Hayden's Top Albums of the Decade 50-41

I want to start this list off by saying, I didn’t become a very serious music fan until about 2016 so I realize this list is probably missing some albums that should be on here but to be honest, I probably haven’t heard them yet! This is a completely personal list of albums that I enjoy -- I tried to put a little objectivity into it because I do think that there is music that can be objectively good, but for the most part, this list is of albums that I got the most enjoyment out of listening to, thanks for reading!

50. Migos - Culture (2017)

Though I might actually enjoy their debut mixtape Young Rich N*ggas more, I decided to start off my list with Culture because it is their first official commercial album and I think it is actually their most consistent project to date. Bangers after bangers like “T-Shirt,” “Call Casting,” and of course “Bad and Boujee” which will go down as one of the biggest songs of the 2010s. Oh, and not to mention, those three songs all come back to back, you won’t find a much better trio than that.

49. Bill Callahan - Shepard in a Sheepskin Vest (2019)

One of my favorite singer/songwriter albums this decade… sadly, this was my introduction to Callahan’s music even though he’s been doing it for over 20 years.

This album hit me out of nowhere. I was extremely enamored by Callahan’s ability to tell stories with his music. The way he changes cadences, his deep voice, and at times absurd lyrics kept this album interesting to me the whole way through. Apparently this is one of his happiest albums he’s ever made as a lot of it deals with the feelings he has towards his newly married wife and the life they have begun together. But the album also deals with Callahan’s past and the decisions he’s made up to this point in his life.

If you are looking for an extremely deep and complex album with minimal instrumentation, I highly recommend this as one of the first albums you should listen to from this decade.

48. Fake Laugh - Fake Laugh (2017)

An outstanding debut album for Fake Laugh. Kamran Khan, founder and lead singer of the band along with being the bassist in one of my favorite bands The Japanese House, created one of the best alt-pop records of the 2010’s. This album features incredible lead guitar riffs, slappy bass lines, and cute -- yet hard hitting lyrics. The song “Kinda Girl” has such a dreamy melody, with Khan delivering some high pitched and soft vocals that make you think you’re living in a happy world, but in fact the song is about a boy who is never going to be good enough to get the girl of his dreams, even though she makes him think he’s meant for her.

47. Playboi Carti - Playboi Carti (2017)

Another debut album, this time by Atlanta native rapper Playboi Carti. This album is full of certified bangers that feature quirky production and Playboi’s unique vocal performances. It’s one of the few trap rap albums that I can spend more than a couple weeks listening to without getting bored or burnt out. I think Playboi is going to continue sky rocketing in popularity and certify himself as one of the most creative rappers in the game.

46. DRAM - Big Baby DRAM (2016)

A life changing album that introduced me to someone who I think is going to change the music industry as we know it. Originally, I had heard of DRAM because of his 2015 breakout song, “Cha Cha.” It was a song that me and my friends in high school would blast out of the window of my car and act like a bunch of fools to.

But after I heard his debut album about a year later, I knew he was much more than a one hit wonder. This album has some of the most creative and cute songwriting coming from anyone right now; Songs like “WiFi,” “Cash Machine,” and of course, “Cute” feature DRAM’s iconic voice that has you singing the hooks to his songs continually after hearing them, but he also has the ability to breakout some bars in the chorus that give his songs the substance to captivate old hip hop heads who care more about lyricism than the “catchiness” of a song.

45. John Maus - We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves (2011)

My introductory album to John Maus continues to be my favorite project of his to date. Although I love his outlandish production and abstract lyricism, I think I enjoy this album the most because it’s the most calm of his discography. Songs like “Hey Moon,” “Head for the Country,” and “...And the Rain” are all slower synth led ballads that I keep coming back to year after year. Maus is one of those artists that continually make fresh and outstanding records that all share his defining characteristics as an artist, but are delivered in different ways each time.

44. Gregory Porter - Liquid Spirit (2013)

The first jazz record falls onto the list! This album really helped get me into contemporary jazz music. Porter’s smooth vocal delivery along with catchy instrumentation keeps me coming back to this album year after year. The song “Hey Laura” is easily one of my favorite songs of the 2010’s and has one of the best sax solos (and I LOVE sax solos) I’ve ever heard. The whole album is solid from front to back; It’s something I can turn to late at night to help me unwind or clear my mind of any stress I had during the day.

43. Omarion - Care Package 2 (2013)

There are two R&B artists that continually make albums and EP’s I love; Miguel and Omarion. Care Package 2 was a project I discovered when I was still relatively young, but it changed my perspective on love and sex, which is something that has stuck with me to this day. The song “Too Much” focuses on the struggle to stay faithful in a relationship, even though his partner is far away from him (I’ve been in very similar situations), “Tomorrow” talks about willing to wait for someone to be emotionally ready for a relationship and them being worth the wait, “Between The Covers,” well… I think you all know what that’s about. This five song EP features catchy hooks and smooth production, but it’s the sentiment and cleverness of the lyrics that make this project so special to me and something that I don’t usually see with R&B projects.

42. Porches - The House (2018)

One of the more strange albums/artists on this list. The House has some extremely catchy straight forward pop songs that are some of my favorites this decade but also some very niche concepts like the song “Understanding” which is Aaron Maine’s (main member or Porches) dad singing a song he wrote about Maine’s mother. There is also a song called “Akeren” which is a song sung by Maine’s girlfriend of the time, the catch to this song is it’s sung completely in Norwegian which is her native tongue. Somehow, these mixtures of songs flow incredibly well and make this album an extremely interesting listen. Porches has quickly become one of my favorite artists this decade and I’m excited for the new music that we will probably be getting from him in 2020.

41. Waka Flocka Flame - Flockaveli (2010)

Probably the most banger heavy trap project of the 2010’s and it’s only fitting that it kicked off the decade. This album is frequently cited was one of the biggest influences to the trap hip hop scene that is still the biggest music genre in the U.S. today. You can count them off, “Hard in da Paint,” “No Hands,” “Bricksquad,” “Grove St. Party,” “O Let’s Do It,” and basically the rest of the album are just incredible. This is an album that can change your mood from sad and lonely, to “fuck the world I can do anything” so fast, which is something I genuinely love about it. Even though it’s nine years old now, I think it still holds up with almost every album on this list.