Best Records of 2010

[Oil Can Boyd]

I would rank Age Of Adz higher once Sufjan Stevens takes action on his "accidental" preachiness: just come out of the closet and call yourself a Christian or stop preaching and keep it a private conversation as you intended.

I'm not sure I understand your point here. He's called himself a Christian (or maybe a small c christian) for years. He certainly wasn't hiding it on Seven Swans.

[PopTodd]

Their list comes off as an attempt to cover all their demographics, from 12-65: some Drake and Taylor Swift for the teens and tweens; some Plant and Mellencamp for the 30-40+ folks; some Vampire Weekend and Spoon for the college aged crowd; some Kid Rock for the douchey dirtbag crowd. There's some good albums on the list for sure, but this list is way too pandering to be taken seriously.

Absloutely.

It would have a lot more cred (if they could regain any of what they've lost over the last 30 years), if they would just break their list out by genre/style of music:

10 best Hard Rock releases

10 best R&B/Hip-Hop releases

10 best Country releases

10 best Indie Rock releases

etc.

That way at least it puts the demographic pandering in perspective.

[augurus]

I'm not sure I understand your point here. He's called himself a Christian (or maybe a small c christian) for years. He certainly wasn't hiding it on Seven Swans.

"I don't think music media is the real forum for theological discussions,... ...I think I've said things and sung about things that probably weren't appropriate for this kind of forum. And I just feel like it's not my work or my place to be making claims and statements, because I often think it's misunderstood."

~Sufjan

[a-me-with-a-you]

1. The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt

2. The National - High Violet

3. Beach House - Teen Dream

4. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

5. Local Natives - Gorilla Manor

6. Laura Veirs - July Flame

7. Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can

8. Johnny Flynn - Been Listening

9. The New Pornographers - Together

10. First Aid Kit - The Big Black And The Blue

 

I've been editing and re-editing this list since September and there are about twenty more records I've loved this year that were at one point in this top 10. Best to keep it concise though.

[cooperissup3r]

"I don't think music media is the real forum for theological discussions,... ...I think I've said things and sung about things that probably weren't appropriate for this kind of forum. And I just feel like it's not my work or my place to be making claims and statements, because I often think it's misunderstood."

~Sufjan

 

for what it's worth, Age of Adz is mostly written from the perspective of Royal Robertson, so it's not really Sufjan writing confessional songs about religion.

[cooperissup3r]

i've also decided High Violet is good, but not great. or worthy of top 5 status.

[Vacant Horizon]

Top 35?? Of 2010

 

35 Morning Benders, The - Big Echo

34 Vampire Weekend - Contra

33 Free Energy - Stuck On Nothing

32 Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer

31 Menomena - Mines

 

30 Avey Tare - Down There

29 Ted Leo And The Pharmacists - The Brutalist Bricks

28 Weekend - Coma

27 Sade - Soldier Of Love

26 Tame Impala - Innerspeaker

 

25 Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms

24 Four Tet - There Is Love In You

23 Sufjan Stevens - Age Of Adz

22 Liars - Sisterworld

21 Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record

 

20 Eno, Brian - Small Craft On A Milk Sea

19 Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot... The Son Of Chico Dusty

18 Hot Chip - One Life Stand

17 Newsom, Joanna - Have One On Me

16 Walkmen, The - Lisbon

 

15 Ariel Pink - Before Today

14 Beach House - Teen Dream

13 Gainsbourg, Charlotte - IRM

12 No Age - Everything In Between

11 Scott-Heron, Gil - I'm New Here

 

10 Caribou - Swim

09 Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

08 Titus Andronicus - The Monitor

07 National, The - High Violet

06 Sleigh Bells - Treats

 

05 Janelle Monáe - The Archandroid

04 Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

03 West, Kanye - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

02 Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma

01 LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

 

The Promise gains honorable mention, because it's awesome; unfortunately it's not a new album, but rather a compilation set, which disqualifies it from my list.

I have a feeling we're going to see a lot of magazines name Fantasy the best album of the year.

 

I would rank Age Of Adz higher once Sufjan Stevens takes action on his "accidental" preachiness: just come out of the closet and call yourself a Christian or stop preaching and keep it a private conversation as you intended.

 

Also, where's all the love for Janelle Monáe, Caribou, and Flying Lotus?

C'mon, bros.

 

 

that neon indian album is really fun. sounds like a 5th generation tape of songs you recorded off the radio in 1984 just as top 40 FM was becoming all dance.

[bsr8j]

Some of the albums folks are mentioning in this thread are streaming over at AOL's Spinner website (a favorite of mine).

 

I'm giving the National another shot right now, and I'm actually really liking it. I use to have a problem with the singer's voice, but not now. I don't know what changed about me (because obviously nothing changed about his voice). I may have to pick this one up, even if I'm a little late to the show.

 

http://www.spinner.com/new-releases#/

[brianjeremy]

I would like to say how shitty it is that there is a re-released edition of the National's High Violet. Not only does it have a bonus disc, it is apparently cheaper. At my local record store, they had a sticker that was obviously a manufactures sticker on that said "Limited Edition - $7.99." I bought it the same record store for several dollars more the day it came out. Does this not suck?

[Beltmann]

I would like to say how shitty it is that there is a re-released edition of the National's High Violet. Not only does it have a bonus disc, it is apparently cheaper. At my local record store, they had a sticker that was obviously a manufactures sticker on that said "Limited Edition - $7.99." I bought it the same record store for several dollars more they day it came out. Does this not suck?

It totally sucks. I'm not buying this or any other album twice in one year. (In this case, though, I somehow had a nice credit at Amazon for audio downloads and used them on the bonus tracks.)

[Jerrygarciaparra]

1. Emeralds : Does It Look Like I'm Here?

2. Major Stars : Return to Form

3. Jason & the Scorchers : Halcyon Times

4. Thee Oh Sees : Warm Slime

5. White Hills : White Hills

6. Superchunk : Majesty Shredding

7. Sun Araw : On Patrol

8. Psychic Stewardess : Spritual Foundation

9. Warpaint : The Fool

10 Liars : Sisterworld

[CortezTheKiller]

I'm giving the National another shot right now, and I'm actually really liking it. I use to have a problem with the singer's voice, but not now. I don't know what changed about me (because obviously nothing changed about his voice). I may have to pick this one up, even if I'm a little late to the show.

[tinnitus photography]

1. Emeralds : Does It Look Like I'm Here?

2. Major Stars : Return to Form

5. White Hills : White Hills

 

i really dig Major Stars, but to me they are more of a live band experience. I realize I'm lucky by having them local, as they don't really tour much outside Boston.

 

I have no arguments w/ #1 and #5.

 

White Hills were awesome at ATP this year.

 

 

friendly people, too

[Killer Whales]

Here we go. It should be noted that my #1 is head and shoulders above everything else.

 

1. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor

2. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

3. The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt

4. The Walkmen - Lisbon

5. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

6. The National - High Violet

7. Fang Island - s/t

8. Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz

9. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

10. No Age - Everything in Between

11. Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid

12. Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People EP

13. Superchunk - Majesty Shredding

14. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

15. Vampire Weekend - Contra

16. The Black Keys - Brothers

17. The Hold Steady - Heaven is Whenever

18. Local Natives - Gorilla Manor

19. Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left-Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

20. Dr. Dog - Shame, Shame

[Jerrygarciaparra]

i really dig Major Stars, but to me they are more of a live band experience. I realize I'm lucky by having them local, as they don't really tour much outside Boston. ...

 

 

You might really enjoy Thee Oh Sees as well if you like White Hills.

[solace]

I would like to say how shitty it is that there is a re-released edition of the National's High Violet. Not only does it have a bonus disc, it is apparently cheaper. At my local record store, they had a sticker that was obviously a manufactures sticker on that said "Limited Edition - $7.99." I bought it the same record store for several dollars more the day it came out. Does this not suck?

 

fwiw, the reason it's $7.99 is for Record Store Day Black Friday they allowed some retailers to sell it for that price, it's normally $14-18 elsewhere for the deluxe one.

 

i bought the purple vinyl initially myself, so i had no prob paying $7.99 for the CD + bonus disc, but i agree that is kind of a bummer. especially when, with the Alligator re-release they allowed anyone with a UPC code for the regular album to download the bonus tracks free of charge just like Wilco had done a few times.

 

but yeah, why they didn't just do a deluxe edition right away is beyond me. but hardly the first time I don't get why labels do what they do...

[Artifice]

35 Morning Benders, The - Big Echo

 

I'm glad to see them get a little bit of love on here. The album's good, not great, but I hate seeing it get dismissed as just a benefactor of its producer.

[Vacant Horizon]

Autumn Defense-Once Around

 

Great record.

[Vacant Horizon]

1. Emeralds : Does It Look Like I'm Here?

2. Major Stars : Return to Form

3. Jason & the Scorchers : Halcyon Times

4. Thee Oh Sees : Warm Slime

5. White Hills : White Hills

6. Superchunk : Majesty Shredding

7. Sun Araw : On Patrol

8. Psychic Stewardess : Spritual Foundation

9. Warpaint : The Fool

10 Liars : Sisterworld

 

 

Thanks for this list. A lot I haven't heard and am gonna check out soon.

[augurus]

I'm glad to see them get a little bit of love on here. The album's good, not great, but I hate seeing it get dismissed as just a benefactor of its producer.

Wait, Chris Taylor produced this? Sweet.

[choo-choo-charlie]

Shameless self promotion -- I reposted my list on my blog yesterday with a little bit of commentary on each release, plus some links to the artists' websites and various videos.

[tinnitus photography]

You might really enjoy Thee Oh Sees as well if you like White Hills.

 

from what I've heard of Thee Oh Sees (~3 LPs or so), I don't see that connection. I'll re-listen to the stuff this weekend.

[Jerrygarciaparra]

They both have a psychedlic garage rock vibe to them, IMHO.

 

I did discover them around the same time, so maybe that's influencing my opinion.

[CortezTheKiller]

Shameless self promotion -- I reposted my list on my blog yesterday with a little bit of commentary on each release, plus some links to the artists' websites and various videos.

Sweet boom box.

[BassMan77]

I would go with:

 

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

The Black Keys - Brothers

The National - High Violet

The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang

Dr. Dog - Shame, Shame

Deer Tick - The Black Dirt Sessions

Delta Spirit - History From Below

The Black Crowes - Croweology

Paul Weller - Wake Up The Nation

Phosphorescent - Here's To Taking It Easy

 

Some "honorable mentions" I also enjoyed:

 

Robert Plant - Band of Joy

Broken Bells - Broken Bells

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Mojo