Top Albums 2010 (The Whole List)

I posted my top 20(ish) the other day, but luckily (for you) I have finally learned my lesson and kept my list as 2010 progressed this year. The result is (1) a list of every new CD I listened to this year (which is pretty sweet) and (2) a much lower need to rely on other lists to remind me what I listened to this year. Not that I’ve been ignoring other lists but the level I’ve relied on them for this effort in the past just had to have been influencing my own list. Not this year, which is a good thing — I don’t like having a list that’s heavy on bands that are “only on the cool lists”. An honest-to-goodness list of music I loved this year is what you my public (yes, both of you) demand.

They’re split into tiers because that’s how I roll. Members of the same tier are often (not always) interchangeable from a ranking standpoint and I will admit that as you move down the tiers much less effort has been put into truly sorting them out.

Enjoy and let me know what you think.

1. Arcade Fire :: The Suburbs :: 8/3/10
2. Hot Chip :: One Life Stand :: 2/9/10

3. Hold Steady – Heaven is Whenever :: 5/4/10
4. Broken Bells :: Broken Bells :: 3/9/10
5. Apples In Stereo :: Travellers In Space :: 4/20/10
6. Eels :: End Times :: 1/19/10
7. LCD Soundsystem – This is Happening :: 5/18/10
8. The National :: High Violet :: 5/11/10
9. Violent Soho :: Violent Soho :: 5/9/10
10. Gorillaz :: Plastic Beach :: 3/3/10
11. Gogol Bordello :: Trans-Continental Hustle :: 5/7/10
12. Against Me! :: White Crosses :: 6/7/10

13. The Radio Dept :: Clinging To A Scheme :: 4/21/10
14. The Roots :: How I Got Over :: 6/21/10
15. Sleigh Bells :: Treats :: 6/1/10
16. Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs :: God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise :: 8/17/10
17. Los Campesinos :: Romance Is Boring :: 1/26/10
18. Frightened Rabbit :: The Winter of Mixed Drinks :: 3/1/10

19. Belle & Sebastian :: Write About Love :: 10/12/10
20. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club :: Beat The Devil’s Tattoo :: 3/9/10
21. Ted Leo :: Brutalist Bricks :: 3/9/10
22. Caribou :: Swim :: 4/20/10
23. Titus Andronicus :: The Monitor :: 3/9/10
24. Black Keys :: Brothers :: 5/18/10
25. Charlotte Gainsbourg::IRM :: 1/26/10
26. She & Him :: Volume Two :: 3/23/10
27. The Weepies :: Be My Thrill :: 8/31/10

28. OK Go:: Of The Blue Colour of the Morning Sky :: 1/12/10
29. Kasey Anderson :: Nowhere Nights :: 2/16/10
30. MGMT :: Congratulations :: 4/13/10
31. Surfer Blood :: Astro Coast :: 1/19/10
32. Ratatat :: LP4 :: 6/8/10
33. Flying Lotus :: Cosmogramma :: 5/3/10

34. Band of Horses :: Infinite Arms :: 5/18/10
35. Blitzen Trapper :: Destroyer of the Void :: 6/8/10
36. Josh Ritter – So Runs The World Away :: 4/17/10
37. The New Pornographers – Together :: 5/4/10
38. Gaslight Anthem :: American Slang :: 6/15/10
39. Yeasayer :: Odd Blood :: 2/8/10
40. Of Montreal :: False Priest :: 9/14/10
41. Beach House :: Teen Dream :: 1/26/10
42. The Magnetic Fields :: Realism :: 1/26/10
43. Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore :: Dear Companion :: 2/16/10
44. Spoon :: Transference :: 1/19/10
45. The Morning Benders :: Big Echo :: 3/9/10

46. Drive By Truckers :: The Big Todo :: 3/16/10
47. Justin Townes Earle :: Harlem River Blues :: 9/14/10
48. Kathryn Calder :: Are You My Mother? :: 8/10/10
49. Midlake :: The Courage of Others :: 2/2/10
50. Eels :: Tomorrow Morning :: 8/17/10

51. Unkle :: Where Did The Night Fall :: 5/10/10
52. Jakob Dylan :: Women and Country :: 4/6/10
53. Murder By Death :: Good Morning Magpie :: 4/6/10
54. Dr.Dog :: Shame Shame :: 4/6/10
55. Janelle Monae :: The Arch Android (Suites II and III) :: 5/18/10
56. Mumford & Sons :: Sign No More :: 2/6/10
57. Tobacco :: Maniac Meat :: 5/25/10
58. Mark Ronson & The Business Intl :: Record Collection :: 9/27/10
59. Kings of Leon :: Come Around Sundown :: 10/15/10
60. Toadies :: Feeler :: 8/10/10
61. Bad Religion :: The Dissent of Man :: 9/28/10

62. The Dead Weather :: Sea of Cowards :: 5/11/10
63. Jeremy Messersmith :: The Reluctant Graveyard :: 5/4/10
64. Morcheeba :: Blood Like Lemonade :: 6/7/10
65. Filter :: The Trouble With Angels :: 8/17/10
66. Cypress Hill :: Rise Up :: 4/20/10
67. Deftones :: Diamond Eyes :: 5/4/10
68. Broken Social Scene:: Forgiveness Rock Record :: 5/4/10
69. Holy Fuck :: Latin :: 5/10/10
70. The Like :: Release Me :: 6/15/10
71. Brandon Flowers :: Flamingo :: 9/3/10
72. Ra Ra Riot :: The Orchard :: 8/24/10
73. Helmet :: Seeing Eye Dog :: 9/7/10
74. Damien Jurado :: Saint Bartlett :: 5/25/10
75. Two Door Cinema Club :: Tourist History :: 3/1/10
76. Joe Pug : Messenger :: 2/16/10
77. Vampire Weekend :: Contra :: 1/11/10
78. Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan :: Hawk :: 8/24/10
79. Middle Class Rut :: No Name No Color LP :: 11/22/10

80. Weezer :: Death to False Metal :: 11/2/10
81. Jack Johnson :: To The Sea :: 6/1/10
82. Interpol :: Interpol :: 9/7/10
83. Local Natives :: Gorilla Manor :: 2/16/10
84. The Young Veins :: Take a Vacation! :: 6/8/10
85. Besnard Lakes :: The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night :: 3/9/10
86. Maps & Atlases :: Perch Patchwork EP :: 6/29/10
87. ARMS :: EP :: 3/12/10

88. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals :: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals :: 6/8/10
89. Weezer :: Hurley :: 9/14/10
90. Wolf Parade :: Expo 86 :: 6/29/10
91. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers :: Mojo :: 6/15/10
92. Stone Temple Pilots :: Stone Temple Pilots :: 5/25/10
93. School of Seven Bells :: Disconnect From Desire :: 7/12/10
94. Pernice Brothers :: Goodbye Killer :: 6/15/10
95. Neon Trees :: Habits :: 3/16/10
96. Darker My Love :: Alive As You Are :: 8/17/10
97. Robert Plant :: Band of Joy :: 9/14/10
98. Minus The Bear :: Omni :: 5/4/10
99. Kanye West :: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy :: 11/22/10

100. Surfjan Stevens :: The Age Of Adz :: 10/12/10
101. Juniper Tar :: The Howl Street EP :: 2/2010
102. The Soft Pack :: The Soft Pack :: 2/2010
103. Teenage Fanclub :: Shadows :: 5/31/10
104. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti :: Before Today :: 6/8/10
105. Ben Folds :: Lonely Avenue :: 9/28/10
106. Jonsi :: Go :: 4/6/10
107. Klaxons :: Surfing The Void :: 8/23/10
108. The Whigs :: In The Dark :: 3/16/10
109. Keane :: Night Train :: 5/11/10
110. Crayon Fields :: Make Peace With Love :: 9/14/10
111. RJD2 :: The Colossus :: 1/19/10
112. Jimmy Eat World :: Invented :: 9/28/10
113. Surfjan Stevens :: All The Delighted People :: 8/2/10
114. Crystal Castles :: Crystal Castles II :: 5/24/10
115. Grinderman :: Grinderman 2 :: 9/13/10
116. John Vanderslice :: Green Grow The Rushes :: 10/4/10
117. Ed Kowalczyk :: Alive :: 7/6/10
118. We Are Scientists :: Barbara :: 6/14/10

~ best of/covers/live/and GirlTalk are not eligible for the real rankings, BUT:

… some are awesome:
Girl Talk :: All Day :: 11/15/10
The Hot Rats :: Turn Ons (Hot Rats is a cover band with the guys from Supergrass)
Various Artists :: Broken Hearts And Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine
Bad Religion :: 30 Years Live :: 5/18/10
… and some old Pixies shows and such that they’ve been giving away (definitely get on their mailing list)

… others are fine:
Pavement :: Quarantine the Past (best of)
The White Stripes :: Under Great White Northern Lights :: 3/16/10
Phoenix :: Live in Sydney
Soundgarden :: Telephantasm
Scott Pilgrim vs The World
Daft Punk :: Tron: Legacy
Nada Surf :: If I Had a Hi-Fi :: 6/8/10

… and 1 I just plain didn’t like:
Various Artists :: Dear New Orleans

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