The Guardian recently published a list of the Top 100 albums of the 21st century. It was pretty good, but nothing like what my list would be. So I thought I’d do my own 50. I must stress that this isn’t what I think the most important or popular 50 albums are. It’s just the ones I’ve loved. And there were so many candidates that if I did the same thing next week it could be quite different. The other thing that comes from just selecting albums is that a lot of the dance/rap/soul that I’ve liked doesn’t make it, as that tends to be single tracks rather than whole albums. Cue another list some time?
The Guardian list seemed wary of recent albums. My tendency was the other way, so I tried to remember what moved me back in in the early years of this century. There’s probably still a bit of bias towards recent albums. I’ve cut it off at 2018, as trying to place this year’s great albums in context is premature. There’ll be a top ten for 2019 of course.
So here’s my top fifty, today!
1 – Babes Never Die by Honeyblood
2 – In Rainbows by Radiohead
3 – The Bones of What You Believe by Chvrches
4 – Honeyblood by Honeyblood
5 – Cigarettes and Truckstops by Lindi Ortega
6 – Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves
7 – A Dream Outside by Gengahr
8 – Lost in the Dream by The War on Drugs
9 – The Rising by Bruce Springsteen
10 – Is This It? by The Strokes
11 – My Love is Cool by Wolf Alice
12 – Kid A by Radiohead
13 – Fading Lines by Amber Arcades
14 – Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea by PJ Harvey
15 – All That You Can’t Leave Behind by U2
16 – Don’t Let the Kids Win by Julia Jacklin
17 – Light on Our Limbs by Daisy Vaughan
18 – Talk of This Town by Catherine McGrath
19 – Channel Orange by Frank Ocean
20 – Light Up Gold by Parquet Courts
21 – Let England Shake by PJ Harvey
22 – Dear River by Emily Barker and the Red Clay Halo
23 – Dead & Born & Grown by The Staves
24 – The King of Limbs by Radiohead
25 – Room on Fire by The Strokes
26 – Adore Life by Savages
27 – Same Trailer, Different Park by Kacey Musgraves
28 – Little Red Boots by Lindi Ortega
29 – Tramp by Sharon van Etten
30 – Party by Aldous Harding
31 – Where Wildness Grows by Gengahr
32 – Masterpiece by Big Thief
33 – Waiting for the World to Turn by Palace Winter
34 – Fixed Ideals by Muncie Girls
35 – James Blake by James Blake
36 – Faye Webster by Faye Webster
37 – Writing of Blues and Yellows by Billie Marten
38 – Bashed Out by This Is The Kit
39 – Alvvays by Alvvays
40 – Blonde by Frank Ocean
41 – See the Morning In by Grand Drive
42 – Trouble Will Find Me by The National
43 – Royal Blood by Royal Blood
44 – Teens of Denial by Car Seat Headrest
45 – If You Wait by London Grammar
46 – Glasvegas by Glasvegas
46 – Soul Journey by Gillian Welch
48 – Antidotes by Foals
49 – Silver Dollar Moment by The Orielles
50 – Goat Girl by Goat Girl
I’ve put together a Spotify playlist of the albums in the fifty. I’ve disciplined myself and allowed only two songs from each album. Nerdy point: for some reason Spotify has started adding “Kids” to the title of Honeyblood’s “Cruel”.
Thoughtsfromwestfive 
Well, John, you’re nothing if not consistent. Two Honeyblood albums in your top four since the turn of the century. That’s conviction……
I do take your point about albums generally embracing some musical forms more than others, which I can see helps to account for the absence of rap and dance music in your list. And although you’ve loaded up big time with your favourite female singer-songwriters – who I reckon make up over 30% of your list – there’s enough variety elsewhere to keep the troglodytes like me happy.
For what it’s worth, your list and mine would have about ten albums in common. And you will know what they would be.
Yes, I think I can guess which ones you’d include! There are plenty I left out which could easily have been there – at least three more Radiohead for a start – and most of the placings are pretty arbitrary. But Honeyblood is genuine: I really do think the first two albums are brilliant and have listened to them more than anything else over the last three years. The third, this year’s “In Plain Sight” will certainly be in my 2019 top ten, though not necessarily first – there is some strong competition.
Hi. We have some in common. Here are my albums of the 2000s decade, which includes a link to my post for the 2010s decade. Best wishes, John. https://johnager.co.uk/2020/02/25/the-2000s-album-of-the-decade/