Top Albums of 2010

This year's been overall pretty good when it comes to albums released. Unlike last year, I actually had to weed some out and had somewhat of a hard time making decisions. It seems that there were a lot of releases in the past month which made this year awesome. Along with the string of shows Christmas week, I'd say that it would be easy to make a top 10 releases/shows of the month. Instead, I decided to extend it to the year.

List by Jesse Warner

10. Nana Grizol - Ruth

Of course anything by Nana Grizol would have made the list. Though it wasn't as good as Love It Love It, it was by no means a bad album. In fact, it was a very good album. It was good enough to make number 10 on the list, that is.

9. 1994!- FCKRHED

These Lancaster natives snuck into the number 9 spot on my list while receiving heavy play shortly after purchasing their tee shirt. They would probably be higher on the list if I heard about them sooner. I'm pretty sure it's they are a two-piece, but I know I'm sure that they are pretty rad.

8. We Were Skeletons - We Were Skeletons

Also from Lancaster, this band has more than two people in it. They play a lot of mathy stuff that's really loud and screamy. There's none of that noodly nonsense, just straight up farm-land angst.

7. The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt

I am constantly blown away by The Tallest Man On Earth, and this album left nothing towards disappointment. Getting back to my folk roots, this album is perfect for fall and winter and I can't get enough of it ever.

6. You Blew It! - The Past In Present

There was a time shortly after it came out when I would listen to nothing but this album. I don't even know what it is, but I really like it a lot. It's for name your own price on bandcamp.

5. Mane Horse - What Do You Mean We're Just Friends?

This band is criminally underrated and is from Fresco, California both of which kill me. One because they deserve to get more popular, and two because I'll never see them live because they aren't big enough to tour the east coast yet. I can't get enough of these dudes since their demos came out and their EP was even better. It's for free and we wrote about them a while back.

4. Midi & the Modern Dance - Make It Easy On Yourself

Howdy, Connecticut. This group has some serious potential to be the biggest thing on the planet. They have a lot of sounds going on in this album and are seriously nice people. It's a win/win combo that can get them places. This album is phenomenal and for name your own price on bandcamp.

3. Merchant Ships - For Cameron/Shipsography

Okay, I really like Merchant Ships. I'm not going to lie, I was going through some serious stuff the day For Cameron came out and I cried while listening to it. It helped me feel a lot better and although it's not my favorite musically, it really is an emotional album. Shipsography also came out this year so I can also add that to the list. You can get that here.

2. The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die - Formlessness

Flawless. A good album to me is something that plays straight through effortlessly. Not only does this release do that, but is a phenomenal listen. I believe I had over 20 listens on each track the day it came out. Great release, even better live. You can get it free here because they are out of free downloads on bandcamp.

1. Snowing - I Could Do Whatever I Wanted If I Wanted

Yes, Snowing took the #1 spot on the list. Usually I get bored of albums after a couple weeks, but they never got old. In fact, I listened to it more and more as the year went on. Better yet, it's free on CYLS!

Runnerups:
The Please & Thank Yous - Mind Yr P's & Q's

Bars Of Gold - Of Gold
Malegoat - To Face The Music
Grown Ups - More Songs
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Clarissa explains It All - TDK 3DEP
William Bonney - Fall Demo
Velociraptor - Spring '10 Demo
Park Jefferson - Childhood
Corcovado - Spring Baked 2010
Trunks & Tales - Standing Still Fast
P.S. Elliot - Living In Squalor
Candy Hearts - Ripped Up Jeans & Silly Dreams

List by Donavon of thisisemo.tumblr.com

1. Monument - Goes Canoeing
2. Everyone Everywhere - Everyone Everywhere
3. The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt
4. The Reptilian - Full Health
5. Calculator - These Roots Grow Deep
6. Superchunk - Majesty Shredding
7. Annabel - Here We Are Tomorrow
8. Castevet - The Echo And The Light
9. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
10. 1994! - FCKYRHED

Honorable Mentions:
Joie De Vivre - The North End
Merchant Ships - For Cameron
Snowing - I Could Do Whatever I Wanted If I Wanted
Footnotes - Summer Shit
Hightide Hotel - Nothing Was Missing, Except Me
The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die - Formlessness

List by Kristina Boston

10. The Head and The Heart - The Head and The Heart
9. Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More
8. The Black Keys - Brothers
7. The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt
6. Dylan LeBlanc - Pauper’s Field
5. Spoon - Transference
4. The National - High Violet
3. Of Montreal - False Priest
2. Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer
1. Arcade Fire- The Suburbs

List by Isaac Tyler

(No particular order)
David Byrne & Fatboy Slim - Here Lies Love
Daughters - Daughters
The Black Keys - Brothers
The Acacia Strain - Wormwood
Direct Hit! - #5
Los Campesinos! - Romance is Boring
Murder by Death - Good Morning, Magpie
Nana Grizol - Ruth
Paul Baribeau - Unbearable
Titus Andronicus - The Monitor

List by Roberto Faust

10. Das Racist - Sit Down, Man

All tan word association hip hop lyrics to mouth pretentiously while wearing badly-laced boots and levis.

9. Burzum - Belus

Black metal to finally see the light from a dark place you’ll never be able to escape from.

8. Beach House - Teen Dream

Beachwave dreampop chillgazey music by this chill bro and a chill altbroad who are cute.

7. Wavves - King of the Beach

Surfey fuzzy beach jams for chill bros who like to puff mad dank.

6. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles II

Energetic dark electronica to have sex to by some keut black-haired broad and a hairy toucan.

5. Salem - King Night

Syzzurp-soaked witch-house//grave-wave//ghost-step//tomb-rave//▲ℑ†-gaze

4. Best Coast - Crazy for You

Have you ever been a sad lil girl who just wants a nice boyfriend, and has cats, and smokes dank, and luvs california? no? me either, this is still a boss fuzzy-buzzy beachwave album.

3. Ceremony - Rohnert Park

What grit and shards of glass would sound like if they made a hardcore punk band in an infected scrape you got because you got struck in a hit-and-run by a cop car.

2. Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz

Electronic departure from sufjy’s usual style, amazing, eclectic, and beautiful, as per usual, sufjy 4 ever.

1. jj - jj n° 3

Swedish dreampop bedroom wave tunez.

List By Zach Aaron Goldberg

10. acres. - Silos
9. 1994! - FCKYRHED
8. The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die - Formlessness
7. Merchant Ships - Shipsography
6. Hightide Hotel - Nothing Was Missing Except Me
5. The National - High Violet
4. We Were Skeletons - We Were Skeletons
3. The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt
2. Midi & The Modern Dance - Make It Easy On Yourself
1. Snowing - I Could Do Whatever I Wanted If I Wanted To

List By Olivia Hinojosa

(In no particular order)

Sufjan Stevens - Age of Adz/All Delighted People EP
Andrew Jackson Jihad/The Gunshy split
Midi & the Modern Dance - Make it Easy On Yourself
Local Natives - Gorilla Manor
We Were Skeletons - We Were Skeletons
One Hundred Flowers - Mechanical Bride
Snowing - I Could Do Whatever I Wanted if I Wanted
The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt
Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse - Dark Night of the Soul
Tunng - ...And Then We Saw Land

Top Albums of 2010