It's hard to believe, but we're already halfway through the decade. A lot has happened during the first five years of the '10s, especially for modern music. Bands came and went, entire genres rose and fell in the space of months, and in the wake of the cross-continental melting pot that is the Internet, we are left with loads of top-notch albums that defy classification and expectation alike.
For those of you who have an internet connection but still don't know that music today is far from dead: this list is especially for you. Here are five diverse albums from our decade, ranked by year, that probably flew under your radar.
1. Zs- "New Slaves" (2010)
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Zs came to life in Brooklyn in the early 2000s as a volatile sextet. During those years, they wrote some of the most impossible, mind-blowing music that anyone could imagine. (I do not say that lightly; seriously, check out their old stuff!) In later years they've slimmed down to a trio, focusing into a more digestiable trifecta of drums, guitar, saxophone and electronic effects. On 2010's "New Slaves," their first album as a trio, Zs are as upside-down as ever, presenting eight extra-terrestrial jams that defy the laws of tonality, songwriting and gravity. On some tracks all the instruments pound out oppressive industrial grooves with unbelievable precision. On still others, the players' sounds bleed into one another until you can't tell a guitar from a sax from a studio effect. Zs' mission statement has always been to challenge themselves and their audience, and on "New Slaves" that intent is clear as ever.
2. tUnE-yArDs- "Whokill" (2011)
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Those of you unfamiliar with the world-beat vibes of
experimental pop group Tune-Yards are seriously missing out. Their sophomore album "Whokill" presents some of their weirdest endeavors, a series of tunes falling somewhere on the spectrum between pop and IDM, with a healthy serving of tribal belting from frontwoman Merrill
Garbus. Through the ten songs of "Whokill" she sings into the skies, then unexpectedly veers into spoken-word segments and harmonizes with her own live vocal loops as if adding disparate ingredients to some nutritious soup. Smatterings of studio
instrumentation including marimba, saxophone, tambourine and cowbell stick to these songs like jelly in a lip-smacking PB&J. But if you want to experience Tune-Yards truly in their element, watch them performing live.
3. Julia Holter- "Loud City Song" (2013)
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If you're looking for music that's vibrant, lush and exquisitely arranged, then you ought to give "Loud City Song" a listen. With classical instrumentals her palette, singer-songwriter Julia Holter paints an adaptation of a late-fifties musical, in free-floating ballads that will utterly absorb you. At times you may think you're listening to a symphonic brass line, only to realize it's actually city traffic. Other times Holter's voice can make a six-minute song feel like three minutes. Included among original works is a cover of Barbara Lewis' "Hello Stranger," that is equal parts haunting and gorgeous. On "Loud City Song," Holter brings us vivid pictures of love, fear and hope in a backdrop of urban chaos. This is an album that likes to ride in the slow lane, admiring or observing the other cars. Her songwriting is stainless.
4. The Knife- "Shaking the Habitual" (2013)
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Perhaps the most dynamic album to come out of 2013 was "Shaking the Habitual," the
latest effort of Swedish dancepop outfit The Knife. Brother and sister Olof
and Karin Dreijer have made music as a duo for over fifteen years, producing some of the most critically-acclaimed electronic dance music of the mid-2000s. On "Shaking the Habitual," their latest effort, Olof and Karin push their sound into uncharted territory as they yank out all the stops. During the album's 90-minute-plus runtime, it goes from rapid and danceable to ultra slow-motion, and the entire time it's totally wonky. The album divided listeners with its confrontational social and political messages, in pieces that tussle with environmentalism, gender stereotypes and economic inequality. But don't let that alienate you; you can still jam out to just about every track here!
5. Ben Frost- "A U R O R A" (2014)
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"Ben Frost's music is about contrast and juxtaposition." So says his Bandcamp page, where you can find a good chunk of his work including some of his critically-acclaimed movie soundtracks. The Australian producer-composer makes electronic music that is nothing short of glorious, and 2014's AURORA is no disappointment. After listening to it dozens and dozens of times since it came out, I'm convinced there is cosmic significance to many of the tracks. There are four tracks, each one unfolding into grandiose climaxes of the highest order. Even more preludes, transitions and dramatic ambiences are sandwiched in between, making AURORA a standout album of the decade so far.
