1. Arcade Fire, the Suburbs: Before its summer release, this album was being hailed as indie rock's most hotly anticipated album. Do I hate being predictable? Yes. Is this album fantastic? Yes. Win Butler, Regine Chassagne, and Co. don't set the bar low. The album's a concept: childhood life in suburban America (Win grew up in Houston). While ambitious to the core, the Suburbs still manages to hit emotional cords on a tiny and intimate level. Taken one at a time, the songs are like miniature vignettes, and when woven together, they create a grand, sweeping tapestry. I feel like I'm waxing uber poetic on this one, but I think that's Arcade Fire's point. They make you feel something, even if its just the lumpiness of your ponytail hitting the headrest while you bounce your head to the vibrant beat of "Ready to Start." http://thewildernessdowntown.com/
2. The Black Keys, Brothers: The Black Keys have a surprisingly deep catalogue for a band that's only been around since 2001. Brothers is the sixth full-length release by the band, and the first to hit real mainstream success; production by Danger Mouse is largely responsible for the latter feat. This time around, the Black Keys' usually heavy-handed blues rock is lightened up with readily accessible pop and Motown sounds. The result is a fantastically catchy album with not a throwaway track to be found. As I've said, I'd be just fine being Dan Auerbach's Ex Girl. http://pitchfork.com/tv/%23/musicvideo/8911-the-black-keys-next-girl-nonesuch
3. Yeasayer, Odd Blood: Released at the beginning of the year, this album could have been easy to overlook for a "Year's Best" list. But no way, it's just too great. While not explicitly an album about heartbreak, it is funny how certain sounds and lyrics can remind one of certain places, people, and emotions. This record is an interesting amalgam of many sounds from many places; specifically, Indian instrumentation cloaked in a blankie of chillwave and weird. When I listen to Yeasayer these days, I find myself reflected in Kristen Bell's character from the "Madder Red" video: burying those boogery, bloody, hairy pet rocks. http://pitchfork.com/tv/%23/musicvideo/8528-yeasayer-madder-red-secretly-canadian
4. Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So it is with Kanye. The man spews shit, then he produces pure gold. While his ego is almost repulsive enough to make you ignore him completely, the music he makes is undeniably fresh and creative. Add to that equal parts controversy and celebrity quest spots, and you have a mega-hit of a record. Pitchfork gave MBDTF a 10.0 (almost unheard of), and while I give the Chi connection significant weight in that review, the album flows, well, beautifully, with every track catchier than the last. It really is an enjoyable album to listen to, and at least Kanye has enough self-perspective to know he's a jerk.
5. Janelle Monae, the ArchAndroid: Upon first listening to the ArchAndroid, I was strongly reminded of the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Less of an MC and more of a singing whirling dervish, Janelle's first full-length release is diverse, long, and ambitious; we're talking 18 tracks revolving loosely around the story of a messianic android sent through time to rescue her people. That idea was lost on me as I listened to the music, and instead found myself awed by the beauty of Janelle's voice and the pure strangeness of the album's progression (in a good way). She goes from wailing over Big Boi's rap in "Tightrope" to sounding like a futuresque Sleeping Beauty singing about leaving her underpants in "Wondaland." Absolute fave track of the album, and possibly my #1 song of the year is "Cold War," with a bassline lifted right from under Outkast's "Bombs Over Baghdad" and a disarming one-take video to match. http://www.jmonae.com/video/cold-war-music-video/
6. Woods, At Echo Lake: 2010 was a year full of retro sounds...surf rock and psychadelia ga-lore! And if I had to hand out an award to my favorite throwback album of the year, Woods would get it. I don't have a problem with artists paying homage to their infuences, but I do have difficulty listening to a record that doesn't acknowledge like 5 decades-worth of musical evolution. This is where Woods gets it right. The band is heavy-handed with the Neil Young emulation, and At Echo Lake is heaped with Byrds-y guitar lines and harmonies. However, their sound does give way to more current inspiration. Listen to "Time Fading Lines," and you can hear the Shins taken to a 60's psych-folk field filled with lavender and willow trees (at least that's what I get).
7. Darkstar, North: Darkstar is my darkhorse this year. I probably wouldn't have even known about this electro duo's release if it were not for NPR's "First Listen." Listen I did, and love as well. Darkstar is signed to Hyperdub records, which is a lable that reads acts like a who's who of the glitchy, dance club sound. On this go-round, Darkstar slow down and smooth out the frenetic pace. It's an electronic album no doubt, but a finely tuned and chilled out one at that. Listening to songs like"Aidy's Girl is a Computer," "Deadness," or "Gold" puts me in a hyper-aware state of calm, kinda like I'm a passenger on a high-speed train sitting with a mug of chamomile tea in my hands. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJE-hUlvUVMUUQu_JQwPacXr5tC3QYY0Gxb6cgxnfypE2HOtZk51VbfuY9hKcndHUCXP8KPT2UCaRqK_5CeCYjXYrqWyS2AA0BI7WH3uA2nB5wQisMTiUILBFNNWaSDTuqOTMiCINzSM/s200/DarkstarNorth.jpg" />
