10 Best Manchester Albums Of The 2010s

The latest and greatest from one of Britain's biggest musical cities.

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Manchester is a city in the North West of England, and one of the largest in the UK. Although you probably know it better though for over 50 years of incredible music.

Just some of the acts you might of heard of include The Chemical Brothers, The Fall, Happy Mondays, The Hollies, John Cooper Clarke, Joy Division, New Order, Oasis, The Smiths, and The Stone Roses.

Problem is, all of these acts originated from the 20th Century.

In the 2000s, acts such as The Courteeners and Doves have found success in the UK, but failed to reach a wider audience like some of the aforementioned groups. This downward trend has continued into the 2010s, but that doesn't mean the quality of the music has depreciated.

You might have missed some of the best new acts out of Manchester from the last ten years, or some new material by some old favourites.

This list is by no means definitive, and you can see it more of a discovery guide. A one per artist rule is in place, and the first track of each album is embedded in each entry so you can listen along.

Let us know what you think in the comments!

10. Who Built The Moon? - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds (2017)

While he hasn’t lived in Manchester since his Oasis days, Noel Gallagher has done the city proud with his best songwriting since (What's The Story) Morning Glory?

While Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' 2011 self-titled debut and 2015's Chasing Yesterday were welcome familiar sounding commercial successes, Who Built The Moon should be applauded for being bold and brave in straying away from the Oasis sound.

From the jaunty 1970s-like single Holy Mountain, to the psychedelic alarm clock in Fort Knox, Noel even manages to pull off putting in a harmonica and some sleigh bells into the heartbreak ballad If Love Is the Law. The haunting acoustic fan favourite Dead in the Water rounds off a genuine leap at artistic greatness for the Birds, as Noel proves he just doesn’t give a f*ck anymore about that Oasis reunion.

This is obviously an album made by a rich guy with not much left to say, but the experimental instrumentation speaks for itself, imprinting a glamorous, spacey feel on the listener.

The only Gallagher brother entry on the list, this album begs the question as to whether Oasis really was holding Noel Gallagher back.

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Music, Telly and Games writer from Manchester. Once supported The Hoosiers - it's a great story. Also run a music meme Instagram @okthomputer