Here are my picks for best albums of 2010. I've done it a few years now, but this year my primary goal was to have a list where Kanye West's waaaaaaaay overrated album isn't on it.
(Here are my lists from 2007, 2008, and 2009.)
10. Yeasayer- Odd Blood
Delightfully weird. This is the sort of music Lady Gaga dresses like she wants to make.
I Remember
9. Aloe Blacc- Good Things
Snubbed by many "best of" lists, Aloe Blacc put out the best R&B album of the year and barely got noticed.
Femme Fatale
8. Dan Mangan- Nice, Nice, Very Nice
This dude can write. But the album isn't the just the stereotypical singer/songwriter guitar and microphone act (not that there's anything wrong with that). It is actually quite funky as well.
Road Regrets
7. Sufjan Stevens- Age of Adz
I was able to see Sufjan while he toured in support of this album. I thought the album just the right mix of electronica and folk-rock. (The show was amazing by the way.)
Now That I'm Older
6. Joanna Newsom- Have One On Me
Joanna Newsom doesn't write songs; she writes epic stories. I recommend getting lost in this one.
Baby Birch
5. Sam Amidon- I See The Sign
Sam likes to take old folk songs and give them new life with lavish string arrangements and crisp production. He did that with the beautiful All Is Well, and now again with his latest album.
Johanna The Row-di
4. Mumford And Sons- Sigh No More
For some reason critics love to hate this band. Is it because they wear their heart on their sleeve a bit too much? Possibly. And perhaps they do. But I buy every word of it. And you've got to be tone deaf to not think this album is catchy as all hell.
The Cave
3. Arcade Fire- Suburbs
This album cements their status as one of the world's elite bands. I was fortunate enough to see them while they were touring for this album as well.
Ready To Start
2. The National- High Violet
This is smart rock and roll for grown ups. It isn't quite as bad now as in the 90s, but it seems like rock has been dominated for such a long time by people trying to be scary or people who are in their mid-thirties lamenting about relationships at a junior high level of complexity. The National are a hit single away from being one of the biggest bands in the United States. And they more than deserve it.
Lemon World
1. The Walkmen- Lisbon
The Walkmen are underrated. Every album I think "this is the one," but yet I still can go see them play shows with a couple hundred people. Cool for me, but I'd like to see them get more attention. An ode to a place, or most likely a woman at that place, I get completely enveloped by this album. These dudes are cool. Like Roy Orbison cool. And, friends, it don't get no cooler than that.
Blue As Your Blood
(Here are my lists from 2007, 2008, and 2009.)
10. Yeasayer- Odd Blood
Delightfully weird. This is the sort of music Lady Gaga dresses like she wants to make.
I Remember
9. Aloe Blacc- Good Things
Snubbed by many "best of" lists, Aloe Blacc put out the best R&B album of the year and barely got noticed.
Femme Fatale
8. Dan Mangan- Nice, Nice, Very Nice
This dude can write. But the album isn't the just the stereotypical singer/songwriter guitar and microphone act (not that there's anything wrong with that). It is actually quite funky as well.
Road Regrets
7. Sufjan Stevens- Age of Adz
I was able to see Sufjan while he toured in support of this album. I thought the album just the right mix of electronica and folk-rock. (The show was amazing by the way.)
Now That I'm Older
6. Joanna Newsom- Have One On Me
Joanna Newsom doesn't write songs; she writes epic stories. I recommend getting lost in this one.
Baby Birch
5. Sam Amidon- I See The Sign
Sam likes to take old folk songs and give them new life with lavish string arrangements and crisp production. He did that with the beautiful All Is Well, and now again with his latest album.
Johanna The Row-di
4. Mumford And Sons- Sigh No More
For some reason critics love to hate this band. Is it because they wear their heart on their sleeve a bit too much? Possibly. And perhaps they do. But I buy every word of it. And you've got to be tone deaf to not think this album is catchy as all hell.
The Cave
3. Arcade Fire- Suburbs
This album cements their status as one of the world's elite bands. I was fortunate enough to see them while they were touring for this album as well.
Ready To Start
2. The National- High Violet
This is smart rock and roll for grown ups. It isn't quite as bad now as in the 90s, but it seems like rock has been dominated for such a long time by people trying to be scary or people who are in their mid-thirties lamenting about relationships at a junior high level of complexity. The National are a hit single away from being one of the biggest bands in the United States. And they more than deserve it.
Lemon World
1. The Walkmen- Lisbon
The Walkmen are underrated. Every album I think "this is the one," but yet I still can go see them play shows with a couple hundred people. Cool for me, but I'd like to see them get more attention. An ode to a place, or most likely a woman at that place, I get completely enveloped by this album. These dudes are cool. Like Roy Orbison cool. And, friends, it don't get no cooler than that.
Blue As Your Blood
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