All the albums turning 10 this year, in order.
Ten years ago, the Brexit vote took the UK out of the EU, Harambe was shot, Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an Oscar, clowns were everywhere (for some reason), the Snapchat dog filter was born, Pokémon Go took over the world, and the world lost the likes of musician greats David Bowie, George Michael and Prince. All in all, some really good albums were released — here are all of the ones we could find.
January
8th: David Bowie — Blackstar
8th: Hinds — Leave Me Alone
8th: Villagers — Where Have You Been All My Life?
15th: Daughter — Not to Disappear
15th: Panic! At The Disco — Death of a Bachelor
15th: Skunk Anansie — Anarchytecture
18th: Anderson .Paak — Malibu
22nd: Mystery Jets — Curve of the Earth
22nd: Rüfüs Du Sol — Bloom
22nd: Savages — Adore Life
22nd: Suede — Night Thoughts
22nd: Tindersticks — The Waiting Room
22nd: Ty Segall — Emotional Mugger
22nd: Tortoise — The Catastrophist
28th: Rihanna — Anti
28th: Massive Attack — Ritual Spirit
29th: Basement — Promise Everything
29th: Bloc Party — Hymns
29th: Charlie Puth — Nine Track Mind
29th: Sia —This Is Acting
29th: Wet — Don’t You
February
5th: Elton John — Wonderful Crazy Night
5th: DIIV — Is the Is Are
5th: Foxes —All I Need
5th: Wiz Khalifa — Khalifa
12th: Kula Shaker — K2.0
12th: Pinegrove — Cardinal
14th: Kanye West —The Life of Pablo
19th: Animal Collective — Painting With
19th: Mavis Staples —Livin’ on a High Note
19th: Simple Plan —Taking One For the Team
19th: Yoko Ono — Yes, I’m a Witch Too
26th: Charli xcx — Vroom Vroom (EP)
26th: TV Girl —Who Really Cares
26th: The 1975 — I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it
Ten years on, I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it, remains the record that truly cemented The 1975 as more than hype and confirmed them as one of the most defining British bands of this generation. I was 18 when it came out, technically an adult but still figuring everything out. It arrived at exactly the right moment, when everything felt possible, and the world still seemed wide open.
The album was expansive, and still is. Chaotic. Meticulously crafted. It balanced glossy pop hooks with sharp self-awareness and ambient instrumentals that made everything feel cinematic. It grew out of that Tumblr-era devotion, the black-and-white aesthetics and overanalysed lyrics, but it was bigger than the internet that first embraced them.
Love Me was all swagger. Somebody Else captured heartbreak in a way that felt painfully familiar. The Sound turned every room it touched into something euphoric. That tour, the glowing neon box, and the shared release of shouting every word back is still one of the most electric live experiences I’ve ever had. It was bold and indulgent in scale but never lost the emotional core that made people fall in love with them in the first place. A decade later, the nostalgia it carries almost aches. And yes, I adore them in that slightly unhinged, lifelong way, but some records really are that transformative.
Words by Emma Stewart
26th: Yuck —Stranger Things
26th: Lucy Dacus — No Burden
March:
4th: Kendrick Lamar — untitled unmastered
4th: Ninja Sex Party — Under the Covers
The glittering, spandex-smothered comedic duo Ninja Sex Party have put out a number of albums, fluctuating in ‘seriousness’ but always delivering on poppy hooks and amusing punchlines. They also thrive on the downright luxurious vocals of frontman Dan Avidan (‘Danny Sexbang’ in the strange, juvenile lore of the group). On Under the Covers, the duo’s first cover album, Avidan and keyboardist Brian Wecht get to play around with lifelong favourites. Here, classic ‘70s and ‘80s rock staples are reimagined in polished glam-pop. There’s A-ha’s titanic Take On Me, Tears For Fears, Rush’s Subdivisions and Floyd’s inextinguishable masterpiece, Wish You Were Here. These performances don’t come close to the original, but it remains an album that’s more thoughtful homage than pointless re-hash.
Words by Jacob Wingate-Bishop
4th: Tonight Alive — Limitless
4th: Låpsley — Long Way Home
11th: Aurora — All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend
18th: Gwen Stefani —This Is What the Truth Feels Like
18th: Graham Coxon — Love Travels at Illegal Speeds
18th: Iggy Pop —Post Pop Depression
18th: James —Girl at the End of the World
18th: Primal Scream —Chaosmosis
18th: Underworld —Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future
25th: Birdy —Beautiful Lies
25th: The Joy Formidable — Hitch
25th: Zayn — Mind of Mine
April:
1st: The Last Shadow Puppets —Everything You’ve Come to Expect
1st: Mogwai —Atomic
1st: Pet Shop Boys —Super
1st: Weezer —Weezer (White Album)
1st: Black Stone Cherry — Kentucky
1st: Moderat — III
8th: Parquet Courts — Human Performance
8th: Deftones —Gore
8th: M83 — Junk
8th: All Saints — Red Flag
8th: Ronnie Spector —English Heart
8th: The Lumineers — Cleopatra
15th: Cate Le Bon —Crab Day
15th: Lush — Blind Spot
15th: PJ Harvey —The Hope Six Demolition Project
15th: Santana — Santana IV
15th: Suuns — Hold/Still
22nd: Katy B — Honey
23rd: Beyoncé — Lemonade
29th: Drake — Views
29th: Brian Eno — The Ship
29th: King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard — Nonagon Infinity
The Aussie psych rocker’s 2016 release — their eighth studio album overall — was a critical and commercial breakthrough and, my God, what an album. One of their best albums to date, Nonagon Infinity is nine tracks of never-ending, psychedelic metal fun. It plays out like a science-fiction concept record, looping back into the first track and musing on robot sentience, massive wasps and radiosurgery. Ten years later, it remains King Gizz’s magnum opus and one of the most fun albums ever put out.
Words by Jacob Wingate-Bishop
29th: Travis — Everything at Once
May:
6th: Skepta — Konnichiwa
6th: Cyndi Lauper — Detour
6th: Death Grips — Bottomless Pit
6th: James Blake — The Colour In Anything
6th: Kaytranada — 99.9%
8th: Radiohead — A Moon Shaped Pool
13th: Chance the Rapper — Coloring Book
13th: Corinne Bailey Rae — The Heart Speaks in Whispers
13th: Modern Baseball — Holy Ghost
13th: Pierce the Veil — Misadventures
20th: Car Seat Headrest — Teens of Denial
20th: Ariana Grande — Dangerous Woman
20th: Bob Dylan — Fallen Angels
20th: Richard Ashcroft — These People
20th: Andy Shauf — The Party
20th: Eric Clapton — I Still Do
27th: The Monkees — Good Times!
27th: ABC — The Lexicon of Love II
27th: Architects — All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us
27th: Band of Skulls — By Default
27th: Catfish and the Bottlemen — The Ride
27th: Flume — Skin
27th: PUP — The Dream Is Over
June
3rd: Paul Simon — Stranger to Stranger
3rd: Fantastic Negrito — The Last Days of Oakland
3rd: The Kills — Ash & Ice
3rd: The Lonely Island — Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
3rd: Roxette — Good Karma
3rd: Whitney — Light Upon the Lake
10th: Band of Horses — Why Are You OK
10th: Nick Jonas — Last Year Was Complicated
10th: Garbage —Strange Little Birds
10th: The Temper Trap — Thick as Thieves
10th: Tom Odell — Wrong Crowd
15th: Disclosure — Moog For Love
17th: Mitski — Puberty 2
17th: The Game — Streets of Compton
17th: Jake Bugg — On My One
17th: Let’s Eat Grandma — I, Gemini
17th: Red Hot Chili Peppers — The Getaway
17th: Swans — The Glowing Man
17th: Will Butler — Friday Night
24th: Drowners — On Desire
28th: Blood Orange — Freetown Sound
July
1st: American Authors — What We Live For
1st: The Avalanches — Wildflower
1st: Blink-182 — California
1st: Metronomy — Summer 08
1st: Snoopy Dogg — Coolaid
8th: Biffy Clyro — Ellipsis
8th: Heart — Beautiful Broken
8th: Shura — Nothing’s Real
15th: Good Charlotte — Youth Authority
15th: Michael Kiwanuka — Love & Hate
15th: Steven Tyler — We’re All Somebody from Somewhere
17th: Logic — Bobby Tarantino
19th: Wilco — Schmilco
22nd: Gucci Mane — Everybody Looking
22nd: Periphery — Periphery III: Select Difficulty
29th: DJ Khaled — Major Key
29th: Viola Beach — Viola Beach
August:
5th: Blossoms — Blossoms
5th: Dinosaur Jr. — Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not
5th: Giggs — Landlord
12th: Young the Giant — Home of the Strange
19th: Crystal Castles — Amnesty (I)
20th: Frank Ocean — Blonde
26th: Britney Spears — Glory
26th: Cass McCombs — Mangy Love
26th: Celine Dion — Encore un soir
26th: De La Soul — and the Anonymous Nobody…
26th: Glass Animals — How to Be a Human Being
26th: Vince Staples — Prima Donna
26th: Young Thug — Jeffery
September
2nd: Angel Olsen — My Woman
2nd: A Day To Remember — Bad Vibrations
2nd: The Divine Comedy — Foreverland
2nd: Eluvium — False Readings On
2nd: King Creosote — Astronaut Meets Appleman
2nd: Isaiah Rashad — The Sun’s Tirade
2nd: Travis Scott — Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight
2nd: Big Scary — Animal
9th: Bastille — Wild World
9th: Grouplove — Big Mess
9th: KT Tunstall — Kin
9th: M.I.A. — AIM
9th: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds — Skeleton Tree
9th: Of Mice & Men — Cold World
9th: Teenage Fanclub — Here
9th: Twin Atlantic — GLA
16th: Dinosaur — Together, As One
16th: Mac Miller — The Divine Feminine
16th: Taking Back Sunday — Tidal Wave
16th: Usher — Hard II Love
21st: Feeder — All Bright Electric
23rd: Marillion — Fuck Everyone and Run (F E A R)
23rd: Shawn Mendes — Illuminate
23rd: Warpaint — Heads Up
27th: Danny Brown — Atrocity Exhibition
30th: Solange —A Seat at the Table
30th: Banks —The Altar
30th: Bon Iver — 22, A Million
30th: Craig David — Following My Intuition
30th: Drive-By Truckers — American Band
30th: Gruff Rhys — Set Fire to the Stars
30th: Pixies — Head Carrier
30th: Regina Spektor — Remember Us to Life
30th: Slaves — Take Control
30th: Tycho — Epoch
30th: Van Morrison — Keep Me Singing
30th: Yellowcard — Yellowcard
October
7th: Norah Jones — Day Breaks
7th: Dance Gavin Dance — Mothership
7th: Green Day — Revolution Radio
7th: Goat — Requiem
7th: Joyce Manor — Cody
7th: Kaiser Chiefs — Stay Together
7th: Placebo — Life’s What You Make It
7th: White Lies — Friends
14th: Black Marble — It’s Immaterial
14th: Conor Oberst — Ruminations
14th: The Game — 1992
14th: Jeff Rosenstock — Worry
14th: Katie Melua — In Winter
14th: Kings of Leon — Walls
14th: Sabrina Carpenter — Evolution
14th: Two Door Cinema Club — Gameshow
14th: The Lemon Twigs — Do Hollywood
21st: Leonard Cohen — You Want It Darker
21st: American Football — American Football
21st: Jimmy Eat World — Integrity Blues
21st: Kero Kero Bonito — Bonito Generation
21st: Korn — The Serenity of Suffering
21st: Lady Gaga — Joanne
21st: Melanie C — Version of Me
21st: The Pretenders — Alone
21st: The Pretty Reckless — Who You Selling For
21st: Saint Motel — saintmotelevision
28th: Courteeners — Mapping the Rendezvous
28th: Empire of the Sun — Two Vines
28th: Madness — Can’t Touch Us Now
28th: She & Him — Christmas Party
November
4th: Alicia Keys — Here
4th: Bon Jovi — This House Is Not for Sale
Bon Jovi’s post-millennium releases have been a bit of a mixed bag. There are some corkers (Have A Nice Day), hidden gems (What About Now) and absolute stinkers (Bounce). 2016’s This House Is Not for Sale, however, was a triumphant semi-return to form. The title track has a hard-hitting chorus and even punchier backbeat. Knockout packs the latter-day Jovi defiance we’ve come to love, and deeper cuts Born Again Tomorrow and The Devil’s in the Temple reward any listener who checks under the surface level. It’s not perfect — there’s still a fair bit of flab here and forgettable set pieces — but This House Is Not for Sale nevertheless stands out as one of the better later albums from the New Jersey giants.
Words by Jacob Wingate-Bishop
