Favorite Albums: 2010
_
2010 was an incredible year for music. When we say that, we usually mean that it was a great year for the stuff that we like, for the sounds that we track. My list is no different. Future soul took a new turn, dubstep fully embraced vocal pop, techno broke free from doctrinaire minimalism, goth and post-punk reared their heads without lace and leather, lo-fi pop was not not fun, and new wave actually sounded, well, new again. [Ranked in tiers; no ranking within]
Tier 1
Ariel Pink – Before Today
Beach House – Teen Dream
Foals – Total Life Forever
Greie Gut Fraktion – Baustelle [Monika]
Jamie Lidell – Compass
Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Matthew Dear – Black City
Salem – King Night
Teengirl Fantasy – 7 AM
Twin Shadow – Forget
Tier 2
Active Child – Curtis Lane EP
Earl Sweatshirt – EARL
John Roberts – Glass Eights
Light Asylum – In Tension EP
Marc Houle – Drift [Minus]
Sistol – On the Bright Side
Swans – My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky
The Black Keys – Brothers
Tyler, the Creator – BASTARD
We Love – We Love
Tier 3
Balam Acab – See Birds EP
Diamond Rings – Special Affections
Games – That We Can Play
LA Vampires feat Matrix Metals – So Unreal
Mount Kimbie – Crooks & Lovers
Nicolas Jaar – Space Is Only Noise
Pantha du Prince – Black Noise
Skream – Outside the Box
The Books – The Way Out
Toro y Moi – Causers of This [Carpark]
Tier 4
Com Truise – Cyanide Sisters EP [AMDISCS]
Guido – Anidea [DRUNK]
How to Dress Well – Love Remains
Janelle Monae – The Archandroid
Javelin – No Mas
Mux Mool – Skulltaste
Silver Bullets – Citta Invisibili c62
Small Black – New Chain
Tame Impala – Innerspeaker
Wild Nothing – Gemini
Tier 5
Arcn Templ – Emanations of a New World
Chromeo – Business Casual
Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles II
Demdike Stare – Liberation Through Hearing
El Guincho – Pop Negro
Hype Williams – Untitled LP
Lindstrom & Christabelle – Real Life Is No Cool
Mim Suleiman – Tungi
My Disco – Little Joy
Nice Face – Immer Etwas [Sacred Bones]
Tier 6
Benoît Pioulard – Lasted [Kranky]
Brad Laner – Natural Selections
Caribou – Swim
Charming Hostess – The Bowls Project
Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma
French Horn Rebellion – The Infinite Music of French Horn Rebellion
Ikonika – Mary Anne Hobbs Radio 1 Mix
Millionyoung – Be So True EP
Mock & Toof – Tuning Echoes
Shearwater – The Golden Archipelago [Matador]
Tier 7
Aboombong – Asynchronic
Brian Eno – Small Craft on a Milk Sea
Florence and the Machine – Lungs (2CD)
Islaja – Keraaminen Pää
M Ostermeier – Chance Reconstruction
Peter Van Hoesen – Entropic City
Sarah Kirkland Snider – Penelope [New Amsterdam]
Senking – Pong
Sid Lerock – Tout va Bien
Twin Sister – Color Your Life
Tier 8
Blank Dogs – Land and Fixed [Captured Tracks]
Broken Bells – Broken Bells
Dustdevil & Crow – While Walking Slowly You Can Hear the Grasses Grow
Erykah Badu – New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh)
The Holidays – Post Paradise
James Blake – CMYK
LA Vampires & Zola Jesus – Split [Not Not Fun]
Monster Rally – Palm Reader
oOoOO – oOoOO EP
Wildbirds & Peacedrums – Rivers [The Control Group]
Tier 9
Baths – Cerulean
Beat Connection – Surf Noir EP
Christian Gleinser – Electric Winter [Strange Life]
Gold Panda – Lucky Shiner
Jimmy Edgar – XXX
Kisses – The Heart of the Nightlife
Maker – Maker vs. Now-Again
Scout Niblett – The Calcination of Scout Niblett
The Soft Moon – The Soft Moon
Veil Veil Vanish – Change in the Neon Light
Tier 10
Asura – Asura [Non-Projects]
Clipd Beaks – Clipd Beaks
Cresting – Cresting
Glasser – Ring
Jatun – Blanket of Ash [Other Electricities]
Nicholas – Depth of My Soul [NMH]
Pacific! – Narcissus
Standard Fare – The Noyelle Beat
Tricky – Mixed Race
Warpaint – The Fool
Runners up:
Actress – Splazsh
AG – Everything’s Berri
Allez-Allez – Hideous Racket EP
Amy Annelle – The Cimarron Banks [High Plains Sigh]
Best Coast – Crazy for You
Big Boi – Sir Lucious Left Foot the Son of Chico Dusty
Blackbird Blackbird – Summer Heart
Blue Hawaii – Blooming Summer [Arbutus]
Blue Water White Death – Blue Water White Death
Body Language – Social Studies EP
Bon Accord – Honeydew EP
Brothertiger – Vision Tunnels EP
Cibelle – Las Venus Resort Palace Hotel
Computer Magic – Hiding From Our Time EP
Conforce – Machine Conspiracy
Curren$y – Pilot Talk 2
Darkstar – North [HDB]
D’eon – Palinopsia
Dum Dum Girls – I Will Be
Flashworx – Two Guys in Japan EP
Goldfrapp – Head First [Mute]
Gonjasufi – A Sufi and a Killer
jj – jj no 3
I’m Kingfisher – Arctic
Keep Shelly in Athens – In Love With Dusk
Knxwledge – Klouds
Kollektiv Turmstrasse – Rebellion der Traumer
Lady Gaga – Fame Monster
Magda – From the Fallen Page [Minus]
Memoryhouse – The Years EP
Moritz von Oswald Trio – Live in New York [Honest Jon's Records; 2010]
Mrs Jynx – Shark Carousel
Natural Snow Buildings – The Centauri Agent
Onra – Long Distance
Ost and Kjex – Cajun Lunch
Philip Jeck – An Ark for the Listener
Pigeons – Si Faustine
Pretty Lights – Glowing in the Darkest Night
Prince Rama of Ayodhya – Shadow Temple
Raudive – Chamber Music [Macrom]
Rick Ross – Teflon Don
Seeland – How to Live
Sequence Theory Project – Toyland
Sex Worker – Waving Goodbye [Not Not Fun]
Shed – The Traveller
Silver Columns – Yes, & Dance
Soul Center – General Eclectics [Strike 118]
Tamaryn – The Waves
Violens – Amoral
Voice of the Seven Thunders – Voice of the Seven Thunders
Wacka Flocka Flame – Flockaveli
White Hinterland – Kairos
Yeasayer – Odd Blood
Young Man – Boy
Hilariously bad:
Color Theory – The Sound
Curry and Coco – We Are Beauty
High Life – Best Bless
_
