2010: The 20 Best Albums I Heard

As I alluded to yesterday, I hesitate to create a list that is lacking what I hope to be one of my favorite albums, Ryan Adams' III/IV.  But of the 70+ albums I bought, these are the best albums I heard that were released in 2010.

Honorable Mentions:
Mountain Man - Made the Harbor
MGMT - Congratulations
The Walkmen - Lisbon
Warpaint - The Fool
The Acorn - No Ghost

The Top 20:

20.  Suckers - Wild Smile

This one took me a while, but if you can take the weirdness and the occasional falsetto, it's well worth your time.

19.  Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Everyone else's #1, I thought there were a number of great songs, some good ones, and one that ended with 3-4 minutes of Chris Rock standup. 

18.  Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz

I'm still torn on whether I love or just want to be friends with this album.  I kind of liked sweet, quiet Sufjan more than neon-electro Sufjan.

17.  The Love Language - Libraries

My favorite NC band of the moment, I have a feeling these guys will be a lot bigger when album #3 is released.

16.  The Black Keys - Brothers

One of the most consistently great bands delivers another consistently great LP.

15.  Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

I'm still partial to Funeral, but years from now I wonder how this LP will compare.

14.  Belle & Sebastian - Write About Love

Six years of waiting for this LP was pretty much worth it - not as eclectic as The Life Pursuit, but still a great record.

13.  Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record

Broken Social Scene probably delivers fewer hooks than any band, but the more I listen to this LP, the more I like it...even with a song titled "Texico Bitches."

12.  Jenny & Johnny - I'm Having Fun Now

After Johnny's work on Jenny's Acid Tongue, I had a feeling this record would be good.  These two just sound great together.

11.  Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid

Obviously one perfect single, and the album was as good a "concept album" as I've heard in a while.

The top 10 after the jump...

2010: The 30 Best Songs I Heard

I hate doing these lists before the end of the year because I haven't fully absorbed everything I've listened to nor heard everything I want to hear - most notably, the new Ryan Adams LP is sitting in the post office waiting for my return to LA.  But 'tis the season of lists, and I felt like one putting one together despite my convictions.  These are the thirty best songs I heard that were released in 2010, most of which I blogged about already - just click the link to read the original post.

30.  CocoRosie - Lemonade

29.  Broken Social Scene - Texico Bitches

Probably the worst song title on this list, I'll be damned if the chorus of "I wanna be fair" doesn't have me singing along every time.

28.  Best Coast - Boyfriend

27.  Suckers - King of Snakes

26.  Tame Impala - Desire Be Desire Go

25.  of Montreal - Coquet Coquette

I found False Priest to be a bit of a disappointment, but this first single from the LP was perfect.

24.  Hot Chip - Hand Me Down Your Love

Hot Chip is incapable of releasing an album without a few great singles - this was my favorite from One Life Stand.

23.  Chief - Your Direction

22.  Joanna Newsom - Easy

Have One on Me had me from this opening track, showcasing Newsom's voice evolving, with a little less squeak and a lot more Joni Mitchell.

21. The Acorn - Restoration

Another excellent track from a vastly underrated band, fans of Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear should dig this.

The top 20 after the jump...

Song of the Day: Deerhunter - Desire Lines

After roughly 240 songs, this is the first time I'm repeating a band (not counting a couple of "double features").  It was inevitable, and while I certainly haven't run out of bands to blog about, I can't ignore the fact that the new Deerhunter record, Halcyon Digest, is fantastic.

Upon first listen, I was a little disappointed to hear a lack of songs as catchy as "Never Stops" from Microcastle.  But after repeated listens, I'm enjoying this one almost as much.  Picking a favorite song is always tricky, but the "whoa-oh"s of this track have been stuck in my brain for days. 

Song of the Day: Deerhunter - Never Stops

I bought Deerhunter's Cryptograms (debut) album based on its review in Pitchfork, but I never really spent that much time with it.  Microcastle, on the other hand, affected me immediately and has become one of my favorite albums of the last few years.  It also confirms that I need to reassess their first album.  The first side is a murderer's row of quality songs, but "Never Stops" is probably my favorite.  The main guitar line wouldn't have been out of place on a Police album, and the chorus sounds like a catchier version of My Bloody Valentine.  Also love the way the song starts and stops (hence the title?)

Never Stops - Deerhunter