My Favorite Albums of 2010

I have been thinking about and unconsciously planning this post since January. Since then, at least once a month, I have written it in my head, adding and subtracting albums as I first hear them or slowly grow tired of them. 2010 has been a great year for music and this list was edited right up until today.

This is the one post I write year after year and enjoy more every time. I think my favorite part is the discussion and friendly arguments it always starts and the great suggestions I get for albums I missed. So, thanks for reading. Hopefully you also find something great that you missed or turn me on to something new.

Beach House - Teen Dream

I got Teen Dream the day it came out (ok, maybe a few weeks before it came out) and didn’t put it down all year. The songs on this album are beautiful, lush, rich and feel perfect for those cold winter evenings. This video (I didn’t shoot it) is from their May Webster Hall show that I had the pleasure of attending.

The National - High Violet

The National is one of those bands that people either love or hate and I think it really comes down to Matt Berninger’s baritone voice, which I happen to really enjoy. On High Violet, The National pulls together a masterful collection of great songs. I saw them this summer and was impressed by how much energy and rock they add to these songs live.

The Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

The Suburbs was probably the most anticipated album of 2010. Funeral is still one of my favorite albums, so I was really looking forward to this new record as well. While there are some really great songs on The Suburbs, I found myself not really drawn back to it after the initial 2-3 weeks that I had it on repeat. But, it’s the Arcade Fire and the album is really strong, so it deserves a high rank. Plus, they collaborated with Chris Milk and Google to create one of the most amazing and emotional videos I’ve ever seen. Watch below, or experience it for yourself.

J. Roddy Walston and the Business - Self-Titled

J. Roddy Walston and the Business is rock n’ roll. Complete and utter rock n’ roll. There is no better way to explain their music and what they do. I saw them open for another band recently and after their face-melting set, the other band’s fans cheered like maniacs until they came out to do an encore. Those of us who have had the good fortune of seeing them at the Ottobar have known about J. Roddy and the Business for years, and now the rest of the world is starting to catch up. I fully expect them to be the biggest rock band in the world within 5 years.

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

I haven’t cared about Kanye West in a long time. I liked his first few albums but the last one, along with his behavior over the past year or 2 really turned me off. Then, when I first heard his song with Bon Iver, I really wanted to hate it. But, when you listen to this album, you have to be a bit in awe of what Kanye has pulled off. Their is an intensity and a drive on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy that is so engrossing. It feels like everyone on this record is pushing themselves and being pushed by Kanye to deliver the best performance possible. Whether it deserves a 10.0 or not is irrelevant. This is a great record.

Jonsi - Go

Something pivotal must have happened in Jonsi’s life recently. Whereas early Sigur Ros albums (while insanely amazing and trance-inducing) were usually slow and had a feeling of significant weight, his more recent work is uplifting and joyful. To me, the best way to describe Jonsi’s record is that it sounds like joy dripping out of the speakers. This record is a Friday afternoon in the early summer with the windows down.

The New Pornographers - Together

The New Pornographers are what pop music can be. Fantastic song writing and perfect arrangements, with unexpected and original touches make The New Pornographers the band that any other pop-rock outfit should look to as inspiration.

Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People EP and The Age of Adz

Sufjan not only put out a 60+ minute EP this year, but also rattled the indie-rock internet with his album The Age of Adz. I still can’t figure out why people had such a strong reaction to this album. Yes, there are some electronics involved, but the songwriting and the arrangements still feel very Sufjan. The Age of Adz probably takes a few listens, but is a really good record and much more interesting than if he would have just written another album that sounded like his older work.

S. Carey - All We Grow

Most of us probably originally paid attention to S. Carey because he’s Bon Iver’s drummer. And while All We Grow definitely has a similar feel to Bon Iver, it stands on it’s own as a well-written, atmospheric record that deserves heavy rotation, especially during the winter months.

Girl Talk - All Day

After his last effort, I remember Gregg Gillis saying that his next album would be more of a headphones record and less of a dance party one. I think that’s what he has accomplished with All Day. Plus, Girl Talk records are just fun. I’m a bit torn between Cecilia and Color Me Badd for my favorite sample on All Day. I commented recently that when my grandchildren ask me what it was like to live in 2010, I will show them www.alldaysamples.com. This site is a great example of the collaborative, remix culture that we live in. First, Girl Talk makes an insanely complex album using samples from hundreds of songs. Then, his fans listen intently to pull out all of the samples he used. Finally, another fan creates a simple site so listeners can see all of the samples being used at exact points in the album. It’s a collaborative effort that makes the final product even more fun than the original.

So, there you have it. My favorite albums of 2010. There are at least 4-5 other albums that I had a hard time not adding. But, when it came down to it I just hadn’t listened to them enough or enjoyed them quite as much as these.

Now, it’s your turn. What albums did I miss?