Best albums of 2010?

[BoylenOver]

I hope to hear MG, frank ryan, UD, OhioBlue, and Coastal Ute (among others) chime in on this.

My* top 10 (in no specific order):

Odd Blood - Yeasayer
Treats - Sleigh Bells
The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
High Violet - The National
Brothers - Black Keys
Cosmogramm - Flying Lotus
Forgiveness Rock Record - Broken Social Scene
So Runs the World Away - Josh Ritter
Transference - Spoon
There is Love in You - Four Tet

(*-when I say "my", I'm referring to my entirely derivative taste in music, based almost exclusively on the "what are you listening to?" thread)

[BoylenOver]

here's a top 25 list, as voted by listeners to NPR's "All Songs Considered"

http://www.npr.org/2010/12/14/132050...-music-of-2010

[MarkGrace]

You beat me to it.

I'm going to do my soon, when I get the chance. I was hoping to hear some records by the end of the year, but it just isn't working out. I think I'd heard somewhere near 50 albums by the midpoint of this year, but then I started having hard drive issues (and started working) and I think I've heard maybe ten since. I'm always disappointed in my listening efforts over the course of a year.

Anyway, most the albums you posted will have top spots in my list.

[MarkGrace]

Is that Four Tet record from this year? I thought it was last year. Or was it just really, really early this year so it feels like forever ago? Dang, haven't even been thinking about that one.

[OhioBlue]

Honestly I had to look to see which albums, of those I like to listen to, are even 2010 releases. In so doing I realized I must have really liked 2009.

I don't have a top 10 for albums. But of the 2010 stuff, my list would have to include:

Vampire Weekend--Contra. Have probably listened to this at least 30-40 times.

Gorillaz--Plastic Beach. My kids can sing all the words to 'Superfast Jellyfish' from memory. And I love Stylo.

Mumford & Sons--Sigh No More. Technically a 2010 release in the US/Canada. Best song = 'Roll Away Your Stone.'

Porcupine Tree--Atlanta. Ok so I'm cheating a bit here, this is a compilation of live recordings from past PT albums. But since so few people know about Porcupine Tree and how good they really are, I'm including it. And it was released in 2010.

Janelle Monae--The ArchAndroid. Just started listening to this one in the last couple weeks, so I'm a little late to her party, but I am really digging it.

Other stuff I'd give a nod to though can't say it's in my upper tier:
The National--High Violet
Spoon--Transference
Massive Attack--Heligoland

And in 'most overrated:'
Arcade Fire--Suburbs. (that one ought to draw some fire)

[MarkGrace]

Gorillaz--Plastic Beach. My kids can sing all the words to 'Superfast Jellyfish' from memory.

Ha. That is awesome.

[LiveCoug]

Well, you might as well call me Il Padrino Coug......

[DrumNFeather]

The Zac Brown Band's follow up album tha came out this fall was not as strong as the first, but still a very good effort, IMO.

[falafel]

here's a top 25 list, as voted by listeners to NPR's "All Songs Considered"

http://www.npr.org/2010/12/14/132050...-music-of-2010

Here are the two top ten lists from the hosts of Sound Opinions on NPR. These guys have turned me on to a lot of good music.

http://www.soundopinions.org/shownot...shownotes.html

Has anyone heard the Kid Cudi album?

[I.J. Reilly]

I haven't listened to as much stuff as I would like to, but here are a few of my favorites from the year, in no order:

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West
The Lady Killer - Cee Lo Green
The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
High Violet - The National
The ArchAndroid - Janelle Monae
Body Talk - Robin
Sigh No More - Mumford & Sons (I'll agree with OhioBlue and give this a 2010 pass)

[BoylenOver]

I'm adding "Crazy for You" by Best Coast to my list. I can't get enough of it.

[MarkGrace]

10. 2 – Retribution Gospel Choir. Always the counterpoint to Low, Sparhawk lets his inner rocker loose, cranks the volume up to 11, and busts out the chugging riffs and walls of guitar noise.

9. This Is Happening – LCD Soundsystem. I could have gone for a little editing on the length of some of the tracks (most check in at 6 mins or more), but James Murphy continues in his masterful ability to make severely-lacking-in-rhythm guys like myself want to dance.

8. Lisbon – The Walkmen. More or less what you expect from these guys at this point: and album full of some high energy post-punk and slower more introspective moments.

7. Halcyon Digest – Deerhunter. Shoegazey, pop hazy and a perfect album when you’re feeling lazy. (Can’t believe I just did that.)

6. Cosmogramma – Flying Lotus. A dense, demanding and difficult album that blurred the lines between hip-hop, jazz, and IDM, and was packed with stellar moments once you unraveled it.

5. American Slang – The Gaslight Anthem. Not out to reinvent the wheel, this album pumps out the catchy hooks and fist-pumping choruses. Part Joe Strummer, part Bruce Springsteen, all awesome.

4. The Suburbs – Arcade Fire. Could have used some paring down, but its highs were undeniable and the sprawling nature of the tracklist reflective of the albums subject matter.

3. Plastic Beach – Gorillaz. Damon Albarn enlisted a mighty cast of musicians to fill out his lineup to great results on this album, but his pop smarts shine through when he does it all by himself (Rhinestone Eyes; Melancholy Hill).

2. High Violet – The National. The melancholy might feel overwhelming if it wasn’t all so gorgeous. The National’s winning streak continues.

1. Brothers – The Black Keys. An album that could easily have felt like a sterile genre exercise, Auerbach and Carney breathed fresh life into classic soul and blues. With more mondo riffs than any album this side of classic Zeppelin (and when Jimmy Page starts showing up at your shows throughout the year you know you’ve struck a chord there), nobody rocked, rolled or swaggered in 2010 quite like The Black Keys

Other records I liked but feel too lazy to write about: Teen Dream by Beach House; Swim by Caribou; Treats by Sleigh Bells; There is Love in You by Four Tet; The Black Dirt Session by Deer Tick; How I Got Over by The Roots; One Life Stand by Hot Chip; Total Life Forever by Foals; Expo 86 by Wolf Parade; Odd Blood by Yeasayer; Go by Jonsi; So Runs the World Away by Josh Ritter; Transference by Spoon; Mines by Menomena; Astro Coast by Surfer Blood; Heligoland by Massive Attack.

[MarkGrace]

Alright, UtahDan, I made good. You're up.

[UtahDan]

Alright, UtahDan, I made good. You're up.

I'll get there soon. But for now I have to say it is remarkable how little of your list I dislike.