As the decade comes to a close, we decided to revisit the Grammy winners of the past and were sorely disappointed with some of our findings. When Bruno Mars’ “24K Magic” won gold while Tyler, the Creator’s “Flower Boy” didn’t even get the nomination, it is really time to start reconsidering some life choices. Sorry, Bruno, but Tyler had one of the best albums of the decade.

In response to this and similar tyrannical injustices imposed upon both artists and the musical proletariat by the Academy, we have comprised our own list of the best albums of this decade. 

2010: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy – Kanye West

Obviously. Although notoriously snubbed for Album of the Year at the 53rd Grammys, the record was both a critical and commercial giant, landing on all of the major music publications’ “best albums” lists that year and spending 83 weeks on the Billboard 200. 

MBDTF is West at the height of his maximalist grandeur. This album oozes pomp and glamour with meticulously detailed production and dramatic violin interludes. Through all of the decadence laden on every track of the album, West explores his obsession with fame and hedonism and how it warps and twists his view of the American Dream. A masterpiece through and through. 

2011: Nostalgia, Ultra – Frank Ocean

One of the great tragedies of the 21st century is the fact that “Nostalgia, Ultra” never got a commercial release due to issues with clearing the tracks sampled in the record. Still, it was quietly released as a mix tape to some critical praise and garnered Ocean a cult following. 

Ocean delivers a subdued yet emotionally open album, with lyrics about unrequited love and longing for a simpler time, both thematic staples on Ocean’s later albums, “Channel Orange” and “Blonde.”  “Nostalgia, Ultra” is perhaps most interesting because it reveals Ocean before the release of “Channel Orange,” before he became a generational icon. The album strips the enigma that is Ocean of the mystique and romance that surrounds him today and provides a more down to earth picture of the man behind the music.

2012: Good Kid, M.A.A.D City – Kendrick Lamar

His major label debut, “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City,” solidified Kendrick Lamar as one of the great hip hop artists of the decade. Cinematic is the most fitting descriptor for the record. The album follows a young Lamar through his experiences growing up in Compton, California, addressing cycles of violence, poverty and its effects on familial relationships. On the album, the character of Lamar is put through an arc where he transforms from a kid with only girls on his mind into a spiritually connected man born through hardship and heartache. 

At the end of the decade, no other artist has touched “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City” in terms of crafting a hip-hop concept album except for maybe Lamar himself, with his later album, “To Pimp a Butterfly.”

2013: Melophobia – Cage the Elephant

Three is a magic number. That is especially the case in this situation. The third studio album by one of the greatest alt-rock bands of our generation, Cage The Elephant, takes us to the place of our dreams with the ethereal, far reaching “Telescope” and to the place of our nightmares with the hard hitting, in-your-face ballad “Teeth.” The balance between reality and fantasy is there, reflecting universal experiences of heartbreak in the dream sequence, “Cigarette Daydreams,” the way only Cage The Elephant would know how. 

2014: Home, Like Noplace Is There – The Hotelier

At the zenith of the emo revival, The Hotelier dropped the crown jewel of the movement with the album “Home, Like Noplace is There.” 

A richly textured tale of heartbreak and suicide, “Home, Like Noplace Is There” features shambling guitars underneath the immediate urgency of lead singer and songwriter, Christian Holden’s, vocals. The album is an ode to tragedy, delivered by a narrator who also just escaped the same fate.

2015:  Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit – Courtney Barnett

First and foremost, can we please just take a moment and reflect on the absolute icon that is Courtney Barnett. Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, the indie-rock artist made some big waves after the release of her debut album “Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit” in 2015. Her down to earth approach to songwriting and uniquely honest lyrics take listeners back to the early singer-songwriters. From “Pedestrian at Best” to “Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go to the Party,” Barnett delivers the anthems we never knew we needed, and now the ones we cannot live without. 

It is also impossible to ignore the influence she had in the LGBTQ+ community as she emerged as an openly lesbian artist. While she was not the first, her journey still had an impact on the music industry and the wider community. There is nothing but respect for that. 

2016: Malibu – Anderson .Paak

Yes, it is true that Frank Ocean’s “Blonde” also came out in 2016. And yes, “Blonde” uniquely captured this generational essence of isolation and cut to the heart of what it is like to be searching for love in our modern day environment. But “Malibu” is better. Anderson .Paak has this effortless, laid back flow that he delivers in his raspy but somehow also buttery-smooth voice. Coupled with live backing by his band, The Free Nationals, .Paak fluidly blends elements of soul, R&B and hip-hop into an album of wall to wall bangers that is just seeped in raw charisma. Sorry, Frank.

2017: Flower Boy – Tyler, the Creator

It is almost impossible to talk about great American rappers without mentioning Tyler, the Creator. In many ways, Tyler represents a new wave of rap music and with the release of his fifth album, “Flower Boy,” he pushes the boundaries once again. With a litany of featured artists including Frank Ocean, A$AP Rocky, Anna of the North, Lil Wayne, Kali Uchis, Steve Lacy, Estelle, Jaden Smith and Rex Orange County, “Flower Boy” has been tearing at the heartstrings of music fans ever since its release. Debuting at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200, the album, featuring the fan favorites “See You Again,” “Who Dat Boy” and “911/Mr. Lonely,” became an instant classic. Furthermore, the cover art is unmatchable in its beauty.  

2018: Be the Cowboy – Mitski

Please, do not look past this album. Very few artists have attempted and succeeded to the level that Mitski has with her exploration of fiction in this indie rock album. Seamlessly weaving between the personal and the objective, Mitski uses “Be the Cowboy” to convey the most personal feelings in a new objective manner. Voted into the top 10 albums of 2018 by “Time,” “Be the Cowboy” has proven to be worthy of consideration and quite honestly could have done that without being voted on. 

2019: The Fall of Hobo Johnson – Hobo Johnson 

This was a difficult decision. 2019 has been the greatest year for music releases in our admittedly not very long lives. But when it came down to it, I had to stick with the album that moved me the most. Hobo Johnson made his name in the unusual, something that not everyone is a fan of. Yet, his brutal honesty made up of desperation, pain, joy and a bit of a political commentary speaks out in ways not seen before. Love ballads like “Moonlight” and “Happiness” offset the emotional rants of “Ode to Justin Bieber” and “I Want a Dog.” Yet both types speak to the current generation in the best way possible. 

Image from Cage The Elephant via YouTube