Halfway through the Decade

[RPS]

Pitchfork, the new Rolling Stone of music, is set to release their best of lists for this decade so far - albums, songs and music videos. It's probably going to have a lot of Kanye West, LCD Soundsystem and Vampire Weekend on it.

So EWB, what have your favorite albums and songs been of the first half of this decade?

In terms of albums, I'd say my top 5 favorite albums from the decade so far have been:

1. Darkside - Darkside

2. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange

3. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

4. Danny Brown - Old

5. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma

Darkside's album was a sleeper hit for me. Only after a few listens did I really grew to love it. If I had to pick my top 10 favorite songs it'd probably be:

1. Beyonce - Drunk in Love

2. Frank Ocean - Pyramids

3. Daft Punk - Get Lucky

4. Thundercat - Oh Sheit it's X

5. Robyn - Dancing on my Own

6. James Blake - CMYK

7. Andy Stott - Sleepless

8. Perfume Genius - Hood

9. Grimes - Oblivion

10. Disclosure - White Noise

So... what is everyone else thinking is the best of the decade so far? Feel free to list as many songs or albums as you want... list?

[SRN]

I have close to five hundred albums from this decade; this is going to take a while. I might postpone a list until the new Rustie album is out, though.

Just a fair warning; Devin Townsend will probably be up near the top no matter what.

[Gazz]

Sticks 'n' Stones by Cher Lloyd

[Rafael]

Rafa's fave albums:

1. Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid M.A.A.D. City

2. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

3. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange

4. Kanye West - Yeezus

5. Disclosure - Settle

Rafa's fave songs:

1. Kendrick Lamar - M.A.A.D. City

2. Daft Punk - Get Lucky

3. James Blake - Everyday I Ran

4. Disclosure - When A Fire Starts To Burn

5. Foster The People - Call It What You Want

6. Frank Ocean - Pyramids

7. Kanye West - Blood On The Leaves

8. J. Timberlake/Jay-Z - Suit & Tie

9. Chance The Rapper - Chain Smoker

10. Bruno Mars - Treasure

[Daniel Bryan]

It might be trendy, but Modern Vampires of the City was truly excellent. A real maturation of their themes and their sound, and the best songwriting Koenig's ever done. One of the few albums I know where every single track is, in some way, outstanding (if that even makes sense).

[probablyoliver]

Deafheaven - Sunbather

Well this topic was fun while it lasted but I guess it can be closed now.

[Hobo]

the Mountain Goats have released two albums this decade.

Done.

[SRN]

Deafheaven - Sunbather

Well this topic was fun while it lasted but I guess it can be closed now.

Pfffft, Deafheaven are just a poor mans Liturgy.

[livid]

Great topic. I have a hard enough time putting together my end of year lists but this seems like fun so I'll try and put something together.

[GoGo Yubari]

To be honest, the amount of albums I have from the last five years aren't great, and ones I really like even less so. I've been a lot more preoccupied with catching up on bands whose discographies I missed when they were a thing (see: Rilo Kiley).

Albums (limiting it to one per artist so sorry, The ArchAndroid):

1. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (even though ugh I hate typing that full title out)

2. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

3. Janelle Monae - The Electric Lady

4. They Might Be Giants - Join Us

5. Nataly Dawn - How I Knew Her

Songs (here, two per artist):

1. Janelle Monae - Say You'll Go

2. Kanye West - Lost in the World

3. Janelle Monae - Oh, Maker

4. Gorillaz - Empire Ants

5. Frank Ocean - Sweet Life

6. Nataly Dawn - Caroline

7. White Hinterland - Icarus

8. Ella Riot - It Could Be

9. They Might Be Giants - Can't Keep Johnny Down

10. Thee Oh Sees - Tidal Wave

Honorable Mentions: "Deja Vu" by Cibo Matto, "Pack Up" by Eliza Doolittle

[SRN]

I am completely the opposite, I have 500+ albums from the last four years and there are really a whole bunch of awesome stuff so making a top five is going to have some casualties; a lot. Personally, I think this first half of the decade has been amazing and there has been really a lot of fantastic music released - compared to the last decade.

[RPS]

Honestly, I could probably make a top 20 or 50, but to me it easier just to say "here are the top 5 albums that I enjoyed the most". If I expanded it out to 10, it'd probably look something like...

1. Darkside - Darkside

2. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange

3. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

4. Danny Brown - Old

5. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma

6. Beyoncé - Beyoncé

7. Perfume Genius – Put Your Back N 2 It

8. Grizzly Bear - Shields

9. SBTRKT - SBTRKT

10. Frank Ocean - Nostalgia, Ultra

[Jimmy]

I'd really struggle to make one of these. A lot of my favourites have been mentioned; Kendrick, Kanye, SBTRKT. Purity Ring's album would definitely be up there with my favourites so far, as well as JT's first album of the 2010's. Probably one of Los Camps' albums too. I'll try and come up with something at some point.

[GA!]

1. Deftones - Koi No Yokan

2. Deftones - Diamond Eyes

Everything else is comparatively shit.

[RPS]

1. Deftones - Koi No Yokan

2. Deftones - Diamond Eyes

Everything else is comparatively shit.

Deafheaven - Sunbather

Well this topic was fun while it lasted but I guess it can be closed now.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

In no order.

"Valtari" by Sigur Ros

"Body Talk" by Robyn

"Let England Shake" by PJ Harvey

"Puzzle" by Amiina

"Oh La La!" by Oh La La!

"The Guide" by Special Others

"Treats" by Sleigh Bells

I'll think of more later.

[GoGo Yubari]

I definitely don't doubt that there isn't a ton of great music that's come out, yeah. In fact, there's a new Mirah album out this year that I haven't even fucking listened to yet, which sucks.

If I had to do a second five, still no duplicate albums (so still no ArchAndroid and no Yeezus), it'd be something like:

6. Blazo - Reflections

7. Stereo Total - Baby Ouh

8. Frank Ocean - Channel Orange

9. Deltron 3030 - Event 2

10. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

[Rich]

1. Deftones - Koi No Yokan

2. Deftones - Diamond Eyes

Everything else is comparatively shit.

No Biffy? dead to me

[probablyoliver]

1. Deftones - Koi No Yokan

2. Deftones - Diamond Eyes

Everything else is comparatively shit.

Deafheaven - Sunbather

Well this topic was fun while it lasted but I guess it can be closed now.

I know right, it's almost as if music taste is subjective!

Anyway, here's some more so I can look cool too.

Aesop Rock - Skelethon

the Mountain Goats - All Eternals Deck

Earl Sweatshirt - Doris

And So I Watch You From Afar - All Hail Bright Futures

Tera Melos - X'ed Out

That Fucking Tank - TFT

[John Stones' Paint Trophy]

I can't whittle this down in the slightest so here, have a year-by-year RUNDOWN. Bolds are my favourites

2010

Anais Mitchell - Hadestown

Beach House - Teen Dream

The Besnard Lakes - Are the Roaring Night

Black Mountain - Wilderness Heart

Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer of the Void

Broken Bells - S/T

Bonobo - Black Sands

Caribou - Swim

The Coral - Butterfly House

Curren$y - Pilot Talk

Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards

Dr. Dog - Shame, Shame

Erland and the Carnival - S/T

Field Music - Measure

Janelle Monae - The Archandroid

The Jim Jones Revue - Burning Your House Down

John Legend & The Roots - Wake Up!

Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Kno - Death is Silent

The Parting Gifts - Strychnine Dandelion

Rick Ross - Teflon Don

Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings - I Learned the Hard Way

Spoon - Transference

Sufjan Stevens - Age of Adz

Sufjan Stevens - All Tomorrow's People EP

The Tallest Man on Earth - Sometimes the blues is just a passing bird EP

The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt

Tame Impala - Innerspeaker

Titus Andronicus - The Monitor

Toro y Moi - Causers of This

Ty Segall - Melted

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats - Vol. 1

U.S. Christmas - Run Thick in the Night

Wolf Parade - Expo 86

Yeasayer - Odd Blood

Yeah, I'm doing the rest later because that took a lot of searching through hard drives.