My Favorite Albums of 2010

Here goes:

25. Girls-Broken Dreams Club EP-Chris Owens and co. progress logically from 2009's Album. There's more to the music and the lyrics are better. Looking forward to hearing more. Maybe they'll call their next release Another Album.

24. Flying Lotus-Cosmogramma-Didn't listen to this much, but it's still tremendous. A gifted beatmaker with a jazz mindset.

23. Tamaryn-The Waves-Massive stuff, not unlike early 90s shoegaze bands like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. "Mild Confusion" is real sexy.

22. The Love Language-Libraries-Great pop songs. Phil Spector might be proud.

21. Gorillaz-Plastic Beach-Not sure how well it flows as an album, but there are too many great singles here to not include it on this list. "White Flag" is a really neat song.

20. Beat Connection-Surf Noir EP-High-quality beach tunes. AND it was free on their Bandcamp.

19. The Radio Dept.-Clinging to a Scheme-I was really into Saint Etienne when this came out, and this sort of sounds like/is good as one of their early albums. It would be even better if there was more "Heaven's on Fire" and less shoegaze.

18. The Morning Benders-Big Echo-Would've been number one if there were more songs like "Excuses."

17. Crystal Castles-Crystal Castles II-A bit inconsistent, but when they're good, they're REALLY good. "Baptism," "Celestica," and "Pap Smear" are worth the price of admission.

16. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti-Before Today-Weird lo-fi pop. Sags in the middle big-time on tracks seven and eight. "Round and Round" is an instant classic, though.

15. Free Energy-Stuck on Nothing-I hate using the word "fun" when describing music, but I can't resist here. Good clean rock n'roll fun.

14. Beach House-Teen Dream-Beach House put some muscle behind their characteristic dreaminess and produced their best album to date. Beautiful tunes.

13. Baths-Cerulean-Such an original sound. The beats are crazy, the vocals are wacky, and Cerulean is off the chain.

12. Four Tet-There Is Love In You-Speaking of beats, here's another dude who knows what he's doing. Even my dad said that this is "nice music." If Janek Wawrzyniak, a man who has no idea what is cool in 2010 says it's good, it's good.

11. Twin Shadow-Forget-Danceable tunes with clever lyrics. I thought this guy was a joke when I first saw him on Hipster Runoff. Dumb ol' me.

10. Perfume Genius-Learning-Sometimes you're sad, and when you're sad it can be good to hang with other people who are sad. Makes you feel less alone in the world, ya know? This was my go-to "sad album" in 2010.

09. Deerhunter-Halcyon Digest-This was a weird one for me. I thought it was the BEST ALBUM EVER after the first listen, and since then I've liked it less and less. The first and last tracks are forgettable, the middle is great.

08. Dom-Sun Bronzed Greek Gods EP-Please please please don't become the next Passion Pit or MGMT, Dom. Infectious pop songs with "I don't give a eff" lyrical sentiments.

07. Janelle Monae-The ArchAndroid-Janelle is rad and has crazy skills. She's got a great voice and uses it to take us on a journey through popular music. This album's got a lot: R&B, Rock n'Roll, 60s psych, Outkast-esque bangers, and for the love of God the dude from Of Montreal's on here! Still waiting for "Tightrope" or "Cold War" to become a smash hit. Maybe in 2011...

06. Kanye West-My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy-Doesn't contain as many radio-ready singles as Kanye's previous albums, but it's a classic nonetheless. So many great collabs-obviously Nicki Minaj kills it, but what about Chris Rock on "Blame Game?" Effing hilarious.

05. Vampire Weekend-Contra-They proved that they're here to stay with this album. More atmospherics and more risk taking. Drummer Chris Tomson is a vastly underrated component of this band. Seriously, listen to the drums on "Run" or "Cousins." He makes those tracks go.

04. Tame Impala-Innerspeaker-Let's have a toast for the introverts! Awesome psych pop, and the singer is a dead ringer for John Lennon. My most listened to album during the summer of 2010.

03. LCD Soundsystem-This is Happening-One of the best album titles ever. One of the coolest album covers ever. Music's pretty cool as well. "You Wanted A Hit" is sort of boring, but we'll give James a mulligan on that one.

02. The Walkmen-Lisbon-Disclaimer: The Walkmen are pretty much my favorite band. Anything they put out will be enjoyed immensely by yours truly. Howling vocals, loud guitars, insane drumming. S'where it's at.

01. Sleigh Bells-Treats-Came completely out of nowhere and melted my face off. Hip-hop beats with heavy metal intensity? Ain't nobody made an album like this before, and that's why it's #1.

My Favorite Songs of 2010

Here I sit, sweatpanted and tube socked. Ten days off in front of me. It's that wonderful time of the year again: Christmas lights, bowl games, moderate alcohol consumption, and year end lists. Here are my top 50 songs of 2010:

50. The Love Language-"Brittany's Back"-A short, catchy indie pop song with a big ol' chorus.
49. Best Coast-"Crazy For You"-She whines about the same crap for thirteen tracks. This one has the best riff and this gem of a couplet: "Even though you are my guy/I always freak when I get high." Bethany's on some Emily Dickinson shit, son.
48. Ramadanman-"Don't Change For Me"-The first of many songs on this list to contain an infectious vocal sample. A straight up head nodder.
47. Memoryhouse-"Lately (Deuxieme)"-Real dreamy. The most vapid female vocalist I've ever heard, in a good way.
46. The Clientele-"Minotaur"-A great song to listen to when you want to gloat in self-pity.
45. Les Sins-"Lina"-Just listened to this for the first time two days ago. It's that good.
44. Local Natives-"Airplanes"-I WANT IT ALLLLLLLLL SO MUCH I CAAAAALL
43. The Morning Benders-"Excuses"-Nice retro sound. Pretty masterful in construction, although I'm not so sure about the lyrics. I think they're about eating p----.
42.Ke$ha-"We R Who We R"-She says "hard" a lot. Some Beavis & Butthead-style humor on y'all.
41. Warpaint-"Composure"-Love the schoolyard chant. It would be higher up if they didn't go into that Dismemberment Plan-esque jam.
40. Kelis-"Acapella"-Sounds like a dance hit from 1995 + Donna Summer.
39. Belle & Sebastian-"Come on Sister"-Why oh why couldn't they have put more songs like this on Write About Love?
38. Gorillaz-"White Flag"-Love the orchestra.
37. Fishing-"OOOO"-Quite possibly the goofiest song I've ever heard. Never failed to put a grin on my face this year.
36. Beat Connection-"In The Water"-Love the beachy sounding stuff. Reminds me of Air France.
35. Let's Wrestle-"We Are The Men You'll Grow To Love Soon"-How could a responsible dude such as moi not like this song? My mom has been conveying its message to me since I was in elementary school and whined because some girl didn't like me.
34. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings-"Better Things"-Reeeal groovy.
33. Four Tet-"This Unfolds"-Gorgeous stuff. What's unfolding? It's like your opinion, man.
32. Twin Shadow-"At My Heels"-The image of a ladder on a window is so nostalgic. Makes me think of Clarissa Explains It All.
31. Cults-"Go Outside"-Sounds like spring. I always picture a big crowd singing along and swaying their arms.
30. Beach House-"Silver Soul"-I've read the lyrics to this song about a hundred times and still don't understand what in the world Vicky's singing about. I definitely understand that watery guitar line though.
29. Dum Dum Girls-"Oh Mein M"-The best song about love at first sight since Kylie Minogue's "Love At First Sight."
28. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti-"Reminisces"-Sounds like driving around on a hazy summer evening.
27. Baths-"Plea"-Beautiful, heartfelt stuff. "You are every color, how am I visible?"
26. Caribou-"Sun"-Best time to listen to this one is when the sun's rising. Duuuuh.
25. Aeroplane-"We Can't Fly"-Funk, disco, a little hip-hop, and some gospel? The song of the future.
24. Crystal Castles-"Baptism"-Destroys. Sounds like J. Timberlake's "My Love" on heroin.
23. Perfume Genius-"You Won't B Here"-Pretty devastating. M'man is beyond sad.
22.The Drums-"Best Friend"-The rhythm section is catchy as hell, and the vocalist brings the sassy.
21. Highlife-"F Kenya RIP"-I could listen to that riff all day. That and the guy saying that "the diamonds are low" or whatever it is.
20. Shine 2009-"New Rules"-Ooooooh yeeeah. Sounds like the "I'm refreshed" sound you make after quenching your thirst.
19. Delorean-"Simple Graces"-Great vocal sample of a guy going "ooohhh" and a baby surfing on a rocket.
18. Young Montana-"Sacre Cool"-LUVYALIKEWHIIEEEEIIIII
17. Free Energy-"Bang Pop"-Rock n' roll genius.
16. Twin Sister-"All Around And Away We Go"-Great intro, quirky vocals, rad fractured guitar solo.
15. The National-"England"-Pretty epic stuff. The piano line is real moving.
14. The Radio Dept.-"Heaven's On Fire"-Sounds like fire hydrants bursting open in the summer.
13. LCD Soundsystem-"Home"-James Murphy just gets it.
12. Tame Impala-"Solitude Is Bliss"-Dude, it really is.
11. Deerhunter-"Helicopter"-Bradford Cox finds the most twisted news stories and writes songs about them. I guess there is a point to reading the paper.
10. Onra-"High Hopes"-Chillwave + Hip-Hop=Chillhop.
09. TV Girl-"If You Want It"-Love the Todd Rundgren sample. Lyrics remind me of "Self-Esteem" by The Offspring.
08. Dom-"Living In America"-While Win Butler was telling us how much we suck, these dudes pulled a Jonathan Richman and told us why everything's cool.
07. Janelle Monae-"Dance Or Die"/"Faster"/"Locked Inside"-These tracks combine for an incredibly satisfying ten plus minutes of music. Starts off with a funky stomp, switches to an upbeat motown vibe, then transitions brilliantly to a sparking Stevie Wonder-emulating jam.
06. Vampire Weekend-"Diplomat's Son"-Sounds like Dirty Projectors' "Useful Chamber," Vampire Weekend style.
05. Japandroids-"Younger Us"-REMEMBERTHATNIGHTYOUWEREALREADYINBEDSAIDFUCKITGOTUPTODRINKWITHMEINSTEAD
04. Sleigh Bells-"Rill Rill"-Sounds like summa love.
03. Katy Perry-"Teenage Dream"-See #4.
02. Kanye West-"Power"-Goes from feeling like a superhero to jumping out a window in under five minutes. That's 'Ye for ya.
01. The Walkmen-"Angela Surf City"-Alternate title: "Power."

Favorite albums to come.