Top #: Albums/Songs of 2010

    I am by no means qualified to write about the "best" albums/songs of 2010, but I do have a few observations. Most of the bands whose albums I liked this year did not make popular web lists, such as Rolling Stones, or even popular indie rock web blogs, such as indierockcafe or theobscuresound. Granted they contain a few albums I've been introduced to this year and liked, but largely we do not see eye to eye. Here's why. The large majority of bands that made the lists, of which I've listening to test tracks, contain a few genre specific attributes. They have misty vocals, in a lo-fi or space rock-ish way; are too eclectic (or noisy) often to pinpoint a strong style; or as a whole lo-fi twee pop, or dream pop (i.e. Beach House). In fact, one blog placed Beach House's Teen Dream album as their #2. Anyway, I'm not here to suggest that their opinion is wrong, just that it differs from mine, and the general trend toward lo-fi eclectic dream pop with misty vocals is not my preference.

    So, I will leave you with my top 10 favorite albums of 2010, and hopefully I'll be able to compile a top 15 favorite songs of 2010 too:

Top 10 Favorite Albums:
honorable mention in no particular order...
Rogue Wave - Permalight
Gold Panda - Lucky Shiner

(countdown style)
10  El Trio de Omar Rodriguez-Lopez - Ciencia de los Inutiles
9    Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz
8    The Chemical Brothers - Further
7    Massive Attack - Heligoland
6   Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People
5   The National - High Violet
4   Mice Parade - What It Means to Be Left Handed
3   Tokyo Police Club - Champ
2   Vampire Weekend - Contra
1   Jónsi - Go

*just a note: the album that has grown on me the most this year since I first listened, and did not at that time care much at all for, has been High Violet, by The National. Jónsi's Go is just so gorgeous and I love the melancholy (i.e. use of minor keys) character he was unafraid to develop, while switching beautifully between pain and jubilation.

Top 15 Favorite Songs:
honorable mention in no particular order (yes I got carried away...wouldn't you?)...
"Runaway" -The National
"Anika" - Sufjan Stevens (All Delighted People)
"Good Morning" - Rogue Wave (Permalight)
"Rush Minute" - Massive Attack
"Favorite Food" - Tokyo Police Club
"All Delighted People (classic version)" - Sufjan Stevens (All Delighted People)
"Kolnidur" -Jónsi
"In Between Lines" - Mice Parade
"Lunes" El Trio de Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
"Jueves" - El Trio de Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
"I Want to Be Well" - Sufjan Stevens (The Age of Adz)
"Sorrow" - The National
 "Go Do" - Jónsi
"Big Difference" - Tokyo Police Club
"California English" - Vampire Weekend
"Horchata" - Vampire Weekend
"Holiday" - Vampire Weekend
"Snow" - The Chemical Brothers
"Awkward Flower" -Soft Landing (Soft Landing)

15  "Fall Hard" - Shout Out Louds (Work)
14  "From the Mouth of Gabriel" - Sufjan Stevens (All Delighted People)
13  "Get Real Get Right" - Sufjan Stevens (The Age of Adz)
12  "England" - The National
11  "Flat of the Blade" - Massive Attack
10  "Same Dream China" - Gold Panda (Lucky Shiner)
9    "Another World" - The Chemical Brothers
8    "Hengilás" - Jónsi
7    "Psyche" - Massive Attack
6    "Boy Lilikoi - Jónsi
5    "Favorite Colour" - Tokyo Police Club
4    "Old Hat" - Mice Parade
3    "Futile Devices" - Sufjan Stevens (The Age of Adz)
2    "Cousins" - Vampire Weekend
1    "Tornado" - Jónsi

*admittedly I put as little thought into the top 1 and 2 as I could, because even tomorrow I may feel differently... I should say that "Cousins" has the coolest music video, and I loved that song from the moment I saw it on their website in promotion for the 2010 release. "Tornado" is just awesome because of its ingenious use of hemiola put to brooding but beautiful music.
  
    I hope you find something you like from this list, I have written a best/favorite albums of 2010 list purely because no self-respecting music blog writer should shy away from doing so.