THE 25+ Best Albums of the 2010s

The decade of 2010-2019 was filled with more artists, more songs, and more variety in every genre of music than ever before, and modern rock itself was no exception. With more choice, and the ability for more people to record and release their own music, every listener was in complete control of what they wanted to hear at any time. The turnover of newer artists compared to established veterans was high in most styles of music as well, making it hard for many newer groups to stand out, though there were many new acts trying different and interesting things or fan favorites continuing to grow into a deeper catalog.

Compiling a list like this is a challenge. It would have been easier to list 50 or even 75 albums, not worry about the order, and call it good, but that’s now how these things work! So many excellent albums have been released over the past 10 years that it’s easy to forget about some of the best. Stone Temple Pilots released their excellent, self-titled album in 2010, both a reunion with singer, Scott Weiland, and the last music they would ever release together. The Mars Volta’s Noctourniquet was one of the best psychedelic-fusion albums of the decade and capped an impressive 10-year run from the group in 2012. Rock legend, David Bowie, released his excellent final album, Blackstar, just days before his passing in 2016. Eminem continued to release long records with several singles throughout the decade, but 2013’s The Marshall Mathers LP2 was the best blend of the styles featured throughout his second act as an elder, sober, legacy artist. Beck’s Morning Phase, from 2014, won the Grammy Award for album of the year and featured a more mature and fully realized take on the tones he included on Sea Change and other reflective ballads that stretch back 25 years. Newcomers like Courtney Barnett and innovative collaborations, such as the Claypool Lennon Delirium, also contributed new textures to classic sounds.

The always prolific psych-rockers, The Flaming Lips, continued to issue a variety of strange music and engaging pieces, including edible, gummy skulls, chrome fetus Christmas tree ornaments, and a 24-hour-long song (seriously!) but their 2017 LP, Oczy Mlody, was arguably the best of the bunch and was quite far out, man. Eagles of Death Metal’s Zipper Down, from 2015, ended up being their only new, original material this decade, full of their trademark fun and humor, but also overshadowed by the tragedy of their infamous Paris concert that fall. The always busy, always interesting Maynard James Keenan released new music with all three of his bands over the past 10 years, with A Perfect Circle’s 2018 return, Eat the Elephant, and Puscifer’s Conditions of My Parole, from 2012, being the best of the many releases from that project this decade. Veteran rock and roll crazy man, Mike Patton, resurrected Tomahawk, with members of Helmet, Jesus Lizard, and Mr. Bungle, for Oddfellows in 2013, and he also reunited with Fantomas/Slayer drummer, Dave Lombardo, to launch Dead Cross, whose 2017 self-title debut was one of the decade’s very best metal albums.

It was also hard to choose personal favorites over the best of each artist, and in some cases, it was not possible to regard one album as “lower” than several others just because the same people made several great records. While albums by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kanye West, Gorillaz, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, and Weird Al Yankovic all appear in the 25 best of the decade, those artists released multiple LPs and EPs over the last 10 years, and they are all worth a listen.

A survey that includes the most-played or biggest-selling albums, streams, or downloads will always lean toward pop, and even in that genre, this decade was more diverse than ever. Any inclusion vs. exclusion of a particular sound or style will yield different results on a list like this, but understanding that rock itself and its closest-related forms is and always will be the very best of all kinds of music, certain artists and albums stand above the others that were released over the last 10 years. One possible order of the 25 best is as follows:

25. Weird Al Yankovic-Alpocalypse (2011)

The all-time king of funny music released two excellent albums last decade, and while Mandatory Fun received more critical acclaim and better chart performance, its predecessor is stronger in production, humor, and song selection for both the traditional parodies (“Perform This Way”, “Party in the C.I.A.”), the recurring polka medley (“Polka Face”), and the originals in the style of other artists (“Craigslist”, “CNR”). Yankovic himself has become a veteran producer of his own material and figured out the perfect balance of vocals and instruments long ago. The fun of a Weird Al record continues to be how much the same five musicians can make each song sound like the artist they are referencing. His band are truly unsung heroes of rock history, and they shine throughout this hilarious and thoroughly enjoyable LP.

24. Red Hot Chili Peppers-I’m With You (2011)

The first of only two albums to feature recently-departed guitarist, Josh Klinghoffer, it was an act of bravery and defiance for the band to make after the departure of the legendary John Frusciante (who has just recently rejoined the group, for a third time, overall). Fortunately, as Klinghoffer was a disciple of Frusciante and had already been working with the band, the transition in membership allowed RHCP to maintain the sound they had been cultivating since 1999’s Californication, as well as to build on themes and styles featured on 2006’s masterpiece, Stadium Arcadium. Singles like “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie,” “Monarchy of Roses,” and “Look Around” represented the style and sound of the album well, but the band also became more adventurous on other tracks and added additional percussion and electronic elements to further the development of their sound. 2016’s follow up, The Getaway, was not quite as consistent throughout, but both are worthy companions to the Chili’s many other great albums.

23. Soundgarden-King Animal (2012)

Returning after a 16-year hiatus, the grunge gods dropped some seriously heavy tunes on the world with King Animal. The rocking lead single, “Been Away Too Long,” announced their return, and “By Crooked Steps” and “Halfway There” brought an almost-forgotten style back to modern rock radio for a brief time. Largely written by singer/guitarist, Chris Cornell, Soundgarden’s trademark fusion of psychedelic metal and punk builds into prog at times on songs that reflect a weary wisdom that is an evolution of the tone the band left behind when it originally split in 1997. Sadly, even after such an unlikely reunion, this album would also be Soundgarden’s last, after Cornell’s untimely passing 5 years after King Animal’s release.

22. Green Day-Uno! Dos! Tre! (2012)

The veteran punk trio’s first music of the decade was its most ambitious yet. Following two rock opera/concept albums (including the legendary American Idiot, in 2004), Green Day released a triple LP heavy on variety and melody but split each disc into its own album and released all three over a span of weeks in late 2012. Received well by critics but not as much by fans, the band’s decision to over-write and not self-censor led to a mostly-strong triple album with a varied ending that could have arguably been paired down to a phenomenal double LP by shuffling three or four songs into the first two discs’ running orders. Standout tracks included the zippy singles, “Let Yourself Go,” and “Stray Heart,” rocking deep cuts like “Wild One” and “Baby Eyes,” and the more experimental tracks, such as “Kill the DJ,” and “Dirty Rotten Bastards.” This material was also the last Green Day released before singer/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong’s much-publicized break for rehab, and the small amount of material the band has released since has not matched the honesty or intensity of these songs or their previous releases.

21. Faith No More-Sol Invictus (2015)

Another powerful reunion album, Sol Invictus saw rock fusion pioneers, Faith No More, releasing new material for the first time in 18 years. While the group has famously had a rotating membership at different points in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the musicians that appeared on this record and its successful tour are the same who recorded Faith No More’s previous release, 1997’s Album of the Year. Continuing to push boundaries and to experiment with unique and sometimes odd topics, metaphors, and musical connections, songs like “Motherfucker,” “Superhero,” “Sunny Side Up,” and “Cone of Shame” sit well along side the band’s other excellent 20^th century work. Vocalist, Mike Patton, brings his years of experimental experience to the table as founding members, Billy Gould, Mike Bordin, and Roddy Bottom, sustain a tone that runs both through the album and through the band’s discography.

20. Radiohead-The King of Limbs (2011)

Radiohead’s work this decade exists outside of traditional or mainstream sounds, both in production as well as performance, and the band continued to blaze their own trail into the unknown with both this and another album era, five years later. Adding layers of drums, guitars, and electronics that would require members of the group to jump between instruments, and for the addition of a second drummer in order to perform the songs live, this short but dense album packs a blend of reflective but uneasy tones into its 8 songs, most notably on the minor hit, “Lotus Flower,” but also heard on tracks like, “Bloom,” “Codex,” and “Give Up the Ghost.” Vocalist, Thom Yorke’s, fragile ache throughout the album is supported with beds of musical texture from the rest of the band on these songs and the many related singles and bonus tracks that were released around it.

19. Beastie Boys-Hot Sauce Committee Part Two (2011)

Returning to vocal-based hip hop after a jazz-funk instrumental album in 2007, the legendary Beastie Boys present themselves as the wise elders they were by this time, cracking jokes about their age and dated references but with an old school execution missing from most 21^st century hip hop. Joined by guests like Nas and Santigold, but predominantly focusing on the interplay between MCA, Mike D, and Ad Rock (and their DJ, Mix Master Mike), this collection of songs was finished nearly two years prior but continued to be reworked and remixed by the group while MCA underwent cancer treatment. Tracks like, “Make Some Noise,” “Too Many Rappers,” and “Long Burn the Fire” introduce modern production and mixing to the group’s traditional musical styles, creating a sort of digital psychedelia, possibly by accident. Unfortunately, the Beasties were unable to tour to support the album, and MCA passed away under a year after its release, making it the group’s final work.

18. Pearl Jam-Lightning Bolt (2013)

The only album released in the 2010’s by these legendary Seattle rockers carried with it heavy emotion and commentary on both aging and the passage of time but also the frustration and dissatisfaction with many elements of modern life, making it not dissimilar to most of Pearl Jam’s other releases. Aside from rockers like, “Mind Your Manners,” and “Lightning Bolt,” the album’s strongest moments come in the form of love songs from a wiser, experienced perspective, including “Sirens,” “Sleeping by Myself,” and the gorgeous closer, “Future Days.” As Eddie Vedder and company embark on a new album era in 2020, and continue to experiment with newer, modern sounds, albums like this one, made up mostly of traditional rock elements, may continue to appreciate even further.

17. Radiohead-A Moon Shaped Pool (2016)

Radiohead’s hauntingly beautiful ninth and most recent album, A Moon Shaped Pool, reminded the music world of what they can do and dug deeper, emotionally, than ever before. Aside from the opener, “Burn the Witch,” and the live favorites, “Ful Stop,” and “Identikit,” the album’s other eight songs present soft, quiet meditations on loss, painted densely with unease and reminding other artists who dabble in this sort of electronic alternative rock who did it first and best. “Daydreaming” is one of the most chilling tracks the band has ever produced, and the long-awaited studio treatment of a live standard for many years, “True Love Waits,” could not cut any deeper. Johnny Greenwood’s continued experimentation with guitars, percussion, and various electronics lays sonic groundwork upon which others will undoubtedly build, and Thom Yorke’s falsetto floats above and through each song like a vocal specter.

16. Nine Inch Nails- EP Trilogy (2016, 2017, 2018)

Returning after three years that followed 2013’s Hesitation Marks, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross presented Not the Actual Events, the first EP in a trilogy that would see release over the two years that followed. Each varying in tone and texture, the three collections combined add up to a strong and far-reaching album’s worth of music, most of which harkens back to Nine Inch Nails’ grungy, industrial ‘90s material. Dave Navarro and Dave Grohl join Reznor and Ross on the first EP, which includes the intense, “Branches/Bones” and the slithering, “She’s Gone Away.” 2017’s, Add Violence, rocked with “Not Anymore” and with the electronic, “Less Than.” The final installment, 2018’s, Bad Witch, saw the tone reach to the stars and into the darkness of the unknown on “God Break Down the Door” and “I’m Not from This World,” recalling some of David Bowie’s excellent, later work. While Nine Inch Nails will certainly return to a standard album format, hopefully very soon, this EP trilogy will remain a creative and unique chapter in the project’s colorful history and was the best industrial rock of the decade.

15. Metallica-Hardwired…to Self-Destruct (2016)

The thrash metal legends’ only new material last decade was a much-anticipated double LP (that is short enough to fit onto one CD), which saw them building on the style they re-established on 2008’s superior, Death Magnetic. The more-accessible production and writing on Hardwired…to Self-Destruct led to a stronger reception from fans and rock radio alike, with “Hardwired,” “Atlas Rise,” “Moth into Flame,” and “Now That We’re Dead” all receiving ample airplay. The core team of Hetfield and Ulrich led the way through the album in all respects but are well supported by guitarist, Kirk Hammett, and bassist, Robert Trujilio. The album’s second half isn’t quite as strong as it’s first, but Metallica saves the fastest and most brutal track, “Spit Out the Bone,” for last, similar to the way they ended two of their classic ‘80s albums. The rock and metal worlds alike welcome new Metallica music whenever they can get it, and this particular album was easily one of the very best metal records of the decade.

14. They Might Be Giants-Join Us (2011)

New Wave stalwarts, They Might Be Giants, released 8 studio albums in the last decade alone (!), and considering their continued songwriting genius, narrowing those down to the best one or two is a challenge. The music TMBG wrote and recorded in the earliest days of the 2010’s became some of their most engaging and avant-garde ever, partly by design and partly by accident. A necessary period of rebirth that followed several years of focused work on children’s music projects, Join Us, and the related songs released shortly afterward, introduced the creative engagement of the band and their signature style to a new generation of college and alternative radio listeners. Upbeat tunes like, “Can’t Keep Johnny Down,” “Celebration,” and “When Will You Die?” are balanced by experimental numbers like, “Cloisonne,” “Protagonist,” and “Spoiler Alert.” Vocal effects and production tricks aside, the hooks and sprinkles of comical or ironic references throughout the album make Join Us one of the band’s strongest and most memorable records.

13. Desert Sessions Vol. 11 & 12 (2019)

Modern rock virtuoso, Josh Homme, often busy with Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, Them Crooked Vultures, or any of a number of other collaborations, revived his long-dormant mix-tape series this year with two short but excellent volumes of new music featuring guests that range from Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top and Les Claypool of Primus to Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters and Stella Mozgawa of Warpaint. The punky drive of “Crucifire” makes it a perfect centerpiece of this set while the variety of the dynamic, “Move Together,” the random insanity of “Noses in Roses, Forever,” and the bizarre comedy of the awkward, “Chic Tweetz,” provide something for nearly everyone, with tones and vocalists changing every few minutes throughout. Both a worthy addition to the long-running Desert Sessions series and to Homme’s varied catalog, Desert Sessions Vol. 11&12 packs the most engaging, experimental variety into a short span of time of any of the decade’s best releases.

12. MGMT-Little Dark Age (2018)

The alternative, psychedelic, synth-pop duo returned from a five-year break in 2018 with Little Dark Age, 10 songs full of nostalgia, regret, and haunted reflection run through the filter of ‘80s pop production. Simultaneously returning to a more-accessible sound and taking their music down new and interesting roads, MGMT build something new out of some of their first musical memories. The sounds of “She Works Out Too Much” and “Me and Michael” provide the strongest throwback connections, but the slower-tempo of “James” and the closer, “Hand It Over,” also recall styles from bygone eras of top 40 radio. The equally strong “Little Dark Age,” “When You Die,” and “TSLAMP” blend these tones with psychedelic reflections on relationships, death, and cell-phone obsession. With Little Dark Age, Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser provide a post-modern commentary on life from an elder millennial perspective through the classic styles of music from just after they were born.

11. Jack White-Lazaretto (2014)

One of the most consistently prolific artists of the 21^st century as a whole, much less the last decade, is Detroit’s own Jack White, who released 6 albums in total during the 2010s, with his many various projects, and this solo LP, his second, was a jagged blend of sounds and tempos. Blending blinding rock guitar and blazing solos with acoustic folk-influenced country and blues, Lazaretto remains engaging throughout, partly because the musical styles change from song to song. The rocking title track stands out the most, but “High Ball Stepper,” “Just One Drink,” and “That Black Bat Licorice” stand among White’s best songs (for any project). The quieter but curmudgeonly “Alone in My Home,” “Entitlement,” and “Want and Able” are more revealing of White’s personal life and outlook and are probably more autobiographical than anything he’d previously released. Short and focused, these 11 songs kept alternative rock going in the summer of 2014.

10. Kanye West-Yeezus (2013)

Kanye West, one of the most talented, creative, original, and yet divisive figures in modern music and culture, released his two strongest and best albums this decade, back-to-back. Before devolving into the post-post-modern parody of himself, the source of jokes and ridicule from all corners for various reasons, West plateaued with My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy (considered by some to be the album of the decade) and followed it up with Yeezus, a shorter, more-focused, and even more-daring and experimental look into the artist’s mind and heart. Produced by Rick Rubin, the album is built around a fusion of West’s trademark, often obscure soul, blues, and classic rock samples with avant-garde industrial and electronic sounds and production that recalls the 21st century work of Saul Williams, Nine Inch Nails and others more than the styles employed on any of his previous releases. Standout tracks such as “Black Skinhead,” “New Slaves,” “Blood on the Leaves,” and “Bound 2,” revisit themes of social and racial injustice, historical reflection, and West’s own perspectives on life early in the decade after achieving his slow-building, all-star status. Featuring collaborations with and contributions from EDM legends, Daft Punk, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, Frank Ocean, Kid Cudi, and Charlie Wilson, this 10-song set is both an exclamation point on the first ten years of West’s career and an unexpected final release of this nature, as West’s subsequent LPs and EPs have not received a physical format and have only been able to be streamed or downloaded, and none of them have come anywhere close to this challenging but brilliant album.

9. MGMT-Congratulations (2010)

 Defying expectations from fans and critics alike, MGMT’s second album goes a million different directions, almost at the same time, and none of them sound like their breakthrough debut LP, 2008’s Oracular Spectacular. Recorded with their sharp touring band, Congratulations engages throughout by being adventurous and by blending and switching between genres, often within the same song. “Flash Delirium,” the album’s lead single, was a distilled representation of the entire record, which kicks off with the colorfully disorienting, “It’s Working,” both presenting a modern, electronic-influenced psychedelia that advanced their sound while confounding some in their fan base. The highlight comes half-way through on “Siberian Breaks,” a 12-minute genre-hopping blur of song segments that recalls the great medleys of rock history but twists that concept to fit the MGMT style. The album closes with the title track, which sounds like a forgotten ‘70s slow jam with lush keyboards cascading over warm, rich bass and a crisp, dry drum kit. While each of MGMT’s releases ventures to new and interesting places, Congratulations is their most successful experiment, firmly imprinting an updated take on traditional psychedelia on the world of 21^st century alternative rock.

8. Jack White-Boarding House Reach (2018)

Always stretching for new heights and challenging himself with new restrictions, Jack White’s third and most recent solo album is the weirdest and most experimental of any album by any of his many bands. In spite of a heavy promotion upon its release, many were puzzled by the abstract nature of much of Boarding House Reach and its combination of hip hop and electronic elements along side traditional rock and blues sounds, interrupted by dialog and spoken word between and during various tracks, most notably on the funky rallying cry of “Corporation” and the confrontational, “Everything You’ve Ever Learned.” Singles like “Connected by Love,” “Over and Over and Over,” and “Ice Station Zebra” kept the rock elements of the album in focus, but experiments like “Hypermisophoniac” and “Get in the Mind Shaft” find White continuing to explore new sounds, textures, and technologies even 20 years into his professional career. The album closes with a quieter falling action in “What’s Done is Done,” a country ballad set to a plodding electronic beat, and “Humoresque,” a piano ballad originally thought by White to have been written by Al Capone while imprisoned in Alcatraz, but later found to have been simply performed by him and a band of other inmates there. Boarding House Reach is challenging but rewarding and full of variety and adventure that is sorely lacking from the albums by many of White’s contemporaries.  

7. They Might Be Giants-Glean (2015)

TMBG hit it hard in 2015, releasing a new song AND video once per week for the entire year! While fans could subscribe for MP3 delivery and other goodies, the band also uploaded each video to YouTube for free viewing the same day each week. As the year progressed, they also grouped most of the songs into three LPs, Glean being the first and best of the three. The songwriting on this album is some of the best of the band’s career, and the sharpness of the mix and production are constantly impressive throughout, especially on “Erase,” “I Can Help the Next in Line,” and “Unpronounceable,” each a chance for Keyboardist/mutli-instrumentalist, John Linnell, to show off his unique brand of witty and ironic lyricism set to often staccato or generally unconventional musical accents. Guitarist, John Flansburgh’s, best tracks include “Music Jail,” “All the Lazy Boyfriends,” and “Let Me Tell You About My Operation,” each featuring elements not found elsewhere on the record, making each one memorable. With over 50 songs to choose from when deciding which to feature here, this focused, 15-song collection stands among the best of the band’s catalog and maintained a high bar for the few remaining early ‘80s alternative rock projects to reach.

6. The Raconteurs-Help Us, Stranger (2019)

Returning after an 11-year break, The Raconteurs roared into a heavy garage rock mode last summer with their excellent third LP, producing singles like “Sunday Driver,” “Bored and Razed,” and “Now That You’re Gone,” whose distorted guitars and hard-hitting drums were some of the very few songs on the radio in 2019 to feature those once-standard sounds. Jack White’s collaboration with fellow Detroit singer-songwriter, Brendan Benson, and members of The Greenhornes, the band that was originally a White Stripes side project gained a following of its own with two successful albums in 2006 and 2008. Previously having featured a blend of styles, but generally leaning toward a blues-based folk and country sound, it is both impressive and refreshing to hear The Raconteurs work just as well, if not better, when focusing almost exclusively on their garage rock side. The heavier and faster songs, like White’s “Don’t Bother Me” and Benson’s “Live a Lie,” stand out the most, but the rocking cover of Donovan’s “Hey Gyp,” and the deeper, mid-tempo tracks throughout maintain a balance as well as a theme. The songwriting and the production are both essentially flawless, and even the imperfections come out perfectly.

5. Tool-Fear Inoculum (2019)

Alternative/psych-rock legends, Tool, finally returned with their first album in 13 years late last summer, and the epic, Fear Inoculum, did not disappoint. 11 pieces of music, but only 6 fully realized songs, the 97-minute collection was released in various formats, both physical and digital, and will undoubtedly take a decade or so for fans to really absorb and decode. The blazing title track and lead single set the pace for the album from the top, and the band explored all manner of tones, textures, and vibrations throughout. The deeply emotional and spiritual, “Pneuma,” represents the depth to which Tool has grown over their many years together, a topic seemingly at the center of “Invincible,” as ruminations on mortality shift in perspective from one song to the next. The album’s second half beings with the strong and rocking “Descending,” which allows the group to embrace their love of prog rock within the context of psychedelic hard rock (or even metal, as some might describe it). Drummer, Danny Carey, shines during his drum and synthesizer solo, “Chocolate Chip Trip,” and everything comes together on the closing number, the raging “7empest,” easily one of the best rock songs of 2019. Vocalist, Maynard James Keenan, keeps very busy with a variety of projects, both musical and of personal interest, but it all pales in comparison to the magic and the power of Tool’s unique sound and delivery, on their albums and especially on stage.

4. The Dead Weather-Sea of Cowards (2010)

The very best album of the decade by any of Jack White’s many projects was released only six months into it. The second album by The Dead Weather, White’s partnership with Alison Mosshart of The Kills, along with members of The Raconteurs and Queens of the Stone Age, is a much darker and sometimes even goth-leaning band, soaked in murk and existing almost exclusively in the palest of all possible blue and purple lights. White leads the group (and occasionally adds vocals) from behind the drum kit here, leaving most of the guitar duties to the multi-talented Dean Fertita, also a Detroit native. Likewise, most of the lead vocals are supplied by Mosshart, allowing White to continue to explore as a songwriter and producer without the pressure of being the front man, which leads to creative and very interesting results. The one-two punch of “Blue Blood Blues” into “Hustle and Cuss” set the tone for the album while taking the band’s sound into new territory, drawing on metal, goth, electronic, and blues elements throughout. The intensity of “The Difference Between Us,” “I’m Mad,” and “Jawbreaker” add a sense of unease, and White’s experiments later in the album, “Looking at the Invisible Man” and “Old Mary,” recall some of his stranger work with The White Stripes and simultaneously preview some of his more adventurous solo output to come. The focused catchiness of these songs, despite their darkness, makes them stand out long after listening and leads to repeat spins.

3. Gorillaz-Plastic Beach (2010)

Gorillaz, the partnership between Blur singer, Damon Albarn, and artist, Jamie Hewlett, began as a satire of the hollow pop music that had overtaken the charts in the late ‘90s and ended up becoming one of the most eclectic and forward-thinking acts of the 21^st century. In Gorillaz, no genre, era, instrument, or sound is off limits, and embracing the mash-up of hip hop and electronic elements with various world music sounds and guests from across the entire music spectrum fills each of their releases with a variety no other group or project can really match. The band itself, made up of four animated musicians, can, does, and has sounded like almost any kind of music one can imagine (cartoons can sound like anything, after all), which leaves the door open for amazing guest collaborations from track to track, including Snoop Dogg, Bobby Womack, Mos Def, De La Soul, Lou Reed, and members of The Clash, just on this record alone. This particular album, the Gorillaz third and best, overall, focuses on an environmental awareness theme that runs through each track, sometimes in serious, reflective ways, such as in, “On Melancholy Hill” and “Cloud of Unknowing,” and other times in a more sarcastic and satirical style, such as on “Sweepstakes,” and “Superfast Jellyfish.” In the very first year of the decade, among several excellent and notable albums by other artists, Plastic Beach stood out as the very best, setting a high bar that was almost impossible to beat.

2. Foo Fighters-Wasting Light (2011)

Only outdone by one other album, Foo Fighters came together to make the best of their 6 LPs released in the 21^st century, reuniting with Nirvana bassist, Krist Novoselic, and Nevermind producer, Butch Vig in the process. Dave Grohl and company rip through 11 songs in 48 minutes, all rockers/no ballads, with a song cycle chronicling the stages of heartbreak (“Bridge Burning,” “Rope,” “Arlandria,” “These Days”…almost all of them, really!) bottoming out on “I Should Have Known” and closing with the optimistic epilogue of “Walk.” Husker Du’s Bob Mould guests on “Dear Rosemary,” but most of the tracks feature only the core members of the band, some of whom have worked with Grohl as far back as 1993, and each perfectly covering their positions. These songs, whether taken as a concept album or as individual tracks, represents some of Foo Fighters best work ever and contains a tone of honest vulnerability, sincere heartbreak, and courageous personal recovery, and the old school, analog production makes this album one of the last of its kind in an era when digital had already become the order of the day. Wasting Light is magnificent rock and roll and was nearly the very best album released in the 2010s.

1.  Queens of the Stone Age-…Like Clockwork (2013)

After considering everything else released in the past decade, it is clear that Josh Homme’s nearly flawless, post-grunge alternative rock band, Queens of the Stone Age, are responsible for the 2010’s best LP. The band’s sixth album overall and first of only two this decade, …Like Clockwork both summarizes the state of the project in 2013, with three different drummers participating in the recording, the inner conflicts and ruminations of singer/songwriter, Josh Homme, and considerations to possibly end the band, based on some of the lyrical themes and tones within the album and specifically, its conclusion. …Like Clockwork was also the first QOTSA album to feature contributions from bassist, Mikey Shuman, and guitarist, Dead Firtita, who had both joined the band in 2007, and from drummer, Jon Theodore, who joined as the recording sessions were wrapping up. Participation on a handful of songs from former drummer, Dave Grohl, one of which also featured former members, Nick Oliveri and Mark Lanegan, served as a salute to an earlier era for the band while continuing to dive deeper into new and usually unsettling areas. Supported most by the singles, “My God Is the Sun,” “I Sat by the Ocean,” and “Smooth Sailing,” this 10-song, 46-minute album is note-perfect and arguably flawless. Guests on other tracks also include Trent Reznor, Jake Shears (of Scissor Sisters), Alex Turner (of Arctic Monkeys) and Sir Elton John, who contributed both vocals and piano to “Fairweather Friends,” contacting Homme originally to offer his services “as an actual queen.” Deep cuts such as “Keep Your Eyes Peeled” and “I Appear Missing” carry the emotional weight of the album, almost in a load-bearing way, one at each end of the record, and each track contributes to the overall, unclean feeling of the collection. Much like they did in 2002 on Songs for the Deaf, possibly the best album of the 21^st century so far, the often-witty lyricisms and blazing guitar work of Homme throughout put the finishing touches on what became the very best album of the 2010s.