The list itself will be broken into three parts, the only rule being that no artist is allowed more than one entry - with one, I believe legitimate, exception. There was no attempt to provide a spread of years, but the result was actually fairly even: 2017 and 2018 just edged ahead with eight albums apiece.
Like many good lists, I'm going to start with a hastily slapped-together cohort of honourable mentions, so here they are in no particular order:
Lizzo - Lizzobangers (2014): larger-than-life and occasionally very weird debut from a rapper who went on to become so much more.
Janelle Monaé - Dirty Computer (2018): an exuberant and glossy sci-fi funk-pop work that blends lush harmonics with empowering swagger and occasionally very sharp social commentary.
Noname - Room 25 (2018): arguably deserves a place on the list proper, but ultimately lost out to a host of similarly cerebral, musically adept hip-hop albums. Superb flow and wordplay from the Chicago rapper, though.
Jay-Z - 4:44 (2017): the superstar at his most honest and vulnerable - and also his most concise. No filler for the first time in about 15 years.
SwuM. - Woke (2016): a playful and tuneful experiment in atmospheric electronica, mashing smooth synth sounds with some big beats and eclectic samples.
Tame Impala - Lonerism (2012): I slept on this for a year, but the Aussie psych-merchant's sophomore effort became the sound of my summer 2013. Hasn't aged massively well, but Elephant shall forever be a banger.
FM-84 - Atlas (2016): exceptionally tight, '80s style synth pop out of California by way of Scotland. Keeps things interesting with a range of vocalists and catchy choruses.
猫 シ Corp. - Cosmopolitan Dreams (2016): the pinnacle of the "mallsoft" sub-genre, transporting the listener to a consumerist utopia and adding some outrageous synthesised brass work. Muzak for a shopping mall existing both in the past and future.
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - Out of Frequency (2012): irrepressibly fun slice of Scandinavian pop, with a decidedly '70s feel. As close as any of these got to being included in the list itself, there are a lot of brilliantly written songs on this album.
Rav - VESTIGES (2019): I've followed convention by disallowing compilation albums, but this rap retrospective gets a pass thanks to Pokemon name drops, relentlessly inventive musical backing and frank examinations of mental wellbeing.
And while we're here, I might as well throw in the top ten songs as well:
10. DJ Fresh - Golddust (2010): remember this one? Timeless.
9. Edward Scissortongue - Theremin (2014): it gets a bit silly from here, so I thought I'd add something serious and obscure - this is truly brilliant songwriting.
8. The Drones - Taman Shud (2016): the ever-interesting Gareth Liddiard uses one of Australia's great unsolved mysteries as a jumping board to explore the less-than-glorious aspects of his country's past and present, against a prickly musical backdrop.
7. Triggerfinger - My Baby's Got a Gun (2013): eight minutes, one chord, straight fire.
6. Louis Cole - When You're Ugly (2018): virtuoso funk with the kind of chorus that can get stuck in your head for the rest of your life and a message that everyone can get behind.
5. Viagra Boys - Sports (2018): SPORTS.
4. The Chats - Smoko (2018): in the decade where "mood" became a way to express the deepest of emotions, this song was more mood than any other.
3. Deca - Sailboats and Trains (2013): completely unironically, the best lyrics ever written (too obscure for YouTube apparently, find it here).
2. Gorillaz - Superfast Jellyfish (2010): the world is waking up to the issue of ocean pollution - Damon Albarn and friends were there a long time ago. Musically, absolute lunacy.
1. Yung Lean - Hoover (2016): still sounds like it was made on another planet, unlike anything that has come before or since.
And last but not least, the top three music videos:
3. Childish Gambino - This is America (2018)
2. Stormzy - Vossi Bop (2019)
1. M.I.A - Bad Girls (2012)
And so onto the list...
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