Top Ten Albums of the Year (1996 - 2023)
2023
- Lana Del Rey, Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
- JPEGMafia and Danny Brown, Scaring the Hoes
- Genesis Owusu, Struggler
- Sufjan Stevens, Javelin
- Young Fathers, Heavy Heavy
- Jessie Ware, That! Feels Good!
- The National, First Two Pages of Frankenstein
- Geese, 3D Country
- Protomartyr, Formal Growth in the Desert
- Boygenius, The Record
2022
- Black Country, New Road, Ants From Up There
- Father John Misty, Chloë and the Next 20th Century
- The Smile, A Light for Attracting Attention
- Yard Act, The Overload
- Jack White, Entering Heaven Alive
- Beach House, Once Twice Melody
- Wet Leg, Wet Leg
- Spiritualized, Everything Was Beautiful
- Jack White, Fear of the Dawn
- Chat Pile, God's Country
2021
- Black Country, New Road, For the First Time
- Viagra Boys, Welfare Jazz
- Lana Del Rey, Chemtrails Over the Country Club
- Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine, A Beginner's Mind
- Julien Baker, Little Oblivions
- Lucy Dacus, Home Video
- Idles, Crawler
- Lana Del Rey, Blue Banisters
- The Antlers, Green to Gold
- Japanese Breakfast, Jubilee
2020
- The Strokes, The New Abnormal
- Jarv Is, Beyond the Pale
- The Avalanches, We Will Always Love You
- Protomartyr, Ultimate Success Today
- Idles, Ultra Mono
- Danzig, Sings Elvis
- Jessie Ware, What's Your Pleasure?
- Waxahatchee, Saint Cloud
- Disclosure, Energy
- Fiona Apple, Fetch the Bolt Cutters
2019
- Lana Del Rey, Norman Fucking Rockwell
- Vampire Weekend, Father of the Bride
- The National, I Am Easy to Find
- Angel Olsen, All Mirrors
- Thom Yorke, Anima
- Danny Brown, U Know What I'm Sayin?
- Wilco, Ode to Joy
- Slowthai, Nothing Great About Britain
- Michael Kiwanuka, Kiwanuka
- Deerhunter, Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?
2018
- Iceage, Beyondless
- Young Fathers, Cocoa Sugar
- Franz Ferdinand, Always Ascending
- Jenn Champion, Single Rider
- Lucy Dacus, Historian
- Makthaverskan, III
- Father John Misty, God's Favorite Customer
- Jon Hopkins, Singularity
- Beach House, 7
- Idles, Joy as an Act of Resistance
2017
- The xx, I See You
- Idles, Brutalism
- St. Vincent, Masseduction
- Dirty Projectors, Dirty Projectors
- (Sandy) Alex G, Rocket
- Father John Misty, Pure Comedy
- British Sea Power, Let the Dancers Inherit the Party
- Tyler, the Creator, Scum Fuck Flower Boy
- Lorde, Melodrama
- Grizzly Bear, Painted Ruins
2016
- The Avalanches, Wildflower
- Death Grips, Bottomless Pit
- Local Natives, Sunlit Youth
- Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, In Summer
- Leonard Cohen, You Want It Darker
- Radiohead, A Moon Shaped Pool
- J. Cole, 4 Your Eyez Only
- David Bowie, Blackstar
- Explosions in the Sky, The Wilderness
- Lucius, Good Grief
2015
- Sufjan Stevens, Carrie & Lowell
- Courtney Barnett, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
- Strange Names, Use Your Time Wisely
- Lana Del Rey, Honeymoon
- Beach House, Depression Cherry
- Young Fathers, White Men Are Black Men Too
- Grimes, Art Angels
- Vince Staples, Summertime '06
- Beach House, Thank Your Lucky Stars
- Viet Cong, Viet Cong
2014
- St. Vincent, St. Vincent
- Lana Del Rey, Ultraviolence
- Tune-Yards, Nikki Nack
- La Roux, Trouble in Paradise
- Thom Yorke, Tomorrow's Modern Boxes
- SBTRKT, Wonder Where We Land
- Leonard Cohen, Popular Problems
- The Antlers, Familiars
- Sisyphus, Sisyphus
- Mac DeMarco, Salad Days
2013
- Foxygen, We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic
- And So I Watch You From Afar, All Hail Bright Futures
- Daft Punk, Random Access Memories
- Neko Case, The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You
- This Routine Is Hell, Howl
- Sky Ferreira, Night Time, My Time
- Dirty Beaches, Drifters/Love Is the Devil
- Jon Hopkins, Immunity
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Mosquito
- Julia Holter, Loud City Song
2012
- Porcelain Raft, Strange Weekend
- Mac DeMarco, 2
- The Antlers, Undersea
- Bob Dylan, Tempest
- Frank Ocean, Channel Orange
- The Walkmen, Heaven
- Beach House, Bloom
- The Caretaker, Patience (After Sebald)
- Flying Lotus, Until the Quiet Comes
- The xx, Coexist
2011
- Radiohead, The King of Limbs
- Clams Casino, Rainforest
- Jay-Z and Kanye West, Watch the Throne
- Tom Waits, Bad as Me
- Dirty Beaches, Badlands
- Cold Cave, Cherish the Light Years
- Bon Iver, Bon Iver
- St. Vincent, Strange Mercy
- SBTRKT, SBTRKT
- Atlas Sound, Parallax
2010
- Beach House, Teen Dream
- The Walkmen, Lisbon
- Little Boots, Hands
- The Tallest Man on Earth, The Wild Hunt
- Crystal Castles, Crystal Castles II
- Wild Nothing, Gemini
- No Age, Everything in Between
- Sun Airway, Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier
- Das Racist, Shut Up, Dude
- Titus Andronicus, The Monitor
2009
- St. Vincent, Actor
- Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion and Fall Be Kind
- The Antlers, Hospice
- P.O.S., Never Better
- The Field, Yesterday and Today
- Mos Def, The Ecstatic
- Passion Pit, Manners
- Pomegranates, Everybody, Come Outside!
- Morrissey, Years of Refusal
- The Harlem Shakes, Technicolor Health
2008
- TV on the Radio, Dear Science
- British Sea Power, Do You Like Rock Music?
- No Age, Nouns
- Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
- The Walkmen, You & Me
- The Teenagers, Reality Check
- Coldplay, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
- Flying Lotus, Los Angeles
- Babe, Terror, Babe, Terror
- Aidan Baker and Tim Hecker, Fantasma-Parastasie
2007
- Radiohead, In Rainbows
- LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver
- The Field, From Here We Go Sublime
- Animal Collective, Strawberry Jam
- Deerhunter, Cryptograms
- The Virgins, The Virgins
- New Young Pony Club, Fantastic Playroom
- The Subjects, With the Ease, Grace, Precision, and Cleverness of Human Beings
- Burial, Untrue
- Christian Fennesz and Ryuichi Sakamoto, Cendre
2006
- Morrissey, Ringleader of the Tormentors
- Cold War Kids, Up in Rags
- Be Your Own Pet, Be Your Own Pet
- TV on the Radio, Return to Cookie Mountain
- Scott Walker, The Drift
- Bob Dylan, Modern Times
- Junior Boys, So This Is Goodbye
- Matmos, The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast
- Jarvis Cocker, Jarvis
- Ornette Coleman, Sound Grammar
2005
- Fiona Apple, Extraordinary Machine
- Bloc Party, Escape Alarm
- The Subjects, The Subjects
- LCD Soundsystem, LCD Soundsystem
- Wolf Parade, Apologies to the Queen Mary
- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
- British Sea Power, Open Season
- Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto, Insen
- One Be Lo, S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M.
- Giant Drag, Hearts and Unicorns
2004
- Nellie McKay, Get Away From Me
- Franz Ferdinand, Franz Ferdinand
- Modest Mouse, Good News for People Who Like Bad News
- The Killers, Hot Fuss
- The Twilight Singers, She Loves You
- Arcade Fire, Funeral
- The Mountain Goats, We Shall All Be Healed
- Black Dice, Creature Comforts
- Destroyer, Your Blues
- Morrissey, You Are the Quarry
2003
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fever to Tell
- TV on the Radio, Young Liars
- The Strokes, Room on Fire
- British Sea Power, The Decline of British Sea Power
- Radiohead, Hail to the Thief
- The Postal Service, Give Up
- The Wrens, The Meadowlands
- Arab Strap, The Shy Retirer
- Mogwai, Happy Songs for Happy People
- The Brian Jonestown Massacre, And This Is Our Music
2002
- Interpol, Turn on the Bright Lights
- Coldplay, A Rush of Blood to the Head
- Broken Social Scene, You Forgot It in People
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Hives, Veni Vidi Vicious
- The Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
- DJ Shadow, The Private Press
- Andrew W.K., I Get Wet
- Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
- Arto Lindsay, Invoke
- Cody Chesnutt, The Headphone Masterpiece
2001
- The Strokes, Is This It
- Radiohead, I Might Be Wrong: The Live Recordings and Amnesiac
- Pulp, We Love Life
- Spoon, Girls Can Tell
- Air, 10,000 Hz Legend
- Mira Calix, Prickle
- Matmos, A Chance to Cut Is a Chance to Cure
- The White Stripes, White Blood Cells
- Aphex Twin, Drukqs and Slayer, God Hates Us All
- Arab Strap, The Red Thread
2000
- Coldplay, Parachutes
- Radiohead, Kid A
- Sigur Rós, Ágætis Byrjun
- Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
- Cornelius, CM and FM
- Boards of Canada, In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country
- The Avalanches, Since I Left You
- Air, The Soundtrack to The Virgin Suicides
- Black Box Recorder, The Facts of Life
- Doves, Lost Souls
1999
- Momus, The Little Red Songbook
- Beck, Midnite Vultures
- Moby, Play
- Cornelius, Fantasma
- Fiona Apple, When the Pawn Hits...
- Jim O'Rourke, Eureka
- Arto Lindsay, Noon Chill
- Air, Premiers Symptomes
- Underworld, Beaucoup Fish
- Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs
1998
- Massive Attack, Mezzanine
- The Afghan Whigs, 1965
- Pulp, This Is Hardcore
- UNKLE, Psyence Fiction
- Air, Moon Safari
- Duster, Stratosphere
- Beck, Mutations
- PJ Harvey, Is This Desire?
- Garbage, Version 2.0
- Boredoms, Super æ
1997
- Radiohead, OK Computer
- Spiritualized, Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space
- Mogwai, Young Team
- Momus, Ping Pong
- Jim O'Rourke, Bad Timing
- Stereolab, Dots and Loops
- Kid Loco, A Grand Love Story
- U2, Pop
- The Crystal Method, Vegas
- Yo La Tengo, I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One
1996
- Weezer, Pinkerton
- Aphex Twin, Richard D. James Album
- Arto Lindsay, Mundo Civilizado
- Fiona Apple, Tidal
- Ryuichi Sakamoto, 1996
- Ghostface Killah, Ironman
- Oasis, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?
- The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Take It From the Man!
- Stereolab, Emperor Tomato Ketchup
- Tortoise, Millions Now Living Will Never Die
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