This is a new website mostly made to chronicle my best-of music lists, but starting history with the best of 2019 doesn’t make sense.
So here were my top ten songs and albums from 2010 to 2018 as submitted to the Village Voice Pazz & Jop Critics Poll. Many of these have changed since (and you’ll see a lot of that in my upcoming feature), but this feels worth chronicling.
Then you’ll see my best songs and albums of 2019 list in the first few days of the new year.
2010
ALBUMS
1. Janelle Monáe: The ArchAndroid (Suites II And III)
2. The National: High Violet
3. Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
4. Titus Andronicus: The Monitor
5. Robyn: Body Talk
6. No Age: Everything In Between
7. Dessa: A Badly Broken Code
8. Cloud Cult: Light Chasers
9. Broken Social Scene: Forgiveness Rock Record
10. Big Boi: Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
SONGS
1. Broken Social Scene: “World Sick”
2. Spoon: “Out Go The Lights”
3. Big Boi (ft. Gucci Mane): “Shine Blockas”
4. The National: “Terrible Love (Alternate Version)”
5. LCD Soundsystem: “I Can Change”
6. Janelle Monáe (ft. Big Boi): “Tightrope”
7. Cee Lo Green: “Fuck You!”
8. Robyn: “Dancing On My Own”
9. Metric: “Black Sheep”
10. Caribou: “Odessa”
2011
ALBUMS
1. Frank Ocean: nostalgia,ULTRA.
2. tUnE-yArDs: w h o k i l l
3. Wussy: Strawberry
4. Girls: Father, Son, Holy Ghost
5. Adele: 21
6. Drake: Take Care
7. The Weeknd: House of Balloons
8. Jay-Z & Kanye West: Watch The Throne
9. Fucked Up: David Comes To Life
10. Paul Simon: So Beautiful Or So What
SONGS
1. Beyoncé: “Countdown”
2. Drake (ft. Rihanna): “Take Care”
3. Girls: “Vomit”
4. The Rapture: “How Deep Is Your Love?”
5. Britney Spears: “Till The World Ends”
6. EMA: “California”
7. Lana Del Rey: “Video Games”
8. Tyler, The Creator: “Yonkers”
9. Jay-Z & Kanye West: “Otis”
10. Das Racist: “Michael Jackson”
2012
ALBUMS
1. Frank Ocean: channel ORANGE
2. Kendrick Lamar: good kid, m.A.A.d city
3. Fiona Apple: The Idler Wheel…
4. Loudon Wainwright III: Older Than My Old Man Now
5. The Mountain Goats: Transcendental Youth
6. Japandroids: Celebration Rock
7. Jens Lekman: I Know What Love Isn’t
8. Taylor Swift: Red
9. Leonard Cohen: Old Ideas
10. Dirty Projectors: Swing Lo Magellan
SONGS
1. Pussy Riot: “Putin Lights Up The Fires”
2. Psy: “Gangnam Style”
3. Taylor Swift: “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”
4. Japandroids: “The House That Heaven Built”
5. Frank Ocean: “Thinkin Bout You”
6. Usher: “Climax”
7. Kacey Musgraves: “Merry Go ‘Round”
8. The Shins: “Simple Song”
9. Carly Rae Jepsen: “Call Me Maybe”
10. Miguel: “Adorn”
2013
ALBUMS
1. Arcade Fire: Reflektor
2. Tegan & Sara: Heartthrob
3. Kacey Musgraves: Same Trailer, Different Park
4. Vampire Weekend: Modern Vampires of the City
5. Kanye West: Yeezus
6. Janelle Monáe: The Electric Lady
7. Paramore: Paramore
8. My Bloody Valentine: m b v
9. Waxahatchee: Cerulean Salt
10. Disclosure: Settle
SONGS
1. Superchunk: “Me & You & Jackie Mittoo”
2. HAIM: “The Wire”
3. Icona Pop (ft. Charli XCX): “I Love It”
4. Mariah Carey (ft. Miguel): “#Beautiful”
5. Lorde: “Royals”
6. Vampire Weekend: “Ya Hey”
7. Arcade Fire: “Afterlife”
8. The Knife: “Full of Fire”
9. Justin Timberlake (ft. Timbaland): “Dress On”
10. Drake (ft. Majid Jordan): “Hold On, We’re Going Home”
2014
ALBUMS
1. D’Angelo: Black Messiah
2. Against Me!: Transgender Dysphoria Blues
3. Run the Jewels: Run the Jewels 2
4. Miranda Lambert: Platinum
5. Azealia Banks: Broke With Expensive Taste
6. Old 97’s: Most Messed Up
7. Parquet Courts: “Sunbathing Animal”
8. tUnE-yArDs: Nikki Nack
9. Jenny Lewis: The Voyager
10. Aphex Twin: SYRO
SONGS
1. Kendrick Lamar: “Untitled”
2. Beyoncé (ft. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie): “***Flawless”
3. DJ Snake (ft. Lil Jon): “Turn Down For What”
4. J. Cole: “Be Free”
5. Kira Isabella: “Quarterback”
6. Future Islands: “Seasons (Waiting On You)”
7. Taylor Swift: “Blank Space”
8. Flying Lotus (ft. Kendrick Lamar): “Never Catch Me”
9. Sia: “Chandelier”
10. Lil B: “No Black Person Is Ugly”
2015
ALBUMS
1. Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp A Butterfly
2. Grimes: Art Angels
3. Heems: Eat, Pray, Thug
4. Carly Rae Jepsen: E•MO•TION
5. Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment: Surf
6. Waxahatchee: Ivy Tripp
7. Miguel: Wildheart
8. Courtney Barnett: Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit
9. Jamie xx: In Colour
10. Sleater-Kinney: No Cities To Love
SONGS
1. Estelle: “Stronger Than You”
2. Fetty Wap: “Trap Queen”
3. Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment: “Sunday Candy”
4. Kendrick Lamar: “Alright”
5. Justin Bieber: “What Do You Mean?”
6. Mark Ronson (ft. Bruno Mars): “Uptown Funk”
7. Grimes: “Flesh Without Blood”
8. Rihanna & Kanye West & Paul McCartney: “FourFiveSeconds”
9. Miguel: “Coffee”
10. Missy Elliott (ft. Pharrell Williams): “WTF (Where They From)”
2016
ALBUMS
1. A Tribe Called Quest: We Got It From Here…Thank You 4 Your Service
2. Chance The Rapper: Coloring Book
3. Jamila Woods: HEAVN
4. Beyoncé: Lemonade
5. Car Seat Headrest: Teens of Denial
6. Blood Orange: Freetown Sound
7. G.L.O.S.S.: Trans Day of Revenge
8. Frank Ocean: blond
9. Solange: A Seat at the Table
10. Kaytranada: 99.9%
SONGS
1. Kanye West: “Ultralight Beam”
2. Car Seat Headrest: “Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales”
3. Beyoncé: “Formation”
4. Chance The Rapper (ft. 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne): “No Problem”
5. Rae Sremmurd (ft. Gucci Mane): “Black Beatles”
6. Solange: “Cranes in the Sky”
7. Jamila Woods (ft. Noname): “VRY BLK”
8. Rihanna (ft. Drake): “Work”
9. Desiigner: “Panda”
10. G.L.O.S.S.: “Give Violence A Chance”
2017
ALBUMS
1. Jens Lekman: Life Will See You Now
2. Jay-Z: 4:44
3. Alex Lahey: I Love You Like A Brother
4. Kendrick Lamar: DAMN.
5. Emperor X: Oversleepers International
6. Lorde: Melodrama
7. St. Vincent: MASSEDUCTION
8. SZA: Ctrl
9. Brockhampton: SATURATION II
10. Kelela: Take Me Apart
SONGS
1. Kesha: “Praying”
2. Jay-Z: “The Story of O.J.”
3. Mount Eerie: “Real Death”
4. Kendrick Lamar: “DNA.”
5. Paramore: “Hard Times”
6. Carly Rae Jepsen: “Cut to the Feeling”
7. Cardi B: “Bodak Yellow”
8. Lil Uzi Vert: “XO Tour Llif3”
9. Japandroids: “North East South West”
10. Khalid: “Young Dumb & Broke”
2018
ALBUMS
1. Janelle Monáe: Dirty Computer
2. Parquet Courts: Wide Awaaaaake!
3. Mitski: Be The Cowboy
4. Noname: Room 25
5. SOPHIE: OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES
6. Kacey Musgraves: Golden Hour
7. The Beths: Future Me Hates Me
8. Snail Mail: Lush
9. Cardi B: Invasion of Privacy
10. boygenius: boygenius
SONGS
1. Snail Mail: “Pristine”
2. Drake: “Nice For What”
3. Mitski: “Nobody”
4. Pusha T: “The Story of Adidon”
5. Ariana Grande: “thank u, next”
6. Lana Del Rey: “Venice Bitch”
7. Hop Along: “How Simple”
8. Playboi Carti (ft. Lil Uzi Vert): “Shoota”
9. Janelle Monáe (ft. Zoë Kravitz): “Screwed”
10. Rae Sremmurd (ft. Juicy J): “Powerglide”
Joey Daniewicz 