Hey, everyone. Anthony Fantano here, the Internet's busiest music nerd. You know who it is. We got a big video right here in front of you.

It is time to acknowledge that we are halfway through the 2020 decade. I thought as a result of that, I would take the time to acknowledge what I feel are the best albums so far over the past five years. Because making it halfway through the 2020s, it's an accomplishment, especially considering the state of the 2020s so far.

So, why not go back and look at the best musical offerings the decade has had to give us? Now, keep in mind all of these albums are listed in no particular order. But rest assured, in my opinion, these are the 50 best albums of the past five years. And look, over the past five years, there's been a lot of great music. This list wasn't necessarily the easiest to make, but these are the albums that I, in fact, feel very passionate about.

Tyler, the Creator — Call Me If You Get Lost

Let's start with the 2021 album from Tyler, the Creator, Call Me If You Get Lost, which may not be my favorite Tyler, the Creator album. I mean, that would be Igor. But it's still a fantastic album, really his return to straight up rap. He engages in the art form with loads and loads of flexes and super colorful production, some of his most badass tracks to date, and genre-bending tracks to date, land on this record. In a way, it feels like he's really bringing back that old school Tyler energy on this project, but doing in a way where it's just more refined and more artful and just more deeply informed by his experiences up until this point. Again, it's an excellent album that I think will go down as one of the most impressive in Tyler's growing discography, which as he continues to release more music, he just keeps dropping good stuff. For this album to continue to stand tall and be remembered among all of these other very good LPs, I think is saying something. At least, that's what it's doing for me.

Mac Miller — Circles

My next pick for this list is going to be the Mac Miller album, Circles, his first big posthumous album, which, as you guys remember, was originally intended to be connected to his Swimming record. Not only does it beautifully contrast with that album, but it sees Mac fully going into singer-songwriter mode with some absolutely wonderful ballads, ones that not only showcase much better singing than what he has brought to the table in the past on some projects, but also, lush, wonderful, and tastefully retooled production for this project that compliments the song so well. It speaks to Mac's talents and abilities that he could shift so fluidly into a totally different type of songcraft and have it come out so well, so beautiful, and attach it to lyricism that hits with maximum emotional impact.

Chat Pile — God's Country

Next on the list, I want to give a shout out to Chat Pile's God's Country, a hard-hitting and horrifying album that truly reflects the current day dystopia that we're living in with noisy, crushing Melvins-inspired riffs and blood-curdling shrieks and lead vocals that really illustrate just some nightmarish stuff, be it a story about a psychotic break or really just digging into some of the most terrible things about modern society that at this point are frankly normalized. Also, genre-wise, this album does such a great job of blurring the lines between noise rock and sludge and post-hardcore, too. It covers so many bases, pulls from so many clear points of inspiration, and still manages to come through with a standout and memorable sound, which is why it has made my list.

Beyoncé — Renaissance

Also in my top 50 of the decade so far is going to be Beyoncé's Renaissance. A no-brainer with this one, honestly, and I'm not sure if I need to necessarily reillustrate what it is that makes this album so great. But in a nutshell, with amazing vocal performances, with versatile and colorful and frankly, mind-bending production, Beyoncé takes us on a dance, a celebratory dance music odyssey, attributing multiple eras and shades within this diverse and expansive style of music. She does it all so well. The layers and the details of this album are really too much to cover in a single shoutout or blurb in a list such as this. But it's such a massive and popular album. I'm just going to go out on a limb here and presume many of you have heard this record, and if you haven't, what are you waiting for?

Armand Hammer — We Buy Diabetic Test Strips

Next on the list, I want to give a shoutout to Armand Hammer with We Buy Diabetic Test Strips. The East Coast Rap duo consisting of Billy Woods and Elucid came through and smashed it on their most abstract, experimental, and out-there album to date. When it comes to the fringes and the outskirts of hip hop, esthetically, music physically, lyrically, this album just really goes out into just the furthest, most outer limits of the genre, with instrumentals that range from ambient to visceral, with lyricism that is profoundly grimey, and smart, and esoteric. Woods and Elucid continue to make a one-of-a-kind tag team on this album, and I feel like they're going to go down as one of the best duos of the past 20 years in rap music. If that does, in fact, happen, it's going to be because of records like this.

Vampire Weekend — Only God Was Above Us

Vampire Weekend's Only God Was Above Us is going to be my next pick on this list. What else can I say about this album other than the boys truly came back on this one? After the very underwhelming Father of the Bride record several years ago as of the shooting of this video, I had a hard time envisioning how exactly Vampire Weekend would to go forward from there creatively. I guess the obvious answer was really to go back to basics in terms of embracing production that was mixed fidelity, embraced a very wide range of different genres. Also, go back to all of that wordplay and nostalgic, sentimental storytelling that Esra also specializes in in his songwriting. What you end up getting here as a result is Vampire Weekend's most impressive crop of songs to date. A company by instrumentation that is every bit as good as the most fun and classic moments in their catalog so far, be it from their debut album or Contra or Vampires. But yeah, indie pop is back, you all. Indie pop is back.

Charli XCX — BRAT

Okay, this one right here, I feel like was a given. In fact, there are a few givens on this list, but maybe this is the biggest for many, and that would be Charli XCX's Brat. In 2024, whether it be by force or by choice, many of us had what you could call a Brat Summer. I'm not going to get into what it is to be BRAT or whether or not I qualify, but what I will say is that I listened to a whole lot of this album in 2024. That's because I feel like it is maybe the most well-crafted, exciting, visceral, emotionally charged, and creative pop offering of the decade so far. I feel like Charli and some of her most trusted producers really came in and perfected a lot of the very hyper Y2K-era dance pop esthetics they have been working with and tweaking for years now at this point. On top of that, we just get killer songwriting, one killer tune after the next on this record, great vocal performances, anthemic choruses, endlessly replayable pop bliss that is simultaneously very accessible, but also gruff, punchy, hard-hitting, frankly, badass. Making this, yeah, the most badass pop album of the 2020s up until this point.

Jessie Ware — What's Your Pleasure?

Next, I would like to shout out Jessie Ware's What's Your Pleasure? which was a totally unforeseen favorite of mine in 2020. Up until that point, I thought Jessie's music and her features were generally fine, not necessarily blowing me away, but certainly she proved herself to be a competent vocalist. She's had some undeniable features and hits, that's for sure. I've interviewed Jessie myself after this album came out, and she herself said that before this record came out and popped off in the way that it did she was actually considering exiting from the music industry entirely. But then she drops this record out of the blue, which sees her totally switching it up into a bunch of vintage, niche disco-era dance music styles. It's amazing. It's incredible. In 2020, it was my album of the year. Not only is the production dynamic and detailed mind-blowing at some points, but a lot of the time it's just a very tasteful throwback, and it's all connected to some of the most beautiful anthems of Jessie's career. On top of that, the album is just so goddamn sexy. This thing is steamier than a sauna in the middle of a lava pit. If you're a dance music fan, if you're a pop music fan, it absolutely cannot be missed.

Natalia Lafourcade — De Todas Las Flores

Let's also hit my 2022 album of the year. That would be Natalia Lafourcade, De Todas Las Flores, which is just a gorgeous, beautiful, moving, lush, detailed, mind-blowing Latin jazz album that covers so many different stylistic bases. Of course, like usual, Natalia is using her platform to, of course, tribute the music and sounds of Mexico broadly. But the decidedly jazzier instrumentation that she engages with this time around just makes this album a really special piece. It's just endlessly beautiful. To call it really one of the most awe-inspiring musical works of the past five years, it's almost an understatement. It's not complementary enough.

Soul Glo — Diaspora Problem

Also, a 2022 record on this list is going to be Soul Glo's Diaspora Problems. This Philly punk band comes through with one of the fastest and most intense and genre-diverse punk records of the past half decade. The different musical references and intense performances as well as just really smart social commentary on this record make it a special one-of-a-kind experience. It's an album with deeper meanings that will really get you thinking and blistering performances that will just leave you feeling like you fell off a building or got hit with a brick or just went down the biggest roller coaster drop ever. But yeah, incredible, can't say enough nice things about it.

Sufjan Stevens — Javelin

The deeply moving 2023 record Javelin from Sufjan Stevens, of course, is also very much worthy of a spot on this list. Not only does this record see Sufjan really returning to straight up chamber, indie folk, singing, songwriting formats, the types of sounds that he is typically known for in a big way and sounding amazing doing it. But this is also a record very much about morning and loss and love and heartache as it's in tribute to his late partner. The expressions of love and fear and loneliness that are shared on this album are devastating, but also, I would say, emotionally enlightening, too, which makes it more than worthy of a spot on this list.

Jeff Rosenstock — Hell Mode

Also from 2023, I am going to work in the Jeff Rosenstock album, Hell Mode, my album of the year for that year, and singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, punk scene veteran Jeff Rosenstock comes through with a record that is really a product of its dystopian times and brings together elements of pop punk and singer-songwriter music in a bunch of rowdy and cathartic songs, which showcase super high levels of emotional intelligence as Jeff smashes it, not only on the front of just being a great underground music figure for as long as he has been, but also just really doing a great job on the production of this record, on the songwriting of this record. It's just a solid work all around.

Jack White — No Title

Following this, next on the list, the 2024 solo Jack White album, which had no name, no title. I don't know if there's much to say about this album other than it just kicks utter ass. Just Jack giving us rock and roll of the highest order with wild vocals, killer riffs, some amazing drum and bass work, too. It's easily the most visceral and exciting thing he has ever put out solo, really going back to a lot of those raw White Stripes vibes on here, but beefed up muscled up a little bit, really incorporating all of those years of talent and experience all compiling into one explosive killer record.

Knocked Loose — You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To

Also, shout out to the 2024 album, You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To from Knocked Loose. Yes, this album is also an incredible listen, in my opinion. One of the best metalcore and hardcore albums of the past five years, not only because of its very thoughtful criticisms and passionate reassessments of spirituality and Christianity broadly. But on top of that, this thing has the most crushing production of any loud rock album of the past five years. Right now, the loudness and volume arms race that is currently being fought in metal right now. The front is right here. This is where the battle is happening. This album, sonically, is just a juggernaut. It is so goddamn hefty and also just well-assembled in terms of the crispness and clarity of each piece of instrumentation, too. But yeah, really a record that can be appreciated on multiple levels for just how visceral and exciting and cathartic it is, but also its deeper lyrical concepts too. The band's approach to breakdowns, generally on this record, too, isn't too mean potatoes either. It's got some musical flavor to it, for sure.

Injury Reserve — Injury Reserve

Next on the list, let's draw some attention to the 2021 album, Injury Reserve, By the Time I Get to Phoenix. This is the Arizona hip-hop outfit's last proper album before things really started to transition in a different direction with the untimely passing of a key member of the group, Groggs. This album, as a result of that, is a lot of things. It is a tribute to him of sorts, featuring numerous tracks that have his vocals incorporated at some point in some way. But beyond that, musically and sonically, this is the wildest, most out there, most boundary-pushing hip hop album of 2021, handily. I mean, we have five more years to see whether or not it actually ends up being the most experimental and challenging hip-hop record of the 2020s. Because prior to this, there are not really any hip-hop albums that sound like this record, and I highly doubt many are going to sound like it past this point, too. I truly think this album will go down as just a once-in-a-lifetime type of record, and it's also just an emotionally impactful, I would say, engagement with the end, with death, with being forced to be in a place where you have to move on. But yeah, just an amazing record overall.

Arca — Kick III

Also from 2021 on this list is going to be the Arca album, Kick III, vocalist, songwriter, producer, visionary, multi-talent, electronic music pioneer Arca. This album arrived during a time of a great prolific output for Arca. It was this record series called Kick. There ended up being five albums in this series. Each of them had their own direction, sound, and style. And Kick III here is absolutely the wildest and most mind-blowing, and most difficult to put into words of all of the projects. The electronic works and compositions Arca puts together on this record are so jittery, glitchy, intense, mystifying, detailed in a way that, frankly, is just overwhelming and thrilling. It's really the sonic equivalent of information overload, and yet it's actually, at least to me, quite enjoyable to listen to. But yeah, much of Arca's music up until this point has been sold under the guise of being quite out there and daring and experimental on some level. This is the record where I feel like she really peaked in that sense and achieved something that honestly was further beyond the conception of really everyone except her. This is an album I hear and I'm just like, holy crap, your mind.

clipping. — Visions of Bodies Being Burned

I have similar feelings about the 2020 clipping. album, Visions of Bodies Being Burned. A record from the pioneering experimental noise rap trio that was originally meant to be a part of a double album experience. But apparently, the two records that are connected here ended up being split apart over the course of the pandemic and made into separate album releases. Both of these albums deal in themes around horror and horror films. Just a whole lot of demonic, nightmarish, scary stuff going on with the tracks from this LP between Daveed Diggs incredible lyrics and fast, precise, and intense rap style, and also the creative, of a kind evocative production that only clipping. can bring to the table in terms of its really esoteric sample style and sound incorporations. When it comes to a concept, few rap artists and outfits out there follow through in the way and on the level that clipping. typically does, which is why this album had to land on a list such as this for me.

Viagra Boys — Cave World

We have a 2022 album next on this list from my boys, my Viagra Boys, Cave World. The Swedish post-punk outfit came through with their third full-length album this time around, and it is a thrilling, rocking, funny, utopian address to the horrendous world that we live in currently and analyzes general ills, societally speaking, conspiracies, Q-Anon stuff, other shit, too. They go at it from a place of evolution and looking at humans as apes and monkeys and just dumb animals who just think they're smarter than they actually are. They actually dig a lot of smart commentary out of that exact angle and also give us some of the rowdiest, most interesting, and most thrilling post-punk bangers and anthems of their career so far. But yeah, as far as the 2020s are concerned, a few albums are as scum buzzy or as fun from a punk perspective as this one.

Lana Del Rey — Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard

This next 2023 release, frankly, when it came out, I did not anticipate that I would enjoy it as much as I did and still do to this day. That would be the Lana Del Rey album, Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard? I don't know if in this video there's really a point or a need to necessarily explain Lana's appeal or what exactly has made her so successful of an artist up until this point. To any general music fan or pop fan, whether you mess with Lana's music or not, her appeal, her angle should be apparent. But I will say, personally, more often than not, I've not really been a fan of stuff. I think in recent years, she has gotten better and more consistent. I feel like this record over here is her essentially being peak Lana. This is peak Lana. Creatively speaking, this album is truly Lana Del Rey at her most Lana-esque, but also really just like, outdoing herself lyrically, musically, giving a songwriting that is actually thoughtful, personal, mature, while on the back end of the record, dabbling in some tracks and musical ideas that really throw it back to the raunchier and weirder days of her career, where the substance of her music was just maybe a bit more polarizing. It's almost like a bit of a victory lap and a way of showing us how much she's evolved over the years. But yeah, you know a Lana Del Rey album is special when it's blowing away even me, one of her consistently biggest detractors for quite a while. Look, honestly, at this point, even I am glad that I could really stand on this record and say, Yeah, you know what? It's a fantastic work. It's a fantastic freaking work.

Sampha — Lahai

Of course, I also could not forget to include the 2023 album from singer, songwriter, and producer Sampha, Lahai. This was the highly anticipated follow-up to his first album, and it was very much well worth the wait as the vocals on this record are beautiful, are in the angelic are incredible. The tunes, the ballads, captivating, gorgeous. The melodies, stunning. The production, an interesting fusion between electronic and acoustic instrumentation. I love the contrast between how busy and intricate and intense the beats are, but simultaneously how gentle and somber the music and textures throughout the record are. I also love the conceptual narratives throughout the record, many of which tie around the story of Jonathan Livingston Seagull. It's just a very thoughtful, very wonderful, very gorgeous album all around and certainly one of the best of not just 2023, but the 2020s in general.

ANOHNI and the Johnsons — My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross

Also from 2023 was the excellent new album from ANOHNI and the Johnsons, My Back was a Bridge for You to Cross. Anony Higarti is an artist who's long, expansive, multifaceted career is really difficult to encapsulate in a quick breakdown on an album such as this. But let it be known, she has been at it for years and years and years, and over the course of her very impressive career up until this point, she has experimented with a lot of different sounds, has been artistically and socially a big advocate for the queer community at large. That is as true now as it ever was on this latest project here where she brings back the Johnson's moniker and band for a great set of songs that fuse together elements of rock music and soul with an amazing set of performances that translate so well all of these tracks that deal in the LGBTQ community, being under fire, essentially needing to rise above all of the obstacles in their path right now. It's a lot of protest music at a time where, frankly, it's very much needed. And while some dark times are most definitely explored on this record, there are glimmers of hope as well. The title and cover obviously serve as a reminder of the long history of figures that had to work and fight hard to bring things to the point where they are now. And even in the face of such great injustice today. That fight and that progress can still continue as long as the momentum is further pushed.

Ka — The Thief Next to Jesus

I don't think this list would be complete without this next inclusion, and that would be Ka's The Thief Next to Jesus. This is the Brownsville rapper's final album, as unfortunately, he passed away to the surprise of many shortly after its release. Even though, obviously, it is a massive tragedy, a massive loss to the hip hop community, anybody who's really in tune with the underground, with the more artful lanes of the genre. It really does hurt in many ways to lose Ka. But he did leave us with an incredible, just mind-blowing final work here, really an exploration of spirituality and organized religion itself, its pros, its cons, with a lot of stellar wordplay per usual, as that's pretty much what he was known for. Really killer instrumentals that brought in elements of gospel music and the like, which obviously played into the overall themes and concept of the record really well. We have his trademark, entrancing, locked in, chilling flow and voice, too, all over this record. But yeah, it's another great body of work from a man who had many to speak of in his final days, that's for sure.

Little Simz — Sometimes I Might Be an Introvert

Now, next, I would be absolutely foolish if I were not to mention Little Simz' Sometimes I Might Be an Introvert. Maybe this sounds weird to say because I know Little Simz, UK rapper, songwriter, fantastic artist here, isn't exactly new to the game or anything like that. But sometimes when I think about the dismal state of the music industry and the creativity that we see in the mainstream broadly and just feel jaded and disillusioned, I think of Little Simz and am just reminded that actually, you know what? There's hope. There's hope out there because this is a one-of-a-kind album from a one-of-a-kind artist who, frankly, does not get enough attention and shine for how great and fantastic she is. Not only are her verses and bars and performances on this record on point as hell. But the epic string-kissed grandiose instrumentals all over this record, from front to back, are absolutely stunning and really enhance everything she has to say about being in her own head, being an up and coming woman in hip hop, being as ambitious as she is lyrically, there are some really cool musical sidequests throughout this record as well, where she touches down on some genres outside of the usual UK rap scene that honestly are a really well-executed surprise. But yeah, if I had to sum up this album in two words, I would say awe-inspiring. I feel like when the dust is settled, Little Simz is really going to be standing tall on an incredible catalog that is going to be worth going back to again and again.

Floating Points, London Symphony Orchestra, and Pharoah Sanders — Promises

Next, I would like to shout out one of the most unlikely but incredible crossovers of the last five years, and that would be the album Promises from Floating Points, from Pharoah Sanders, as well as the London Symphony Orchestra, which if you've never heard of this album, and maybe you haven't, it's not the most hype LP necessarily, you might be seeing those names and thinking, what? Because, yeah, you're talking about the London Symphony Orchestra, essentially backing up a pretty respected and legendary UK electronic music artist, as well as the late jazz great, Pharoah Sanders. All I can say still to this day about this album is, wow, because this record is such an incredible and unique genre-blending triumph. True to the mix of styles brought by its respective collaborators, you have elements of electronic music, you have elements of jazz, and all of that's being wrapped up in all of this super, lush, gorgeous orchestration. The whole record plays out in a series of continuous, similar but always subtly changing passages and movements that honestly It tests the boundaries of each respective musical style going into the amazing soup that is being created on this record. But yeah, really a significant one over here and a creative benchmark for all involved, honestly.

Lingua Ignota — Sinner Get Ready

Let's also hit another massive record for me personally in 2021. That would be the Lingua Ignota, Sinner Get Ready. Lingua Ignota is the former musical project and stage name of pianist, vocalist, and songwriter, Ms. Kristin Hayter. Before this album came out, she already had some very impressive lead-ups like the record Caligula, which already showcased this project's very special knack for tying together Christian imagery and theology with noise and industrial music and classical music, while simultaneously exploring very heavy themes around spirituality and abuse. All of those elements are dug into even further and in ways that are frankly even more raw and vulnerable, and intense, which makes Sinner Get Ready not just a powerhouse of a record sonically, but also emotionally. The fear, anguish, pain, and seething anger expressed all across this record are frankly unparalleled. The vocal performances still to this day blow me away. It is really a dense, difficult album, but still also a gratifying one because if you listen to this thing, I promise it will be one of the most heart-stopping musical experiences you'll have in your life.

Gorillaz — Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez

Let's take it further back to 2020 on this next one where we have Gorillaz with Song Machine, and at this point, I don't know if Gorillaz, the famed fictitious animated band, needs any further cultural explaining. I feel like everybody gets the deal with Gorillaz for the most part. Everybody likes some Gorillaz jams. Lots of classics, lots of bangers, lots of great moments under the band's belt at this point. There was a minute there where, creatively, it felt like things were a little bit in limbo. The songs weren't quite hitting. The collaborations and crossovers weren't quite as impressive as maybe they were back in the day. However, I really feel like the band came back with a force, a creative force, and a lot of cartoony, amazing production, and frankly, stunning collaborations on this Song Machine record, which when it originally dropped, it was insinuated this was going to be a part of a series of things. I might chalk a lot of that up to pandemic craziness. There was a lot of craziness going on in the pandemic in terms of plans and ambitions people had that maybe didn't quite end up following through because... But who knows? Maybe we will get another Song Machine record down the road. I don't know. Look, all I can say about this overall is that I feel like it is just an excellent example of Gorillaz returning to form with Damon Albarn absolutely smashing it, not just with some of the best beats and instrumentals of the group's entire career, but some of the most epic and unlikely and surprising crossovers in the album's main tracklist, as well as on the deluxe cuts of the record, too, be it JPEGMafia or even Elton John. But yeah, it's great to have Gorillaz come back on a record and remind us of what made the project so great in the first place, which I would say is also the case for this next album that dropped in 2020 as well.

Blu & Exile — Miles

That would be the Blu & Exile album, Miles. Now, if you are a West Coast hip hop fan, an underground hip hop fan, Blu & Exile, those are names that should grab your attention. Their first major collab together, Below the Heavens, is a pretty legendary record at this point. However, they came back with Miles, and this is a jaw-dropping album, and really an immense work that frankly blows the work ethic of a lot of hip hop artists out of the water. Because not only in typical Blu & Exile fashion, is this tasteful, thoughtful, well-written, charismatic, captivating jazz rap album packed with stellar beats and performances from Exile and Blu, respectively. But it's also a concept record on all of these themes around jazz and Miles Davis and a bunch of other things, too, in that web of musical and artistic connections. But maybe what continues to be the most mind-blowing thing about this record is that it does all that, it executes it all so well, and it goes the distance with these ideas and these musical flavors like a marathon runner, because the run time of this record is 90 minutes. It's like a massive double LP experience. It's just so many damn tracks, so much damn material and well, super bloated albums are nothing surprising in the mainstream these days. This record brings a lot of material, a lot of density, but there's no filler in there. There's no crap. It's all amazing. But yeah, honestly, if on any level we are living in a just world, like 20 years from now, this is going to go down as a legendary hip hop album, and certainly one of the best of the 2020s.

Billy Woods and Kenny Segal — Maps

Earlier in this list, I mentioned the East Coast rap duo consisting of lyricist Billy Woods, Armand Hammer. I also have to shout out a release that was done in a little bit more of a solo capacity, and that would be the album Maps, where he is backed up by the one and only producer, Kenny Segal. Billy Woods is someone who, if you follow this channel regularly, I would hope you're aware of him by now, as well as aware of what exactly makes him so special. The grim and dour tone of a lot of his words and storytelling, his elusiveness, his flow and rap delivery that sometimes borders on spoken word, his grim and dour wordplay, his incredibly sharp wit. These are characteristics that were very much apparent on some of his earliest works, And over the years, he's only finetuned these elements of his music with record after record after record. I would say with this Kenny Segal record, he has truly reached a peak of sorts with some of his most mind-blowing and urgent bars to date. Plus, Kenny Segal allows for just a very versatile palate of jazz rap and abstract hip hop. And regardless of what's being thrown at him, Billy very much sounds at home and has a lot to say. But yeah, overall, a great record and proof of just how great left-field hip hop has been over the past five years.

JPEGMafia & Danny Brown — Scaring the Hoes

I would say that is also the case for this next team up, which is going to be JPEGMafia & Danny Brown, Scaring the Hoes. This 2023 album features two of the internet's most respected hip hop figures. They each have their own cult followings of completely diehard fans, where there's a lot of crossover audience between the two, this audience, a similarity as well as the fact that they have a mutual respect for each other's sound and art brought them together for a full length album collaboration that, frankly, is incredible. It's just banger after banger after banger after banger. And sure, while it does seem like in In terms of the production and song structure, there's a lot more JPEGMafia than there is Danny Brown going into this album much of the time. These two still have a ton of creative chemistry to speak of, especially as they really do truly fulfill the mission set by the title of this record. That is just fully giving into the idea of making hip hop that is weird, is scaring the hose. But yeah, killer album, mind-blowing at points, and I think it's really going to go down as one of the best collaborations of this decade.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor — No Title as of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead

Switching gears, I would like to address the fantastic Godspeed You! Black Emperor album, the No Title record. Godspeed, the legendary Canadian post-rock an experimental rock outfit. Historically being as socially and politically minded as they are, of course, it is no surprise on this album that they essentially decided to focus the title and the passion, the emotion behind the art on the horrors of the Palestinian genocide that has been happening over the course of 2024. At the time of me filming this video, while a ceasefire has been agreed to, independence and justice long term for the Palestinian people is still very much far, far away. I mean, in fact, I would say it is very much yet to be guaranteed. Again, Godspeed does an amazing job, not just through the presentation of this album, but the art within it at drawing attention to this issue and saying so much while simultaneously not saying anything at all, as we do have a series of instrumental tracks on this record, which in typical Godspeed fashion undergo a series of lengthy, grand rock classical fusion buildups and crescendos. It's absolutely powerful. And while it does have some very heavy and despondent as well as grim moments, there are glimmers of hope at the very end. Truly one of their best releases to date and a project that, frankly highlights simultaneously the power of art, but how difficult it is to be in a place in a space where you are absolutely powerless to stop such great horrors and injustices from happening to innocent people.

Kendrick Lamar — GNX

Also a 2024 release, a pretty big one, in fact. That is going to be Kendrick Lamar's GNX. Yes, that has made this list, of course. A record that in the immediate sense, even by me, has been characterized as a bit of a victory lap, a post afterthought following the massive beef multi-track back and forth that Kendrick had going with the pop rap superstar Canada's own Aubrey "Drake" Graham. And while that assessment is very much true, I feel like this record has so much going for it beyond the context that it was originally born out of. And these aspects, I hope, are what carries the fandom for it going forward into the future. Because outside of anything beef-related, what is so stellar about this record is all of its just crazy LA and West Coast-inspired synthified rap bangers with some of Kendrick's catchiest choruses to date. We have amazing smooth jams with Sza on "Luther", an amazing Tupac tribute some of Kendrick's headiest and most conceptual cuts to date. We have the sixth installment of The Heart, where he really narratively goes back to the earliest days of his burgeoning rap career and describes essentially what it was like and how he help put himself in a position to succeed and those who he had around him that helped make it happen, too. It's a record that simultaneously has a little bit of something for everybody on it and also just does all of those things, respectively, very incredibly well to the point where even though it is disparate, it is a little all over the place, it still works as an overall record. Great flow on the tracklist, too. But yeah, Kendrick really nails a refined balance on this project in terms of giving us straightforward, direct, hard-hitting cuts that are just endlessly viby and replayable. Then you have a lot of songs that honestly hand over a lot of food for thought. But yeah, GNX, in my opinion, is truly one of his best, which is saying something considering how high the highest and most amazing peaks of his catalog have been so far.

Chelsea Wolfe — She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She

Next on this list, I would like to point some attention once again to the incredible Chelsea Wolfe album She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She, where one of the most consistently inconsistent figures and songwriters in the goth music scene switches it up once again on an album that sees her embracing elements of electronic and industrial music, Trip-hop 2, with a bunch of tracks that see her bringing at the same time just despondent, thick walls of metal-type heaviness, but now with a lot more atmosphere and beats and synthetics. Combine that with a bunch of beckoning, eerie, and gorgeous ballads sitting at the core of all of these Sonic Monsters. You essentially have one of the best albums not just of 2024, but the decade so far. It's dense, it's entrancing, it's captivating, and very much well worth your time.

Geordie Greep — The New Sound

Next, we have one of the most surprising debuts of the decade so far. That would be Geordie Greep's The New Sound. This record came pretty quickly after the announcement of his usual band at the time, Black Midi, the UK experimental rock outfit being put on hiatus, essentially going kaput. Hate to see it, considering how great their material had been up until that point. But simultaneously, this album over here is amazing as well, and I couldn't really see it happening in any other context other than a solo one for Geordie, considering how over the top and singular the vision of this album is, how heavy it is on narrative, as a lot of the tracks seemingly deal in the personality of this man who is somewhat narcissistic, self-obsessed, not super lucky with the ladies, has a lot of struggles around his sexuality and his masculinity. It works in layers, too, because surrounding that, there are these somewhat confusing dealings in fantasy and reality, too. Then couple that with the fact that you have numerous tracks on here that are essentially giving us this really thrilling, exciting, and unique combination of not just jazz rock and progressive rock, but Brazilian music, too. Yeah, you just have a wild ride of an album that, honestly, every time I go back to it, I'm peeling back more layers.

Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul — Topical Dancer

Moving on, shout out to a record that personally over the past five years, I feel like is lesser known and very underappreciated. That would be Topical Dancer from Charlotte Adigéry, and Bolis Pupul, who teamed up for this very smart, well-produced record that is pretty much what you see is what you get as far as the title is concerned, as you get a bunch of very quirky, electro, new inspired dance pop cuts that, yes, are very topical, are thematic, are socially conscious a lot of the time, a lot of satire and tongue-in-cheek humor going on within these tracks. In fact, some of the tracks on this thing run almost like the best possible version of what you could imagine a musical PSA would be like, whether Charlotte and Bolis are addressing things like xenophobia and racism or being at a place in your life where you are first coming to terms with your sexuality. But yeah, it's a very fun, thoughtful album that every single time I come back to it, I get a lot out of it. I do personally think it is one of the best records of the decade so far.

Silvana Estrada — Marchita

Following this, I want to shout out the Silvana Estrada album, Marchita, which, simply put, is just beautifully produced, Mexican folk of the highest order. Just one captivating ballad after the next on this thing. Gorgeous vocals, beautiful surrounding instrumentation when it is in the mix like horns that sing. Stunning performances from front to back. It's really a record that showcases how powerful simplicity can be. It's actually shocking to me that this record isn't bigger than it is because with material this quality Silvana is truly one of the most underappreciated singer-singer songwriters on the Latin circuit at the moment.

Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You

Keeping it folk on this next shoutout, too, that's going to be Big Thief's Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You. Now, Big Thief is a group that has been doing really well on the indie circuit for quite a while. That and the solo material of their lead singer and songwriter, Adrianne Lenker. And while I've enjoyed quite a bit of their material up until this point myself, I was really not foreseeing how incredible this new album submission from the band would be, because not only does it showcase some of their best songs to date, a super wide versatility of sounds from the indie underground, even some experimental rock tracks, I would say. The band dips their toes into some folk rock and country as well in this tracklist. But maybe the most interesting and gratifying thing about the entire record is how consistent it is quality-wise and how much material there is on this album. At 80 Minutes and 20 Tracks, this project is truly a powerhouse, one that is probably going to continue standing tall in the band's catalog as they continue to perform and record. Right now, as far as anything indie folk is concerned in the 2020s. This is really a benchmark album that is truly setting the standard, setting a high watermark, whatever you want to call it. Not to mention the killer vocals, the rustic instrumentation how textured and frankly, fantastic the recording is for being so lofi a lot of the time. I could go on.

JID — The Forever Story

This next one is also from '22, but switching gears into the hip hop lane. That would be Jid or J-I-D's, The Forever Story. This was the long-awaited follow-up to JID's 2018 DiCaprio 2 mixtape, with this being a big, big, big album release for J Cole's Dreamville Records. There was a lot riding on this record, being as quality as it is, especially with JID having built up such a reputation up until this point for being really a rapper's rapper, somebody who really knows his way around a verse, can flow quite precisely and quickly, but still, it doesn't necessarily fall into that cornball spectrum of rippity rap fast rappers because he actually showcases quite a bit of wit and genuine heart in a lot of his writing. Like, he's an impressive performer, but he doesn't perform merely to impress you on a technical level. The Forever Story, honestly, is everything that it should have been and more, really the rap album of the year for 2022, as far as I'm concerned. It's all thanks in part to an incredible combination of great production, a versatile tracklist, musically and topically. JID giving us firebars, track after track after track, a handful of quality features, too, and very thoughtful cuts all over this album that address the cycle of social ills plaguing our society, the Black community, too, and almost seeing a futility or a continuum in the ongoing process of overcoming these obstacles and these struggles. Hence why the material on this amazing record lives up to The Forever Story title.

black midi — Hellfire

This next I addressed in part earlier, that is going to be black midi with their record Hellfire. Prior to breaking off into his own solo direction, singer-songwriter guitarist Geordie Greep obviously was a part of this amazing short-lived experimental and jazz rock outfit, black midi. But in discussing how fantastic of a record this is, we also can't forget about the contributions of Cameron Picton as well as Morgan Simpson. Now, as far as this modern age of jazz and experimental rock are concerned, few albums are as wild a ride as Hellfire. Going back to it, this record is freaking crazy. It's intense, it's high octane, it's eccentric, it's out of control. While now, obviously, part of me enjoys the steady and conceptual hand guiding a majority of the material on the new sound that I mentioned earlier. Hellfire is just a thrilling, exciting release. It pulls from a wide variety of bands from the prog and avant rock scene and somehow manages to legitimately push boundaries in a lot of wild and out-their-ways, whether it be in the storytelling and the vocal approach or just in how fast and, frankly, weird the instrumentation is. It really is rare these days that I find a record that is genuinely freaky, but also well conceptualized, produced, and performed. And yeah, Hellfire most definitely has all of that.

Conway the Machine — God Don't Make Mistakes

I feel like there would be a big void in this list if I did not mention the fantastic God Don't Make Mistakes from Conway the Machine. The Buffalo rapper who made his name as a part of the Griselda Records crew came through on this one with his highly anticipated Shady Records drop. Yeah, this album most definitely did not disappoint because not only do you get those quality callbacks to old-school Boom Bap and just really, really griny, classic, just old-school hardcore hip hop. But you have Conway lyrically and topically diving into some of the most personal and vulnerable songs he's ever written. There's truly some heart-wrenching stuff on this album that to this day stands tall over a lot of the stuff that's happening in hip hop broadly. Sure, there are a lot of albums out there that might be catchier or sell more or whatever, but the emotional impact of this thing, if you really listen to it, is heavy. But yeah, really a special hip hop record over here that shows a one-of-a-kind artist at his peak in terms of having an ear for production, really laying it all out there on the line, emotionally on a lot of these tracks, digging into his own psyche, his own heart, and also just being at his best lyrically, too. His best and most thoughtful. Got to love those bone chilling giggly adlibs, too.

Sudan Archives — Natural Brown Prom Queen

Also from 2022, we're on a bit of a 2022 run right here as I'm going through the rest of this list. A shout out to Sudan Archives for Natural Brown Prom Queen. The songwriter, singer, rapper, violinist comes through with a really special multifaceted album on this one. This is a record that is fantastic, is entertaining, is dense, really gives you a lot of material, a lot to chew on, a lot of different musical flavors, a lot topical food for thought as well. It's a difficult, difficult record to sum up simply because so much is going on. But one of the most impressive things about this album is that despite the fact that it involves so much in terms of genre influences and talent and musical study. The Sudan Archives really nails the vast majority of what's on here. Again, it's just so much material, especially for one artist, for the most part, to be drumming up. Also, a very interesting and wild release for Stones Throw Records as well. One of a Kind album from a one-of-a-kind figure in underground music who, frankly, I am looking forward to hearing more from through the rest of this decade. It would be an absolute shame to go through the rest of this time period with only one Sudan Archives album. In fact, that can't be because this thing is just so damn good.

Black Country, New Road — Ants From Up There

Next on this list, a sad moment, bit of a swan song album, though not completely. This band is really moving into a different era on their next studio album. Of course, I'm talking about Black Country, New Road, Ants From Up There. If you are all an underground rock or indie rock fan or art rock fan, you've most likely heard of this album. It is downright legendary at this point. The amount of love and really obsessive fans that this record has drummed up in such a short period of time, that's justification alone for its inclusion in this list. This album is as popular as it is among the underground rock set for very good reasons. However, the group's, many would say, very essential lead vocalist, departed from the band shortly after the release of this album, putting them in a position where they were really at a bit of a loss as to what to do and where to go next. However, the group is planning to move on passing around different vocal duties to different members of the band. They released a live album recently recently road testing this approach, and a lot of that record was quite good. It does seem that Black Country, New Road will continue and continue to put out quality music. So I mean, I'm not exactly worried. Things are looking up for the band for sure, but with things having changed so wildly and radically post this album, it ensures that we're not going to get another record like this.

Oh my God, I can't believe I'm still talking about albums.

Okay, let's Home stretch. Boom, boom.

Richard Dawson & Circle — Henki

Okay, next. Shout out to English singer-songwriter Mr. Richard Dawson, who came through with a really unforeseen collaboration with the Finnish progressive and avant rock outfit, Circle. Henki is the name of their crossover. While I was not very familiar with Circle's work going into this record, their and Dawson's respective styles marry very well and give us a very forward-thinking rock album with a lot of old-school Prug vibes and a lot of cool narratives woven throughout the lyrics as well. It is epic, it is well-produced and performed. It is a record that has a lot of density to it, too. A record you can really chew over. A truly unique album that is very much worth your time.

JPEGMAFIA — LP!

I would say that is also the case for this next one. JPEGMAFIA's LP. Peggy, who if you're familiar with this channel, you should already be well familiar with. I've addressed him prior in this video talking about his crossover in collaboration with Danny Brown, Scaring the Hoes. LP over here is really my favorite solo release of his so far. I think a high watermark in his discography. And with this record between its shouty, aggressive performances, between its completely out their production between its esoteric samples and a wide array of left field influences, I think it really sets the standard for alt rap so far in this decade, and quite possibly for the rest of the decade to come, which why for me it had to make it on this list.

Laura Marling — Songs For Our Daughter

Also helping to set the standard for singer-songwriter records this decade, in my opinion, that will be Laura Marling with the Songs For Our Daughter album. An interesting record for Marling because she really does strict track, a lot of her sound, instrumentally speaking, on this record in a series of tracks that are very homespun, very intimate, very low-key in terms of their presentation, but absolute just power bombs of emotion when you dig into the lyrics around not just heartache and separation as well as stuff like affairs, but also Marling beginning to enter into motherhood on this album as well addresses that a bit on some absolutely beautiful, breathtaking songs on this record, too. Again, killer, simple but powerful instrumentation, very experienced, very passionate and deep, well-sung vocals throughout the record, too. Poetic songwriting. I really can't praise this album enough. If you weren't already aware, she did a follow-up record, Patterns in Repeat, that is pretty much a second helping of a lot of the great stuff that made this album so special.

Moor Jewelry — True Opera

Now, switching gears into the Moor Jewelry record, True Opera, which is a very straightforward but also exciting album. One more unforeseen crossover here, Mental Jewelry, teaming up with poet, avant-gardist, prolific singer and songwriter, Moor Mother. Together, I'm going to embark on an interesting music experience here that I feel like they really only could have conjured together. This record, stylistically, is really throwing it back to the old-school noise rock and no-wave scene in a series of tracks that have very rough and intense punky performances. It really is a rock experience like no other so far this decade, and just does such a great job of being in touch with some really old-school underground vibes and esthetics that frankly are due for a reassessment critically and a comeback, too.

Matmos — The Consuming Flame

Next shoutout goes to the experimental and electronic music duo, Matmos, the record, The Consuming Flame. Now, Matmos, if you are not familiar are a legendary long-time music duo that has done quite a bit of pioneering in the fields of electronic music, in art pop, in sample-based music, in honestly a lot of different shades of avant-garde. Their records are often known for their interesting sample-based source material or very unique conceptual angles. That is, of course, also true for this record over here where Matmos his source material on this thing is essentially collaborations, crossovers with other artists, both old and new. There are actually tons and tons and tons of collaborators being sampled in some form or fashion on this record, really too many to count. It all amounts up into this just massive triple LP experience that leads to some of the most mind-bending experience of Matt Moss's entire career. This is truly saying something. We are talking about a duo here that did an entire album where they sampled a washing machine's washing cycle. It's actually an incredible LP. It's a great album. But The Consuming Flame is an even bigger, more ambitious release. It's various pieces across its run time are just even crazier and more out there for it. This is truly one of the hardest albums to break down in a blurb or a quick mention such as this. I would just say, listener beware. If you do give this album a try, really get ready to hunker down. I mean, sure, you could try the record in chunks of each disk, but really get ready to hunker down and just have your tastes and have your conceptions of electronic music, of production challenged, because this record will really broaden your tastes. I promise you that.

Ichiko Aoba — Windswept Adan

I don't think this video would be complete without a mention of the Ichiko Aoba record, Windswept Adan. Japanese folk artist and singer-songwriter Ichiko Aoba comes through with a record that honestly is equally gentle and stunning. It is just entrancing vocals and very simple, stripped back beauty throughout. There is a refinement and a gentleness to this record that is difficult to put into words, frankly. Beauty, beauty, beauty, beauty, beauty. That is is the best way that I could sum it up truly and honestly.

Black Dresses — Peaceful as Hell

Contrasting mood-wise, though, we also have the Black Dresses album, Peaceful as Hell, where the now defunct experimental duo really came through with a landmark album of tracks that, yes, dive into the harshness and ugliness of the world with very abrasive and explosive performances and homespun production. But there's simultaneously a lot of love and heart packed into these songs, too. Sometimes hope as well. Members Debbie MccAllion and Ada Rook really show a lot of creative chemistry and sisterhood and collaborative spirit among the tracks on this record, too. But yeah, if you're a listener that can really withstand the abrasiveness and the heat this record has to offer, I think you'll be able to see the humanity in the songs on this album, too, especially with them somehow, despite the record being as in your face as it is. The tracks, the songwriting is just so sharp and so catchy.

Porter Robinson — Nurture

Sharp and catchy and full of heart are words that I would also use to apply to the many tracks off of the Porter Robinson album, Nurture. A beautiful little album from Porter where he really leans into his singer songwriter chops in the biggest way for the first time. It gives us a lot of beautiful, shoegazey, lush instrumentation tunes and melodies that are borrowed from J-pop and anime soundtracks and video game music, too. He really pulls together a lot of gorgeous and nostalgic influences for a series of songs that speak a lot to his personal anxieties and anguish and really see him coming into his own as an emotionally mature person. But yeah, just gorgeous production and thoughtful personal songwriting all around on this one.

SPELLLING - The Turning Wheel

Tying things up, I am going to lay down my sword for the SPELLLING album, The Turning Wheel, a mystical, wondrous album of wonderful art pop anthems and songs that, frankly, I will go as far as to say, is the most immaculately produced record of the decade so far. The instrumentation is just so perfect and methodically assembled and beautiful. It just adds to the theatrics and the drama of all the songs on this thing. Singer-songwriter Tia Cabral really came through with a record on this one that is wishy, is otherworldly, and dives into a lot of themes and lyrics around just feeling out of place in the world that we exist in. There are calls of sorts for revolution on this record. There are attempts at trying to get back in touch with the natural world. It's really a special, mystical album that I am absolutely positively dazzled by every single time I take a moment to give it a listen. It's one of the few records I've given a 10 out of 10. It was my album of the year when it dropped. So again, of course, it was going to end up in this list in this video.

That is going to be it, everybody. Those are my 50 favorite albums of the decade so far. You're the best. Thank you for watching. Hopefully, you got some good dope-ass recommendations out of this video. You better have, honestly.

Have you given any of these albums a listen? Would any of them make your favorite records list? Let me know some of your favorite albums of the 2020s up until this point. I will catch you in the next one.

Anthony Fantano, Records, 2020, Forever.