I almost didn’t do any lists for the end of this fascinating decade of music. Realizing I was being too precious about it, I remembered how much fun it can be to dig through all of the music and select the releases that have endured with me.
The result is that I’ve created a few different lists that I’ll be debuting over the next few weeks, including:
- my 50 favorite film and TV scores of the decade;
- my 50 favorite synthwave albums and EPs of the decade;
- and the one today, my 100 favorite albums and EPs of the 2010s.
These 100 studio albums, EPs, and a few compilations are from virtually all genres that Vehlinggo covers — synth-pop, disco, Balearic, house, techno, and all of that — with the exception of my isolating most synthwave albums and all soundtracks and scores to their own lists. (So if you don’t see the Drive soundtrack on this list, no need to fret.) There will be some overlap in the sense that a synthwave artist could have a release on this general list and the same or other of their releases on the synthwave list, but mostly I tried to keep things unique.
Because I’m focusing on Vehlinggoland, I had to leave out releases from artists I enjoy who just didn’t fit the genres covered: Cults, The War on Drugs, Tom Waits, Beach House, Beyonce, Lizzo, 2 Chainz, St. Vincent, STRFKR, Kamasi Washington, and Tanlines, for example.
Final notes: I’m not listing them in a ranked order; instead, they’re listed in alphabetical order. I couldn’t possibly rank one higher than the other with such a good slate like this. Also, there’s a chance I forgot to include some release I’ve enjoyed — it can happen.
I think that’s all the disclaimers and caveats for you. Now, let’s dive into the list of music that served to help you get through this bizarre, often exciting, and sometimes traumatizing decade.
2814 — Rain Temple — Dream Catalogue (2016)
—review— —listen to the album—
Anoraak — Figure — Endless Summer (2016)
Antoni Maiovvi — Avrokosm — Not Not Fun (2014)
Art Wilson — Overworld — Self-released (2014)
Bat For Lashes — Lost Girls — Self-Released [Dist. via AWAL Recordings] (2019)
Blood Orange — Cupid Deluxe — Domino Recording Company (2013)
BOAN — Mentiras — Holodeck Records (2015)
Bottin — Punica Fides — Bearfunk (2014)
Brothertiger — Out of Touch — Self-released (2015)
Carly Rae Jepsen — Emotion — School Boy/Interscope Records (2015)
Chairlift — Something — Kanine/Columbia/Young Turks Records (2012)
Charli XCX — True Romance — Asylum/Atlantic (2013)
Charlotte Gainsbourg — Rest — Because Music (2017)
—as heard on Pink Gloves’ ‘Vehlinggo Mix’—
The Chemical Brothers — Further — Parlophone (2010)
Chromatics — Kill For Love — Italians Do It Better (2012)
Chromeo — Business Casual — Last Gang/Turbo (2010)
CHVRCHES — The Bones of What You Believe — Glassnote (2013)
Claps — Wreck — Guilt Ridden Pop (2011)
Class Actress — Rapprocher — Carpark Records (2011)
Classixx — Hanging Gardens — Innovative Leisure (2013)
College — Heritage — Valerie Records (2013)
Daft Punk — Random Access Memories — Columbia (2013)
Deadly Avenger — The Girl with the White Orchid — Lakeshore Records/Burning Witches Records (2018)
—Deadly Avenger on The Vehlinggo Podcast—
Dream Ending — Dream Ending — Data Airlines (2018)
Dust — Agony Planet — 2MR (2016)
Electric Youth — Innerworld — Secretly Canadian/Last Gang Records (2014)
Electric Youth — Memory Emotion — Last Gang Records (2019)
FM Attack — Deja Vu — Tonite Records (2013)
—a recent interview with FM Attack—
FM-84 — Atlas — Self-released (2016)
—A roundup of all interviews, reviews, and other articles on FM-84 on Vehlinggo (there are many)—
Francis and the Lights — Farewell, Starlite! — KTTF (2016)
Fred Falke — Alpha — Mercury Music Group (2015)
French Horn Rebellion — Next Jack Swing, Pt. 1 — Ensemble Records (2014)
Future Islands — Singles — 4AD (2014)
Gateway Drugs — Dare Tonight — Self-released (2015)
Gayngs — Relayted — Jagjaguwar (2010)
George Clanton — 100% Electronica — Self-Released [later 100% Electronica, the label] (2015)
Glass Candy — Feeling Without Touching — Italians Do It Better (2010)
Goldfrapp — Head First — Mute Records (2010)
Grimes — Visions — 4AD (2011)
Haerts — Haerts — Columbia (2014)
Helena Hauff — Discreet Desires — Ninja Tune (2016)
Holy Ghost! — Holy Ghost! — DFA (2011)
Home — Falling into Place — Self-released (2016)
Ice Choir — Designs in Rhythm — Shelflife/Fastcut (2016)
In Mirrors — Escape From Berlin — Italians Do It Better (2017)
—catch In Mirrors’ newest track on the Vehlinggo Presents: 5 Years compilation—
Johan Agebjörn & Mikael Ögren — We Never Came to the White Sea — Spotted Peccary Music (2017)
Johnny Jewel — Windswept — Italians Do It Better (2017)
The Juan Maclean — In a Dream — DFA (2014)
Justice — Woman — Ed Banger (2016)
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith — The Kid — Self-released (2017)
Kavinsky — Outrun — Record Makers (2013)
Le Matos — Join Us — Girlfriend Records/Death Waltz (2013)
—Le Matos on The Vehlinggo Podcast—
Levon Vincent — Levon Vincent — Novel Sound (2015)
LGHTNNG — Getting Ready — Self-Released (2016)
Lust For Youth — International — Sacred Bones (2014)
M83 — Hurry up, We’re Dreaming — Mute/Naïve (2011)
Macintosh Plus — Floral Shoppe — Beer on the Rug (2011)
Maethelvin — Continuum — Valerie (2018)
Maine — V — Spun Out of Control/Burning Witches Records (2017)
Matthew Dear — Beams — Ghostly International (2012)
Mecha Maiko — Let’s — Oro (2019)
—A whole lot of Mecha Maiko content—
The Midnight — Kids — Self-released (2018)
—that notable, in-depth interview with Tim and Tyler—
Midnight Faces — The Fire Is Gone — Broken Factory (2014)
Neon Indian — Era Extraña — Mom + Pop/Static Tongues (2011)
Nite Jewel — Real High — Self-released (2017)
Oneohtrix Point Never — Garden of Delete — Warp Records (2015)
Pale Blue — The Past We Leave Behind — 2MR (2015)
Paperwhite — Magic — Duly Noted Records (2014)
Phoenix — Ti Amo — Glassnote (2017)
Poliça — Give You The Ghost — Mom + POp/Totally Gross National Product (2011)
Pr0files — Jurassic Technologie — Straight A Records (2016)
Purple — Salvation — WeDidIt (2013)
Rémi Parson — Précipitations — Objet Disque (2015)
Robyn — Body Talk — Konichiwa Records (2010)
Roosevelt — Roosevelt — City Slang (2016)
Saint-Samuel — Carrousel — Self-released (2015)
Salem — King Night — IAMSOUND Records (2010)
Sally Dige — Holding On — Self-released (2017)
Sally Shapiro — Somewhere Else — Paper Bag Records (2013)
Samantha Urbani — Policies of Power EP — Lucky Number Music (2017)
Savoir Adore — Full Bloom — Nettwerk Music Group (2019)
School of Seven Bells — Put Your Sad Down — Vagrant Records/Ghostly International (2012)
Seahawks — Aquadisco — Ocean Moon (2012)
—an interview plus a metric ton of other Seahawks content—
Sébastien Tellier — My God Is Blue — Record Makers (2012)
Shit Robot — From the Cradle to the Rave — DFA (2010)
Sky Ferreira — Night Time, My Time — Capitol Records (2013)
Solange — True — Terrible Records (2012)
St. Lucia — When the Night — Neon Gold/Columbia records (2013)
Symmetry — Themes for an Imaginary Film — Italians Do It Better (2011)
Tegan and Sara — Love You To Death — Warner Records (2016)
Tess Roby — Beacon — Italians Do It Better (2018)
—Vehlinggo’s review of Beacon—
Todd Terje — It’s Album Time — Olsen Records (2014)
Twin Shadow — Confess — 4AD (2012)
Tycho — Awake — Ghostly (2014)
Various Artists — After Dark 2 — Italians Do It Better (2013)
Various Artists — Holodeck Vision One — Holodeck Records (2018)
VHS Collection — Stereo Hype — VHS Records (2016)
Visitor — Coming Home — Glasgow Underground Music (2012)
Wild Nothing — Gemini — Captured Tracks (2010)
You Drive — You Drive — YK Records (2018)
Zola Jesus — Conatus — Sacred Bones (2011)
Thanks for sticking around! Return soon for those other two lists.
