgill Simpson – A Sailors Guide to Earth
- Charli XCX – Pop 2
- Frank Turner – England Keep My Bones
- Frightened Rabbit – Pedestrian Verse
- Hellogoodbye – What It Kill You?
- The Menzingers – On the Impossible Past
- Daft Punk – Random Access Memories
- Haim – Days Are Gone
- Julien Baker – Sprained Ankle
- The Gaslight Anthem – Handwritten
- Paramore – After Laughter
- My Chemical Romance – Danger Days
- POP ETC – Souvenir
- The 1975 – A Brief Inquiry…
- Copeland – Blushing
- Fall Out Boy – Save Rock and Roll
- Sigrid – Sucker Punch
- Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear
- Fun – Some Nights
- Manchester Orchestra – Simple Math
- Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
- Marianas Trench – Ever After
- Jamie xx – In Colour
- Jimmy Eat World – Integrity Blues
- Tiger Army – V
- Allie X – Collxtion
- Anti-Flag – American Fall
- Wet – Don’t You
- Every Time I Die – Ex Lives
- Adele – 21