Our second day of exploring the artistic tastes of different members of the DSR/CBC team focuses on the music. The type of music somebody listens to can tell somebody else so much about the soul of a person, how they ease their anxieties, what experiences and stories connect with somebody on a deeper and richer level. Or, if it’s a party song, what kind of fun they like to have.
Connecting with a song is one thing, but connecting with an album is a deeper experience, certainly more innately human than yesterday's topic of which wrestling matches they connect with. Each instrument tells a story, setting its own tone that colors in the lyrics that are being sung. An album? An album can tell so much more than that. Not every choice here is as groundbreaking as Woody Guthrie’s Dust Bowl Ballads, the first genuinely cohesive concept album, but each album tells a story of artists at a point in their life, and the reason we connect so richly is that we’ve had similar points in ours.
Jameus Mooney, Admin of Dirt Sheet Radio and Editor at Comic Book Clique.
Death By Rock and Roll, The Pretty Reckless.
I had a few albums here I considered. So Much (For) Stardust, Fall Out Boy’s spiritual successor to Folie a Deux was considered. I had considered Diamante’s American Dream, which had a slew of singles that helped me through a breakup, Stapleton’s Higher, and I had originally chosen Bad Omens’ Death of Peace of Mind until, well, you’ll see in the next pick.
But two of my favorite artists are The Pretty Reckless and Chris Cornell. I had actually seen Soundgarden two weeks before Cornell passed, and that’s a celebrity death that hit me extremely hard as a high schooler. When the singles for this record started to drop during the pandemic with the very clear Cornell influence, I was immediately sold. Then the album dropped, and there was a song with Audioslave’s Tom Morello and Soundgarden’s Matt Cameron and Kim Thayil, and I was immediately sold.
But I think that even with the obvious grunge influence on the album, it feels like an extension of the established Pretty Reckless sound rather than an abrupt departure. Standing at the Wall, for example, slides right next to an earlier offering such as Just Tonight or House on a Hill without feeling out of place. There’s always been a dichotomy in each album found within the diversity of their tracks that jump from hard rock to bluesy alternative, and it’s as though they just added Seattle grunge to the menu.
Also, shoutout to 25 as a song that really helped me through my pandemic depression, and Witches Burn for being one of the most badass pieces of music this decade. This is one of those albums I really bonded with my buddy Ryan over when it came out as well, who may or may not have selected a different album in this article. What makes music, or any art, worthwhile if not the communal experience?
Nick LaRocco, Admin of Dirt Sheet Radio.
The Death of Peace of Mind, Bad Omens.
I was first introduced to Bad Omens through a recommendation from someone close to me, and I'm incredibly glad they pointed me in that direction. While I've always enjoyed metalcore, The Death of Peace of Mind immediately stood out as something different. It blends crushing guitars, electronic elements, alternative rock, and Noah Sebastian's incredible vocals into an album that feels less like a collection of songs and more like a complete emotional journey.
What separates this album from so many others in the genre is the way it makes you feel. Most metalcore thrives on intensity, anger, or heartbreak. Bad Omens certainly has those moments, but this album captures something much harder to describe. It creates this strange mix of nostalgia, yearning, and hope. Listening to it feels almost ethereal, like you're stepping outside yourself for a while. It reminds you of where you've been, lets you process where you are now, and somehow leaves you feeling optimistic about where you're going next.
Just Pretend is the song that best embodies that feeling for me. It seamlessly blends metalcore with alternative rock, creating something that's both haunting and uplifting. Every time I hear it, I'm reminded of moments from my past while still feeling motivated about the future. The Grey hits me in a similar way, balancing vulnerability with explosive energy and some of my favorite lyrics on the album. Both songs showcase exactly why Bad Omens has become one of my favorite bands of the decade.
From beginning to end, The Death of Peace of Mind is an album I can put on no matter what kind of day I'm having. Whether I'm driving, working out, or simply sitting with my thoughts, it always seems to meet me exactly where I am. Few albums from the 2020s have connected with me on such a personal level, and if you've never experienced Bad Omens before, this is the album I'd recommend first.
Robert Acosta, Contributor at Comic Book Clique.
Being Funny in a Foreign Language, The 1975.
So, I love The 1975, a band often dubbed ‘the greatest band no one’s ever heard of.’ They have a foot in many genres that I enjoy - New Wave, Alternative Rock, Synth-Pop - and that leads to every album sounding different from the last. BFIAFL is their most mature and honest album, yet it still sticks to the basics. A blend of love, in all of its forms, life in a post-modern world and a deep self reflection of someone who has had a troubled and fairly public past.
Oh Caroline and About You deliver goosebumps to my entire body and watery eyes just talking about them - the latter got very popular on Tiktok and has become their most streamed song on Spotify, wildly topping one billion plays in four years. If you listen to Happiness and don’t dance then maybe the groove was never in your heart. Part of the Band has some of the most interesting and playful lyrics while being introspective and partially devastating by the end. The album ends with When We Are Together, another song with playful lyrics about love and its complex but healing ability, especially through connection.
I got to see them tour this album twice at Madison Square Garden - the first being life-changingly good with the second being lower energy but still great.
Jhuvin Palaganas, Contributor at Comic Book Clique.
Even in Arcadia, Sleep Token.
Even In Arcadia by Sleep Token is a work of art. If you love lyrics steeped in metaphors about doomed love and psychological trauma, you’ll love this album. If you love plus-four-minute songs that feel like a ride at Universal Studios, you’ll love this album. If you love the unholy matrimony of deep, rich vocals and grief-stricken screaming, you’ll love this album. If you loved Pentagon Jr in Lucha Underground, you'll love this album.
At the very least, listen to the first track, Look to Windward, it encapsulates everything I described. I have genuinely listened to this album front-to-back more than a hundred times and I’m still not tired of it. Plus, it came out on my birthday, which makes it doubly special!
Amanda Woods, Contributor at Comic Book Clique.
Boom. Done., Anthony Green.
In trying to pick my favorite album of the 2020s, I have realized how little I listen to music as it's released in real time. I often find myself circling back or discovering an album or artist years after the fact, which is exactly how I found Boom. Done. by Anthony Green [from Circa Survive, Saison, L.S Dunes, and a host of other projects].
Released in 2022, Boom. Done. paints the picture of Green’s lifelong struggles with addiction and bipolar disorder. Despite the themes of the album being so heavy, I find it to be a really relaxing listen. So much of the album blends together Green’s unique vocal tone with a variety of instrumentation to create 9 songs (originally 10) realistically mimic the highs and lows that come with the demons that serve as the inspiration. Also, this album makes such good use of horns, which not enough modern albums do. And remember how I mentioned early that there were originally 10 songs on this album? Well, when L.S. Dunes were creating their debut album Past Lives (which I also highly recommend), they ended up slightly modifying one of the songs from Boom. Done. to become the opening track of LP. You know an album is good when 1. Your talented friends want to make it a part of your collective debut album and 2. You can take a great song off of a record and have it still be full of hidden gems.
I think there is a universality to this album that can easily transcend across any genre preference. Everyone has their own skeletons and mistakes, but instead of trying to hide them, Green embraces them throughout all of Boom. Done. to create one of the purest forms of self-expression that I have ever had the chance to listen to. I’m a firm believer in art finding people at the right time; it’s probably why I find myself circling back so much. I think that if I had found this album back in 2022, I would’ve lacked a certain maturity to truly appreciate this album and a lot of Green’s work as a whole. But now, connecting with this album four years after the fact, I think it resonates a lot stronger because of how it aligns with my own personal growth and journey. In my opinion, this album might be one of the few perfect comfort albums regardless of the situation. If you need to cry, need to scream, need to reflect, or just need to celebrate how far you’ve come, Boom. Done. just feels like that old friend you can sit with that will tell you that no matter what life throws at you, everything will be okay.
Jenny Catlin, Contributor at Comic Book Clique.
Something in a Shell, Sofia Isella.
For best album of the 2020s, I’m going with Sofia Isella’s Something in a Shell. Technically, an EP at about 27 minutes playtime, Isella is like the plutonic ideal of dark pop. I love her gritty, filthy “aesthetic” (god, I am sick of that word), but gimmicks in music don’t work for me like that. There’s got to be more there, and there is. She can write. Her background as a classical violinist shows real musical chops, and her feminist rage is slow and muted in a way that feels perfect for the current cultural moment. Something in a Shell feels like Taylor Swift meets Valerie Solanis in a David Lynch production with music by Trent Reznor. A brilliant manifesto of an EP.
Andre Porter, Contributor at Comic Book Clique.
Dune: Part Two: Original Motion Feature Sountrack, Hans Zimmer.
My favorite soundtrack of the 2020s is Dune: Part Two. One of the more unique parts of the soundtrack is every time the tunes are slightly different. It changes to fit where it is in the movie, as does the mood of the sound. It’s so, so good, and probably the best use of a recurring musical motif in a soundtrack that I can remember.
Sean Paul, Contributor at Comic Book Clique.
Chromakopia, Tyler the Creator.
One of Tyler's best works. Narrated by his mother, this album does a great job at exploring past timelines through the insights of Tyler himself with such raw earnestness and emotion.
Andy Chen, Admin at Dirt Sheet Radio and Contributor at Comic Book Clique.
Children of the Sun, Jay Chou.
I usually listen to individual songs rather than full albums, so I don't have many favorite albums. But Children of the Sun is definitely the one that left the biggest impression on me, and it's probably my favorite album of the 2020s.
Abel Loza, Contributor at Comic Book Clique.
Two-way tie: Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny, and Glow On, Turnstile.
I have two. I know it's cheating, but I can't pick between the two. Both had major influences on me and my taste in music.
First is Turnstile, Glow On. Punk and Alternative have always been my genre of choice; however, my taste had gotten a little stale, and I was listening to all the same stuff over and over again. Once Glow On came out, it was a renaissance for me and made me fall back in love with the genre. This album is also a great way to get into harder music. It has the elements of punk but is much softer and incredibly catchy.
The second is Bad Bunny, Un Verano Sin Ti. I was never a big Reggaeton, I know, as a Hispanic male, that is blasphemy, but it was never really my cup of tea. My wife turned me on to Bad Bunny and, while I dug it, it wasn't on my heavy rotation. After Un Verano Sin Ti was released, that all changed. I will run through a wall if BB tells me to, as I find his music inspiring and can dance to it. I know Bad Bunny won the Grammy for DTMF, but I personally think that Un Verano Sin Ti is his Magnum opus. Even if you don't know Spanish, you can still get down to BB. As long as you understand vibes, you will “get” his music.
Ryan Norton, Contributor at Comic Book Clique.
Take Me Back to Eden, Sleep Token.
In 2023, an album was released that legitimately made me stop caring about genre preferences, or whether something is ‘too popular’ which, admittedly, is an opinion I never should’ve held in the first place if I’m being honest. That album being Take Me Back To Eden by Sleep Token, an anonymous band with a cleverly crafted lore told throughout their music. Having previously released Sundowning andThis Place Will Become Your Tomb before culminating with the final release of its trilogy, Take Me Back To Eden.
This album is special, there’s no better way of saying it. They have an extremely passionate fan base, which some have expressed is why they are not interested in the band. But right from the album opener Chokehold it puts you in just that.
Their lead singer, known simply as Vessel, has an incredible vocal range which is shown through the band’s discography, but none more so than on this album. With hauntingly beautiful songs such as Are You Really Okay? and Euclid, as well as crushingly heavy sections in tracks like Ascensionism, Vore and the title track. It’s very clear that some people simply will not be interested in this particular band, but if you put aside your feelings on them, I struggle to believe that you wouldn’t be captivated by this masterpiece of an album.
Dustin Lee, Contributor at Comic Book Clique.
Take Me Back to Eden, Sleep Token.
My music tastes are all over the place but one album that really stood out to me is Take Me Back to Eden by Sleep Token. I like how it blends different genres instead of staying in one lane moving between deep moments and emotional songs without feeling out of place. Every time I listen to it I notice something new be it the lyrics, the atmosphere, or the musicianship. It's an album I can come back to over and over, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for something that doesn't sound quite like anything else.
Jessica Roberts, Editor at Comic Book Clique.
Bando Stone and the New World, Childish Gambino.
It’s hard to settle on one album, but this one served as such a pinnacle and finale for Glover’s closing chapter on the Childish Gambino story. While the album is already a masterpiece in its own right, it also serves as the soundtrack to its mysterious companion film that never quite came to fruition, but would have ultimately added an extra layer of depth to the album by developing the narrative component. It’s an album that deserves to be listened to and appreciated from start to finish, the way God and Donald Glover intended.
George Serrano, Founder of Comic Book Clique.
Entergalactic, Kid Cudi.
I am a humongous Kid Cudi fan. He helped me get through tours overseas, and Man on the Moon is an album I have listened to triple digits. He created his own animated film called Entergalactic, and the accompanying soundtrack feels like classic Cudi. He has never been one to talk about hoes, jewelry, or drugs. I have always liked his melodies and his humming, which is his trademark. The subject matter feels like normal, everyday issues people go through, and I love the variety in the beat selection. It is a go-to for me.
Jon Escudero, Owner and Founder of Dirt Sheet Radio and Editor at Comic Book Clique.
GNX, Kendrick Lamar.
An album I've listened to dozens of times over since its release. The second I heard the Luthor Vandross sample on LUTHER I knew I was in for something special.
This isn’t a definitive list of the best albums of the decade, just a list of our favorites. Open up Spotify, discover some new music, and come back tomorrow as go through our favorite video games.