Favorite Albums of 2010

Occasionally for work I'll have to drive up to 3-3/12 hours to get to a jobsite.  On those days music is a source of sanity for me.  It's espcially nice when you can sit back a listen to an album straight through rather then having to shuffle through songs every 5-10 minutes.  These albums got a lot of play on those drives over the past year.

10: “Together” by The New Pornographers
Highlights: ‘Crash Years’, ‘Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk’, ‘Up In The Dark’

9: “Teen Dream” by Beach House
Highlights: ‘Norway’, ‘Walk In The Park’, ‘Used To Be’

8: “Shame, Shame” by Dr. Dog
Highlights: ‘Where’d All The Time Go’, ‘I Only Wear Blue’, ‘Stranger’

7: “Broken Bells” by Broken Bells
Highlights: ‘The High Road’, ‘Vaporize’, ‘The Ghost Inside’

6: “Sigh No More” by Mumford & Sons
Highlights: ‘Sigh No More’, ‘The Cave’, ‘Little Lion Man’

5: “Weathervanes” by Freelance Whales
Probably my favorite newly discovered band this past year. An eclectic array of instruments and tight harmonies create a distinct sound for the band. I anticipate big things for Freelance Whales in the future.

4: “This Is Happening” by LCD Soundsystem
It took me a few listens to really absorb this album for what it is. Some of the tracks (Dance Yrself Clean, Home, I Can Change) are great on their own where as others (One Touch, Pow Pow) appeal to me much more when listening to the album as a whole. LCD mastermind James Murphy definitely knows how to get me grooving and dancing. Hopefully this won’t be the last we hear from LCD Soundsystem as rumored.

3: “Contra” by Vampire Weekend
Great follow-up to their brilliant debut album. I just wish Honda would stop using the song ‘Holiday’ in their car commercials; it’s quickly ruining the song for me.

2: “Brothers” by The Black Keys
TBK continue to grow both creatively and musically with each album they release. ‘Brothers’ is by far their most sprawling album to date throwing some more bass and organ into the mix. This was a turnoff to some fans that’d prefer they stick with their previous guitar and drums only format. I feel that it’s inevitable that their sound will change as they grow as musicians though. Whether or not that change ends up sounding good or not is what makes certain bands elite. I recall hearing drummer Patrick Carney say in an interview that this album has the sound they’ve been after since they first started recording.

1: “The Suburbs” by Arcade Fire
Filled with great songs that all fit together as a concept of the band’s feeling and experiences with suburban life. Arcade Fire has a knack for creating an entire album around a central idea (check out Funeral and Neon Bible). That’s something not often seen these days when bands release an album with a couple ‘hit’ singles and then filler songs to end up with 10-12 tracks.