Top 30 Albums Of 2010
Just a list of my favorite albums from 2010. Working my way backwards. |
| 1 |  | Deerhunter
Halcyon Digest
One of the best bands in the last decade and it's evident here. "Helicopter" was one of the best songs of the year by far. |
| 2 |  | Titus Andronicus
The Monitor
A massive improvement over their previous effort - the sing-a-long choruses feel like a bar room choir during last call - it's quite humorous that it's mostly about the Civil War. |
| 3 |  | Beach House
Teen Dream
Dreamy as the title suggests, this album was propelled primarily by their live performance which was just as dreamy as their album. |
| 4 |  | Broken Social Scene
Forgiveness Rock Record
After a small (very small) misstep with their self titled album in 2005, and the side projects galore, BSS returned with an all around great rock record, just as the title suggests. |
| 5 |  | No Age
Everything in Between
It's a joy to see them evolve from "Weirdo Rippers" then to "Nouns" and taking a different approach with "Losing Feeling" and finally composing them all into this album. |
| 6 |  | Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
The Brutalist Bricks
"Bottled in Cork" was very close to being the best song of 2010, and it's backed by a selection of great songs and songwriting that Ted Leo has been missing since "Hearts of Oak." |
| 7 |  | Tame Impala
Innerspeaker
Psychedelics and a 60s vibe that you can't ignore, Tame Impala were unique in a year of very similar acts emerging. Very Beatlesque, but in a great way. |
| 8 |  | Surfer Blood
Astro Coast
With "Swim (to Reach the End)" hitting my eardrums heavy in 2009, it was only natural that I'd enjoy this once it was released. Underrated in a lot of ways, the band provides one of the best live shows you could get out of an indie rock band. |
| 9 |  | Arcade Fire
The Suburbs
Disliked "Neon Bible" quite a bit, but here the band finds great footing and bang out some of their best and cleanest songs. The title track captures me every time but "Ready to Start" is just as great. |
| 10 |  | Spoon
Transference
A lot of people were harsh on this album for no reason. It's a standard, if a bit brash, Spoon album. It's a bit darker but far more stable and far more rewarding than many gave it credit for. |
| 11 |  | The Dead Weather
Sea of Cowards
Didn't care for "Horehound" that much, but after seeing this band open for the Flaming Lips, I was hooked. "The Difference Between Us" was a playlist staple. |
| 12 |  | Women
Public Strain
A wonderful compliment to their already great debut album. |
| 13 |  | Wavves
King of the Beach
Overrated? Maybe. But Wavves packed a punch in the live circuit and even greater waves were done on this album, finally moving beyond the cluttered lo-fi sound he was botching. |
| 14 |  | The Black Keys
Brothers
Their best album since "Rubber Factory." It's a little too long, and the attention it garnered from critics forced their fanbase to triple over night it seems. Still, "Next Girl" and "Ten Cent Pistol" are excellent. |
| 15 |  | Kanye West
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Not really a rap fan, but "Power" was in my top ten songs of the year, and "Runaway" was very bittersweet. |
| 16 |  | Deftones
Diamond Eyes
Far better than expected, but it's still a bit too simple. They've returned to form, but nothing will ever be as great as "White Pony." |
| 17 |  | The Morning Benders
Big Echo
"All Day Daylight" was another playlist staple for me, and this band shows a lot of promise. I look forward to their future releases tremendously. |
| 18 |  | Harlem
Hippies
"Someday Soon" was one of the best openers, and the band had a great performance at Lollapalooza. |
| 19 |  | The Radio Dept.
Clinging to a Scheme
Propelled quite a bit by "Heaven's on Fire" this album was a nice refreshing mix of lo-fi and subtle ambiance. |
| 20 |  | Vampire Weekend
Contra
Despite a few tracks that irritate ("White Sky") it was a valiant follow up from these afro-poppers, and "Giving Up the Gun" as well as "Cousins" featured some of their best song writing. |
| 21 |  | The Walkmen
Lisbon
Consistent as ever. "Angela Surf City" is my favorite song by them now, as a result of this album. |
| 22 |  | Local Natives
Gorilla Manor
Depending on who you ask really, this could have been a 2009 or 2010 release. In the US, it came out in 2010, and that's when it was heavily pushed. They've got a strong Arcade Fire feel to them in my opinion, and my interest in them waned over the year. Still "Cards & Quarters" was one of their best songs. |
| 23 |  | Abe Vigoda
Crush
A complete 180, but in a great way. Keeping some surf pop roots they went for a more gothic, sort of synth pop avenue and it was successful I think. The only drawback is that most of the album seems rather repetitive. |
| 24 |  | Interpol
Interpol
Not the greatest work from this band. "Barricade" was a great song, but the album did lose some steam. Still though, there's enough here to go back to. |
| 25 |  | Liars
Sisterworld
Choppy, but still a decent record. As always with Liars it gets old pretty quickly, but they still have compelling song writing to boot. |
| 26 |  | Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots
Along with Deftones, STP came soaring back a little bit in 2010 with material that was a bit lopsided at times but still nostalgic in a lot of ways. "Hickory Dichotomy" and "Between the Lines" were the best songs, showing that Weiland can still pull one out. Unfortunately the rest of the album teeters between same-old, same-old, and just downright terrible. |
| 27 |  | The Drums
The Drums
Not the greatest album in the world, but it shows promise, which is something not many could pull off. "Lets Go Surfing" was a great song, and there were a few other gems too. |
| 28 |  | Black Mountain
Wilderness Heart
It came blazing out in the lead with "The Hair Song" which landed in my top 20 songs of the year, but the album fizzles a bit, as did their previous album, as it plods along. |
| 29 |  | Free Energy
Stuck on Nothing
Might have been higher had it not gone the Abercrombie direction. Good pop album, but pretty basic at points. This will most likely be their best album before they go the route of Blink 182. |
| 30 |  | Cloud Nothings
Turning On
Coupled with their "Leave You Forever" EP, this lo-fi pop band crafted pretty memorable melodies. Their overall last impression however has fizzled, especially with the dud that was their 2011 release. Still, "Leave You Forever" was a fantastic song. |
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