Albums of 2010

10 - Yeasayer - Odd Blood

Favorite Tracks: Ambling Alp

Regardless of your feelings toward Jethro Tull, this album is fun, upbeat and as expected from Yeasayer, a lotta bit trippy.

9 - Surfer Blood - Astro Coast

Favorite Tracks: Floating Vibes

Carefree lyrics and vocals, reverberating chords, and surf guitar fill. There are exactly zero reasons not to check this band out.

8 - Wolf Parade - Expo 86

Favorite Tracks: Yulia

This has been a grower on me... and has won me over in the last few months. Jerky, jumpy and energetic.

7 - Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Favorite Tracks: Rococo

All in all, at 16 tracks and an hour of playtime, this is an ambitious release that puts the band's genre-jumping range, thoughtful and poetic songwriting and exceptional talents on full display.

6 - Local Natives - Gorilla Manor

Favorite Tracks: World News

Sweet harmonies. Great album.

5 - The Black Keys - Brothers

Favorite Tracks: Tighten Up

These dudes are legends already... this album and especially a few choice tracks just heightens their profile that much more. Sick.

4 - Portugal. The Man - American Ghetto

Favorite Tracks: The Dead Dog

They are funky and fun. They rock the house everytime. Love me some P.TM.

3 - Mumford &Sons - Sign No More

Favorite Tracks: Winter Winds

This London-based quartet, whose name sounds more like a general store or cobbler shop than a band, takes their vocal harmonies and instrumentation real seriously, with nearly every track making a slow-building skyward arch until your heart is lifted and your speakers are overflowing with sound.

2 - The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang

Favorite Tracks: Stay Lucky

Fresh and refreshing, but with an old-style influence and character. So awesome on album &in person.

1 - The National - High Violet

Favorite Tracks: England

Something about The National is so deeply comforting and passionate that it makes me reflectively sad and inexplicably happy at the same time -- the perfect mix of musically induced emotion.

Honorable Mentions of 2010

5 - Against Me! - White Crosses

The album, and especially the title track, are fun rockers that make pop punk sound good again.

4 - Beach House - Teen Dream

Haunting and beautiful.

3 - James Vincent McMorrow - Early In The Morning

2010's answer to Justin Vernon. My favorite gray day album of the year.

2 - The Morning Benders - Big Echo

A great all-around album, but just lacking the punch of a top tener.

1 - Freightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks

A great album with probably the best title of the year; however, a slight dropoff from Midnight Organ Fight, which was magical.

Singles of 2010

5 - Mumford &Sons - Winter Winds

My favorite of many great tracks out of this awesome band.

4 - Broken Bells - High Road

Great jam.

3 - Cee Lo - Fuck You

Internet sensation... why did it take so long to release a song like this. Yeah Cee Lo!

2 - Portugal. The Man - The Dead Dog

Fantastic beat... they are racking up the good songs.

1 - The National - England

I flip-flopped all year on a favorite song off this album, but "England" gets me everytime, all the time.

Favorite Non-2010 Albums

5 - Edward Sharpe &the Magnetic Zeros - Up From Below (2009)

Not great... but there is some catchy stuff here.

4 - White Lies - To Lose My Life . . . (2009)

Mmmmm... dance rock.

3 - The Dead Weather - Horehound (2009)

Delayed reaction... good stuff.

2 - Moneybrother - Real Control (2009)

I was late to this party... and it IS a party!

1 - We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls (2009)

Epic vocals.

Best concert of 2010

The National with Owen Pallett

The anticipation was high; the performers did not disappoint.

Biggest musical dissapointment 2010

The Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever

No Franz Nicolay, No bueno... Still love this band.

Most anticipated album of 2011

Fleet Foxes

Need more tracks, please.

2010 | site by itscalledlove.com