Here we go, another look back at the music that made 2010 more bearable and more awesome. Admittedly, the past couple of months have been made more difficult by my laptop video card being on the fritz (and thus removing me from my iTunes lifeline), so this list is compiled with a slight handicap and without some of the extras I’ve included in years past.
Also, this year, I tethered my effort closely to the second annual Higher Ed Music Critics collaboration, where 10 higher ed web marketing professionals and music nerds came together to collectively determine the best 50 albums of the year. Here’s the rundown: 51-219 | 26-50 | 1-25
Listed below are my own top 50 of the year. As usual, feel free to agree/disagree/debate/recommend in the comments! (For historical reference, here’s where I was mid-year.)
- David Byrne and Fatboy Slim – Here Lies Love – I was drawn to this album by the amazing and diverse list of contributors (Florence Welch, Steve Earle, Cyndi Lauper, Kate Pierson, Sharon Jones and Allison Moorer, to name a few) and was held rapt by the stories they told about the life of Imelda Marcos and the disco-infused beats and melodies that swirled around them. A fascinating project and an incredible collection of music, this is currently my favorite album of the year.
- Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More – From the moment I first heard the driving tour de force that is “Little Lion Man” on WERS, I was sold. The edgy amalgam of Americana-meets-UK folk rock is a galloping, emotional headrush. Their songs pulse with life and urgency and won’t be denied. This album feels essential, in part because the members of the band play and sing as if their lives depended on it.
- Tracey Thorn – Love and its Opposite – My friend Tim was raving about this album by the lead woman from Everything But the Girl, so I had to check it out. After listening through once streaming online, I had to buy it at the next available opportunity. Her voice is hypnotic, and these powerful songs are full of elegance and verve.
- The Love Language – Libraries – The Love Language‘s “Libraries” recalls what I fell in love with about bands like The Kissaway Trail and Wild Light: earnest, melodic, and rich tracks, which founder Stuart McLamb calls “emotional fight songs.” One of my happiest surprises of the year.
- John Shade – All You Love is Need – Shade, a Boston-area artist, approaches acoustic pop perfection. His songs ring true, seemingly coming from a genuine place without guile or malice. (Bonus: You can download his album for free, or name your own price.)
- The National – High Violet – Is it boring to say that The National have created yet another masterpiece, and that there is little one can offer in the way of critique for their fifth full-length album? Matt Berninger continues to confound and mesmerize, and he and his bandmates continue to expertly weave their layers of lush and compelling songcraft. No, something this captivating can’t be boring.
- New Pornographers – Together – This album took a while to grow on me, as I wrote about previously, since I was blinded by my love for “Challengers.” But, like I said, this may be the fullest realization of the band to date. Neko Case really steps out and shines (not that we needed to know she was a gem), and Dan Bejar is at his most accessible. And A.C. Newman continues to steer his pop ship in enlightening directions.
- Yeasayer – Odd Blood – I liked their debut, but this album really catapulted Yeasayer onto a new level. A delightful blizzard of beeps and blips swirls around a strong crop of songs. And I won’t lie and say that “Ambling Alp” didn’t guide me through a few personally frustrating moments: “Now, the world can be an unfair place at times / But your lows will have their complement of highs … You must stick up for yourself, son / Never mind what anybody else done.”
- Cloud Cult – Light Chasers – One of the most unabashedly sincere and true-hearted bands in indie rock offers up another winner, facing complex issues of love and grief and longing head-on, armed only with lush melodies and dynamic songcraft.
- School of Seven Bells – Disconnect From Desire – A huge leap forward from their debut, which in itself was a stellar album. Captivating and transcendent.
- Stars – The Five Ghosts
- Hot Chip – One Life Stand
- Jenny and Johnny – I’m Having Fun Now
- The Acorn – No Ghost
- LCD Soundsystem – This is Happening
- Vampire Weekend – Contra
- Surfer Blood – Astro Coast
- The Kissaway Trail – Sleep Mountain
- Marching Band – Pop Cycle
- Versus – On the Ones and Threes
- Weakerthans and Jim Bryson – The Falcon Lake Incident
- Magnetic Fields – Realism
- Ted Leo & the Pharmacists – The Brutalist Bricks
- Teenage Fanclub – Shadows
- Girl Talk – All Day
- Sleigh Bells – Treats
- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – Up From Below
- Local Natives – Gorilla Manor
- Freelance Whales – Weathervanes
- Freedy Johnston – Rain on the City
- The Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
- Spoon – Transference
- Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – The Social Network score
- Laura Veirs – July Flame
- Pernice Brothers – Goodbye, Killer
- We Are Scientists – Barbara
- Peter Wolf – Midnight Souvenirs
- Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse – Dark Night of the Soul
- Kathryn Calder – Are You My Mother?
- Nada Surf – If I Had a Hi-Fi
- The Hold Steady – Heaven is Whenever
- Frightened Rabbit – The Winter of Mixed Drinks
- Eels – End Times
- Broken Bells – Broken Bells
- Mates of State – Crushes
- John Hiatt – The Open Road
- Kingsley Flood – Dust Windows
- Static of the Gods – Knowledge Machine
- The Morning Benders – Big Echo
- The Futureheads – Chaos