A Year In Music: My Top 50 Favorite Albums of 2010

2011 is right around the corner, and it is high-time I make my 2nd annual Top Albums of the Year list. As I have gone through the albums that have been put out this year, all the new artists that have grabbed my attention, and all my old favorites who have continued to blow me away, it has become glaringly obvious that we have ended the decade on an incredible musical high-note (unintended pun). Yes, yes, Pitchfork has put out their famous top 50 list (as have others such as Stereogum, Rolling Stone, NME, etc.), and I have to say I think there has been a tendency in within these publications of ranking based more on hype than on quality (for example, who didn't see it coming that Kanye made #1 on almost every list?). Not to say the hyped albums weren't good, I just personally think the order in which they were ranked wasn't purely based off of musical excellence... but I digress. The list below reflects my 50 personal favorites of the year and subsequent recommendations of the tracks that I think should be paid special attention to from each respective album. Let me tell you it was NOT easy to rank these, there truly was so much incredible music put out this year. A few of the records listed more or less overlap with other lists, a bunch are albums I see as being underrated gems of the year, but all 50 have one thing in common: they made a huge contribution to the music culture of 2010 will go down in history, at least I hope so, as some of the greatest records the 21st century has produced. So without further ado, consider this list my toast to a fantastic year in music.

#50: Four Tet- There is Love in You

listen to: Angel Echoes, Plastic People, She Just Likes to Fight

#49: Yeasayer- Odd Blood

listen to: Madder Red, O.N.E., Ambling Alp

#48: Klaxons- Surfing the Void

listen to: Twin Flames, Cypherspeed

#47: Of Montreal- False Priest

listen to: Famine Affair, Coquet Coquette, Hydra Fancies

#46: Marina and the Diamonds- The Family Jewels

listen to: I Am Not A Robot, Oh No!, Are You Satisfied?, Numb

#45: Uffie- Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans

listen to: ADD SUV, Art of Uff, Pop The Glock (Mirwais Pop Remix)

#44: Belle and Sebastian- Write About Love

listen to: I Want the World to Stop, Write About Love, I Can See Your Future

#43: Dum Dum Girls- I Will Be

listen to: It Only Takes One Night, I Will Be, Yours Alone

#42: Charlotte Gainsbourg- Irm

listen to: Time of the Assassins, Dandelion, Master's Hands

#41: Lissie- Catching a Tiger

listen to: Worried About, When I'm Alone, Record Collector

#40: Best Coast- Crazy For You

listen to: Our Deal, Boyfriend, Crazy For You

#39: Neon Indian- Psychic Chasms

listen to: Terminally Chill, Should Have Taken Acid With You, Psychic Chasms

#38: Titus Andronicus- The Monitor

listen to: A Pot In Which To Piss, A More Perfect Union

#37: No Age- Everything in Between

listen to: Glitter, Positive Amputation, Life Prowler

#36: The National- High Violet

listen to: Anyone's Gone, Bloodbuzz Ohio, England, Terrible Love

#35: Baths- Cerulean

listen to: Animal, Rafting Starlit Everglades, <3

#34: Wavves- King of the Beach

listen to: King Of The Beach, Green Eyes

#33: David Byrne and Fatboy Slim- Here Lies Love

listen to: Here Lies Love, Please Don't, Never So Big

#32: Surfer Blood- Astro Coast

listen to: Floating Vibes, Twin Peaks

#31: Frightened Rabbit- The Winter of Mixed Drinks

listen to: Swim Until You Can't See Land, Living In Colour, Skip The Youth

#30: Die Antwoord- $O$

listen to: Wat Pomp?, Evil Boy, Rich Bitch

#29: Warpaint- The Fool

listen to: Undertow, Set Your Arms Down, Shadow

#28: Small Black- New Chain

listen to: Search Party, Photojournalist, Camoflauge

#27: Twin Shadow: Forget

listen to: Castles In The Snow, Slow, Forget, I Can't Wait

#26: Peggy Sue: Fossils and Other Phantoms

listen to: February Snow, Yo Mama, Fossils

#25: Robyn- Body Talk Pt. 1

listen to: Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do, Dancing On My Own

#24: Janelle Monae- The ArchAndroid

listen to: Wondaland, Tightrope

#23: Laura Marling- I Speak Because I Can

listen to: Rambling Man, Devil's Spoke, Blackberry Stone

#22: Johnny Flynn- Been Listening

listen to: Barnacled Warship, Lost And Found, Been Listening

#21: The Bird and the Bee- Interpreting the Masters, Vol. 1 (A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates)

listen to: I Can't Go For That, Rich Girl, Maneater, Private Eyes

#20: Matt Costa- Mobile Chateau

listen to: Witchcraft, Next Time, Can You Tell Me

#19: Crystal Castles- Crystal Castles (II)

listen to: Vietnam, Intimate, Empathy, Celestica

#18: Deerhunter- Halycon Digest

listen to: He Would Have Laughed, Earthquake, Helicopter, Desire Lines

#17: She & Him- Volume Two

listen to: In The Sun, Ridin' In My Car, Thieves, Lingering Still

#16: Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

listen to: Lost In The World, Power, Monster

#15: Matt and Kim- Sidewalks

listen to: AM/FM Sound, Cameras

#14: Jenny and Johnny- I'm Having Fun Now

listen to: Animal, Big Wave, Highs and Lows of Being #1

#13: Ratatat- LP4

listen to: Neckbrace, Bilar, Grape Juice City, Party With Children

#12: Kate Nash- My Best Friend Is You

listen to: Do-Wah-Doo, Paris, Mansion Song, I've Got A Secret

#11: Arcade Fire- The Suburbs

listen to: Rococo, We Used To Wait, Month Of May, Sprawl II, The Suburbs

#10: Local Natives- Gorilla Manor

listen to: Airplanes, Wide Eyes, Sun Hands, World News

#9: Maps & Atlases- Perch Patchwork

listen to: Solid Ground, Pigeon, Israeli Caves

#8: M.I.A.- Maya

listen to: Lovealot, XXXO, Believer, Space

#7: LCD Soundsystem- This is Happening

listen to: I Can Change, Drunk Girls, Dance Yrself Clean

#6: Mark Ronson and the Business Int'l- Record Collection

listen to: Bang Bang Bang, Introducing The Business, Sound Of Plastic

#5: Vampire Weekend- Contra

listen to: Giving Up The Gun, California English, Diplomat's Son, Run

#4: Glasser- Rings

listen to: Mirrorage, Home, Apply, Temper On

#3: Sleigh Bells- Treats

listen to: Riot Rhythm, Tell 'Em, Run The Heart, A/B Machines, Treats

And, seeing as I am completely at a loss for the second year in a row and cannot make up my mind for a definitive #1 album of the year, I have chosen 2 to tie. The two #1 albums of the year are...(drumroll please)

#1a: Beach House- Teen Dream

listen to: Silver Soul, Zebra, Walk In The Park, Used To Be, 10 Mile Stereo

#1b: The Dead Weather- Sea of Cowards

listen to: Blue Blood Blues, Old Mary, I Can't Hear You, Hustle And Cuss, The Difference Between Us

Happy New Year, and here's to what's to come in the music world in 2011!

iTunes Live Sessions- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Most would agree with me that the clan of Ed Sharpe holds to be one of the most unique and talented new groups of the past year or so; for me, they also stand apart as a group who's live music is almost more impressive than their recorded songs. So, naturally, I was ecstatic when they released an iTunes Live Sessions this month... I love all the songs they decided to include, but their live renditions are absolutely beautiful and different enough that my ability to listen to songs like "40 Day Dream" and "Janglin'" has been completely restored (I overdid it a bit with listening to them OVER AND OVER AND OVER when they first came out). Their recordings of Brother and Desert song are absolutely incredible as well. If you haven't heard this EP yet, definitely check it out on iTunes! The tracklist goes as follows:

1. Desert Song

2. Brother

3. Fire & Water

4. 40 Day Dream

5. Janglin'

6. Up From Below

Holiday Playlist!

Thanksgiving has come and gone, I officially can’t walk outside for more than five minutes without my face and hands turning a brilliant shade of purple, and when we all touch down in some area of civilization again, few will be seen without those highly anticipated Starbucks Red Cups in hand. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s officially the holiday season. You may be sitting inside, sheltering yourself from the cold thinking, as I currently am, that you really just don’t want to leave your room/ face reality/ be productive/ get out of bed at all. Here’s my solution: don’t fucking do it. Stay in bed, make yourself a nice cup of hot cocoa, and listen to my wonderful holiday season playlist.

I don’t know about you, readers, but holiday music, aka music that makes me want to sit inside by a fireplace with my non-existent boyfriend, is one of my favorite parts of this season. I have taken it upon myself to compile a pretty fantastic selection of winter songs: songs about the holidays, songs about the bleak-and-miserable-yet-miraculously-wonderful weather, music that makes me temporarily not pine for those summer days in the sun. There are some cheesy ones mixed in (I do have a soft side underneath my rugged, mysterious exterior), and I apologize in advance to my lovely Jewish readers that it is heavily Christmas- oriented, but give it a listen; there’s a lot of great stuff in here.

“Last Christmas”- Florence + The Machine

“I Wish it Was Christmas Today”- Julian Casablancas

“Father Christmas”- The Kinks

“White Winter Hymnal”- Fleet Foxes

“White Christmas”- Katy Perry

“Frosty the Snowman”- Fiona Apple

“Winter Wonderland” – Radiohead

“Carol of the Bells”- The Bird and the Bee

“Snow Lion” – Readymade FC feat. Feist

“Winter Winds”- Mumford and Sons

“Christmas Baby”- G. Love

“Blue Christmas”- A Fine Frenzy

“All I Want for Christmas”- Matt Costa

“Castles in the Snow”- Twin Shadow

“Christmas”- Rogue Wave

“Snowfall”- Ingrid Michaelson

“Corduroy”- Jaymay

“Winter ’05″- Ra Ra Riot

“Little Drummer Boy”- The Dandy Warhols

“White Christmas”- The Flaming Lips

“O Come, O Come Emmanuel”- Belle and Sebastian

“All I Want For Christmas”- Yeah Yeah Yeahs

"Winter for a Year"- Arcade Fire

Kate Nash @ Terminal 5 in NY- November 19th, 2010

This was my sixth time seeing Kate Nash perform live, and I am so amazed at how much she has transformed herself artistically since shyly singing charming little melodies in front of an audience of no more than 300 people at Amoeba Records in January of 2008, her first show in Los Angeles. She’s gone from a loveable young artist to an absolute force of nature and true role model for what every girl in her teens and 20’s should be like, speaking her mind through both poetry and song and not really giving a shit if people don’t agree. Mid-way through her show, following her most controversial new number “Mansion Song” (which you must hear for yourself to fully appreciate), she playfully asked the crowd, “Are you afraid of a girl with an opinion?”, to which she responded after a few seconds of cheering: “Yeah… me neither.”

Kate has come quite a way from her earliest days of sitting in her room post- rejection from college tinkering with GarageBand and writing ditties like “Foundations” and “Skeleton Song”… not that I don’t thoroughly enjoy those songs still. Dressed in a sequenced blue leotard and tights, and sitting down at her fabulous light bulb-adorned keyboard in the middle of the stage, I could immediately tell that her level of comfort and confidence in front of a crowd had dramatically changed in the past few years; before, she used to come out smiling at her audience but clearly trying to stifle her nerves with a few deep breaths before gingerly placing her hands on the keys. The Kate I saw a few weeks ago, however, came out as strong as ever, taking complete control of her stage and soaking up the attention as she opened her set with the rambunctious, scream-laden “I Just Love You More.” The New York crowd immediately fed off of her energy, dancing and throwing their hands up as she sang numbers like “Take Me To A Higher Plane”, “Later On”, and “Kiss That Grrl”. Of her new material, I was most excited to hear her play “Don’t You Want To Share The Guilt’, a long-time favorite of mine, “Do-Wah-Doo”, and “Paris”. The show was a delightful mix of old and new, as she also sang songs like “Merry Happy”, “Pumpkin Soup”, and my quintessential high school songs “Birds” and “Mouthwash”… in fact, with very few exceptions I don’t think she skipped any of the songs I wanted to hear from either album. The highlight of the show, however, was her performance of the song “Model Behaviour”, a song I completely had forgotten about that had me crying from laughing so hard... take heed of Kate’s advice from the lyrics of this song, everyone: “You don’t have to suck dick to succeed”.

I don’t want to be that girl and pretend like I can relate to her on any deeply personal level, but I mean it when I say that I am quite proud of her and the message she is sending to her fans; she has always been a role model of mine and has proven herself to be an even bigger inspiration for me, both in terms of performance/ song-writing and in her general outlook on life. She cares about things that matter and wants people to believe that there is more to life than caring about petty things that don’t really matter, and I for one wish there were more people like her taking a stand and speaking their opinions. I’m sure most people have heard her most famous songs, and I doubt I am talking about her as a new artist in any way, but if you haven’t listened to the songs I have mentioned above or any of 2010’s My Best Friend Is You, it’s definitely worth it.

The Beauty of a Wild Imagination

Cameron Mesirow aka Glasser, an artist out of Los Angeles who recently put out her debut album, Ring, in September, has made such an impression on me that I don’t know if I can fully put it into words. The past few months of my life have been completely consumed with her beautifully arranged harmonies, eclectic use of percussion, and absolutely mastery of the art of combining electronic music with live instrumentation. Everything about her music is absolutely beautiful and daringly creative; I have not found an album this solid from start to finish in a long while. “Mirrorage”, the song I first fell in love with, is undeniably one of the strongest: her vocals are absolutely breathtaking and it is rather impossible to sit still when the beat picks up; her use of a Fever Ray-esque vocalizer half-way through the song is also pleasantly unexpected and innovative. “Apply” has that same catchiness in its beat and strength of vocals, and I think has some of the most sophisticated lyrics and harmonies out of the whole album. To express how amazing I think my third favorite song, “Home”, is, I will even reveal a rather embarrassing anecdote and disclose that I was actually reduced to tears when I first heard it (however those of you who know me or have read my blog in the past shouldn’t be that surprised… shit like this always gets to me). I actually stand before you on my hands and knees, readers, and beg you to support one of 2010’s absolute best new artists and buy her record; there is so much shit that circulates in the music world that I think it is of utmost importance to acknowledge when artists as talented as Glasser surface. If my words aren’t enough to convince you, listen to the three aforementioned songs below:

Glasser- “Home”

Glasser- “Apply”

Glasser- “Mirrorage”

Matt and Kim @ Toad's Place in New Haven, CT- November 5th, 2010

I recognize that way too much has time has passed between me writing this post and actually seeing Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino play at Toad’s Place in New Haven on November 5^th, but this lapse in time is in no way a reflection of how much I enjoyed the show. To but it shortly, they blew my mind. Although I rarely see an artist perform that doesn’t inspire me in some way or another, I have to say that this pair has proven to be unparalleled when it comes to a tangible level of energy on stage and love for making music. As Matt put it, “There are 3 things I value most in life, the first one being the ability to stand on stage and do what I love in front of all you guys.” Truer words have never been spoken. The dynamic duo from Brooklyn has been at it for a while now, selling millions of copies of their previous album, Grand, and infecting music lovers of all sorts with songs like the ever-popular “Daylight”. After seeing their set a few weeks ago, though, I can now completely appreciate why they are so successful: the music they make may not be the most advanced or artistically superior in any way, but they are proof positive that making your audience feel the passion you feel for your work is the key to ensuring a large following for years to come.

They opened the show by coming out and leading the crowd in raging to “Where Brooklyn At?”, a moment in which I could not help but feel so overwhelmingly excited by their vivacity that I thought I might have passed out. Extraordinarily large smiles seemed to be permanently glued to both their faces throughout their entire set, as they played crowd favorites such as “Countdown”, “Lessons Learned”, and “Good Ol’ Fashioned Nightmare”, each one with more energy than the next. I found Kim especially admirable upon seeing her absolutely kick ass on the drums for hours; never have I seen anyone play an instrument so tirelessly and with so much happiness in my life. The show definitely hit a high point towards the end of their set, as they threw un-inflated balloons of all colors into the audience, had everyone who caught them blow them up, and then counted down from 3 and release them into the air into an array of color and excitement. The reaction of utter elation that they received from such a simple act made me fall in love with their ability to make others appreciate the simple things in life; if nothing else, Matt & Kim will go down in indie music history as a pair that knew exactly how to get the most out of every performance and make others truly love their biggest passion in life.

I wish I had gotten to stay until the end, as I’m sure they played songs like “Cameras”, “Daylight”, and “Am/Fm Sound” that would have been so much fun to dance around to, but overall my experience seeing them definitely didn’t fall short. If you haven’t gotten a chance to listen to their new album, Sidewalks, or don’t have Grand in it’s entirety in your possession, it’s definitely time to get on it. Matt & Kim are an experience that I think no one of my generation should be missing out on.

At Long Last.

The UK's most talented young vocalist is back, ladies and gentlemen. I know I am obviously not the only one who has been long-anticipating Adele's sophomore album, but I can say with full confidence that no one is more excited to hear what she has been working on for over a year than I am. I fell head over heels in love with Ms. Adkins quite early on in the game, and got a chance to meet her and talk to her at her first show in Los Angeles at The Roxy in 2008. I have never seen someone more nervous and unsure of her vocal ability in my life, ironic as she now sells out stadium-sized venues and has Grammys and worldwide recognition under her belt, nor have I ever known someone to be genuinely appreciative and grateful for what she has been given in life. I can honestly say that no one is more deserving of the acclaim she received for her tour-de-force of an album, 19, two years ago... the release of her newest, 21, is set to be released February 22nd and cannot come soon enough. I love that she stuck with naming the album after the age she was when she wrote the songs; it's a clever way of telling her audience that the tracks are wholly representative of the person she is now versus who she was when she first started, giving the songs a pleasantly ephemeral quality within the timeless nature of their sound.

After recording her album in Malibu, California for months on end (in what was, as I gathered from reading an article in Q Magazine, a quaint little beach shack-meets-recording-studio), it appears as though the final touches are being made, as she unveiled one of the first tracks yesterday, entitled Rolling In The Deep. The accompanying video is a gorgeous display of her time in Malibu and recording process, giving her fans a deeply personal connection to what I know is going to be one of the most epic albums of 2011. The song itself displays an innate confidence that was somewhat lacking in her first album, as the empowering kick-drum and passionate lyrics and tone in her voice seem to let the world know she has conquered love, and not the other way around. It's hard to say that her voice sounds better than it did in any way, because she has vocals that are relatively impossible to improve upon. Needless to say, though, she sounds AMAZING. Listen to "Rolling In the Deep" and watch the video posted below, and I know you will become as unexplainably excited for the month of February as I now am.

New Video: Lykke Li's New Single "Get Some"

So for those of you who read my previous post about this song, it won't shock you that the video for "Get Some", which was released earlier today, is teeming with sexual tension and innuendos. But oh my god do I love this girl, she took a song that could have just been another song about sex and completely flips its on its back, taking a stand with her intimidatingly fierce self-confidence and being a voice for female empowerment. The video, for being a relatively simple concept and in black-and-white, is quite artistically creative and very visually pleasing; everything from the camera angles to the video clips playing in the background to her expressions and outfit make a statement. Not to mention the fact that she looks amazing. I love this video and can't wait for the new album. You go Lykke... get some indeed.

Florence + The Machine @ Terminal 5 NY, November 1st, 2010

It’s been almost two weeks since I have seen Florence + The Machine play at Terminal 5, and I have to say I’m still completely mesmerized by the performance she put on. This was my fifth Florence show, and it absolutely amazes me that she somehow defies the odds and finds a way to get better each and every time. She’s become quite known for wearing long, regally elegant dresses on stage… this show she sported the most beautiful dress I have ever seen her wear, a long white flowing chiffon number that she held up as she floated around the stage, barefoot of course but with a goddess-like presence. She opened with “Howl”, which has always been a favorite of mine, and proceeded to wow the crowd as she always does with performances of “Between Two Lungs”, “Cosmic Love”, “Drumming Song”, and “Kiss With A Fist”. She also played a new song of hers, entitled “Strangeness and Charm”, which was absolutely fantastic and made me unthinkably excited for the next album… not that I wasn’t already. Her encore was outstanding, as I got to hear her play “Heavy in Your Arms” live for the first time, which was absolutely jaw dropping, and, as expected, she killed it with “Dog Days”. I have so much respect for this girl: not only is she amazingly talented but she genuinely appreciates her audience and visibly humbled by the experience of playing live for people, and simultaneously puts her whole heart into her performances with absolutely tangible energy and passion. I have no doubt that she will stand out as one of the greatest talents of her generation, and can’t wait to see what she produces next. My camera died at the show, which was tragic, but here are a couple of pictures that pretty accurately depict her immortal stage presence:

Ratatat @ Terminal 5 in NY: October 9th, 2010

It’s no secret that the duo of Mike Stroud and Evan Mast has created quite a musical empire… there’s really no one quite like them and I have yet to come across a group who can so effortlessly rile up a crowd of people, and keep them that way, WITHOUT LYRICS. Ratatat’s show at Terminal 5, however, completely boosted my respect for these two unbelievably talented musicians. Mike is so extraordinarily talented and plays guitar with such precision, I don’t think he made one even minutely noticeable mistake throughout their entire set. The aesthetic of the show, too, was probably one of the best parts… the creativity of their stage with projected images of a cello player and violinist dressed as Mozart-esque characters, combined with the incredible light display and hilarious video playing behind them of really awkward couples and painfully mundane businessmen. Their performances of old classics like “Loud Pipes”, “Falcon Jab”, “Wildcat” and “Lex” obviously sparked an audience mass-freak out, but I thought they absolutely killed it with songs off of their newest record, LP4, such as “Party With Children” and “Grape Juice City” (my new Ratatat favorite). If you don’t own LP4 yet, buy it. Now. And while you’re at it, look at the pictures I took from the show below… if these don’t inspire you to want to experience this group for yourselves I’m not quite sure what will.