The Halftime Snack's Favorite Songs and Albums of the Last Decade
It’s always fascinating to look back at trends in music with a little distance in the rearview. The 2000s was a decade defined by teen pop icons, garage rock revival, and the rise and fall of the emo rock movement, while also giving us peak contributions from iconic artists like Radiohead, Coldplay, and Kanye. In the moment, it seemed as though the 2000s was a tough time for music. But as we look back on the past ten years, it’s tough not to remember the decade with tender nostalgia.
This was the decade that brought us indelible new artists like Frank Ocean, Lana Del Rey, and Kendrick Lamar, while also launching icons like Adele, Taylor Swift, and Rihanna to new heights. Technology had a major influence, with the continued rise of electronic music, Auto-Tune, and a motha fuckin’ Tupac hologram headlining Coachella. Foot stompin’ folk rock had a major moment. Justin Beiber and The Jonas Brothers became cool all of a sudden? We got iconic one-hit wonders, from “Somebody That I Used to Know”, to “Gangnam Style”, to “Old Town Road”. Rock music had a bit of a lull, but bands like The War on Drugs, Japandroids, and Vampire Weekend proved that great rock music can still break through. Perhaps more than anything, the 2010s will be remembered as the decade where music became more democratized than ever. Services like Spotify and Apple Music have made music more accessible than ever before, and the power of YouTube has made it possible for anyone with an iPhone and a microphone to get their music out into the world. We literally now have the entire history of music available at our fingertips, and I don’t think it can be overstated how amazing that is.
Without further ado, here is a rundown of The Halftime Snack’s 75 favorite songs and 50 favorite albums of the 2010s:
75 Favorite Songs of the Decade
2010
"A More Perfect Union" Titus Andronicus
No better way to start the decade than with a tribute to Springsteen and the melting of a few faces in the process.
The National
"Dance Yrself Clean" LCD Soundsystem
What a banger. With truly one of the best drops in all of rock music, "Dance Yrself Clean" is one of the coolest opening songs on any album ever.
“Firework” Katy Perry
"O.N.E." Yeasayer
If you aren’t swaying back-and-forth in your ergonomically designed office chair within the first 30-seconds, check your surroundings, make sure your boss isn’t around, and then crank this shit up!
“Rolling in the Deep” Adele
"Runaway" Kanye West
Kanye's anthem of uncharacteristic self-awareness ("let's have a toast for the douchebags, a toast for the assholes") is the highlight of his 2010 masterpiece album.
"Sprawl II" Arcade Fire
With Régine Chassagne taking the reins as vocalist for this track rather than lead singer Win Butler, Arcade Fire created one of the most unique and beautiful songs in their prodigious catalogue (and the best song ever made about urban sprawl).
"Terrible Love" The National
2011
"Helplessness Blues" Fleet Foxes
"Holocene" Bon Iver
Justin Vernon was one of the defining artists of the decade for me, and "Holocene" may go down as his best ever vocal performance. Just a hauntingly beautiful song that will forever stick to my bones.
“Levels”
Avicii
"Midnight City" M83
2010s synthpop at its very best, featuring a saxophone solo for the ages.
“Wildfire” SBTRKT
2012
“Constant Conversations” Passion Pit
The sensual, sexy vibe is at odds with the lyrics, which is a perfect reinforcement of the song’s theme of false intentions.
"The House That Heaven Built" Japandroids
“Pyramids”
Frank Ocean
“Stubborn Love” The Lumineers
This song, aside from being addictively head bobbing, deserves to be on the list for this quote alone: “It’s better to feel pain, than nothing at all, the opposite of love is indifference”.
2013
“10,000 Weight in Gold” The Head & The Heart.
Seven years later and I’m still obsessed with this song. Never gets old. The mark of a soon-to-be (already-is?) classic.
“Alive” Empire of the Sun
Thanks, FIFA 14.
“Do I Look Worried” Tedeschi Trucks Band
“Dad Rock” at its absolute finest.
“The Giving Tree” Plain White T’s
“Hold on We’re Going Home” Drake
“Loved Me Back to Life” Celine Dion
Yas Queen!
“Royals”
Lorde
"Step" Vampire Weekend
Indie-rock meets classical, just when we thought we had pigeon holed Vampire Weekend they throw something different at us.
“Wake Me Up” Avicii
2014
“#88” Lo-Fang
“Above the Clouds of Pompeii” Bear’s Den
There may never be a better song about loss than this. It’ll break your heart in the best way possible.
“Chambers” Cymbals Eat Guitar
“First” Cold War Kids
"Inside Out" Spoon
The previous decade was Spoon's pinnacle, but with its undeniable hook and Britt Daniel's iconic crooning, "Inside Out" may end up being their most memorable song to date.
“Interstellar Main Theme” Hans Zimmer
Hookworms
"Red Eyes" The War on Drugs
Simply put, this song is timeless. It’d be a hit if it was released in the 70s or 20-years from now. It’s perfect.
"Seasons (Waiting on You)" Future Islands
I dare you to watch their legendary Letterman performance and not come away loving this song forever.
“The Swan” Cheatahs
“Tilted” Christine and the Queens
“Windshield” Greensky Bluegrass
Sometimes you just need to stomp and holler, and what better way than with this romp about heartache and wondering if you’ll ever recover fully.
2015
Dua Lipa
"Can't Feel My Face" The Weeknd
The wedding reception doesn’t officially start until this track drops.
“Chandelier” Sia
“Coyotes” Modest Mouse
I love Modest Mouse and their raucous energy (“Dashboard”, “Float On”, etc.), but after I’ve exhausted an album with a few listens through, I tend to return most often to the songs where they take it down a notch. “Coyotes” is an addictively easy listen.
"I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)" Jamie xx ft Young Thug
“Run Like the River” Vintage Trouble.
Soooo much soul and a toe tapping good time.
“Smooth Sailin’” Leon Bridges
"Sorry" Justin Bieber
"Sound & Color" Alabama Shakes
The first minute and a half of this song is quite possibly the greatest song of this generation, the second half doesn’t fall too far off that mark either.
“Sugar” Maroon 5
“Tennessee Whiskey” Chris Stapleton
This is that old, salt of the Earth, feel it deep in your roots kind of country.
“The Eye” Brandi Carlile.
What is there to say? The girl is a poet. Beautiful lyrics sung in 3-part harmony. Chills baby, Chills.
“The Night We Met” Lord Huron
It’s eerie beauty and gut wrenching sadness makes it easy to gloss over the simple genius of the lyrics... “I had all of you, most of you, some, and then none of you”.
2016
"Come Down" Anderson Paak
"Cranes in the Sky" Solange
Such a gorgeously enchanting song about sadness and isolation. Throw this on your headphones as you walk through your city, and you can't help but to relate to the song's beautiful metaphor.
“Dandelion” Chicane
“Europe is Lost” Kate Tempest
“Formation” Beyonce
Makes for fun trips to Red Lobster guessing which couples are there for it.
“Ophelia”
The Lumineers
"Redbone" Childish Gambino
It’s funky, it’s fresh, it feels like it’s from another time and yet it also feels perfectly timely.
“Sideman” Freddy & Francine
“We Ain’t Getting Younger Pt. 2” Jim James
2017
"Louvre" Lorde
Melodrama is chock-full of incredibly memorable songs, but "Louvre" is its unforgettable highlight, perfectly capturing the obsession and love-blindness that happens when you really fall for someone. It's catchy, it's atmospheric, and it's the sort of song you can't help but play on repeat.
“Malibu”
Miley Cyrus
“Motion Sickness” Phoebe Bridgers
Phoebe Bridgers is using the same building blocks as everyone else, and yet, the way she assembles these blocks rhythm and tone feels entirely unique. She’s like the Frank Lloyd Wright of song writing.
"On Hold" The xx
“Sign of the Times” Harry Styles.
Yes, I’m aware this makes me a dork as he is a boy band front man but a.) this song rocks and b.) watch his performance on SNL and tell me you don’t get all those Mick Jagger feels.
2018
“As the World Caves In” Matt Maltese
“I can imagine my mom listening to it and not hearing the lyrics and just thinking, oh, this is nice“ - Matt Maltese
“Get Along” Kenny Chesney
Janelle Monae
“She’s Kerosene” The Interrupters.
My husband loves Ska, and I have to admit this song is impossible to not love, and sing along to, and dance maniacally to no matter how inappropriate it might be at work at 3:30 in the morning when you’re trying to make people leave a bar... but I digress.
2019
“Confessions” Sudan Archives
“Drunk II”
Mannequin Pussy
“The greatest” Lana Del Rey
In an album full of tragic romance and melancholy celebration, no song quite captures the heartbreaking beauty of remembering better times than “The greatest”. It doesn’t hurt that Lana Del Rey’s voice evokes the desire for a good cry or a good fuck.
"Harmony Hall" Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend made a lot of really great music this decade, and I easily could have included "Diane Young" or "Hannah Hunt" on this list. Perhaps it's recency bias, but I think "Harmony Hall" will go down as their best song of the 2010s.
“Stay High” Brittany Howard
Brittany Howard’s solo excursion from Alabama Shakes still has the power and soul you’ve come to love her for. “Stay High” is the richest song from her solo collection. And the video, my god, so good.
50 Favorite Albums of the Decade
2010
Doo Wops & Hooligans, Bruno Mars
High Violet, The National
Boxer will probably always be remembered as The National's greatest achievement, but High Violet deserves high recognition in its own right for being a bold and experimental step forward for the band. While undeniably dark and depressing, High Violet engrosses you in an all-encompassing journey of sadness that sweeps you away in its heartbreaking beauty.
Sara Bareilles
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West
No one loves Kanye like Kanye loves Kanye, but this album is definitely worth loving.
The Suburbs, Arcade Fire
It’s a short story in song. The way each track fits together so seamlessly makes you long for the days when albums were more than just a collection of singles. Whenever I’m feeling nostalgic, there’s no better album to listen through and slip back into a time when possibilities seemed endless.
Teen Dream, Beach House
The decade began with an indie album that has already become iconic in the ten years since its release. The strikingly sweeping soundscape creates an atmospheric vibe that is totally unique and immensely captivating and has influenced a generation of indie rock to follow. This has been my go-to airplane album for the past 10 years, as it never fails to bring me a sense of comfort and nostalgia.
2011
England Keep My Bones, Frank Turner
Blimey!
Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes
After the massive success of their debut album, Fleet Foxes managed to avoid the sophomore slump and created the decade's best folk rock album. The 2010s was met with a wave of folk rock newcomers, many of whom developed a conformity of style leading to a sameness that has left the genre feeling tired and overrun. But the grandiose and all-absorbing sound of Helplessness Blues was something totally unique, and it deserves to be remembered amongst the folk rock pantheon.
James Blake, James Blake
James Blake quickly became one of the most influential musicians of the decade through his collaborations with artists like Beyoncé, Frank Ocean, and Bon Iver. But before that, his 2011 debut album set the tone for a whole new wave of sound that would be often imitated over the decade to come, with a beautiful and melancholic vibe that has become my go-to soundtrack for any cold or rainy night.
Radiohead
Tame Impala
Moving Up Living Down, Eric Hutchinson
He’s always super fun, puts me in a great mood, and particularly humorous lyricist. “Watching You Watch Him” is about his wife’s total love and obsession for Roger Federer. So stupid funny.
Stars and Satellites, Trampled by Turtles
Trampled’s 2010 album Palomino may have finally broken them through to greater audiences and venues with songs like “Wait So Long” and “Victory”, but it was Stars and Satellites that cemented them as the ultimate bluegrass-rock hybrid powerhouse. It also doesn’t hurt that they may be one of the most musically talented and entertaining live performers of the last decade.
The Idler Wheel…, Fiona Apple
Same old Fiona wordsmithing and endearing angst but stripped of the carnival-esque theatrics.
2013
The Head and the Heart
m b v, My Bloody Valentine
Twenty-two years after their previous album and they still got it.
Modern Vampires of the City, Vampire Weekend
Pedestrian Verse, Frightened Rabbit
Pedestrian Verse was a bit of a change of pace for the lyrically rich and hauntingly beautiful Frightened Rabbit. The album still has those signature components of the gone-too-soon Scott Hutchison, but it also has an anthemic power to it.
2014
1989, Taylor Swift
If you hate fun, then you probably won’t enjoy this album. Every song is contagious.
Hozier
Islands, Bear’s Den
Bear’s Den’s debut album will sneak up on you and lay its eggs in your ear canal, but it’s far from a parasitic relationship. If anything, I wish there was more of it to fill all the empty niche space. Every song on this album is intentional and layered but also smooth enough to fill in every wrinkle.
Lost in The Dream, The War on Drugs
The 2010s won't be remembered as a high water mark moment for rock music, but The War on Drugs' ascent was one of my favorite things that happened in music this decade. Lost in The Dream manages to feel both totally innovative yet irresistibly timeless and evokes the emergence of a special indie rock band that we saw with Arcade Fire's Funeral last decade. This album has been played on repeat for me since the day it dropped, and I'm certain I'll be listening to it even more in the decades to come.
2015
1 Hopeful Rd., Vintage Trouble.
A fabulous mix of soul, jazz, and rock. These guys are insanely fun. This album is crazy good. And if you get a chance to see them live - they do not disappoint.
Art Angels, Grimes
Another 13 or 14 cuts like this, and Americans might forgive its northern neighbor for Nickelback.
How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, Florence + The Machine
I Love You Honeybear, Father John Misty
Father John Misty has become somewhat polarizing in recent years, perhaps because no musician personifies the rise of the 2010s hipster movement quite like Josh Tillman. But make no mistake: Father John Misty has crafted some of the best song writing of the entire decade. I Love You Honeybear is infused with an amazing balance of soulful tenderness and ironic humor, and it may be the most romantic album in my rotation.
Swervedriver
In Colour, Jamie xx
Perhaps the most irresistibly catchy album of the decade, In Colour has become infused as my background music of choice for the 5 years since its release. Jamie xx's genre-bouncing achievement is one of the most fun and innovative collections of music you'll ever find.
Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, Courtney Barnett
What’s Inside: Songs From Waitress, music written by Sara Bareilles
Yes, this is pretty nerdy, but this is the best Broadway show I’ve ever seen in large part because the music is phenomenal.
2016
22, A Million, Bon Iver
Bon Iver's self-titled 2011 album was probably more critically acclaimed, but 22, A Million is the band's greatest achievement to date in my eyes. The shift from the bear-bones instrumental nature of its first two albums to the elaborate orchestra of 22, A Million is a truly incredible evolution. Justin Vernon's powerful falsetto combined with his boundary-pushing advancement of digitally composed symphonic sound is undoubtedly one of the most exciting things that happened in music this decade.
25, Adele
One of the most highly anticipated albums of the decade, and it did not disappoint.
A Seat at the Table, Solange
Solange's soul-bearing album is deeply personal while also being an incredible social commentary. The intricate weaving of her own personal struggles with ideas about race and identity in modern America is a truly singular-achievement. A Seat at the Table converses these serious subject matters with such beauty and melody, you can't help but to come away feeling totally captivated and empowered by her sound.
Moana, Soundtrack from the Motion Picture
Try not to hum “How Far I’ll Go”.
Sia
The Wilderness, Explosions in the Sky
2017
Damn., Kendrick Lamar
This might be the most listened to album of the decade… and it’s well deserved.
A Deeper Understanding, The War on Drugs
Think, the lyrical prowess of a Dylan or a Petty but with a grit more like that of a Springsteen.
Melodrama, Lorde
Melodrama is an all-timer relationship album, depicting both the ecstasy and the heartbreak that comes with falling in love with someone. With unforgettable singles like "Green Light," "Louvre," and "Supercut," this is album is utterly relistenable and its charm is everlasting.
Father John Misty
Sleep Well Beast, The National
I don’t know how they do it, but The National keeps putting together these beautifully intricate albums with so much intention and passion. Sleep Well Beast is yet another ingredient to the perfectly balanced gumbo that is The National’s catalog.
Stranger in the Alps, Phoebe Bridgers
The morbidly sweet, sad lyrics that imbue this album fill it with a heart and fervor that shouldn’t make you feel the hope and energy that it does. Phoebe Bridgers has accomplished the daunting task of making her stories relatable to everyone, reassuring us that no one is an island and we’re not so very different.
2018
Mitski
By the Way, I Forgive You, Brandi Carlile
EVERY. DAMN. SONG. IS. PERFECTION. She may be the Stevie Nicks of our generation. A bad ass song writer with a crazy good voice. Fuck yeah!
Golden Hour, Kacey Musgraves
The first song of the album is “Slow Burn” about taking her time and doing it her way, and now that we see what that can produce, we’re just fine with giving Kacey all the time she wants.
2019
All Mirrors, Angel Olsen
It’s gothic, it’s glamorous, it scares me more than I’d like to admit. Angel Olsen is a dark angel, and I might be a little in love.
Post Malone
Norman Fucking Rockwell!, Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey’s latest album still has that same sexually melancholic vibe of her past albums, but unlike her other albums (which are great in their own right), Norman Fucking Rockwell! explores every corner of the dreamscape Lana’s been weaving the last decade. This album proves she has more tricks up her sleeve than a street magician, and she’s truly one of the best song writers of our generation.
Listen to our favorites songs and some select songs from our favorite albums on this Spotify Playlist!
