Popular music from the 20th century onward is often categorized into decades. These decades are not always so clear cut, and many different musical movements and trends pervade each. As the 2010s are coming to a close, the decade now opens up for broader retrospections on the musical movements and industry changes from the past ten years. The 2010s are not nearly far enough behind us to diagnose them as “the decade” for this or that, and we may need to wait to see which musical elements of the decade influence the future in order to more clearly define the decade. However, it did have some blatant impacts. The rise of streaming services brought a new wave of SoundCloud rappers and indie rockers, but also firmly dethroned rock as the dominant genre on pop charts. We also had to say goodbye to some of the most prolific, legendary figures in music, including Prince, Tom Petty, Aretha Franklin, David Bowie and Chuck Berry. Nonetheless, the decade produced a lot of good music. Here are some of the albums you might have missed from it.
Blackstar (2016) by David Bowie
What a perfect goodbye for one of rock and roll’s most revolutionary minds. Unlike many of the other tragic losses of the 2010s, David Bowie turned his own demise into a beautifully human work that still manages to feel atmospheric, gorgeous, and out of this world. Incorporating jazz, hip-hop, and some of his older influences, Bowie created an album dark but with that classic Bowie ease. The harmonica on the closer “I Can’t Give Everything Away” was a nice little reference to his previous works, namely “Never Let Me Down” and “A New Career In A New Town.” This and other little easter eggs provide an extra layer of listening for Bowie fans on top of the incredible achievement of creating a work addressing death and reflection in such a unique and powerful way.
The Epic (2015) by Kamasi Washington
“Kamasi Washington’s The Epic (2015) is a three-hour masterpiece that stirs together power, beauty, and rage. His radical playing is shaping contemporary jazz, and The Epic plays a crucial role in this development. After working on To Pimp A Butterfly (2015) with Kendrick Lamar, Washington attracted a massive new audience into the world of jazz and captured listeners with his phenomenal work on The Epic.” – Joshua Hauser, staff editor
Beach Music (2015) by (Sandy) Alex G
“Beach Music was a surprise for many Alex G fans, as up until this 2015 album, we were used to the bedroom-pop style of his earlier work. However, when Beach Music came out, his previously upbeat music turned much darker, much weirder, and much closer to the present-day Alex G. Beach Music is a great example of artistic versatility and growth.” – Alice Markman, staff editor
A Moon Shaped Pool (2016) by Radiohead
What might be Radiohead’s final release of original material came out in a year of politics and manic musical output. This beautiful atmospheric experience has been slept on. Checking Radiohead’s ten most popular songs, not one is from this magnificently pristine collection that boasts the energetic “Burn The Witch” and “Identikit” along with the gorgeous “Daydreaming” and “True Love Waits.” Radiohead fails to falter on what might be the band’s farewell, if Thom Yorke can help it.
Street Worms (2018) by the Viagra Boys
“‘Formulaic’ is usually used as a detractor when talking about music, rather than a term of endearment. However, when you have a formula as good as the Viagra Boys, you ought to keep on running it. The Swedish post punks do just that on 2018’s ‘Street Worms,’ which melds danceable new wave rhythms with fuzzy bass, screeching sax, and snarled vocals to great effect. Every song tweaks this in a minor way, with the most variation coming by way of ‘Worms’ and the spoken word interlude ‘Best in Show.’ Every other song is best described as a banger, if you can use that in a post punk sense. This is a record full of good grooves and pitch black humor, don’t sleep on it, and especially don’t ignore it cause Fantano plugged the video for ‘Sports’ a little too hard.” – Kieran Zimmer, staff writer’
Currents (2015) by Tame Impala
Bringing contemporary psychedelia to teenage bedrooms all over the world is no easy feat, and impressing Rihanna so much she records a cover of your song is also pretty rare. Following hits like “Elephant” and “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards,” Currents was the full realization of the sound Tame Impala had teased and been building toward in an attractively designed package. The cover art is more recognizable than most other albums of the 2010s, an accomplishment in the democratized, flooded sea of new music released on streaming services every day. If this collection of groovy sonic experimentation did not fill your headphones during high school, it is never too late to enjoy this banger fest.
Plastic Beach (2010) by Gorillaz
Kicking off the decade with some of their strongest tracks, from “Stylo” to “Melancholy Hill,” Gorillaz’s sixteen-song album fails to falter: a clever, consistent collection of nonstop jams. Coupled with Jamie Hewlett’s corresponding music videos and art, this album is a work to behold. Their third album would prove to be their last release in the cultural spotlight for some time, as the multimedia phenomenon would, after a much quieter release for The Fall (2011), lay low until the end of the decade.
Coloring Book (2016) by Chance the Rapper
Though Acid Rap (2013) had brought Chancelor Bennett to the attention of labels and listeners alike, Coloring Book solidified his status as a creative rapper with a pension for intelligent lyrics and charming music. Besides bangers like “No Problems,” “All Night,” and “Angels,” moments like the tender “D.R.A.M. Sings Special” and the intimate “Same Drugs” demonstrate a real depth, proof that as a rapper he has much to add to the conversation, and a special way of delivering his message. As Chance assures, this is an album that you would want to hear until the “Finish Line.”
Gentle Warnings (2015) by Jack and Eliza
“New York songwriting duo Jack and Eliza released their first album Gentle Warnings in the mid-2010s, shaking up the indie rock scene with strong harmonies and other features reminiscent of 1960s style. Every song on this album oozes teenage summer nostalgia, tugging at your heart strings and bringing back memories of poolside makeout sessions and other summertime adventures. The best track is ‘Quarter Past the Hour.’” – Daniella Ivanir, staff writer
An Object (2013) by No Age
I first listened to this album during a trip to Germany, three years after the album’s release. Stumbling upon it, this album was my introduction to the world of indie rock. The music is stripped down to the bones, in a very intimate way that makes this the best gateway into No Age’s discography. 2018’s Snares Like a Haircut might have received better reviews, but An Object’s questioning of artistic impression and analysis, mixed with its raw sounds, make it a standout in No Age’s discography. A little rough around the edges, but clever enough to subvert expectations through willful restraint, little else sounds quite like this one.
Bloom (2012) by Beach House
“Want to tear up reminiscing on your youth? This album can do that for you! Their fourth release saw Beach House deliver heartache-inducing bedroom pop driven by a drum machine and unique, saccharine lyrics.” – Daniella Ivanir
Drugs (2014) by the Symposium
“Short and sweet, this indie-rock album is perfect for a late night drive. Chill and experimental, the Chicago band is at its most laid back, yet also at its most skillful point, summarizing what can still be accomplished in indie rock and how much of a future the genre has in the Windy City.” – Daniella Ivanir
We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your service (2016) by A Tribe Called Quest
Prior to 2016, A Tribe Called Quest, the most influential of the rap groups to emerge from the Native Tongues, had been silent for eighteen years. Luckily enough, they decided to reform in time to catch what would become Phife Dawg’s last lines before his death in March of 2016. This farewell is so much more than nostalgia. From the outset, “The Space Program” and “We The People…” display that, while the Tribe maintain their unique sound, they have adapted to the times both sonically and lyrically. The album still manages to cover politics and social issues in a way only the Tribe can, and merits a salute to these American heroes and the fallen Phife Dawg.
Pink by CHAI (2017)
Nagoya, Japan’s all-women rock band CHAI released their first album after two EPs that reached as far as the American West Coast. With their debut they attained enough clout to tour in California, bringing with them their message of body positivity and female empowerment. Inspired by groups like Tom Tom Club, Gorillaz, and Justice, the group mixes rock with electronica in a charming manner that employs Japanese work ethic and precision. They perform across Asia, Europe, and the United States, and are definitely a band to track on their crusade to redefine “kawaii,” the Japanese word for “cute.”
Freedom Is Free (2017) by Chicano Batman
Southern California’s large Latinx indie-rock scene has been growing stronger over the course of the decade, and Chicano Batman has been leading the way. Freedom Is Free, from the cover to its content, summarizes this inventive young scene. As a Mexican American from Whittier, one of the Gateway Cities of Los Angeles, I’ve been really proud of this movement, and I hope more Mexican Americans from the region make it big. Chicano Batman is leading a scene that the brown people of SoCal can rally behind.
Congratulations (2010) by MGMT
For many who heard the hits of Oracular Spectacular (2007) on the radio during their childhood, MGMT’s sophomore album might have been something you found after years of not listening to MGMT, and it sucks you right back into their world. Critically, this album has been praised as the climax of MGMT’s journey, and though this may be, the album, though having iconic artwork, seems to loom lighter than the group’s game-changing debut, or their easily accessible latest release, Little Dark Age (2018). After coming back into the spotlight, the group’s older albums have aged so well and remain so fresh that they deserve the time of fair-weather fans and MGMT diehards alike.
Love This Giant (2012) by David Byrne and St. Vincent
Anything with David Byrne or St. Vincent near it is probably worth checking out. Now, imagine the master and the student coming together to create a project blending both their sounds with some jazz and hip-hop beats mixed in? Now you’re imagining Love This Giant, a match made in heaven between Talking Heads’ frontman and Annie Clark, who has always made Byrne’s band’s influence heard in her special strain of alternative rock. Between duets like “Who” and social commentary like “I Should Watch TV,” their interesting observations are accompanied by instrumentals as eccentrically groovy as anything they had done separately. Two rights still make a right.
Blonde (2016) by Frank Ocean
“There’s not a single album that has been more formative for my (and probably many others’) high school years. It colored so many of my firsts: first makeouts with my high school boyfriend, first drives around my suburban neighborhood, first time crying on the Santa Monica beach (yes, that happened. Shoutout to ‘Nikes no autotune’ on Youtube). Blonde is rooted in nostalgia, and Frank Ocean has a magical way of blending genres to form his own unique style that’s universally loved. It’s unlikely that you missed this 2016 album, but no ‘music of the 2010s’ list can be complete without it.” – Alice Markman
Almost Free (2019) by Fidlar
“Super different from their original sound that got them big, their latest album shows how much the band has grown. I went to their album release party in LA, and they’ve been through so much crap in their personal lives and it felt like they were scared to deviate from their sound, so I’m super happy they released it.” – Stephanie Enciso, staff writer
A Retrospective (2011) by Pink Martini
“This collection of songs summarizes the history of Pink Martini, a musical group that, as a little orchestra, tackled the genres of classical music, pop, Latin music, and Jazz. This retrospective exemplifies the group’s mission of keeping jazz alive today.” – Daniella Ivanir
Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit (2015) by Courtney Barnett
Australian garage rock folk pop superheroine Courtney Barnett’s debut album was an amazing achievement in the middle of a decade where rock was no longer in power. Though The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas (2014) had garnered an international audience, it was this first album that ignited her career and reminded the world that rock was very much alive and well, and that the future of rock will be very international and very female.
Luces Del Sur (2010) by Wait. Think. Fast.
Maybe not the most clever name, but this bilingual band debuted with a powerful description of life in between cultures. Led by Colombian-born Jacqueline Santillan, the group goes back and forth between Spanish and English, but even for single-language speakers “Leymah Contra Los Diablos” is just as enjoyable as “Covina Park.” And even if you cannot relate to the struggle of Latinx Americans, the story is there to help you understand.
boygenius (2018) by boygenius
“This EP is arguably one of the most beautiful releases of the 2010s, and unfortunately seems to end as quickly as it begins. boygenius is the indie supergroup comprised of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker. The entire EP is stock full of harmonies, guitars, and clever lyrics. It begs to look at each woman as her own artist but also how they are able to blend together as a single entity.” – Makaila Heifner, managing editor
Days Are Gone (2013) by HAIM
Daniella, Este, and Alana Haim introduced themselves to me on Saturday Night Live with performances of two of this album’s best, “The Wire” and “Don’t Save Me.” Their debut did not disappoint, giving 2013 a rocking, summery piece of pop rock incorporating skilled musicianship with pop sensibility to create an homage to the 70s rock that inspired them.
Article by Stanley Quiros