Have fun guessing who’s who: LCD Soundsystem, the War on Drugs, Tame Impala, Carly Rae Jepsen, Father John Misty, Jay-Z, FKA twigs, Joyce Manor, Kacey Musgraves, Sleep, Arcade Fire, 03 Greedo, G.L.O.S.S., Daft Punk, Cobalt, Bad Bunny, Calvin Harris, HAIM, Jon Hopkins, Mbongwana Star, Rae Sremmurd, SunnO))), the National, Migos, DJ Koze, the New Pornographers, St. Many, many artists we love we just didn’t have room for.
Some are overrepresented in critical circles at the expense of other artists who aren’t viewed as equally valid, and some we don’t even like. Some were cherished by past incarnations of SPIN and haven’t aged as we hoped some were overrated in the first place. Some of these artists didn’t move us as much as they did other braintrusts of music writers. Which, duh, but plenty of artists whose work defined the decade for many, many people, including many of us, just wouldn’t fit. There’s a lot of music that isn’t on this list. Because lord knows we need the distraction. Because the works of art below serve as a reminder that the 2010s weren’t all bad. Because we relish excuses to sound off on the music that’s affected us the most and to enlist some of our favorite writers to do so. Because some of the already unanimously beloved music on this list still merits further praise. Because plenty of our favorite albums of the last 10 years could still use a boost. Why now? Because - and there’s no reason to ignore the elephant in the room: SPIN stewardship has changed hands many, many times since we made the online jump - we got our chance.