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

More variety of opinion on it here: http://www.salsaforums.com/showthread.php?t=15373

I trust anonymous forum posters more than these critics. Or I guess I simply don't trust critics who hold SHO's recordings in high esteem.

skot: i would listen to all these xlr8r best of the year tracks

i believe noted ilx poster table is the table does something there

another no-placer on any of lists is nina nastasia's record, which i have a very hard time believing isn't better than most of what's on most of them. but of course i usually feel that way about her albums. i guess tomorrow's hipster cult artists have to come from somewhere.

In retrospect, after seeing more and more of these lists, the more I'm liking Drowned In Sound's. I mean, at least this:

1) Emeralds Does It Look Like I’m Here?
2) The National High Violet
3) Deftones Diamond Eyes
4) Perfume Genius Learning

is a pretty interesting top 4, comparatively, even with the way too high National placement.

Gigwise

50. Ellie Goulding - Lights
49. Delphic - Acolyte
48. Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer
47. Eminem - Recovery
46. Hurts - Happiness
45. Tame Impala - Innerspeaker
44. Two Door Cinema Club - Tourist History
43. Band of Horses - Infinite Arms
42. Plan B - The Defamation Of Strictland Banks
41. The Coral - Butterfly House
40. Steve Mason - Boys Outside
39. The Chemical Brothers - Further
38. Bryan Ferry - Olympia
37. Kele - The Boxer
36. Manic Street Preachers - Postcards From A Young Man
35. Katy Perry - Teenage Dream
34. Mystery Jets - Serotonin
33. No Age - Everything In Between
32. Sleigh Bells - Treats
31. Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma
30. Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid
29. Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
28. Magnetic Man - Magnetic Man
27. Kelis - Flesh Tone
26. Robyn - Body Talk Pt 2
25. The Drums - The Drums
24. Vampire Weekend – Contra
23. Beach House - Teen Dream
22. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - The Social Network
21. Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty
20. Four Tet - There Is Love In You
19. Gil Scot-Heron - I'm New Here
18. Salem - King Night
17. Interpol – Interpol
16. Black Keys – Brothers
15. Tinie Tempah - Disc-Overy
14. Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can
13. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
12. Yeasayer - Odd Blood
11. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
10. My Chemical Romance - Danger Days
09. Warpaint - The Fool
08. These New Puritans – Hidden
07. Caribou - Swim
06. Foals - Total Life Forever
05. Everything Everything - Man Alive
04. Drake - Thank Me Later
03. The National - High Violet
02. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
01. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Gorilla vs Bear (Songs):

01 Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Round and Round
02 Joanna Newsom – Good Intentions Paving Company
03 Beach House – 10 Mile Stereo
04 James Blake – CMYK
05 Girls – Carolina
06 Twin Sister – All Around and Away We Go
07 Panda Bear – Alsatian Darn
08 James Blake – I Only Know (What I Know Now)
09 Big K.R.I.T. – Country Shit
10 Big Boi – Shutterbugg
11 Deerhunter – He Would Have Laughed
12 Morning Benders – Excuses (Yours Truly version)
13 Arcade Fire – We Used to Wait
14 Tennis – Marathon
15 Joanna Newsom – Baby Birch
16 Shabazz Palaces – Blastit
17 earlwolf – Orange Juice / Gucci Mane – Lemonade
18 Waka Flocka Flame – Hard In Da Paint
19 Twin Shadow – Castles in the Snow
20 Das Racist – hahahaha jk?
21 Korallreven – Honey Mine (feat. Victoria Bergsman)
22 Holy Other – YR LOVE
23 White Denim – Some Wild Going Outward
24 Crystal Castles – Not in Love (feat. Robert Smith)
25 Kanye West – Blame Game (edit)
26 White Hinterland – Icarus
27 Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Fright Night (Nevermore)
28 Air Waves – Knockout
29 Puro Instinct – Stilyagi (featuring Ariel Pink)
30 Freddie Gibbs – National Anthem (Fuck the World)
31 Grouper – Vessel
32 Teen Inc. – Friend of the Night
33 Harlem – Gay Human Bones
34 Ghostface Killah – Together Baby
35 Games – Strawberry Skies
36 The Bitters – Travelin’ Girl
37 Lower Dens – Hospice Gates
38 jj – My Way
39 Kanye West – Runaway (feat. Pusha T)
40 Les Sins – Lina
41 Sunset – Late Night Dawning
42 Warpaint – Undertow
43 Tyler, the Creator – VCR/Wheels
44 Gil Scott-Heron – Me and the Devil
45 Washed Out – You and I
46 Erykah Badu – Window Seat
47 Toro y Moi – Low Shoulder
48 Miracles Club – A New Love
49 Eternal Summers – Pure Affection
50 Games – Planet Party
51 Panda Bear – Untitled / King Tubby sample (live)
52 Reading Rainbow – Wasting Time
53 Happy Birthday – Subliminal Message
54 Sufjan Stevens – Age of Adz
55 Young Galaxy – Peripheral Visionaries
56 Grimes – Devon
57 Coyote Clean Up – Can’t Shake the Full Moon
58 Candy Claws – Silent Time of Earth
59 Rangers – Deerfield Village
60 Wavves – King of the Beach
61 How To Dress Well – Ready for the World
62 Four Tet – Angel Echoes
63 Caribou – Odessa
64 Ciara – Ride (CFCF night bus refix)
65 Appaloosa – Intimate (Glass Candy remix)
66 Beautiful Swimmers – Big Coast
67 Bodies of Water – Rise Up, Careful
68 Pantha du Prince – Stick to my Side (feat. Panda Bear)
69 Robyn – Dancing On My Own
70 Hard Mix – Memories
71 Animal Collective – Screens
72 Nite Jewel – We Want Our Things
73 Tame Impala – It Is Not Meant to Be
74 Soft Healer – Movie Light
75 Fabulous Diamonds – Track 4
76 The Knife – The Height of Summer
77 The Sandwitches – Stardust
78 Jamie Woon – Night Air (Ramadanman refix)
79 Wet Wings – Running Like a Man
80 Bullion – Say Goodbye to What

Ha ha. Blame Game (edit). Does this edit exist or is it just wishful thinking?

xp Nastasia is on my list, but I did notice her conspicuous absence here.

I like the Quietus and Rock-A-Rolla lists best so far. I'd love to find the current issue -- anyone know if it could be found in Chicago? I'd subscribe, but man, those UK rags azzrpe you by doubling the price + poor exchange rate - $70 for 6 issues, gah.

Amazed the Arcade Fire record is doing so well here given that most of the reviews I'd seen were along the lines of "some great songs, too long, patchy and a bit overwrought".

Fastnbulbous - I occassionally see Rock-A-Rolla at my local newsstand, but thats about it. Don't really come across it very often.

longtime ilxors who keep making the same complaints about longtime ilxors who keep making the same complaints about obvious lists are even more boring than longtime ilxors who keep making the same complaints about obvious lists

Wow you sure showed everyone!

taking it to the next level, that's what i do

the next level of boring, sure

My mind hasn't been this blown since I watched Inception.

Gigwise

04. Drake - Thank Me Later
03. The National - High Violet
02. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
01. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

worst top four yet

i mean, do some of these publications even vote on their own year-end lists, or just look at what other mags/sites are ranking highly and then make sure those albums are on their list, too?

I don't know, but the confusion and anger you guys feel about Kanye ranking so high is multiplied a thousand-fold for me when I see Drake that high.

I think generally music writers listen to whatever other music writers are talking about and then just agree on everything because they are mostly boring, fat, sad, post-collegiate white men who think Arcade Fire is an interesting band

don't be so hard on yourself!

:)

need more boring fat sad post-collegiate other kinds of people in this thing

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VEemS83yL.jpg

The Name of This Band Is Indigo Girls

lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saWZRuh2_Qg

Ha.

As I moan every year, editors of "generalist" sites and pubs should seek out writers into non- indie rock stuff, or at least open to non-indie. But maybe there also aren't that many writers into dance, r'n'b, afropop, reggaeton, experimental, country, whatever? Alas, when African/Caribbean/Latin magazine the Beat folded up shop at the beginning of the year, its freelance contributors seem to have given up on writing rather than trying to find new locations.

But maybe there also aren't that many writers into dance, r'n'b, afropop, reggaeton, experimental, country, whatever?

I mean, yeah, this is def true! There's def some sociological connection between "wanting to be a music writer" and "thinking indie rock is good music"

the last refuge of an english major

Ha.

As I moan every year, editors of "generalist" sites and pubs should seek out writers into non- indie rock stuff, or at least open to non-indie. But maybe there also aren't that many writers into dance, r'n'b, afropop, reggaeton, experimental, country, whatever? Alas, when African/Caribbean/Latin magazine the Beat folded up shop at the beginning of the year, its freelance contributors seem to have given up on writing rather than trying to find new locations.

― curmudgeon, Thursday, December 9, 2010 9:20 AM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

how much freedom are these genre experts really given to affect the outcome of consensus lists, really. it requires that other writers give a shit about the genre on its own terms. you have to have an even number of rap writers. rap writers, or dance writers, not just a couple 'experts' scattered amongst a bunch of arcade fire fans (& even then yr dealing w/ rap writers who often accept corny received wisdom about what is 'worthwhile' etc.)

id rather write w/ an indie fan whose taste was well-articulated & unique/interesting even if strictly indie (lol does this exist) than a dude listing every j dilla clone who dropped an lp this year

requires that other writers give a shit about the genre on its own terms

And that those other writers also totally agree on which dance, r'n'b, afropop, reggaeton, experimental, country, etc., records were the best ones of the year! Which is real hard to do, given the numbers.

But like I said in my Pazz & Jop essay last year, the trend lately definitely seems to be moving toward indie-rock dominating end-of-year lists as a whole in ways that no one genre has dominated in decades, if ever. (Assuming you think of indie-rock as just "one genre" -- lots of people don't.) Though looks like hip-hop might be doing better, in general, this year than last year -- even if the albums doing well are mostly predictable, and not necessarily all that good.

otm music taste is way lamer, but still as diverse as, the early 00s

i think its basically a function of ppl getting to ignore the pop charts now so the echo chamber is harder than ever to puncture

people are comfy in their internet bubbles.

My bubble is starting to smell funny.

time to clean yer indie pod

i didn't even know that my chemical romance had an album out this year until i looked at one of those year-end lists. i'm in my stoner rock bubble too much i guess.

Mine reeks of NWOBHM spandex. Those red and white stripped ones are ripe!

id rather write w/ an indie fan whose taste was well-articulated & unique/interesting even if strictly indie (lol does this exist) than a dude listing every j dilla clone who dropped an lp this year

― lotta diamonds ... but prolly more display names (deej), Thursday, December 9, 2010 9:33 AM (28 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

altho i guess the q is whether there is an 'indie as a distinct genre' heirarchy that exists outside of 'critical acclaim'

so Kanye is considered to be indie rock now, huh?

well he is recording with Bon Iver

very tru.

his music is also boring, wanky & pretentious lol

...but in a good way.

In the world of US politics Deej wants us to accept that the glass is half-full and that Obama acting centrist is all we can get, but in the music crit world he wants his Waka (or is it some other rapper not listed above) and not that centrist choice Kanye

lol

looooooool

im not on pfork expecting waka to go #1, no