Carter's Top 100 Albums of the 2010's

I first started engaging with music journalism right when the 00's were ending. Many "best of the 00's" lists being shared right as I started voraciously listening to and reading about music online. These lists were essentially "what I had just missed," but when they began I was 4. Ten years was a monumental amount of time to me, as it represented over half of my life up to that point. Albums such as Kid A were ancient, and it was hard to reconcile that they belonged to a period of time which was just ending. This amount of time felt immensely long.

Now as another decade ends, there are certain albums from 2010 that seem unfathomably long ago, but more often than not I can’t believe they are that old. The part of me that recalls the aughts ending doesn't at all align with the part that is reflecting on the teens ending now. Time flew by, and it's only now that I realize how short a decade really is.

But I remember all of it, one way or another. This will be the decade I especially remember, the one I "came of age" in, and the one I might turn on the radio to relive in 40 years. For this reason I think it is most worthwhile to reflect on it, not because of what it will say about my favorite albums, but for what they will say about me. I want to document how I experienced these years now, while they are fresh on my mind. My favorites will undoubtedly change. I will listen to things I missed out on. The next ten years will influence how I appreciated the last ten. This is ok, natural even. All that will be captured is a momentary position, with a velocity taking it elsewhere quickly.

“Best Of” Lists Are Opportunities for Publications to Assert Their Brand

All “best of” lists say as much about their authors as the content they praise. An individual’s curated list says what they like. An aggregate chart of a website’s ratings says who their userbase is. A publication’s list is an assertion of their brand. This is true of basically any content, but for now I will consider music, which I find has the strongest association with “best of” lists. Music gets in our heads and we don’t forget it, leading to increased reflection and the persistence of older songs in culture. People who grew up in the 70’s don’t primarily still watch 70’s movies; a lot of people who grew up in the 70’s still listen to classic rock radio.