It can be easy to forget that For Emma, Forever Ago wasn't released in the current decade, given a sudden resurgence of its popularity (due in part to Birdy's piano-led cover of 'Skinny Love') in recent years. It's minimalistic, folky style is certainly a sound more synonymous with the 2010 onwards, proving the innovation hidden among the album's outward simplicity. Justin Vernon's tremendous vocals represent heartbreak at its most open and raw, acting as a far more wounded precursor to the faster, jangling optimism of subsequent artists such as Mumford and Sons. Decade Defining Track: Skinny Love
