10 Albums Celebrating Big Anniversaries You Need To Revisit

  • 10 Albums Celebrating Big Anniversaries You Need To Revisit
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    Frank Ocean & Paramore
    Hayley Williams Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for CBS Radio Inc., Frank Ocean Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

    The weater is getting colder so it's time to spend a little more time inside and get nostalgic. This happens to be an incredible year for anniversaries with some of the most game-changing records of the past 5, 10 and 20 years celebrating birthdays. Below are 10 records that are passing milestones right now from Frank Ocean's game-changing debut to Eminem's mainstream triumph. 

    Paramore - After Laughter (5 Years)

    Paramore's most outwardly pop album, arriving for years after their last, was a triumph. Hayley Williams' attempted to work through mental turbulence with a set of perky, '80s leaning songs that had a darkness lingering behind them. It's the tightest, most melodic music that Williams and co. have ever made and it's also the last music they made as a band. Tour dates this year, however, suggest new music might be imminent.

    Dua Lipa - Dua Lipa (5 Years)

    Five years ago, Dua Lipa rolled out her debut album and the rest is history. Dua Lipa arrived after a couple of lukewarm hits including Be The One and Hotter Than Hell but things really blew up when the music video for New Rules went viral. For a debut album, it's packed with hits, each song just as strong as the next. Dua Lipa established her as a versatile pop star with bigger things still to come.

    SZA - CTRL (5 Years)

    We hoped that we would be writing about the 5 year anniversary of SZA's debut album CTRL with a sophomore record in hand but alas, here we are. CTRL was a gamechanger. It was a raw, introverted record that traverses hip-hop, R&B, pop and alternative styles. SZA is a generous, unfiltered songwriter and created a narrative that ran through CTRL that was beautiful to hear unfold. It's so good that it hasn't left the Billboard 200 in the US since its release.

    Lorde - Melodrama (5 Years)

    2017 was a great year for music. On top of CTRL, we also got Melodrama - the ground-breaking second record from Lorde. It marked the first work she made with now constant collaborator Jack Antonoff and it was a big, bounding pop album. Melodrama navigates the move from adolescence to adulthood and all the disruption that goes with it. She's in a new city, ending a longtime relationship and discovering exactly who she is. 

    alt-J - An Awesome Wave (10 Years)

    alt-J unleashed an awesome, slow-moving wave when they released their debut album in 2012. The British alternative band were full of oddities from the way they sung to the way they navigated experimental instrumentals. It took a minute but everyone eventually fell in love with An Awesome Wave particularly Australia who voted Breezeblocks as the third best song of 2012 in triple j's Hottest 100 countdown. 

    Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel... (10 Years)

    Fiona Apple takes her time with her music. It took her almost another decade to follow-up The Idler Wheel... and it's easy to understand why. The Idler Wheel... is a dense, wordy record and easily one of the most exciting of the 2012. Apple attacks words with her voice, slotting into jagged instrumentals. It's somehow both uncomfortable and warming on a song like Every Single Night where she's either coming towards you like a marching band or stroking you in a lullaby. 

    Frank Ocean - Channel ORANGE (10 Years)

    There was no point releasing an album in 2012 if it wasn't going to be iconic. Channel ORANGE is a top-tier debut. A once in a lifetime introduction that ushers in an artist who would shift music for years to come. It's a genre-skipping collection with songs that move in ways you hadn't heard before. Bad Religion rises and falls taking your heart with it each time and Pyramids packs the emotional weight of blockbuster cinema. 

    Marina - Electra Heart (10 Years)

    Marina's Electra Heart was a divisive one when it was released but it's grown into a cult and TikTok favourite over the years. It's a concept record that has Marina playing a character that represents female archetypes in American pop culture. It's an in-your-face listen but it's also a triumphant one with some of the most shameless pop moments of our time. 

    Eminem - The Eminem Show (20 Years)

    By 2002, Eminem had proved himself as an extremely capable rapper but he was out to show his versatility. He could be both humorous and serious, pop-leaning and rap-focussed. The Eminem Show was the record that tried to do it all and was largely successful. We get a single as charismatic as Without Me and then one as introspective as Cleaning Out My Closet.

    Avril Lavigne - Let Go (20 Years)

    Given that Avril Lavigne is currently one of the most influential musicians in mainstream music, it's hard to believe that Let Go was 20 years ago. The record introduced us to the punk-influenced Canadian with a collection of expertly written pop songs. Debut single Complicated became a generational anthem and then came the story of Sk8r Boi which captivated the world. She was boisterous and bratty but also vulnerable and raw. An incredible songwriter with an effortless ability to connect.

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Hayley Williams Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for CBS Radio Inc., Frank Ocean Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
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