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

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

it is a better album just like the ideal health care bill is better than the one that passed

but obvi that doesnt matter

Pop Matters singles

60. Mutiny Within - Awake
59. OK Go - White Knuckles
58. Darren Hanlon - All These Things
57. Mark Ronson and the Business International - Somebody to Love Me
56. Mama’s Gun - Let’s Find a Way
55. Here We Go Magic - Collector
54. Daddy Yankee - Vida en la Noche”
53. Josh Ritter - The Curse
52. Foals - This Orient
51. Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - The Game Gets Old
50. Flying Lotus feat. Thom Yorke - ...And the World Laughs With You
49. The Roots - How I Got Over
48. Beach House - Norway
47. Crystal Castles feat. Robert Smith - Not in Love
46. Owen Pallett - E Is for Estranged
45. Jonsî - Go Do
44. Frog Eyes - A Flower in a Glove
43. Kylie Minogue - All the Lovers
42. Gil Scott-Heron - New York Is Killing Me
41. Surfer Blood - Take It Easy
40. Liz Phair - Bollywood
39. Frightened Rabbit - Swim Until You Can’t See Land
38. Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses - Depression
37. Delorean - Stay Close
36. Oneohtrix Point Never - Returnal (feat. Antony)
35. MGMT - Flash Delirium
34. The Hold Steady - The Weekenders
33. Sufjan Stevens - Impossible Soul
32. Eminem - Not Afraid
31. Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill
30. Titus Andronicus - A More Perfect Union
29. Lady Gaga ft. Beyoncé - Telephone
28. Justin Townes Earle - Harlem River Blues
27. Sade - Soldier of Love
26. Caribou - Odessa
25. Best Coast - Boyfriend
24.The New Pornographers - Sweet Talk Sweet Talk
23. Kanye West - Runaway (feat. Pusha T)
22. Surfer Blood - Swim
21. Erykah Badu - Window Seat
20. Blur - Fool’s Day
19. LCD Soundsystem - All I Want
18. Joanna Newsom - Good Intentions Paving Company
17. Gorillaz - Stylo
16. The New Pornographers - The Crash Years
15. Robyn - Dancing on My Own
14. Spoon - Written in Reverse
13. Sleigh Bells - Tell ‘Em
12. Janelle Monáe - Cold War
11. Miranda Lambert - The House That Built Me
10. Deerhunter - Helicopter
9. Gogol Bordello - Pala Tute
8. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round
7. Big Boi - Shutterbugg
6. LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean
5. Kanye West - Power
4. The National - Bloodbuzz, Ohio
3. Arcade Fire - Sprawl II
2. Janelle Monáe - Tightrope
1. Cee-Lo Green - Fuck You

Yes, IlX's Dr. Phil voted in the Pop Matters poll for #54 while most folks mistakenly wrote off Daddy Yankee years ago.

Need to research this more, but I think that since Sasha Frere-Jones reviewed a big reggaeton show at Madison Square Garden in the New Yorker several years back, that he has not written about any Spanish-language pop since (despite his criticisms of others several years back).

stopped reading that list at

59. OK Go - White Knuckles

Love that DY song.

should have kept reading:

46. Owen Pallett - E Is for Estranged

(should also have been higher)

Need to research this more, but I think that since Sasha Frere-Jones reviewed a big reggaeton show at Madison Square Garden in the New Yorker several years back, that he has not written about any Spanish-language pop since (despite his criticisms of others several years back).

― curmudgeon, Thursday, December 9, 2010 11:27 AM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark

tbf sfj has kinda not been on the bleeding edge of anything for a minute

isn't he busy writing a book or sumthing?

I think so, but he still contributes some to the New Yorker and lists his 2010 best albums and singles on his blog or tumblr

since when is being on the bleeding edge of anything important?

oh wait i'm talking to deej, nvm