Well, New Year's Day this year put an end to the decade of the 2010's. For an old coot like me who lived through the sixties, seventies and eighties, it doesn't feel like it was the greatest decade of music, although I know that people who went through their teens then will probably remember it as the best decade ever. And I'll admit that I did still find plenty of worthwhile stuff to listen to, which I'll tell you about here.
Briefly, when I say "album", I'm talking about a full-length studio LP cut by a single artist, released between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2019.
Some of them I've written about here before. Others will be new to you. Because this list covers a full decade, there's probably less diversity of genre here than there is in my yearly lists -- these days, I tend to listen to a lot of alternative rock, electro-pop, folk rock and prog rock, and that will be reflected in these choices.
So without further ado, here are my numbers 20-11 of the 2010s.
20. Candy Hearts - Everything's Amazing and Nobody's Happy (2011)
Candy Hearts was a female-fronted pop punk band from Long Island. They have since moved to Jersey (or at least lead singer Mariel Loveland has) and morphed into the band Best Ex. But this is their top album to date. Best tracks: "Tongue Tied" and "Lighter Than the Air".
19. All Hail the Silence - Daggers (2019)
Daggers is a double-length LP by the British/American synth-pop duo All Hail the Silence. The music here is very '80's influenced, unsurprisingly, since these guys are protege's of Erasure's Vince Clarke. Their sound seems to be very influenced by Depeche Mode. Best track: "Stand Together".
18. Blackmore's Night - Dancer and the Moon (2013)
I've made no bones about the fact that this has been one of my favorite bands of the last twenty years. I love the folksy, medieval style of their music, and singer Candace Knight has one of the most lovely voices out there. They only put out three new studio albums in the 2010's, though, and of the three, this one was my favorite. Best track: "Dancer and the Moon".
17. Priory - Need to Know (2015)
I think that this Portland, Oregon-based electro-pop duo has broken up, and if so, that's a shame. This is a smart, well-crafted alt rock album with a heart. Best tracks: "Weekend" and "Lost Gold".
16. I Am the Avalanche - Wolverines (2014)
This Brooklyn/Long Island punk/pop punk band features tight, smart songs that are half-sung, half-screamed by gravelly-voiced vocalist Vinny Caruana. Wolverines, their most recent album, was also their best. Best track: "Anna Lee".
15. Sleigh Bells - Treats (2010)
Sleigh Bells is a female noise rock duo from Brooklyn. Treats, their first LP, is still by far their best. It manages to be abrasive, but still somehow melodic. Best track: "Rill Rill".
14. Frankie Cosmos - Vessel (2018)
Frankie Cosmos is the main musical project of Greta Kline, daughter of actors Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates. This album (and the band in general) is known for wispy, loosely structured songs that manage to deconstruct themselves and come back together in a pleasing manner. Best tracks: "Duet", "Being Alive".
13. Andy Black - The Shadow Side (2016)
Andy Black is one of a number of pseudonyms of Andrew Biersack, the lead vocalist for the metal band Black Veil Brides. This, his first solo album, finds him mining the ores of alt rock with quite a bit of success. Best tracks: "Stay Alive", "Ribcage".
12. Bayside - Interrobang (2019)
This is another of my favorite bands of the last two decades, and they ended this one by releasing a banger of an album right near the close of 2019. As always, I'm as impressed with their consistency as I am with lead singer/songwriter Anthony Raneri's kickass voice and biting lyrics. Best tracks: "Interrobang", Walk It Off".
11. Charly Bliss - Young Enough (2019)
This Brooklyn quartet capped off their 2019 by winning my Album of the Year nod. They feature well-constructed power pop rhythms, breathy female vocals and that hard-to-define likability factor. I'm hoping we'll be hearing a lot more from them in the 2020s. Best tracks: "Hard to Believe", "Camera".
OK. Ten down and ten to go. I'll be back in a day or so to finish off this list before we start talking about my Top Songs of the 2010s.
