Today we present #30-21 of our Best Albums of 2010-2014 list. This is the middle section of our list: twenty songs precede it, and twenty songs come after it. We think you’ll find these ten to be incredibly strong contributions of the past five years, which really ought to get you extra excited for what’s to come tomorrow and Friday. With music this good, its hard to imagine things get better. But we assure you they do. Let us know if you think we’ve made wise choices thus far, and listen to all of today’s best albums on our accompanying Spotify playlist.

Best 50 Albums Of The Decade So Far (#30-#21)

First Aid Kit – The Lion’s Roar

I like to imagine that if Fleet Foxes had two younger sisters who spent summers in the country with their Auntie Neko Case, they would sound like First Aid Kit. Of course, no such familial ties exist, but musical ties certainly do.

Most obviously: harmony. Johanna and Klara Söderberg spend much of The Lion’s Roar harmonizing wonderfully through verse, chorus and bridge. The bright tonality and rich quality of their vocals are the true backbone of this album. Though any of the ten songs on The Lion’s Roar could back this point up, “To a Poet,” a track punctuated by sporadic and particularly beautiful harmonies, really shows Johanna and Klara’s cohesion as vocalists, while “New Year’s Eve” sees them at their echoing, raging best.

Clearly this album is worth the time of any fan of alternative country, but this beautiful songwriting really needs to be heard by fans of all genres. The lyrics are thoughtful without excess, and they’re refreshingly memorable and clear at a time when fuzzy lo-fi bands let their words sink into the mix. You know, sometimes a good ol’ roar does the trick, too. [Susan]

Sharon Van Etten – Tramp

“There was your breath / on the back of my neck / the only one holding / the only one I had felt in years.” Lyrics like that are emotive and cinematic on their own, but in the hands (or rather, lungs) of Sharon Van Etten, they can move mountains. Tramp, the Brooklyn-based songwriter’s third solo album, is a study in raw artistic expression; Van Etten sounds as if she’s sitting beside us, sharing her darkest secrets about the ravages of love. These are break-up songs, but not girly ones sung by a petty teenage girl with zero life experience (you know who I’m talking about). Van Etten sounds like a woman, writes like a woman and commands respect because she writes with maturity. Every song is a doozy, from the roaring “Serpents,” to the tender “Leonard,” to my personal favorite, the stripped-down “We Are Fine.” Her best outing yet. [Bernard]

The National – Trouble Will Find Me

The National’s rise to indie-rock kingpins did not happen overnight. After five albums and a handful of EPs, the band finally reached a career peak with the release of Trouble Will Find Me.

The band’s sixth full-length was the perfect combination of elements from their previous five records without seeming trite: their usual darkly romantic lyricism (when I walk into a room / I do not light it up), their chamber-pop instrumentation (the strings in “This Is The Last Time”), their unconventional rhythms (the shifting time signature of “I Should Live In Salt”), and their classically inspired complex arrangements courtesy of the Dessner brothers (the intricate melodies of “Sea Of Love”).

While certain aspects of Trouble Will Find Me take after the band’s previous works, the highlight, at least to me, was the unpretentious array of guest instrumentals from Sufjan Stevens and Arcade Fire’s Richard Reed Parry to back-up vocals from Sharon Van Etten and St. Vincent mastermind Annie Clark.

It’s hard to listen to Trouble Will Find Me without thinking, “Yeah, so this is some sort of masterclass in indie music.” [Susan]

Death Grips – The Money Store

Experimental hip-hop trio Death Grips assured us they had disbanded last year. Then, they released a bunch of music and hinted that a tour might be on the way with a cryptic YouTube video of them rehearsing. They’re weirdos. The Sacramento-based outfit are outcasts not just in hip-hop, but in the music industry in general, dropping records whenever they please, and on their own terms. Their sound is notoriously glitchy and chaotic and often impenetrable, but their first studio album, The Money Store, is arguably their catchiest and most approachable work of all. I’d also argue it’s their best. MC Ride’s violent, bellowing delivery and surrealist lyrics mesmerize on standout tracks “Hacker” and “Fuck That,” and the firecracker opener “Get Got” might be the closest thing Death Grips have resembling a radio hit. This is the perfect entryway album for one of the most insane groups to hit the rap scene in years. [Bernard]

Cloud Nothings – Here and Nowhere Else

In 2012, Dylan Baldi pulled a fast one on his fans, renovating Cloud Nothings’ from a lo-fi pop band into a noise punk outfit. That year’s Attack on Memory remains one of the decade’s most brooding garage rock albums; follow-up Here and Nowhere Else casts some sun on that LP’s sound, but this light is filtered through a semi-thick layer of clouds. Its songs are somewhat more upbeat and significantly more optimistic than on Attack on Memory, but it remains a hostile, fiery collection. “Quieter Today” distills Baldi’s punk ferocity with a blanket of melodic hope; “No Thoughts” breeds both contentment and angst with its vibrant yet deranged power chords; “I’m Not Part of Me” recasts ’90s power pop as a blazing, confident rumble. The mixture of bliss and rage Baldi achieves here is in part indebted to his band’s increased technical proficiency, particularly in the percussive section. Drummer Jason Gerycz ranks among the most vicious, brutal drummers playing today, and his manic performances embolden Here and Nowhere Else with the frantic presence contrasting its more vivid chord progressions. A feat in both sound and performance, Here and Nowhere Else distinguishes itself potently among its fellow punk albums of the decade. [Max]

Chromatics – Kill for Love

Like many musical non-aficionados, I was first introduced to the Chromatics through Nicholas Winding Refn’s Drive, which opened my ears to the band’s evocative sound thanks to their song “Tick of the Clock” featured in the film. This song led to me discover their fourth studio album, Kill For Love, long after the band had gone through their own musical evolution, from rock-influenced noisy punk to Italo disco-influenced synthpunk in the early 2000s. Though it takes three men to create the band’s special aural aesthetic—Adam Miller, Johnny Jewel, and Nat Walker—it’s tough to think about anyone or anything else while listening to Ruth Radelet, and feeling her get under your skin with her beguiling amarantine voice. “Into The Black” and “Candy” are perfect examples. But it’s not all Radelet, though. Instrumentals like “There’s A Light Out At The Horizon” showcase the Chromatics’ powerful soundscapes without the support of their main voice. Kill For Love drips with melancholic romance, and sheaths the listener in an everlasting embrace of silky retro sounds. [Nik]

Alt-J – An Awesome Wave

Gwil Sainsbury, Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton, and Thom Green formed Alt-J in 2007, but didn’t release their debut album until 4 years later. These years gave them the time to hone in their unique sound, one where bass doesn’t factor in too much since they were mostly practicing in student halls and couldn’t make too much noise. Instead, the heavily electro-influenced production values places emphasis on impossibly melodious synth lines, Newman’s peculiar vocals, and a refreshingly unpredictable song structure. Take “Breezeblocks,” for example. Neither its infectious hook or Newman’s falsetto can prepare you for what comes after the two-minute mark, and the “please don’t go, please don’t go, I love you so” chant that injects the track with an incredible kind of energy. With tracks like this, and other stand outs like “Something Good,” “Matilda,” and “Fitzpleasure,” An Awesome Wave washed over indie rock soundwaves in 2011 and heralded Alt-J in an exciting way, representing a shining example of a refreshingly new take on contemporary indie. Accompanying the familiar quarter of keyboard, guitar, drum, and single vocal are samples, electro twitches, and harmonious duets between Newman and Unger-Hamilton, infusing the album with an atmosphere that soothes eardrums with every listen. [Nik]

Purity Ring – Shrines

In a decade when “dark” evolved into an overused, superficial descriptor, Purity Ring may be the outfit best-suited to the word. Corin Roddick’s unnerving, bleak dashes of wide, sprawling synths and Megan James’ anatomical, disturbing lyricism casts absolutely no light on the romances inspiring the songs on their debut Shrines. The album gives a sonic form to the visual of a face-deformed monster rising from a black, nameless murk and following terrified victims around everywhere—but the twist is, this beast seeks love, not the infliction of pain. Sure, Megan James demands that the subject of club-rattling career highlight “Fineshrine” which goes, “cut open my sternum and pull/my little ribs around you,” but this gory image desires as deep an intimacy as humanly possible rather than the sociopathic pouring of blood. Likewise, when James commands that a lover take full control over her body over the trap skitter of “Saltkin,” she seeks a human connection that transcends what our physical existence can provide. She conveys beautiful ideas in deceptively unsettling words, just as Roddick delivers eerily mobile instrumentals with surprisingly intricate arrangements. Although darkness dominates on Shrines, light shines through with consecutive listens, and this constantly growing lens invites listeners back for endless replays. [Max]

M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming

“I’m slowly drifting to you/The stars and the planets/Are calling me/A billion years away from you…” so go the lyrics to M83’s “My Tears Are Becoming A Sea,” a track no amount of movie trailers can possibly ruin. These words perfectly encapsulate the transporting and cinematic quality of M83’s music, and his 2011 double album, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming is more of an intergalactic space voyage commandeered by a child’s exuberant energy than just another album. We singled out “Midnight City” in our Top 50 Songs of the Decade So Far feature last month, but once you play both discs it’s almost impossible to separate any part from the whole experience; even the short intermission-style tracks like “Another Wave From You” and “This Bright Flash” feel necessary and add further dimension to a fantastically realized project. Then, of course, tracks like “Reconte-Moi Historie” on the first disc, and “Echoes of Mine” on the second disc, enhance the storytelling and nostalgic aspects with a beautiful balance of subtle vocals and tremendously spirited production. You’d be forgiven if you thought M83 was 10 people after listening to Hurry Up, but it all comes from the imagination and creative talent of Frenchman Anthony Gonzales, inspired by his new home-city of Los Angeles, and realizing his dream of completing a double album that’s not too long and places more emphasis on emotion than narrative. It’s easily the most gloriously sonorous album of the decade so far. [Nik]

Crystal Castles – II

II is truly a strange album. It features—each in a different song—no wave punk, droning metal, explosive industrial, flowery electro-pop, nightmarish rave, slowly expanding IDM, and overwhelming glitch. Cohesion is exactly the opposite of what drives II, yet each of its fourteen songs fits incredibly well under the same roof, resulting in Crystal Castles’ best album, and one of the decade’s most memorable electronic LPs. Surprising in description, the success of its scattered nature makes sense when listening to the album, since each and every song is thoroughly enjoyable despite the lack of common threads among them. Neon light anthem “Empathy,” muddy metal snippet “Birds,” and horror film rave blast “Baptism” sound like the word of three different acts, but since each is a wildly resonant piece of music, Crystal Castles is able to include them, as well as fanged screamer “Doe Deer,” glitch journey “Intimate,” and heartwarming dance tune “Suffocation,” on the same album, one for which solely they are responsible. II restores meaning to the phrase “there’s something for everyone here”: really, anyone who even distantly enjoys electronic music is bound to obsess over something they hear on this album. [Max]

See the rest of our Best Albums Of The Decade lists!

View Other Lists of this Feature:
Best 50 Albums of the Decade So Far (#50 – #41)
Best 50 Albums of the Decade So Far (#40 – #31)
Best 50 Albums of the Decade So Far (#20 – #11)
Best 50 Albums of the Decade So Far (#10 – #1)

We continue our countdown of our 50 Best Songs of the Decade So Far with ten songs that include an omnipresent pop anthem, a confrontational rap banger, a stark piano ballad, and an Italo disco song, a subgenre formerly thought to be dead. These ten songs are also somewhat surprising; some of them don’t feature too often on other publications’ lists of the decade’s best music to date. A few of these would be expected for a good Top 20, but others are refreshingly new to such lists. There will definitely be something, if not many things, for eager listeners to discover in this section.

We’ve got the playlist ready and waiting for your listening pleasure at the bottom, let us know what you think of our list so far and tune in tomorrow for our top ten list.

Best 50 Songs Of The Decade So Far
(#20 – #11)

Arcade Fire – “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)”

Over time, Arcade Fire have transformed from an earnest gang of chamber pop auteurs to a troupe with an unexpectedly varied sound. “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” finds them mid-transition between their former state of we’re-all-in-this-together anthems to their more recent form of cynical, synth-indebted, all-encompassing sounds. The song marks the first instance in Arcade Fire’s catalog where synths actually carry the weight, a move that might signal death for the band if the emotional pull weren’t maintained. Sprightly pianos, digital flickers and a deep, slowly growling synthetic bass support Regine Chassagne’s angelic, assertive vocals. Her lyrical themes of suburban decay and youthful exuberance match the song’s subtly ominous undercurrent and its gleeful, ecstatic synths, respectively. A brief bridge sees the darker hues briefly overtaking the smiling sounds in the song’s most exciting moment; like Chassagne herself says, “I need the darkness, someone please cut the lights.” [Max]

Rihanna – “We Found Love”

The 2011 monster collaboration between Rihanna and Calvin Harris “We Found Love” is a top-notch club banger, with exhilarating crescendos and breakdowns and awesome electronic “swoosh” noises everyone loves so much. But what makes it special is its sense of high drama, found in RiRi’s perfectly controlled, love-struck vocals and the intensely impassioned lyrics. That no one (of note) had written “we found love in a hopeless place” before this song came out is almost stupid, considering how timeless and simple and evocative a lyric it is. “We Found Love” is rapture in a bottle, one of those songs that’ll give you the sudden urge to move with your partner from the dance floor to somewhere more private. [Bernard]

The War on Drugs – “Red Eyes”

After two albums, The War On Drugs have finally found their stride on Lost In The Dream (2014), the lush and lyrically staggering third album from the tortured artist that is Adam Granduciel. And while the record is rather great through and through, it is the first single, “Red Eyes,” that is the clear stand out—a song so rich and mesmerizing that the rest of the album nearly disappears in its glow. The song, driven by the constant rhythm of the drums, but carried along by the full-bodied piano and the thick fuzz of the guitar, is really a showcase for Granduciel’s voice, which rises from its smooth base to a pained howl in a matter of words and scales an impressive range, striking at some hard truths, “And you don’t go home/but you abuse my faith.” This track is sure to outlast the rest of the decade. [Gary]

Bat for Lashes – “Laura”

Natasha Khan a.k.a. Bat For Lashes, is the genuine deal. She doesn’t comprise her artistic inclinations, and doesn’t rush inspiration. The story behind her last album, and how Radiohead’s Thom Yorke helped, is like an adventurous quest for intuition that loves to escape creative minds, but the story behind “Laura,” her slow and melancholic piano ballad, is much more rock star. “My housemate and I had an extremely debauched house party…The next day, I had the biggest hangover ever, and I had to go and write this song,” Khan told Pitchfork. What makes it even more unbelievable is that Khan and her co-writer Justin Parker nailed it in under two hours and the demo version became the album version. Khan hitting it out of the park at first bat while hungover is like an invitation to search for symmetry between artist and subject, making the song all the more transcendent. Of course, the song wouldn’t be her last album’s leading single if it stood on its own merit, and there’s plenty of it. Khan’s voice, a piano, and a heartfelt ode to the misguided, “Laura” is impossible to forget. [Nik]

M83 – “Midnight City”

If you’re looking for the definitive driving song on our list, you’ve found it. French electronic artist Anthony Gonzalez is the man behind the popular M83 monicker, and for his latest album (brilliantly titled Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming), his main influence was his relocation from France to Los Angeles. But, somehow, when he sings “Waiting in a car/Waiting for the ride in the dark/The night city grows/Look and see her eyes, they glow,” you know that he could only be referring to the infamous city of angels. The song is immediately recognized by the opening riffs (interestingly enough, this is his own heavily distorted voice), and the way M83 manipulates and mixes this riff, at once following and leading every other component of the track, is what makes “Midnight City” an instant modern classic. It harkens back to a bygone era of disco, and ends on a sax solo fitting for the end credits of a late ’80s TV show, but with its beats, and pitch-perfect mix of synth-pop energy and dream-pop captivation, “Midnight City” sounds fresh every time you press repeat. Which is a lot. [Nik]

Waxahatchee – “Swan Dive”

Only three elements comprise “Swan Dive,” a masterwork of desperation, heartache, and isolation courtesy of Katie Crutchfield. Specifically, Crutchfield is such a powerful songwriter that she only needs three tracks (an endlessly pattering bass drum, a crisply threadbare guitar line, and her husky, close-range vocals) to convey the hefty emotions underlying this song. “Won’t you sleep with me, every night for a week? Won’t you just let me pretend, this is the love I need?” Crutchfield asks over her desolate instrumentation, providing just enough of a backbone to create a memorable melody, but also remains thin enough to ensure that her words receive the attention they deserve. Later, the drums go silent, and the backbone becomes even more delicate, directing the focus towards a key line: “I’ll keep having dreams about loveless marriage and regret.” There is no hope on “Swan Dive,” only the fall from grace for which the song is named. At least Crutchfield is giving us incredible music from down in her ditch. [Max]

Gesaffelstein – “Pursuit”

Not a lot of music is as blindly forceful as Gesaffelstein’s propulsive single “Pursuit.” Driven by a slightly over-compressed procession preset, but thrown along by the piercing and undulating tones that bury themselves in your head, the song is a sort of freight train of energy, the rests acting as the sole space to catch a breath. Gesaffelstein (the French born Mike Levy) has worked with Kanye West on some of his fiercer Yeezus tracks, demonstrates what has made him such a powerhouse and go to producer for hyper-aggressive and club-ready songs with “Pursuit.” The song stands apart from the pack with its on-a-dime shifts and the clipped and unnerving use of vocal samples. “Pursuit” is the perfect synthesis of furious EDM, a pulsing discotheque nightmare in the best possible way. [Gary]

Jay-Z & Kanye West – “N****s in Paris”

There are plenty of standouts throughout Watch the Throne, Jay-Z and Kanye West’s collaborative album, but “N****s in Paris” stands out as the clear winner. With Hit-Boy’s instantly memorable synth hook driving the song, Jay-Z and West provide one quotable line after another. It’s full-on, egotistical bragging, and it works. Why? Because both of them earned the rights to brag as much as they want (West just released My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy at the time, and Jay-Z needs no explaining). At first glance, the title Watch the Throne might give off the image of someone trying to be protective. After listening to “N****s in Paris,” the title’s meaning is clear: watch and observe the masters at work. [C.J.]

Chromatics – “Cherry”

Never underestimate the combined powers of an enticing female vocal and low-key electronic melody; the two were created to be together. Case in point: Chromatics. Ruth Radelet sounds like she stepped out of a vintage postcard from the 1970’s, and with her poignant, deeply melancholic, voice manipulated to disperse away like dandelion clocks, “Cherry” captures the heart, swiftly and successfully. Not found on any of the band’s official albums, “Cherry” is one of the band’s three contributions to the second After Dark compilation by their label, Italians Do It Better, and tells the familiar story of Cherry, who “can be very sweet when she needs a friend/But it’s only/A mask she wears so she can pretend.” Adam Miller’s production, with that titillating Italo disco riff filling the void left by Radelet’s redolent voice whenever she isn’t singing, is a striking example of something beautiful and timeless created out of simple compositions. Not to mention how it basks in a kind of retro neon warmth you can practically touch. [Nik]

St. Vincent – “Krokodile”

St. Vincent has come to be known by her feather-light and carbonated indie tracks, a brand that has snagged her a Grammy. But while her sound is rather easy to pick out from the pack, she has been anything but one note. The best example of this arguably being 2012’s Record Store Day single “Krokodile.” The song is a shock to the system, especially for dedicated Annie Clark fans. The track, nearly foaming at the mouth, is an intense and crunchy punk riot, with Clark’s vocals smashed and buried beneath the chugging hurricane of sound. So while St. Vincent has all but created her own genre (one that no doubt carries some eerie undertones), “Krokodile” is a behemoth of a song that proves Clark can rock out with the very best of them. [Gary]

Listen to These Songs on Spotify

See the rest of our Best Songs Of The Decade lists!

View Other Lists of this Feature:
Best 50 Songs of the Decade So Far (#50 – #41)
Best 50 Songs of the Decade So Far (#40 – #31)
Best 50 Songs of the Decade So Far (#30 – #21)
Best 50 Songs of the Decade So Far (#10 – #1)

Lollapalooza 2012 lineup has been revealed with headliners Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Black Keys, Black Sabbath and Jack White set to rock Chicago’s Grant Park. While Lollapalooza will share The Black Keys with Coachella as headliners, there are a number of solid bands playing here that will not play at Coachella. Some the most notable bands that will not overlap are; The Walkmen, Passion Pit, Twin Shadow, Dum Dum Girls, Washed Out, The Temper Trap, Delta Spirit, Toro Y Moi, and Dr. Dog.

The Lollapalooza Music Festival will be August 3rd – August 5th. See the full Lollapalooza lineup of bands and lineup poster below.

Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Black Keys, Black Sabbath, Jack White, Florence + the Machine, At the Drive-In, Avicii, The Shins, Justice, Passion Pit, Sigur Ros, The Weeknd, M83, Miike Snow, The Afghan Whigs, Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, Frank Ocean, J. Cole, Childish Gambino, Delta Spirit, Metric, The Temper Trap, Wale, Die Antwoord, Dawes, tUnEyArDs, The Head & the Heart, The Big Pink, Twin Shadow, The Tallest Man on Earth, Toro y Moi, Dr. Dog, Of Monsters and Men, Gary Clark Jr., Alabama Shakes, The Gaslight Anthem, Amadou & Mariam, Band of Skulls, SBTRKT, Tame Impala, The Walkmen, JJ Grey & Mofro, fun., Neon Indian, Dum Dum Girls, Washed Out, Aloe Blacc, Trampled by Turtles, Bear in Heaven, Blind Pilot, Chairlift, The Black Angels, Yellow Ostrich, Givers, Polica, Bombay Bicycle Club, Sharon Van Etten, White Rabbits, Doomtree, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, The Devil Makes Three, Oberhofer, The War on Drugs, Michael Kiwanuka, O Rappa, Bowerbirds, Orchard Lounge, Mona, The Growlers, Hey Rosetta!, JEFF the Brotherhood, Anamanaguchi, First Aid Kit, Wax, FIDLAR, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound, Milo Greene, Los Jaivas, Kopecky Family Band, The Jezabels, LP, Yuna, Walk Off the Earth, Animal Kingdom, Dev, The Sheepdogs, The Dunwells, DJ Mel, Empires, Kevin Devine, Dry the River, Helena, Haley Reinhart, Imaginary Cities, Overdoz, Ambassadors, DJ Zebo, Chancellor Warhol, Laura Warshauer, Red Oblivion

Perry’s stage: Bassnectar, Kaskade, Calvin Harris, NERO, Santigold, Knife Party, Zeds Dead, Big Gigantic, Skream & Benga, Little Dragon, Porter Robinson, Sub Focus, Madeon, Zedd, Paper Diamond, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Star Slinger, Nadastrom, DJ Nihal, SALVA, & Kid Color.

Coachella just announced the lineup for its 2012 festival in Indio, California. The headliners are undeniably stacked; Black Keys (Friday), Radiohead (Saturday) and Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg (Sunday). As you probably know, 2012 Coachella Music Festival will be held over just one weekend but two, essentially creating two identical festivals back –to-back.

While the headliners are attention grabbers, the rest lineup is even more impressive. Some of my personal favorites are; M83, Neon Indian, Miike Snow, St. Vincent, At The Drive-In, The Weeknd, DJ Shadow, Justice, Calvin Harris, Real Estate, and Cat Power.

The Coachella Music Festival will start on April 13-15 and again on April 20-22. See the full Coachella lineup poster of bands below.