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

I'm not feeling Jamey J. Is there a silver medal winner for this years "major label country dude that nerds have passing interest in"

― smangda (Whiney G. Weingarten), Monday, December 20, 2010 9:59 PM (1 week ago)

YMMV, obvs, but I quite enjoyed Dierks Bentley's "Up On The Ridge." Moderately bluegrassy country record featuring guest spots by Jamey J., Miranda Lambert, Del McCoury, Chris Thile, etc. I liked it better than the Jamey record.

Not sure there was a nerd-friendly, Paisley/Lambert-style knockout punch in country this year, really.

are they for real talking about 'album sales' in 2010

― lyrics is weak ... like clock radio similes (deej), Monday, December 27, 2010 3:38 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

^yeah I wasnt for sure if I was a bad person for getting severely annoyed by that, y'know, given the Shitfork hegemony that has crowded many of these EOY lists (no offense for those who gotta eat)...

I'm not feeling Jamey J. Is there a silver medal winner for this years "major label country dude that nerds have passing interest in"

― smangda (Whiney G. Weingarten), Monday, December 20, 2010 9:59 PM (1 week ago)

My favorite country/bluegrassy LP of the moment, The Steeldriver's Reckless, isn't on a major label--but the lead singer/songwriter guy is a Nashville insider who sells songs to Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Blake Shelton, Darius Rucker, etc. Similar to JJ in that respect, but with a better voice.

I read that as "The Steendriver"

Is there a silver medal winner for this years "major label country dude that nerds have passing interest in"

Wouldn't the answer to this be "Taylor Swift" (especially if Miranda Lambert counted last year)?

Anyway, there's lots of country on my lists, like always. Jace Everett, Flynnville Train, and Chely Wright (along with Taylor and Jamey) all made my Pazz & Jop ballot, though none of those three were technically on a major label. Major-label dudewise, certain other critics seemed to like Kenny Chesney, Jerrod Neimann, Trace Adkins, Randy Houser, Dierks Bentley, Josh Turner, or Gary Allan (all of whose albums were good-to-passable, in more or less that order to my ears) more. (Probably left some out, too.)

Since we're on Country at the moment:

Country Universe Top Singles

1. Miranda Lambert- The House That Built Me
2. Little Big Town- Little White Church
3. Sugarland- Stuck Like Glue
4. The Band Perry- If I Die Young
5. Eric Church- Smoke a Little Smoke
6. Zac Brown Band- As She's Walking Away
7. Laura Bell Bundy- Giddy On Up
8. Laura Bell Bundy- Drop On By
9. Chely Wright- Broken
10. Dierks Bentley- Draw Me a Map
11. David Nail- Turning Home
12. Lee Ann Rimes- Swingin'
13. Luke Bryan- Rain is a Good Thing
14. Tim McGraw- Still
15. Carrie Underwood- Undo It
16. Jerrod Nieman- Lover, Lover
17. Little Big Town- Kiss Goodbye
18. Randy Rogers Band- Steal You Away
19. Jerrod Nieman- Do What You Want
20. Lee Ann Rimes- Crazy Women
21. Miranda Lambert- Only Prettier
22. Cay Walker- She Won't Be Lonely Long
23. Taylor Swift- Fearless
24. Jamey Johnson- Playing the Part
25. Bucky Covington- A Father's Love
26. Lady Antebellum- American Honey
27. Keith Urban- Put You in a Song
28. Blake Shelton- Who Are You When I'm Not Looking
29. Mary Chapin Carpenter- I Put My Ring Back On
30. Easton Corbin- Roll With It
31. Sunny Sweeney- From a Table Away
32. Jaron & the Long Road to Love- Pray For You
33. Keith Urban- I'm In
34. Carrie Underwood- Temporary Home
35. Billy Currington- Pretty Good at Drinkin' Beer
36. Sugarland- Little Miss
37. Taylor Swift- Back to December
38. Clay Walker- Where Do I Go From You
39. Joey + Rory- That's Important to Me
40. Rascal Flatts- Why Wait

Folk Roots

1. Bellowhead Hedonism (Navigator)
2. Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabate Ali And Toumani (World Circuit)
3. AfroCubism AfroCubism (World Circuit)
4. Eliza Carthy & Norma Waterson Gift (Topic)
5. Chris Wood Handmade Life (R.U.F.)
6. Cheikh Lô Jamm (World Circuit)
7= Emily Portman The Glamoury (Furrow)
Alasdair Roberts Too Long In This Condition (Navigator)
9. Carolina Chocolate Drops Genuine Negro Jig (Nonesuch)
10.Konono No 1 Assume Crash Position (Crammed)
11= Andy Cutting Andy Cutting (Lane)
Natalie Merchant Leave Your Sleep (Nonesuch)
13= Jim Moray In Modern History (NIAG)
Syriana The Road To Damascus (Real World)
15= Asmara All Stars Eritrea’s Got Soul (Outhere)
The Imagined Village Empire And Love (Emerson Corncrake Constantine)
Ballake Sissoko & Vincent Segal Chamber Music (No Format)
18. Hindi Zahra Handmade (Blue Note)
19= Ian King Panic Grass And Feverfew (Fledg’ling)
Ruth Theodore White Holes Of Mole Hills (River Rat)

Reissues
1. Various Africa – 50 Years Of Music (Discograph/Sterns)
2. Étoile de Dakar feat. Youssou N’Dour Once Upon A Time In Senegal (Sterns)
3. Various Palenque Palenque (Soundway)
4. Various The Roots Of Chicha Vol 2 (Crammed)
5. Shirley Collins Sweet England (Fled’gling)
6. Various Ghosts From The Basement (Weekend Beatnik)
7. Various Next Stop Soweto Vol. 2 (Strut)
8= A.L. Lloyd An Evening With A.L. Lloyd (Fellside)
Various Folk Against Fascism Vol.1 (Folk Against Fascism)
Various More Miles Than Money (Ace)
11. Various The Sound Of Siam (Soundway)
12= Bob Dylan The Witmark Demos 1962 – 1964 (Sony)
Incredible String Band The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter (Fledg’ling)
Issa Juma & Super Wanyika Stars The World Defeats The Grandfathers (Sterns)
Various Afrobeat Airways: West African Shock Waves (Analog Africa)
Various Angola Soundtrack: The Unique Sound Of Luanda (Analog Africa)
Various Sound Of The World Presents Anywhere On This Road (Warner Classics & Jazz)

Can't argue with that fRoots Top Five...

There's no way Janelle Monae only sold 20,000. Must be UK-only sales.

Those sales figures look incomplete to me also.

x-post re fRoots top 5:

The late Ali Farka Toure's final effort seems to be showing up a fair amount. I had never heard of their number 1 choice, Brit folk-rockers Bellowhead, till now.

lol @ deej pretending that "album sales" are meaningless

I mean, yeah, its a really stupid indicator of "quality" that influences any kind of "best of" list, but pretending that album sales don't still influence what kind of label support and marketing push an artist gets is just being willfully stubborn.

I actually wouldn't be that surprised if Monae only sold 20k in the U.S., but that's just me being cynical again.

she sold 21k her first week. those are definitely not us figures -- yeezy at 50k?

Extracted from Soundscan stats last week. Should be more complete lists available in just over a week.

Rank - TITLE - Artist - 2010 Sales - Total Sales (released before 2010)
01 - RECOVERY - Eminem - 3,145,760 -
02 - SOLDIER OF LOVE - Sade - 1,287,173 -
03 - THANK ME LATER - Drake - 1,210,763 -
04 - RAYMOND V RAYMOND - Usher - 1,156,966 -
05 - THE E.N.D. (THE ENERGY NEVER DIES) - Black Eyed Peas - 1,088,153 - 2,874,978
06 - REBIRTH - Lil Wayne - 697,423 -
07 - THE ELEMENT OF FREEDOM - Alicia Keys - 680,270 - 1,459,363
08 - MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY - Kanye West - 671,994 -
09 - PASSION PAIN & PLEASURE - Trey Songz - 565,852 -
10 - I AM NOT A HUMAN BEING - Lil Wayne - 564,110 -
11 - PINK FRIDAY - Nicki Minaj - 560,992 -
12 - BATTLE OF THE SEXES - Ludacris - 555,432 -
13 - STILL STANDING - Monica - 533,559 -
14 - RATED R - Rihanna - 515,568 - 1,014,163
15 - LOUD - Rihanna - 495,641 -
16 - B.O.B. PRESENTS THE ADVENTURES OF BOBBY RAY - B.O.B. - 463,572 -
17 - STRONGER (WITH EACH TEAR) - Mary J Blige - 450,845 - 844,850
18 - READY - Trey Songz - 403,300 - 841,734
19 - ANOTHER ROUND - Jaheim - 382,049 -
20 - WE ARE YOUNG MONEY - Young Money - 362,112 - 547,808
21 - RELAPSE - Eminem - 359,949 - 2,095,307
22 - BACK TO ME - Fantasia - 350,684 -
23 - THIS IS IT - Michael Jackson - 341,578 - 1,628,623
24 - THE BLUEPRINT 3 - Jay-Z - 323,070 - 1,837,828
25 - NEW AMERYKAH PART TWO: RETURN OF THE ANKH - Erykah Badu - 296,367 -
26 - DOO-WOPS & HOOLIGANS - Bruno Mars - 274,056 -
27 - KIDZ BOP 17 - Kidz Bop Kids - 269,185 -
28 - JASON DERULO - Jason Derulo - 259,517 -
29 - MAN ON THE MOON: THE END OF DAY - Kid Cudi - 250,181 - 509,940
30 - I AM…SASHA FIERCE - Beyonce - 244,285 - 2,903,107
31 - SEX THERAPY: THE SESSION - Robin Thicke - 233,409 - 443,233
32 - THE STATE VS RADRIC DAVIS - Gucci Mane - 217,849 - 408,925
33 - SO FAR GONE - Drake - 216,993 - 546,141
34 - THE BRIDGE - Melanie Fiona - 213,553 - 332,847
35 - THE ESSENTIAL - Michael Jackson - 206,134 - 1,733,130
36 - VERSUS (EP) - Usher - 205,724 -
37 - SIR LUSCIOUS LEFT FOOT: THE SON OF CHICO DUSTY - Big Boi - 199,319 -
38 - WAKE UP - John Legend & Roots - 192,448 -
39 - THRILLER - Michael Jackson - 192,101 - 5,897,458
40 - THE BEGINNING - Black Eyed Peas - 181,321 -
41 - THA CARTER III - Lil' Wayne - 178,709 - 3,519,451
42 - BLACKSUMMERS'NIGHT - Maxwell - 176,980 - 1,125,786
43 - HOW I GOT OVER - Roots - 175,061 - 175,061

How Superstars’ Pay Stifles Everyone Else

Consider the market for pop music. In 1982, the top 1 percent of pop stars, in terms of pay, raked in 26 percent of concert ticket revenue. In 2003, that top percentage of stars — names like Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera or 50 Cent — was taking 56 percent of the concert pie.

I'm guessing those Soundscan stats are for hip hop/R&B only since Taylor isn't on there.

I'm guessing they're only for hiphop/r&b because only hiphop & r&b artists are on there.

I mean, yeah, its a really stupid indicator of "quality" that influences any kind of "best of" list, but pretending that album sales don't still influence what kind of label support and marketing push an artist gets is just being willfully stubborn.

― one pretty obvious guy in the obvious (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Monday, 27 December 2010 15:45 (4 hours ago) Permalink

what does this have to do w/ anything? its an article about how critics are disconnected from real america (which is like, duh) but then it suggests that what is popular is represented by cd sales, which is wholly incorrect in 2010. i didnt say anything about sales not influencing things

you said: "are they for real talking about 'album sales' in 2010"

as if they shouldn't be a consideration at all, which I disagree with

for the argument they are making, its a pretty meaningless consideration

rather than continue on in circles here, my issue is when you say that album sales, as an indication of popularity is "wholly incorrect", I don't agree with that at all.

well, i dont think that cd sales are representative of how most ppl engage w/ music in 2010, esp. compared with a decade ago. do you disagree w/ that?

i agree with sales not being at all representive of how people "engage with" music in 2010, but i still think album sales are still a fair-ish representation of what remains popular with a large percentage of music consumers

'a large' percentage, meaning what exactly? a much smaller one than was the case a decade ago surely. i know we like to think indie took over in the past couple of yrs but you guys cant seriously think that arcade fire or w/e are even in the same world of popularity as like idk semisonic

I mean album sales at this point are pretty much restricted to the most popular of popular stuff, right? Your big-box chain stores are down to stocking pretty much only Top 40 stuff, so I think physical album sales are still really indicative of what is really and truly popular. But I think album sales as a measurment of how people "engage with" msuic is totally missing the point, as you seem to be saying.

but you guys cant seriously think that arcade fire or w/e are even in the same world of popularity as like idk semisonic

Actualy I'd say these two bands are pretty close in terms of overall popularity, but I'm not sure what your yardstick is here. If "album sales", well, no, but it is pretty useless to compare any 2010 band with a 1998 band in terms of sales.

But even if sales are a tiny fraction of what they once were, it doesn't render them useless as a measuring device.

i think they are much more useless as a measuring device of an artist's popularity, because only certain demographics are actually paying for albums now

ask j0rdan s. how many cds he owns

ha

because only certain demographics are actually paying for albums now

I'm not disagreeing with you on this point at all. But "more uselss" /= "completely useless".

I mean, your argument is verging on "ILM poster X never streams music through last.fm, so last.fm isn't a valid measuring device for the popularity of a given artist"

well, any substantive number means *something* but for the purposes of that article, completely useless, yes. id say sales are about as representative of 'the people' as critics' opinions are, just in a different, distorted way

I mean, your argument is verging on "ILM poster X never streams music through last.fm, so last.fm isn't a valid measuring device for the popularity of a given artist"

― one pretty obvious guy in the obvious (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Monday, December 27, 2010 3:00 PM (12 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

its only a valid measuring device for a very narrow demographic! at some level, its pretty useless

like i guarantee you that rap sales are way way way deflated where grown folks R&B sales are only somewhat deflated -- so the impact on popularity is that sade & maxwell suddenly are dominating. or drake is suddenly the best selling rapper *rmde*

but at some levels, I think also very useful; but I think we are getting at the core difficulty when it comes to determining popularity in 2010 - demographics are not only very splintered, but also widely varied simply in how music is consumed, there really isn't a good way at all to definitively say Artist X is more popular than Artist Y

i mean, sade would have sold ridic numbers regardless, but suddenly the number of albums competing w/ her are just like, the absurd eminem cult

I mean, yeah, it'd be great if we could invent something that tracked every ringtone and streamed YouTube play in the world, but until that happens we have to settle for the yardsticks we can access.

but at some levels, I think also very useful; but I think we are getting at the core difficulty when it comes to determining popularity in 2010 - demographics are not only very splintered, but also widely varied simply in how music is consumed, there really isn't a good way at all to definitively say Artist X is more popular than Artist Y

― one pretty obvious guy in the obvious (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Monday, December 27, 2010 3:03 PM (59 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

exactly what im saying -- album sales are, less than ever before, not accurately measuring music's popularity -- theyre simply measuring the # of people willing to pay for an artifact of music when its all available for free online. no way is that a remotely accurate measurement of music's actual popularity

xp You'd have to show that the most "popular" acts overall (in terms of, say, concert tickets, youtube views, merch sales, illegal downloads, free mixtape downloads, subscription service streams, ringtones, whatever) are something other than the ones who sell the most albums. That's probably true in some cases (with, say, legacy acts who can still sell out huge venues without even putting out new product), but I'd still guess the two lists would be pretty similar, for the most part. And if album sales aren't the best indicator of popularity, what is? (Some combo of all the variables I named, and more, maybe, with math formula to be determined later. But I doubt any of them on their own are a better metric than album sales.) That article was still pretty stupid anyway, though.

And if album sales aren't the best indicator of popularity, what is?

im not sure i get the logic behind "although this is now a very inaccurate measurement of popularity, we should continue referring to it w/out acknowledging the considerable shortcomings because we dont have a better method of measurement"

the bungling of gucci's career by major labels is a perfect example to me of sales not actually representing the potential popular energy of an artist. he gave away tons of free music! how do you incorporate that into a major label record sales model?

'a large' percentage, meaning what exactly? a much smaller one than was the case a decade ago surely. i know we like to think indie took over in the past couple of yrs but you guys cant seriously think that arcade fire or w/e are even in the same world of popularity as like idk semisonic

― lyrics is weak ... like clock radio similes (deej), Monday, December 27, 2010 3:49 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Semisonic is a pretty weird example, dude. sure they have one song everyone knows, but virtually no other songs that are remotely as popular, and they had one album go platinum on the strength of that song at a time when it was really easy to go platinum. I'd say a nominal 'indie' band that's had a couple top 5 Billboard debuts and is a decent-sized concert draw is in some ways more popular than Semisonic ever were.

what is a 'decent sized concert draw' -- idk then, what about like weezer or something. is that comparable to arcade fire's level of fame?

Also, Arcade Fire has been on SNL twice, Semisonic never was, I think that certainly says something about relative levels of popularity.

Not sure how much, but Lorne Michaels isn't know for booking no-names these days.

"known"

i think youre arcade fire fans are more likely to pay for records than your soulja boy fans. is arcade fire more popular than soulja boy?

I'd never even heard of that song until I saw deej rep for it so much on ILM. xxxxp

Also, Arcade Fire has been on SNL twice, Semisonic never was, I think that certainly says something about relative levels of popularity.

― one pretty obvious guy in the obvious (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Monday, December 27, 2010 3:13 PM (45 seconds ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

LOL