best multi-album run 2010+

I saw a similar question on twitter but with a 1990+ timeframe. Most of the answers in that thread were pretty much 1990s oriented. Exceptions in their lists were Kendrick Lamar (Good Kid through DAMN) and the Run the Jewels/Killer Mike albums.

Yeah, I could wait a year-and-a-half to start this thread and we'd get the whole decade in there

Janelle Monae.

I'd have to go with Susanne Sundfør. The Brothel, The Silicone Veil, Ten Love Songs and Music For People In Trouble is a perfect run that includes my favourite album of the decade.

I'd say Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith too... 5 great albums (if you count the collab with Suzanne Ciani) in 4 years is pretty impressive.

Autechre

hop along

Janelle and OPN were the first two that came to mind

can think of plenty of established artists that have had a crazy productive decade...Motorpsycho and Autechre have put out arguably their best work in the 10s. They Might be Giants is sitting on a pretty good run of albums too.

opn, julia holter, future

richard dawson

j**e g**e

Jeff Rosenstock's three solo records and final Bomb the Music Industry! album (Vacation) are a mighty impressive little run even without all the side projects

also: Joyce Manor, Lil Boosie, Mount Eerie

also earl sweatshirt, lc!, perfume genius but the real answer might be E-40

Swans, I guess, although by the time of 2016's The Glowing Man (their 4th album this decade) you got the feeling that M Gira had made the point.

I actually prefer Godspeed You! Black Emperor these days and their three-album run this decade is pretty tight.

Lone

Emerald Fantasy Tracks > Galaxy Garden > Reality Testing > Levitate

I also prefer the post-reunion GY!BE albums

Laura Marling

Wednesday Campanella have had my favourite run by far, releasing Watashi Wo Onigashima Ni Tsuretette, Zipangu, UMA, Superman and Galapagos all in the past 4 years is incredible

Destroyer and Grouper have had pretty good runs too

i'll say it cause nobody else has: Kanye

well, at least until recently

Lots of good suggestions here. KAS, Lone, OPN, and Laura Marling are all ones I can get behind. Any Marling fans should check out LUMP, which is her recently released collaboration with Mike Lindsay. It's really good and a nice new direction for her.

Other good runs: Beach House, Cavern of Anti-Matter.

my top 5 would be something like

1. Death Grips
2. Swans
3. Kendrick Lamar
4. Oneohtrix Point Never
5. Tim Hecker

i'll say it cause nobody else has: Kanye

2010+ though?

oh! dawn richard

a fairly obvious one no one's said yet is Beyonce

2010+ though?

Yes

first thought was School of Seven Bells

Loscil

Elder, Spaceslug, Khemmis, Deafheaven, Converge, Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats, Deftones

oh yeah deftones would prob be my favorite recent streak

Olafur Arnalds - prolific and yet to release a dud to my ears.

Albums ...And They Have Escaped the Weight of Darkness (2010), For Now I Am Winter (2013), Re:member (coming later in 2018)
EPs Only the Winds - EP (2013)
Collections Living Room Songs (2011), Island Songs (2016)
Soundtracks Blinky TM (2010) Jitters (2010) Another Happy Day (2012) Gimme Shelter (2013) Vonarstræti/Life in a Fishbowl (2014) Broadchurch (2015)
Collaborations Stare - EP (2012) with Nils Frahm, Kiasmos - Thrown EP (2012) with Janus Rasmussen, Kiasmos - s/t (2014) with Janus Rasmussen, The Chopin Project (2015) with Alice Sara Ott, Loon - EP (2015) with Nils Frahm, Trance Frendz (2016) with Nils Frahm

Jlin, even though she only has two albums. And Julia Holter

future

E40, Father John Misty, Moon Duo, Kendrick

shintaro sakamoto
oranssi pazuzu
dalek

i don't even like lemonade that much but wild to see beyonce barely mentioned... also taylor swift speak now -> red -> 1989 -> reputation is pretty peak as far as contemporary pop goes even tho the second two are prob her "worst albums.

would also put drake in there. even tho my opinion on his albums always pings around wildly there's a lot i like on every single one, even thank me later. would also stan for jeremih's 'late night' series if we're counting mixtapes, as well as ty dolla beach house -> free tc -> beach house 2 and even the sundry mixtapes and EPs in between.

some others not mentioned

vampire weekend (easy one for me)
the 1975 (if we include EPs)
the war on drugs

from what i've heard we'll prob get a solange album sometime in the next year and going on her past two i'd put her right at the top of the list. also we'll prob get a third chance album, and maybe a third frank ocean album in which case i think they'd have very strong arguments.

Def Vampire Weekend, good call

Kendrick, Dawn Richard and Deftones are all good suggestions. Would also add Björk.

Grouper

A|A: Dream Loss / Alien Observer
Violet Replacement
The Man Who Died in His Boat
Ruins
Grid of Points

JG for sure, Stara Rzeka/Alameda, I'd put Pinkish Black in there (Sungod & Cosmic Dead too)

(Bunch of acts with two great albums: Le1f, Dawn, Black Bananas, Pharaoh Overlord, Ice Dragon, prob Bardo Pond)

cosign OPN, Richard Dawson, and Vampire Weekend (tho do they qualify? s/t debut came out in 2008. love all their records, just sayin).

Surprised no one has said Grimes yet:

Geidi Primes
Halfaxa
Visions
Art Angels

of all his bandmates and the band itself, Panda Bear has had the best decade imo:

Tomboy
Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper
A Day With the Homies
Buoys (hasn't come out yet but he played like 10 new songs when I saw him in May and they were all great)

yikes I almost forgot Eric Copeland:

Strange Days
Waco Taco Combo
Limbo
Joke in the Hole
Logo My Ego
Ms. Pretzel
Jesus Freak
Black Bubblegum
Brooklyn Banks
Courtesy, Professionalism, Respect
Goofballs

I think Laurel Halo’s run of Hour Logic, Quarantine, Chance of Rain, In Situ, and Dust is pretty great

Girlpool for sure, only 3 releases but they're all stellar:

s/t EP (i know)
Before the World Was Big
Powerplant

Mac DeMarco for sure:

Rock and Roll Night Club
2
Salad Days
Another One
This Old Dog

pile

Grinderman 2/Push the Sky Away/Skeleton Tree is a pretty good late-career run

Thugger
Four Tet
Jason Isbell

Leonard Cohen:

Old Ideas
Popular Problems
You Want It Darker

Beach House,
Iceage.

oh! dawn richard

― princess of hell (BradNelson), Wednesday, July 18, 2018

I second these: Laura Marling, Ghost and Parquet Courts. It's tough to think of others who have at least 3 albums I really like from this decade - can think of many with two.

I know there was very little hype about the last album on here (and some people really hate them), but I've really enjoyed all four of the Future Islands albums released this decade.

yup, if you like their style they're impeccable

and if you like High Violet then The National would be a contender

Charli is dope

pretty bad album for multi album runs

decade*

Marisa Anderson

Young Fathers are the first to spring to mind for me.

echoing the OPN, julia holter, and kendrick suggestions. i'd add solange and beyonce and owen p. and maybe paramore.

i mean paramore released two amazing albums this decade and i think they're getting better and better but maybe i'm just at a loss as to what constitutes a "multi-album run"

multi means more than 2, i think

my frontrunners are:

kendrick
krallice
the body (collabs included)
deafheaven
julia holter
jute gyte (even with the ambient stuff)
Susanne Sundfør
oneohtrix (f&L/games included)
autechre
Panopticon
actress

would love to add mount eerie but I think pre-human ideas ruins the run

Julia Holter is definitely someone I could see a legit argument for improving with each successive record.

Angel Olsen comes to mind, as well.

The Sea and Cake is always reliable, too.

Finally, I may be getting premature with this one, but when you factor in A New Place 2 Drown, Archy Marshall / King Krule has been pretty consistent.

vektroid

but maybe i'm just at a loss as to what constitutes a "multi-album run"

― princess of hell (BradNelson), Tuesday, July 24, 2018 3:40 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I think the original criteria from the twitter thread was 3 or more albums in under 5 years or something, but I wanted to go broader than that. ¯\(°_°)/¯

TBH this thread is just people listing bands they like without bothering to make any kind of actual case for it. Kendrick and Beyonce are the only two who really make sense to me in the context of the original post, but if the Manic Street Preachers are being mentioned with a straight face then I'm not even sure what's under discussion any more.

You don't think artists like Janelle Monae or Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith make sense in this thread? Both released their debut albums in this decade, and both have gotten quite a lot praise for each subsequent album, so it's not like people are stanning for some old favourite acts of theirs who happened to make decent albums in this decade too.

Yeah they make sense broadly speaking but I wish people would explain why they think that, so many potentially interesting ILX threads are killed stone dead by everyone just listing shit without no commentary or argument.

i actually sorta agree with the manics appearing in this thread, they've been on a late career streak, even if i still don't really know what i think of the new one

Matt DC makes a fair point, it's hard to articulate my choices though! I think Kendrick Lamar and Miguel have just made a series of very good records that stand as individual albums, each with distinct strengths. Dawn Richard's run of albums feels more like one big ongoing project (including the various EPs and singles), like she's very much building a coherent body of work and that always appeals to me when it's done well. Björk I'm a long-time fan of and after Volta - which was the first time it really felt like she was repeating herself - she's come back with three really inspired and powerful records (with three very different concepts/approaches). Deftones again are a favourite from the '90s but it's more of a case of they've found a sound that works for them and are just writing really good songs in that style (and again after a dip in quality in the mid/late '00s).

Here is the original post and a follow-up, from twitter.

is there a better run of great albums in a smaller window window of time than Van Morrison from '68 to '74?

7 albums ranging from classic to Extremely Good in like 5 and a half years.

— Hanif Abdurraqib (@NifMuhammad) July 17, 2018

I think a better question to support the previous one is:

best run of 3 or more albums in a 5 year period starting after 1991?

artists in the 60s/70s were dropping so frequently. this is a bit more interesting for me to sort through.

Pavement instantly comes to mind. Others?

— Hanif Abdurraqib (@NifMuhammad) July 17, 2018

TBH this thread is just people listing bands they like without bothering to make any kind of actual case for it. Kendrick and Beyonce are the only two who really make sense to me in the context of the original post, but if the Manic Street Preachers are being mentioned with a straight face then I'm not even sure what's under discussion any more.

― Matt DC, Wednesday, July 25, 2018 6:39 AM

That was my thought when I saw Jute Gyte pop up :)
To be fair though, that Manics fan did actually make a case for them (even if he did undercut his own case a bit)

Stereolab being the obvious answer to his question

xp

as far as Grouper goes

2011: A|A: Dream Loss / Alien Observer is her masterpiece

2012: Violet Replacement is a gift to insomniacs the world over

2013: The Man Who Died in His Boat is a fantastic leftovers album, makes everyone who loved Dead Deer very happy

2014: Ruins is widely regarded as one of the best things she's ever done & unlike anything she released before

2018: Grid of Points is an album and it is good

2018: Grid of Points is

Yep. Also the Helen thing, which I think is her only release I tend to listen to before midnight

yeah the Helen album is great. not albums but the Headache / I'm Clean Now 7" was received very well & the Ruins outtake "Children" released last year is fantastic.

lol i missed the extra Grid of Points there

i actually sorta agree with the manics appearing in this thread, they've been on a late career streak, even if i still don't really know what i think of the new one

― princess of hell (BradNelson), Wednesday, July 25, 2018 12:27 PM (four hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yup - I genuinely believe they've put out some of their all-time best work this decade.

Yes, I'm the one who mentioned the Manics and I think their last two rank among their finest. And while the two preceding those maybe can't be ranked the same way, they're still good. I actually did sort of say the same thing in my initial post so while I didn't go into depth, I think it's unfair to say that I didn't make a case for it

in defense of my Jute Gyte rec, even if we just count the 3 album run of Discontinuities - Vast Chains - Ressentiment, I feel like he deserves a mention in here. maybe I'm bias because I'm a big fan but I feel like he keeps getting better with every release. even the massive new ambient/glitch album Penetralia is really great. I see your point of this becoming just a list of favorite bands. I think he's had a hell of a run in the 2010's though.

biased.

maybe I'm bias because I'm a big fan

I don't agree with this logic. Who else is going to mention them?

"Ya know, I think Radiohead sucks, but they've had a helluva run the past eight years."

biased. sorry.

I guess I feel that way about Beach House. Not a huge fan of what they do but their past 5 albums have gotten a ton of love in the 2010's. Probably worth a mention.

Kendrick feels like the winner so far. So happy for the amount of Julia Holter love too. Got to see her about a year ago or so and it was incredible.

Also, I won't bring it up again but Jute Gyte really has put out 6 of the most exciting metal/avant releases of the 2010's. Think he deserves some recognition in here. But I get it if some of the ambient releases bring down the run.

if i were to combine wye oak and flock of dimes: jenn wasner

tbh wye oak alone deserve to be in this thread

To elaborate on Olafur Arnalds, it's fantastic watching the evolution of a young, gifted Icelandic musician/composer, with a growing instrumental palette and genre-hopping ability(soundtrack, classical, ambient, electronic) and compositional process (solo, collaborative, deadline and locations exercises). He ranks with Johann Johannsson and Stars of the Lid as my favorites in this area.

Not mentioning earlier releases, 2010's ...And They Have Escaped the Weight of Darkness - a serene, instrumental album of piano and strings was followed three years later by For Now I Am Winter (where vocalist Arnor Dan brings a delicate grace to the music - "Old Skin" is glorious). EPs - "Living Room Songs" (2011) where he developed a song a day for a week, and "Island Songs" (writing songs at various Icelandic locations with individual guests, like Of Monsters and Men's singer). Full album collaborations like Kiasmos (techno music), The Chopin Project (a mix of Chopin pieces and his own, with violinist Alice Marie Ott), and Trance Frendz (with Nils Frahm). Plus scoring the three seasons of Broadchurch. All high quality efforts. Someone whose releases I'll buy on day of release, unheard.

Jürg Frey's releases during 2017:

Ephemeral Constructions (Wandelweiser)
L’âme Est Sans Retenue I (Erstwhile)
Collection Gustave Roud (Another Timbre)

Other notable releases:

Jürg Frey & Magnus Granberg - Ensemble Grizzana ‎– Early To Late (2018, Another Timbre)
Dedalus* • Antoine Beuger • Jürg Frey ‎– Dedalus (2013, Potlatch)
String Quartet No. 3 / Unhörbare Zeit (2015, Wandelweiser)
Grizzana And Other Pieces 2009-2014 (2015, Another Timbre)
Circles And Landscapes - played by Philip Thomas (2015, AT)
Guitarist, Alone - played by Cristián Alvear (2016, AT)
Jürg Frey ‎– Untitled (2014, Musiques Suisses) -- this one is worth searching out

There are ~15 other releases dating from 2010 on, albums I'm not quite familar with.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpJG3sw5HSA

Michael Pisaro:
https://img.discogs.com/76E_bS_B337eAtrnHdojA8NHYyg=/300x300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/R-6703325-1520767507-1629.jpeg.jpghttps://img.discogs.com/eMLAcWRhVx0RbuMFr1z2F6FcYOM=/300x300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/R-3686248-1520733692-6548.jpeg.jpghttps://img.discogs.com/AILgdYqsY-D6VLSqygt921wowu4=/300x300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/R-2572766-1291111737.jpeg.jpghttps://img.discogs.com/HQCi9mIVqLaacSTtgfPrbrz707I=/300x300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/R-4248082-1359653840-9191.jpeg.jpghttps://img.discogs.com/8u5CtE7vcoWNmI_ux5HWJTCwsQ4=/300x300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/R-3489988-1332441373.jpeg.jpghttps://img.discogs.com/CYzlcS2I9DOYk40V37VMaY943fY=/300x300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/R-2845342-1303680205.jpeg.jpghttps://img.discogs.com/Jv6zb6JWHuCEoHubxIv4n1tEmG0=/300x300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/R-9756997-1485883139-7010.jpeg.jpg
https://img.discogs.com/brciv0raGvyTh88nmxjXZ-s2ZbU=/300x300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/R-4685619-1372196365-1731.png.jpghttps://img.discogs.com/6TZ1zEO6bp5syLdl0I98XIjnbuQ=/300x300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/R-4247999-1359652469-5339.jpeg.jpghttps://img.discogs.com/Urmlj3zjyIRYy86fezKls4B3QRk=/300x300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/R-6576561-1422360617-3385.jpeg.jpg
(sorry)

https://www.discogs.com/Michael-Pisaro-Fields-Have-Ears/release/2666773

https://img.discogs.com/wRax0y-bNeNOMI8HjFsiUm6HyYo=/fit-in/318x320/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-2666773-1295711125.jpeg.jpg

This should have been included. My apology for the size / formatting

along with:

https://img.discogs.com/S4h2z11oTJK43X5yh-tqTtaaDaA=/fit-in/600x538/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-2552184-1520978301-5260.jpeg.jpg

https://www.discogs.com/Michael-Pisaro-Taku-Sugimoto-2-Seconds-B-Minor-Wave/release/2552184

Marisa Anderson

― The Desus & Mero Chain (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Sunday, July 22, 2018 12:04 PM (one week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

also bill orcutt:

how the thing sings
a history of everyone
solo acoustic volume ten

and horse lords. band of the decade for my money:

s/t
hidden cities
interventions

surely deerhoof belongs here? also those real estate records -- not a band i particularly enjoy listening to, but i feel as though the material is always really strong.

I have a recording by Jürg Frey that is so subtle as to be almost imperceptible, but turning up the volume makes it feel like the room is breathing

but I meant to say again that I think Laurel Halo has had one of the best runs of 2010+

As the 10s end, I’m def feeling more connected to good runs than good albums...

Dunno if that’s a function of my age or my listening habits or the times, but I’m def like “I would rather listen to any of the three Beak> albums” than, like, the Charli XCX or Baroness albums I liked

Haha I kinda feel this way about The Money Store tbh

(Sorry)

I probably won't vote if there's not a fee
and if you try come stoppin' me
I'll show you her discography

Speaking of imperceptible Jürg, the Guitarist, Alone record is astonishing. A note sounds, then minutes go by... then *ping*... another note... then a flurry of notes... then nothing for minutes. Beautiful and deeply bizarre. And, yeah, he’s had quite a run.

For other Another Timbre related artists, Linda Catlin-Smith been on a roll. Her releases all seem to do very different things with a limited instrumental palette. Super talent.

Those Beak> albums are fantastic, though, but in general I'd trade even just Portishead's cover of "SOS" alone for this entire past decade of popular music