We first did this in 2007, and again in 2008 and 2009.  In what has become one of the time honored traditions for us I give you our top music albums of 2010.

This year with EOC going into near hibernation and such, we weren't as thorough coming up with formal lists and write-ups as we may have been in the past.  Instead I basically just asked the guys what their favorite albums were and received a hodgepodge of replies.  Here's what I wound up with, uncut and unedited.

Note, this is a long post to get through.  Make sure you have enough screwoff time at work to get through it.  Or maybe print it out and read it on the shitter.

from Lingering Bursitis

Ugh. Morning.

Anyway, Favourite Music I Heard in 2010 (some released in 2009, but fuck you)
----
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Amusement Parks on Fire - Young Fight EP
Stornoway - The Beachcomber's Windowsill
The Coral - Butterfly House
Foals - Total Life Forever
Black Keys - Brothers
Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
Aeroplane - We Can't Fly
The Count and Sinden - Mega Mega Mega
Mystery Jets - Serotonin
Everything Everything - Man Alive
Villagers - Becoming a Jackal
Big Boi - Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Ballad of Chico Dusty
LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening
The Budos Band - III

from Ginger Russ

My Top 10 music:

1. Broken Bells - Broken Bells
2. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
3. The Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards
4. The Black Keys - Brothers
5. Girl Talk - All Day
6. Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer of the Void

from Tuna?

Why are people so obsessed with ranking things?  I think ranking things is over-rated.

from Chaim Witz

(Note: the following excerpt taken from his own blog)

1. Vampire Weekend: Contra - A creative and wholly unique mixture of melodies and guitars that causes unbridled happiness in a much more compact, affordable package than Prozac. A musical science experiment that's quirky yet accessible, sweet but never cloying.
2. Spoon: Transference - Their most challenging yet rewarding album yet. If "Written In Reverse" doesn't make you want to go tackle a cat, I don't know what will.
3. The Black Keys: Brothers - A step in the right direction after the comparatively disappointing Attack and Release, this take no prisoners opus could have been #1 if they'd trimmed some of the fat off the last half of the album.
4. Mumford and Sons: Sigh No More - Rousing, sing-along pub rock at it's finest and one of the best live shows I saw in 2010. Weather or not they're "authentic" enough is a debate best left to the skinny jean Pitchfork nerds.
5. Arcade Fire: The Suburbs - Another album with loads of brilliance, that like the Black Keys, could have used a better editor. These guys are peerless when it comes to rocking the concept album.
6. The Dead Weather: Sea of Cowards - Dirty rock, loud guitar Album of the Year from one of Jack White's 627 side projects.
7. LCD Soundsystem: This is Happening - Stuff this danceable is usually outside of my comfort zone, but this is essentially dance music for old white guys. I fit the bill perfectly.
8. Kings of Leon: Come Around Sundown - I was justifiably leery after their last album of fairly generic stadium rock, as I've always preferred their Dirty South sound, but they rebounded nicely with this one, which took me months to finally pull the trigger on. Detractors will have their way with the meandering pace and lack of crunchy riffs, but in my mind this is one of the best, chill albums of the year.
9. My Chemical Romance: Danger Days - It would be a mistake to pigeon hole these glam rockers as an emo flash in the pan. Think Ziggy Stardust meets Queen with a little cock rock swagger thrown in for good measure.
10. MGMT: Flash Delirium - There are no real catchy singles like on their debut, but there also aren't any real clunkers either. Solid hipster tuneage.

Honorable Mention:

Butch Walker: I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart - Not his best effort, but Days/Months/Years was certainly one of the better songs of last year, and the album has it's definite Butch-y moments.
Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - He's a real douche, but his genius label is somewhat justified. But he's still a douche.
The Soft Pack: Self Titled - California garage rock with some punch.
Pete Yorn: Self Titled - This guy churns out albums like I churn out hyperbole, and this one is one of his better efforts in some time.
Band of Horses: Infinite Arms - "Laredo" is a great song. The rest of the album struggles at times to live up to that gold standard, but is still a pleasant ride.

Other albums I enjoyed to one extent or another: Buckcherry, All Night Long; Stone Temple Pilots, Self Titled; Broken Social Scene, Forgiveness Record; Gaslight Anthem, American Slang

Biggest disappointments: The New Pornographers, Together; Broken Bells, Self Titled; Gorillaz, Plastic Beach; Hot Chip, One Night Stand

from T.R.

My albums of the year:

1) Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
2) Crowded House - Intriguer
3) As yet unreleased Gorillaz album
4) LCD Soundsystem

from Adam Blank

Even though others will try to spin 2010 as a great year for music, I was pretty underwhelmed. If the past is any indication, I've learned that I will discover the best 10 albums of 2010...in another decade or two. Until then, here's the best of the new shit that I actually listened to last year...

10 Los Camposinos!--Romance is Boring

This album came out of Wales (although, interestingly enough, none of their 7 members are Welsh). I've seen this album described as being about "relationships, sex, football (soccer to you and me) and death". Maybe not necessarily in that order. This band can certainly craft a song with insightful lyrics within the confines of a cheesy pop melody. I genuinely enjoyed this album... but, damn it, every other song has an inordinate amount of hand-clapping in it, which makes me feel like I joined a cult or fraternity. This album would seriously rank much higher if I could get over petty bullshit like excessive clapping. But I can't. Oh Los Camposinos, please make another good album, ditch the ridiculous hand-clapping and I'll start calling that sport you love so much "football." Deal?

9 Devo--Something for Everybody

Devo's first studio album in 20 years manages to sound contemporary while still sounding just like a Devo album. Either they were that far ahead of the curve or the music of today is regressing back into post-punk awesomeness. Either way, I can't lose. This album almost made me forgive the band for for the near-stroke I suffered when Devo 2.0 was announced. Speaking of that, the blond chick from Devo 2.0,..she's legal now, right? If she's not, I'm in trouble...

8 The Fall--Your Future, Our Clutter

The Fall is a U.K. band nearly as old as Devo. Unlike Devo, The Fall has released 16 studio albums in the past 20 years and 28 overall. This album probably isn't the best representation of their work, but I really can't recommend a good point to jump in to their discography. Check out this album. If you like Mark E. Smith's reverberating vocals and rockabilly-inspired guitar, this album is probably a good place as any to begin digging through their massive output. If you don't like it, you're probably an idiot.

7 Male Bonding--Nothing Hurts

Yet another fucking U.K. band. Is this one of the best punk albums in a long time or am I just drunk every single time I listen to it? Yes. There really isn't anything new to see here, just borrowed riffs and ideas from people who probably did it better. But Male Bonding managed to borrow from the right bands on this album. Although this album doesn't break any new ground, I've probably listened to it more than any other album from 2010.

6 The Soft Pack--The Soft Pack

I can't pinpoint why I don't like this album nearly as much as I did their last E.P. (which they released as The Muslims). It's like they lost their edge a bit when they also lost their more provocative moniker. But it's still a really solid effort. These guys were influenced by lots of different styles, and it bleeds through on this album. I hear 60's garage psychedelia, some Ventures-inspired surf music, a bit of early Cure and a heaping of 90's styled pop-punk. This band will likely make it big soon. And then I'll probably stop listening to them.

5 A Forest of Stars--Opportunistic Thieves of Spring

So much could have gone wrong with this high-concept black metal album from another fucking U.K band. Let's list the potential problems: They're a British black metal band, there are only 6 tracks in the album's 72 minute running time, the garbled lyrics are nearly indecipherable, and the distortion coupled with classical instrumentation will make a lot of listeners wince. Upon initially hearing this album, I'd fathom that most would dismiss it as unlistenable garbage. Others, with slightly keener ears, will merely label it as pretentious drivel. But if you're extraordinarily patient, this album will grow on you just like single malt scotch, art house films with subtitles and Victorian-era literature. It certainly isn't for everyone, but for those who keep an open mind and possess an attention span that can handle a slow build-up, this album is definitely worth looking into. Keep listening to it until you understand how brilliant it really is.

4 Dum Dum Girls--I Will Be

If someone asked me to describe The Dum Dum Girls in a succinct manner, I'd say something like "lo-fi noise-pop girl band." What the fuck does that mean? Well, they sound like the modern equivalent of one of Phil Spector's better girl bands filtered through the good part of the early 90's alternative wave of female bands. Ok, that's a little vague, so try this... Imagine the chick songs from The Vaselines remixed until they sounded like they belonged on the Beyond the Valley of the Dolls soundtrack. Too specific/obscure? Ok, imagine The Breeders running head first into the Wall of Sound. Too abstract? Fuck. I'm running low on analogies. How about this...take only the mamas from The Mamas and Papas, have their shit covered by Blondie and remix the whole thing so it sounds like it was recorded in a cave. That's as close as I can get. And, for me, that's also as close to a straight-up recommendation as humanly possible.

3 Tame Impala--Innerspeak

Usually bands that go out of their way to sound like The Beatles irritate the bejesus out of me. I mean, Kevin Parker's vocals sound just fucking like John Lennon's! And the musical arrangements sound suspiciously like tracks that didn't quite make it on to Rubber Soul for some reason or another. So why am I not irritated by this album? (More analogies!) Perhaps it's because Innerspeak sounds like a later Beatles album if Sonic Youth were allowed to remix it. Or maybe it sounds like what I imagine (no pun intended) John Lennon would have done with his solo career if he were a little more egotistical and didn't write all those boring songs about the plight of women, the working class and the stupidity of war. Any way you look at it, every time I listen to this album, I somehow come away from it hating Paul McCartney a little more for still being alive. I don't think that's not a bad thing...

2 Fol Chen--Part II: The New December

Yet another band that I really want to dislike! Why? Well, these assholes perform in disguise and go out of their way to remain anonymous. Hey fuckers, then don't form a goddamn band! They're from L.A., like me. Maybe I should go around to hot little pieces of ass at clubs and tell them I'm in the band. "Yeah baby, I'm in Fol Chen.Yeah...I'm the fat one." Despite my rage and nefarious plans, this album is solid, if not entirely even. Some songs are so docile that you could play them for people recovering from heart surgery. A few tracks remind me of Mazzy Star without the reverb on vocals. Others are so pop-tastic that they belong on promos for bullshit shows on the CW. But some...some of this these tracks are weird experimental electronic shit that doesn't quite fit in anywhere on planet earth. That's the shit that I like best. In 2 years this band's songs will be selling Hyundais to assholes. Get into them now so you can tell everyone you liked them before they were cool.

1 Flying Lotus--Cosmogramma

My album of the year. Why? Well, I'm not entirely sure. I guess I feel that this is the most important album of the year. Mostly without words to fuck it up, it's easily one of the most accessible albums I have on my list, yet it's like nothing you've ever heard. Cosmogramma is a jazz-inspired electronic album with a fusion of outer space noise that's intermittently interrupted by shit that sounds like Mario hitting a 10-coin brick on the old NES. Folks, this may just be the future of music. At the very least, it's a high watermark in the realm of electronic music. People will be listening to this album for years to come, and the good bands of tomorrow will be citing it as an influence over the next few decades.

Honorable Mentions

Cathy Santonies--I'm Yr Friend! I'm Yr Revolution (EP)

If I weren't a complete Nazi bastard about this sort of thing, this release from Chicago's very own riot grrrl band would have placed high on my list of 10 best albums. But it's only an EP! Therefore I can't, in good conscience, put it in my top 10 albums of the year. I can't fucking wait to hear a full-length album from these girls. If you're curious, you can download their EP from their website for free. And if you're lucky enough to live in Chicago, try to see them perform live. I have it on good authority that they're amazing.

Lognhalsmottagningen – Fina nyanser i nya finanser

Another EP, this time by a Swedish band. These fuckers have the late 70's punk sound down to a tee. I had to triple check that this E.P. actually came out in 2010 and not 1978. They somehow managed to perfectly recaptured the lo-fi sound of raw live punk from that era. Seriously, it's eerie. Who gives a fuck that it's all in Swedish and I don't know what they're singing about? If you're into this type of thing, you need to hear these guys.

from Surplus Ben

If I listened to any new music in 2010 I would send you a list, but I'm an uncultured asshole so it's not happening.

from Wolter

I listened mostly to not new music this year.

from Goreo

At least for me, 2010 has been one of the best years in a long time where music is concerned.  The following are what I consider to be the best fourteen albums of 2010.  Aside from the #1 spot, I wouldn't say that these are really ranked in terms of their quality.  They're all pretty good in my opinion.

1.  Wake Up!-John Legend and The Roots.  John Legend teamed up with The Roots to record this album of 60's protest music, plus one Legend original.  The songs translate well to the current era of economic malaise and political doubt.  In my opinion, this is the album of the year.  Choice Cuts: "Hard Times", "Little Ghetto Boy", "I Can't Write Left-Handed", and "Compared to What".

2.  The Long Goodbye-David Hidalgo and Louie Perez.  Hidalgo and Perez are best known as members of Los Lobos and they have been collaborating songwriters since their high school days. The arrangements are sparse, with a minimum of instrumentation. There's an air of nostalgia about the songs; a sense of longing and simplicity. I really like the way the album was arranged and recorded, as it creates a level of intimacy with the performers, and meshes well with the lyrics.  Choice Cuts: "Til The Hands Fall Off The Clock", "Take My Hand".

3.  Women and Country-Jakob Dylan.  Former Wallflower Jakob Dylan's 2nd solo album, produced by T-Bone Burnett and featuring backing vocals by Neko Case and Kelly Hogan, with guitarists Marc Ribot and Smokey Hormel, plus Greg Leisz.  Dylan turns in some great songs and the T-Bone production gives it that old-timey feel.  Choice Cuts: "Down On Our Own Shield", "Holy Rollers For Love", Nothing But The Whole Wide World".

4.  Harlem River Blues-Justin Townes Earle.  Steve Earle's son steps further out his dad's shadow with this release.  Earle is a fantastic songwriter and his songs have that old country feel with touches of gospel and blues.  Choice Cuts: "Christchurch Woman", the cheerful suicide note of the title track, "One More Night in Brooklyn".

5.  Junky Star-Ryan Bingham.  As you can no doubt tell from my list, I dig singer-songwriter types and Ryan Bingham fits my tastes perfectly.  Another solid album of country tunes that owe more to Johnny Cash and the gold old days than to Toby Keith and Alan Jackson.  Thank God for that.  Choice Cuts: "Depression", "The Poet", "Lay My Head On the Rail".

6.  Tin Can Trust-Los Lobos.  The new one from Los Lobos may not match their masterpiece, Kiko, but TCT is still a great album from the Band From East L.A..  Choice Cuts: "Tin Can Trust", "All My Bridges Burning", "Jupiter Or The Moon", and the Dead cover "West L.A. Fadeaway".

7.  The Brutalist Bricks-Ted Leo and The Pharmacists.  Ted Leo returns with another no nonsense disc of socially charged postpunk anthems.  Or whatever the hell you want to call it.  Leo continues to masterfully blend intelligent lyrics with catchy razorsharp riffs.  Choice Cuts: "Mourning in America", "Woke Up Near Chelsea", "Bottled in Cork", "Even Heroes Have to Die".

8.  I'm Having Fun Now-Jenny and Johnny.  Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley joins forces with Johnathon Rice on this thirty-five minute powerpop rocker.  The chipper music belies the darker tinged lyrics.  Great stuff.  Choice Cuts: "Switchblade", "Big Wave", "Animal".

9.  American VI: Ain't No Grave-Johnny Cash.  This posthumous release from The Man in Black contains what is supposed to be the last of the material he recorded for Rick Rubin.  If so, this is a fitting coda for Cash's career.  While the strength may have left his voice, it suits the content of the songs here.  Choice Cuts: "Ain't No Grave", "I Corinthians 15:55", "Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound", "Aloha Oe".

10.  Codeine Velvet Club-Codeine Velvet Club.  Jon Fratelli of The Fratellis teams up with chanteuse Lou Hickey for a vintage sixties sound.  Reverb drenched guitars, horns, and silky vocals make this record a winner.  This might just be the best album you never heard, so go hear it.  Choice Cuts: "Reste Avec Moi", "Nevada", "Hollywood".

11.  Sting in the Tail-Scorpions.  A bit of a guilty pleasure, but I've been a Scorpions fan for a long time and this is supposed to be their final album.  If so, they've gone out with a bang.  The album seems to draw sounds from various eras of the band, including the "Rock You Like a Hurricane"-esque "Raised on Rock" juxtaposed with "The Good Die Young" which wouldn't have been out of place on previous album Humanity Hour One.  Choice Cuts: The afore mentioned "Raised on Rock" and "The Good Die Young", "Sly"

12.  Black Ribbons-Shooter Jennings and Hierophant.  A concept album from outlaw country's favorite son?  Surely you jest?  Surely it sucks?  No on both counts.  Jennings has created this weird trip of an album that takes place in an oppressive society where the last DJ Will O' The Wisp (played with paranoid glee by horror writer Stephen King) spins the recordings of Heirophant over pirated airwaves.  The songs vary wildly in both style (and quality), but the overall effect is pretty cool and worth listening to at least once. Choice Cuts: "Fuck You I'm Famous", "Triskadekaphobia", "Lights in the Sky". 

13.  Together-The New Pornographers.  Another set of eclectic powerpop from the Canadian supergroup.  Choice Cuts: "Silver Jenny Dollar", "Up In The Dark", "Crash Years", "If You Can't See My Mirrors".

14.  Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards-Joe Satriani.  Guitar virtuoso Satriani delivers another brilliant album of melodic and challenging instrumentals.  Choice Cuts: "Pyrrhic Victoria", "Light Years Away", "The Golden Room".

15. You Are Not Alone-Mavis Staples.  Produced by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, this album of gospel folk is as inspiring as it is catchy.  I'm not religious at all and yet still enjoyed this release immensely.  The perfect choice to pop in the CD player when you're having a bad day.  Choice Cuts: "You Are Not Alone", "We're Gonna Make It", "I Belong to the Band".


Honorable Mentions: The Promise-Bruce Springsteen, Exile on Main Street (remaster/bonus tracks)-The Rolling Stones, Broken Bells-Broken Bells, Volume 2-She and Him, How I Got Over-The Roots, Sibelius: Violin Concertos, Humoresques; Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1-Vilde Freng, I Speak Because I Can-Laura Marling, I Am What I Am-Merle Haggard, Peace and Love-Juliana Hatfield, Flamingo-Brandon Flowers, Ten-Jason Moran, Good to Be-Backyard Tire Fire, and Rebel Within-Hank Williams III.

from The Hundley (Indie music expert and aficionado)


Worst Albums
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
White kids with iPads unite!! What, no Jay-Z album to listen to? Giving street cred to suburban kids as they pass the time waiting for lacrosse practice. Fart. The album title should have been Pro-Tools and Propaganda. If you like this album you may also like: Notre Dame football, BMWs, private schooling, DJ'ing

The National - High Violet
What do you get when the lead singer can't sing? No, not Bob Dylan. You get this piece of shit band. Keep drinking the Kool-Aid, kiddies, and enjoy those sad bastard chord progressions. I've heard queefs with more emotion than these munches.

Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More
The Avett Brothers and Dr. Dog couldn't make it tonight because they were off getting gang-raped by a leprechaun. Mumford and Sons will trick you with a song that is just about ready to go somewhere, then it keeps along the same path - a pathway thru Boringsville.

Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz
Moody guy with a weird name gets kinda electronic. Problem is, you're still an elitist snob slinging this sour ear candy. Pretty sure an adz is an obselete tool used in barrel fabrication and ship building. How's 'bout you build yourself a ship and sail out to sea with a barrel full of explosives and not bother us anymore. Kthx.

Sleigh Bells - Treats
Eh, look, I'd be lying if I said the demos weren't decent. The end result is so over-produced and bloated. Desperation can be a stinky cologne. Wear some 80's sunglasses and hop around on stage with your cool haircuts. Sleigh Bells may ring, but I ain't listening.

Best Albums
Conrad Schnitzler - Air Sounds
Blink 182 - Take Off Your Pants and Jacket
Bob Seager - Greatest Hits
Dark Star - their first demo
Pete Bjorn - first demo
Limp Bizkit - Three Dollar Bill Y'all
Bernie Taupin - He Who Rides The Tiger
Led Zeppelin - Coda
Bee Gees - Bee Gee's 1st
Joe Jackson - Mike's Murder

from Jake


Put me in the underwhelmed camp as far as music in 2010 goes.  I'm usually the token music snob of the bunch and make a top 20 or 30 list as opposed to only 10.  However I could only do 10 this year.  Plenty of "good, not great" albums.

10. The Black Keys - Brothers
I love the Keys and every album has been good, but when I thought about where Brothers ranks with the rest of their albums it came dead last.  Don't get me wrong.  It's still a good album.  It's just a B+ on a report card full of A's is all.  With a more soulful R&B sound, clearly the Black Keys are evolving and I'm looking forward to where they go next.

9. Devo - Something For Everybody
Seems like every up and coming band these days is trying to emulate some early 80s artist.  It's nice to see that one of those actual groups can still come together and put the wannabes to shame.  If you don't like Devo, then fuck you.

8. Spoon - Transference
SPOON!  Better than Gimme Fiction but not as good as Kill the Moonlight or Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.  That's all I have.  I'm drunk right now.

7. Caribou - Swim
Not a lot of good electronic/dance/whatever albums this year (Hot Chip?  Sad trombone). Caribou filled that large void quite nicely.  Odessa alone is a killer track.

6. Vampire Weekend  - Contra
Oh Vampire Weekend.  Your tunes are so god damn catchy!  Then they end up in commercials and I get burnt out on them.  I have no idea where I'm going with this.  I need another beer.

5. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Brutalist Bricks
I never listened to a single Ted Leo album until now.  I have no idea what possessed me to check this one out originally but it became one of the most played on my iPod.  Bottled In Cork and Waking Up in Chelsea  are both outstanding songs.  The album as a whole is a bit all over the place but that just makes it more interesting.

4. The Soft Pack - The Soft Pack
OK, we've reached the albums of 2010 I'd consider great.  The Soft Pack was originally a hardcore band called the Muslims.  They changed their named to the Soft Pack which is the name of a flaccid dildo.  Also their songs are good.

3. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
This one took a little longer for me to get into as opposed to their previous albums but it may be their best release.  Too bad it's their last.

2. Tame Impala - Innerspeaker
Fuck. Yes. This is what I wanted more of in 2010.  Not necessarily psychedelic throwback rock songs but just some new shit.  Go listen to Lucidity and protect yourself from taint punching insanity.

1. Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer of the Void
Good old Blitzen Trapper.  I really wasn't digging this album at first listen, or even the 2nd, 3rd or 4th listen.  But just like their previous album Furr it just grows on you.  The entire album is great.

Honorable Mention: The Love Language - Libraries, Delta Spirit - Histroy From Below, Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards, Galactic - Ya-Ka-May, Gogol Bordello - Trans-Continental Hustle, The White Stripes - Under Great White Northern Lights

Shit that is probably awesome but I haven't heard enough of yet: The Intelligence - Males, The Giving Tree Band - The Joke, The Threat, and The Obvious, Revolvers - Apocalypse Surfin', Holy Fuck - Latin, Owen Pallett - Heartland, Jonsi - Go, The Avett Brothers - Live Volume 3

Albums from 2009 that should have been on my Top 10: Heartless Bastards - The Mountain, Avett Brothers - I and Love and You.  Both albums would probably be top 5 on a revised list of 2009.

Old Album I Discovered in 2010: The Gun Club - Fire of Love.  Sex Beat WHAT?!

Album that I would punch in the face if it were a person: Sleigh Bells - Treats