Best Albums of the 2010s
 

Keeping score as the decade progresses...

TEN BEST ALBUMS OF THE 2010s (so far)
1. SING THE DELTA (2012), Iris DeMent
2. OLYMPIA (2010), Bryan Ferry
3. LOST SIRENS (2013), New Order
4. ECHOES (2011), Will Young
5. WATCH THE THRONE (2011), Kanye West & Jay-Z
6. MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY (2010), Kanye West
7. VOYAGE (2011), Sound of Arrows
8. ELYSIUM (2012), Pet Shop Boys
9. WORDS AND MUSIC BY SAINT ETIENNE (2012), Saint Etienne
10. A JOYFUL NOISE (2012), Gossip

IYD and the FM EP is the only two I have.

I can really only make a preliminary list, as I rarely listen to full new albums anymore, I mainly just stream Pandora/I Heart Radio these days. Anyway, here's what I like thus far this decade:

1. Joseph Arthur: Graduation Ceremony
2. Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues
3. Beirut: The Rip Tide (the title track off this album might just be my fav song of the decade thus far)
4. Stevie Nicks: In Your Dreams
5. Bonnie Raitt: Slipstream
6. Ray Lamontagne: God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise
7. Arcade Fire: The Suburbs
8. Foster The People: Torches (it's catchy house cleaning music, so shoot me! :laugh: )
9. Band Of Horses: Infinite Arms

I'm really displeased with this list at the moment, I'll probably come back and edit it as I think of more appropriate selections. :)

Ooh, I'll make a list. Not gonna put them in 'best' order, though, I sort of see them all equally.

Brothers: The Black Keys - 2010
God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise: Ray LaMontagne - 2010
Love and Its Opposite: Tracey Thorn - 2010
Mission Bell: Amos Lee - 2011
The Awakening: James Morrison - 2011
Velociraptor!: Kasabian - 2011
In Your Dreams: Stevie Nicks - 2011
Moving Up Living Down: Eric Hutchinson - 2012
What We Saw From The Cheap Seats: Regina Spektor - 2012

I guess I really prefer the 'singer/songwriter' type.

Nothing on my list yet for 2013 - but there are a few albums I need to get which are already out, and a few more expected later this year that may be great; particularly Neko Case's upcoming release in September.

Bonnie Raitt- Slipstream (2012)
Diane Birch- Bible Belt (2010)
Vanessa Carlton- Rabbits on the Run (2011)
Stevie Nicks- In Your Dreams (2011)
Joss Stone- LP1 (2011)
Tedeschi Trucks Band- Revelator (2011)
Lindsey Buckingham- Seeds We Sow (2011)
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals- Grace Potter & the Nocturnals (2010)
Florence + The Machine- Ceremonials (2011)
Dave Stewart- The Ringmaster General (2012)
Caitlin Rose- The Stand In (2013)

Just realized we both listed this. Great album!

Cave Singers - No witch.
Alberta Cross- Songs Of Patience
Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
J. Mascis - Several Shades Of Why
Heartless Bastards - Arrow
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - idem
Elliott Brood - Days Into Years
Drivin' n' Cryin' - (Whatever Happened To) The Great American Bubble Factory
Lindsey Buckingham - Seeds We Sow
Kevn Kinney & The Golden Palominos - A good country mile

Drake-Take Care
Alabama Shakes-Boys & Girls
Taylor Swift-Speak Now
The Civil Wars-Barton Hollow
Kanye West-My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Britney Spears-Femme Fatale
Kanye West and Jay Z-Watch the Throne
Stevie Nicks-In Your Dreams
Nicki Minaj-Roman Reloaded
Lana Del Rey-Born to Die

This list makes me look musically deprived, but I honestly love these albums so much. Especially Take Care by Drake, as a huge 90s R&B fan (namely Keith Sweat) that album was exceptional in my opinion.

A very interesting and eclectic mix of tastes we have here. :) Louie, I'm glad to see an Arcade Fire fan in the house!

I won't answer the question as a serious evaluation of what the "best" albums are. I simply haven't heard enough new albums in full to make that kind of statement. But these are my clear favourites. Leaving out Mac-and-Mac-adjacent albums, to keep things a bit more interesting.

Anais Mitchell - Young Man in America (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
David Bowie - The Next Day
Kate Bush - 50 Words for Snow
Tegan and Sara- Heartthrob
Emeli Sande - Our Version of Events (I know this gets a lot of flack for massive overhype, but I can't not adore it)
Patty Griffin - American Kid

Nice choices- I have to be in the right mood for Tegan and Sara, but it is a solid album. I have not listened to Patty Griffin's latest yet, and I have never really listened to her, but I want to start.

For me.... (in no particular order):

Tedeschi Trucks Band - Revelator
Tedeschi Trucks Band - Everybody's Talkin' (live)
Derek Trucks Band - Roadsongs
Dwight Yoakam 3 Pears
Eric Clapton - Old Sock
Gary Clark, Jr. - Blak & Blu
The Black Keys (2 albums) - El Camino and Brothers
Heart - Red Velvet Car
Bonnie Raitt - Slipstream
Paul McCartney - Kisses On The Bottom
Bob Dylan - Tempest
Fleetwood Mac - Extended Play EP
Stevie Nicks - In Your Dreams
Lindsey Buckingham - Songs From The Small Machine

The most anticipated album that was the biggest disappointment:

ZZ Top - La Futura

A couple of artists I really like but haven't heard their latest albums (which have been mentioned in this thread):

Bryan Ferry
David Bowie

Really love Heartthrob. "I Couldn't Be Your Friend" is my favorite track--it's Mac worthy--but every single song shimmers.

I wish Kate Bush--possibly the greatest female music artist of all time--had stayed retired, but there was a thread on here back in the day with discussion surrounding 50 Words for Snow.

Glad to see love for Tegan and Sara on here! Right on, you guys!

Oh do get into Patty if you can. She's one of the most rewarding recording artists I can think of. American Kid is great, but I don't think anything will ever surpass the sublime 1000 Kisses. How familiar are you with her work generally?

She never really retired though. She always said she was "working on an album" even back in the mid-90s. She'd just started a family and had gone down to part-time hours, so to speak. Aerial and 50 Words are departures for her in some ways, and certainly not to every fan's taste, but then, every Kate release has been like that. She's had a fairly high fan-turnover ever since Never For Ever, I think people just forgot that as the fanbase settled during her 12 year hiatus. I certainly couldn't blame anyone for disliking 50 Words. It's absolutely replaced The Dreaming as her most wtf!? album (actually I think The Dreaming stopped being "difficult" years ago, though), but I think it's among her best work, and I've heard enough people concur to be confident I'm not just some wacky outlier. ;)

I'm surprised Fiona Apple's The Idler Wheel hasn't been mentioned here yet. It usually pops up on these threads by this point. I often feel like the only person on the entire planet who doesn't connect with Fiona at all... I'm kind of enjoying its absence, to be honest. :laugh: Although I do recognize its greatness on an objective level.

Not very familiar at all- I'll start with 1000 Kisses though :thumbsup:

Kate Bush does what she wants to and always has..that and idiosyncratic raw talent is what makes her "possibly the greatest female recording artist of all time."If anyone had ever come to her insisting she record Bon Jovi and Poison covers or whatever the UK equivalent might be her response would have been one for the ages.