The Top 21 Albums of 2010

[Rex Kickass]

We had over a dozen lists submitted by Soxtalk music fans. We scored based on position in the top 10 chart, and every #1 album of the year makes the list. So, tonight, we'll list albums 21 - 16.

 

21. The Gay Blades - Savages

10 pts - top rating, 3E8 #1

 

 

Brooklyn, NY/Asbury Park, NJ trash-pop duo The Gay Blades released their sophmore effort "Savages," this October, on Triple Crown records. From the Absolute Punk review:

 

Rock and Roll use to be about breaking all the rules and disobeying anything and everything. Nowadays it’s about who can squeeze into the tightest jeans and rack up facebook fans. So it’s head turning when you come across a band that simply doesn’t give a f***. The Gay Blades are that band, and they have taken punching you in the mouth to another level. Clark Westfield and Puppy Mills are kicking ass and taking names without a cause and it’s never felt so good.

 

Their second album, Savages is anything but a slump. More like the surprise album of the year. For those who are expecting a Ghosts Pt. Deux, go search else where. The band has expanded on their trash-pop core and have developed and progressed into one of the most solid two pieces in music.

 

20. Javiera Mena - Mena

10 pts - top rating, TomPickle #1

 

 

Javiera Alejandra Mena Carrasco (born June 3, 1983), publicly known just as Javiera Mena, is a Chilean Indie electronic pop musician. She started her musical career in the Chilean indie music scene in 2001, and transformed into one of the most relevant Chilean indie acts after the release of her first studio album in 2006. Her musical style tends to be electronic-oriented with the presence of a synthesizer, although prior to her official debut she used to make more acoustic-oriented songs with a guitar.

 

Javiera’s second album, after more than 4 years of production and mastering, was released in 2010 entitled just Mena. This work was also produced by Cristian Heyne, and took a more dancefloor-oriented taste compared to her first album, that despite of having songs of this type, it also had some mid-tempo and slow ballads. The album’s first single, “Hasta la verdad”, was listed as one of the Singles of the Week to pay attention to in the USA iTunes Music Store, and iTunes Mexico in December of this year considered Mena as the breakthrough album of the year.

 

(From Wikipedia)

 

19. Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More

10 points - top rating - GREEDY - #5

 

 

Mumford & Sons are an English folk rock band. The band consists of Marcus Mumford (vocals, guitar, drums, mandolin), Ben Lovett (vocals, keyboards, accordion, drums), "Country" Winston Marshall (vocals, banjo, dobro), and Ted Dwane (vocals, string bass, drums). Although the band members have claims on certain instruments, the members switch instruments during live shows according to convenience, for they each play a variety of instruments. The band formed in late 2007, rising out of West London's folk scene with other artists such as Laura Marling, Johnny Flynn and Noah and the Whale.

 

From the review from the Late PASTE magazine.

 

Sign No More works because it’s commanding in all aspects of its presentation: The unashamedly universal themes are matched by the group’s booming sound and imagery that stretches out over space and time. Bridges on “Sigh No More,” “The Cave” and “Little Lion Man” rollick extra-hard as trombone flourishes and banjo chords—jumping around like beads of oil in a deep-fryer—shift frantically over booming bass riffs and drum beasts. With something that could almost be considered audacity (if it weren’t so much fun) the album double name-checks the pet myths of the Old World and the New. The Shakespearean title and lead track are echoed throughout the album with imagery that blends royalty and spirituality, in a very Anglican, or Arthurian, move. On “White Blank Page,” Mumford queries in a gravelly growl, “Can you kneel before the king, and say I’m clean?” and “Awake my Soul,” directly recalls the Thomas Ken hymn, repeated in that church’s liturgy for hundreds of years. Meanwhile, “Timshel” is straight-up Steinbeck worship and “Dustbowl Dance” keeps him close at hand as well.

 

18. Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid

10 points, Top Rating - The Bones #1

 

 

Janelle Monáe is an American Grammy-Nominated singer, songwriter, dancer, and performer. She is currently signed to the Wondaland Arts Society and Bad Boy/Atlantic Records. Monáe first introduced herself to the music scene with a conceptual Extended Play named ‘’Metropolis: Suite I (The Chase)’’ which gained her a Grammy nomination for her track ‘’Many Moons’’[1]. The EP failed to make much of an impact commercially peaking at 115 in the United States.[2] In 2010 Monáe released her first studio album, ‘’The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III)’’, a concept album sequel to her first EP. It was released to general acclaim from critics and it gained a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album; the song "Tightrope" is also nominated for "Best Urban/Alternative Performance". The album made more of an impact commercially also peaking at number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 200.

 

From Pitchfork's review:

The most impressive thing about The ArchAndroid isn't that it bounces between genres, but that it does so without compromising quality or cohesion. Its most recent antecedent is André 3000's The Love Below, but Monáe and her songwriting partners skillfully avoid that album's overreach and missteps, showing a similar level of fearless creativity but with greater focus and discipline. Despite the style-hopping, the album is sequenced so that many of the songs flow together seamlessly, and the shifts in tone seem intuitive rather than jarring. Monáe's dramatic structure goes a long way toward keeping this from being an incoherent pile-up of affectations, providing a narrative through line that makes sense of the transitions, and implies momentum and resolution even if you're tuning out the lyrics.

 

17. Robyn - Body Talk

10 pts - Top Rating - RexKickass, TheBones #6

 

 

Robyn is a Swedish recording artist, singer, and songwriter. Robyn became known in the late nineties for her worldwide dance-pop hits "Show Me Love" and "Do You Know (What It Takes)" from her debut album Robyn Is Here (1997). Robyn released the first of a trilogy of albums to be released over the course of 2010 titled Body Talk Pt. 1, in June of that year, peaking at #1. It was her first album since Robyn. The album's lead single "Dancing on My Own" was released a few weeks prior to the album's release, and became a hit single worldwide, and brought her a 53rd Grammy Awards nomination for the category of Best Dance Recording. A follow up album, Body Talk Pt. 2, was released on September 6, entering straight at #1[2] of the Swedish chart, and the final album of the trilogy, Body Talk, was released on November 22, 2010 with the first single "Indestructible".

 

From the Pitchfork review:

Melding dancehall with bubblegum pop, heartbroken love songs with hilariously catty weirdness, and euphorically catchy melodies with propulsive rhythms, Body Talk-- which combines the five-song Body Talk Pt. 3 with, outside of Pt. 1's uncommonly wise "Cry When You Get Older", the highlights from the first two mini-albums-- is a deeply affecting pop record. Robyn may not have released three full albums this year as first implied, but her first true full-length in five years is one of the year's best.

 

16. Rick Ross - Teflon Don

10 pts - Top Rating - Top Rating - Mhizzle85, ChiSox Sonix #6

 

 

Rick Ross released his fourth studio album entitled Teflon Don, which was released on July 6, 2010. The lead is "Super High" featuring Ne-Yo. Actress Stacey Dash made an appearance in the music video. A second official single was released titled "Live Fast, Die Young" which features and is produced by Kanye West. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 selling 176,000 copies in its first week.

 

From the CultureBully review:

If you were to measure Teflon Don‘s lyrical substance on a scale of 1 – 10, you’d end up with a negative number: there simply isn’t any. But if you measure the album on its ability to showcase a non-stop flow of tremendously tight beats, mixed in with some consistent contributions from some of today’s biggest names, and capped off by a memorable showing on the mic from The Boss, Teflon Don is scoring high.

[Rex Kickass]

15. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang

11 points - top rating Cali - #3

The Gaslight Anthem are an American punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, consisting of Brian Fallon (lead vocals, guitar), Alex Rosamilia (guitar, backing vocals), Alex Levine (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Benny Horowitz (drums, percussion, tambourine). They released their first album, Sink or Swim, on XOXO Records in May 2007, and their second album, The '59 Sound, on SideOneDummy Records in August 2008. The band's third album, American Slang, was released on June 15, 2010.

 

From the AV Club Review

 

The first two albums by The Gaslight Anthem were impassioned pastiches of pop-punk and Americana, but they were overtly derivative at times, often packing lyrics and ideas from other people’s songs into tightly compressed rock-bombs. The band’s third LP, American Slang, represents a welcome, organic progression. It’s more varied in style than the excellent (but samey) The ’59 Sound, and the songs feel more original—the product of Brian Fallon’s notebooks, not his record collection.

 

14. The Black Keys - Brothers

12 Points - top rating PlaySomeFnJourney #3

Brothers was released on May 18, 2010, featuring a 15 track listing. The album was produced by The Black Keys and Mark Neill, and was mixed by Tchad Blake.The song "Tighten Up" (featured on the FIFA 11 soundtrack) was released before the album as a single, along with "Howlin' for You" (featured on the NHL 11 soundtrack) on the B-side. Brothers sold over 73,000 copies in its first week, giving it a #3 ranking on the Billboard Albums chart, their highest yet. Furthermore, the single "Tighten Up" has become their most successful single, reaching the top spot on the US Alternative charts. The Brothers CD has a thin thermal film on the surface, which changes colors depending on the temperature of the surroundings and ranges from completely black to a creamy surface with writing when placed in a CD player.

 

From the Rolling Stone review

The Black Keys — singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney on drums — are a two-man combo with a big-band mind. On Brothers, their first studio album after a year of offshoot affairs (Auerbach's solo album, Keep It Hid; Carney's side group, Drummer; a hip-hop project, BlakRoc), the Keys make a thick, dirty racket, overdubbed but never overstuffed.

 

13. Beach House - Teen Dream

13 Points - top rating RexKickass #4

Beach House is an American indie rock duo formed in 2004 in Baltimore, Maryland, consisting of French-born Victoria Legrand and Baltimore native Alex Scally. Their self-titled debut, Beach House, was critically acclaimed. Their second release, Devotion, was in 2008. The band released their third studio album, Teen Dream in January 2010, also to positive critical and commercial reaction.

 

The NME review

It’d be almost guilt-free to call this a perfect record – of all the bands who put an ear up to the chest and channel heartbreak, no-one coats it in gold and jewels like Beach House do. They’re a band who triumph in subtleties rather than innovation, making ‘Teen Dream’ a gorgeously comfortable listen. Some might say it’s too cosy, but that’d be as churlish as complaining that a masseuse’s hands were too soft while reclining on a goosedown quilt. No, much as Animal Collective defined 2009 from a similarly early vantage point, Beach House will deservedly do the same this year, but one of the most spellbinding things about this record is its imperfections; those occasional moments where the balance isn’t quite struck and swathes of beauty shift slightly out of focus hint that there’s still room for them to grow next time around.

 

12. Spoon - Transference

14 points - top rating PlaySomeFnJourney #1

The band was formed in late 1993 by lead singer/guitarist Britt Daniel and drummer Jim Eno, after the two met as members of The Alien Beats. The name Spoon was chosen to honor the 1970s German avant-garde band Can, whose hit song "Spoon" was the theme song to the movie Das Messer. Eno describes Spoon's music as "rock 'n' roll."

 

From the Pitchfork Review

Up to this point, Spoon have employed their signature tight pocket grooves as a shorthand for authority, certainty, and swagger. It's one of the most appealing things about the band, and the sound has made even Britt Daniel's most vulnerable moments seem grounded and forthright. They've turned it all inside-out on Transference, subtly shifting the leading signifiers of Spoon-iness just so for a destabilizing effect.

 

11. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

14 points - top rating BigSqwert #2

LCD Soundsystem is a musical project fronted by American musician, songwriter and producer James Murphy, co-founder of record label DFA Records. It has released three critically acclaimed albums, with 2010's This Is Happening also charting in the Billboard Top 10.

 

From the LA Times Review

“This Is Happening” brims with smaller joys: the contrast between the wafer-dry vocal harmonies and funk-sopping synth bass on “Dance Yourself Clean”; the cut-rate laser noises on the calisthenic banger “Pow Pow.” These things accrue into a wry loveliness that’s never easy or expected. Nobody in contemporary music understands the sonic interplay between the synthetic and the organic like Murphy — the groaning guitar feedback and flitting keyboards of “All I Want” make for an exquisite daydream.

 

Weirdly, the “White Light/White Heat”-baiting first single “Drunk Girls” might be the most moving — after some hilarious party anthropology (drunk girls totally know that “Just ‘cause I’m heartless doesn’t mean that I’m mean”), Murphy comes out on the side of love: “I believe in waking up together, so that means making eyes across the room.”

 

Individually, these things never quite ascend to the power of “Friends” or “Someone Great.” But maybe that’s the point of growing older — eventually, you don’t want to be overwhelmed all the time. If this really is the last LCD record, then, to paraphrase its author, these songs are all friends that you can see every night.

[Rex Kickass]

10. Vampire Weekend - Contra

15 points - top rating RexKickass - #2

Vampire Weekend is an American indie rock band from New York City that formed in 2006 and signed to XL Recordings. The band released its first album Vampire Weekend in 2008. The band's most recent album, Contra, was released in 2010. Initial copies of the CD and LP sold at independent records stores in the US include a 3-track bonus CD containing two "melts", which featured bits of album tracks and a remix. Contra was the band's first album to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200.

 

From the AV Club Review

Like Vampire Weekend, Contra is coming out during the month when it’s just as easy to be a best-album frontrunner as it is to get lost in the shuffle by the time those lists are made. But Vampire Weekend’s new disc seems to have aspirations beyond just making a good impression in 2010: It’s a career statement, one that’s letting the world know that these Columbia University preps have more than just a fleeting interest in world music, that they’re still aiming to impress but aren’t always going to take the easy route, and that sophomore slumps are for the kind of suckers who only had one good album of material to begin with. Once again produced by keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij, who’s brought over some of the electro-pop and Auto-Tune heard on his excellent Discovery side project, Contra follows its predecessor’s wise use of space, only filling in gaps when necessary. And thus Vampire Weekend continues to be Talking Heads’ heir apparent, with a good amount of Smiths-like literate pop thrown in.

 

 

9. Against Me! - White Crosses

15 Points - top rating Cali #1

Against Me! is a punk rock band formed in 1997 in Gainesville, Florida. Their first full-length album, released on No Idea Records in 2002, was Against Me! Is Reinventing Axl Rose. They have released music on Misanthrope Records, Crasshole Records, Plan It X Records, Sabot Productions, No Idea Records, and Fat Wreck Chords. In December 2005, they signed with Sire Records, and released their major label debut, New Wave on July 10, 2007. Their second album on Sire, White Crosses, was released on June 4, 2010.

 

From the Culture Bully review

As with the band’s past efforts, White Crosses is as grounded in a strong sense of the blue-collar rock patriarchs of days gone by as it is in an honest lyrical reflection of the realities of every day life. Touching on love, death, and religion, thematically White Crosses is ultimately about learning to live each day without losing faith in yourself or those around you. Accompanying the heartfelt stories is a soundtrack perfect for approaching such a struggle.

 

8. Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz

16 Points - top rating TheBones #2

Sufjan Stevens (pronounced /ˈsuːfjɑːn/ SOOF-yahn; born July 1, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 2000 release, A Sun Came. He is best known for his 2005 album, Illinois, which hit number one in the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart, and for the song "Chicago".

The NME review

Breathtakingly de trop in almost every regard, ‘The Age Of Adz’ also conjures just enough moments of heart-stopping gorgeousness to foot the bill for its dizzying excesses. Who knew the apocalypse could be so beautiful?

 

7. B.o.B. - The Adventures of Bobby Ray

17 points - top rating ChiSoxSonix and Heads22 #5

Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr. (born November 15, 1988), also known by his stage name B.o.B, is an American rapper and record producer. He is currently signed under the labels of Grand Hustle Records, Rebel Rock Entertainment, and Atlantic Records. His debut single "Nothin' on You" reached number one in both the United States and the United Kingdom. "Airplanes," B.o.B's second single, emulated this success, peaking at number one and number two in the U.K. and the U.S., respectively. His third single, "Magic," became B.o.B's third consecutive top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100. B.o.B was named the ninth Hottest MC in the Game of 2010 by MTV.

 

From the LA Times Review

Yet at his best, Simmons channels the spirit of a young Kanye West. The album’s stand-out, “The Kids,” riffs on a Vampire Weekend sample, all while Simmons expresses his insecurity about winning street cred.

 

Like Kanye, Simmons doesn’t shy from middle-class tales, and is comfortable rapping over space-age R&B. “Airplanes,” for instance, which comes with a stern cameo from Paramore’s Hayley Williams, pairs the artist with a meditative piano as he contemplates whether this whole bid-for-fame thing is worthwhile. The rags-to-riches rap is a cliched one, but Simmons’ take feels brave. It takes true guts, after all, to admit nostalgia for the days of working at a fast-food shop.

 

 

6. Drake - Thank Me Later

17 points - top rating Mhizzle85 #2

Aubrey Drake Graham (born October 24, 1986), who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor. He originally became known for playing character Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation.

 

In June 2009 Graham signed a recording contract with Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment. In November 2009, Lil Wayne released a statement announcing that Drake's first studio album, Thank Me Later, had been completed. The album was released on June 15, 2010, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.

 

From the Pitchfork Review

Drake sings or raps the word "I" 410 times on his debut album. Even in the realm of hip-hop-- a style famous for its unswerving solipsism-- this is a feat. For comparison's sake, noted mirror watcher Kanye West managed to work only 220 "I"'s into the verses and hooks of his big break, The College Dropout. Illmatic; 210. Reasonable Doubt; 240. With Thank Me Later, Drake attempts to enter the pantheon of those rap game-busters by the sheer force of first person singular pronouns. All eyes are on him-- especially his own. But considering this mixed race, half-Jewish, all-Canadian "Degrassi: The Next Generation" alum looks and sounds unlike any major rap star before him, betting the house on nothing but himself turns out to be a wise gamble.

[Rex Kickass]

5. Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon II

22 points - top rating Heads22 - #1

Cudi's sophomore album, Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager,[22][23] was released on November 9, 2010.[30] A promotional single, "REVOFEV", was released from the album in early 2010. The official lead single, "Erase Me" featuring Kanye West, was released for airplay on June 30, 2010. The single was officially released on iTunes on August 24, 2010 and debuted at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 earning the status of "Hot Shot Debut".[31]

 

Cudi appeared as himself in the 10th episode of the 8th season of the CW TV show One Tree Hill dated November 29.

 

From the Spin Review

 

That said, Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, the sequel to The End of Day, is a revelation, boldly reshaping Cudi's sound -- with vivid production by Emile, Plain Pat, the Cool Kids' Chuck Inglish, Jim Jonsin, Diplo, and others. The album's narrative (yes, there is one this time, and it mercifully does not involve a Biography Channel voice-over by Common!) follows an idealistic artist who gets trapped in hip-hop's make-it-rain imaginarium and emerges a predictably stupefied casualty. His cautionary journey takes the music in a makeshift '90s-alt-rock direction, jacked up on jittery beats that eerily mirror the rush and crash of someone who's been given way too much access to way too much ass. The dizzy friction between rap's grasping for control and rock's desire to lose it entirely give Cudi's confessions a dicey, volatile edge.

 

4. Sleigh Bells - Treats

25 Points - top rating GREEDY #2

Based in Brooklyn, New York, Sleigh Bells are composed of Derek E. Miller (songwriter, guitarist, producer) and Alexis Krauss (vocals). Miller was formerly the guitarist for the hardcore band Poison the Well, and Krauss was a member of the teen pop group Rubyblue. Krauss also appeared in a Nickelodeon Magazine commercial as a young girl.

 

From the Pitchfork review

Treats delivers completely on the promise of those demos. Sleigh Bells haven't stopped living the red, but the improved recording quality makes songs including "Crown on the Ground" that much heavier, and the duo have managed to extend their uncomplicated formula across 11 tracks without it wearing thin. The combination of the music's essentials-- jackhammer riffs clipped from punk and metal, mid-tempo beats from hip-hop and electro, and supremely catchy sing-song melodies-- is striking on its own, sounding remarkably fresh and unlike anything else right now. But an even greater source of the record's appeal is how it doesn't sound especially referential.

 

3. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

32 Points - top rating GREEDY #1

Arcade Fire is an indie rock band based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada The band consists of the husband and wife duo of Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, Will Butler, Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury, Jeremy Gara, and Sarah Neufeld. The band play guitar, drums, bass guitar, piano, violin, viola, cello, double bass, xylophone, glockenspiel, keyboard, French horn, accordion, harp, mandolin and hurdy-gurdy. The band takes most of their instruments on tour, and the multi-instrumentalist band members switch instrumental duties throughout their shows.

 

Arcade Fire have won numerous awards, including both the Meteors 2008 Best International Album award and the Juno Awards 2008 Alternative Album of the Year award for Neon Bible. It has also been nominated for the Best Alternative Music Album Grammy in 2005 for Funeral and in 2008 for Neon Bible. Arcade Fire released their third studio album, The Suburbs, in 2010 to further critical and commercial success, receiving another Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Album, as well as a nomination for Album of the Year.

 

The LA Times review

The Suburbs” is an accomplished love letter that radiates affection as much as bitterness. Don’t forget the album, they seem to urge, the slow read, the long stretch of night uninterrupted by e-mail or text messages. In doing so, Arcade Fire offers “hope that something pure can last.”

 

2. Eminem - Recovery

38 points - top rating ChiSoxSonix and Steve9347 #1

Marshall Bruce Mathers III, better known by his stage name Eminem, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Eminem quickly gained popularity in 1999 with his major-label debut album, The Slim Shady LP, which won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. The following album, The Marshall Mathers LP, became the fastest-selling solo album in United States history. It brought Eminem increased popularity, including his own record label, Shady Records, and brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition.

 

From the Culture Bully Review

It’s not any sort of revelation to find out what Eminem meant by saying that he feels like he’s a new person, the MC bluntly explaining that “the new me’s back to the old me” in “Talkin’ 2 Myself.” But what comes with this return is a renewed sense of clarity that has freed him of whatever was holding him back with Relapse. It’s one thing to say that Eminem is a changed person, and it’s another for the MC to actually come through with an album that reaffirms the statement. With Recovery he’s done just that. Perhaps it’s Eminem who should have released an album called Rebirth and not Lil Wayne, because with Recovery Marshall Mathers sounds more confident and clearheaded than he has in years, and it’s left the MC with one of his most complete records to date.

 

 

1. Kanye West - My Dark Twisted Fantasy

73 points - top rating #1 (Five Lists)

Kanye West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and Janet Jackson. His style of production originally used pitched-up vocal samples from soul songs incorporated with his own drums and instruments. However, subsequent productions saw him broadening his musical palette and expressing influences encompassing '70s R&B, baroque pop, trip hop, arena rock, folk, alternative, electronica, synth-pop, and classical music.

 

From the Rolling Stone Review

When Kanye West sings about "jerk-offs that’ll never take work off," you’d best believe he means himself. Being crazy is this guy’s job, and judging from the sound of his music, business is booming. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is his most maniacally inspired music yet, coasting on heroic levels of dementia, pimping on top of Mount Olympus. Yeezy goes for the grandeur of stadium rock, the all-devouring sonics of hip-hop, the erotic gloss of disco, and he goes for all of it, all the time. Nobody halfway sane could have made this album.