Yesterday I read the post-punk.com’s best-of-the-last-decade list with big interest. I quite liked their collection of music. Then I thought about how my own personal top-list of dark alternative music of the last ten years would look like, and before I realised it, I was already working on it. Here is what I came up with, 40 great releases (LP or EP) to remember. It was a pleasure to look back, reminisce and relive the 2010s.
2010
Sixth June – Everytime
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Year: 2010 Country: Serbia/Germany Genre: Synthpop, Darkwave Best Song: Never Leave Me From Serbia to Berlin, taking along good music |
mind.in.a.box – R.E.T.R.O.
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Year: 2010 Country: Austria Genre: Electro, Synthpop Best Song: 8 Bits Nerdy synthpop for Nintendo nostalgics (but not only) |
Anathema – We’re Here Because We’re Here
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Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom Genre: Psychedelic Rock, Dark Rock Best Song: Angels Walk among Us One of the most touching songs from the pioneers of doom |
Death in June – Peaceful Snow
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Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom Genre: Neofolk Best Song: Peaceful Snow Piano instead of guitars on this one |
2011
Of the Wand and the Moon – The Lone Descent
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Year: 2011 Country: Danmark Genre: Neofolk, Industrial Best Song: The Lone Descent Path-breaking cult-album of the neofolk genre |
The Frozen Autumn – Chirality
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Year: 2011 Country: Italy Genre: Darkwave, Synthpop Best Song: Before the Storm This is not an album, it is an institution! |
Atari Teenage Riot – Is This Hyperreal?
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Year: 2011 Country: Germany Genre: Digital Hardcore Best Song: Collapse of History Man, is this unhinged! |
2012
She Past Away – Belirdi Gece
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Year: 2012 Country: Turkey Genre: Post-Punk Best Song: Sanrı The album that has changed the way we perceive darkwave |
Linea Aspera – Linea Aspera
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Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom Genre: Darkwave Best Song: Malarone The darkwave anthems of the past decade |
The Beauty of Gemina – Iscariot Blues
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Year: 2012 Country: Switzerland Genre: Darkwave Best Song: Stairs A clever and dark album that makes you think |
Voyvoda – Изток (Iztok)
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Year: 2012 Country: Bulgaria Genre: Post-Punk, Industrial, Post-Rock Best Song: Stefan the Vlach’s Son A magnificent blend of post-punk, industrial and post-rock |
2013
Teho Teardo & Blixa Bargeld – Still Smiling
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Year: 2013 Country: Italy/Germany Genre: Avantgarde Best Song: A Quiet Life Two legends have found each other in this decade |
Ascetic – Self-Initiation
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Year: 2013 Country: Australia Genre: Post-Punk Best Song: I Burn One of the best albums in contemporary post-punk music |
New Wave Syria – Summer
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Year: 2013 Country: Slovenia Genre: Electro Best Song: Hipster than Hip The Crystal Castles from Slovenia |
Mogwai – Les Revenants
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Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom Genre: Soundtrack, Post-Rock Best Song: This Messiah Needs Watching This programme lives through its soundtrack |
2014
Laibach – Spectre
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Year: 2014 Country: Slovenia Genre: Industrial Best Song: We Are Millions and Millions Are One Path-changing album |
Vólkova – Silent Howl
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Year: 2014 Country: Argentina Genre: Industrial Best Song: Pulsion After all these years still in my playlist |
Rome – A Passage to Rhodesia
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Year: 2014 Country: Luxembourgh Genre: Neofolk Best Song: Hate Us and See If We Mind The poetry of history |
2015
Shad Shadows – Minor Blues
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Year: 2015 Country: Italy Genre: Darkwave Best Song: Minor Blues First release of the side-project of the members of Schonwald |
undertheskin – undertheskin
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Year: 2015 Country: Poland Genre: Coldwave, Post-Punk Best Song: Cold Perfect continuation of the Polish post-punk/coldwave tradition |
The Soft Moon – Deeper
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Year: 2015 Country: USA Genre: Post-Punk Best Song: Wasting Perhaps the most influential album for contemporary post-punk music |
IAMX – Metanoia
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Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom Genre: Synthpop Best Song: North Star Basically the sountrack for How to Get Away with Murder |
2016
Alles – Culture
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Year: 2016 Country: Poland Genre: Industrial Best Song: Kultura Something never heard before |
Ash Code – Posthuman
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Year: 2016 Country: Italy Genre: Darkwave, Post-Punk Best Song: Posthuman Second release of one of Italy’s best post-punk bands |
Dade City Days
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Year: 2016 Country: Italy Genre: Shoegaze, Dreampop Best Song: Fernweh Back to the 90s |
2017
Velvet Kills – Mischievous Urges
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Year: 2017 Country: Portugal Genre: Darkwave, Post-Punk Best Song: Faster Speed Faster Debut of the lovely couple Susana and Harris |
Get Your Gun – Doubt Is My Rope Back To You
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Year: 2017 Country: Denmark Genre: Psychedelic Rock, Dark Rock Best Song: You’re Nothing To name their style would be easy if “Nick Cave” were a genre |
Paradox Obscur – Artifact
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Year: 2017 Country: Greece Genre: Darkwave Best Song: A Different Hum Moving tunes and powerful voices |
The Underground Youth – What Kind Of Dystopian Hellhole Is This?
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Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom/Germany Genre: Post-Punk, Shoegaze Best Song: Alice Another one that has moved to Berlin |
2018
Monowelt – The Last Cup of Sorrow
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Year: 2018 Country: Germany Genre: Darkwave Best Song: Worlds Collapse Second and last release by the project that has spawned the solo-careers of Daria Leere and Marta Raya |
Marta Raya – Hidden Emotions
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Year: 2018 Country: Germany Genre: Darkwave Best Song: The Sadness of Gaia One of the brightest stars of contemporary darkwave music |
Soft Riot – The Outsider in the Mirror
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Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom Genre: Synthpop Best Song: The Eyes on the Walls Cool, colourful, crazy – and above all eccentric |
Dark Lake Whispers – Karagöl
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Year: 2018 Country: Turkey Genre: Post-Punk Best Song: Karagöl Formidable debut of the mysterious masked duo from Izmir |
European Ghost – Collection of Shadows
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Year: 2018 Country: Italy Genre: Post-Punk, Darkwave Best Song: Suspended in the Void Even better than their debut |
Dear Deer – Chew-Chew
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Year: 2018 Country: France Genre: Noise-Rock, Post-Punk Best Song: Straciła Crazy French/Italian duo with a great live atmosphere |
Metal Disco – Vade Mecum
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Year: 2018 Country: Greece Genre: Darkwave Best Song: Vade Mecum Side-project of Paradox Obscur mastermind Toxic Razor with several collaborations |
Xeno and Oaklander – Hypnos
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Year: 2018 Country: USA Genre: Minimal Wave Best Song: Insomnia Minimal wave’s not dead |
2019
Ice Ages – Nullify
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Year: 2019 Country: Austria Genre: Industrial Best Song: Empty Shrine Eleven years since the last release were worth the wait |
Bestial Mouths – Inshroudss
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Year: 2019 Country: Germany Genre: Industrial Best Song: Withiin When Dead Can Dance meets Laibach |
Nao Katafuchi – Stahlgrau
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Year: 2019 Country: Japan/Germany Genre: Darkwave Best Song: Inishie Veeery dark darkwave |
Deus Faust – What I Saw
This album – our own – is not part of the competition. However, please let us use this chance to promote our debut once again. Our second release is almost done!
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Year: 2018 Country: Slovakia/USA Genre: Darkwave Best Song: Vampyres Like Us
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What great music that was released in the 2010s! For a list of the best songs of 2019, please click on the picture below.
Don’t forget to subscribe to my Youtube show The Wave of Things, in case you haven’t done so yet 😉
