2010 Magazine's Albums Of The Year Thread For Posting Lists and Discussion

10) Kula Shaker - Pilgrims Progress
9) Broken Bells - Broken Bells
8) He's My Brother She's My Sister - Self-Titled EP
7) She and Him - Volume Two
6) The Black Keys - Brothers
5) Gigi - Maintenant
4) Folded Light - Kelly
3) Portugal. The Man - American Ghetto
2) Lightspeed Champion - Life Is Sweet! Nice To Meet You
1) Kings of Leon - Come Around Sundown

oh wow

that versus the mojo top 10 is a grim, grim contention

Re Tape: My Ashra comparison was kind of off, they don't have any Gottsching guitar heroics going on, it was just the first thing that came into my head. If you liked previous Tape albums then I'd say you'll like this.

I'm only familiar with Bill Wells through collaborations like the Maher Shalal Hash Baz + BW album from 2009(?); he seems to be a good fit for Tape because I don't think Fugue sounds that different from Rideau or Luminarium (more piano maybe?).

I haven't heard more than like 5 on any of these.

Joanna Newsome's album is getting a bit of a kicking UK polls wise (Rough Trade, Q, Mojo, NME...). I mean considering i seem to have read a million things about it being you know 'as good as YS only deeper, with more resonance..' amd all that hooey. people have decided it's not much cop it seems, even at this short distance from it's release.

^ a welcome development imo

What's the consensus on the Black Keys over here? I've seen them appearing on several lists and thought it was enjoyable enough to deserve the mention on rockist magazines.

Much better than Kings of Leon and MGMT at least

^^^pretty much says it all

Much better than Kings of Leon and MGMT at least

A ringing endorsement!

"This piece of crap smells less bad than these other two pieces of crap over here!"

Also when you're listing 50 or 100 records and not a single one is the Rangda LP your net credibility drops to zero.

(Full disclosure, I actually don't hate that new Black Keys. It isn't great, but when I'm forced to hear it I don't totally mind.)

the Rangda LP

Heard it. Not a fan.

The Joanna Newsom suffers due to its length, plus however much opinion coalesces in the short term, I think, given time, it will be her Tusk or her Sandinista.

Okay, I'm only being slightly facetious there. It is a brilliant album, rich and rewarding, but the effort needed for those rewards is commensurate, and most people—even (especially?) music critics—don't have the luxury of that time commitment in a crowded arena.

Then again, I'm apparently way out of step with ILM on both this record and the National's, so ymmv, etc.

Rangda zoomed into my top 5 at number 5 </newsyoucanuse> but of all the lists posted so far I'd not really expect it to be on any of their radars save for Mojo's

oh shit, didn't realize there was a Tape album this year! Their song on this fantastic soundtrack is v much worth checking out: http://www.normanrecords.com/cd/107363-various-halsningar-fran-skogen-greetings-from-the-woods

here you go:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qXOw9R-EPU

I have no idea what the final Wire list will look like, but here's the Top Ten I sent them:

1. Ayumi Hamasaki, Rock ’n’ Roll Circus (Avex Trax)

Have you written about this anywhere? I'm checking it out now anyway, intrigued. I love her at her best, didn't know this was that.

Joanna Newsom I've heard won Uncut, not seen this confirmed though. Another two records that I thought might do a lot better have probably suffered from their respective release dates at either end of the year; These New Puritans and The Phantom Band.

That Rangda album is pretty good... I mean obviously it's a lot better than MGMT and KOL but a world beater? Not so sure.

the rangda alb is gd, but the live shows were way way better (see also: swans!)

haven't seen sun city girls on any of these lists, either

Kind of surprised that Charlotte Gainsbourg only appears on the Rough Trade list - I thought her album would get wider recognition.

NME

75. The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, 'Blood And Fir
74. Sufjan Stevens, 'Age Of Adz'
73. Interpol, 'Interpol'
72. Male Bonding, 'Nothing Hurts'
71. Field Music, 'Field Music (Measure)'
70. Broken Social Scene, 'Forgiveness Rock Record
69. Happy Birthday, 'Happy Birthday'
68. Edwyn Collins, 'Losing Sleep'
67. The Dillinger Escape Plan, 'Option Paralysis'
66. Gorillaz, 'Plastic Beach'
65. Robyn, 'Body Talk Pt 1'
64. Walls, 'Walls'
63. Perfume Genius, 'Learning
62. Gil Scott-Heron, 'I'm New Here'
61. Flying Lotus, 'Cosmogramma'
60. Belle And Sebastian, 'Write About Love'
59. Errors, 'Come Down With Me'
58. Crocodiles, 'Sleep Forever'
57. Joanna Newsom, 'Have One On Me'
56. Mount Kimbie, 'Crooks & Lovers'
55. Ikonika, 'Contact, Love, Want, Have'
54. First Aid Kit, 'The Big Black and The Blue'
53. Kelis, 'Flesh Tone'
52. Dum Dum Girls, 'I Will Be'
51. Charlotte Gainsbourg, 'IRM'
50. Frightened Rabbit, 'The Winter of Mixed Drinks'
49. Surfer Blood, 'Astro Coast'
48. My Chemical Romance, 'Danger Days'
47. Pulled Apart By Horses, 'Pulled Apart By Horses'
46. Paul Weller, 'Wake Up The Nation'
45. Four Tet, 'There Is Love In You'
44. Manic Street Preachers, 'Postcards From A Young Man'
43. Everything Everything, 'Man Alive'
42. Mystery Jets, 'Serotonin'
41. Steve Mason, 'Boys Outside'
40. Sleigh Bells, 'Treats'
39. Magnetic Man, 'Magnetic Man'
38. Big Boi, 'Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty'
37. Lonelady, 'Nerve Up'
36. Hurts, 'Happiness'
35. Glasser, 'Ring'
34. Kanye West, 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'
33. Marina And The Diamonds, 'The Family Jewels'
32. Islet, 'Wimmy' (EP)
31. Crystal Castles, 'Crystal Castles'
30. Klaxons, 'Surfing The Void'
29. No Age, 'Everything In Between'
28. New Young Pony Club, 'The Optimist'
27. Best Coast, 'Crazy For You '
26. Les Savy Fav, 'Root For Ruin'
25. Avi Buffalo, 'Avi Buffalo'
24. Vampire Weekend, 'Contra'
23. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, 'Before Today'
22. Swans, 'My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky'
21. Janelle Monae, 'The ArchAndroid'
20. Deerhunter, 'Halcyon Digest'
19. MGMT, 'Congratulations'
18. Warpaint, 'The Fool'
17. Factory Floor, 'Untitled'
16. Grinderman, 'Grinderman 2'
15. Yeasayer, 'Odd Blood'
14. The Fall, 'Your Future, Our Clutter'
13. Gayngs, 'Relayted'
12. Caribou, 'Swim'
11. The National, 'High Violet'
10. The Drums, 'The Drums'
9. Liars, 'Sisterworld'
8. Salem, 'King Night'
7. Zola Jesus, 'Stridulum II'
6. Foals, 'Total Life Forever'
5. Laura Marling, 'I Speak Because I Can'
4. LCD Soundsystem, 'This Is Happening'
3. Beach House, 'Teen Dream'
2. Arcade Fire, 'The Suburbs'
1. These New Puritans, 'Hidden'

NME list is better than I would have expected.

62. Gil Scott-Heron, 'I'm New Here'
55. Ikonika, 'Contact, Love, Want, Have'
53. Kelis, 'Flesh Tone'
51. Charlotte Gainsbourg, 'IRM'
38. Big Boi, 'Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty'
35. Glasser, 'Ring'
5. Laura Marling, 'I Speak Because I Can'

i'll rep for these at least

nme list says 'this are the only 75 records we have decided to listen to, in an order i guess'

NME list isn't bad at all, and I certainly can't argue with their #1.

I too think that is a pretty decent list, a lot of stuff I'd not expect on it that high like Zola Jesus. Have to throw the question up though, if that's one of the top 10 albums of the year, why not put her on the cover?

nme list says 'this are the only 75 records we have decided to listen to, in an order i guess'

― wheezy f baby (a hoy hoy)

Most publications have this problem, when Pitchfork publishes it's writer's lists it will mainly be the same 150 albums appearing in 75% of the slots.

Impressed they put These New Puritans at the top. Impressed generally by what Krissi Murison is doing with the NME. This is much more like the NME lists I read 15-20 years ago which helped me to discover records rather than simply affirm what I already knew.

So far, I'm surprised how far Joanna Newsom's stock has fallen and how much MGMT's has held, or even risen. I expected that record to be invisible come the end of the year.

Was looking everywhere through that NME list to see where TNP were, amazed and really quite glad to see it at #1. Quite a few other nice surprises there too - Zola Jesus, Glasser, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Lonelady...

I agree with the NME's album of the year. Don't think that's happened in a very long time.

One record really missing out so far is the Knife - wasn't even in the Swedish chart upthread.

^^^this

Also dull as a lot of these lists are, I can't see 2010 having a consensus as soul-crushing as GAPDY.

So far, I'm surprised how far Joanna Newsom's stock has fallen

i'm not really - it's def the kind of album that can impress on first listen, but then gets tidied away and not thought about after that.

for the record i think that nme list is in general as dreadful as ever and full of some AWFUL records, especially near the top #smgdh #kmft

That Klaxons album must be terrible to only make #30 in the NME list.

pretty sure mcnicholas era lists were worse than that

My point isn't that Rangda should be #1 it's that these lists show how segregated music journalism has become... nearly every list so far, with minor subjective tweaks, is consensus indie rock + anointed R&B/rap/hip-hop/dance music + token world music phenom and/or reissue. That Mojo "underground" list is what really brought it home...in what universe are Harvey Milk, Sun Araw and Peter Broderick measured against each other? Whereas the top 10-20 of a lot of this these lists by and large sound very similar to my ears.

20. Deerhunter, 'Halcyon Digest'
19. MGMT, 'Congratulations'
16. Grinderman, 'Grinderman 2'
15. Yeasayer, 'Odd Blood'
14. The Fall, 'Your Future, Our Clutter'
13. Gayngs, 'Relayted'
11. The National, 'High Violet'
10. The Drums, 'The Drums'
6. Foals, 'Total Life Forever'
4. LCD Soundsystem, 'This Is Happening'
3. Beach House, 'Teen Dream'
2. Arcade Fire, 'The Suburbs'
1. These New Puritans, 'Hidden'

^^there isn't much WORSE you can actually get from a top 20 with those acts in it

like seriously if you think any of them contributed to the best music of 2010 then GOD HELP YOU

yeah rly needed some 'xallops here

NME is a lot better. The problem is that all the people saying it's a lot better are not in their target market of 15-25yos, who are deserting it in their thousands. Several issues this year have apparently barely scraped past 20,000.

fwiw i've only heard lcd of those but cmon, the fall vs mid 00s landfill indie isn't even a thing

Not a Fall fan then, Lex?

lex plz refrain from trying to engage with the fall and play nice

the fall are unlistenable, tho i'll take him/them/whatever over fucking gayngs, who seem to have fooled people with usually-reliable taste this year, and the boring-ass greyness of deerhunter and the national, and the middle-aged accountant take on rock of grinderman, and those fucking wimps the drums, and seriously why do foals still exist, and anyone repping for lcd soundsystem must have totally missed the point of them when they were good. SO MUCH H8 SO MUCH H8