In Your Opinion: Best Album of 2010
Decatur Metro | January 4, 2011Well, the “Best Movie of 2010″ post started out a bit slow, but we ended up with a good number of suggestions and click-thru counts to the comments seemed to indicate that I wasn’t the only person out there interested in the opinion of their Decatur neighbors. (I’ve already added quite a few to my Netflix queue.)
So we move on to another area of media: music! Our good, local friends at Paste put out their “Top 50 albums of 2010” back in early December with LCD Soundsystem, Janelle Monae, and Mumford and Sons in the top three slots.
But that’s just one opinion, be it a very well-informed one! So, what do YOU think was the best album of 2010?
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My top 3 are:
Arcade Fire – Suburbs (I have listened it through at least 15 times)
Vampire Weekend – Contra (even though it’s getting old on the Honda commercials)
Spoon – Transference
My musical tastes are so eclectic that it’s hard for me to pick a favorite category. From Top 40s to Hip Hop to Nerdcore, I like just about anything and everything. With that said, my “new” favorite album is actually a very well thought out mashup “Best of Bootie 2010″, a collection by various DJs and mashup artists.
The lady who puts up with me and I listened to the album nearly full blast while making dinner last night.
Have you downloaded Girl Talk’s “All Day”? it’s available for free legally. Killer mashup.
Grabbing it now, thanks for the 411.
Here’s the link in case anyone else is interested:
http://illegal-art.net/allday/
Absolutely great workout music, and fun playing “Identify the Sample” with your friends.
Dear Companion by Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore
The Adventures of Bobby Ray by B.O.B.
Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth
Saturn Sings by the Mary Halvorson Quartet
The Promise by Bruce Springsteen
Fire in My Bones (gospel anthology on Tompkins Square Records)
The Hurricane That Hit Atlanta by the Rev. Johnny “Hurricane” Jackson
Go by Jonsi
Guitar Song by Jamey Johnson
Solo by Vijay Iyer
I’ve been really getting into bands thrown in the new-ish Chillwave category. Interestingly some of these acts are Southern with one of the best (Washed Out) from Macon.
I’d have to say my favorite album of the years is Besnard Lakes “The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night”. Awesome rock album.
The Posies “Blood/Candy” …….ah, brilliant power pop fun………Gayngz “Relayted” …..Minneapolis modern soft rock supergroup’……Foals “Total Life Forever” Oxford electro dirge (oh, and David, right on with Besnard Lakes! Good stuff too)
Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Deerhunter, Halcyon Digest
Best Coast, Crazy for You
Black Keys, Brothers
Beach House, Teen Dream
Broken Social Scene, Forgiveness Rock Record
Anything but Kanye West — “My Totally Random, Twisted, Narcissistic Fantasy” — It’s number one on every list. And, thanks to my 14-year old, I have listened to it all the way through.
I don’t want to start a Kanye fight here, but I’m pretty open minded and I consider it boringly sexually twisted and infantile.
Is there any objective criteria for art? My dog puts more intention into his nightly deposit than the arrangement of this album.
So, how do I really feel?
Frustration shared. No love lost on Kanye.
I don’t care for the man, but I love the album. To each their own, I suppose.
I’m the opposite. Like the malcontent man, dislike the narcissistic ramblings of his latest work. His earlier stuff is more to my liking.
my top 5 happened to match the voting list of “All Songs Considered” from NPR listeners:
Arcade Fire, Suburbs
Black Keys, Brothers
National, High Violet
Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More
Broken Bells, Broken Bells
National, High Violet
Arcade Fire, Suburbs
Deerhunter, Halcyon Digest
Beach House, Teen Dream
The Walkmen, Lisbon
Joanna Newsom, Have one on me
I forgot:
Local Natives, Gorilla Manor
The Morning Benders, Big Echo
Foals’ Total Life Forever, without a doubt. i don’t know how anyone could listen to that album and not love it play it 800 times over, no matter what type of music you like. They are even better live.
Downtown Church, Patty Griffin
Florence & The Machine “Lungs”
The Walkman “You & Me”
I didn’t post Florence since it was released in 2009, but I only discovered it in 2010, and definitely would be on my current list. very nice!
Band of Horses – Infinite Arms
Best album of 2010: Harlem River Blues by Justin Townes Earle.
Ryan Adams – III / IV
What an amazingly versatile voice this man has. R.A. is finally getting his groove back with this one. Nothing super profound in terms of lyrics – that territory has been well-trod by this guy – just luscious sound. It’s a treat for those who have followed R.A. for a while, through drunk and now sober.
Thanks for all of the music recommendations! i usually rely on JJ for my tunes, so this is great! I’ll download all of the music from 2010 while everyone else gets started on 2011. Sure, I’ll be a year behind, but I’m kind of used to that.
Add Sufjan Stevens Age of Adz to your list.
I’ll second that.
I’ll add Carolina Chocolate Drops to those that have already been mentioned. Also Black Prairie.
Lots of good work this year.
I once saw a bumpersticker that said “you’re not getting old- the music does suck”. So not true! You just have to work at it. Pandora and a SiriusXM subscription help too.
Wow, y’all have great taste in music! I will put in my plug for Best pop album, senior division: Teenage Fanclub, Shadows and Best pop album, junior division: Jenny and Jonny, I’m Having Fun Now. Also (always dependably) excellent: Los Lobos, Tin Can Trust and Alejandro Escovedo, Street Songs of Love. I would also like to put in a pitch for reading Stomp and Stammer’s writers’ picks in the January 2010 (I’m the designer). You can find it at the Brick Store (thanks for advertising, guys!)
Mad props to Stomp and Stammer. Only music magazine I read
on a regular basis. Jeff Clark and David T. Lindsay are astute and
clever critics of pop culture . . . and boy does pop culture
deserve some criticism.
Mumford & Sons hands down with the Black Keys second.
Janelle Monae, Archaindroid was my hands down favorite of the year.
It’s old music, but for me the best release of 2010 was
“This is Still It,” a re-issue of 19 tracks from The Method Actors,
who tore it up all ’round here in the early 80s. Thirty years
later, it’s still unique and energetic music. I remember driving to
the Strand cabaret in Marietta to see ‘em, and being disappointed
that they were unable to play the show and those upstarts REM were
playing instead. Also loved Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings “TheHard
Way.” Bonafide soul music is hard to come by these days, and when
it’s done right, it gives me chills.