Board 8 > ~~SephG's decennial "Best of" topic: the 2010s!~~

(+) Yeah! (+)

kanye is a respectable choice, given how critically acclaimed he is, but i would put him nowhere near the top of my list. great producer/DJ but as a rapper/lyricist i never thought he was THAT great.

also, 4/5 of the best music acts of the '10s were hip hop guys? really? >_> i love hip hop as much as the next guy but i find it hard to believe the decade was THAT slanted towards one genre.

i can't possibly answer the "who was the best band/artist" question as there's waaay too much stuff i've missed this decade. but out of the stuff i've heard, lana del rey should definitely be on the list, at least. she's been prolific and consistent enough this decade. still haven't heard enough lorde to judge her but i probably wouldn't put an artist who's only put out two albums this decade on the list, as good as those albums may be. i'll save my other general music thoughts for when you get to albums.
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Okay, I was going to save this for best album or song, but I can't figure out how to weave it in naturally.

(indie rock has had almost zero cultural significance this decade)

This is exactly the reason why this decade has left a bad taste in my mouth musically. Bands are dead. Sure, you still have really solid rock groups like War on Drugs and innovative bands like Car Seat Headrest, but they now occupy this niche market instead of being the gods they should be.

So why is this a problem you ask? SephG, just go on spotify and listen to these bands that you like and stop whining that they aren't on the radio!

Well, here's the issue: artists have egos. And what often drives really talented people, geniuses even, to start making music is watching these current stars and seeing how they are praised. This is how countless bands and artists got going--the Beatles wanted to be Little Richard, U2 wanted to be the Beatles, the Killers wanted to be U2, and so on. It works in any genre--there's a reason why Biggie and Pac have been deified over the years.

But I am afraid that now a good old rock band isn't inspiring too many others to use their talents in that manner. Pop stars like Post Malone are perfectly fine, but the issue is that there is a bolus of talent on that end of the spectrum and a dearth on the other end--the album-focused, collaborative, experimental alt/rock music from the 90s and 00s.

Needless to say, you won't be finding too much in the rock genre in the next two categories.
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Mr Lasastryke posted...

lana del rey should definitely be on the list

Lana Del Rey has one all-time great album and one good album under her belt. She's really coming into her own now, but don't mistake that for consistent greatness!

FWIW she could totally own the 2020s if she plays her cards right.
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Mr Lasastryke posted...

also, 4/5 of the best music acts of the '10s were hip hop guys? really? >_> i love hip hop as much as the next guy but i find it hard to believe the decade was THAT slanted towards one genre.

Frank Ocean isn't hip-hop!
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Nelson_Mandela posted...

Frank Ocean isn't hip-hop!

he is sometimes!

but yeah you're right, saying he's a "hip hop guy" isn't accurate.

still, 3/5 hip hop makes the list pretty slanted towards one genre!
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The 3 best artists of the 2010s happen to be rappers!
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Nelson_Mandela posted...

Bands are dead.

i mean, panic! at the disco is still doing ok!

and so is maroon 5! and... uh...

damn, i guess bands really are dead.
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in what universe is Kids See Ghosts a collaboration that never really hit the mark and TLOP a near-masterpiece
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MysticBrohan posted...

in what universe is Kids See Ghosts a collaboration that never really hit the mark and TLOP a near-masterpiece

I was referring to singles like the one he had with Lil Pump. And TLOP is an incredible album.
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But yeah KSG is mediocre
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kanyes best work tbh
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To each his own I guess!
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that's the beauty of kanye
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Let's be real, Panic! is just Brendon Urie and has been for a while. He's still fantastic, though.

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Yeah Im looking at the Billboard top 200 albums of the decade list, and in the top 50 I only see 3 groups I would consider bands: 2 from Imagine Dragons, 2 from Mumford & Sons, and 1 from Lady Antebellum

Even going down to the top 100, you only pick up Maroon 5, the Lumineers, and fun. which doesnt even exist anymore
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And I'm totally not saying that popularity = quality by any means. But I do lament that there aren't dozens and dozens of bands (popular or not) that inspire kids to pick up guitars and blend their favorite sounds together.

I guess the next generation will pick up vocoders?
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I've loved this decade in music. It's one of my favorites, all things considered. But my taste favors R&B, which had a banner decade in particular (especially compared to the 2000s). I can see how fans of other genres (namely rock and its indie counterparts) would be less satisfied.

I also agree that Kids See Ghosts is mediocre, but I'm not a Kid Cudi fan in general. I fucking love Jesus is King though.
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I for one was very satisfied this decade as a rock/metal fan!

I think a lot of the problem with rock's general popularity is the gatekeeping and exclusion that goes on. I think there's been an attempt for experimentation, genre-melding, and pushing rock to new limits, like with Twenty One Pilots, Ghost, or Bring Me the Horizon, but I often see many people all to eager to disqualify these acts from being true "rock" for daring to go in even a little bit of a hip hop or pop direction. The recent Highly Suspect album is another example.

Still, there's been a lot of popular hip hop artists incorporating rock into their music, since we're kind of getting the first wave of people who grew up in the late 90s/early 00s and got big now, who were listening to grunge, alt. rock, pop punk and nu metal while they were growing up. Lil Peep, XXXTentacion, Juice Wrld, Trippie Redd, Post Malone.

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Jakyl25 posted...

Yeah Im looking at the Billboard top 200 albums of the decade list, and in the top 50 I only see 3 groups I would consider bands: 2 from Imagine Dragons, 2 from Mumford & Sons, and 1 from Lady Antebellum

Even going down to the top 100, you only pick up Maroon 5, the Lumineers, and fun. which doesnt even exist anymore

and aside from maroon 5, those bands haven't appeared in the top 40 for awhile.

there's a handful of bands that still do pretty good album sales-wise (paramore also comes to mind) but the vast majority of them don't score hits anymore.
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Best song of the 2010s: "Ivy" - Frank Ocean
Runners Up: "Hotline Bling" - Drake, "Midnight City" - M83, "Get Lucky" - Daft Punk, "Maud Gone" - Car Seat Headrest, "Identikit" - Radiohead

I know I just spent the last several posts generally shitting on 2010s music. But here's the thing: the best songs of the decade really make me feel things more than previous decades. Maybe this is getting too personal, but every one of these songs that I listed can transport me back to a certain place, a certain feeling in my life.

"Hotline Bling" takes me back to a vacation I took with my now-wife in Miami. Driving across the bay with neon lights reflecting on the windshield of our rental car like we were in a Michael Mann movie. I remember thinking that this was a watershed moment for Drake--he just wrote the perfect pop song, and made it seem absolutely effortless.

"Midnight City" takes me back to the early 2010s. I had just moved from college into NYC and life was coming at me at a million miles an hour. The rush and the whirlwind not just of this new city life, but of "real life" in general hit me like a ton of bricks, and M83 somehow knew that and created the quintessential soundtrack for it.

"Get Lucky" arrived just as I was newly single for the first time since I was a teenager, and I remember the first feeling of liberation that I had when this song hit and I was out with an old friend of mine in Charleston. Daft Punk was back and (along with Pharrell), they made pop music okay for snobs like me to enjoy again--and probably opened the floodgates for a decade of crossover hits to come through.

"Maud Gone" found me--I certainly did not find it--when I moved to Brooklyn. It is pretty much emblematic of that tinny hipster sound that can be found at any decent bar around me, and I think will forever remind me of those weird late nights surrounded by people that I never would have imagined I'd have associated with when I was younger. Car Seat Headrest is the savior of rock and roll right now, and Maud Gone will tell you why.

"Identikit" creeped up on me just as fast as Moon Shaped Pool was announced, and it quickly became my favorite Radiohead song ever. It also gave me this spooky feeling--I was simultaneously looking back at that In Rainbows-esque sound from my freshman year of college, but also looking ahead at the song's themes. Thom Yorke, now an embittered old divorcee, singing about love a little differently now, just as I was finally settling into my own.

And that brings us to the best song of the 2010s: Frank Ocean's "Ivy." The 2010s were a strange decade of nostalgia for our generation. You can see it across various art-forms as millennials are becoming the creative forces in entertainment. Our generation looks back wistfully on our youth, the time before everything became so interconnected and so convenient (paging MetalDK). You see this especially in music--the rise of vaporwave, the moody pop and R&B songs that are dominating the charts, and in each of the top songs that I've already listed.

"Ivy" is the culmination of that sense of nostalgia. It's a reflection on youth and love, on growing up and moving on. Frank Ocean channels all that this decade has meant to me--maturing, finding oneself, longing for a simpler time, and ultimately realizing that "we'll never be those kids again"--into one singular track. It maintains its simplicity without sacrificing its scope. It's the decade's purest and most honest track, and in the category that is perhaps the most subjective, it's the most important song to me personally. I hope y'all found something like that for yourselves in these past ten years as well.
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I feel like there's a lot more material that is easier to access and support this decade compared to the last, but it isn't quite as good. It does hurt that I care more about the same bands that I've cared about for like 25+ years (ok boomer) and they kinda change or die, etc.
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legit enjoy taylor swift's red album and 1989 more than most of the stuff i've heard by any of the people mentioned in the music section so far. i rarely seek out albums to listen to but good kid maad city was very enjoyable.

i liked mbdtf though
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Taylor Swift would probably win "artist of the decade" if this was based solely on success/ubiquity. But I don't like her songs so not on my list!
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hotline bling isn't even the best song drake released this decade (i'd give that title to passionfruit, followed closely by nice for what). great song, though. i'm fine with it being on the list.

as a daft punk fan, i appreciate get lucky being on the list. 100% of the best songs of the 2010s.

as far as individual songs go, i'll give a shoutout to bruno mars. like, goddamn, has he been awesome ever since he stopped trying to do his own thing and simply started making pastiches of old music he likes. i have a feeling that when i'm an old man and i look back on the 2010s, i'll associate bruno with the decade moreso than any other artist.
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Thinking about songs that impacted and influenced me over the decade. These aren't necessarily the ones I think are the best quality wise but just songs that changed the way I think about music or are meaningful to me. Some are older, some are even pretty recent!

Handguns - Queens
Kendrick Lamar - The Blacker The Berry
Brand New - 451
Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks
Eminem - Not Afraid
Taylor Swift - Blank Space
Witt Lowry - Numb
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Same Love
Poppy - Play Destroy
Twin Temple - Satan's a Woman
Machine Gun Kelly, Yungblud, Travis Barker - I Think I'm Okay
Volbeat - Heaven nor Hell
Issues - Without You
Ghost - Circie
Imagine Dragons - Radioactive
AWOLNATION - Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf)
Lil Peep - Cry Alone

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Damn, I didn't even realize Pumped Up Kicks was this decade.

That reminds me that Foster the People and Portugal the Mann have been two fairly consistent bands that had some commercial success!
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this decade there's been plenty of rock bands that scored exactly one hit song, like foster the people and portugal. the man
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Best Album of the 2010s: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West
Runners Up: Good Kid, M.A.A.D City by Kendrick Lamar, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty by Big Boi, Blond by Frank Ocean, Norman Fucking Rockwell by Lana Del Rey

A few things about album of the decade before I jump in to the write-up. When I was preparing the list, I came up with three tiers of candidates, which is why you only see four runners-up. Tier one is the undisputed album of the decade--a single perfect record that probably ranks in the top 5 or 10 of all time. Tier two consists of the four albums that I selected as the runners up (would be a hard debate for the #1 spot had MBDTF come out a year earlier). And then the third tier of really fantastic albums that deserve a mention in this topic and a half-sentence summary (in no order): The Suburbs by Arcade Fire (the quintessential album that bridged the gap from the 2000s to the 2010s), Channel ORANGE by Frank Ocean (essentially superannuated by Blond), To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar (universally acclaimed to be better than his debut by everyone in the world but me), Yeezus by Kanye West (Kanye's coolest album), Crack-Up by Fleet Foxes (which I am alone in having a fondness for, probably one of the loveliest albums ever), and A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead (as a Radiohead stan, I am saddened that everyone has stopped fawning over them despite a stellar release).

But onto the runners up. You may remember a very long time ago (2013 maybe?) that I had a topic series going through the 50 greatest hip-hop albums of all time. I had GKMC at the #1 spot. It had just been released, and it was everything I wanted in a rap album--consistent themes, incredible production, lyrical mastery, that west coast flow that I grew up loving. Sir Lucious Left Foot was also in my top 10, since it was (and still is) the most fun I have ever had listening to an album. Both were ahead of MBDTF. But time has a way of revealing true greatness, and I obviously hold Kanye's magnum opus in higher regard now. That being said, they still are my #2 and #3 albums of the decade, so major props to them.

Blond and Norman Fucking Rockwell likewise are masterpieces in their respective genres and the culmination of two very important artists that came into their own in the past ten years. Like I wrote in the "Ivy" section, Blond is just teeming with wistful nostalgia and heartbreak. It's perhaps the most "emotionally 2010s" record on here. Norman Fucking Rockwell is a recent release, and my god is it good. Almost ostentatiously melodramatic, Lana Del Rey bottles up everything that makes her unique and interesting amongst a sea of other emo-pop stars this generation and creates something so spectacular that I am still stunned it exists.

But as great as those four runners up are, nothing really comes close to touching My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. I remember posting on this board the very minute Kanye released a sneak preview of selected tracks in the form of a long music video on YouTube (I think it was Dark Fantasy, All of the Lights, and Runaway). I said it then and I can confirm now: this was the start of something special. All of his pain from his mother's death, all of the faux pas in his sudden rise to superstardom (literally having two presidents saying what a dick he is), and most importantly the heartbreak of the end of his long-term relationship--all of these coalesced into an operatic medley of Kanye's most profound tracks he's ever recorded. This is an album, my friends. Listen to it front to back. Listen to it uninterrupted. Listen to his journey from satanic depravity through ultimate redemption. It's the greatest breakup album of all time. It humanizes a profoundly unempathetic figure in pop culture. It has stood the test of time and will go down as the single best record since Kid A. Long live Kanye West.
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pretty good list, though, again, it's a bit too biased towards hip hop.

i don't think norman fucking rockwell! is lana del rey's best work, but i just like the fact that she's on there at all, so i won't complain.

my main problem with my beautiful dark twisted fantasy is, as i alluded to before, the lyrics. as you explain in your writeup, much of it is about kanye's life and personal issues and well... i just don't think kanye is THAT interesting a guy. you can see what i mean when i compare MBDTF to one of my favorite albums of all time (hip hop or otherwise): mf doom's operation: doomsday. i must have listened to that record a million times (when i was in high school, i owned an MP3-player that had space for exactly one album - operation: doomsday was on it for ages) and i'm not close to being tired of it. not only are the beats fantastic, i could listen to mf doom's deliciously bizarre lyrics, filled with references to nerdy shit and dry humor, forever. in contrast, the lyrics on MBDTF kind of bore me, to be pefectly honest. great album, great beats, and lyrics-wise it does have its moments, but personally i would not rank it as one of the GOATs.

more of my thoughts on albums coming later - i have a lot to say about them...
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OK, I don't mean to hijack Sephy's topic but I just love talking about music. So here are my 2010s album lists. Im sure Im missing tons of stuff as I made these just going by memory/looking at the bands and artists I liked on my Facebook, but nonetheless, here goes! All are in no particular order.

My favorite album

Panacea 12 Step Program It seems weird to give the title to this album after complaining about Kanyes lyrics on MBDTF; Raw Poetic isnt exactly the greatest rapper in the world >_> Hes still decent, though, and this is an album I mostly appreciate for its beats. K-Murdocks beats on this album are some of the most beautiful beats ever put on a record. My favorite hip hop album of all time? Its definitely in the conversation.

Runner-ups

Fleet Foxes Helplessness Blues The Foxes took their already great pastiche of 70s Crosby, Stills & Nash-ish music from their s/t and perfected it on this album. Some of the most beautiful melodies and multi-layered vocals Ive ever heard are on this album.
Radiohead The King of Limbs Now heres a controversial pick, though Im actually still not sure why Radiohead fans were so against it do they just not like electronic/ambient music or something? No, its not Kid A, but its definitely a top 3 Radiohead album for me.
If I may digress, now that the 2010s are coming to a close, can we all agree that Radiohead is NOT the new Beatles when we look at the bigger picture? Maybe the comparison didnt work in the first place as Radiohead has been around a lot longer. But this entire decade, theyve managed to put out one very critically acclaimed album, and one that got mixed reviews at best. Im sorry, but from a band thats supposed to be on the level of the fucking Beatles, I expect more.

Albums by my favorite bands/artists

Jamiroquai Rock Dust Light Star Great album, but it fails to reach the heights of Emergency on Planet Earth, The Return of the Space Cowboy and A Funk Odyssey.
Ryksopp Senior Good album, but my favorite album of all time is their Melody A.M. and this obviously doesnt live up to that. The Understanding was also a lot better.
Simply Red Big Love Good album but its not in their upper echelon.
Ladyhawke Anxiety Great album but not as good as her s/t, which is another of my favorite albums.
Daft Punk Random Access Memories I enjoy this album a lot and like I said, Get Lucky was one my favorite songs of the 2010s, but unfortunately it just wasnt on the level of Homework and Discovery. It was the album that got them a Grammy, though!
Empire of the Sun Ice on the Dune Great album but not as good as Walking on a Dream. Thats yet another one of my favorite albums.
Lana Del Rey Honeymoon Probably my favorite of her albums, though Im not sure if its good enough for a runner-up position.
Dream Theater A Dramatic Turn of Events Typically great album by this amazing band, but I wouldnt say its one of their best.

(Continued)
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Albums by my favorite bands/artists that I have not listened to yet

Fleet Foxes Crack-Up Sephy has been telling me to listen tot his ever since it came out and I still havent done it, lol. I really should get to it!
A Tribe Called Quest We Got It from Here Thank You 4 Your Service Tribe is one of my all-time favorite groups and I know everyone adored this album (its conspicuously absent from Sephys hip hop-laden list, BTW). I think I avoided this album because I was always under the impression that Phife Dawg wasnt on it for some reason, but apparently they recorded this before he passed away? Wow, I should totally listen to it! Shame they broke up again afterwards RIP my chance to ever see them live :-( I guess there was no point in continuing the group without Phife, though.
Blackalicious Imani Vol. 1 I actually had to look up this duo on Wikipedia to see if they even put out anything this decade but sure enough, they did! I thought Blackas first three albums were all masterpieces, so I should definitely check this out.
Jamiroquai Automaton I love Jamiroquai! Ridiculous that I havent listened to this yet.
Ryksopp The Inevitable End Not sure why I havent checked this out yet, Ryksopp does remain one my favorite musical acts. Perhaps its because I dont care all that much for Robyn and apparently shes featured prominently on this.
Simply Red Blue Eyed Soul This came out very recently so I have an excuse for not having listened to it, at least. I doubt its great, though; before this, Mick Hucknall and co. hadnt put out a great album in 16 years.
Ladyhawke Wild Things With how much I loved her first two albums, I have no idea why I havent listened to this yet.
Empire of the Sun Two Vines With how much I loved their first two albums I have no idea why I havent listend to this yet.
Dream Theater Dream Theater, The Astonishing and Distance over Time I used to love this band, but my interest in them started to fade when Mike Mangini took over the drumming. As such, I havent even listened to their last three albums. Ive heard Distance over Time is amazing, though!
Radiohead A Moon Shaped Pool I dont actually think Radiohead is one of my all-time favorite bands, but it just feels weird to not put this on the list. I will check this out soon. Im sure its on Sephs list for a reason!

Album I like a lot by a band that isn't necessarily a favorite of mine

Arcade Fire The Suburbs Not sure if I would this album on my list like Sephy did but it is a really good album. I think their first three albums are all really good but I didnt bother to check out the last two. Maybe I should!
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Mr Lasastryke posted...

Now heres a controversial pick, though Im actually still not sure why Radiohead fans were so against it

Too short for a 4 year hiatus, honestly
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Mr Lasastryke posted...

A Tribe Called Quest We Got It from Here Thank You 4 Your Service Tribe is one of my all-time favorite groups and I know everyone adored this album (its conspicuously absent from Sephys hip hop-laden list, BTW).

Love this album. Probably should have added it to my "tier 3" list. But good lord it's bloated. I get why that is, but it makes for a difficult listen without skipping some tracks.
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Huh, Norman Fucking Rockwell was a great album but I didn't see as album of the decade material. Interesting pick! I can just never get into Kanye though, not my cup of tea. Lots of good stuff on Lasa's lists too, especially Dream Theater and Ladyhawke.

Guess I'll barge in with my own top 10:

1. La Dispute - Rooms of the House
2. Handguns - Life Lessons
3. Brand New - Science Fiction
4. Taylor Swift - Speak Now
5. Eminem - Recovery
6. Ghost - Meliora
7. Foster the People - Torches
8. Metallica - Hardwired... to Self-Destruct
9. Social Distortion - Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes
10. Issues - Beautiful Oblivion

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Snake still has like the best opinions on the board. La Dispute and Brand New A++ choices.
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Nelson_Mandela posted...

Too short for a 4 year hiatus, honestly

eh, this doesn't bother me. 4 years between albums isn't even that long. i had to wait 8 years for a new daft punk album, not counting the live album and the tron: legacy soundtrack >_>
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Distance Over Time is pretty good Lasa. If nothing else, Pale Blue Dot and At Wit's End are top tier Dream Theater songs. Their creative issue without Portnoy, imo, is that they kept trying to be a LTE jam band with a more mechanical/superior technical drummer. Distance Over Time feels like they really re-thought their process. I could go on, but, at least give those two songs a shot. Pale Blue Dot is a banger and it really rips in concert.
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Best Musical of the 2010s: The Book of Mormon
Runner Up: Hamilton

I will not pretend like I am an expert on musical theater, nor will I attempt to make this a really intricate write-up. There are only two musicals that penetrated the zeitgeist this decade. One is Hamilton--the uber expensive rags-to-riches hip-hop musical that only wealthy white people were able to see. And the other is the true best musical of the past 10 years: The Book of Mormon.

The success and quality of The Book of Mormon shocked all of the theater snobs when it was released. But it came as no surprise to people like me who were fans of Matt & Trey's work (including the musical numbers in South Park) and knew exactly what they were capable of. These guys really put all they had into the show, and you can actually chart a noticeable dip in quality of South Park during the time they were working on this. But that's okay--their creative juices went to good use, creating a musical for people who don't normally like musicals, one of the funniest things ever put on stage, and a genuinely unique and important story for our time.
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i really want to see BOM! prices have finally come down a bit, too. maybe december or january. never seen south park but loved team america.

have you seen avenue q?
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SeabassDebeste posted...

i really want to see BOM! prices have finally come down a bit, too. maybe december or january. never seen south park but loved team america.

have you seen avenue q?

Do it man! There's really no reason not to now at these prices.

And no, I haven't.
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Nelson_Mandela posted...

There are only two musicals that penetrated the zeitgeist this decade.

https://imaging.broadway.com/images/poster-178275/w230/222222/4185-2.jpg
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As a guy who IS a big musical theater and opera guy, you are 10000% correct. Book of Mormon is phenomenal, and I'll admit I was one of those snobs who was stunned by its quality and success.

I also quite liked If/Then (which is criminally unknown outside of dedicated musical lovers). Kinky Boots tried really hard to get into the zeitgeist you describe -- it had big marketing, name recognition, and huge success on Broadway -- but to me, it felt a bit like Rent where the hype overshot the quality of the story, and the songs were simply passable.

Kinky Boots was still better than Rent, though, because everything is better than Rent.

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rent was astoundingly bad. saw it solely for that one song - big mistake
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neonreaper posted...

Distance Over Time is pretty good Lasa. If nothing else, Pale Blue Dot and At Wit's End are top tier Dream Theater songs. Their creative issue without Portnoy, imo, is that they kept trying to be a LTE jam band with a more mechanical/superior technical drummer. Distance Over Time feels like they really re-thought their process. I could go on, but, at least give those two songs a shot. Pale Blue Dot is a banger and it really rips in concert.

good to hear! i'll certainly check it out.
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Happy Thanksgiving!

We'll close out this topic series with some current events retrospective!

What is the most important change to our daily lives this decade has brought?

What was the most monumental/memorable event of the decade?

Who is the most important person of the decade?

Find out soon!
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Most important change to our daily lives: there really is no universal answer to this. For me personally its getting my first smartphone in 2011

Most monumental event of the decade is clearly the 2016 election

Most important person of the decade is Vladimir Putin
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Jakyl25 posted...

Most important person of the decade is Vladimir Putin

Putin was my most important person of the 00s. Will he repeat?!
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@Giggsalot tell me what albums and songs I'm sleeping on
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This was a weird decade in music for me. The earlier half I spent focusing on lots of rap/electro/metal, anything aggressive, but a few years ago I started going back to school for music and got preoccupied with jazz/classical shit, eventually rewiring my taste towards all the academic suburban funk that's popular with students now. Trying to reconcile both spheres of influence gives me a weird-looking top ten:

Autechre - Exai
Everything Everything - Man Alive
Kendrick Lamar - GKMC
Snarky Puppy - GroundUp
Daughters - You Won't Get What You Want
D'Angelo and the Vangaurd - Black Messiah
Organ Freeman - S/T
Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma
Freddie Gibbs - Pinata
Vulfpeck - Thrill of the Arts

I'd say Everything Everything is the best band of the last decade, don't sleep on 'em. Think of a highly caffeinated Radiohead with four solid albums since 2010. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard is creeping up my radar too but I haven't even heard all their stuff yet (very busy band these guys).

Oh and I finally caught The Irishman on netflix last night, that was a journey. Took me a bit to get past the de-aging CGI (it looks like fckin Polar Express in the first half hour) but it's all vintage Scorsese otherwise. I spent an inordinate amount of time in awe of the costuming...at some point it occurred to me that I was witnessing the finest collection of svelte dress ties ever assembled on film