Albums of the Year
The Top Albums of 2016
The best music from 2016 meant more than usual this year
Andrew Womack
Albums of the Year
The Top Albums of 2015
Why we like the music we do is a matter of personal history—and in at least one case, a profound experience of hearing David Bowie
Albums of the Year
The Top Albums of 2014
Music writing and music enthusiasm don’t mix—let’s change that. With the help of an army of YouTube commenters, we gush over our selections for the 31 best albums of the year.
Albums of the Year
The Top Albums of 2013
A full calendar year of only listening to music that was released in 2013 comes down to this
Albums of the Year
The Top 10 Albums of 2012
A year's worth of music listening, whittled down to the core. Because in the end, there can be only 10.
Albums of the Year
The Top 10 Albums of 2010
It's the end of the year, and time to sum it up: Ten albums, all great, no filler.
Albums of the Year
The Top 10 Albums of 2009
The past 10 years have upturned the music world, and we're all better for it. A countdown of the year's best music, and the artist of the decade is named.
Albums of the Year
The Top 10 Albums of 2008
After 12 months of listening, only 10 records remain
Albums of the Year
The Top 10 Albums of 1989
Because album lists shouldn’t happen only once a year. Rounding out the ’80s, music from the year America chose wrong.
Albums of the Year
The Top 10 Albums of 1988
Because album lists shouldn’t happen only once a year. Now arriving within two decades of the present day.
Albums of the Year
The Top 10 Albums of 1987
Because year-end album lists shouldn’t happen just once a year. In this installment: The lists and timeline converge.
Albums of the Year
The Top 10 Albums of 2007
In the past 12 months thousands of albums were released, but there are only 10 you'll need to remember.