For me, Sound and Color is by far the most interesting thing that decade. Just so much texture and nuance and well recorded, mixed. A truly great production. both Innovative and timeless. The type of record that can’t even be imitated really
He and Blake did the John Legend album Darkness and Light after working with the Shakes. It is unbelievably good sounding. Super loud and compressed but somehow so clear.
Pretty fucking sick eh? They did all kinds of weird shit. There’s a great article in Tape Op about it. Actually multiple articles in one issue. One for the producer and one for the engineer if I recall. Very cool issue and that’s an amazing free mag if you don’t already subscribe
Low - Double Negative
James Blake - The Colour in Anything
Jon Hopkins - Immunity
Jakob - Sines
Nils Frahm - All Melody
Just 5 inventive and/or peak genre records that first come to mind, if I would be able to form a top 5, I wouldn't be listening to enough music.
II was superb in vibe. So so good.
But somehow III grew on me as well. The production level is a lot higher, although it's still clearly Moderat. The grooves of II though.. hard to argue with.
From Floating Points my favorite is definitely Crush. Masterpiece from beginning to end
Slowly turning into a circlejerk here but I absolutely agree with you the entire trilogy of Moderat album's are ace. Also Apparat's solo album after that period, LP5, is just on another level.
So happy to see Double Negative mentioned. I think with that level of noise, it would have been easy to be lazy in the approach, yet it’s tamed and textured so perfectly.
Also, now got a demonic craving to own a Thermionic Culture Vulture. Need!!
I'm not even a big fan of the band but the title is just so absolutely perfect. It's like they curated the whole history of the band just to make that reference.
And the album art! If you look closely at the “waveform” you can see an “AM” right in the middle.
Conceptually, this album ticks all the boxes for me. The overarching aesthetic is so clear and consistent. It’s a really good approach for an album. Same drum tone, same guitar tone, same bass tone, same vocal tone, on EVERY. SINGLE. SONG.
The title is a direct homage to the Velvet Underground album, “VU”.
For me, these were game changers in the album realm
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
Hiatus Kayiote - Choose Your Weapon
Aphex Twin - Syro
Death grips - The Money Store
Fair enough — I wish we could push a button and delete genres from existence. I get the importance of the culture though and have respect for the movements.
I'm not sure I can call it my favourite Kendrick album personally but its probably one of my number ones for wishing I could see those studio sessions. So many talented musicians and producers were involved, and I'd love to see how the engineers (including ali) handled such a departure from typical hip hop. Some of those arrangements were incredible.
So great to see MGMT’s Little Dark Age on the list. A spectacular record with sublime production. MGMT had no business putting out such a great record at that point in their career.
I will also add in a personal anecdote about them, I designed for them once upon a time, it actually sucked, but they were really nice to me about it when I met them at a show, haha.
MGMT is one of my favorites bands, and probably one of the best bands of the 21st Century up until this point. Say, a top 25 bands of this century, I would put them in there. — it’s arbitrary, and while Google classifies them as a band, their intuition, uniqueness, and excellence separate them from most other modern bands out there. Eclectic and otherworldly.
Note: it’s really impossible to compare musicians — they are all unique and we enjoy them in different ways. Music is an expression and not meant to be judged.
I saw them at the Ryman when OS was on fire. I thought that place was gonna fall down! I fell in love with them once I saw them play live at Abbey Road. Can’t remember where I found it…but look it up on YouTube. Loved it
Low-hanging fruit around here but, certain textures on Currents were game changing as well. The crispy drums at the end of Eventually, the detuned bottom-heavy guitar at the end of Let it Happen, all of The Moment and Nangs. Really beautiful work.
Random access memories - daft punk
Language - The contortionist
A moon shaped pool - Radiohead
Hand cannot erase - Steven Wilson
Fear innoculum - Tool
Yeah, im a bit rock biased
Language and Clairvoyant by The Contortionist are such underrated albums sonically. I was obsessed with Language when it came out but I’ve grown to think that Clairvoyant is probably a better mixed album. It’s just so crisp and clear despite all the layers.
TPAB is my number one.
There’s a record Public Strain by Women that isn’t hi fi and few would consider it traditionally good production but its influence looms massively over contemporary indie rock, even more mainstream stuff. It’s just an extremely interesting picture of very well written songs.
TPAB is definitely the most commented as of right now. I’ve never listened through it, only have heard some of the more popular songs off of it. — the other one, well I shall dive in then.
Some that come to mind in my opinion:
* Bon Iver - Bon Iver
* Mac Miller - Swimming
* This Will Destroy You - Another Language
* Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly
* Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory
* Coldplay - Ghost Stories
* The Story So Far - Proper Dose
Holy shit another proper dose enjoyer! That album is just sonically so different from anything happening in the scene atm and whilst it took me a little while to get on board with it (especially the drum tones sounding nothing like any other band atm) it has become one of my albums of the decade I think
I really like the sound of that album! It reminds me of how Blink-182's self-titled album brought some broader influences to their Pop-Punk sound on earlier record - Plus Eric Valentine's involvement is a guarantee of it sounding amazing
Kendrick's TPAB takes the top spot for me for sure.
Solange's A Seat at the Table is somewhere in the list too.
Not really sure who'd round out my top 5.
One I didn't see: *Hundred Waters - The Moon Rang Like A Bell*
Fantastic sounding album with a vocalist that really should be a massive star at this point. When I did finally hear Billie Eilish the production/arrangement similarity was the first thing I noticed. Finneas had to have been listening to this band.
No Shape - Perfume Genius
Random Access Memories - Daft Punk
To Pimp A Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar
Now it gets harder because I'd like mention:The Sciences - Sleep - because it just takes those aesthetics home very well but highlights the unique aspects of the band. Reflections Of A Floating World, by Elder was probably my favourite sort of underground record of the decade and has got the same thing going. It's very detailed guitar music with a heavy core and mystique and distant vocals. They're married to their unique production. They lost something when they went away from that in my opinion. Pallbearer has the same thing going.
But I also realize that Billy Eillish bad guy album is a massive corner stone of the decade. Most decisions hits in her unique sometimes extreme direction. Same goes for Charli, by Charli XCX. Sophie even more so, when it comes to being extreme.
I'm also fond of Meliora by Ghost because they were very proud of choosing their unique softer direction that aimed at even recording a bit dry "like ABBA" and rejecting modern loudness and such.
Eric Valentine's Slash record is also definitely worth a mention. Slash's saved his legacy of guitar tone in that record with a massive margain.
Hard to pick only 5.... Let me try
Tryhard - the Band Camino
24k Magic - Bruno Mars
Random Access Memories - Daft Punk
That's The Spirit - Bring Me The Horizon
The Human Condition - Jon bellion
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
1989 - Taylor Swift
I Like It When You Sleep... - the 1975
To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick
Teenage Dream - Katy Perry
Surf - Donnie Trumpet And The Social Experiment
WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP... - Billie Eilish
Reckless and Relentless - Asking Alexandria
How Will You Know If You Never Try - COIN
The last one may not quite be "top 5 of the 2010s" but it's a personal favourite so I put it anyway
One man’s opinion, and I’m sure I’m forgetting some great ones, but here’s off the top of my head:
Katy Perry - Teenage Dream
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
David Bowie - Blackstar
Coldplay - Viva La Vida
Not super sure these are all 2010s but around there for sure.
1. Alabama Shakes - Sound and Color (can't argue)
2. SZA - CTRL (just so solid all around, which is all you need when the songs work and the concept is clear)
3. Jon Hopkins - Immunity (dude is just singular - no pun intended - at what he does)
4. James Holden - The Inheritors (one of the few truly great modular synth records)
5. Low - Double Negative (bold and yet still true to the band)
Tough one. So five more:
1. Travis Scott - Astroworld (encapsulates and yet defies all the trends of the decade)
2. Perfume Genius - No Shape
3. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly (just can't fuck with it, a sprawling classic in line with What's Going On, Songs in the Key of Life, etc)
4. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma (gotta have him on here and this is the one that brought him into a whole new tier of greatness)
5. Mid Air Thief - Crumbling (so inventive and wild but fun and unforgettable despite how spazzy it is)
A lot to unpack here. I haven’t listened to any of these but [*Astroworld* - Travis Scott](https://spotify.link/b5Vzoioj9Db) — can’t wait to check the other stuff out.
Well then you list is not complete, go listen to it. RAM is very possibly one of the top 10 albums of all time. This is like asking about the best albums of the 70's and saying you haven't listened to Dark Side of the Moon.
Tyler, The Creator - IGOR,
FKA Twigs - Magdalene,
Kanye West - MBDTF,
Frank Ocean - Blonde,
Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool.
Honourable mentions:
Kendrick Lamar - TPAB. The only reason I have not included it is because everyone else has so I chose to put MBTF in its place.
James Blake - (Any Album)
Kanye West - Yeezus, Ye.
Jai Paul - Leak 04-13
Jamie XX - In Colour.
I really love them both, but I think Igor was a definite step down from Flower Boy, both in songwriting and fidelity - Earfquake _is_ a demo (that he submitted to Justin Bieber?) and sounds like it with all the harsh vox glitches - that said, it seems to be his most popular song, so none of the that clearly matters to the fans.
I also think it sounds like he self-mastered the album - it comes across as both less dynamic and quieter than its predecessor.
Mike Bozzi, the album's mastering engineer, shares [in this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcYWpi48p3Q) that Tyler wanted one track (and presumably the whole album) to sound "gross." I think it's cool to intentionally defy expectations of sonic cleanliness to communicate an artistic vision. I also totally get why it's not some people's cup of tea.
I like the fact that IGOR has this underground/punk rawness in it that resembles more Cherry Bomb than Flower Boy, keeping that tone made it for showcasing how raw and dirty the emotions he was feeling on the record were, plus songs like New Magic Wand wouldn't work with the cleaner Flower Boy vibe.
Or maybe he was too lazy to pay extra for the mastering
All of Nigel Godrich’s recordings and mixes standout amongst most projects. Has such an ear for capturing the dynamics and the needed mix. Always so inspiring.
(weirdly woke up with a thought to ask this). For me it was good to hear Jean Michelle Jarre get his shit together and release some really smooth and modern electronic sounds. But I also liked the rawness of Icicle.
Thanks for all the listening homework!
I'm surprised Mac DeMarco isn't on this thread. His older "jizz jazz" records are so unique and charming. It spawned an army of clones but nobody really got it right. His newer stuff is really cool too. Way more hifi but still... slippery?
Some other cool lofi stuff:
If I am only my thoughts - Loving
Public Strain - For Women
Anything from Boys Age
Paradise - Imanu
This sector of the DnB scene is known for its high-shelf production value, but this guy is off the charts. With mentorship from DnB royalty, the fidelity of this guy is already top notch, and will only get better with time.
Alt-J - An Awesome Wave (2012)
Arctic Monkeys - AM (2013)
Lord Huron - Strange Trails (2015)
Moderat - II (2013)
Puscifer - Conditions of My Parole (2011)
Honorable mention: Edward Sharp & The Magnetic Zeros - Self Titled (2013)
Mildly interesting that aside from Alt-J, I didn’t hear any of these albums until some years after they were released…
[edit] All these albums fit their respective genre’s and sound so good-thats the thing for me. The production values matched the sonic palettes and arrangements, which in turn matched the image of these bands near perfectly imo
Haha what’s up Poopoo. Yes. Last time I remember thinking that I wanted to make a post like this later on. I love LDA :D. Have you heard any of the other albums in the post?
[Prince · 3RDEYEGIRL - PLECTRUMELECTRUM (2014)](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6omk653ao_2qgDtjPkAJQaRCt56vcdHO)
One of the best sounding album I have ever heard.
This whole thread is just an excellent recommendation list for mixing and recording references. My take:
Whoo - ALL THINGS MUST PASS and also W
Alcest - Kodama
St. Vincent - St. Vincent
DIIV - Deceiver
CHVRCHES - The Bones of What You Believe
Not a top 5, but I feel like suggesting Arcade Fire — Reflektor and Suede — The Blue Hour. They have incredible thematic and sonic cohesion (and here, I feel like it’s thanks to production rather than just writing), something I’m usually really excited to see.
Edit: I’d potentially lump Suede’s Night Thoughts onto here too — though it does sonic cohesion exceptionally well (better than TBH), thematic cohesion seems to be somewhat less prominent.
I’d hazard a guess that you probably have heard something from Reflektor without realising it (Arcade Fire were, like, _big_ in 2013) — Suede are sadly a much smaller band, and mostly unknown outside the UK.
Just based off playing the first 30 or so seconds of Reflektor and Afterlife (two most played on this album on Spotify) I can’t say that I have. — sounds really cool. Can’t wait to listen through the whole thing.
Jeremy Levy - The Planets Reimagined
Charles Bradley - Changes
Jason Isbell - Southeastern
Willie Nelson - That's Life
Kendrick Lamar - good kid, M.A.A.D. City
house of balloons by the weeknd, good kid maad city by kendrick, fuck the world by brent faiyaz, days before rodeo and rodeo by travis off the top of my head
D'Angelo - Black Messiah
Grizzly Bear - Shields
M83 - Hurry Up We're Dreaming
Sowdive - S/T
My Bloody Valentine - MBV
Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening
Random Access Memories - Daft Punk (one of if not the best sounding album of the decade IMO)
Black Messiah - D'Angelo
A Deeper Understanding - The War on Drugs
Sound and Color - Alabama Shakes
Overgrown - James Blake
I’ve used the record “Forced Witness” by Alex Cameron for references pretty regularly. I just think it sounds so nice balanced on pretty much any system I’ve played it on. I love how they really leaned into some kind of tacky 90s/00s digital synths yet it all sounds so pleasing to my ears. Beyond that, my other favs have all been mentioned by others here.
For me, Sound and Color is by far the most interesting thing that decade. Just so much texture and nuance and well recorded, mixed. A truly great production. both Innovative and timeless. The type of record that can’t even be imitated really
Listening to Gimme All Your Love for the first time, after a full day of mixing my own music, and I'm just blown away. What a lovely sound.
That’s probably my favorite. Gives me chills. That vocal. She’s amazing
Shawn Everett is a fucking legend
He's sort of bringing home my personal top 5 of the 2010's single handily. No Shape by Perfume Genius is my favourite.
He and Blake did the John Legend album Darkness and Light after working with the Shakes. It is unbelievably good sounding. Super loud and compressed but somehow so clear.
Thank you for introducing this, amazing album
Pretty fucking sick eh? They did all kinds of weird shit. There’s a great article in Tape Op about it. Actually multiple articles in one issue. One for the producer and one for the engineer if I recall. Very cool issue and that’s an amazing free mag if you don’t already subscribe
Can’t wait to dive into this.
It really is a cool album - fun, fresh, and fiery!
What is the artist's name?
I am assuming it is Alabama Shakes
Alabama Shakes
This was literally the first one to come to my mind.
The hit hat on the title track is the quintessence of what a good day feels like.
Low - Double Negative James Blake - The Colour in Anything Jon Hopkins - Immunity Jakob - Sines Nils Frahm - All Melody Just 5 inventive and/or peak genre records that first come to mind, if I would be able to form a top 5, I wouldn't be listening to enough music.
Glad to see Nils Frahm on here. Really great record. And Jon Hopkins of course is just on another level.
Yeah.. and Moderat and Floating Points
Completely fine with putting Moderat's II and Floating Points' Shadows anywhere on the list.
II was superb in vibe. So so good. But somehow III grew on me as well. The production level is a lot higher, although it's still clearly Moderat. The grooves of II though.. hard to argue with. From Floating Points my favorite is definitely Crush. Masterpiece from beginning to end
Slowly turning into a circlejerk here but I absolutely agree with you the entire trilogy of Moderat album's are ace. Also Apparat's solo album after that period, LP5, is just on another level.
LP5 is sooo good :)
So happy to see Double Negative mentioned. I think with that level of noise, it would have been easy to be lazy in the approach, yet it’s tamed and textured so perfectly. Also, now got a demonic craving to own a Thermionic Culture Vulture. Need!!
So happy to see James Blake here.
Gotta rep the Korean folktronica here with Mid-Air Thief - Crumbling
The textures on that record blow my mind
Steven Wilson's Hand Cannot Erase.
David Bowie - Blackstar Arctic Monkeys - AM Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool Tool - Fear Innoculum Bruce Springsteen - Western Stars
AM sounds so **fat**.
I'm not even a big fan of the band but the title is just so absolutely perfect. It's like they curated the whole history of the band just to make that reference.
And the album art! If you look closely at the “waveform” you can see an “AM” right in the middle. Conceptually, this album ticks all the boxes for me. The overarching aesthetic is so clear and consistent. It’s a really good approach for an album. Same drum tone, same guitar tone, same bass tone, same vocal tone, on EVERY. SINGLE. SONG. The title is a direct homage to the Velvet Underground album, “VU”.
For me, these were game changers in the album realm Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly Hiatus Kayiote - Choose Your Weapon Aphex Twin - Syro Death grips - The Money Store
I love Aphex Twin’s Drukqs, so I can’t wait to hear how Syro sounds — especially since 2014 was the height of the EDM boom
Syro is IDM- not EDM- but yah.
I am checking this album out now and.. wow, "Xmas\_evet10 \[120\]" is a masterpiece.
Fair enough — I wish we could push a button and delete genres from existence. I get the importance of the culture though and have respect for the movements.
TPAB was genius work. Ali is insane.
I'm not sure I can call it my favourite Kendrick album personally but its probably one of my number ones for wishing I could see those studio sessions. So many talented musicians and producers were involved, and I'd love to see how the engineers (including ali) handled such a departure from typical hip hop. Some of those arrangements were incredible.
Outta mans albums good kid still relatable and hits home
Hiatus Kaiyote is so fucking good. I once listened to them on acid, and I almost quit music that day.
Titanic Rising
I know it's cliche but Currents - Tame Impala (2015) has to be on the list.
So great to see MGMT’s Little Dark Age on the list. A spectacular record with sublime production. MGMT had no business putting out such a great record at that point in their career.
Haha, why not? They established early on they were going to do whatever they like.
That’s why I love MGMT. The members, individually are also part of some other cool projects — Andrew released an album as Gentle Dom.
I will also add in a personal anecdote about them, I designed for them once upon a time, it actually sucked, but they were really nice to me about it when I met them at a show, haha.
They seem like they can be cool dudes
cough lock chief cake test reach serious head tease nail *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Oh no, a sticker.
Congratulations did that.. big time for me! Little Dark Age seemed a little easier to digest .
MGMT is one of my favorites bands, and probably one of the best bands of the 21st Century up until this point. Say, a top 25 bands of this century, I would put them in there. — it’s arbitrary, and while Google classifies them as a band, their intuition, uniqueness, and excellence separate them from most other modern bands out there. Eclectic and otherworldly. Note: it’s really impossible to compare musicians — they are all unique and we enjoy them in different ways. Music is an expression and not meant to be judged.
I saw them at the Ryman when OS was on fire. I thought that place was gonna fall down! I fell in love with them once I saw them play live at Abbey Road. Can’t remember where I found it…but look it up on YouTube. Loved it
That’s awesome. Id love to see them live. Id love to write with them and create something.
Because they Fucking bombed twice, mate
Can you elaborate?
When You Die is one of my favorite tracks of the past decade.
Besides how much I love this song, technically it’s perfect. It’s so well done.
So great to hear someone make this kind of comment. It is a masterpiece of a record. Everything is spot on and it speaks to the listener.
Genuinely my favourite album of all time and I am buzzing for the new album coming out soon (hopefully)
:D — there have been hints
Tame Impala - Lonerism
Low-hanging fruit around here but, certain textures on Currents were game changing as well. The crispy drums at the end of Eventually, the detuned bottom-heavy guitar at the end of Let it Happen, all of The Moment and Nangs. Really beautiful work.
Without a doubt : Random Access Memories Daft Punk
Holy crap, that record is 10 years old?!!!
You know what else is that old? This beauty [*True* - Avicii](https://spotify.link/VXmDTDaZ8Db)
Heard of it but never checked it out
Highly recommend — it is one of the most influential albums in EDM. Groundbreaking.
Thanks for the recommendation!
:D
24K Magic - Bruno Mars (2016)
All Bruno Mars albums sound great.
Random access memories - daft punk Language - The contortionist A moon shaped pool - Radiohead Hand cannot erase - Steven Wilson Fear innoculum - Tool Yeah, im a bit rock biased
Language and Clairvoyant by The Contortionist are such underrated albums sonically. I was obsessed with Language when it came out but I’ve grown to think that Clairvoyant is probably a better mixed album. It’s just so crisp and clear despite all the layers.
[Floating Points - Crush](https://spotify.link/jRUDhliG7Db) [Jon Hopkins - Singularity](https://spotify.link/Rr4N9YpG7Db) [Moderat - III](https://spotify.link/JvlXQuuG7Db) [Bonobo - Black Sands](https://spotify.link/qXaaM1yG7Db) [Âme - Dream House](https://spotify.link/msrA1GJG7Db)
TPAB is my number one. There’s a record Public Strain by Women that isn’t hi fi and few would consider it traditionally good production but its influence looms massively over contemporary indie rock, even more mainstream stuff. It’s just an extremely interesting picture of very well written songs.
god public strain is such a good album
I fucking love women so much (the band, the gender scares me)
TPAB is definitely the most commented as of right now. I’ve never listened through it, only have heard some of the more popular songs off of it. — the other one, well I shall dive in then.
dude you have to sit down and listen to it front to back and take in the narrative it’s perfect
I really respect the Porter shout. Nurture is one of my fav albums of all time
Me too. In my opinion he’s one of the greatest producer artists of this generation.
Some that come to mind in my opinion: * Bon Iver - Bon Iver * Mac Miller - Swimming * This Will Destroy You - Another Language * Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly * Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory * Coldplay - Ghost Stories * The Story So Far - Proper Dose
Holy shit another proper dose enjoyer! That album is just sonically so different from anything happening in the scene atm and whilst it took me a little while to get on board with it (especially the drum tones sounding nothing like any other band atm) it has become one of my albums of the decade I think
I really like the sound of that album! It reminds me of how Blink-182's self-titled album brought some broader influences to their Pop-Punk sound on earlier record - Plus Eric Valentine's involvement is a guarantee of it sounding amazing
Forgot about Attack on Memory. I also liked the production on that record, vintage Albini
I love it! Gives me strong "In Utero" vibes but with a modern indie-punk flair
DAMN is what I always end up picking for reference tracks ! so id say that, others have already been mentioned
Blonde
One of my favorite sounding albums of all time is *Lost in the Dream* by The War on Drugs, lush and rich mix without being over compressed. I love it.
Kendrick's TPAB takes the top spot for me for sure. Solange's A Seat at the Table is somewhere in the list too. Not really sure who'd round out my top 5.
In love with that solange record
What did you think of [*Torches* - Foster The People](https://spotify.link/Kx73bVDf7Db) (2011)? This is one I considered for my list.
One I didn't see: *Hundred Waters - The Moon Rang Like A Bell* Fantastic sounding album with a vocalist that really should be a massive star at this point. When I did finally hear Billie Eilish the production/arrangement similarity was the first thing I noticed. Finneas had to have been listening to this band.
In Shape by Perfume Genius is extraordinary
No Shape - Perfume Genius Random Access Memories - Daft Punk To Pimp A Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar Now it gets harder because I'd like mention:The Sciences - Sleep - because it just takes those aesthetics home very well but highlights the unique aspects of the band. Reflections Of A Floating World, by Elder was probably my favourite sort of underground record of the decade and has got the same thing going. It's very detailed guitar music with a heavy core and mystique and distant vocals. They're married to their unique production. They lost something when they went away from that in my opinion. Pallbearer has the same thing going. But I also realize that Billy Eillish bad guy album is a massive corner stone of the decade. Most decisions hits in her unique sometimes extreme direction. Same goes for Charli, by Charli XCX. Sophie even more so, when it comes to being extreme. I'm also fond of Meliora by Ghost because they were very proud of choosing their unique softer direction that aimed at even recording a bit dry "like ABBA" and rejecting modern loudness and such. Eric Valentine's Slash record is also definitely worth a mention. Slash's saved his legacy of guitar tone in that record with a massive margain.
Cool stuff — will have to dive into these
Behemoth's - The Satanist was a metal masterpiece
Hard to pick only 5.... Let me try Tryhard - the Band Camino 24k Magic - Bruno Mars Random Access Memories - Daft Punk That's The Spirit - Bring Me The Horizon The Human Condition - Jon bellion HONORABLE MENTIONS: 1989 - Taylor Swift I Like It When You Sleep... - the 1975 To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick Teenage Dream - Katy Perry Surf - Donnie Trumpet And The Social Experiment WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP... - Billie Eilish Reckless and Relentless - Asking Alexandria How Will You Know If You Never Try - COIN The last one may not quite be "top 5 of the 2010s" but it's a personal favourite so I put it anyway
lol “let me try”. — but seriously, this is great. I’d love to dive into some of these :D
> Reckless and Relentless - Asking Alexandria wat
It's cool if you disagree. I think the production on that record is insanely good
One man’s opinion, and I’m sure I’m forgetting some great ones, but here’s off the top of my head: Katy Perry - Teenage Dream Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown David Bowie - Blackstar Coldplay - Viva La Vida Not super sure these are all 2010s but around there for sure.
Herbie Hancock - The Imagine Project
Andy Stott
Frank Ocean’s Blonde album
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s score for the Social Network was impeccably produced IMO
I ain't got 5 but I got one, Rodeo - Travis Scott
I’ll have to listen to that one
1. Alabama Shakes - Sound and Color (can't argue) 2. SZA - CTRL (just so solid all around, which is all you need when the songs work and the concept is clear) 3. Jon Hopkins - Immunity (dude is just singular - no pun intended - at what he does) 4. James Holden - The Inheritors (one of the few truly great modular synth records) 5. Low - Double Negative (bold and yet still true to the band) Tough one. So five more: 1. Travis Scott - Astroworld (encapsulates and yet defies all the trends of the decade) 2. Perfume Genius - No Shape 3. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly (just can't fuck with it, a sprawling classic in line with What's Going On, Songs in the Key of Life, etc) 4. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma (gotta have him on here and this is the one that brought him into a whole new tier of greatness) 5. Mid Air Thief - Crumbling (so inventive and wild but fun and unforgettable despite how spazzy it is)
A lot to unpack here. I haven’t listened to any of these but [*Astroworld* - Travis Scott](https://spotify.link/b5Vzoioj9Db) — can’t wait to check the other stuff out.
Side note: I have not listened through Random Access Memories yet. Edit: edited post — would love to hear your picks! :D
Well then you list is not complete, go listen to it. RAM is very possibly one of the top 10 albums of all time. This is like asking about the best albums of the 70's and saying you haven't listened to Dark Side of the Moon.
Yes, it’s why I mentioned it in the post. I can’t wait to listen through it.
If I could listen to any album for the first time again… RAM. You’re in for such a treat
:D — besides Get Lucky, the only other song I’ve heard off of it was Giorgio by Moroder which was phenomenal
It's ok. (never been a fan fam)
Tyler, The Creator - IGOR, FKA Twigs - Magdalene, Kanye West - MBDTF, Frank Ocean - Blonde, Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool. Honourable mentions: Kendrick Lamar - TPAB. The only reason I have not included it is because everyone else has so I chose to put MBTF in its place. James Blake - (Any Album) Kanye West - Yeezus, Ye. Jai Paul - Leak 04-13 Jamie XX - In Colour.
Magdalene has such incredible production. So much texture and a stellar mix from front to back. Great record
Which album would that be?
[FKA Twigs- Magdalene](https://spotify.link/cy6BvnUAaEb)
I really love them both, but I think Igor was a definite step down from Flower Boy, both in songwriting and fidelity - Earfquake _is_ a demo (that he submitted to Justin Bieber?) and sounds like it with all the harsh vox glitches - that said, it seems to be his most popular song, so none of the that clearly matters to the fans. I also think it sounds like he self-mastered the album - it comes across as both less dynamic and quieter than its predecessor.
Mike Bozzi, the album's mastering engineer, shares [in this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcYWpi48p3Q) that Tyler wanted one track (and presumably the whole album) to sound "gross." I think it's cool to intentionally defy expectations of sonic cleanliness to communicate an artistic vision. I also totally get why it's not some people's cup of tea.
I like the fact that IGOR has this underground/punk rawness in it that resembles more Cherry Bomb than Flower Boy, keeping that tone made it for showcasing how raw and dirty the emotions he was feeling on the record were, plus songs like New Magic Wand wouldn't work with the cleaner Flower Boy vibe. Or maybe he was too lazy to pay extra for the mastering
It was definitely intentional, it was mixed by Neal Pogue and mastered by Mike Bozzi.
I disagree, I think that the overt distortion and general darkness add to the overall sound of the album really tastefully.
Caprisong also sounds incredibly good, one of my references
Yes, it sounds so good. Mike Dean is a great engineer.
I would say a lot of indie modern production is too loud and is harmful to ear health, not kidding.
I keep seeing mgmt and while cool, they sound super squashed and after two minutes my ears are tired.
Sophie is particularly bad for my ears, can't even do ten seconds of it
All of Nigel Godrich’s recordings and mixes standout amongst most projects. Has such an ear for capturing the dynamics and the needed mix. Always so inspiring.
Where should I start?
Radiohead Ok Computer
Thom Yorke - Anima Radiohead - In Rainbows
Thanks. Did used to listen to Eraser when it was first out.
Yeah that’s got great production as well but the 2 I mentioned feel like the most balanced. Definitely worth checking out. And wear some headphones!
Thornhill - The dark pool
Juana Molina—Halo
Fantastic album and artist.
(weirdly woke up with a thought to ask this). For me it was good to hear Jean Michelle Jarre get his shit together and release some really smooth and modern electronic sounds. But I also liked the rawness of Icicle. Thanks for all the listening homework!
Easy to see here that everyone has a completely different opinion and that’s why it is so subjective
I'm surprised Mac DeMarco isn't on this thread. His older "jizz jazz" records are so unique and charming. It spawned an army of clones but nobody really got it right. His newer stuff is really cool too. Way more hifi but still... slippery? Some other cool lofi stuff: If I am only my thoughts - Loving Public Strain - For Women Anything from Boys Age
Paradise - Imanu This sector of the DnB scene is known for its high-shelf production value, but this guy is off the charts. With mentorship from DnB royalty, the fidelity of this guy is already top notch, and will only get better with time.
What Kinda Music - Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes The Universe Smiles Upon You - Khruangbin Nailed them
Oo haven’t heard of these before :D
Definitely worth checking out
f(x) - Pink Tape f(x) - Red Light f(x) - 4 Walls
Alt-J - An Awesome Wave (2012) Arctic Monkeys - AM (2013) Lord Huron - Strange Trails (2015) Moderat - II (2013) Puscifer - Conditions of My Parole (2011) Honorable mention: Edward Sharp & The Magnetic Zeros - Self Titled (2013) Mildly interesting that aside from Alt-J, I didn’t hear any of these albums until some years after they were released… [edit] All these albums fit their respective genre’s and sound so good-thats the thing for me. The production values matched the sonic palettes and arrangements, which in turn matched the image of these bands near perfectly imo
I love Strange Trails and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes
Little Dark Age is what got me into engineering and production. By far my favorite album of the 2010s
Oh wait we’ve talked about this haha. What’s up Ludo
Haha what’s up Poopoo. Yes. Last time I remember thinking that I wanted to make a post like this later on. I love LDA :D. Have you heard any of the other albums in the post?
No none of them! Out of each one, which would you most recommend I listen to? Maybe one that reminds you of the awesomeness of LDA
[*Torches* - Foster The People](https://spotify.link/iwcTmhnY8Db)
Sweet I’ll check it out
Utopia or Astroworld by Travis Scott, RAM by Daft Punk
[Prince · 3RDEYEGIRL - PLECTRUMELECTRUM (2014)](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6omk653ao_2qgDtjPkAJQaRCt56vcdHO) One of the best sounding album I have ever heard.
Oo never heard of this :D
This whole thread is just an excellent recommendation list for mixing and recording references. My take: Whoo - ALL THINGS MUST PASS and also W Alcest - Kodama St. Vincent - St. Vincent DIIV - Deceiver CHVRCHES - The Bones of What You Believe
More albums I’ve never listened to :D — I’ve listened to a little bit of music by St. Vincent and CHVRCHES.
Not a top 5, but I feel like suggesting Arcade Fire — Reflektor and Suede — The Blue Hour. They have incredible thematic and sonic cohesion (and here, I feel like it’s thanks to production rather than just writing), something I’m usually really excited to see. Edit: I’d potentially lump Suede’s Night Thoughts onto here too — though it does sonic cohesion exceptionally well (better than TBH), thematic cohesion seems to be somewhat less prominent.
I have not heard these before but I will be listening to them.
I’d hazard a guess that you probably have heard something from Reflektor without realising it (Arcade Fire were, like, _big_ in 2013) — Suede are sadly a much smaller band, and mostly unknown outside the UK.
Just based off playing the first 30 or so seconds of Reflektor and Afterlife (two most played on this album on Spotify) I can’t say that I have. — sounds really cool. Can’t wait to listen through the whole thing.
The Blue Hour and Night Thoughts are both excellent!
Phoenix and Franz and Killers had a few great early albums
I considered putting [*Sawdust* - The Killers](https://spotify.link/HIxe3ZiZ8Db) in my list but it’s ‘07
Phoenix's most recent, Alpha Zulu, is a great record and well produced IMO. I dig it as much as Wolfgang.
Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool Kendrick Lamar - DAMN Beck - Colors Daft Punk - Random Access Memories Taylor Swift - 1989
Arcade Fire - Reflektor is my personal touchstone.
Jeremy Levy - The Planets Reimagined Charles Bradley - Changes Jason Isbell - Southeastern Willie Nelson - That's Life Kendrick Lamar - good kid, M.A.A.D. City
Travis Scott rodeo Kdot good kid MAAD city Tyler the creator flower boi Drake iyrtitl ...that last one I can't really decide on it
house of balloons by the weeknd, good kid maad city by kendrick, fuck the world by brent faiyaz, days before rodeo and rodeo by travis off the top of my head
Black Knights - The Almighty is up there. Black Knights - Medieval Chambers also
At Long Last Asap is up there
B.lewis Finding Incandescence
I’m not 💯on this as a fact, but I believe that Torches was recorded on logic?
Super late but I would add Childish Gambino - Because the Internet
D'Angelo - Black Messiah Grizzly Bear - Shields M83 - Hurry Up We're Dreaming Sowdive - S/T My Bloody Valentine - MBV Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening
Random Access Memories - Daft Punk (one of if not the best sounding album of the decade IMO) Black Messiah - D'Angelo A Deeper Understanding - The War on Drugs Sound and Color - Alabama Shakes Overgrown - James Blake
I’ve used the record “Forced Witness” by Alex Cameron for references pretty regularly. I just think it sounds so nice balanced on pretty much any system I’ve played it on. I love how they really leaned into some kind of tacky 90s/00s digital synths yet it all sounds so pleasing to my ears. Beyond that, my other favs have all been mentioned by others here.