My Favorite Albums of the Decade So Far
We've Reached the Halfway Mark of the 2020s
Believe it or not, this month marks the halfway point of the 2020s. With that in mind, and because I have nothing else to do in my spare time, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the first five years of the decade and rank my favorite albums so far. I like doing this because sometimes, albums get better (or worse) over time. Looking back, some albums that ended up highly ranked in my annual lists can move down and some that ended up lower on my list or didn’t even make the list can move up. So given that, here are my favorite 10 albums since January 1, 2020.
Surrender — Maggie Rogers (2022). There are an abundance of great young female singer songwriters out there these days but Maggie Rogers consistently rises to the top for me. Her 2024 album made my favorites list, and this one from 2022 did as well. In fact, I find myself going back to Surrender more and more.
Joy'all — Jenny Lewis (2023). I’ve been a Jenny Lewis fan for many years now going back to her days in Rilo Kiley, and I have seen her live twice including last year on the Joy’all tour. She is special, and frankly one of a kind. And she will always be among my favorite artists period.
Women in Music Pt. III — Haim (2020). This one snuck up on me. I had been a little dismissive of these ladies at first, but I gave them a chance and I’m really glad I did. It was hearing Danielle featured on the 2019 Vampire Weekend album Father of the Bride that sort of gave me the push to give these ladies a listen. This album is fantastic, most notable my favorite song off it I Know Alone. They are incredible musicians and multi-talented. And little sister Alana was wonderful in the Paul Thomas Anderson film Licorice Pizza in 2021. I’m really looking forward to their future work, including a reported new album in 2025.
The Tipping Point — Tears For Fears (2022). Curt and Roland have been responsible for some of my favorite songs of the past 40 years and I really do think they are one of the most under appreciated artists of the 1980s and beyond. I think a lot of us fans thought 2004’s Everybody Loves a Happy Ending was going to be it for them, but they were back in 2022 with another fantastic album. For the record, it is my humble opinion that The Hurting is the single best album of the 1980s.
The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess — Chappell Roan (2023). It has been some time since an artist burst onto the scene with as much talent and as much chutzpah as Kayleigh Rose Amstutz (AKA Chappell Roan). Her diehard fans will tell you it was not at all an overnight success, and while that may be the case from the moment I first heard her in early 2024 I was blown away. I suspect this album got more listens from me in 2024 than any other. And Got Damn she’s fearless.
Weathervanes — Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit (2023). I had a hard time picking just one Jason Isabel record for this list, but push come to shove Weathervanes for me is a perfect rock and roll album. I don’t believe there’s a better songwriter in the world today, and his appeal crosses so many boundaries. I don’t care if you call him country, or alt-country, or Americana, or just plain old rock and roll. He is an American treasure in every sense of the term.
i/o — Peter Gabriel (2023). While 1986’s So remains one of the greatest albums of the last half century, I’ll go out on a limb and say i/o is a close runner up for best Gabriel album. I’m not sure the world gave it enough credit when it came out late last year, perhaps because of the strange way he rolled it out by releasing one song per month over the course of the year. It’s simply brilliant and (not that he needed it) but it truly cements his place as one of the top rock and roll artists of all time. i/o has beautiful ballads and upbeat anthems and it’s classic Gabriel. If you were/are a Gabriel fan and missed it don’t wait any longer to grab your best headphone, turn it up loud, and give it a good listen. You will not be disappointed.
Asphalt Meadows — Death Cab for Cutie (2022). Ben Gibbard and the boys have been one of the most consistently great bands for me over the past 20 years and they keep getting better. It’s rare for me to like a band’s newer music more than their old music but Asphalt Meadows is possibly their best album ever and it comes 26 years after their debut album. Year after year and album after album I like them even more and I couldn’t get enough of Asphalt Meadows last year.
First Two Pages of Frankenstein — The National (2023). Sometimes called the father of “Dad Rock”, The National is for my money the best band on the planet. Matt Berninger could sing the alphabet and I’d be intoxicated, but the band is so much more than his smooth baritone. The Dressner twins provide guitar-god riffs and along with Berninger they write songs that speak to the modern American man. The First Two Pages of Frankenstein is creatively gorgeous and includes collaborations with Sufjan Stevens, Phoebe Bridgers, and even Taylor Swift, who delivers a beautiful duet with Berninger on The Alcott. Aaron Dressner co-wrote many of the song’s on Swift’s 2024 album The Tortured Poets Department. And it will come as no surprise to my friends that Tropic Morning News from this album was my top song on last year’s Spotify Wrapped.
In These Silent Days — Brandi Carlile (2021). This was my top album in 2021 and nothing has changed to keep me from arguing that it is not only my favorite album of the decade so far but in fact the best album of the decade so far period. You can go back to read my review in 2021 for more, but suffice it to say Carlile is the best pure singer-songwriter on the planet. The album earned her a shitload of Grammy nominations, but in classic Grammys fashion she was nominated in all the wrong categories. In These Silent Days won the Grammy for best Americana album, which it surely was, but it did not win Album of the Year which was a crime. Several songs from the album were also nominated for Grammys including Broken Horses which for some inane Grammy bullshit reason won for best rock song and best rock performance. She has been nominated for rock, country, pop, Americana (just waiting for her first nomination in the metal category). They don’t know where to put her — so I’ll put her someplace for you. Brandi Carlile is the best singer in the world in any genre and In These Silent Days is the best album of the decade so far.
