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You know that overwhelming feeling of guilt when you wait until the last minute to start a paper? In an act of desperation, you tell your professor that you've been fighting the plague or that your parents' house burnt down just to get a few more days to finish (read: start) that analysis of Tears, Idle Tears. Though, when you finally do turn it in, the quality of your work usually serves as proof of what a little extra time can do--and helps you make up those points you missed for skipping the deadline. That being said, we present to you our post-extension top ten albums of 2010. Don't ask why now, ask why not.
10. The Morning Benders - Big Echo
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Call the dentist. This album is the sweetest thing you'll chew on out of 2010. Honestly, when you hear this album, you understand why their song "Excuses" would be used in a candy commercial. Their tunes are certainly simple and straightforward, but they are so fun, sunny and effortless, they had to make the list. |
9. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
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Relax, everyone. It made the list. Kanye's fifth studio album IS a production masterpiece, but it is by no means the best hip-hop album of all time, nor is it the best album of the year (it has been regarded as both). Though some of the rhymes are a little weak (including the Jay-Z verses!), the album is a leap in a new, ambitious and respectful direction for hip-hop as a whole. |
8. Beach House - Teen Dream
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For their debut on Sub Pop records, Beach House turned down the reverb a bit, went a little more hi-fi than their previous work, and created a breezy, heartfelt album. The band is generally not quite as chipper as some of the others on the list, but Teen Dream is littered with catchy melodies and even a touch of 80s synth sentimentality. With a gorgeous song like "Zebra" leading the album, this one haunts your [teen] dreams from the first listen. |
7. Broken Bells - Broken Bells
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Danger Mouse earned his clout working with the likes of Cee-Lo Green, Gorillaz, Beck, and the Black Keys, and the indie astuteness of James Mercer (of The Shins) is recognized by many in the world of music. So, these two would have had to try pretty hard to collaborate and come up with a bad album. Over head bobbing grooves, Mercer's unmistakable coo ranges from calm to acute where even the slower moments keep you tuned in. Though the Shins are due for a new album, and Danger Mouse never sticks with one project (he is already set to produce U2's next album), we hope to see a sophomore album from Broken Bells in the future. |
6. Matt Costa - Mobile Chateau
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We were pleased to see that Matt Costa didn't get too comfortable with immense success of his 2007 song "Mister Pitiful," featured in I Love You Man, the Apple 3Gs commercials, and of course, Marmaduke. Indeed, Costa's quirky yet elementary songwriting style reached a new, more refined level in Mobile Chateau. Tender at times and giddy at others, Costa's latest likens to some early Shins releases, and let us be clear, we LOVE the Shins. |
5. The Armchairs - Science and Advice
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Make no mistake, local Philly music rocks. Having established their wily sound by way of live performance, the unmatched songwriting of the Armchairs took flight in their debut album Science and Advice. Chock full of clever harmonies, captivating tunes, and absurd psychedelic freak outs, we were addicted to this album for a few months. The Armchairs care about your comfort too! The album was not packaged in your typical jewel case, but none other than a hand sewn, individually designed pillow. So rest you weary little heads on this release (literally) and wait for what comes next for these guys in 2011. |
4. MGMT - Congratulations
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We know what you're thinking. "Really? Mgmt?" The answer is yes, really. And shut up. The truth is that with Congratulations, Mgmt he age old transformation in which a band drastically moves away from the sound that got them fame and buckles down to produce something with more substance. Most bands that follow this model often end up losing their initial fan base and struggle to find a new one, so we must give credit where credit is due. Mgmt aren't writing annoying synth melodies with some boring sound filled in between refrains anymore. Instead, Congratulations showcases a much more sophisticated psychedelic sound with some actual depth to it. Everyone's got to grow up sometime. Even an Mgmt fan. |
3. Dr. Dog - Shame, shame
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Dr. Dog won't let you down, not even for a minute. Shame, shame is an even more polished development of the band's 60's pop rock sound. The album stays on a high note throughout its duration, but never gets tiring. As expected, each delightful song is packed with their signature full and lush harmonies, and more outfront and clear than ever. With more than a handful of subtle city references, Dr. Dog clearly hasn't lost their love for the streets, and, well fellas, we love you back. Don't make the mistake of comparing Shame, shame to the rest of the band's albums, because it is not their best, but a great 2010 release nonetheless. Anyway, rumor has it that they've completely revamped their sound for their next album. Swoon! |
2. Black Keys - Brothers
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Based on their fame factor alone, the Black Keys nudged there way into everyone's top ten this year, and we've made no exception. If you've watched television AT ALL in the last four months, you've heard this band somewhere. Hell, we even saw a Kay Jewelers commercial with lead vocalist Dan Auerbach howling in the background. What it comes down to is that the Black Keys write accessible, hip, blues rock that almost anybody can get into. Brothers doesn't have one song that won't prompt at least an attempt to sing along. The two original members have filled in the empty spots in their sound (as opposed to just drums, guitar and vocals) and they've stayed true to their original sound, which, as observed in many other bands, is no simple feat. So don't hate on the Keys for being everywhere, just enjoy the fact that some music with integrity has entered the mainstream. |
1. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
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Arcade Fire has done what they do best again: put an indie feel on a big, epic sound and this time they've done it better than ever before. Sure, the subject of suburban life has been discussed in music before, but not with the same elegant ferocity that these Canadian indie rockers have. The Suburbs captures the sentiment of dealing with the complacency and weariness of the area where you've grown up, and they avoid the entire teen angst idea by making the album a look back at such. What's more is that The Suburbs is one of the few albums that exhibits a perfect flow song to song. To sum it up in one word: nostalgia. Arcade Fire has rightfully earned their number one spot for us by constructing a well crafted, non-pretentious release - and it even got a Grammy nod! (Whatever that says). Plus,we're just suckers for a good concept album. |
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