One thing that I’ve noticed in my time on Earth is that music is great. There is a plethora of different sounds and styles out there and so many musicians out there who can paint vivid images with their instruments. It can range from beautiful and complex, to wild and profane, to discordant and completely unstructured. I never want to exclude any particular sound, because there’s no doubt in my mind that someone with a good ear will always find something they like in every genre or era of music. Sadly, a lot of people my age tend to exclude music from today from their playlists because of a stigma they have against this generation. They think it’s all superficial and poorly written. That’s such an unfair assessment to me; with today’s technology, there’s ever-expanding room for innovation. New artists appear from every corner with something to say and a way to express it that’s never been heard before. In this article, I’ll be listing eleven musical acts from this decade who are doing great things and show no signs of slowing down.

(NSFW WARNING: A lot of the music covered in this listicle is profane and controversial in nature. Please watch and listen at your discretion.)

1. "$uicideboy$"

The New Orleans-based hip-hop duo have only been around for two years, but they have become kings of the underground rap scene in that short amount of a time. Ruby da Cherry and $lick $loth flip forlorn samples into dark trap beats and rap about whatever they feel like tackling at the time. The two can ponder their miserable existence in one song and then spit rhymes about the narcotics they’ve taken in the next. Every song has a polished feeling that juxtaposes perfectly with their aggressively delivered – sometimes screamed – rap verses. And they show no signs of stopping! Since their emergence in 2014, they’ve released thirty separate projects that only get better and better.

Their new album, "Eternal Grey," came out last week under their own name.

2. "ho99o9"

On the other side of experimental hip-hop, ho99o9 (pronounced as horror, but referred to as Horror 1999) burst from the Newark punk scene with fervor. Members theOGM and Eaddy mix slow paced horrorcore raps with Bad Brains-style punk rock, with a fun little sprinkle of agony and terror. The two create music that’s as easily jamming as it is brutal. The group is anti-authority, anti-establishment, and anti-anyone who thinks they need to tone it down. Fun fact: I was supposed to see them at Warped Tour last year, but for some undisclosed reason, they had to drop the tour, and I was left a disappointed man. As far as I’m concerned, it’s because they were too scary for the tweenagers. So much for the “my music scares people,” huh?

Their debut album, "Dead Bodies in the Lake," was released in November of last year under their own name.

3. "Clarence Clarity"

Clarence Clarity is possibly one of my favorite musicians at the moment. Based in London, his music is an eclectic blend of R&B, glitch, and noise pop that boils over into a deliciously smooth, yet buzzing sound. The intros, outros, and interludes to his music are always these grating clusters of information that can leave a listener disoriented, but his crooning voice and funky beats will draw listeners back in like magic. And his music videos are a trip to watch, too. If you like old VHS tapes, surrealism, and nonsensical art, you’ll have a blast with the visuals that accompany his music.

His debut album, "No Now," was released in March of 2015 under Bella Union. If you have an hour to spare, give it a listen, and I promise you will not be disappointed.

4. "Wicked World"

This band is great. There’s no way around that fact. The Whitewater, Wisconsin five-piece band delivers a tidal wave of emotions as they transition in the blink of an eye from upbeat hardcore punk to crushing death metal. Vocalists Alex Miller and Matthew Tucholke unleash frenzied growls, shrieks, and roars over the relentlessly slamming instrumentals. Every song provides the listener with a nonstop beat down as each member builds upon the other, contributing bit by bit to this atavistic, discordant mayhem that sounds like nothing that any other band has ever done. I’ve seen these guys twice in concert, and there’s no doubt in my mind that they’ve put on some of the best stage shows that I’ve ever seen. I may have received multiple injuries across both shows, but it was totally worth it.

Their latest EP, "Witch Hunt," was released in June of this year under Innerstrength Records.

5. "That Poppy"

Watch this...

Poppy is… something. While mainly known for her bizarre, surrealist YouTube channel of the same name, she also releases bubblegum pop music that’s as self-aware and biting as it is cute and catchy. Nobody really knows much about her background, and nobody really needs to know. She’s Poppy. Since her first video upload on Nov. 4, 2014, the puke-saccharine pop star has currently released 79 videos to date and has amassed a following of upwards of two million subscribers. Poppy is an anti-icon. She’s half satirical pop artist, half pastel-drenched David Lynch fever dream. Her music reflects on materialism in the mainstream music scene, the outrageous fear of celebrities in the Illuminati, and the internet’s obsession with discovering every detail about something they don’t know. She’s a treat in the entertainment industry and needs to be recognized as the princess that she is.

Her debut EP, "Bubblebath," was released in February of this year under Island Records. It’s also worth it to listen to music of her director and producer, Titanic Sinclair. Check out some of his music and you'll be able to see the relation.

6. "Outline in Color"

No matter what music scene in which I find myself, there’s an ongoing stigma against metalcore. People love to rag on the genre for being whiny or unoriginal and consistently find any reason to condescendingly mock it and listen to their superior genres of music. I’ve never thought of that as a fair assessment. There are bands like Outline in Color that perfectly encapsulate everything that the genre entails without appealing to stereotypes. Aggressive breakdowns that clash and blend with theatrical choruses isn’t anything new to the scene, but the Tulsa natives do it a step above everyone else. They provide a neat production and a vocalist that can make a track feel like an R&B song with chugging guitar riffs.

Their latest album, "Struggle," was released in March of this year under Standby Records.

7. "Sianvar"

Sianvar is part of a long-running line of musical acts that mix post-hardcore and math rock. Based in Sacramento and the brainchild of Dance Gavin Dance guitarist Will Swan, Sianvar is a super group of the best of these bands, including members from Hail The Sun, Stolas, and A Lot Like Birds. What separates Sianvar from other mathcore groups is the smooth, progressive elements that they throw into the mix. With an emphasis on funk and progressive rock, the band delivers a coherent babble of wild time signatures, perfectly executed guitar solos, and precision like you couldn’t believe. It’s safe to say that any act that appears on Will Swan’s label will not disappoint.

Their debut album, "Stay Lost," was released in August of this year under Blue Swan Records.

8. "Death Grips"

Death Grips could potentially be one of the greatest musical acts to exist. They make whatever they want to make, and they put out fantastic music with consistency like nobody else. Since their debut in 2010, the Sacramento experimental hip-hop group has amassed a substantial cult following and have picked up speed with virtually no help from distributors or labels. Drummer Zach Hill and instrumentalist Andy Morin produce the audio equivalent of Jackson Pollock’s splatter painting, while front man MC Ride provides a frantic, violent set of lyrics that keep the music going. Their music is heavy, abstract, and perfectly produced. One of the best memories of my life was seeing them when they came to Kansas last year. They have an energetic live show like you couldn’t imagine and the ability to make a fan scream at the mere mention of their name.

Their latest album, "Bottomless Pit," was released in May of this year under Third Worlds and Harvest.

9. LIMITS

What’s a list of my favorite musicians without some love for my locals? Ever since I started regularly attending concerts in 2013, I’ve seen LIMITS several times, and they only keep growing. With brutal instrumentation and fantastic vocals, the Wichita-based five piece has consistently put on an affable show. And they get better each time! Every time I watch them, I see lead vocalist Nick Hale snap from an unseemly man to a monster with energy and crowd control that rivals classic rock and metal bands. Aside from being great performers, they also carry with them a positive message that I think everyone should listen to. One of LIMITS’ main goals is “for one person to hear a song of ours and feel something and maybe get inspired to do something positive.” Now that’s something that I’m glad to hear in music.

Their debut album, "Formless / Void," was released in June of this year. Give it a listen and support these up-and-comers. I promise that you will not be disappointed.

10. clipping.

What happens when you mix one of the world’s most universal music genres with an inaccessible and vile sound? You get clipping. The Los Angeles group was technically formed in 2009, but they didn’t start writing original music until 2010, when Daveed Diggs (who some of you may know him as Thomas Jefferson in the hit musical "Hamilton") joined as the group’s emcee. The trio mix hip-hop with harsh noise, a genre that’s discordant and unstructured in nature. They produce unique percussion and synthetics with loud bursts of static and whirls are the vessel for Diggs’ introspective and politically charged lyrics. The group tackles an array of serious subjects in a blunt and confrontational matter, including sex work and police violence. The group is a fearless experimentation that have made a substantial impact on rap music over the last three years.

Their latest album, "Splendor & Misery," was released this month under Sub Pop.

11. "Wreck and Reference"

This band defines pain. Seriously, I’ve never heard a musical act that’s as depressing as this group. With that said, they make some of the best and most unique music I’ve heard in a long time. The Los Angeles duo creates a droning, noisy post-metal sound with only two instruments: a drummer and an old Korg synthesizer. Every song is an overload of discordant samples and drum fills that couple perfectly with vocalist Felix Skinner jumping from disheartened and doom-flavored spoken word to agonized screams. This band redefines metal in their simple electronic setup, giving way to a wide palate of sounds that hurt. It hurts so much to listen to these guys, but I can never stop. It doesn’t feel right for me to relate to the lyrics so much, but I do, and they’re so good at encapsulating emotion. Wreck and Reference is easily one of my favorite musical acts of all time.

Their latest album, "Indifferent Rivers Romance End," was released in July of this year. However, I should warn you — it’s one of the most depressing albums you’ll ever hear.