BEST ALBUMS OF 2010
1. The National High Violet
The National followed up their breakthrough album Boxer, with High Violet, a collection of hauntingly beautiful and often times heartbreaking songs. High Violet is a masterpiece of middle-class turmoil, a perfect assembly of songs focused on the plights of the everyday modern man.
2. The Tallest Man on Earth The Wild Hunt
With a voice that commands attention, whimsical arrangements and absolutely jaw dropping skills up and down the fretboard (not to mention occasionally tickling the ivories), the second album by Sweden's Tallest Man on Earth, The Wild Hunt, was an engaging and fun listen that had me coming back for more again and again.
3. Crystal Castles Crystal Castles (II)
Crystal Castles came back in 2010 with an album that was more coherent and less gimmicky than their debut album. Crystal Castles managed to bring back all of the elements that made them memorable on their debut and excise all of the frilly stuff that made them seem like a novelty act (almost).
4. Twin Shadow Forget
Twin Shadow came out of nowhere (for me at least). I picked up his debut album and was pleasantly surprised to find a unique blend of dreamy pop, 80s new wave and introspective lyrics. Despite my initial apprehension to the album due to all of the blogger buzz, I found this album simply too good to ignore in 2010.
5. Gorillaz Plastic Beach
For some, Gorillaz constitutes a guilty pleasure. Admitting you like a "fictional" band comprised of cartoon caricatures of self-indulgent celebrity is difficult to justify. Fortunately, however, the music speaks for itself. Gorillaz third album is easily their most cohesive and accessible work.
6. The Black Keys Brothers
The Black Keys are the perfect example of rock & roll revival. An impressive and gritty album that conjures the spirit of any number of blues rock legends from Muddy Waters to Jimi Hendrix, easily one of their strongest offerings to date.
7. Spoon Transference
Transference saw Spoon focus on their instruments after the "indulge-every-studio-whim" of their last album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, which was a critical and commercial success. Transference was a return to their roots, with simpler arrangements that saw an increased tension between instruments, which made for a compelling listen.
8. The Radio Dept. Clinging to a Scheme
A more refined album than their shoegaze origins proved to be the right move for the dream pop band from Sweden. With a larger emphasis on synths over fuzzy buzzy effects pedals, Clinging to a Scheme was a fun, unabashed pop record and an incredibly welcome surprise in 2010.
9. Sleigh Bells Treats
Noisy and abrasive, Treats had an interesting mixture of aggressive and menacing songs paired up against mid-tempo songs that were grounded in 70s pop. The album definitely delivered on the ability to weave in and out of genres, and was unlike anything else I heard this year.
10. Broken Social Scene Forgiveness Rock Record
BSS has an uncanny ability to craft beautiful pop songs that sound as if they were recorded by a bunch of friends having the times of their lives. Maybe that's because that is what BSS is, a collective of musicians who get together and can easily write songs about romance, forgiveness, and masturbation.
MOST DISAPPOINTING ALBUMS OF 2010
1. MGMT Congratulations
10 songs. All of them boring.
2. The Klaxons Surfing the Void
A couple of diamonds in the rough here, but overall a bombastic, auditory assault without much direction. The album is messy and lacks focus. Bonus points for space cat though.
3. We Are Scientists Barbara
I know, most of you probably had no idea that We Are Scientists even released an album this year, and honestly it's probably better if it stayed that way. Supposedly a return to the sound of their breakthrough album With Love and Squalor, Barbara lacks the hooks to make it truly memorable.
4. Broken Bells Broken Bells
This album failed to impress me despite the strength of the singles. Most of the tracks that appear are filler, causing me to lose patience in them and skipping forward to the songs I actually liked. With all of the talent behind this album I was crestfallen to admit that it didn't live up to the hype.
5. Arcade Fire The Suburbs
This was a tough call because I actually enjoyed this record, a lot. I suppose I decided to include it on my "most disappointing" list was simply because it is their weakest album. Arcade Fire had a brilliant debut, a slightly weaker sophomore album, and now, an album that is good, but hardly great.
HONORABLE MENTIONS OF 2010
The following are albums I liked this year that found themselves creeping into my playlists and mixes. These albums aren't necessarily the best of what 2010 had to offer, but they were damn good, or at the very least, deserved a mention.
Two Door Cinema Club Tourist History
One word: Infectious. This album was so catchy I found myself listening to it quite often. At roughly 30 minutes there simply isn't any room for filler songs.
The Drums The Drums
Much like Two Door Cinema Club, the catchy surf pop of reverb-ophiles The Drums made them instantly listenable. It was hard to find someone who disliked this band in 2010.
Yeasayer Odd Blood
Aside from what is surely a contender for worst album art of the year, Yeasayer managed to meld synth-pop, world music and psychedelia into their own brand of indie music. The album is a bit hit or miss at times, but is ultimately a rewarding listen.
This rap-rave group from Cape Town, South Africa may seem like a joke, but being signed by a major label isn't. Say what you may about their music, and they may only be a passing phase, but one can't deny that Die Antwoord didn't do too bad for themselves in 2010.
There are some really memorable tracks present, however there are a few which are mediocre at best. This is the first record which was written and recorded by permanent members of the band, marking the first time the recording process hasn't been a "revolving door" of musicians, but somehow this seemed less cohesive than their previous albums, that being said, its still a great album.
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