Best of 2010's First Half

[BigMacPhisto]

Well, the music year is virtually half over because

1) A lot of stuff leaks in advance

&

2) December always blows.





Personally, I'm disappointed. There's been a few amazing albums this year along with some other great ones, but not as many as I have become accustomed to having yearly over the last decade. So, this thread is here to help recommend great albums from the year so people like me will stop whining.

My keepers:

1. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
2. Los Campesinos! - Romance Is Boring
3. Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt
4. Local Natives - Gorilla Manor
5. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - The Brutalist Bricks
6. Drive-By Truckers - The Big To-Do
7. Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night
8. Hot Chip - One Life Stand
9. Vampire Weekend - Contra
10. Sambassadeur - European
11. Beach House - Teen Dream
12. Jason Collett - Rat A Tat Tat

 

[PhilsFan]

A top ten:

1. The National - High Violet
2. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
3. Los Campesinos! - Romance Is Boring
4. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
5. Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
6. Beach House - Teen Dream
7. Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago
8. The Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards
9. Spoon - Transference
10. Broken Bells - Broken Bells

 

[the tourist]

The National High Violet
The Black Keys Brothers
Beach House Teen Dream
Goldfrapp Head First
Surfer Blood Astro Coast
Spoon Transference
Broken Bells Broken Bells
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Beat The Devil's Tattoo

 

[BigMacPhisto]

Heard or sampled everything on both of those lists although I should probably hear the Goldfrapp album in full since I did quite like Supernature.

The other ones I haven't heard in full are Black Keys, BRMC, Shearwater & Dead Weather although I have heard full albums in the past from all of those and was underwhelmed.

 

[cobl04]

1. LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening
2. Los Campesinos! - Romance is Boring
3. Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
4. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
5. Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
6. Hot Chip - One Life Stand
7. Massive Attack - Heligoland
8. Tame Impala - Innerspeaker
9. The National - High Violet
10. Frightened Rabbit - Winter of Mixed Drinks

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

High Violet, easily.

 

[iron yuppie]

I have a lot that I have yet to hear, but for now I would rank this year's releases as follows:

1. The National, High Violet
2. LCD Soundsystem, This Is Happening
3. Jonsi, Go
4. Charlotte Gainsbourg, IRM
5. Veil Veil Vanish, Change in the Neon Light

I think that only the new Antony and the Johnsons release coming in October has a realistic chance of dethroning High Violet for album of the year.

 

[LemonMelon]

I've heard 71 albums this year, so a top 10 just doesn't feel sufficient. Everything after 30 or so is average, however, so I'll just keep it to 20:

1. The Morning Benders - Big Echo
2. Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
3. Drive-By Truckers - The Big To Do
4. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
5. L!o!s! C!a!m!p!e!s!i!no!s! - Romance Is Boring
6. Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part Two (Return Of The Ankh)
7. Pantha du Prince - Black Noise
8. The New Pornographers - Together
9. Spoon - Transference
10. Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM
11. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - I Learned The Hard Way
12. Phantogram - Eyelid Movies
13. Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
14. Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer Of The Void
15. The National - High Violet
16. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
17. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
18. Goldfrapp - Head First
19. Lawrence Arabia - Chant Darling
20. Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago

I'm not sure about the placement at all, but the albums are right. A number of those I've only heard once or twice, so there is a lot of room for this to change, even if I only listen to a few more albums in the next 6 months.

 

[Jive Turkey]

The National - High Violet
Beach House - Team Dream
LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening
Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
The Morning Benders - Big Echo

Spoiler

She & Him vol 2 Its a guilty pleasure

 

[bono_212]

1. The National – High Violet
2. Frightened Rabbit – The Winter of Mixed Drinks
3. Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago
4. Phantogram – Eyelid Movies
5. Vampire Weekend – Contra
6. Yeasayer – Odd Blood
7. Jonsi – Go
8. Four Tet - There is Love in You
9. Goldfrapp – Head First
10. Hot Chip - One Life Stand

 

[cobl04]

did you ever get around to The Warning by Hot Chip Ashley?

 

[bono_212]

did you ever get around to The Warning by Hot Chip Ashley?

Yeah...I really didn't care too much for it actually :\

And after listening to High Violet and Winter of Mixed Drinks back to back, I'm actually not sure which is my favorite of the year yet. Honestly, that's great that there's two albums I feel that strongly about.

 

[cobl04]

Yeah...I really didn't care too much for it actually :\

And after listening to High Violet and Winter of Mixed Drinks back to back, I'm actually not sure which is my favorite of the year yet. Honestly, that's great that there's two albums I feel that strongly about.

nah, just joshing. guess it's just myself, scumbo, cassie and (i think?) LMP who are The Warning's big fans.

i've only listened to 15 or so albums so far this year (2010 albums, anyway) and it feels really great that i've got two albums that i feel strongly about as well (LCD Soundsystem's & Los Campesinos'!). Forgiveness Rock Record isn't far off either.

 

[Imperor]

1. High Violet
2. Teen Dream
3. Cosmogramma
4. This is Happening
5. Plastic Beach

And all sorts of honorable mentions. It's been a nice year so far.

 

[No spoken words]

I haven't listened to nearly enough new albums thus far, but, from what I have listened to:

1) High Violet
2) Forgiveness Rock Record
3) The Golden Archipelago


892) This is Happening

 

[mikal]

i agree with most of the albums listed here. the new Here We Go Magic is excellent also.

 

[LemonMelon]

nah, just joshing. guess it's just myself, scumbo, cassie and (i think?) LMP who are The Warning's big fans.

The Warning is pretty popular everywhere. Sadly, I've never been able to get into it or One Life Stand, in spite of the fact that I dig electro in general. I can't quite pinpoint what the problem is. Maybe it's the beats, maybe the vocals, I don't know. Just not a Hot Chip fan.

Electro has been doing really well this year though; LCD Soundsystem, Pantha du Prince, Phantogram, Four Tet, Caribou and Crystal Castles all made great records, and I haven't heard Ratatat or M.I.A.'s new records yet, which I expect to be very good.

 

[Salome]

1. Natalie Merchant - Leave Your Sleep
2. Bonnie "Prince" Billy & The Cairo Gang - The Wondershow Of The World
3. Dillinger Escaple Plan - Option Paralysis
4. Joanna Newsom - Have on Me
5. Rudresh Mahanthappa - Apti
Bettie Serveert - Pharmacy of Love
Arno - Brussld

 

[LMP]

One Life Stand is a noticeable decline from The Warning, which I am a fan of, COBL.

So far, these have been the notable releases of '10 for me:

1. This Is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
2. High Violet by The National
3. Plastic Beach by Gorillaz
4. Romance Is Boring by Los Campesinos!
5. Brothers by The Black Keys
6. Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene
7. Contra by Vampire Weekend
8. Infinite Arms by Band of Horses
9. Sea of Cowards by The Dead Weather
10. Broken Bells by Broken Bells

 

[cobl04]

The Warning is pretty popular everywhere. Sadly, I've never been able to get into it or One Life Stand, in spite of the fact that I dig electro in general. I can't quite pinpoint what the problem is. Maybe it's the beats, maybe the vocals, I don't know. Just not a Hot Chip fan.

Electro has been doing really well this year though; LCD Soundsystem, Pantha du Prince, Phantogram, Four Tet, Caribou and Crystal Castles all made great records, and I haven't heard Ratatat or M.I.A.'s new records yet, which I expect to be very good.

Hot Chip will break your legs, snap off your head
Hot Chip will put you down, under the ground

One Life Stand is a noticeable decline from The Warning, which I am a fan of, COBL.

'tis, though i still quite like a number of the songs One Life Stand individually.

Slush is horrid, though.

 

[bono_212]

"Slush" may be one of the worst songs I've ever had the misfortune of hearing.

Ever.

 

[cobl04]

homina homina homina homina homina homina homina

i love Alley Cats.

 

[bono_212]

It's terrible, but I'm so bad with song titles. I can never remember which song is my favorite on this one. "I Feel Better"?

 

[HCL]

I guess 2010 is shaping up to become a much more interesting year individual songs-wise.

 

[LemonMelon]

What part of Pitchfork giving music a 6.8 do you not understand? It's all bad.

 

[lazarus]

Bettie Serveert - Pharmacy of Love

Are we the only two fans on this forum?


1. Los Campesinos!, Romance is Boring
2. LCD Soundsystem, This is Happening
3. Harlem, Hippies
4. Bettie Serveert, Pharmacy of Love
5. Stricken City, Songs About People I Know
6. Vampire Weekend, Contra
7. Dum Dum Girls, I Will Be
8. Gorillaz, Plastic Beach
9. Beach House, Teen Dream

 

[corianderstem]

I picked up a used copy of that Bettie Serveert album the other week. I hadn't heard anything by them since my college days, but bought it on your recommendation. It's good stuff.

 

[lazarus]

Well then you get a too! And a .

I think you may actually like Bare Stripped Naked (their previous release) as well. I have a version that comes with a DVD but it's a good listen regardless. As the title suggests, it's mostly acoustic material, with a couple reworkings of old songs.

 

[onebloodonelife]

It's always been my opinion that, usually, when you say "there's been no good music released this year," you're just not looking hard enough...there's perpetually incredible music being put out, no matter the year.

So far, this is what I've been enjoying, in no particular order after the first five or so, and of course, this is subject to change significantly by the end of the year:

1. The National - High Violet
2. Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago
3. Fang Island - Fang Island
4. Toro y Moi - Causers of This
5. Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
6. The Radio Dept. - Clinging to a Scheme
7. Four Tet - There Is Love In You
8. Sleigh Bells - Treats
9. Beach House - Teen Dream
10. The Depreciation Guild - Spirit Youth
11. Band of Horses - Infinite Jest
12. Reflection Eternal - Revolutions Per Minute
13. Tame Impala - InnerSpeaker
14. Dessa - A Badly Broken Code
15. The Morning Benders - Big Echo
16. Nas and Damian Marley - Distant Relatives
17. Lemonade - Pure Moods
18. Baths - Cerulean (technically not released until June 22nd on anticon...anybody who mentioned Flying Lotus' Cosmogramma should definitely check this out as well)

 

[cobl04]

well looks like B&C has its definitive album of the year already.