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50

THE DREAM

Thee Oh Sees (2011)

One of the most prolific bands of the decade, with 12 LPs and 2 EPs in just 10 years, Thee Oh Sees (now just Oh Sees) never ceased experimenting and with every single delivery there was a bag full of surprises. But their highest achievement this far is the psychedelic acid trip they took on The Dream, a perfect moment of pure dirty rock power that is energetic, hypnotic, feral, danceable, trippy and riotus at equal measure. With the stamina of two drum sets and some brilliant dissonant riffs, this is the soundtrack for a montage of the flashing memories of the wildest night of your life.

Also listen: Thee Oh Sees - Lupine Dominus /// Sýček - Rozcestí

49

SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER

Sufjan Stevens (2015)

Stevens finds some catharsis after his mother's death by putting his musings and his feelings on music. On Should Have Known Better, he reflects on how he didn't allowed himself to grieve properly, and how his mental images of Carrie are diffuse and opaque. Above all, it shows that his poetics are on top form; with a single verse about how he was abandoned by his mother on a video store at three years old, he is able to paint the whole picture of their conflicting relationship. But, in the end, Stevens is able to gain knowledge about the cycle of life and reaches something that resembles inner peace.

Also listen: Sufjan Stevens - Death with Dignity /// Sufjan Stevens - Fourth of July

48

YOUNGER US

Japandroids (2010)

Younger Us captures the particular nostalgia of reaching that point of your life, around 30, when the nights out start getting less frequent and ending much more earlier. They sang about a night when a best friend decided to go drinking with you in spite of being already in bed, but the mood suggests that the only reason that now this particular friend might get out of bed in the middle of the night would be to change diapers. Still, it is an explosive rock track full of raw energy, that aligns better with real life than those "forever young rockstars" songs about drugs and women well beyond their 40s.

Also listen: Linda Martini - 100 Metros Sereia /// Yuck - Get Away

47

SLIP AWAY

Perfume Genius (2017)

After 3 albums of brilliant exploration of queerness, one would have thought that Mike Hadreas would have exhausted the subject, but here he is again, breaking free in a way that we never saw him doing before, reaching a point where the hate is not even capable to touch him. For a track that sounds so brilliant and positive, it has a really unusual selection of the individual components. It opens and grows from an almost feral and raw playing of the instruments. Not your average pop track about growing strong to shut the bullies, Slip Away is pure poetic glittery magic.

Also listen: Owen Pallett - Lewis Takes off his Shirt /// Joanna Newsom - Good Intentions Paving Co.

46

DRUNK DRIVERS / KILLER WHALES

Car Seat Headrest (2016)

In the surface we have a soft rock song with simple and warm harmonies that keeps turning the intensity up and up until it explodes on an anguish lament, and a catchy chorus ready for festival sing-alongs. But once we start digging on the lyrics, we will start discovering the layers of complex and meaningful undertones that are hidden in this story of a guy about to head home on his car after a depressive drunk night out. Will Toledo is witty in his remarks, there's no comfort in responsibility, but there's a point when we need to think about how our own mess hurts other, emotionally and phisically.

Also listen: Mannequin Pussy - Drunk II /// Andrea Laszlo de Simone - Vieni a Salvarmi

45

LOVE

Lana del Rey (2017)

Love embodies the sentiment of a generation that experienced a digital revolution that changed every single aspect of their life, but now is living in the void of stories that vanish in 24 hours. It was also the first time that Lana forgot about her tragic Laura Pamer-ish persona, and instead appeared as an omniscient and ethereal nymph with an eye on the future but the other one set in our nostalgia for a past that seemed warmer and more predictable. Now she doesn't approach love as a passion of the flesh, instead she embraces it as something wider and deeper.

Also listen: Karen O - The Moon Song /// Sufjan Stevens - Mystery of Love

44

RED EYES

The War on Drugs (2014)

If they were already toying with Americana rock, it was Red Eyes the track that crowned The War on Drugs as the worthiest successors of the Springsteen sound. With the full vintage energy of Classic rock, we have a melancholic song that is expansive as the long road in the middle of the desert. The superb polished riffs are destined to be the explosive final track of all their live sets, and might suit better festivals with large crowds. As the title suggest, there's a heavy heartbreak vibe, but the focus here is in what lies ahead, on hitting the road to the next adventure and trying to grow from the pain.

Also listen: The War on Drugs - Under the Pressure /// The War on Drugs - Holding on

43

O.N.E.

Yeasayer (2010)

O.N.E. goes straight to the canon of uplifting melodies with dark cryptic lyrics, but when you're explained that it all is about the conflicts of an alcoholic to deal with addiction, it kinda still makes sense. Although it is undoubtedly a dance banger, there are uncanny elements from the opening distorted synths that set it apart from other indie synthpop, and give it a fluid quality that transcends genre expectations. This is a song that mutates and reflects the many influences, (the synthpop Madonna, the new wave New Order, the house Daft Punk) without making them overtly obvious.

Also listen: Olga Bell - Randomness /// Hypnolove - La Piscine

42

212 Azealia Banks feat. Lazy Jay (2011)

What to do with problematic people that produce good pieces of music? It will be hard to find another musician who accumulated as many feuds as Banks over the last 10 years, and on the way of insulting many musicians, from Lizzo to Rihanna, from Zayn to Lana, she expressed quite an outrageous diversity of opinions that put down other women and black people, and are openly hateful on transgender, immigration and homosexuality. Yet, one can't overlook that 212, her introduction track, even before we got a hint of her awful self, it's infectious, powerful and full of lyrical punches.

Also listen: Shamir - On the Regular /// Sophie - Faceshopping

41

AVANT GARDENER

Courtney Barnett (2013)

She seemed to appear out of nowhere, but from the first time Avant Gardener popped on our lives, it was clear that this was one of the most clever songwriting we've heard in contemporary music. Barnett talent for storytelling was undisputed with this detailed recount of what seemed to be an ordinary day doing gardening but becomes a nightmarish trip to the hospital. But it is the dead-pan anxiety what shines all over the track, a small mundane tragedy that ends up with a sincere recognition of her own awkwardness, that is almost existential, "I'm not that good at breathing in".

Also listen: Best Coast - Boyfriend /// Japanese Breakfast - Everybody Wants to Love You

40

ALRIGHT

Kendrick Lamar (2015)

The decade saw the rise of many movements that fight for social justice, among them there is Black Lives Matter, a crusade to create awareness on the systemic racism that allowed police brutality against black people and perpetuated their racial oppression. Alright came short after the fierce development of the movement, and it works as a hymn for the frontline as it is not shy in denouncing all that injustice but offers hope in the idea that all collective support will have an impact for a better and more fair world. A call to arms for unity and uprising that is fierce as much as it is warm.

Also listen: Jay Rock feat. Kendrick Lamar, Future & James Blake - King's Dead /// Kanye West - Blood on the Leaves

39

DRUNK IN LOVE

Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z (2013)

It was not the first, or the last time that Beyoncé and Jay-Z would perform together, but Drunk in Love was the moment of revelation that there wasn't a more powerful couple in music than these two. It is quite the unusual track because the overall message is celebrating the virtues of marriage and monogamy, but they do it in the least prudish style possible, they declare their lust and desire for each other in a somewhat explicit overtone, recreating the sexy fun they've had all around their home, from the kitchen to the bathtub, but it is that special bond of a solid couple what makes the fire burn brighter.

Also listen: Beyoncé - Partition /// The Weeknd - High for This

38

FLESH WITHOUT BLOOD

Grimes (2015)

Grimes has always been very open about her love to pop divas like Mariah or Beyoncé, and although in her previous albums, there were clear pop elements present, the alternative dark experimentations were predominant. Flesh Without Blood turns the tables and it is now full ballistic power pop as the base, painted with the uncanny touches that give it a unique Grimes style. There's as much sugar here as in a Katy Perry video, but there's rawness in the riffs and a special punchiness in the drums what creates a smart contrast, a feral energy in an uncanny harmony with glossy atmospheres.

Also listen: La Femme - Tatiana /// Minus the Bear - My Time

37

COLOSSUS

Idles (2018)

Colossus builds a constant tension and from the first verse it manages to unsettle us. There's a sense of danger in the atmosphere as if something is about to explode and we need to protect ourselves. A frontal addressing of the male insecurities in a world where groups of privilege are finding their entitlement questioned, and for a band consisted of purely white straight males, a song like this shows how to use your voice in all the right ways. After 4 minutes, it finally explodes and the upcoming brutal punk rock is as raw and energetic as the current revolution of gender identities.

Also listen: Iceage - Catch it /// Nine Inch Nails - Came Back Haunted

36

THE WORDS THAT MAKETH MURDER

PJ Harvey (2011)

One of the most outstanding qualities in The Words That Maketh Murder is how timeless it sounds. The instrumental selection is clever, sophisticated and completely analog, full of unusual tools, like an autoharp, and a heavy horn; it is an immediate evocation of conflict and battle. Harvey takes the voice of a soldier suffering from PTSD after being deployed in war, and the emotional scars are visible from the opening line. It is a lacerating critical song about the dehumanizing effect of killing people you've never met before, protecting a constructed notion of "The Homeland", and how it will haunt you forever.

Also listen: Sleater-Kinney - No Cities to Love /// Low - Always Trying to Work it Out

35

RETROGRADE

James Blake (2013)

With a single album, Blake positioned quickly as one of the strongest names in the experimental scene, but as the risky artist he is, changed to an entirely different direction with the opening single of his second LP. Putting his beautiful baritone voice at the center of the track, rather than using it as a distorted instrument, he is able to create a deeper emotional layer that wasn't present before. The vulnerable lyrics of a tormented soul trying to find his place in the world, paired with much more measured effects, create a haunting atmosphere that finds tenderness in the middle of its gravity.

Best tracks: James Blake feat. Bon Iver - I Need a Forest Fire /// Jessie Ware - Wildest Moments

34

MALAMENTE

Rosalía (2018)

Malamente not only brings freshness to flamenco, but mixes it with one of most important post-millennial trends: trap, but also subverting the negative connotations of it (misogyny, glorification of violence), to challenge at once past and present, the old and the new. With rhythmic claps as the backbone of the song, Rosalía starts singing about presenting the break of a crystal, a mysterious dark magic that is replicated in the synths. Rosalía's voice is sensual and effervescent, with hard accents breaking the song and giving it cadence, opposing the vocal curlicues traditional of flamenco singing.

Also listen: Rosalía - Pienso en tu Mirá /// El Guincho - Bombay

33

I LOVE IT

Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX (2012)

If there's a song that captured the Millennial feeling of giving zero fucks, that one is I Love It. The Swedish duo along with the (back then) uprising star, Charli XCX are explosive tornados that shake the energy of any room where this banger is played. Both the synths and the voices are euphoric from the very beginning, and never allow the electropop maximalism to dilute, reaching an iconic peak with the declaration of being "a 90s bitch". And one can't overlook the sense of liberation and empowerment that comes from images of throwing someone's belongings through the stairs and smashing their car.

Also listen: Sofi Tukker - Drinkee /// Ariana Grande - No Tears Left to Cry

32

THE LOUVRE

Lorde (2017)

Lorde achieved so much in such a short lapse of time, that we tend to forget that she barely stopped being a teenager when she released her superb second album. And from all the tracks in Melodrama, there's no one that captures the vivid intensity of a young romance like The Louvre, with its glossy synths and in crescendo structure that suddenly is challenged by a twisted small pause to "broadcast the boom boom boom" where an explosion was expected. A fan managed to get away with hanging the album on The Louvre Museum itself for some hours, and we can't find a valid reason for taking it down.

Also listen: Lorde - Perfect Places /// The 1975 - Love It if We Made It

31

TWO WEEKS

FKA Twigs (2014)

Two Weeks is sexual desire in its purest form. A plead for the person you lust after to give you some time to prove how much ecstasy you can achieve together, full of erotic images and delivered in a overtly sexual performance that is almost as if Tahliah Barnett was moaning with an orgasm while singing. The minimal electronic experimentations also helps to set the sensual mood, with restricted intermittent synths first, and then a more fluid flow when it reaches the climax. This is a risky take on R&B, an avant-garde exploration where every sound and every silence have a weight and a reason.

Also listen: Jenny Hval - Conceptual Romance /// Björk - Black Lake

30

LAZARUS

David Bowie (2016)

When Bowie released Lazarus, a re-reading of a Christian myth where a man comes back from death, no one could have guessed that he was a few days of dying himself. The news shook the world, and this dark piece of alternative jazz was widely seem as the farewell letter of an artist that was aware that soon was going to die. There's a heavy questioning his life and career, and although there's conflict in the idea of dying, he reaches a final sense of liberation. Like Lazarus, Bowie will be coming back from death, but not in a corporeal way, but as a force released every time his music is played.

Also listen: David Bowie - I Can't Give Everything Away /// Tom Waits - Hell Broke Luce

29

HONEY

Robyn (2018)

After eight years of not releasing a full album, Robyn spiced things up and opened new paths for her own pop realm. Honey marked a stark difference with her sound, less explosive and more suggestive, charged with a sexual electricity that we had never heard on any of her songs. She is assertive and commanding, her voice at the front of the track, but the space created by the synths is able to give so much depth and air to her lust whispers. The tension of the arousal keeps building in a perpetual tease, an open invitation for mutual pleasure with evocative and arousing images.

Also listen: Robyn - Missing U /// Róisín Murphy - Incapable

28

I CAN CHANGE

LCD Soundsystem (2010)

James Murphy is the epitome of a very particular kind of hipster: the intellectual cool hipster. He is the guy that will find the philosophical side of everything, no matter if he writes about pop hits, he will find a way to tie them to our own mortality. But he does it with an unmatched suave style, that one is almost forgetting how deep is the talk while we shake our booties to the beat of his tracks. I Can Change is supposed to be a pleading to a lover to stay with us, but on his way, there's an elaborated dissertation on how love makes us wear masks and deeply transforms us in voluntary and involuntary ways.

Also listen: LCD Soundsystem - Home /// LCD Soundsystem - Tonite

27

THE GREATEST

Lana del Rey (2019)

In between climate change, white supremacism, riots for human rights and fascist regimes, the decade ended on a very low note, and by the time The Greatest was released, we couldn't have imagined a global pandemic was around the corner. But the collapse of modernity revealed Lana del Rey as a solid poetic voice in music, and this song is her goodbye letter for the last day of the world. An anthem for the apocalyptic times the whole world is going through, it is a melancholic cry that wonders if we could have done anything different to avoid the catastrophe, but it is also a collective warm embrace.

Also listen: Lana del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell /// Lana del Rey - Ride

26

CRANES IN THE SKY

Solange (2016)

It is never explicit what is it that Solange wants to overcome by drinking, working or sexting, but leaving it open makes it a collective space that we all have inhabited, the overwhelming sensation of pain that refuses to leave us. In the context of A Seat at the Table, an album that deals with reclaiming her identities, we can match Cranes in the Sky to the constant anxiety that comes from class and race oppression, metal clouds that keep obscuring millions of people's skies. But the calm rendition that Solange offers us is soothing, it is a sorority hug of solidarity and affirmation through the hardest times.

Also listen: Solange feat. Sampha - Don't Touch my Hair /// Solange - Almeda