Over the past year, I’ve made three lists sorting my top albums of various decades. Here, I collect them. I already have a few regrets. Allo Darlin’ should be on the 2010s list. It feels cold and wrong that The Libertines’ Up The Bracket, Bob Dylan’s Love & Theft, and Green Day’s Warning: aren’t on the ’00s list. And a special mention to PJ Harvey’s Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea, which should 100% be on there. But here they are as they’re originally published, hopefully the start of a canon of sorts. I’ll edit this post as I add the ’80s and so on.
The 1990s
50. The Coup: Steal This Album
49. Green Day: Insomniac
48. Pixies: Bossanova
47. Beck: Odelay
46. Missy Elliott: Supa Dupa Fly
45. Tricky: Maxinquaye
44. LL Cool J: Mama Said Knock You Out
43. Silver Jews: American Water
42. The Flaming Lips: The Soft Bulletin
41. Moby: Play
40. The Notorious B.I.G.: Ready To Die
39. Jay-Z: Vol. 3… Life And Times Of S. Carter
38. Fountains Of Wayne: Utopia Parkway
37. Old 97’s: Fight Songs
36. Yo La Tengo: I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One
35. Elastica: Elastica
34. Weezer: Pinkerton
33. Radiohead: The Bends
32. PJ Harvey: Rid Of Me
31. Radiohead: OK Computer
30. PJ Harvey: To Bring You My Love
29. R.E.M.: Automatic For The People
28. Nas: Illmatic
27. A Tribe Called Quest: The Low End Theory
26. Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works 85-92
25. Pavement: Wowee Zowee
24. A Tribe Called Quest: Midnight Marauders
23. Hole: Live Through This
22. OutKast: ATLiens
21. Neutral Milk Hotel: In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
20. Fiona Apple: When The Pawn…
19. Nirvana: In Utero
18. Belle & Sebastian: If You’re Feeling Sinister
17. Green Day: Dookie
16. Lucinda Williams: Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
15. Le Tigre: Le Tigre
14. Public Enemy: Fear Of A Black Planet
13. Old 97’s: Too Far To Care
12. Sleater-Kinney: Call The Doctor
11. Pavement: Slanted & Enchanted
10. DJ Shadow: Endtroducing…..
9. Nirvana: Nevermind
8. My Bloody Valentine: Loveless
7. The Magnetic Fields: 69 Love Songs
6. Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
5. OutKast: Aquemini
4. Pavement: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
3. Sleater-Kinney: Dig Me Out
2. Wu-Tang Clan: Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
1. Liz Phair: Exile In Guyville
The 2000s
50. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: It’s Blitz!
49. Mekons: OOOH! (Out Of Our Heads)
48. Taylor Swift: Fearless
47. Madvillain: Madvillainy
46. Clipse: Hell Hath No Fury
45. The National: Alligator
44. Tegan & Sara: The Con
43. The Long Blondes: Someone To Drive You Home
42. The Coup: Party Music
41. Rilo Kiley: The Execution Of All Things
40. Arctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
39. D’Angelo: Voodoo
38. Slear-Kinney: The Woods
37. The Mountain Goats: We Shall All Be Healed
36. The Knife: Silent Shout
35. Modest Mouse: The Moon & Antarctica
34. Burial: Untrue.
33. Jay-Z: The Blueprint
32. Radiohead: Kid A
31. TV On The Radio: Return To Cookie Mountain
30. Broken Social Scene: You Forgot It In People
29. LCD Soundsystem: Sound Of Silver
28. Fiona Apple: Extraordinary Machine
27. My Chemical Romance: The Black Parade
26. M.I.A.: Arular
25. Fountains Of Wayne: Welcome Interstate Managers
24. Arcade Fire: Neon Bible
23. Spoon: Kill The Moonlight
22. The Wrens: The Meadowlands
21. The Mountain Goats: Tallahassee
20. Ghostface Killah: Supreme Clientele
19. Jay-Z: The Black Album
18. The Avalanches: Since I Left You
17. Old 97’s: Satellite Rides
16. Wussy: Funeral Dress
15. The Hold Steady: Separation Sunday
14. OutKast: Stankonia
13. Miranda Lambert: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
12. The xx: xx
11. Robyn: Robyn
10. M.I.A.: Kala
9. Against Me!: New Wave
8. Drive-By Truckers: Decoration Day
7. Sleater-Kinney: One Beat
6. Kanye West: The College Dropout
5. Rilo Kiley: More Adventurous
4. The Hold Steady: Boys And Girls In America
3. TV On The Radio: Dear Science
2. Kanye West: Late Registration
1. Arcade Fire: Funeral
The 2010s
50. Kacey Musgraves: Golden Hour
49. Mitski: Be The Cowboy
48. Rihanna: ANTI
47. Vampire Weekend: Contra
46. Kacey Musgraves: Same Trailer Different Park
45. Carly Rae Jepsen: E•MO•TION
44. Taylor Swift: Speak Now
43. Taylor Swift: Red
42. billy woods & Kenny Segal: Hiding Places
41. Lorde: Melodrama
40. Billie Eilish: WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?
39. Sky Ferreira: Night Time, My Time
38. Jamila Woods: HEAVN
37. Miranda Lambert: Platinum
36. Jamila Woods: LEGACY! LEGACY!
35. Janelle Monáe: The Electric Lady (Suites IV And V)
34. Maren Morris: Hero
33. The National: High Violet
32. Miguel: Kaleidoscope Dream
31. Courtney Barnett: Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit
30. Run The Jewels: Run The Jewels 2
29. Wussy: Strawberry
28. Janelle Monáe: The ArchAndroid (Suites II And III)
27. Vince Staples: Summertime ‘06
26. Chance The Rapper: Coloring Book
25. Grimes: Art Angels
24. Jens Lekman: Life Will See You Now
23. Frank Ocean: channel ORANGE
22. Chance The Rapper: Acid Rap
21. Pistol Annies: Hell on Heels
20. Parquet Courts: Wide Awaaaaake!
19. Japandroids: Celebration Rock
18. Azealia Banks: Broke With Expensive Taste
17. Against Me!: Transgender Dysphoria Blues
16. Tegan & Sara: Heartthrob
15. Lana Del Rey: Norman Fucking Rockwell!
14. Beyoncé: BEYONCÉ
13. Titus Andronicus: The Monitor
12. A Tribe Called Quest: We Got It From Here…Thank You 4 Your Service
11. Vampire Weekend: Modern Vampires Of The City
10. Janelle Monáe: Dirty Computer
9. Fiona Apple: The Idler Wheel…
8. Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
7. Beyoncé: Lemonade
6. Robyn: Body Talk
5. Alex Lahey: I Love You Like A Brother
4. Kendrick Lamar: good kid, m.A.A.d city
3. tUnE-yArDs: w h o k i l l
2. Frank Ocean: nostalgia,ULTRA.
1. Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp A Butterfly
Metalist
Artists With Multiple Entries
Kendrick Lamar: #1, #4
Kanye West: #2, #6, #8
Sleater-Kinney: #3, #7, #12, #38
Pavement: #4, #11, #25
Robyn: #6, #11
OutKast: #5, #14
Beyoncé: #7, #14
The Hold Steady: #4, #15
Old 97’s: #13, #17, #37
Against Me!: #9, #17
Nirvana: #9, #19
Fiona Apple: #9, #20, #28
Frank Ocean: #2, #23
A Tribe Called Quest: #12, #24, #27
Arcade Fire: #1, #24
M.I.A.: #10, #26
Chance The Rapper: #22, #26
Janelle Monáe: #10, #28, #35
Wussy: #16, #29
TV On The Radio: #3, #31
Jay-Z: #19, #33, #39
Radiohead: #31, #32, #33
PJ Harvey: #30, #32
Miranda Lambert: #13, #37
The Mountain Goats: #21, #37
Fountains Of Wayne: #25, #38
Jamila Woods: #36, #38
Rilo Kiley: #5, #41
Taylor Swift: #43, #44, #48
Tegan & Sara: #16, #44
The National: #33, #45
Vampire Weekend: #11, #47
Green Day: #17, #49
The Coup: #42, #50
Kacey Musgraves: #46, #50
Joey Daniewicz 