Your top albums of 2010?

[Frau_Blucher]

[quote][i]Originally posted by popreactor[/i]
<br>1.Groove Armada- Black Light
2.Get Well Soon- Vexations
3.Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti- Before Today
4.Twin Shadow- Forget
5.Janelle Monáe- The ArchAndroid
6.Future Islands- In Evening Air
7.Belle And Sebastian- Write about Love
8.Yeasayer- Odd Blood
9.Brendan Perry- Ark
10.LCD Soundsystem- This is Happening
11.The National- High Violet
12.The Radio Dept- Clinging To A Scheme
13.Automelodi- Automelodi
14.Villa Nah- Origin
15.OMD The History of Modern
16.Deerhunter- Halycon Digest
17.Clinic- Bubblegum
18.Sambassadeur- European
19.Delphic- Acolyte
20.Detachments- Detachments
[/quote]
Some new ones to dig thru Pop. Thanks.

[MikeP]

Okay so here's my Top 60 albums, strictly ranked by my individual song ratings and averaging across each album (out of possible 5.0). These are the albums that broke the 4.0 mark:

1) The National - High Violet (4.455)
2) Chromeo - Business Casual (4.35)
3) The Love Language - Libraries (4.333)
4) Fran Healy - Wreckorder (4.318)
5) Beach House - Teen Dream (4.3)
6) Fyfe Dangerfield - Fly Yellow Moon (4.3)
7) Polock - Getting Down from the Trees (4.3)
John Grant - Queen Of Denmark (4.292) <-- Went to high school with him! Amazing album...do not miss.
9) Jenny and Johnny - I'm Having Fun Now (4.273)
10) Stars - The Five Ghosts (4.273)
11) Sia - We Are Born (4.269)
12) Best Coast - Crazy For You (4.269)
13) Samantha James - Subconscious (4.231)
14) New Young Pony Club - The Optimist (4.227)
15) Delorean - Subiza (4.222)
16) Mark Ronson & The Business Intl - Record Collection (4.214)
17) Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer (4.214)
18) Robert Plant - Band of Joy (4.208)
19) The Pass - BURST (4.2)
20) Two Door Cinema Club - Tourist History (4.2)
21) Vampire Weekend - Contra (4.2)
22) Robyn - Body Talk (4.2)
23) Carmen Rizzo - Looking Through Leaves (4.188)
24) The 1900s - Return of the Century (4.182)
25) Belle and Sebastian - Write About Love (4.182)
26) UNKLE - Where Did the Night Fall (4.179)
27) Underworld - Barking (4.167)
28) Aloe Blacc - Good Things (4.154)
29) Ray LaMontagne And The Pariah Dogs - God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise (4.15)
30) School of Seven Bells - Disconnect From Desire (4.15)
31) Crowded House - Intriguer (4.15)
32) Blonde Redhead - Penny Sparkle (4.15)
33) Lloyd Cole - Broken Record (4.136)
34) Future Islands - In Evening Air (4.125)
35) Band of Horses - Infinite Arms (4.125)
36) Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (4.118)
37) Florence and the Machine - A Lot of Love. A Lot of Blood (4.1)
38) Lightspeed Champion - Life Is Sweet! Nice To Meet You (4.1)
39) Class Actress - Journal of Ardency (4.1)
40) Massive Attack - Heligoland (4.1)
41) Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest (4.091)
42) Manic Street Preachers - Postcards from a Young Man (4.083)
43) The New Pornographers - Together (4.083)
44) The Black Keys - Brothers (4.067)
45) Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People EP (4.063)
46) LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening (4.056)
47) Tracey Thorn - Love and Its Opposite (4.056)
48) Morcheeba - Blood Like lemonade (4.05)
49) Broken Bells - Broken Bells (4.05)
50) Hot Chip - One Life Stand (4.05)
51) The Walkmen - Lisbon (4.045)
52) Interpol - Interpol (4.045)
53) Menomena - Mines (4.045)
54) Bonobo - Black Sands (4.042)
55) Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today (4.042)
56) The Bird And The Bee - Interpreting the Masters Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates (4)
57) Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record (4)
58) OMD - History of Modern (4)
59) Weezer - Hurley (4)
60) The Clientele - Minotaur (4)

The Disappointments & Stinkers of the Year:
1) Cassius - The Rawkers EP
2) Electric Six - Zodiac
3) The Chemical Brothers - Further
4) Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz
5) Röyksopp - Senior

[Frau_Blucher]

Very cool methodology Miguel. It seems like a very honest way to let your impressions of the songs speak for the albums - difficult to bias with any subconscious hipster notions of what 'should' be good. AND we're only 1.455 pts different in our assessment of the National! [:D]

When I think about my own list, this gives me two thoughts. For my top two choices, for example, I can't say that the songs as singles consistently blow me away. As straight thru listens though, these albums just mesmerize me. Any worry that you might not give enough credit beyond the sum of the parts?

On the total flip side, if I honestly look at my 3 and 4 albums, a few of the songs so completely bowl me over that even a '5' wouldn't justifiably represent how much I dig them. Those albums are brought way up by that big emotional connection for a few of the parts. This is making me think that music is very non-linear for me - that diminishing top end of the bell curve is what I crave, while that meat in the middle is just meh (and that bottom end of course draws my belligerent scorn [:I] ).

[MikeP]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Frau_Blucher[/i]
<br>Very cool methodology Miguel. It seems like a very honest way to let your impressions of the songs speak for the albums - difficult to bias with any subconscious hipster notions of what 'should' be good. AND we're only 1.455 pts different in our assessment of the National! [:D]
[/quote]

It's a pretty standard system and yes, it neglects the overall feel of an album as a whole. The fewer the songs, the less accurate this technique is, and I should really ignore the occasional filler tracks that run less than 1:30 and rarely score high.

So, I may not be proud that Chromeo came in at #2, but those eighties throwbacks had some damn hooks in them![:o)]

[coop41]

A commitment to listening to whole CD's this year leaves me completely in disbelief at the number of them I listened to in their entirety. I am sure I missed a few and for sake of time and me being lazy I just listed the album title's of my Top 40.

CD of The Year - Kyle Kinane - Death Of The Party
Listened to this CD more than any other CD, it makes me laugh every time. I saw him perform live 4 times this year, the dude is hilarious.

On to the music:

1.Vulture Whale – Bamboo You
2. Devo – Something For Everybody
3.Two Door Cinema Club – Tourist History
4.Limousines _ Get Sharp
5.Free Energy – Stuck On Nothing
6.Titus Andronicus – The Monitor
7.Courteeners - Falcon
8.Frightened Rabbit – The Winter Of Mixed Drinks
9.Superchunk – Majesty Shredding
10.Surfer Blood – Astro Coast
11.Les Savy Sav – Root For Ruin
12.We Have Band - WHB
13.Kid Canaveral – Shouting At Wildlife
14.Drums – The Drums
15.Stornoway – Beachcombers Windowsill
16.Shout Out Louds - Work
17.Tokyo Police Club - Champ
18.Wintersleep – New Inheritor
19.Boat People – Dear Darkly
20.Radio Dept – Clinging To A Scheme
21.Miles Kurosky – The Desert Of Shallow Effects
22.Uni_Form - Mirrors
23.Fake Problems – Real Ghosts Caught On Tape
24.Brandon Flowers - Flamingo
25.Hot Hot Heat – Future Breeds
26.Baddies – Do the Job
27.Philadelphia Grand Jury – Hope Is For Hopers
28.Let's Wrestle – In The Court Of The Wrestling Let’s
29.Blood Red Shoes – Fire Like This
30.Old 97's – The Grand Theater Volume One
31.The Thermals – Personal Life
32.Neon Trees - Habits
33.Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly
34.Soft Pack – The Soft Pack
35.Against Me – White Crosses
36.Alejandro Escovedo – Street Songs Of Love
37.Of Montreal – False Preist
38.LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening
39.(((S))) - Phantom
40. Yeasayer – Odd Blood


The rest categorized in alphabetical order-

RECOMMENDED:

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti
Athlete (ep)
Butch Walker
Cinematics (ep)
Deerhunter
Fang Island
Future Islands
Hot Panda
Hives (ep)
Los Lobos
Maximum Balloon
Mystery Jets
No Age
Old 97’s (ep)
OMD
Revolver
Wolf Parade



GOOD:

22-20’s
Abe Vigoda
American Hi-Fi
Apollo Ghosts
Arcade Fire
Archie Bronson Outfit
Axel And The Farmers
Bad Religion
Band Of Horses
Belle And Sebastian
British Sea Power (ep)
Broken Bells
Broken Records
Ceremony
Clientele
Clinic
Cloud Cult
Crash Test Dummies
Crocodiles
Crowded House
Dax Riggs
Dead Weather
Dig
Duran Duran
Eagle Seagull
Eels
Engineers
Everybody Was In The French Resistance…Now!
Everything Everything
Gaslight Anthem
Get Up Kids
Good Shoes
Henry Clay People
Hoodoo Gurus
Hoosiers
Horse Feathers
Hungry Kids Of Hungary
Ima Robot
Japandroids
Jim Kerr
Jukebox The Ghost
Lloyd Cole
Math And Physics Club
Mike Watt
Miniature Tigers
Morning Benders
Ok Go
Phantom Band
Placebo
Pomegranates
Posies
Ra Ra Riot
Red Wire Black Wire
Smash Palace
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Spoon
Squeeze
Stars
Steel Train
Swans
Teenage Fanclub
The 1990’s
The Birthday Massacre
The Ex
The Hold Steady
The Lights
The Secret History
The Spill Canvas
The Strange Death Of Liberal England
Vampire Weekend
Wavves
We Are Scientists
Weezer
Wild Palms


NOT FOR ME:

(The) Slowest Runner (In All The World)
A Silent Film
A Swarm Of The Sun
Allo Darlin’
AM
Americas
Amusement Parks On Fire
Best Coast
Bombay Bicycle Club
Boston Spaceships
British Robots
Dead Confederate
Farrah
Fol Chen
Fyfe Dangerfield
Go Back To The Zoo
Hole
I Am Kloot
Insect Guide
Interpol
Jaill
Jenny and Johnny
J Roddy Walston
Lovers
Ludo
Male Bonding
Motorama
The National
O. Children
Ponys
Postelles
Runner Runner
Sufjan Stevens
Surf City
The Hillbilly Moon Explosion
The William Blakes
Toadies
Tommy Reilly
Wakey! Wakey!
Warpaint
Young Veins
Zodiac Mindwarp

[Frau_Blucher]

You and Brandon Flowers. [V]

[coop41]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Frau_Blucher[/i]
<br>You and Brandon Flowers. [V]
[/quote]

his CD is killer.

[Frau_Blucher]

You do have a spot-on Not For Me list though. And would you believe I've seen Vulture Whale three times as openers, but I can't remember a single song, what they sound like at all or even what they look like. I'll have to have a listen to the album.

[SwampThing]

Urban Outfitters has a pretty good Top 20 for 2010.

http://blog.urbanoutfitters.com/feature ... ms_of_2010

Each artist in their top 20 list their own top 5. Kinda cool.



<font size="1></font>

[thegoldenyear]

Late to the party, but I love lists and promise to put some time into reviewing what I see here.

My top 25? Old-schoolers OMD, Ferry and Killing Joke all made it, alongside a healthy number of '80s-referencing bands like Violens, Drums, Ariel Pink and Twin Shadow.

It's on my Wordpress, with short write-ups and (hopefully active) links:

http://thegoldenyear.wordpress.com/2010 ... lbums2010/


----Len.


------------------------------------

http://thegoldenyear.wordpress.com/

[Frau_Blucher]

Wonderfully written Len. A good read - thanks.

As for the choices themselves, I'd be politely and disingenuously silent if I didn't speak up and say they seem a bit color-by-numbers indie.

[thegoldenyear]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Frau_Blucher[/i]
<br>Wonderfully written Len. A good read - thanks.

As for the choices themselves, I'd be politely and disingenuously silent if I didn't speak up and say they seem a bit color-by-numbers indie.
[/quote]

I [i]think[/i] I get what you're saying. If you regarded yours as "fairly mainstream" then mine's pitched halfway between it and, ugh, [i]Rolling Stone[/i]. (shudder) Nonetheless, lists are submitted to be critiqued! The next 25 were quirkier, as is often the case. Every year it's a fight to fit 50-60 new records into a pre-existing listening routine, and that doesn't even account for the old stuff you pick up for the first time. (I'm just listening to the first Foxx Ultravox! for the first time as I type. So it goes.)

On the plus side, this thread's got a pack of purchase suggestions, and I'll be damned if I don't come out of it with another dozen johnny-come-latelys.

Hey, and thanks for reading and commenting, by the way. And yeah, wasn't that Goldfrapp LP a stiff?

------------------------------------

http://thegoldenyear.wordpress.com/

[Frau_Blucher]

[quote][i]Originally posted by thegoldenyear[/i]
<br>The next 25 were quirkier, as is often the case. Every year it's a fight to fit 50-60 new records into a pre-existing listening routine, and that doesn't even account for the old stuff you pick up for the first time. (I'm just listening to the first Foxx Ultravox! for the first time as I type. So it goes.)
[/quote]
It's a struggle for sure, and there's always this fear that I've missed something I know I'd be totally apeshit for. I think that "next 25" is often where the real meat is - it's off-center enough to be interest but just close enough to the middle to be tuneful and enjoyable rather than annoying esoteric shit.

[thegoldenyear]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Frau_Blucher[/i]
<br>
there's always this fear that I've missed something I know I'd be totally apeshit for. I think that "next 25" is often where the real meat is - it's off-center enough to be interest but just close enough to the middle to be tuneful and enjoyable rather than annoying esoteric shit.
[/quote]

Well said. That's been the story of my life of listening. Maybe that's why the hunt remains exciting. I don't regret not much liking Toro Y Moi; I focus on the lead-up to buying and playing the record. I mean, you're bound to break some eggs.

------------------------------------

http://thegoldenyear.wordpress.com/

[Scourge]

Some pretty good lists. I know this topic petered out but I've been making mixes the past few days so I've been going through all the 2010 stuff I bought.

I'm surprised at the lack of love for the National. I think High Violet is great. But I think Vampire Weekend's Contra is great too, so whatever. Of course I have been seeking out nostalgic sound from all last year...


List of favorites:

*The National - High Violet
*Twin Shadow - Forget
*Wild Nothing - Gemini
*The Drums - The Drums
*Small Black - New Chain
*Yeasayer - Odd Blood
*Foals - Total Life Forever
*Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
*Pomegranates - One of Us
*Tokyo Police Club - Champ
*Vampire Weekend - Contra


Some stuff very much worth checking out that I didn't see mentioned (but might have missed):

*The Hundred in the Hands - The Hundred in the Hands
*Sun Airway - Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier
*Diamond Rings - Special Affections
*Kele - The Boxer
*Casiokids - Topp Stemning pa Lokal Bar
*Violens - Amoral
*Depreciation Guild - Spirit Youth


What may be considered guilty pleasures that I do recommend:

*Chromeo - Business Casual
*Grum - Heartbeats (kind of like Chromeo without the irony or tongue in cheek; a lot more instrumental though)
*MIA - /\/\ /\ Y /\ (it may not be totally nostalgic or new wave inspired but Xxxo I love)
*Sleigh Bells - Treats (obnoxious yes, but also very fun)


Stuff I don't necessarily dislike but have a hard time getting into as whole albums:

*LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
*Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
*Octopus Project - Hexadecagon
*Hot Hot Heat - Future Breeds


The rest of the best:

*Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
*Shout of Louds - Work
*Delphic - Acolyte
*Interpol - Interpol
*Neon Indian - Mind Cntrl: Psychic Chasms Possessed (I really don't much care for the original album, but having the majority of it remixed makes it completely worthwhile.)
*Ra Ra Riot - The Orchard
*Future Islands - In Evening Air
*Maximum Balloon - Maximum Balloon
*Phantogram - Eyelid Movies
*Crocodiles - Sleep Forever
*Beach House - Teen Dream
*Radio Dept. - Clinging to a Scheme

Somewhat enjoyable or bearable but pretty average:

*Stars - Five Ghosts
*Young Galaxy - Invisible Republic


WTF?:

*The Chap - Well Done Europe


Pretty terrible:

*Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today


Been meaning to get:

*New Young Pony Club - Optimist