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Pitchfork: Best albums of the 2010s

kjb

kjb

Proof reading not always a strength
Here's the first one of these I've seen - I'm sure there will be dozens to follow.

https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-200-best-albums-of-the-2010s/

Or they may have got it out in case the decline in the world accelerates so quickly that there's no one around to read it in December.

Anyhow, good to see a record which is near the top of my all time top 10 o sitting at the head of the list. It is a masterpiece in my view ( you'll have to scroll down the list to see what it is.)

I've to 5 of the top 10 which is cool enough for someone on the brink of turning 60 :)

Kevin
 
kjb said:
I've to 5 of the top 10 which is cool enough for someone on the brink of turning 60
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I’ve got 5 of the top 100. I’m not sure if that is healthy or depressing, but I’m sure I’m not in the primary target demographic of any of the artistes in the chart. I mean, I don’t imagine Kanye West or Kendrick Lamar wake up in the morning thinking ‘I really need to write a song that addresses the concerns of 60-somethings in the rural English Midlands - like French or Italian red with the osso buco, is it tonight the recycling bin goes out, does my LP12 need a service etc.’
 
I only looked at the top 50. I’ve got about six or so (Kendrick Lamar, Beach House, Sufjan Stevens etc). Lots of stuff I’ve not heard of there, but not spotting much if any jazz, which is a shame. I’d unquestionably have some Kamasi Washington, The Comet Is Coming and various ECM titles in my top 50.

PS Did the top 50 really need 3 Beyonce albums? Not convinced about that myself.
 
Tony L said:
Lots of stuff I’ve not heard of there, but not spotting much if any jazz, which is a shame.
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This is probably my problem too. I’m not sure which was the last new pop/rock record I bought - I suspect it was Carrie & Lowell.

Tony L said:
I’d unquestionably have some Kamasi Washington, The Comet Is Coming and various ECM titles in my top 50.
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The Epic is in the top 100 - that was one of my 5. I didn’t look at the second 100. I do ‘get’ Kamasi Washington as he makes lots of references to music I grew up with. But at the end of the day I’d still rather listen to the originals.
 
Marchbanks said:
The Epic is in the top 100 - that was one of my 5. I didn’t look at the second 100. I do ‘get’ Kamasi Washington as he makes lots of references to music I grew up with. But at the end of the day I’d still rather listen to the originals.
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I really love the Kamasi Washington stuff. I view what he’s doing as similar to say Air’s Moon Safari in that when that came out it sounded very cool, retro and familiar, but when one actually analyses it there is nothing else that sounds like it! Kamasi to my mind is doing very much his own thing with very much his own unique personality and attitude, but he is doing it as a youngish bloke with a very good eye for music of the past. I really like it. My only criticism is I wish the recordings had a bit more dynamic range, it has a bit too much ‘pop/rock’ compression to my ears.
 
Well i dont mean to be arrogant, but i have all of them.........


Thanks to my Qobuz subscription:)

But in reality 10 in disc version.

Surprised " let england shake" was so far down, but then Beyonce and a lot of Hip Hop is in the upper echelons.
 
Tony L said:
PS Did the top 50 really need 3 Beyonce albums? Not convinced about that myself.
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I'm sure we don't. If Beyonce is the best of the last 10 years, God help us. It fits with not having heard vast amounts of stuff that stands up to further listening. Carly Rae Jepson? Call me maybe? Come on. Disposable bubblegum pop. Nice enough, but play it to death on Radio 1 for 3 weeks and then let it go. If I hear it in a bar I won't object. Do I want a copy? Nah. I know I'm getting old these days for pop music but I do think that this decade is starting to look a bit like the 80s - some standout stuff but mostly pretty forgettable. At least the 90s gave us Britpop, the Madchester thing, dance music.
 
Got 5 out of 200. All mine are hip-hop related.

I have bought a fair bit of new jazz/ambient/electronic in the last decade which I really did not see much evidence of in this list

Bloss
 
Was disappointed with the top ten, Blonde aside.

To be honest it all looks a little bit too try-hard with an eye on the current climate, what with the inclusion of a boat load of mediocre hip-hop and female artists.
 
I've got 41 of the top 100. I was introduced to quite few by my kids including Blonde.

I guess the writers are mainly 25 - 35 year old hipsters so it probably reflects their own tastes. My older kids, all in their 30s, grew up with the stuff in the top 20 and play quite a bit of it when I visit them.

There's some interesting stuff in the 100-200 section - Tim Hecker, Nicolas Jaar, Emeralds, Fennesz, Mica Levy - this is the more up to date stuff I tend to gravitate towards rather than hip hop... that and Big Thief who are in the top 50.

It's interesting, if you're that way inclined, to compare to their best 200 of the 2000's from a decade ago. Guitars and indie rock have definitely gone out of fashion at Pitchfork.

https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/7710-the-top-200-albums-of-the-2000s-20-1/
 
Thanks very much for posting this. I’m gradually buying up what I’m missing from Pitchfork’s other best of decade lists, so it’s very much of interest. I’ve got 87 of this decade’s top 200: apparently I need some Rihanna and Lady Gaga in my life.
 
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Mmm. I seem to be living in a parallel universe to pitchfork. The majority on that list I have never heard of. I have three of the titles, and not one of them is Beyoncé!
 
I have one out of the top 50. There’s one other I have my eye on. Quite a number I've listened to part of and aren’t for me. Some that I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t like.

I’m not sure what this says about me or Pitchfork, really, but looking back over my more recent purchases, most aren’t American, and most of Pitchfork’s favs are.
 
Is there not more love for the Frank Ocean record? It really is a superb record, as far from mainstream rap as Bowie was from mainstream pop. There’s very little in mainstream rock that comes close to its creativity. It’s as remarkable as something like Horses was in ‘77. If you can get past the rap/hip hop starting point it repeats several listens

I’m going to have another go at Kanye. My younger mates tell me he’s the nearest hip hop has to the Beatles in terms of innovation and influence but I’ve never come close to getting it.

On a different note - I've never heard anything by Fiona apple - had a dip into the "Idler" record. Interesting and will have some future listens.
 
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I've got 15 in the list - which I was surprised about as I seem to have been going down a free jazz / modern composition tunnel for the last few years..
 
kjb said:
Is there not more love for the Frank Ocean record? It really is a superb record, as far from mainstream rap as Bowie was from mainstream pop. There’s very little in mainstream rock that comes close to its creativity. It’s as remarkable as something like Horses was in ‘77. If you can get past the rap/hip hop starting point it repeats several listens

I’m going to have another go at Kanye. My younger mates tell me he’s the nearest hip hop has to the Beatles in terms of innovation and influence but I’ve never come close to getting it.

On a different note - I've never heard anything by Fiona apple - had a dip into the "Idler" record. Interesting and will have some future listens.
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Blonde? It's brilliant and I play it regularly, Channel Orange I'm not keen on.

I have plenty from the lower rankings, I just feel the top 10/20 is a bit meh, they seem to be attaching far too much significance to albums that aren't really anything other than weak pop music/RnB.
 
One. Daft Punk.

TBH, as someone who used to really enjoy browsing racks and being tempted by some cool artwork, most of the covers there are as inviting as a turd in a lucky-dip.
 
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