2010 YEAR END LIST MAKING

###I am reposting this since we have gained a lot of followers since it was last posted, and I want to inform everyone who wants to join in on this:

It’s getting around that time that I get excited for, year end list making.  Year end list making is fun, and remembering and ranking your favorite albums in order can be quite challenging.  If you have a list of your top 10 favorite albums of the year, and you want them featured on this blog, have your list drafted up by early December. I will start unraveling my favorite albums starting December 1st.

If you have a little more or a little less than 10, don’t worry, you still get consideration.  EPs are considered as well as full LPs; I’d encourage you to group EPs and LPs by the same artist together:  (example:  Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People EP / The Age of Adz considered as one entry). My plan is to take these community lists and average them up to draft up a top 10 of our followers. 

Thanks, and let the fun begin.

- Ryan

Kristian Barber’s Top 10

Kristian Barber’s a good friend of ours and decided to submit is list to us over Facebook (by all means, we’ll take your submissions there too.)  Well, this is not a true “top 10”, it’s more like a top 8 (no Myspace).  I can’t say I agree with Menomena or Interpol, but they’re great albums nonetheless.  I definitely agree with the placement of Foals, and I haven’t heard enough of the rest to form a valid judgment. 

Kristian Barber > Ryan Bright
i forgot my year end list !!MENOMENA- MINES!!
interpol-interpol
foals- total life forever
volumes- concept of dreaming
circa survive- blue sky noise
ugly colors- perfect as we are
tides of man- dreamhouse
efterklang- magic chairs

….kinda in that order

- Ryan

Ben Hagy’s Top 15 of 2010

This is an ambitious top 15 from a friend of our’s, Dilan’s, roommate. Glad to see people wanting to get involved through other people.  There is a lot of good variety here, jumping from straight laced indie to rap to experimental to..Japanese music?   Good list, even if I haven’t heard every single album on it.  - Ryan

Jerry Dilan Walters > Trey Hill Ryan Bright
Friend/Roommate’s List, mine will be fairly similar. It’s a top 15 but you can take the last 5 off if you want.

1. Yellow Swans - Going Places
2. Menomena - Mines
…3. Tokyo Jihen - Sports
4. Rin Toshite Shigure- Still a Sigure Virgin?
5. Big Boi- Sir Luscious Leftfoot: The Son of Chico Dusty
6. Alcest- Écailles de Lune
7. Flying Lotus- Cosmogramma
8. The School- Loveless Unbeliever
9. LCD Soundsystem- This Is Happening
10. Janelle Monáe- The Archandroid
11. Gonjasufi- A Sufi and a Killer
12. Boris- Variations
13. Baths- Cerulean
14. Owen Pallett- Heartland
15. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

Tony Walters - Top Eleven Albums of 2010

Pretty interesting list; some well deserved spots like Big Boi in the top 5 (and yes, Fo Yo Sorrows with it’s chiptune/IDM beat shouldn’t work in a rap song but it does, and well) and of course, Beach House.  Surprisingly enough, Sufjan Stevens and Arcade Fire are pretty low in the list!  Excellent write up and I appreciate the thorough explanations.  - Ryan

Tony Walters November 14 at 5:59pm

The Top Eleven

10. TIE between Future Islands-In Evening Air  &  Twin Shadow-Forget

            Lame, I know, but I really just could not choose between the two, as these are two of my favorites of the year.  Future Islands bring to fruition the talent their first album hinted at, and this album is synth pop at its finest.  From the euphoric beginner, Walking Through That Door, to the rousing and dramatic centerpiece Inch of Dust, to the weary defeated ending As I Fall, the themes of love and loss are boldly proclaimed through synths and Samuel T. Herrings melodramatic rasp. 

            Twin Shadow is an equally powerful album, possessing a nostalgic quality throughout that adds power to George Lewis Jr.’s simple but profound lyrics.  I Can’t Wait, At My Heels and Yellow Balloon are some of my personal favorites, but the hardest hitter may be the haunting and powerful closer, Forget.  Consistently great from start to finish.

9. Crystal Castles-Crystal Castles

            -Eagerly anticipated due to the huge success of their first, this one did not disappoint, and I was personally happier to see new direction instead of a rehash of their first.  The diversity of this album can be summed up by the stark contrast between Celestica, a polished and touching track that perhaps is showing a tender side of Alice Glass, and the track that immediately follows it, Doe Deer, a rough, raw, energy filled minute and a half filled with screeches.  Not a bad track on the album, and I am particularly fond of the sigur-ros sampling Year of Silence in addition to the previously mentioned Doe Deer. 

8. Arcade Fire-The Suburbs

            -Should be showing up on a lot of top ten lists, and with good reason.  This is an immaculately crafted album, from a band that just cannot seem to disappoint.  I long ago accepted that nothing they make will quite match up to Funeral, but damn if they haven’t been coming close with their albums.  They still have that classic Arcade Fire sound, but add to their repertoire of sounds with some sonic exploration, culminating in the amazing Sprawl II.  Epic.

7. Sufjan Stevens-The Age of Adz/All Delighted People EP

            -Had to resist the temptation to bump this up to number 1 after seeing him live, these are two albums are truly incredible works of art.  The world is a more beautiful place because of Sufjan’s music, and while the EP offers several gems (The Owl and the Tanager and Arnika have quickly become some of my favorite Sufjan songs), the Age of Adz is a triumph.  Every song is good, Impossible Soul manages to be interesting for a full 25 minutes, and Sufjan has proved that pushing your boundaries as an artist can result in overwhelming success.

6. Local Natives-Gorilla Manor

            -What a debut.  Local Natives blew me away with this beautiful album, showing perfect polish yet keeping a loose, fun atmosphere.  Every song is great, I can never get enough of the harmonies, and the song writing is impressive for a bunch of young guys.  And god, what a centerpiece for the album they have in Camera Talk-easily one of the best songs of the year.

5. Big Boi-Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Song of Chico Dusty

            -As a huge Outkast fan, I was a little nervous about this album.  I wanted it to be great, but kind of just wished we could have another Outkast album.  Well, after hearing this, I’m glad Big Boi went on his own and created this sprawling and creative showcase for his prodigious talent.  His guests all impress, but Big Boi commands attention with his trademark style of rapping.  General Patton may have the most swagger I’ve ever heard in a song, Fo Yo Sorrows feels like it shouldn’t work but somehow does perfectly, and Shine Blockas is just flawlessly fun.

4. Das Racist-Shut Up Dude/Sit Down Man

            -Well, those combination pizza hut and taco bell guys showed me.  I paid attention to them because of that catchy song, and after listening to both of their amazing mixtapes, it may be my least favorite song of theirs.  These guys are smart, funny, and legitimately talented.  I still find myself blown away by some of their internal rhyming, and I feel like every time I listen to these mixtapes I catch a new reference in their raps.  The fact that they managed to put out not one but two incredible mixtapes (27 tracks) with hardly any duds gets these guys the well deserved fourth spot on this list.  Give them a chance and you will not regret it, some good songs to start with are Rainbow in the Dark, hahahaha jk?, and rapping 2 u.      

3. Gonjasufi-A Sufi and a Killer

            -Weird and wonderful.  Definitely not for everyone, but fully deserving of the third spot on this list.  Gonjasufi’s vocals range from creaky whispers to wild wails, and is always at the center of his music.  I know plenty of people who were turned off by the production, but it only makes the music more appealing to me.  The filthy, creaky, tattered atmosphere coupled with Gonjasufi’s intimate voice makes me feel like I’m in a smoke-filled run down bar, mostly empty, being serenaded by a crazy man.  For some reason, I can’t stop listening.  You’ll find yourself nodding your head to tracks like Candylane and Kowboyz & Indians, but you’ll also have to pause to appreciate the haunting power of Kobwebz and Made.  And what can I say about Sheep and She Gone, other than they defy genres and succeed amazingly.

2. Beach House-Teen Dream

            -Woke up, went through my day, and went to sleep listening to this album for a significant portion of this year.  It is just that good, I cannot say enough about Victoria Legrand’s incredible voice.  I’m always impressed when there isn’t a bad song on an album, but I’m even more impressed when every single song on an album is great, and this is such an album.  The lyrics deal with familiar themes of love and longing, as well as loss, but no matter your situation Legrand’s words are soothing, culminating in the tender Take Care.  I don’t care whether you’ve experienced love or not, everyone owes it to themselves to at least give this a few listens all the way through.

1. Gorillaz-Plastic Beach

            -Gorillaz ahead of heavyweights like Arcade Fire and Sufjan Stevens?  Believe it.  I had no expectations of this album, believing that after the first two solid albums, Damon Albarn would run out of ideas for this little project.  Instead, he completely outdid himself, creating an incredible album.  The guests are perfect, and what started off as a cartoon band has evolved into a musical collective, pushing the boundaries of accessible, fun music.  Don’t ask me how this album works, because it looks like it shouldn’t (Snoop Dogg and Lou Reed on the same album!?).  Yet somehow, I always find myself listening to it all the way through, feeling like despite the incredible variety and diversity in its songs, it is a complete, focused album.  It flows perfectly, with appropriate highs and lows in tempo, and contrasts between rap and Albarn’s melancholy wail spread throughout songs.  Albarn’s attention to detail and immaculate crafting of this album makes every song essential, and contributes to the overall greatness of this album.  Definitely takes a few listens to fully appreciate, but I know I’ll be coming back to this one for years.           

Ryan Bright’s The 10 of ‘10 that didn’t make it

I did a top 20, and it was seriously hard to choose this.  Most of these albums could compete with my top 10, and a ton of records that I liked, like the Blitzen Trapper and Joanna Newsom records, don’t even get a mention at all. 

You can preview a song from each release right here:

20. Sleigh Bells - Treats Sleigh Bells had a weird effect on me this year.  Dream pop set to noisy hip-hop beats is certainly original, and when I first found out about them I swore that I struck gold.  But I did find that I played them out way too quickly.  Treats definitely lacks the staying power of the other albums on this list, but I put it up here because at one point, it was the only album that I played for weeks.

19. Circa Survive – Blue Sky Noise Circa Survive deserves credit for being one of the originators of the ambient progressive sound in the scene.  Many have tried but can’t duplicate Anthony Green’s creative power along with the talent of the rest of the band in wrapping up Anthony’s vocals in this blanket of dense, textural music.  It’s something that I can’t even justify with these words, you’d just have to hear it for yourself. 

18.  Joe Budden – Mood Muzik 4 Joe Budden delivers another release of his highly emotional mixtapes. He’s not afraid to criticize others and himself in his lyrics using many personal anecdotes.  Aside from a few missteps (like the Creed sampling “1000 Faces”, two severely unfunny skits, the unnamed, D-list R&B artists on “Role Reversal” and “Welcome to Real Life” ), this mixtape stays consistent.  He reminds us that it’s okay to be a one-note rapper if you’re extremely good at that one note. The problem is, sometimes he goes overboard with that “woe is me” note to the point where we could care less, like the almost 6 minutes of the depressing “Black Cloud.”  Overall, this is an essential rap release to check out this year, especially if you’re looking for something more than cars and hoes.  

17.  Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles II When it came time for a follow-up CD, Crystal Castles stuck to the same premise as their first CD—going so far as to not even give it a different title (for sake of separating them, I refer to it as Crystal Castles II).  Every song on the CD hits hard, some of them hitting so abrasively you’d swear that they were burning through your speakers (“Fainting Spells,” “Doe Deer”).  Other times they chill out and the results are just as great (“Empathy”, “Celestica”).

 16. Minus the Bear – OMNI Minus the Bear has always stayed consistently great throughout their career.  With OMNI they make their songs more catchy (“Pachuca Sunrise” fans – take note!) but they still keep the technical skills and amazingly descriptive lyrics that they are known for.  It’s not an album that I find myself too often but when I do, I always find a little something new with it.  And really, those are the best kind of albums to have. 

15. Yeasayer – Odd Blood Odd Blood was released way early in the year but I can still come back to it and play it straight through.  It’s a pure experimental pop record, think MGMT but with better songs.  I like how they have captured the sounds of the 80’s on this record in a unique way (but I have a hard time explaining “Love Me Girl,” which sounds like some 90’s boy band that never got popular). 

14. Wavves – King of the Beach King of the Beach is what I call the best slacker achievement of 2010.  Mainly the project of Nathan Williams, it’s amazing how he gets anything done while he’s busy smoking pot and, to take a line from the album, “sittin alone playin Nintendo” in his room.  This music feels more like his hobby, another thing he does when he gets bored.  But it’s a very strong record, kinda sounds like old Green Day and Blink 182, but still sounds indie.   

13. Four Tet – There Is Love In You For those who liked Crystal Castles II, I beg you to take a chance on this glanced over album.  Here is an electronic dance album that is aimed both to make you move and to relax with your headphones.  It succeeds amazingly on both levels. With an album like Crystal Castles II, you pretty much know what you’re going to get from each song within the first 30 seconds.  But with Four Tet, you get songs that start off small and then build up little by little. The evolving nature of every song holds up quite well over multiple listens (just looking at the 7 minute song entitled “This Unfolds” pretty much reveals the whole point.).

12.  Curren$y – Pilot Talk / Pilot Talk II Curren$y has had a busy year in 2010, releasing two full length rap records this year, showing up alongside French Montana on the way too chill “In The Sun” and being the sidekick to Wiz Khalifa’s like-minded flow (weed, bitches, stoner observations, a strange obsession with airplanes).  But Curren$y does it with an added level of detail, whether he’s talking about posting his recent Waffle House order on twitter, or sitting around downloading new NBA rosters on his Xbox 360.

11. Local Natives – Gorilla Manor I had a dilemma deciding where to place this album.  Simply put, it is the best debut album I’ve heard all year.  The problem is…it came out last year, and got re-released in America this year. So really, it’s the best debut I’ve heard in the last two years. If it would have been truly released this year, it would have nabbed my #1 spot easily.  But here it is, at #11, just shy of the top 10 due to technicalities.  

- Ryan

Derek Stone - My Top Ten Albums of 2010 That Are The Top Ten Albums of 2010

Appreciate the work put in with sample youtube videos and a bonus pack of the best music videos of 2010.  My random thoughts:  Solid top 3 for sure, I do agree Arcade Fire was too long winded, that’s what kept it out of my top 20.  And I agree that The National is pretty much hit and miss as well.  - Ryan

I love the idea of including the top videos of the year, too. Plus, some really sick choices - Hot Chip, Black Keys, Vampire Weekend and OK GO videos were awesome. - Shannon

by Derek Stone on Sunday, November 28, 2010 at 11:34am

10. Girl Talk - All Day

Random Thought: After hearing this, I have a new appreciation for “Teach Me How To Duggie” and the music behind Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the USA”. Also, it’s free, so you have no excuse for not checking it out. http://www.illegal-art.net/allday/

9. Beach House - Teen Dream

Random Thought: It’s a lot better than Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream”.

8.The Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards

Random Thought: Despite not being in his main band, Jack White is willing to drop some of the best lines he’s ever written (“Shake your hips like battleships / All the white girls trip when I sing at sunday service”).

7. The National - High Violet

Random Thought: Despite being a bit hit-or-miss, this album has a handful of my favorite songs of the year on it. 

6. Spoon - Transference

Random Thought: Sometimes it’s the parts of music that’s not played that makes music interesting.

5. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Random Thought: This would be #1 if they cut five songs out of their 16.

4. Sleigh Bells - Treats

Random Thought: This album makes me want to run through a brick wall.

3. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy  

Random Thought: It doesn’t matter what you think of him as a person, there is nothing negative you can say about his craft. 

2. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

Random Thought: Perfect on rainy days.

1.  LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

Random Thought: The entire album sounds like the soundtrack to the perfect John Hughes movie.

Second Random Thought: Seriously, Pow Pow is the greatest song ever

Also, the best music videos of the year are:

LCD Sounsystem - Home

LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls

Charlotte Gainsbourg ft. Beck - Heaven Can Wait

Vampire Weekend - Cousins

Kanye West - Power

The Black Keys - Tighten Up

Hot Chip - I Feel Better

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass

Arcade Fire - We Used To Wait


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So, I’ve seen top album lists from NME and NPR already.  This is reminder that we are also doing our very own top 10 (or top 20, if you prefer) album lists and we will post them up if you want to submit them to us.  You can submit on here or through facebook or any other way you wish to get it to me.

- Ryan

Alex Wright’s Top 10 + Honorable Mentions

Alex has been a good friend of me and Trey for a while…you can probably see why.  Love the inclusion of Sufjan, Wavves, and Yeasayer in the top 10.  Still haven’t heard Hot Chip, hope I haven’t been missing out.  A lot of interesting choices like FYS at #1 and the inclusion of Two Door Cinema Club.  And I almost forgot about Band of Horses for a second- good album. - Ryan

Alex Wright
1. Four Year Strong- Enemy of the World

2. Minus The Bear- OMNI

3. Sufjan Stevens- All Delighted People EP / The Age of Adz

4. Broken Bells- s/t

5. Circa Survive- Blue Sky Noise / Appendage EP

6. Wavves- King of the Beach

7. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (II)

8. Yeasayer- Odd Blood

9. Hot Chip- One Life Stand

10. Two Door Cinema Club- Tourist History

Honorable Mentions

1. Joanna Newsom- Have One On Me

2. Sleigh Bells- Treats

3. Surfer Blood- Astrocoast 

4. Band of Horses- Infinite Arms 

5. Yukon Blonde- s/t

Snow Mix

Today I took a final in Biology and now I’m sitting watching the snow fall outside and listening to a snow mix that I made in late January of this year. 

I also started working on the Let This Colony Know followers’ top album list.  I listed out over 30 albums that appeared more than once on your lists and ours, and I’ll have a rough count of which albums appeared most frequently, as well as a poll.  Of course, you can always still submit your top 10 albums of 2010 list to us.  

Tracklist:
1. Bayside - Winter
2. Doves - Snowden
3. Matt Pond PA - Snow Day
4. JJ72 - Snow
5.  Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal
6. Midlake - It Covers The Hillsides
7. Real Estate - Snow Days
8.  Miike Snow - Animal
9.  Explosions in the Sky - Snow and Lights

- Ryan