Yes, I know this post is at least three months late. Yes, I also know my last post was in November. To those of you who actually care, my bad! Recently, I've been pretty good at procrastinating and being lazy when it comes to my blog. Anyway, before I get to the meat of this post, I just want to say that going forward with my year-end album lists, I'm going to follow the same "eligibility period" used for Grammy nominees (this year it was September 1, 2009 to September 30, 2010) -- using this time frame allows me to consider albums that technically came out late at the end of 2009 as albums of 2010, and avoid the problem of having to rush through or not account for an album that's come out late in the year. With that said, here are my top 10 albums of 2010.
Note: I'm still trying to figure out how to get the songs to stream directly in-line with the post, or at least open automatically in a new window rather than the current. Sorry about that; I know it's annoying.
10. Beach House – Teen Dream
This album is equal parts dreamy and beautiful, with a splash of psychedelic. I like to refrain from characterizing music as "dream pop" because the phrase has been used a little too loosely and frequently recently, but I can confidently say that Teen Dream is dream pop at its finest. Victoria Legrand's low and raspy vocals have a way of making you feel like you're floating on a cloud, and when you pair that feeling with slow percussion, synthesizer, and keyboard, all heavy on the reverb, you've got yourself a really sweet record. Now, when you add in a few unexpected jam sessions that kick in at the end of several tracks, you've got yourself a pretty mind-numbing record.
9. Delorean – Subiza
Subiza is Delorean's first full-length album, and I definitely don't think it's gotten as much credit as it deserves. The four dudes from Spain have created a record that has that glorious summer-dance-party vibe the entire way through, with tons of keyboard, drum machine, synth, and smooth (I almost want to say suave) vocals. I'm hoping the band kill it on their upcoming headlining North American tour, because they deserve a lot more love from their international audience. Watch out for these guys -- they'll be melting hearts and lighting feet on fire this year.
8. Stars – The Five Ghosts
For me personally, Stars will probably never come out with an album that'll out-rank Set Yourself On Fire, but The Five Ghosts far surpasses In Our Bedroom After the War. When The Five Ghosts first came out, I tweeted something along the lines of Dead Hearts being one of the most beautiful songs Stars have ever written, and perhaps one of the most beautiful songs of the year, and I still hold on to that opinion. Torquil Campbell and Amy Milan's voices are simply perfect for each other on this song, and I can't imagine a better album opener. Other songs such as I Died So I Could Haunt You and The Passenger are equally enjoyable, but one reason I like this album so much is because it seems to feature Amy Milan more prominently. She takes the spotlight on the album's second track Wasted Daylight, and her voice on it is nothing short of stunning.
7. Tokyo Police Club – Champ
This album might have come out five years too late. And I only say that because five years ago, we would've been right in the middle of what I like to call "The Era of The OC" -- during this time, the show (or Alexandra Patsavas from ChopShop Music Supervision) was known for showcasing and/or breaking "up-and-coming" artists, and Tokyo Police Club and their material off of Champ would've fit right in. It's just fun up-beat indie rock that sounds amazing at face value, but even better with the windows down, the wind in your hair, and the sun on your skin. Seth Cohen Stamp of Approval? I think so.
Tokyo Police Club - Favourite Colour
6. Broken Bells – Broken Bells
James Mercer x Danger Mouse. What could possibly go wrong with such a collaboration? I'll admit that I wish The Shins would just freaking get back together and come out with a new album, because I'm selfish and I miss them, but I'll also admit that if one reason that can't ever be a possibility is because of Mercer's involvement in or new artistic direction with Broken Bells, then that's totally fine with me. Broken Bells sound exactly like what The Shins could be at half the speed, stripped of that happy-go-lucky feeling that is so often associated with Shins' songs, and with a slight hip-hop undertone.
5. Local Natives – Gorilla Manor
Local Natives are just one of those bands that make me feel so proud and fortunate to be a part of the Los Angeles music scene. Besides the fact that these guys put on an incredible live show, their recorded material is just....well, it's also incredible. In the best way possible, this album features clean electric guitar riffs, clean piano arrangements, and super squeaky clean but heart-pounding percussion. The vocals are particularly amazing not just because of lead singer Taylor Rice's unique voice, but because on most songs, the entire band will chime in for harmonizing or gang vocals. Airplanes is probably the "poppiest" song on the album, but it's definitely my favorite. It's an anthem, or maybe a fight song, for anyone who's ever dealt with a tough breakup. While you might find yourself singing "I want you back" under your breath when the first chorus hits, after the track picks up speed with the help of the snare and bass drum, and by the time the next chorus hits, you'll find yourself shouting "I want you back." And that's how most of the songs on this album feel -- cathartic. Sometimes I don't even know what half of the lyrics I'm singing even mean, but I still sing them at the top of my lungs -- "And when I can feel with my sun hands, I promise not to lose her again." What are sun hands? Beats me. But I'll yell it, anyway.
4. The National – High Violet
I don't think The National have ever, or will ever, come out with an album that I don't love, so it means a lot when I say that High Violet is one of my favorite albums by them so far. It is absolutely beautiful from start to finish, and Matt Berninger's voice is as haunting and powerful as it's always been. High Violet might feature more complicated musical arrangements, or perhaps some more robust and orchestrated sounds than those found on previous National albums, but it's also, overall, a lot heavier lyrically and musically. Sometimes The National can bring you into a pretty dark place, but this is the darkest The National has ever taken me (which is not a bad thing at all). I think many National fans will agree that it can be hard to understand what Matt Berninger is singing sometimes (ok, most of the time), but High Violet is one of the first National albums that I immediately connected to without having to look up or attempt to interpret the lyrics. As cliché as it sounds, this album just hit home for me.
3. A Fine Frenzy – Bomb In a Birdcage
This album is exactly where my use of the Grammy eligibility period comes to perfect use. Bomb In a Birdcage was released September 8, 2009 but I hadn't given it a proper listen until early 2010. Once I did, I played this album on repeat like it was my job. Come Spring 2010, other album releases forced (allowed) me to take a break from Bomb In a Birdcage, and it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I revisited the album and remembered how obsessed I was with it at the beginning of 2010, and still am now. While A Fine Frenzy, or singer-songwriter Alison Sudol's, first album came out in 2007, this sophomore album was my first real introduction to her. It's not a very complicated album at all, but when it comes to most of my favorite female singer-songwriters, I'm not looking for anything fancy. I just want something I can sing-a-long to, with some nice piano arrangements, catchy acoustic guitar parts, great vocals, and maybe a song or two that makes me want to do a little dance. This album provides all of that and more. Definitely check it out if you're a fan of Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson, or Jenny Lewis.
2. Ra Ra Riot – The Orchard
I'm not sure where to even begin when trying to describe what this album means to me. I'll start with this -- that I love it. The Orchard, Foolish, and Do You Remember were tracks that I felt huge emotional connections to at the onset, and Too Dramatic and Massachusetts became instant sing-alongs for me (and definitely could be for anyone that has an appreciation for indie pop). Put simply, though, The Orchard is just a great album from start to finish. It opens strong with a slow gut-wrenching track that features a beautiful string section, pulls you in, switches gears to the faster and more upbeat Ra Ra Riot that most people are probably familiar with, and never loses steam as it makes its way towards the end. This album definitely doesn't carry the same happy-go-lucky tone of The Rhumb Line, but that's definitely what I love about it. It's a more mature and versatile sounding Ra Ra Riot, and it just makes me excited for what else we can expect from the band in the future.
1. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
I avoided reading any reviews of The Suburbs before I got my hands on a copy because I didn't want to go into my first listen with any kind of bias, especially because the album was just so hyped, both personally and generally. But, by the time I had gone through my first full cycle of the album, I knew that it would be one of my top three albums of the year, and here it is at number one. I don't think there was a track I listened to more on repeat in 2010 than Ready to Start. It's sad, optimistic, upbeat, and slow all at the same time -- something that sounds so contradictory and awesome, you know it takes a band like Arcade Fire to pull it off. Ready to Start is just such an epic song and it always sends chills down my spine with the first few notes and hits of the snare. Besides that, it's hard for me to list my other favorite songs on The Suburbs because the album, in its entirety, has really grown on me, and it's just so perfectly mixed and tracked that I can't imagine another provision or arrangement of songs. But, if I had to choose my top three after Ready to Start, they'd be Suburban War, We Used To Wait, and Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains). With that said, if you haven't listened to The Suburbs already, please go support or at least check out the best thing to happen to indie music in 2010.
