Warning: Some of the albums listed here contain explicit lyrics. Reader discretion is advised.

The 2010s were an amazing collection of musical efforts from some of the world’s most talented creators. We’re getting down to the final spots on the list of the best 40 albums of the decade. Let’s get going with #20 – 11.

20) Drake – Take Care (2011)

There are few artists as influential as Drake. He can essentially release a single every three months and sit on top of the charts. 2011’s Take Care was the first time we ever got a glimpse at how unstoppable he was about to be. Tracks like “Take Care” felt like club hits, while songs like “Marvin’s Room” would disarm you with the artist’s surprisingly dynamic sense of duality. He has recorded some really great songs since this album, but no record since has been as complete and concise as Take Care. As many years of success he has ahead of him, he might not match this one, and his influence continues to push pop and rap to new heights, so that’s saying something.

19) The Tallest Man on Earth – The Wild Hunt (2010)

Swedish born Kristian Matsson is one of those rare cases of amazing guitarists being equally prolific in their songwriting and singing. Earning early comparisons to Bob Dylan on his 2008 debut, 2010’s The Wild Hunt showed a brief glimpse at a genre waiting to explode. It was common in the 2000s to see a folk artist pop up and fizzle out, but Matsson’s 2010 record started an entire 10 year run of amazing music, ending with 2019’s I Love You. It’s a Fever Dream. So what happens now? If Matsson has anything to say, it’s probably going to be more of the same creative lyricism and incredible fingerpicking. While he’s added more instruments to the mix, the solo stylings of The Wild Hunt are hard to match for any seasoned artist.

18) Joyce Manor – Never Hungover Again (2014)

There are a lot of good punk bands, but Joyce Manor is special. It’s hard to pinpoint why, but the band’s expedited songs, unserious lyrics, and overall tightness as a band are something that only happens once in a generation. On 2014’s Never Hungover Again, the concept of a twenty-something feeling stuck and lost, and for whatever reason completely fine with it, was so refreshing from the constant stream of punk albums begging for things to change. There’s a comfort in hearing tracks with such intensity be about some of the most basic emotions and experiences of being young. The band moved to more mature themes and sounds after this record, but 2014’s effort was the start of their transition from punk kids to a major influence in the world of alternative rock.

17) Sufjan Stevens – Carrie and Lowell (2015)

Sufjan Stevens is almost like when you try to get your friends to start a book series. You know once they start, they’ll love it, but getting started is really tough for people who have a preconceived notion about things. In Carrie and Lowell, Stevens drops his elaborate state-themed run of records and 80+ song Christmas albums to write an album about something incredibly simple: his parents. There are songs on here that feel like he was almost there as they fell in love, and it’s wild to hear someone so vividly describe the things two people outside of the narrator experienced. Sure, there his parents, but Stevens masterfully takes us through a love story, with all its twists, turns, and tribulations. If you’ve hesitated getting into the Sufjan Stevens catalog, this is a great place to start.

16) Snail Mail – Lush (2018)

Lindsay Jordan is a young singer songwriter with the talent and ferocity of a 20 year veteran of indie rock. With heartbreaking stories of love, loss, and lust, she’s miles ahead of musicians who have been working in the industry longer than she’s been alive. After an EP surfaced, her debut in 2018, Lush, was a revelation to the women-in-rock movement that really started revving back up this decade. It’s great to see someone so early in their career putting out such memorable music, because it means we’re likely in for more before its all said and done.

15) Daft Punk – Random Access Memories (2013)

Apart from the TRON soundtrack they did in 2011, a unique, individual Daft Punk album hadn’t been out since 2005. That meant 2013’s Random Access Memories was destined to be high profile. The question then was whether or not the French electronic duo could live up to the hype. Well, they exceeded expectations with this record, and in many ways bought themselves another decade or so to just do whatever they feel like until they’re ready to record another classic. For a group so simple in its delivery and style, it’s insane that they can continuously nail the electronic genre on the head, while still reaching fans outside of their base. This album is top down the best electronic record of the decade.

14) Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city (2012)

Kendrick Lamar’s 2012 journey into the life of a kid from the streets of Compton was telling and terrifying. From seeing friends and family die to dreaming of the days where he might make it big, this is one of the most haunting stories of a rapper’s background we’ve ever seen. It’s great in some moments to feel Lamar’s perceived invulnerability, only to have the next track remind us, and Lamar in his youth, about how fleeting life can be when you spend your time and life in constant danger. It’s still hard to believe good kid, m.A.A.d city exists; someone telling these stories shouldn’t probably still be alive, given the trauma and turmoil they’ve been through. It’s equal parts lesson and entertainment, and worth every second of its 73 minute runtime.

13) The Hotelier – Home, Like NoPlace Is There (2014)

For an emo record to be so influential to critics and fans outside of the audience usually finding these records, The Hotelier deemed themselves king of the decade the moment the album starts. Christian Holden’s screams are chilling, and the subject matter on this record even more so. From suicide to depression and a lack of stability, this album comes with many involuntary feelings of sickness. Imagining these heartbreaking songs play out in real life is tough to stomach, but so much of life is. In fact, there’s something about the hard-to-hear lyrics on this album that feel like a treatment. For some, it’s heavy, and for others, it’s life saving. It’s tough to imagine an album this meaningful for the mental health conversation coming out in the next 20 years, so hold on to this one dearly.

12) M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (2011)

M83’s debut record came out 10 years before Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, and in a lot of ways, they set themselves up perfectly for this double album of anthems, electronic soundscapes, and a tour de force most musicians seek their entire lifetime. For a band like M83, each member of their ensemble is centered around Anthony Gonzalez’ lead, but he’s not a one-man show. Artist like Mogan Kibby, Kaela Sinclair, and Ian Young could likely have their own bands. Together, however, they’re stronger. “Reunion” garnered the band a ton of fans and some great commercial spots, but the deeper cuts on this record show Gonzalez and company’s depth and understanding of the craft, melding sounds and melody together for something that’s catchy but never light on its feet.

11) Mitski – Be The Cowboy (2018)

Mitski is a classically trained and skilled musician who seeks out the larger dichotomies in life, like being a feminist but also just really wanting a man to shower you in love and affection. Her themes in each of her albums are so convoluted in contradictions that, at first, you almost feel offended that she’s being so honest with herself and her listeners. We turn our back on our own transgressions so easily, and Mitski’s 2018 Be the Cowboy essentially laid out the sins of humankind and said we’re going to have to deal with these one way or another. From wanting someone you ignore to stop ignoring you to feeling so lonely that you can’t tell if you should break down and give up or just pretend it’s all okay, Mitski is a lesson in learning to love yourself, even when you’re the last person on Earth deserving of love. She rounds out our penultimate entry in the journey through the best albums of the decade. #10-1 are up next!

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Editor’s Note: The list is complete! Check out 40-31, 30-21, and 10-1 to round out the decade!