Dalton Presents Everyone's Preliminary Top Albums of 2010 (too soon)

[iron yuppie]

High Violet is far and away my number one album of the year. But I'm going to keep you in suspense as to the rest of the list.

Oh, and anyone who has not heard Love Remains by How to Dress Well should certainly do so before a compiling a year-end list.

 

[bono_212]

Will take that under advisement, sir.

 

[LemonMelon]

Oh, and anyone who has not heard Love Remains by How to Dress Well should certainly do so before a compiling a year-end list.

I really did not like it that much. God, it sounded like such a great idea on paper, but shitty production and indie soul (guh?) do not mix.

 

[iron yuppie]

I can understand that vantage point. I personally think that the hazy production gives it a lovely atmosphere, almost as though you heard it in a dream. It's very ethereal.

 

[the tourist]

If I do, Laz won't be the only one reppin' that Harlem LP.

I tried to like that. I listened to it three times before deciding it wasn't growing on me.

 

[PhilsFan]

Alright, I feel like this thread needs to be resurrected a bit, at least for discussion. I'm not close to done listening to records, many based on all of your recommendations, but here's my top ten at the moment:

1. The National - High Violet
2. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
3. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
4. The Black Keys - Brothers
5. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
6. Warpaint - The Fool
7. Beach House - Teen Dream
8. Sun Airway - Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier
9. Los Campesinos! - Romance Is Boring
10. Cee-Lo Green - The Lady Killer

 

[lazarus]

I listened to The Suburbs again and it's a better LP than it is a collection of songs. I don't really mean that as a compliment. The songs are a bit too samey, and there aren't enough standouts. For an album with over 15 tracks, there should be more standouts (e.g. London Calling, Exile on Main Street).

 

[iron yuppie]

I listened to The Suburbs again and it's a better LP than it is a collection of songs. I don't really mean that as a compliment. The songs are a bit too samey, and there aren't enough standouts. For an album with over 15 tracks, there should be more standouts (e.g. London Calling, Exile on Main Street).

I generally feel the same, but "We Used to Wait" and "Sprawl II" are two of the best songs that I have heard in a long time. Regine completely steals the album on the latter, I think.

Just out of curiosity, what happened to the Shearwater album? The enthusiasm for it seems to have completely evaporated.

 

[PhilsFan]

Something about it just doesn't sit well with me. I really like a couple of songs (Black Eyes is one of the year's best songs), but the album as a whole just doesn't do it for me. I'm not sure what it is.

 

[lazarus]

I generally feel the same, but "We Used to Wait" and "Sprawl II" are two of the best songs that I have heard in a long time. Regine completely steals the album on the latter, I think.

Right. I didn't say there were any standouts, just not enough. I'd add Empty Room onto that list as well.

Sprawl II is far and away the best song on there. It's not even close.

What's with this band and penultimate tracks? The best song on each album (add Rebellion and No Cars Go to that list) is the second-to-last track.

 

[cobl04]

one of the very few records this year that i can't remember a single thing about, and i didn't enjoy it at all. not for me.

i agree with laz regarding The Suburbs.

 

[the tourist]

The Suburbs is hard for me to quantify. I'm not much of an Arcade Fire fan, but I liked it. But after the initial 10 listens in its first week of release, the only song on it that I could actively recall at will a month later was Rococo. And when I listen to it now, it all just melts together. But that doesn't stop me from actively liking it. Very strange.

 

[collapse]

1. bring me the horizon - there is a hell, believe me i've seen it. there is a heaven, let's keep it a secret.
2. norma jean - meridional
3. the national - high violet
4. cloudkicker - beacons

those are the only albums this year i have consistently listened to straight through. iPods have turned me into an ADD song switcher, so an album has to be pretty amazing to keep my attention all the way to the end.

other good ones:
dimmu borgir - abrahadabra
foals - total life forever
haste the day - attack of the wolf king
kylesa - spiral shadow
the never setting suns - and now we're not alone
periphery - periphery
powerglove - saturday morning apocalypse
this or the apocalypse - haunt what's left
underworld - barking

not too impressed with the suburbs, though it does have some good tracks. quite disappointed by interpol's latest, but maybe i need to give it another chance.

 

[lazarus]

The Suburbs is hard for me to quantify. I'm not much of an Arcade Fire fan, but I liked it. But after the initial 10 listens in its first week of release, the only song on it that I could actively recall at will a month later was Rococo. And when I listen to it now, it all just melts together. But that doesn't stop me from actively liking it. Very strange.

I wish I could prevent myself from Rococo.

Worst song on the album for me. It's a fucking snooze.

 

[Lancemc]

For all intents and purposes, Sprawl II is the real finale of the album, the emotional climax, and thematic closure... basically the last song. The reprise of The Suburbs feels like just that, a coda of sorts, not a conventional "last track," but a sort of latch back to the beginning of the album for the whole record's cyclical nature. Of course this is all kind of nonsense, because yes, Sprawl II is technically the penultimate track. So... true enough.

And I feel it's probably long enough now since this album's release that I can trust my gut which tells me it's my favorite album in at least several years.

 

[lazarus]

Not only are all three the penultimate tracks, but they're all arguably the most anthemic songs on the album. And then the final songs are all downbeat and more somber, even if Suburbs II is rather slight and doesn't have the emotional resonance of the other two closer.

Overall the whole album is a great loose conceptual piece of writing and my criticism is perhaps on the shallower side in that I'm noting the absence of a moment-to-moment kind of pleasure from listening to the whole thing.

 

[Lancemc]

You're right about the anthemic qualities as well. I'm extraordinarily fond of Suburbs II though. It's slight, sure in comparison to the other closers, but still sort of epically beautiful in the grand schema of the album. Especially, as it's been my go-to driving record for 5 months now or whatever, the lead-in right back to the start of the album with The Suburbs proper makes it all the sweeter to me. As for you criticism, I can completely see where that would occur given the form of the record, and design of most of the tracks, however it all works for me perfectly - that moment-to-moment pleasure you describe. I get it at least a few times within every song even. Grand emotional gestures of subtle proportions or something. Still having a hard time qualifying exactly how all the nuances of this album work for me. Happy to keep it spinning while I figure it out though.

 

[Lancemc]

I can probably make a list at this point:

1. The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
2. This is Happening - LCD Soundsystem
3. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West
4. Forgiveness Rock Record - Broken Social Scene
5. Romance is Boring - Los Campesinos!
6. Have One On Me - Joanna Newsom
7. Teen Dream - Beach House
8. High Violet - The National
9. The Social Network OST - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
10. The Age of Adz - Sufjan Stevens

 

[onebloodonelife]

Just out of curiosity, what happened to the Shearwater album? The enthusiasm for it seems to have completely evaporated.

Still smitten with it over here, and I imagine it'll easily make my list. The instrumental album they put out recently is epically gorgeous too.

 

[LemonMelon]

Who will be running our usual year-end poll? I doubt the Deputy will be rounding up our lists.

 

[bono_212]

Just out of curiosity, what happened to the Shearwater album? The enthusiasm for it seems to have completely evaporated.

Something about it just doesn't sit well with me. I really like a couple of songs (Black Eyes is one of the year's best songs), but the album as a whole just doesn't do it for me. I'm not sure what it is.

This almost word for word, expect replace Black Eyes with Castaways

However...

Still smitten with it over here, and I imagine it'll easily make my list. The instrumental album they put out recently is epically gorgeous too.

...Yeah, I do still love it, but my enthusiasm just sort of died out when a lot of other great albums came out throughout the year. It was #1 on my list for a while but now it's #6.

And I would post my top ten, but I was waiting for the year end countup thingie, but I see LeMel beat me to mentioning it. Are we doing that this year or not?

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

GAF's Top 20:

1. Speak Now - Taylor Swift
2. High Violet - The National
3. The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
4. Heaven Is Whenever - The Hold Steady
5. True Love Cast Out All Evil - Roky Erickson/Okkervil River
6. The ArchAndroid - Janelle Monae
7. Together - The New Pornographers
8. Can't Be Tamed - Miley Cyrus
9. The Brutalist Bricks - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
10. Contra - Vampire Weekend

11. My Twisted Black Fantasy - Kanye West
12. Messy Little Raindrops - Cheryl Cole
13. Fang Island - Fang Island
14. Mojo - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
15. Wu-Massacre - Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon The Chef
16. Astro Coast - Surfer Blood
17. American Slang - The Gaslight Anthem
18. False Priest - of Montreal
19. Body Talk - Robyn
20. Big Echo - The Morning Benders

 

[PhilsFan]

I'll run the year end poll if Impster's not doing it. I'll look up how Impy calculated it and just do that. It's the least I can do.

 

[lazarus]

5. Romance is Boring - Los Campesinos!

Everyone who puts this on their list gets a cookie from me.

 

[lazarus]

10. Contra - Vampire Weekend

11. My Twisted Black Fantasy - Kanye West

Oh man you're asking for it around here.

VW just missed my Top 10, FWIW. IMO.

Spoiler

GFY

 

[PhilsFan]

Delicious.

 

[PhilsFan]

VW is my last ranked album of the year. By far the worst thing I've heard yet.

 

[iron yuppie]

Although I generally like Vampire Weekend, I can only think of Paul Simon when I hear them.

 

[u2popmofo]

I love how much people sometimes have to justify their personal likes and dislikes, as if anyone who disagrees with them must be wrong. I guess we all do that, but it still makes me laugh sometimes.

 

[LemonMelon]

Vampire Weekend's name is, sadly, not the worst thing about their band. Contra is much less irritating than their debut's twee ear-rape (ear rape + scarf), but it's pretty much just the debut with less retarded lyrics and more synths. I almost kind of enjoy it.