Max's Favorite Albums of 2010-2019

Max Feinblatt
Dec 23, 2019
43 min read

Updated: Nov 23, 2020

What a decade of music. And what a decade of changes. Changes as to how we listen, consume and are presented music, but also personal changes that have switched things up irreparably. I started the decade as a junior in college in DC, and end it as a married man living with my wife in Brooklyn. And in between, countless jobs, experiences and years back home in New Jersey that have influenced me in a way that I'm unlikely to be exposed to ever again in my life. Though change is the only constant in our world, I have a sort of stasis now - with a partner, a job and more of a set role in life. Not to say these things won't evolve going forward - of course they will. But because of the nature of the past decade - really growing from a kid to ... an older kid - the music I experienced along the way was more important than ever and touched me for all sorts of different reasons.

Though there is a lot here, this is in no way a comprehensive list and there is plenty I'm leaving off - and even some I'm including that I'm probably overly romanticizing. Forget about getting hitched - at the beginning of the decade, who would've thought I'd go from Limewire to Frostwire to iTunes to Amazon Music to Apple Music? Take a bite out of that.

Here are my favorite albums of the 2010s, listed alphabetically.

Alvvays - Alvvays (2014)

Alvvays and Hovvdy - both bands I listen to and like now - originally irked me because of how they use vv instead of w in their names ... yeah, I'm judgmental. Anyway, I went to The National's Homecoming Festival in Cincinnati last year, and Alvvays were set to play so I dove right in to prep for seeing them. I had seen acclaim for their music online, and one spin through their short but fun self-titled record sold me. The music is bouncy and surf rock-like, feigning a sunny day when - if you really listen to the lyrics - it's an album about growing up and making adult decisions. Which, if you read my intro, fits perfectly into the theme of the decade. PS - they were great live!

GATEWAY: "Archie, Marry Me"

MOOD: 11 PM with bae at your neighborhood bar

The Antlers - Familiars (2014)

This seriously might be one of the most underrated albums that I can think of. Because each track is pretty long (all nine are 5+ minutes) and none of them are punchy or fast-tempo'd, I can see why some may have overlooked this without giving it enough attention; I was almost guilty of that myself. But starting with "Palace," if you really listen to it, you realize that it's approaching a masterpiece. The horns are plentiful, the drum patterns stylistic and lead singer Peter Silberman's un-classic, yearning vocals carry the day. This album took the formula from its preceding EP, Undersea, and expanded its color palette to album-length. It's not a record for partying, but it's beautiful and patient and rewards getting into for sure.

GATEWAY: "Palace"

MOOD: Underwater funeral

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (2010)

Most Arcade Fire fans rank their debut, Funeral, as the band's best work to this day, now after 5 LPs. A rightful choice, certainly, but this one may supersede it. This is a classic time-and-place album for me - the last summer before the final year of college and, hence, no summers left. So I have my personal situation at the time affecting my intake of it, but content-wise it's so serious and dense and topical that you just can't help but feel like you, too grew up in a dead-end suburban sprawl.

Speaking of sprawl, we have two of them on here. In "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)," Régine Chassagne takes the reins on lead vocal duties, and she breaks my heart every time she sings, "They heard me singing and they told me to stop!" That song's a dance number, but you also have a jaunty piano tune in the title track, art-rock meta commentary on "Rococo" and even a punk turn on "Month of May." There are many more styles yet on other tracks, but the lyrical theme is just as affecting. "Modern Man" tongue-in-cheekily skewers millennial culture, "Wasted Hours" laments the loss of innocent fun and "We Used to Wait" is a paean for the days of yore when e-mail did not exist yet. And that only scratches the surface.

This album is iconic. It is ingrained in my mind at a level that's hard to explain and, themes aside, makes me very emotional any time I muster up the courage to give it a spin. Its follow-up, Reflektor, may have been too ambitious for its own good but was still pretty great. Reflektor's follow-up, Everything Now, was largely disappointing and now the band sits at a pivotal juncture. I'm certainly anticipating what they'll do next, and while they don't need to (and shouldn't) make The Suburbs 2, maybe they can make The City instead.

GATEWAY: "Suburban War"

MOOD: A twilit drive to your childhood friend's home

Band of Horses - Infinite Arms (2010)

Band of Horses never really gets their full due. They're pretty MOR by indie rock standards, but they have a wealth of great songs, and at least two great albums. This is one of them. I love the harmonies on here between lead singer/guitarist Ben Bridwell and his bandmates and each song is just crispy guitar rock. After two relatively compact albums, they spread their wings a little bit on this one, and there is truly not one bad track. "On My Way Back Home" is a wistful look back on youth, "Older" is a kind of country ditty courtesy of keyboardist Ryan Monroe and "Evening Kitchen" is an acoustic duet about the most romantic (and deadly) part of a house. It's a lovely affair that I'd really recommend to anyone who likes laid-back rock music with nice harmonies.

GATEWAY: "Blue Beard"

MOOD: Standing in a pitch black field under a starlit sky

Bon Iver - Bon Iver (2011)

This album is monumental and looms large on my metaphorical mantle of favorite records. Another classic time-and-place album for me, Bon Iver was released right after I graduated college and moved back home to my parents' house in New Jersey. I was pretty lost at the time, looking for a job, about to turn 22 and not sure what I was going to do next. Like many an intrepid music fan before me, I fell in love with Justin Vernon's first major release, For Emma, Forever Ago, finding it in the (re:) stacks at my college radio station. It didn't reinvent the wheel musically, but it had a haunted, downtrodden feel to it that made it unique; listening to it felt - to borrow a lyric from the album - like seeing "death on a sunny snow." And while I had many memories tied to that album and it was so meaningful to me, Vernon had recently started collaborating with Kanye West, so I was skeptical as to what his new material would sound like.

Luckily, any expectation I had was blown out of the water. His lyrics are still mysterious (ahem, nonsensical) most of the time, so when one comes through plain as day, it hits even harder. ("And at once I knew I was not magnificent.") But his voice is as gorgeous as ever, sometimes plain and falsetto, sometimes auto-tuned and lower in the register, though not to the same extent as on "Woods." From the hushed piano twinklings of "Wash." to the going-down-the-waterfall rush of "Calgary" to the 80s-saxophone reprise of "Beth/Rest," there is so much beautiful stuff going on musically that it's hard to sum up in a few short paragraphs. "Hinnom, TX" is a shorter, more electronically-indebted interlude while "Towers" is a guitar-first ode to young love. All this and I haven't even mentioned the rollicking drum fills of "Perth" or perhaps their greatest song, bar-none, "Holocene."

So, yeah, this is one of the best albums of the decade and one of the best of my lifetime thus far. It will encompass you completely and make you feel things; I still remember the first night I listened to this, sitting on the couch with most of the lights off, absolutely floored. Its wintry feel and place name-based song titles may lock you into a particular season or mindset, but if you are someone who used to care about a place, a person, a thing and have now moved on to something else, this record will resonate with you.

GATEWAY: "Holocene"

MOOD: Unexpectedly driving past a place that used to have meaning to you

Chance the Rapper - Coloring Book (2016)

Downloaded off a hunch after a late night of work in the office, I was immediately hit with "All We Got," and the truism that music is indeed all we got. It's very simplistic and of course not really true, but I do believe in its sentiment. Everything in life really is temporary, but music will endure forever and give comfort when we need it. I feel that. And though the production is a little lackluster given that this is just a 'mixtape,' the jazzy, gospel qualities of this album really stand out. This was my first exposure to Chance, and I enjoy his singing and rapping. I think his wordplay is clever, though I of course don't relate to his Christian themes as much.

Now knowing Acid Rap and The Big Day in hindsight, I find him more annoying than I used to. But this mixtape is really fun and is just pleasant to vibe to - religion affiliation notwithstanding. "No Problem" is tongue-in-cheek fake-confrontational, "Blessings" and mixtape-ender "Blessings (Reprise)" are just sweet and positive while "All Night" is your average upbeat club bop. He laments the passing of childhood friends in "Summer Friends," casts away bad habits on "Same Drugs" and goes roller skating with Justin Bieber on "Juke Jam" before having the church chorus go big on "How Great." This is a touching trove of tracks that will instantly flip summer on and bring a smile to your face.

GATEWAY: "All We Got"

MOOD: Hopped up on sugar at church

Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest (2010)

I didn't get into Deerhunter until a bit after this one came out, but as soon as I did I realized how great they can be. This one is their best, and for me it's because it's their most accessible. Their dynamic ranges, so you have shorter, poppier moments like "Memory Boy" and longer, more drawn out pieces like "He Would Have Laughed." But in all of these songs ... save, maybe, for "Sailing" ... there is life and melody. Lead singer Bradford Cox is still his weird self, guitarist Lockett Pundt contributes two tracks to the affair and there is even a saxophone solo on "Coronado." This album truly has it all.

GATEWAY: "Helicopter"

MOOD: Successfully captaining a rocky boat through a storm

Feist - Metals (2011)

Cozy up! This album is the waning days of fall ... the onset of winter where there may not be precipitation yet, but everything is bare and cold. It's interesting because the songs and the production somehow simultaneously feel cold and warm - a blanket to comfort you when things are bleak. Some of the natural elements included - bells chiming and clanging, the music sounding like it was recorded halfway across the room, the album cover itself - provide a chilly effect throughout. But it's Feist's voice, really, that provides that comforting essence - the marshmallows floating on top of the hot cocoa. Be it the tenderest of moments ("Cicadas and Gulls") or a little more forceful ("A Commotion"), the album is never less than compelling and beautiful throughout. A perfect leafy day or light powder listen.

GATEWAY: "Graveyard"

MOOD: Sitting by the window during the first snowfall of the season

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues (2011)

The melodies and harmonies were compact and extremely pleasant on this group's debut LP, but what would happen for their follow-up? Well, Robin Pecknold showed us just how mature his songwriting was, all the while being able to stick to his acoustically-driven choral-like arrangements. Parts of their duo of two-song vignettes ("The Plains/Bitter Dancer," "The Shrine/An Argument") got a little noisy and radical, hinting at what would come later on on Crack-Up, but they begin the album with "Montezuma," a straight-forward moment of clarity in which Pecknold wonders, "So now I am older than my mother and father / When they had their daughter / Now what does that say about me?" No biggie.

There are quiet moments of beauty on here like "Blue Spotted Tail," "He Doesn't Know Why"-esque harmonious folk rock like "Battery Kinzie," and then there's the one-two punch of the mid-album title track and final track. "Helplessness Blues" finds Pecknold grappling with his upbringing and place in the world, and moves from an engine that's revving up to making a speeding turn around the track to finally gliding gracefully into the finish line. "Grown Ocean" kind of follows the same path, but its ending may be the most remarkable moment in the whole Fleet Foxes canon. They leave you hanging on the last line, with your ears trained to want one more falling note. But, instead, you get nothing; I still get chills every time I hear this song end, and I know it's going to end!

GATEWAY: "Helplessness Blues"

MOOD: Wandering the state fair on a gorgeous day

Future Islands - Singles (2014)

A 2014 release, but a 2018 acquisition for me, in anticipation of the previously mentioned Homecoming Music Festival in Cincinnati. Because of their synth- and bass-heavy aesthetic, I wasn't sure this would be music for me, but, boy, was I wrong. Frontman Samuel Herring is one of the best in the biz, as active as any bandleader you'll see on stage. Sometimes it sounds like he's mumbling, sometimes he screams like a demon swallowed his soul and sometimes his singing is more like sing-rapping. But these 10 tracks are fantastic, and perfectly encapsulate what this Baltimore trio does best.

It's true that the production of their albums cannot match the energy and verve of their live sets, but if you can't see them live you'll have to settle for the next best thing. "Seasons (Waiting on You)," their behemoth of a first single, quickly introduces their upbeat and catchy style, synths flanking the path guided by a sturdy bass line and Herring crooning about relationships and their propensity to change (and possibly change you) over time. "Sun in the Morning" is a true blue love song if there ever was one, simply about how great a person can make you feel. I love the simple but honest lyrics, the choir in the chorus and the horns that accompany the sound.

The deep keyboard notes and hi-hat tickling on "Doves" is always a fan favorite, the chorus of "Spirit" sounds like the soundtrack for a fast-paced racing video game and "A Song for Our Grandfathers" is just that - feeling the weight of generations past and how it all led to you. "Fall from Grace" is initially shocking in Herring's maniacal growl - "Was it ... ALL INSIDE OF ME????" And, finally, "A Dream of You and Me" is a fantastic ender about standing at the water and grappling with life's biggest questions. Again, the bass is groovy, the synth notes sound almost beach-like and Herring's singing is contemplative yet assured. This album is stellar from start to finish.

GATEWAY: "Seasons (Waiting on You)"

MOOD: Daytime exorcism

Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost (2011)

Girls may be no longer, but they left us two great albums to hold onto, one of which came during this decade. This was their last one, and, yes, that is every word of the album on the cover. “Honey Bunny” starts things off with a snappy, seemingly jovial rumpus, though its music belies the words… lead man Christopher Owens is looking for his partner in life, and quips about it in a devastatingly joking-but-not-joking way I used to think along the lines of (“I know you’re out there / You might be right around the corner / And you’ll be the girl that I love”) before reverting to thinking of his mother’s love in the bridge as the music slows. His mother (“My Ma”) is a topic that recurs throughout, and when you have a loving mother, it can be an awkward transition from feeling that kind of affection from her to finding a new kind of love from a prospective life partner.

“Alex” is a straight-up rock cut that may be my favorite on here; I love the high-hat drumming, the breakdown ⅔ of the way through, and the guitar & bass in the outro very much. This is another example of a coda that go on for minutes more and I would not get bored. The surprising lyricism of “Saying I Love You” (“How can I say I love you … Now that you’ve said everything I’ve said to you / To somebody new”) is genius. “Vomit” is an absolute gem, another searching-for-love missive that veers between soft and loud, complete with a gospel choir, church organ and some of my favorite lyrics in any song: “There’s something that I get from myself / And there’s something that you give to me / When I got one without the other / Well, it’s not enough to be / I need your love / Come into my heart.” And in between, you have the brash punk of “Die” and 60s standard of “Love Like a River,” complete with badass and heartbreaking guitar solo.

Owens has an interesting background, having partially grown up in some sort of cult, but in focusing just on this album itself, I can’t help but be impressed by its musical versatility, catchy jams and plainly just how honest he is in his songwriting about looking for someone to love and all that comes with that. I really connected to that, particularly at the outset of this decade. He’s had a few nice songs here and there among his solo discography since, but we’ll take Girls back anytime now, please and thanks.

GATEWAY: “Alex”

MOOD: Mom helping you get ready for a date

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach (2010)

Narrowly making this list (because it came out in March 2010, not because I don’t like it), to me this is Gorillaz’ best album because Demon Days had a bit more filler to it. I love the eclecticism in different tracks - from an “Orchestral Intro” to Snoop Dogg helping to lead things off in a chill way (“Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach”), to De La Soul contributing vocals on the wacky and childlike TV theme song “Superfast Jellyfish,” to Damon Albarn’s hopelessly heartbreaking vocals on “On Melancholy Hill,” to the late Bobby Womack’s unique delivery on “Cloud of Unknowing,” to the spaghetti western of “Broken,” to the Asian-influenced high-speed funk of “Empire Ants” … there’s so much ground to cover here. It’s really the complete package: rap, singing, gentle, melancholy, upbeat, sophomoric and ultimately concerned: stop polluting our waters!

GATEWAY: “Rhinestone Eyes”

MOOD: Drifting out to sea with a 30-rack of Singha

Grizzly Bear - Shields (2012)

After their star-marking turn of Veckatimest, it was anybody's guess as to what would come next. Would they lean in to the pop inclinations of the aforementioned or would they revert back to the more orchestral arrangements a la Yellow House? Well, the answer was both! There's the crackling fire of "Sleeping Ute," the underwater explosion of "Yet Again," and they still have time to "Speak in Rounds" and tease playfully on "Gun-Shy." "Half Gate" is one of the best ones here, a rare duet between Ed Droste and Daniel Rossen that ends in a tempestuous whirlwind. And mini-epic closer "Sun in Your Eyes" goes from quiet to loud in a majestic way, a blaring of horns complementing the pleas of both lead singers, combining with a patient piano line, fuzzed-out bass and thunderous drumming to make you want to start back at the beginning all over again.

GATEWAY: "Yet Again"

MOOD: Wearing a tuxedo on a hike

Hop Along - Painted Shut (2015)

Frances Quinlan might be the most affecting vocalist in rock today. Her vocals kick the album off, with precision guitar strumming trailing right behind. These are concise, confident numbers that slay because of the musicianship and vocal delivery. It takes all of 11 seconds in opener "The Knock" ("In the garage!") to realize that Quinlan will not play it safe; her voice floats and strains and shouts and pacifies at equal turns throughout the album. Highlights include "The Knock"'s final, pleading stretch ("The witness just wants to talk to you!"), the sweetness of "Buddy in the Parade"'s chorus, the electric country of "Horseshoe Crabs," the tour-de-force performance of "Waitress" and ... I'm just going to name every song, aren't I?

"Happy to See Me" is more impressive because it's largely spare, save for her vocals. "Texas Funeral" finds Quinlan almost apoplectic at times, the guitars just surging forward like they've been electrocuted ... there's even a sweet singalong at the end ("None of this is gonna happen to me!"). "Powerful Man"'s chorus will send shivers through your spine, the Rilo Kiley-esque one-two punch of "I Saw My Twin" and "Well-Dressed" might have you thinking it's 2001 again and finale "Sister Cities" will break your heart as you get back on that country road and roll those windows down. Mainly, this is a remarkable record for how hooky it is given the volatility of the vocals and how sharp the music is in comparison. It's a rollicking, emotional outing that's not for the faint of heart.

GATEWAY: "Horseshoe Crabs"

MOOD: Shouting in line to see the maître d'

Local Natives - Hummingbird (2013)

Around this time I was fully in my The National swoon, which had been going on for the better part of five years and ... hmm ... is still going today ... Anyway, hearing that The National guitarist Aaron Dessner was producing this album only helped pique my interest in what this California crew would do next. I was lukewarm on their debut, Gorilla Manor, but it had the elements of why I loved The National and showed what I believed to be potential to be a favorite band of mine. So "Breakers" was released as the first single from this album, and it ended up being possibly my favorite song of the year. It had that loose feeling from the first album but upped the rambunctiousness in a very calculated way.

When the whole album dropped, I almost couldn't believe how great and more mature it was. For the most part, "Breakers" was an outlier in that most of the rest of it is serious in nature and contemplative, but they were able to stay consistent by building some great-sounding guitar set-pieces. They essentially dispensed with the rhythm-focused/African-indebted flavor they tried out on the first album and made the most focused album they've made - still two albums later and up until this point. Both lead singers have distinct, emotive voices, and whether one of their songs is a slow-burn ("Columbia," "Mt. Washington") or an established mood that grooves throughout ("Black Balloons," "Wooly Mammoth"), they all combine to form what became an NYC-by-way-of-Los-Angeles album that's elegiac and gorgeous to replay.

GATEWAY: "Breakers"

MOOD: Holding on to your partner during new, big life moments

Lord Huron - Strange Trails (2015)

This was yet another band I got into for the purposes of going to the Homecoming Festival in Cincinnati. On the surface, one could write the band off as shamelessly aping the western cowboy looking for love/country campfire trope, but they rise above it by coming off as earnest, with solid musical performances and just great songwriting. "Love Like Ghosts" immediately introduces us to Ben Schneider's best friend, reverb, and chugs its way to its mission statement: "I'll sing all day and I love you through the night." "Until the Night Turns" is riding on horseback through the summer sun, "Hurricane (Johnnie's Theme)" is a stop at the saloon in the desert and "Fool For Love" is getting back on that horse, a couple drinks in, and feeling ready to get hurt. "Meet Me in the Woods" is an excellent, driving track. The bottle-banging and sharp-toothed guitar outro of "Frozen Pines" again evokes an oasis on a long trek. "Cursed" is the hobnobbing that ensues after the evening's tents are pitched, and, finally, "The Night We Met" is a timeless classic. Its familiar arpeggiated guitar line and emotive lyrics make you feel for this heartbroken bronco, and will connect with anyone who's lost love or lost their way in love. Overall, the singing is passionate, the guitars are sharp and the hooks are there in spades ... even if he reuses some of them. I like this album a lot.

GATEWAY: "Meet Me in the Woods" MOOD: Wine-drunk journey through Big Sky territory

Lucy Dacus - Historian (2018)

One of the purest (female) voices I've heard in a while, Lucy can be tender or rock all the way out without losing her cool. Her guitar work is excellent and her wordplay is clever all over these 10 tracks. The "Night Shift" begins by describing how her ex-lover is opposite from her in every way, alternating from delicately tuneful to fuzzed-out crying out in the final third. The strings adorning "Nonbeliever" are gorgeous, "Pillar of Truth" is an uplifting ode to her deceased grandmother that behaves similarly to the unrepentant ending of "Night Shift" and "Yours & Mine" is a self-empowering rallying cry (complete with guitar solo) to let those who don't believe in your mission know they can just take care of themselves; you're gonna do your thing without them if need be. "Addictions" and "The Shell" are two other of my favorite tracks here, but "Timefighter" wins the prize for this collection. She sings about the topic that weighs most heavily on my mind - the passage of time - and how though we are constantly fighting it, we will always lose. ("I've fought time / It won in a landslide.") But, musically, it's the best combination of brooding guitar, sultry singing and ground-pounding drumming on the album; it even fittingly cuts out right as it gets to its apex.

GATEWAY: "Timefighter"

MOOD: Successful all-female action movie remake

M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming (2011)

This album is maximalist in every sense. It's a double album, for starters, but the music is so grandiose that it's impossible to ignore. This is unabashed shooting for the stars. It's purposely uplifting work that has no shame and reaches as high as possible. This music was made to be used in pivotal movie scenes and plucked from to be included on soundtracks. And it all works. Even "Intro" - which is 5+ minutes long - is about the most epic song you've ever heard, and it's only just begun. "Midnight City" - the big hit from the album - may sound out of place or possibly annoying by itself on the radio (wow, I'm dating myself), but it really works as a part of the album's tapestry. It's loud, bombastic and feels exactly like its title - going out late at night in the big city, having a hell of a time.

But even though most of the double album is loud and gregarious, there are contemplative moments of true beauty as well. "Wait" builds up, first registering as a patient progression but then exploding like a patient waking up from a coma. Side one closer "Soon, My Friend" is like a chorus of forest creatures in the night. "My Tears are Becoming a Sea" is another track that starts off slowly and bursts into emotion. "Year One, One UFO" sounds like the theme music for the inevitable 2050 reboot of Futurama. "Splendor" sounds purely like its title. "Outro" goes for the nosebleeds, and so on and so forth. The vocals and harmonies are bold, synth pads gigantic and almost every song is hopeful, reaching high in the sky - be it on a rocket ship or simply gazing from Earth.

GATEWAY: "Outro"

MOOD: Stargazing and seeing shooting star after shooting star

Mimicking Birds - Eons (2014)

Grab your flannel - we're going camping. I was looped (no pun intended) into this group of Modest Mouse protégés over a decade ago in college with their early track "The Loop," and when this album came out I pounced on it. It's rustic, woodsy and mostly acoustic, though it has plenty of electric (and electronic) flourishes that help flesh out the sound of these 10 tracks. Lead singer/songwriter/guitarist Nate Lacy's sinewy voice is somewhat unorthodox in its delivery but gets very tender and sweet at times. It's a fairly easy-listening album that still manages to employ impressive guitar lines. Give it a shot - you may just want to put that phone down and go on a hike.

GATEWAY: "Memorabilia"

MOOD: Crossing over a stream during a hike upstate

The National - High Violet (2010)

Other than, say, Real Estate, this is the most important band on this list for me. And I’m not including every album by all of my favorite bands on this list - I only went 2/3 for Real Estate - so it’s a testament to how continually great The National is that I have all four of their LPs from this decade on here. It’s somewhat jaw-dropping in and of itself that they even released four albums in one decade - how many bands are doing that anymore? I know them all by heart.

Coming off of Boxer, the band’s young masterpiece, they came out with High Violet, like a prestige piece of television. It’s dramatic and elegant, not shying away from emotional deformity (“Didn’t wanna be anyone’s ghost / Didn’t wanna be your ghost”) or a lavish setpiece (“I’m in a Los Angeles cathedral”). It kicks off with “Terrible Love,” a raucous track that builds up to a cathartic ending that’s only topped by the (live and) "Alternate Version" on the deluxe edition that I’m confused why they didn’t include here. Regardless, they continue on with moroseness personified in “Sorrow,” perhaps the most on the nose track in their whole discography.

They have their mission statement in “Bloodbuzz Ohio” (“I still owe money to the money to the money I owe / I never thought about love when I thought about home”). There’s the creepy, nervous stomping of “Afraid of Everyone” (thanks, Sufjan), the cartoonish nastiness of “Conversation 16” (“I was afraid I’d eat your brains / ‘Cause I’m evil”) and the slow-burn “Runaway,” affirming to not become the very titular thing lead singer Matt Berninger is talking about.

I love Matt’s voice and a lot of his lyrics (and I sing and write certain lyrics like him), twin brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner conjure up guitar-driven storms - sometimes in unconventional ways - and drummer Bryan Devendorf is at once a human metronome and one of the most inventive drummers any genre of music has to offer. I feel bad for not mentioning his twin, bassist Steven, here, but to me his work is the least crucial to the band as a whole. No disrespect. Just saying!

GATEWAY: "Bloodbuzz Ohio"

MOOD: Sprinting inside sopping wet after getting caught in a storm

The National - Trouble Will Find Me (2013)

If High Violet was where The National perfected its craft, Trouble Will Find Me was where they flexed their muscle, taking stabs at everything they do best - never rewriting the story but sharpening their edges at every turn. "Don't Swallow the Cap" is basically The National by the numbers and, thus, one of the best ones here: exciting guitar work, affecting piano lines, machine-gun drumming and almost stream-of-consciousness singing. "I Should Live in Salt," a love song for Matt's brother (not in the band), is even more interesting because it has some of those guitar-harmonic flourishes reminiscent of the group's 2001 alt country self-titled debut. "Fireproof" is a bit of throwback as well, stuttering acoustic guitar and piano a la "Baby, We'll Be Fine" or "Looking for Astronauts."

"Sea of Love" - not a cover song - does pretty much as much rocking as The National ever does, starting with a propulsive pulse and not letting up. "This Is the Last Time" ends in a gorgeous swell of strings. "I Need My Girl" is a goofy, self-deprecating ode to needing one's partner. "Pink Rabbits" is one of my overall favorite National songs. It's piano-led and finds Berninger sounding like he's drunk, standing out in the rain and lamenting the love that needled him. Finally, "Hard to Find" is a standout, heartbreaking closer that is a relatable eulogy of lost love, lost youth and all that entails. There's even one line in particular that crushingly refers to the Sandy Hook massacre ("I don't know why we had to lose / The ones who took so little space"). ☹️

GATEWAY: "Don't Swallow the Cap"

MOOD: Successfully navigating a harrowing evening with the in-laws

The National - Sleep Well Beast (2017)

And if Trouble Will Find Me was The National perfecting what it does best, Sleep Well Beast was The National taking what it does best and turning it on its head. They didn’t invent a new genre of music, but they were able to successfully incorporate electronic textures into the mix and get even darker in their presentation. Lead single "The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness" was initially a head-scratcher due to its mechanical title and industrial guitar lick that kicks it off, but after just one full listen it proved itself to be - and I could say this for a fair amount of their songs - one of the best overall ones in their whole discography. I like the bouncy nature of the verses, the wordless cooing during the bridge and, most of all, the feeling that's evoked in the chorus with the swell of the music and Berninger sounding like he's at the end of his rope, exclaiming "I can't explain it any other way!"

First track "Nobody Else Will Be There" starts things off with a dour piano intro that plummets you into the cave the rest of the record tries to spelunk its way out of. But it's a sweet song to me; whether trying to leave a party or going through an argument, there's a longing to be alone with your love in your home to make things better. Berninger's voice is softer and sounds somewhat resigned for the majority of the album ("... Darkness" and "Turtleneck" notwithstanding). "Day I Die" is the other rocker on the album, while other songs are either mostly subdued or awash in those synths - and sometimes both.

"Carin at the Liquor Store" is another classic National piano-led track that employs some laser-like guitar playing for its climax. "I'll Still Destroy You" begins with some weird noises but blooms into an earnest, self-deprecatingly sweet, instrument-driven letter from Berninger to his family. "Guilty Party" is a slow burn: echoing drums, a swirl of Dessner guitar and Kyle Resnick horns as Matt mumbles his way through apologizing for his misdeeds. "Dark Side of the Gym" does sound like a prom night waltz, albeit with a creepy undertone, and the final, title track - the first (and already first of two) in their full-length discography - is a truly ominous ending to a largely pessimistic but pretty piece of art.

GATEWAY: "The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness"

MOOD: A creepy smile as the light flickers

The National - I Am Easy To Find (2019)

Finally, if Sleep Well Beast was The National playing with some new toys, I Am Easy To Find was the band inviting their friends to come over and play with them. Certainly unexpected after not even two years, plus curating their own music festival and creating a companion film for this music in that time, this album arrived already dressed as a worthy addition to their catalog. And it's not like they're coming out with 38-minute, 10 track records, either. High Violet is 48 minutes long, Trouble Will Find Me 56, Sleep Well Beast 58 and this one 64! (We can only assume now that the next one will be 70.) This one ended up being some leftover tracks from the last few records, plus new ones made in conjunction with its titular movie.

So Matt steps back a bit on here, allowing guest female vocalists to take lead vocal duties on several songs and having his wife write more of the lyrics (as she's done at times in the past, too). I will freely admit that the interludes - "Her Father in the Pool," "Underwater" and most of "Dust Swirls in Strange Light" - should have been left off, but the rest of the actual songs make up for it and then some. "Quiet Light" is a pretty straightforward National track that ends in a symphonic dustbowl. I love the pregnant pause between the "ho" and "liday" of "Roman Holiday." "Oblivions" may be the most orchestral Dessner production yet.

Then there's the title track. Whew. I keep saying a bunch of these songs may be the best in their whole catalog, but this is another one in the running ... I just danced to it at my wedding! "There's a million battles that I'm never gonna win anyway / I'm still waiting for you every night with ticker tape." If there's another couplet that defines a lifelong relationship better, I haven't heard it. "Rylan," a song that's been around for around a decade, sounds most like old-school National here. And album closer "Light Years" is a tender piano ballad that gorgeously ends it on a somber note - quite the opposite of "Mr. November."

These albums are all superb and since there is so much more ground to cover here I won't get into all my feelings about them and the band, but it's easy to argue that The National was the band that grew the biggest in this decade. The lyrics are funny, painful and sometimes both. I love Matt's baritone. The instrumentation is incredible. The drumming is just so on point, and all of these records were immaculately produced; everything sounds so fresh every listen through. I'll be listening to these albums for decades to come.

GATEWAY: "Rylan"

MOOD: Burst of laughter with your partner after your baby has just peed all over the floor

Night Beds - Country Sleep (2013)

Strikingly gorgeous. It's an early-20s hEaRtFeLt record that sounds honest without being obvious or a retread. Winston Yellen's voice is sublime and his melodies are uncomplicated but impactful, like they've always existed but for some reason you're just noticing them for the first time. It's also uncanny how apt the album title is for the music - there are 'country' flourishes in some of the songs but it's just so easy to picture these songs playing at the foot of a mountain. And while there's plenty of percussion on the record, it does have a sleepy feel to it, such as on tracks "Even if We Try," "Cherry Blossoms" and "Was I For You?" The album is stark and painful in its heartbreak. Is the sexy "Wanted_You in August" trying to say "I wanted you then, and now I have you" or is it more like "I wanted you then, and I wish I had you still"? I'm thinking it's the latter. For anyone who doesn't need thumping beats or heavy metal to satiate their auditory needs, I heavily recommend this album. Sadly, they largely moved on to awkward glitchy R&B after this and have all but disappeared, but these 10 tracks and the singles that preceded it will last a lifetime.

GATEWAY: "Lost Springs"

MOOD: Glass of whiskey by the campfire

Pinegrove - Cardinal (2016)

One of my two musical loves from 2016 (Whitney), Pinegrove - another New Jersey band - captured me with their woodsy, suburban blend of sensitive indie rock, Americana, emo angst and just a hint of country. The singing is great, lyrics often poignant and music is fresh … even if the production leaves a little something to be desired. Some highlights include the wordplay on “Old Friends,” how the guitar sounds like it’s stepping over puddles on “Cadmium,” the entirety of “Aphasia,” the inner indecision of “Size of the Moon” and the harmonious heartbreak of “New Friends.” Evan Stephens Hall is creative lyrically, as I mentioned, sometimes subverting what you think he’s about to say (“I saw Leah on the bus a few months ago / I saw some old friends at her funeral”) or singing something so universal you can’t help but get caught in it (“What’s the worst that could happen? The end of summer and I’m still in love with her”). And - just back to crown jewel “Aphasia” for a second - the slide guitar, guitar solo and everything in between is just gorgeous, and it’s all capped off by one of the best lyrical passages I’ve ever heard: “So to help remind myself / I wrote this little song / One day I won’t need your love / One day I won’t define myself by the one I’m thinking of / And if one day I won’t need it / Then one day you won’t need it.” Getting over someone who’s left your life is tough and takes time, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

GATEWAY: “Aphasia”

MOOD: Taking the back roads to your high school crush's house

Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork (2013)

This album is awesome. I only knew their two big singles ("No One Knows," "Go With the Flow") before this, so this one hooked me on to them completely. "Keep Your Eyes Peeled" is a great, punchy opening track, already bringing Josh Homme's croon and crunchy guitar licks into focus; his singing is haunting and beautiful throughout the record. "I Sat By the Ocean" is super groovy, "The Vampyre of Time and Memory" is classic-rock balladeering and "My God Is the Sun" is swaggering and confident at every turn. The rest of the album is excellent as well, and "I Appear Missing," in particular, is revelatory with a big chorus, sweet verses, almost black-metal drumming during the breakdown and huge catharsis as the song apexes and reaches its close, Homme about to jump off the ledge. Look out below.

GATEWAY: "I Appear Missing"

MOOD: Haunted indoor roller coaster

The Raveonettes - Raven in the Grave (2011)

I really came to love this band in the latter part of the last decade, and they were incredibly prolific between 2008 and 2012: they released no fewer than four LPs and one EP. As this decade has come to a close, they're not nearly on my radar like thy were before, but I really enjoy these two records enough to put them in my list here. Their sound isn't drastically different in either; it's more about consistency. Whether it's the driving shoegaze of "Recharge & Revolt," the bubblegum bop of "Forget That You're Young" or the dreamlike "Summer Moon," The Raveonettes craft razor-sharp tunes about young love, bad relationships and broken hearts that will make you feel like you're living with your hair on fire too.

GATEWAY: "Recharge & Revolt"

MOOD: Dripping sweat on a dark summer night

The Raveonettes - Obersvator (2012)

Like I was saying, this album is basically a continuation of the last one. "Young and Cold" curiously starts off with just vocals and doesn't even include any percussion, but they sharpen their harmonies and bring the squall on tracks like "Till the End." They use a bit more keyboard here as well, like on the quasi-title track, "Observations." I absolutely love the downtrodden repetition of the "I'm the enemy" admission on "The Enemy" and the guitar passages on "She Owns the Streets." "Downtown" is a Broadway number dressed up in fuzzed-out guitars and the coda of "You Hit Me (I'm Down)" could go on for five more minutes and I wouldn't mind. This band does their best to write themselves out of bad relationships and physical abuse, and their serenely aggressive compositions are the perfect complement to get their point across.

GATEWAY: "The Enemy"

MOOD: High heels clank on the sidewalk on a cold morning

Real Estate - Days (2011)

More than any other band on this list, Real Estate is probably the one that has influenced me most over the decade, between what I seek out to listen to and also the music I (used to) create myself. And it all starts and ends with those shimmering guitar lines, as if a swimming pool learned how to play music. I just can’t think of any better way to describe these tunes other than saying listening to them makes you feel like you’re lounging by a body of water on a hot summer day and the sun is still peeking at you underneath your sunglasses.

The group’s self-titled debut, 10 years old as of last month, made itself known to me in my waning days at my college radio station, and it immediately felt like I had found a long lost love. Then I move back home after school ends and come to find their next album is about to come out in the fall. The added benefit of these guys being from New Jersey and having actual mutual friends with them made the connection even more palpable. The melodies are simple but so evocative of nostalgia, it was a match made in heaven for a kid coming back home (to NJ) after completing schooling. As mentioned, the guitar lines drop with ease and sweat at the same time, like you're flopping back your hair under the sultry sun on your way to grab a treat from the ice cream truck.

I know this one like the back of my hand, and it’s really hard to pick out the best moments because they exist in every song. “Easy” feels effortless, “Green Aisles” wistful, “Three Blocks” patient. Whereas Real Estate focused on the present in a childlike sense (“Let’s go find another swimming pool,” “Budweiser, Sprite, do you feel alright?”), Days looks backwards (“Our careless lifestyle, it was not so unwise”) and forwards (“Things won’t be like they were before / Figured out where I want to be”) with some conviction, while being rooted in the present (“And when I tell you how I feel / Believe me when I say it’s real”).

Martin Courtney’s never been flashy in any way but he performs his parts (jangly rhythm guitar, lyrics, singing) admirably, then-guitarist (and I won’t get into his bad behavior or weird current online persona) Matt Mondanile noodles through some of my all-time favorite lead guitar heroics and bassist Alex Bleeker gets his groove on as well. His main contribution to the record, “Wonder Years,” is the best in his entire oeuvre. ("I'm not yours and you're not mine / Well I'm not OK but I guess I'm doing fine.") My brother and I even got our own bass to try out some of his lines on. I could go on way more in-depth, but maybe I’ll save that for another post in the future. Plus, I’ve got another Real Estate album to get to.

GATEWAY: "Municipality"

MOOD: Walking down the last few sandy blocks before hitting the boardwalk

Real Estate - Atlas (2014)

If Days is the older college kid compared to Real Estate’s high school teen, Atlas is the wiser post-grad who’s actually starting out his or her life. Days shot out of the gate with a confident “Easy,” and Atlas begins with a bit of shyness in “Had to Hear.” They still look back, of course, but this time looking back draws some melancholia ("This is not the same place I used to know / But it still has that same old sound"). Being in the present, though, dredges up its own complications as well, a consequence of having more more life experience to draw from: “And I might as well be talking backwards / Am I making any sense to you? And only thing that really matters / Is the one thing I can’t seem to do.” Aww, baby’s first fight.

This album is more contemplative in tone than the last one, which makes sense. You tend to do more thinking about your next move when you're older, rather than saying “fuck it, whatever” like when you were younger. I love the bridge on “Past Lives” - simple but effective longing. They try a similar trick on “The Bend” that they executed on last album’s “All the Same,” changing the time signature for the final minute or so of the song. And “Primitive” is another simple love song, but it has RE’s classic camping nostalgia feel built into it. I didn't mention the drumming in the last album review because they had changed drummers during and after recording Days, but Jackson Pollis is a full-fledged member here and while he never shows off, he always shoots his target with pinpoint accuracy.

Unfortunately, their effortlessly chill releases would end here, as Mondanile got booted from the band after being abusive to women before their next album, In Mind. It was OK and had some good tracks, but lacked the timeless feel of their previous crew. With that under their belt, I am excited to hear what new sounds the group is ready to unleash next, but I’m afraid that their ascent as one of America’s most solid rock bands was halted in its tracks when they changed theirs.

GATEWAY: "Talking Backwards"

MOOD: Arriving home after a long day to find your partner preparing the table for dinner

Sioux Falls - Rot Forever (2016)

This album is like if Modest Mouse went back to high school, developed even more of a post-punk edge and simultaneously was also a big fan of post-rock. Basically, it's awesome. Perhaps it's a little long (1 hour, 13 minutes), but here is Sioux Falls taking the late 90s reins from Modest Mouse like they never went on to make Good News For People Who Love Bad News. They're also even from the Pacific Northwest. It's wide-eyed, expansive and epic - adolescence personified. The lyrics are sometimes about day-to-day concerns just rolling off the tongue ("It was sunny / Like 80 degrees / I stayed inside / Watched TV"), and sometimes seriously grounded in a very teenage way ("I just wanna believe that what I'm doing / Means something to someone else / Before I die and rot forever").

Musically, there are several places here where they simply perform guitar lines that I love to hear. The simple chord chiming of "Dom" or "Chain of Lakes" easily lulls you into their grasp, while the final passage of "McConoughey" is enough to make you buy the whole record. Then there's the motif they first try on "Try" - at the end of the track - before bringing it back in full for the final three minutes of "Copy / Paste" and one more time as an outro on "If You Let It." It's on par with any lick or riff Modest Mouse, Built to Spill or any of those famous bands from their area have come up with in their careers. Yeah, that's high praise.

So sometimes the lyrical spark is there and will make you question your place in life, and sometimes you'll just get a kick out of hearing them sing "Seattle lost the Super Bowl." But really it's about the music, which I would recommend to anyone who loves that Modest Mouse/PNW/indie rock sound. They are passionate in their singing and playing and it's truly a remarkable, alive debut. Following Rot Forever, though, Sioux Falls moved, changed some band members and rebranded as Strange Ranger. I just discovered they've got a few albums out already, and though there are still some good tunes therein, they're just not on the same level as this one. Check it out.

GATEWAY: "Copy / Paste"

MOOD: Raucous high school basement party that goes until sunrise

Spoon - They Want My Soul (2014)

I had never heard of Spoon before college and only started listening to them because they were coming to play one of our Spring Flings. Really, only through repetition in anticipation of the show, did I come around to their singles (which I listened to through music streaming relic imeem). They were fine enough, but I listened through to some of their albums in full, and I just didn't understand their mass appeal. A few rock-y tunes, sure, but I thought they were the definition of mediocre.

Ok, well, I've set that all up because then this album came out and it became my favorite of 2014. Spoon has been around a long time now, and though they have an intrinsic DNA in their sound, they have been successfully able to mutate from album to album as they've grown in years and stature. So this one still has their rock-first sound, but they were able to seamlessly incorporate some electronic/synthesizer elements - particularly on standout track "Inside Out" - to create some of their most unique tracks.

I just really like this album a lot. "Rent I Pay" starts the album off with what sounds like the snare drum being hit underwater. The aforementioned "Inside Out" takes you on a spacey trip, and is one of the sweetest tracks in their whole discography. "Do You" provides for one of Britt Daniel's best vocal performances, "Outlier" is a dance track that waltzes into the room and back out out of nowhere, and the crunchy guitars on the title track make you want to keep coming back for more. The whole album is really just one big highlight, and you are missing out if you have yet to hear it.

GATEWAY: "They Want My Soul"

MOOD: Diverse set of street performers come together for a combined performance

Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz (2010)

I had gotten into Sufjan between the time of his last real full-length album, Illinois, and this one. Before this came out he dropped the All Delighted People EP which, while a little esoteric for your mainstream artist, wasn't too crazy for him; it was certainly reined in in comparison to the carnival-like Illinois - and that despite having a 17-minute track on it named "Djohariah." So when Age of Adz came out, I was very taken aback and felt an icy reception at first, first hushed acoustic track "Futile Devices" notwithstanding. And yet something was tugging at me to dive in deeper, so I did. Boy, was it worth it. The gurgling and gushing of electronics, which seemed to obfuscate the songs at first, only helped to enhance the feeling of uncertainty and anxiousness that he was feeling. And, given some personal goings-on at the time, I fell hard for this album because of its lyrics and the way the music played the delicate balance of going from harsh to delicate, sometimes within one track. I'm not even including the amazing Carrie & Lowell - this album's immediate successor and stylistically direct opposite - on this list, but rest assured: Sufjan is one of this century's finest artists.

GATEWAY: "I Walked"

MOOD: Intergalactic breakup

Tame Impala - Lonerism (2012)

This album rocked my world when it first came along in 2012. With the rise of The National and Grizzly Bear, I was moving more towards straight-up indie rock, but Australian Kevin Parker and his crew won me over with their psychedelic approach and more groove-oriented style. That’s not to say he doesn’t rock out (in his own way), but tracks like “Keep on Lying” could play at an all-night rave and “Elephant” sounds like it would be right at home on a 70s psych rock sampler. “Enders Toi” is like taking a ride in the washing machine while “Nothing That Has Happened So Far Has Been Anything We Could Control” is the musical equivalent of a 12-round heavyweight fight, only you’re boxing in space. All of the other songs are equally as great, and I just really got the overall message of the album - especially as a new college grad at the time, working my first real job and being by myself more often than not. When you’re an introvert, others may think you’re quiet, but the noises going on inside are sometimes unbearable.

GATEWAY: “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards”

MOOD: Marathon with no one to greet you at the finish line

Tame Impala - Currents (2015)

A couple of years later, Parker returned even groovier than before, wanting to dance his insecurities away. He’s still navigating his love life (“Eventually,” “The Less I Know the Better,” “Past Life”) but sometimes figuring things out sounds more exciting than having things settled. “Let It Happen” is a hell of a mission statement. It actually sounds like the audio interpretation of whatever’s happening on the album cover, and the huge bass sound that guides the ending is undeniable. Speaking of bass, “The Less I Know the Better” is an earworm of all earworms, with a story that will feel real to anyone in a position of seeing the one they love with someone else. The drum machine pops guide Parker’s ethereal falsetto on “The Moment,” while “Disciples” - just an interlude here - could be the best track on the whole thing. It sounds like it’d fit in on Fonzi’s jukebox and I love the guitars on it, Parker’s singing and his lyrics. Elsewhere, “Reality in Motion” sounds like living life on a moving treadmill, “Love/Paranoia” is nostalgic and sweet and album closer “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” is sultry and triumphant, a missive to the self; you can’t judge someone else unless you’re in their shoes, and it’s OK to not be sure of your convictions - or how your convictions may or may not change you. Bring on The Slow Rush.

GATEWAY: “The Less I Know the Better”

MOOD: All-night disco

Titus Andronicus - The Monitor (2010)

Shoutout New Jersey! This is one of the most epic albums of my time on Earth. Using the Civil War as a backdrop, the gruff Patrick Stickles and his ragtag crew rip through 10 tracks of drinking songs, put-down anthems and Abraham Lincoln impressions. What I love most about this is how ambitious and passionate it is. I love how the music lives somewhere at the junction of Americana, punk, country and indie. I love the empowering mantras: “You will always be a loser” … “The enemy is everywhere” … “It’s still us against them” … “It’s alright, the way that you live.” Nearly every song has an iconic guitar refrain or one of the aforementioned chants sung in unison, sometimes accompanied by piano, horns, and sometimes even bagpipe … or an instrument masquerading as a bagpipe. This album is like the American flag if it were from an underdog suburb, had a drinking problem and could sing. It’s wild, weird and absolutely wonderful.

GATEWAY: “No Future Part Three: Escape From No Future”

MOOD: Drunk history class on a high-speed train

A Tribe Called Quest - We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service (2016)

Take a bow, Tip. Though he and the crew have had decades of lauded releases, it was hard to conceive how great a new album from them could be in 2016, after years of in-fighting, diseases and just being on the sidelines. Phife Dawg may have passed away, but this double album - released at the end of the year right after you-know-who was elected - felt like a gift. How could it be that basically every track was a banger, a best-of collection that was only being heard for the first time. “The Space Program” is a darkly humorous take on racism in America, “Solid Wall of Sound” somehow effortlessly incorporates an Elton John sample and “Black Spasmodic” will make you feel like it’s the 90s again. They even got Jack White to play guitar on this album! The beats are expertly picked, Q-Tip is his low-key suave self, Phife Dawg’s sports-infused wordplay bring back old memories and the production is masterful. I love the melancholy of “The Killing Season,” the relatable sadness evoked in the piano and singing down the stretch of “Lost Somebody” and how final track and tribute to Phife Dawg, “The Donald,” plays on what you think the song might be about from the title and reclaims it for one of the Tribe’s own. This is the master coming back to the schoolyard and teaching the kids a thing or two. Thank you.

GATEWAY: "The Space Program"

MOOD: Omniscient transmission from your cool uncle in the dead of night

Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City (2013)

Much like a band like Spoon, I was aware and somewhat tolerant of their hit singles before this album, but took a gamble on a new album and it paid off again. This is a darker but prettier turn for Vampy Weeks, and I largely like it better than their previous efforts because they dispensed with their African-influenced rhythms. Ezra Koenig excels vocally on this record because he plays it cool (“Hudson,” “Obvious Bicycle”) until he blows up (“If I can’t trust you, then dammit, Hannah!”) “Step” plays like the introductory organ music for walking into a church, “Diane Young” is manic with Koenig using a voice manipulator to sound like Elvis holding an old-timey microphone and “Don’t Lie” has bombastic drums, a sticky melody and nice harmonies tying it all together. “Ya Hey” is a pleading singalong about grappling with God and “Young Lion” wraps everything up with a mantra that encapsulates the best advice to close the pensive, exploratory album: “You take your time.”

GATEWAY: “Unbelievers”

MOOD: Having an epiphany at the first light of day

Whitney - Light Upon the Lake (2016)

Ahhh. This is truly one of the most meaningful ones on here. It came out soon after I moved to Brooklyn, the weather got warm and I fell in love. Formed from the ashes of bands broken up, the duo of Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek create guitar pop that sounds soulful and warm, like you’re putting on a vinyl record from the 60s. From the hungover, weary “No Woman” to the forlorn but hopeful “Golden Days,” these 10 short tracks provide an exemplary dissertation on young love and navigating the changing seasons, replete with sugary guitar, sturdy bass, horns aplenty and a voice that sounds like if Kermit had refined his singing skills. Oh, and did I mention Julien, the lead singer, is also the drummer? I could go on about the magical ride of “The Falls,” the gorgeous hopelessness of “Polly” or the compassion of “Follow,” written for Ehrlich’s late grandfather, but you should just listen to it already. Be awed and say hello to your new favorite band.

GATEWAY: “Follow”

MOOD: Sipping a stiff drink on a beautiful sunny day

Wolf Parade - Cry Cry Cry (2017)

It took me a while to get to, but Wolf Parade's debut/breakout album Apologies to the Queen Mary (2005) is an indie rock touchstone. After three albums in five years, they went on a bit of a break, came back with an EP and then ultimately this fourth album after seven years. It's fantastic. The sound is so full and it's a record by a group that re-upped with more confidence than ever. Tackling such heavy topics like our place in the world, dangerous online culture and our Agent Orange at large, they've come up with robust, anthemic melodies that you could imagine filling up a large park in Anywhere, USA on the festival circuit.

GATEWAY: "King of Piss and Paper"

MOOD: Electric shock therapy

WU LYF - Go Tell Fire to the Mountain (2011)

This album is fascinating. I remember hearing it for the first time on Grooveshark (remember that?) after reading that it sounded like post-rock, musically. And though it does, there's a fairly large obstacle you need to get past if you're going to appreciate or really get into it - shouting, unintelligible singing. At first, despite how much I loved the music, this really threw me off. But I went back to it and I haven't regretted it since.

Most of the words are hard to make out. Some phrases that come across clearly include "I'll love you forever," "Put away your guns, man, and sing this song," "Everybody wants you and everybody needs you..." and, uh, "Spitting blood." The singing really feels like you've stumbled upon a raucous crowd at a deep English drinking bar, they've tucked your head in the grasp of their arms and are teaching you their songs - only you can barely understand them. But, you know what? It doesn't matter. Sometimes the affectation of the vocals really just adds to how powerful the music is, regardless of what they're saying.

And the music - fuggedaboutit. This album was recorded in a church, so the reverb is palpable. They call their music "heavy pop" (also the name of the album's last song) and I'd give it the adjective drippy - you can feel every guitar note and cymbal thwack tenfold. It's gorgeous and would probably work on its own without any vocals at all. Some of the drum beats are rousing from the get-go, and sometimes the best songs like "We Bros" and "Such a Sad Puppy Dog" make you feel like you're on your fifth pint with how uplifting they get. "Concrete Gold" might contain my favorite musical coda of any song ever, really; it's that good.

So, it's actually really uplifting. It's a confident record by a band who felt like they were going to be the give-no-fucks-but-you-will-feel-our-music group of a generation, only they broke up after this album and went their separate ways. But hearing this today, as I used to on walks by myself in town after graduating college, I still get the feeling like things are going to be ok if I have the support of my people and sing at the top of my lungs.

GATEWAY: "Concrete Gold"

MOOD: All-night drunken singalong at a lively foreign pub

Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation (2011)

Some of the other albums on this list compete for this distinction, but this was really the decade I became an adult (I suppose) and this album is one of the ones that makes me feel most like a kid again when I hear it. It came out near the beginning of the decade and I was a bit more wide-eyed to the world than I am now. I read a rave review of this on Pitchfork and found it on Bandcamp, not wanting to believe the hype, but this is absolutely the real deal. I mean, I still remember the night I first listened to this back on that same couch I heard Bon Iver, before I said goodnight to my parents. I was astonished. It was that good.

Youth Lagoon AKA Trevor Powers grew up on the other side of the country as I did and experienced different things than I did, but he is the same age and portrayed his topics - lost love, taking parental advice, getting out of your head - in a very universal way. And though musically he created a bit of a washed, underwater feel with slightly hidden vocals and an ocean of keys, each song has a distinct hook and still employs guitar lines that landed perfectly with me. It was a form of the music I was making myself at the time, and while it was not quite the same, it ended up influencing me more as I went forward with my tunes.

Because he tucked his vocals away, they have a shy quality to them that is relatable but then gets more impactful when he crescendos and sings more impassioned. The chord progressions are simple, but sound complex because of the different sounds he makes from his keyboard... These songs would almost be lullabies if you didn't listen carefully enough. You could really choose any song, but let it run all the way through. He builds them up as much as he can with his drum machine and guitar lines until practically every one of them 'explodes' to their fullest potential, making you feel like you just got up and left your adolescence behind; it's time to move on.

Youth Lagoon released two more albums - "Dropla" and "Mute" from Wondrous Bughouse are fantastic, though I did not get into Savage Hills Ballroom - and then Powers went on to make music under a different moniker, so it's easy to say that this one is his crown jewel. There's just something about it. Even though its topics are heavy, his singing is a little suspect and it obviously sounds like it was made in his bedroom, it has a real ear for melody and still makes me feel like what I want is possible, as I felt when I first listened to it right after college.

GATEWAY: "Afternoon"

MOOD: Burning pictures from your childhood in the backyard

Honorable Mentions/Albums I Ran Out of Time to Write About

Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself (2012)

Avi Buffalo - Avi Buffalo (2010)

Avi Buffalo - At Best Cuckold (2014)

Beirut - The Rip Tide (2011)

Belle & Sebastian - Write About Love (2010)

Bon Iver - 22, A Million (2016)

Conor Oberst - Upside Down Mountain (2014)

Cymbals Eat Guitars - Pretty Years (2016)

Forth Wanderers - Forth Wanderers (2018)