50 Best Albums of the 2010s: 50-26

Music is a tricky thing to review. On one hand, it's an objective overview of technical skill - a study in musicianship and sound engineering. On the other hand, it's a subjective experience, bringing with it the beauty of melody, memory, and personal taste. So, to clear the air a little, here's how I attempted to rank/review the "best" albums from 2010-2019: I graded each of these holistically, giving (mostly) equal attention to: composition, arrangement, performance, production, innovation, impact, and personal enjoyment. I'm sure I failed to live up to this impossible task, but I gave it a shot. So sit back and enjoy this list! And, as always, I encourage you to hunt down these titles and explore on your own. Enjoy!

50.) The Epic - Kamasi Washington: Although this record is far longer than it needs to be (a whopping 2 hours 53 minutes!), this is nonetheless a fine work of jazz. It lives and breathes, swelling with soul and filled to the brim with fascinating arrangements. Standout track: The album's opener, "Change of the Guard," is an operatic jazz odyssey, with a full choir and string section.

49.) The Raven That Refused to Sing (and Other Stories) - Steven Wilson: I am, admittedly, a prog-rock fan. I've always loved intense musicianship, out-of-this-world rhythms with plenty of time-signature changes, and bizarre melodies that seem to go everywhere at once. In a nutshell, this is why I love this album. Standout track: "The Holy Drinker" is spacey, spicy, and simply splendid.

48.) Woodstock - Portugal. The Man: As far as pop is concerned, if you've got the hooks and production, not much else matters. For these reasons alone, Woodstock is more than qualified to be on this list. Listen to the 60s-inspired swing of "Feel It Still" just once and try to argue with me. Standout tracks: The walloping sax-infused hook of "Tidal Wave" and the popcorn percussion of "Rich Friends" are high-water marks for the genre.

47.) HERO - Maren Morris: The perfect combination of summer-haze country, ironic bubblegum snark, and millennial metamodernity - how can you not love Maren Morris? This is the perfect roadtrip album; just roll down the windows, let the summer air tousle your hair, and sing along with your friends. Standout track: "Sugar," with its groovy guitar lick and undeniable sex appeal, epitomizes the versatility of the entire album.

46.) BLACKPINK IN YOUR AREA - BLACKPINK: I'm sure plenty of you will never be fans of K-pop, which is understandable. It can be excessive to a fault, with layer after layer of polish and an almost frenzied structure. But...well, that's kinda why it's so much fun. If you can roll with the gluttonous absurdity of everything, you're left with fun music that slaps harder than anything else around. If you're curious about the genre, start here. Standout tracks: The anthemic synth of "DDU-DU DDU-DU" and the bouncy brilliance of "PLAYING WITH FIRE" made me a rabid fan.

45.) Time in Place - Artifex Pereo: Terrible band name aside (I hate it), this post-hardcore group is incredibly talented, and on Time in Place they really strut their stuff. The busy guitar-work is almost as zany as the percussion, and when you put them together with striking vocals, you have an awesomely pulse-pounding sound. I'm also weirdly obsessed with the album cover...? Not sure why, but there's just something about it I love. Just look at it! So cool, right? Standout track: "Laugh & The World Laughs With You" is an auditory assault with a second-act shift into soulful punk-funk.

44.) Morning Phase - Beck: I've been a fan of Beck since high school, when albums like Guero and Sea Change were never far from my stereo. With Morning Phase, the ever-eclectic Beck spreads a pair of folksy wings and takes flight with warmly lush vocals, resonant strings, and minimalist arrangements. Standout track: "Blue Moon" is definitely my favorite, mostly because of the cool clavinet that springs to life near the end.

43.) Hamilton - The Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton: I'm not 100% sure if including this album is "cheating," (there are plenty of phenomenal Broadway soundtracks that I omitted) but I don't care. This is an impressive achievement in modern music, a hip-hopera that is musically rigorous and emotionally complex. The melodies and motifs sprinkled throughout this sprawling story are wonderfully written and expertly performed. Standout tracks: "My Shot," "Yorktown," and "The World was Wide Enough" will make you rethink rap, musicals, and American history.

42.) The Weather Below - Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds: This is a mammoth throwback to the hits of yesteryear, with phenomenal funk and sensual soul. Sister Sparrow herself is a bit like Joss Stone, but without all the pretentious political posturing. The overall sound quality is textured and organic, like what you might hear on an Avett Brothers or Mumford album (which makes sense; producer Ryan Hadlock is known for working with The Lumineers). Standout track: "Every Road" gets my feet tapping every damn time.

41.) Sunhead - Plini: Plini is one of the best guitarists working today, and on Sunhead he's equal parts Steve Vai and Stanley Jordan. This album is a curious little thing - finding funk in metal and making fist-pumping anthems out of smooth jazz. It's weird, but a very good kind of weird. These songs scratch an itch I didn't even know I had. I love it. Here's hoping Plini continues to experiment in the future. Standout track: The yin-yang balance between jazz and metal is perfectly achieved on "Flaneur."

40.) Schmaltz - Spanish Love Songs: I say this a lot, so here it is again: Thanks, Austin. Schmaltz is the epitome of millennial disillusionment, a dejectedly angsty ode to modern life. The instrumentation and arrangements are raw, delivered with a low-fi punkitude that borders on disheveled. The guitar hooks are fabulous, filling in the melodic gaps left by the gravelly, choked vocals. I'd have loved this album in high school, but I admire it now. It is one of the most emotionally honest albums of the decade, unafraid to stare into the abyss and rage against the dying of the light. Standout track: I really love them all, but the opening track ("Nuevo") sets the album's bleak tone perfectly. To say it's nihilistic is an understatement, but it's somehow enjoyable nonetheless.

39.) Mothership - Dance Gavin Dance: Hearkening back to high school summers of screamo and humble hardcore, Mothership is a bright, bouncy testament to the genre's staying power. The melodies are effervescent, the instrumentation is electric, and Tilian Pearson's vocals are perfect - textured and elastic and emotive. This thing is auditory sunshine, blasting out from your speakers and filling you with light. Standout track: "Chucky vs. the Giant Tortoise" shows off the album's dynamic heart, with an unshakable hook, glittery guitar work, and lyrics that always hit a little too close to home.

38.) Moh Lhean - Why?: This won't be everyone's cup of tea, but for the weirdos in the crowd (especially those with an appetite for indie alt-rock hip hop), you can't go wrong with this record. I've liked Why? for a decade or more, and although this ain't their best album, it is nonetheless one hell of an outing. It's a kaleidoscope of psychedelic hooks, layered instrumentals, and passionately lethargic vocals. Standout track: It's hard to get much better than the unassuming funkiness of "Proactive Evolution."

37.) All Hands - Doomtree: Rap is an especially collaborative genre, and on the appropriately-named All Hands, supergroup Doomtree demolishes the competition with a blistering combination of individual skills. While every member is great, a special shout-out goes to Dessa's liquid-fire flow, which shines brighter than most other rappers this century. Seriously, she's the best. Standout track: Thanks to a driving chorus and several scorching features, "Gray Duck" is one of a kind.

36.) The River & The Thread - Roseanne Cash: This down-to-earth country album is a career highlight for Roseanne Cash, daughter of the Man in Black himself. Her vocals are warm and weathered, which play wonderfully off the record's quaint arrangements. These are high-summer songs - humid, hazy, gentle. And while there are a few tricks up Cash's sleeve, they're never more than you can handle. This is masterful musicianship, competent to the point of invisibility. It is the river, the thread, and everything we enjoy but take for granted. Standout track: "A Feather's Not A Bird" is the best this record gets.

35.) Amber Galactic - The Night Flight Orchestra: This is top-40 prog-rock made with such masterly attention to detail that it feels like it was released sometime during the Carter administration. Which, for me, encases its awesomeness in gold. Bravura guitar heroism, machismo vocals, and dance-floor beats stretch from end to end. For fans of KISS, Heart, or early Rush, this album is required listening. Standout track: A soaring chorus, boisterous rhythm section, and guitar/synth showdown make "Midnight Flyer" one of my most replayed rock tunes of the decade.

34.) Wasa Tusa - IAMDYNAMITE: If Sting downed a bunch of Xanax and decided to make a synth-pop album, it would sound something like this. Wasa Tusa is the epitome of chill, with an infinite array of poppy vocal hooks and groovy instrumentals. While many tracks have a bad habit of running a little long in the tooth, if you're in the right state of mind, it never feels like enough. Standout track: "Feel Real" has some of the richest and most unexpected vocal harmonies ever, and also the deepest of pockets. It's been a playlist staple of mine for years.

33.) Death of a Bachelor - Panic! At the Disco: Oh, so you don't think this list has been "accessible" enough? Well if pop is your poison, then take a healthy hit from Death of a Bachelor. This is one of the biggest albums of the 2010s, and for good reason. It's an extravagant experience, the sound of sticky champagne showers and curtains of golden glitter. Each track is a banger, built exclusively around the insane talent of lead singer Brendon Urie. If you want a good time, this is the record to flip on. Standout track: Although the title tune is terrific, the album's jazzy closer - "Impossible Year" - is a true showstopper.

32.) The Hunter - Mastodon: If there's a single band that still proudly carries the torch of metal, facilitating the end of one era and ushering in a new one, it would have to be Mastodon. It's hard to argue with an album like The Hunter, which thrashes so freakin hard. This thing is all about crunchy guitar riffs, master-blaster drumming, and full-throated vocal intensity. Put this album next to "metal" in the dictionary and call it a day. Standout track: I'm quite fond of the unhinged delirium of "Octopus Has No Friends."

31.) The Getaway - Red Hot Chili Peppers: The Chili Peppers are my all-time favorite band, and while I'm a huge fan of their other album this decade (the multifaceted I'm With You), there's just something about The Getaway that I can't shake. Maybe it's Chad Smith's smooth percussion and how it tangles up with Flea's melodic bass. Maybe it's the deliciously wonky lyrics of Anthony Kiedis or the waterfall-phrasing of Josh Klinghoffer's lead guitar. Whatever it is, I love how it all comes together in such a pleasant, harmonious way. Standout track: It has to be the major single, "Dark Necessities." No doubt.

30.) Inscape - Alexandra Streliski: Classical piano albums might not have mass appeal, but they often echo in the warmest parts of our souls. Inscape is more an incantation than a record, a collection of melodies and performances that find the forgotten pieces of ourselves, reawakening them to the world. It's a sadly sweet work of art, one that is brave, beautiful, and brilliant. Standout track: There are few songs this century as painfully poetic as "Burnout Fugue."

29.) Such Jubilee - Mandolin Orange: I'm a sucker for bluegrass, especially when it's recorded with reverence and respect. This is the sound of an Appalachian sunrise - mist hovering over dewy grass, splinters of sunshine slipping through the trees, the kiss of cold air slowly warming as the earth comes back to life. For me, this record has been on infinite repeat for the past few years; a terrific soundtrack for cooking or grading papers. Standout track: "Daylight" is a humble masterpiece of mountaintop musicianship, especially whenever that divine fiddle gets a-fiddlin.

28.) Malina - Leprous: Austin once described Leprous as "yoga-core," and if that ain't an apt description, I don't know what is. On Malina, a strangely evocative musical landscape is explored. It's tucked somewhere between ethereal mysticism and extravagant savagery - the soundtrack to a fantasy battle between warrior elves and philosopher centaurs. This is a hard album to describe (clearly), but the vocals are otherworldly and the percussion is sublime. If you're daring, give it a go. Standout track: From its stuttery syncopation to a soaring chorus, "Illuminate" is one of the my favorite songs of the decade.

27.) Everything Will Be Alright in the End - Weezer: This record not only reaffirms Weezer as a rock & roll mainstay, but also reminds listeners of the humble brilliance that pop-rock as a genre has to offer. This isn't another of Weezer's ploys for popularity (of which there have been many), but isn't simply a rehash of former glory either. Instead, it's a musically diverse outing that pioneers some fresh territory, but doesn't abandon Weezer's trademark style. It's a perfect blend of the old and new, a logical connection of past to present. It has the melodies of Blue, the passion of Pinkerton, the top-40 stylings of Maladroit, and even a dash of Hurley-era goofiness. What's not to like? Standout track: The honey-sweet vocals, greasy guitar solo, and casual time-signature shifts of "Cleopatra" make it one of the band's best.

26.) My Favorite Things - Joey Alexander: Somehow, one of the decade's best jazz albums burst forth from the imagination and ability of a 12-year-old. Joey Alexander is a musical prodigy, and on My Favorite Things he shows off his impressive, eclectic, and incredible skills. He wears his inspirations on his sleeve, particularly Chick Corea and Bill Evans, and by the record's end you'll be slack-jawed and stupefied in awe of his talents. His other albums this decade - Countdown and Eclipse - are also phenomenal. Standout track: To my ears, jazz piano doesn't get any better than the grandiose vision of "Giant Steps."