The end of the decade lists are coming out hard and fast, and Pitchfork have followed up their divisive best songs of the 2010s list with a ‘Best Albums’ list and Frank Ocean‘s 2016 masterpiece Blonde has come out on top.
The album has an interesting history, as Frank basically released a decoy album titled Endless the week before that would fulfil his contract with Def Jam. Thus, when he released Blonde, he could release it on his own label Boys Don’t Cry.
A hot fave for the top spot came in at second place, being Kanye West’s My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy which remains the only album of the decade that Pitchfork gave a perfect score.
Rounding out the top three is Beyoncé’s 2013 self titled album, which is notable for being the first album of the digital era that dropped without any promotion, announcement or knowledge that it was coming – something that’s been replicated a few times since its release, even by Beyoncé herself, but never to the same magnitude. It broke iTunes for Christ’s sake.
Australia got some nice representation in the list as well. Courtney Barnett’s Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit came in at #67, Portal’s Vexovoid came in at #196 and both of Tame Impala’s latest albums, Lonerism and Currents, came in at #130 and #79 respectively.
As previously mentioned, this list follows the publication’s ‘The 200 Best Songs of the 2010s’ list, which was topped by Kendrick Lamar’s Alright.
Listen to Blonde standout ‘Nights’, and check out the top 20 of the albums list, below. The full list can be peeped here.
Pitchfork’s The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s Top 20
1. Blonde – Frank Ocean (2016)
2. My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy – Kanye West (2010)
3. Beyoncé – Beyoncé – (2013)
4. To Pimp A Butterfly – Kendrick Lamar (2015)
5. The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do – Fiona Apple (2012)
6. A Seat At The Table – Solange (2016)
7. Modern Vampires Of The City – Vampire Weekend (2013)
8. Body Talk – Robyn (2010)
9. Black Messiah – D’Angelo & The Vanguard (2014)
10. Channel Orange – Frank Ocean (2012)
11. Art Angels – Grimes (2015)
12. ANTI – Rihanna (2016)
13. Take Care – Drake (2011)
14. Melodrama – Lorde (2017)
15. Yeezus – Kanye West (2013)
16. Have One One Me – Joanna Newsom (2010)
17. Carrie & Lowell – Sufjan Stevens (2015)
18. Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City – Kendrick Lamar (2012)
19. Norman Fucking Rockwell! – Lana Del Rey (2019)
20. Double Cup – DJ Rashad (2013)
