GR. Artwork by: Dave Konopka (Battles bassist) Written while the world felt like it was flying off the rails during Trump’s ascendance to office, Sunflower Bean’s second album didn’t offer up the expected reaction. Later on ‘Bound 2’, the most brilliantly unsentimental love song of all time, he constructs this zinger: “So hey, maybe we can make it to Christmas/She asked me what I wished for on the wishlist/Have you ever asked your bitch for other bitches?”. EH, A crack of thunder set the stark and ominous tone for A$AP Rocky’s debut studio album before a sharp quip: “I thought I’d probably die in prison/Expensive taste in women”. In their own words: “I think the very notion of the suburbs in the old-fashioned sense – that homogenised sprawl of corporate housing and malls – is like a metaphor for something much bigger.” – Win Butler, The Guardian, November 2010. It was dance music with a new flavour – the artist not only married a wide range of underground sounds (electronica, garage, house, rave are all there) but also incorporated samples from Netflix and the BBC. But I dared myself to do that, to stand out. EH, Tyler, The Creator wasn’t exactly known for sincerity before ‘Flower Boy’ came along. Seriously, listen to ‘Black Skinhead’ and Billie Eilish’s ‘Bad Guy’ back to back – six whole years separate them. 8. Read Classic Album Covers of the 60s: Over 200 of the Best Covers of the Decade book reviews & author details and more at … LC. Touching on both pain and healing, there’s an intense warmth to the soundscape of ‘A Seat At The Table’. 28. RD, There are thousands of break-up records, but falling-in-love records are harder to come by for some reason. With principal songwriter Paul Gray long passed and founding members Chris Fehn and Joey Jordison since departed, maybe the last decade’s most consistently ferocious band were about to enter an era where they would be more akin to a dress-up-in-the-hits factory than a genuine creative force. Still only three or so years old, Beyoncé’s sixth studio album has already had a huge impact on what came after it. Try this: Richard Dawson – ‘Peasant’ EM, Tracklisting: 1. Albums must have reviews from at least 15 criticsto qualify for inclusion; reissues, compilations, and EPs are excluded. Raging against the machine never sounded so beautiful. But really, ‘Yeezus’ found Kanye at the absolute peak of his powers, delivering a collection so wildly futuristic that the rest of the world is still catching up. Goosebump moment: When all of the layers strip away on ‘Hard Feelings / Loveless’, leaving only string flourishes to accompany Lorde as she recalls the little moments in a relationship. At the time of writing, suicide remains the UK’s most common cause of death for men aged 20-49. It was all so raw and real that it felt like it was happening to you, and almost made you long for a break-up so you could burrow down into it and come out as strong, clever, and cool as Lorde. And in Kim Kardashian, he finally had the girl of his dreams. He had the success. ‘Not Just Money’. 6. ‘Green Light’ 2. Going from the personal, emotional stuff to the headlines and the web… You’re talking about literal, out-there violence and, like, heart violence” – Lorde, NME, June 2017. WR, James Blake’s debut album was created for melancholy and dark nights. He had the acclaim. Here, the ego was out of control. Perfect Pussy - S ay Yes To Love (2015) 1. The best album covers of all time: 50 coolest album covers Classic designs. She described it as “Hollywood sadcore”, a deliberate wallow that was somehow still aspirational. EH, Set in a fictional hotel and casino on the moon’s Tranquility Base landing station, the Sheffield lads went galactic on this curveball: a slab of lounge-jazz examining consumerism, modern tech, and the trappings of rock stardom. And yet the form … 15. Despite comparisons to Radiohead’s ‘OK Computer’, it was an album that stood proudly unique – social commentary wrapped up in sounds that pushed boundaries and spanned genres. Here are the best and worst albums of the past decade, according to … Take its featured guests. Goosebump moment: When she went in on Offset for cheating on ‘Through The Phone’, switching from fierce rapping to tender singing. “What do you meeeeeeeean you’ve never seen Blade Runner?” Still got it. ‘Supercut’. 9. It seemed to mirror lyrics from ‘Where Can I Go?’: “like a woman with her clothes on / You take them off and she’s a bird”. Wasted Hour 12. Royal Blood – ‘Royal Blood’ (2014). 7. Years of toil and graft (and even a brief period of homelessness) all became worth it for .Paak in early 2016 with the release of his sublime second album, which subsequently landed him a deal with Dr. Dre’s Aftermath. 4. EK. The edges would get smoothed over later on, but this is the band at their purest. RD, SZA was already a hugely exciting R&B prospect by the time her debut studio album finally arrived and the superb ‘Ctrl’ further confirmed the New Jersey singer’s star quality. JM, 15 years into their career and light years from their deathcore beginnings, the Sheffield band embarked on an odyssey in sound, turning in a pop-metal album that touches on ambient and electro-pop with cameos from Dani Filth and Grimes. It was a new era for Foals, too. ‘Pilot Jones’. I'm not satisfied with only highlighting my top 100 albums of the decade, so I have decided to up the ante by an additional 100! Shortly before ‘DAMN’ came out, he told The New York Times that his new album wouldn’t pack its predecessor’s heavy political themes: “[‘Butterfly’] was addressing the problem. The sound of iconic band becoming a legendary one. GR. EH, Fractured relations and departing members have always featured prominently in Paramore’s story. “I can’t get enough space,” howled frontman Yannis Philippakis on the call-to-arms ‘Inhaler’, capturing the 21st Century anxiety that drove ‘Holy Fire’ and defined the era. Goosebump moment: When ‘I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)’ swells into a stereo-filling, stadium-sized hit of grandeur and emotion. From the shameless bop of ‘My Number’ to the tender but paranoid ‘Late Night’, Foals’ third album saw them assume their ultimate form to create something so muscular, dancey, ambient and ultimately widescreen that it cemented them as the artful and conscious arena rock daddies the decade needed. Arcade Fire – ‘Reflektor’ If you’re Kendrick Lamar, you don’t even try. Dropped a month before the EU referendum, it came like a gritty and raw statement of intent against troubling times. So brash it makes your eyes hurt, so unique there’s no mistaking it for an other artist and so stylish you want to buy the t-shirt. 16. ‘Malibu’ was packed with glorious and emotive lashings of hip-hop, soul and funk – not to forget knock-out production from the likes of Madlib and Kaytranada – to showcase the Californian’s stunning musical versatility. The decade best album covers 5. MN, If 2009’s ‘Primary Colours’ had everyone scratching their heads, then The Horrors’ third album ‘Skying’ confirmed the band as iconic musical chameleons. Diet Mountain Dew 6. Coolly assured and utterly distinctive, the album paid homage to dance history while consistently pushing things forward. Is the triplet flow just lazy? Goosebump moment: ‘Duckworth’, the real-life tale of an incident that occurred between Kendrick’s father and Anthony Triffith, founder of the label to which Kendrick is signed. Flying Lotus – ‘You’re Dead!’ Artwork: Shintaro Kago We thought the robots might have abandoned us forever. An inventive curtain-raiser that’s unafraid to show you the working out in the margins. O ver the course of the last decade, radical shifts in how listeners consume music might have predicted the death of the album. 9. Delving into the darkest of human anxieties and neuroses, Matt Berninger and co opened up conversations on mental health and masculinity long before the mainstream dialogue began; “Sorrow got me when I was young.” “It takes an ocean not to break.” “Put me on the pill.” Berninger’s weary baritone sang amidst sparse orchestration, military drumming and mournful guitars. I mean, just – fucking yes mate. Before ‘2’, Mac was touring half-empty venues out of his car. 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