#decade end

As the decade closes, I just want you to remember that you are the special and

Alien Observer / Dream Loss [Only two of a large number of insanely good records Grouper released this decade]

An Empty Bliss Beyond This World [Weird music weird feelings. Memory and its fragility and impermanence.]

Because I'm Worth It [Of the post Hype Williams output, Dean gets the most recognition, but Inga's solo album gives me all kinds of weird feelings too.]

Between Two Selves [Maybe the best deep house record of the decade]

Black Is Beautiful [The most intriguing record from one of the decade's most intriguing bands. Here they are at the height of their powers, together, as a musically powerful group. I miss my red vinyl copy :( ]

Black Ken [In 2017 rap is a barren landscape and Lil B is its wandering prophet. It took a long time to gestate but Black Ken sounds like exactly what it is. It is post-post-rap. It is the self produced Lil B mixtape. It is Based.]

Black Up [This is the dopest hip hop record of the decade, of all the ones I heard. I should get into their other one.]

Blue Flame [6 Kiss was released in December 2009 digitally and in early 2010 on CD, so I can't in good consience call 6 Kiss a 2010s record, but someone might, and if you do, it instantly becomes the most important hip hop album of the 2010s. I could probably write continuously in adoration of Lil B. To me Lil B was the endpoint of rap. There is very little post Lil B of interest to me in hip hop. When I heard his music I felt this was it, rap has eaten itself. Blue Flame is like rap hell where everything that qualifies what makes good hip hop has been destroyed and is so far behind us in the rear view that we can only focus on what terrifying things may lie ahead.]

The Butterfly Effect [If you don't already know Shinichi Atobe, get to know him. His reemergence was one of this decade's proudest legacies and all of his records are worth putting on repeat.]

Cosmogramma [Wild, jazzy, futuristic... a total departure from his prior work. The Coltrane family is quite good at outdoing themselves.]

Donato Dozzy Plays Bee Mask [Great psychedelic ambient record. I listen to this before sleep all the time.]

Double Cup [Rashad's vision of Chicago is expansive and innovative. He is the heart and soul of footwork. Pick any of his records, or even any compilation he appears on, and it will rank among the most important footwork records. See also: the Rollin' EP, AND, RP Boo - Legacy!]

Electronic Dream [Beyond the MPC work, this feels like it slots in with all of what was going on relating to nostalgia and memory at the time. This sounds like late night Dance Factory on FM radio. Somehow, classy and sleazy at the same time.]

Floral Shoppe [Uhhhhhh I think vaporwave is cool and important and there's probably a whole mess of amazing vaporwave records from this decade but this is the best one right?]

For Those Of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have) [Weird ambient music, weird ambient feelings. See also: Colonial Patterns]

Going Places [See also, the companion record "Being There".]

Grid of Points [Grouper's mini album is a heartbreaker.]

Hash-Bar Loops [I was in Amsterdam for half of 2011 so this is an oddly important record to me]

Holding New Cards [Variety hour with Keita Sano is exhilarating]

It Can Be Done, But Only I Can Do It [Omar-S made the most ebullient house music of the last two decades. He is simply the king of house right now. I will be humming his tunes until death. No one in the genre writes a simple melody better. Great fully formed house LPs are supposed to be an anomaly and he just cranks them out. This one has his best tune, which was one of the best tunes of the decade.]

Jai Paul [The Jai Paul leak was the best album of the decade by far]

Joy One Mile [Futuristic sounds from synth queen. I miss my copy :( ]

Late Nights With Jeremih [Best free mixtape of the decade by a country mile.]

Made The Harbor [The only folk record this decade that I adored]

The Magic Place [Lovely ambient! I adore it It's just so beautiful. I miss my copy :( ]

The Narcissist II [With this we are still in the most fruitful era of Hype Williams mythology. Inga Copeland drops in for arguably the duo's finest moment]

Platform [Wackiest things in 2016 included elections, sports championships and this Holly Herndon record, which I somehow did not sell :) ]

Pull My Hair Back [I didn't sell this one either, I couldn't, it's too important to me; every track on this Hyperdub classic is lovely]

The Psychic Paramount II [Excellent prog noise rock. I saw these guys open for The Jesus And Mary Chain once when I was on acid]

Quarantine [Weird music weird feelings. I miss my copy of this record :( I had to sell it for rent money or something but man was it a nice record with nice artwork.]

Ravedeath 1972 [Just one of his many great ones]

Replica [It may be the smartest move to list Chuck Person's Eccojams instead but Replica is an album I have some personal attachment to. 2011 was a rough weird year and this is a rough weird album. I listened to it on acid. I listened to it in Paris. It fucked me up.]

Resonant Body [The state of rave music in 2019 is very good]

Rhizome [I was at this show. As far as Merzbow output goes, this was easy listening. I didn't even need the earplugs.]

Room(s) [Quite sophisticated juke type music. At the type it felt quite innovative. I still listen to Machinedrum quite a bit, and I really dig those Sepalcure records, but tbh this was the one Machinedrum record I was really into]

Ruins [Ooof. Just unbearably unbelievably beautiful. I guess Grouper must nab The Artist Of The Decade Award from my personal award show.]

Severant [This one aged well. It sounded crazy and like nothing else at the time and that's still how I feel about it.]

Social Housing [I get the complaints but I think we have all become far too removed from Chicago house and we are blessed to have current producers do the style so well.]

Splazsh [Someone once wrote that Darren's pieces play on distance. Listen accidentally from another room and weird sounds snake their way into your memories and feelings and emotions.]

Syro [Plenty to love from everyone's favorite electro-trickster. It launched a more than adequately fruitful period for the Cornwallian]

The Tape Hiss Hooligan [Green Ova affiliated. This is a hard asf rap record. It's really good stoner rap.]

The Teac Life [Plenty of great singles and LPs and more from Legowelt this decade but this was his best one. Cinematic psychedelic deep house. The free reissue with bonus tracks was just an incredible value.]

Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself [Omar truly outdoes himself. He's the only guy making LPs of straight ahead club music that is anywhere close to this good. Plenty of gems to be found here.]

Ultimate Bitch [Lil B turned up to 11. Virtually all essential elements of his mystique are present. Shocking, hilarious, out of control, unbelievable.]

Vulnicura [Björk had a great decade and I would recommend picking up Utopia also. This was her best one.]

Where Dancefloors Stand Still [A DJ Sprinkles deep house mix cd? Order me 500 copies]

XXX [Either you like Danny Brown or you don't. I get it if you don't.]

Yeezus [Don't talk to me about MBDTF. It's good, we all liked it, but I prefer the follow-up way more.]

100% Galcher [Any and all Galcher releases qualify as interesting music for this decade. 100% was only the first taste of Galcher Lustwerk but it included all of his best early material.]

Wishing eveyone good health and love into the new year. I wish the very best for everyone! 2020 is going to be a fabulous year!!

Waifu: B-BRO 2019— ENDING

2010 Kick-Ass Toy Story 3 Winter’s Bone True Grit

2011 The King’s Speech Bridesmaids The Help

2012 Argo Cloud Atlas Perks Of Being A Wallflower Safety Not Guaranteed

2013 American Hustle The Hunger Games: Catching Fire This Is The End

2014 Birdman Guardians Of The Galaxy Her Only Lovers Left Alive

2015 Inside Out Mad Max: Fury Road The Martian

2016 Captain America: Civil War Deadpool Doctor Strange Moana Rogue One Swiss Army Man 10 Cloverfield Lane

2017 Get Out It Logan Split

2018 Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse Avengers: Infinity War Deadpool 2 Black Panther

TOP TEN (BY YEAR) Of Monsters And Men: My Head Is An Animal (2011) Alt-J: An Awesome Wave (2012) Japandroids - Celebration Rock (2012) Lana Del Rey: Born To Die (Paradise Edition) (2012) Arcade Fire: Reflektor (2013) Chvrches: The Bones Of What You Believe (2013) Little Green Cars: Absolute Zero (2013) Lorde: Pure Heroine (2013) Cigarettes After Sex - Cigarettes After Sex (2017) The National - I Am Easy To Find (2019)

HONORABLE MENTIONS (BY YEAR) Future Islands: In Evening Air (2010) Sleigh Bells: Treats (2010) Tim Kasher: The Game Of Monogamy (2010) Titus Andronicus: The Monitor (2010) Zola Jesus: Stridulum II (2010) The Airborne Toxic Event: All At Once (2011) Grouplove: Never Trust A Happy Song (2011) Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra: Theatre Is Evil (2012) Japandroids: Celebration Rock (2012) Jens Lekman: I Know What Love Isn’t (2012) The Lumineers: The Lumineers (2012) Santigold: Master Of My Make-Believe (2012) Shearwater: Animal Joy (2012) Bastille: Bad Blood (2013) The Boxer Rebellion: Promises (2013) Laura Mvula: Sing To The Moon (2013) The National - Trouble Will Find Me (2013) Bleachers: Strange Desire (2014) Hozier: Hoxier (2014) Mimicking Birds: Eons (2014) Phantogram: Voices (2014) Sam Smith: In The Lonely Hour (2014) Shakey Graves: And The War Came (2014) Taylor Swift: 1989 (2014) Vance Joy: Dream Your Life Away (2014) Withered Hand: New Gods (2014) Bleachers: Terrible Thrills Volume 2 (2015) Twenty One Pilots: Blurryface (2015) Adele: 25 (2016) SWMRS: Drive North (2016) You Won’t: Revolutionaries (2016) Future Islands: The Far Field (2017) Cigarettes After Sex: Cry (2019) Lizzo: Cuz I Love You (2019) Taylor Swift: Lover (2019)

2009 ALBUMS THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN TOP 10 Japandroids: Post-Nothing The XX: XX