Top 20 Albums of the 2010s
I'll be honest, I don't feel it was that great a decade. But nevertheless, there were some things I liked (some of which Sputnik hated. Oh well.) So here were my favorite albums of the decade. |
| 20 |  | Candy Hearts
Everything's Amazing and Nobody's Happy
A strong effort by this female-fronted pop punk band. They have since morphed into a decent band called Best Ex, but this is their best effort to date. |
| 19 |  | All Hail the Silence
Daggers
This is a sharp double album of '80s new wave-influenced rock by an American/English electronic music duo. The songs are catchy and danceable. |
| 18 |  | Blackmore's Night
Dancer And The Moon
I love this project, a medieval folk band put together by Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore and his wife, Candice Night. They put out some good albums this decade, but this one was their best. |
| 17 |  | Priory
Need to Know
I think that maybe this Portland (OR) based electro pop band has broken up, which is a shame. They were supposed to come out with a new album in 2017, but we're still waiting. In any event, this is a smart, well-crafted alt rock album with a heart. |
| 16 |  | I Am the Avalanche
Wolverines
An LP's worth of well written punk/pop punk songs sung by a gruff-voiced lead singer who sounds like he gargles with broken glass. It turns out to be a winning combination. |
| 15 |  | Sleigh Bells
Treats
This was Sleigh Bells' first album, and it's by far their best. It manages to be noisy and abrasive but also somehow melodic. |
| 14 |  | Frankie Cosmos
Vessel
The songs on this album are all short, and yet they often still have time to start, deconstruct themselves, and come back together in a pleasing manner. I find the album puzzling, but enjoyable. |
| 13 |  | Andy Black
The Shadow Side
This is another artist that Sputnik has no use for that I think they're missing the boat on. Black, aka Black Veil Brides' Andy Biersack, shows a surprise deftness for alt rock in this, his debut solo album. |
| 12 |  | Bayside
Interrobang
Bayside released four LPs this decade, and they were all amazingly consistent. This one, which was just released a few months ago, is right up there with their best. |
| 11 |  | Charly Bliss
Young Enough
OK, I'll admit that Eva Hendricks has a strange, kewpie-doll kind of voice. But this is really well written and well executed pop rock, and for me, her voice works, weird or not. |
| 10 |  | CHVRCHES
Love Is Dead
Sputnik hated this album. I loved it. I think it fully realized all of the promises of this Scottish electro pop band's first two LPs. |
| 9 |  | Kesha
Animal
I don't listen to a lot of pure pop, and I don't have much interest in the better known pop stars. But there's something charismatic about Kesha that draws me to her music. She's got a new one coming out in early 2020, and I'm looking forward to it. But this my favorite of hers so far. |
| 8 |  | The Sounds
Something to Die For
I've been waiting for six years now for this Swedish indie rock to put out another one. But if this 2013 effort turns out to be their last full-length, at least they'll have gone out on a high note. |
| 7 |  | The Magnetic Fields
50 Song Memoir
When I saw this project, I was a little nervous as to whether Magentic Fields still had it in them to pull off a project of this scope. But this is almost as good as 69 Love Songs. |
| 6 |  | Future Bible Heroes
Partygoing
A solid and fun effort from my favorite Stephin Merritt band. |
| 5 |  | Tang
Blood and Sand
The most consistent album yet from this Long Island-based female-fronted hard rock/heavy metal band. |
| 4 |  | Bayside
Vacancy
This was my favorite Bayside album this decade, and they continue to be one of my favorite bands. |
| 3 |  | Blondie
Ghosts of Download
Deborah Harry and co. pulled off a beautiful album here, which included various guest appearances and mixed rap and Latin music with their '80s new wave sound. |
| 2 |  | Foster the People
Torches
This was my favorite alternative rock/indie pop album of the 2010s, which is saying something since that's the genre I listen to most these days. |
| 1 |  | Nightwish
Endless Forms Most Beautiful
This was actually my first exposure to Nightwish, so I started out listening to Floor Jansen as the lead singer. An exciting mix of epic metal and Celtic music. |
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