9. Villains- Queens of the Stone Age (2017)

Josh Homme is one of rock’s superstars. He grew to prominence with stoner rock band Kyuss back in the 90s and after they broke up he formed Queens of the Stone Age, the definitive dessert rock band of this century. They made their magnum opus back in 2002 with their Dave Grohl aided Songs for […]

10. Ultraviolence- Lana Del Rey (2014)

Lana Del Rey burst onto the scene in 2012 with Born to Die, her baroque pop and trip-hop influenced debut record. Songs like the title track, “Video Games” and “Summertime Sadness” were inescapable at the time. She was well on her way to become one of pop’s newest superstars and even contributed a hit single […]

11. How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful- Florence + The Machine (2015)

Florence Welch has one of the best voices in all of music right now. It’s a transcendent instrument that can transport you to another world and since the band Florence + The Machine burst onto the scene with their debut album Lungs in 2009, she’s made great records. How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful is […]

12. Changes-Charles Bradley (2016)

I think this record shows how Bradley could take any song and breathe a heart and soul in a way none of his peers could come close to doing.

13. Celeberation Rock-Japandroids (2012)

Bands talk all the time about wanting to capture the spirit of their live shows on record. Rarely does it actually succeed in a meaningful way, but on Celebration Rock Japandroids did just that. Finding a way to seemingly effortlessly translate the raw power and energy of their live shows into a record that punches […]

14. The Suburbs-Arcade Fire (2010)

In 2004 Arcade Fire burst onto the scene with one of the more emotionally affecting debut albums of the century with Funeral, a record that deals with loss, love, and growing up. It’s a pretty perfect record and one that many bands would never be able to come close to topping. Arcade Fire are not […]

15. Sound and Color- Alabama Shakes (2015)

In 2012 Brittany Howard and company burst onto the scene with one of the better debut records of the decade, their self-titled Alabama Shakes. In 2015 they crafted a sonic masterpiece, the aptly named Sound and Color. On their sophomore record they expand their sound far past the roots-rock and soul that dominated their debut. […]

16. Currents- Tame Impala (2015)

Coming off of 2012’s Lonerism and the alternative radio hit single “Elephant”, the sky seemed to be the limit for Tame Impala, a band many picked to be destined for mainstream success on their next record. I don’t think anyone could have predicted just how far they’d push their sound on 2015’s Currents. Kevin Park […]

17. Worry- Jeff Rosenstock (2016)

Modern punk is in a pretty fascinating place. The classic punk bands are either all dead or have essentially been turned into classic rock bands. The pop-punk bands of the 90s and 00s have started to take their place as nostalgic touring bands, pouring out an album every 4-5 years with a tour every 2-3 […]

18. To Pimp A Butterfly- Kendrick Lamar (2015)

At a time when artists are encouraged more and more to stop being political, Lamar stands defiant and brilliant.