As Spinning Platters has managed to continue for far longer than anyone would’ve expected us to, so has this list. Here are records 11-30 from the first decade of Spinning Platters. For those looking to read #31-50, click here!
30 Original Cast Recording / Hamilton
10 years ago, if someone told me that an all hip-hop musical about the life of Alexander Hamilton would become the most popular and acclaimed Broadway show of the decade, I’d think you were crazy. This thing shouldn’t be this good, but it is!
29 Charly Bliss / Guppy
In the mid-Nineties, there was a slew of great bands from New England that had a singer with a sugary, almost-childlike voice singing dark, heavy lyrics on top of crunchy, heavy guitars. Charly Bliss is the next generation of this band, creating a timeless power pop in the vein of Blake Babies, Belly, Letters to Cleo and such. Guppy is a record that could’ve come out anytime since this period, and we know a grown-up Angela Chase is rocking out hard to this one.
28 My Brightest Diamond / All Things Will Unwind
Each song is a perfect composition of chamber pop, filled with strings and woodwinds. Vocalist Shara Nova has the perfect English Folk voice, too. If Nick Drake were still alive, he’d be proud to have My Brightest Diamond as part of his legacy.
28 Radiohead / A Moon Shaped Pool
After a decade of putting out increasingly more experimental material, Radiohead decided to pull back a little and released their most solid song-based affair since OK Computer.
26 Kishi Bashi / 151a
Never have I heard a voice interplay with a violin than the way it does on Kishi Bashi’s excellent debut record. This one is a stunner.
25 Jenny Lewis / The Voyager
The time between The Voyager and Jenny Lewis’ previous record, Acid Tongue, was a period of really big heaviness in Lewis’ life where she reconnected with her father, and he then passed away. Instead of giving us an album of sadness, it’s possibly her most optimistic and beautiful record of her storied career.
24 Neko Case / Hell-On
Hell-On is Neko Case’s most dynamic record to date. She lightened up on the spooky reverb, added new instruments to the mix, and created her boldest, most vivid release yet.
23 Chance The Rapper / Coloring Book
Coloring Book is the first record to legitimize the “mix tape.” It wasn’t released for commercial sale until 2019, yet Chance spent 2016 doing award shows and dominating the radio as if it was a multi-platinum record. This jazz-inflected masterpiece is tender and honest. There has never been a hip hop record that tackled things as trivial as realizing the fight with your partner isn’t going anywhere and you need to let it go or as big as your relationship with God quite so honestly.
22 Angel Olsen / Burn Your Fire For No Witness
Angel Olsen has the kind of voice where she sounds like she’s ripping your heart out, and then handing it back to you. Burn Your Fire For No Witness is perfect audio catharsis.
21 Kendrick Lamar / Damn.
The first two Kendrick Lamar records were big and ambitious, but almost collapse under the weight of themselves. Damn. is the record where Lamar finally figures out how to package his immense talent in a single volume.
20 Arctic Monkeys / AM
Arctic Monkeys should’ve been stuck in the garage rock era of the Aughts. They saw their swift rise and equally swift decline, and could’ve been a Libertines-esque footnote in the US. Instead, they laid low for a bit, and then returned with an artistic masterpiece called AM.
19 St Vincent / Strange Mercy
Stranger Mercy in a lot of ways closes the first chapter of St Vincent’s career. It’s a beautiful record of indie singer/songwriter material. It’s bold and honest, while still showcasing the impressive guitar work of Annie Clark, the woman that is St Vincent.
18 LCD Soundsystem / This Is Happening
It’s a record that I wasn’t supposed to happen. LCD Soundsystem didn’t come back for a big paycheck. They came back because James Murphy knew he needed to get this record out of his head and into your ears.
17 Beyonce` / Beyonce`
Beyoncé was already the biggest star in music in 2013, when she decided to drop her first “surprise” record. With this album, she not became known as a marketing superpower, but also gave her something that few pop musicians earn — “credibility.” This record ushered in a whole new era, where pop stars are treated the kind of respect and critical acclaim usually reserved for “rock bands.”
16 Hannibal Buress / Live From Chicago
Stand up records that rarely end up on these lists. Few stand up records are as re-listenable, inventive, and surreal as Hannibal Buress’ Live in Chicago. The punchlines always come out of left field and are highly surprising.
15 Kate Nash / Girl Talk
Kate Nash’s second act as a lo-fi, guitar-driven artist was one of the most surprising shifts for a performer. Girl Talk is Kate Nash’s best record in this vein. It’s as raw and honest as some of the best Bikini Kill, Team Dresch, and Bratmobile material.
14 Japandroids / Celebration Rock
The most appropriate album title in music history, Celebration Rock is comprised of nine anthems designed to put you in a celebratory mindset. This record seems to be scientifically designed to force the listener to feel not just good, but full-on triumphant.
13 Vampire Weekend / Modern Vampires Of The City
Modern Vampires Of The City marked a shift for Vampire Weekend. It was the record when they finally came into their own as a band, no longer just sounding like a punky Paul Simon. The afrobeat elements are still there, but with bigger-sounding drums and noisier guitars.
12 IDLES / Joy as an act of resistance
In an era where the political music is densely loaded with metaphor, nearly completely devoid of passion or memorable hooks, IDLES came to literally punch fascism in the face.
11 Fiona Apple / 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 spent six years working on The Idler Wheel… and, despite the unwieldy title, it’s probably her most concise and inventive release yet. It’s wildly passionate and personal, and is a pillar of Apple’s catalog.
