2010 Best-Of Lists

[ewok20t3]

It's that time of year for every music publication to release their year-end best-of lists. Here's some that have just come out.

NME

Paste Magazine

NPR

Thoughts?

[murlough23]

From NME's list:

I wasn't all that excited about the new Arcade Fire at first, but it's steadily grown on me. I can see it being Top 10 material for some people. It might fall just outside mine, depending on what happens with the rest of my "Digesting" pile.

From Paste's list:

Josh Ritter will definitely be in my Top 10 - possibly my Top 5.

Blitzen Trapper was pretty boring, outside of a few songs. Kind of how I felt about their last record, though Furr was slightly better.

Vampire Weekend is currently my #2. I bumped it up from a B+ to an A- just the other day - I realized I had only downgrading it for being short, and when a record's that consistent, who the hell cares? (Unless it's so short that it's an EP being sold as an album, but this is not that.)

Speaking of which... hi Jonsi! You did good work, but not enough of it.

The Age of Adz is growing on me, but I still have misgivings about putting it in my Top 10. I don't think it'd get the same praise if it were the work of a new artist and didn't have Sufjan's name attached.

Paste's take on The Suburbs makes it seem like their opinion is much lower than the placement at #7 would suggest. Sure "Sprawl II" is an awesome song, but if that's the only thing you can praise about the album, maybe it's better suited for a "Best Songs of 2010" list.

NPR's list is... alphabetized? Did they not want to rank these things? Whatever. You can cut and paste the stuff I said about any of the albums they mentioned from the comments above, since like most of these lists, I haven't heard (or in most cases, even heard of) most of the stuff on it.

[ewok20t3]

NPR's list is... alphabetized? Did they not want to rank these things? Whatever.

My thoughts exactly.

I thought NME's list was little strange, but I've never been much of a fan of them. The other two lists pretty much looked like I expected them to.

[Ian]

boring boring lists

[bloop]

The Age of Adz is growing on me, but I still have misgivings about putting it in my Top 10. I don't think it'd get the same praise if it were the work of a new artist and didn't have Sufjan's name attached.

I'm thinking just about the opposite. A new artist wouldn't have the expectations Sufjan had (which basically amounts to the songs all sounding like what ended up only being the first song on the album). Also, it sounds more developed than what one would typically expect of a freshman album, so if it actually was such an album, I think it might get even more acclaim.

[murlough23]

I'm thinking just about the opposite. A new artist wouldn't have the expectations Sufjan had (which basically amounts to the songs all sounding like what ended up only being the first song on the album). Also, it sounds more developed than what one would typically expect of a freshman album, so if it actually was such an album, I think it might get even more acclaim.

I'm just not sure people would have been as patient with it if not for thinking, "It's Sufjan; I should hang in there instead of giving the knee-jerk response that this guy's trying too hard". I know you would have given it a shot either way, but I don't trust all critics to do the same.

[ewok20t3]

Gorilla Vs. Bear's list. I've never heard of this website, but I've seen this list posted in multiple places, so I guess they're somewhat popular.
http://www.gorillavsbear.net/2010/12/02/gorilla-vs-bears-albums-of-2010/

[spacebrat311]

I'm just not sure people would have been as patient with it if not for thinking, "It's Sufjan; I should hang in there instead of giving the knee-jerk response that this guy's trying too hard". I know you would have given it a shot either way, but I don't trust all critics to do the same.

I don't know, I'm with Bloop on this one I think. But then, I think this is my second favorite Sufjan album.

[murlough23]

I don't know, I'm with Bloop on this one I think. But then, I think this is my second favorite Sufjan album.

The issue here isn't how much we like it, but what critics' reasons are for liking it. I'm sure some generally do, but I suspect others are putting it higher than it deserves just due to the name. Same thing with Arcade Fire.

[ewok20t3]

Myspace Music Top 50
http://www.myspace.com/music/blog/2010/11/29/the-best-albums-of-2010-2

[murlough23]

Myspace Music Top 50
http://www.myspace.com/music/blog/2010/11/29/the-best-albums-of-2010-2

I'm like "Who with the what now?" for most of their list, but props to them for stylizing their own versions of all the album covers. (Especially because they made a better one for Kanye than what he came up with in real life.)

[bloop]

IDK, I kind of like most of the Kanye album covers (3/5 of them).



I think you would almost definitely like the Yeasayer album, btw and, to a lesser degree, Halcyon Digest from my working list.

[Josh]

My fave is the one in the top right corner.

[bloop]

My second favorite, but I have a thing for claymores.

[murlough23]

My fave is the one in the top right corner.

I confused right and left for a sec there, and I was all like, 

[Ian]

Kanye and Flying Lotus will be topping my list.  The rest is up for grabs at this point.

[ewok20t3]

Here's Rolling Stone's list. I'm glad to see Taylor Swift made it.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/68404/239077?RS_show_page=6

Here's MTV's top songs of 2010.
http://newsroom.mtv.com/2010/12/07/kanye-west-top-25-songs-of-2010/

[ewok20t3]

Amazon.com lists. http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_link_354731322_1?ie=UTF8&node=2448406011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=0PEFGN9ZB0YRYC41J0VQ&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_p=1283013882&pf_rd_i=1000640581

[bloop]

The best part of their list is EVERYTHING MUST GO!!!

[ewok20t3]

The best part of their list is EVERYTHING MUST GO!!!

Agreed. While I was looking at their lists I couldn't help but wonder how much of it was truly based on what they thought was the best.

[Josh]

My list:

http://thehurstreview.wordpress.com/2010/12/10/the-albums-of-2010-fifteen-favorites-from-an-outstanding-year/

[Ian]

Haven't heard Elizabeth Cook, will check it out.  I think you would like Paul Cary, Josh.

Here's Rolling Stone's list. I'm glad to see Taylor Swift made it.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/68404/239077?RS_show_page=6

Love the top 2, the rest can suck it

Here's my list.  So-so year.



01 | Kanye West | My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
02 | Flying Lotus | Cosmogramma
03 | Janelle Monae | The Archandroid
04 | Emeralds | Does it Look Like I'm Here?
05 | The National | High Violet
06 | Yellow Swans | Going Places
07 | The Black Keys | Brothers
08 | Shackleton | Fabric 55
09 | Tallest Man on Earth | The Wild Hunt
10 | Rova & Nels Cline Singers | The Celestial Septet
11 | John Roberts | Glass Eights  
12 | Menomena | Mines
13 | Nest | Retold
14 | Efdemin | Chicago
15 | Gorillaz | Plastic Beach
16 | Sun Kil Moon | Admiral Fell Promises
17 | Beach House | Teen Dream
18 | Bardo Pond | Bardo Pond
19 | James Blackshaw | All is Falling
20 | Sleepy Sun | Fever
21 | Elephant9 | Walk the Nile
22 | Owen Pallett | Heartland
23 | Les Discrets | Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées
24 | Shed | The Traveller
25 | Broken Social Scene | Forgiveness Rock Record
26 | Jamie Lidell | Pop
27 | Voice of the Seven Thunders | Voice of the Seven Thunders
28 | Jesca Hoop | Hunting My Dress
29 | Joanna Newsom | Have One on Me
30 | Grasslung | Sincere Void
31 | Wovenhand | The Threshingfloor
32 | Shining | Black Jazz
33 | Jaga Jazzist | One-Armed Bandit
34 | Big Boi | Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
35 | LCD Soundsystem | This Is Happening
36 | Alcest | Écailles de Lune
37 | Denseland | Chunk
38 | Food | Quiet Inlet
39 | Negură Bunget | Vîrstele Pămîntului
40 | Shearwater | The Golden Archipelago
41 | Jonsi | Go
42 | Big K.R.I.T. | Krit Was Here
43 | The Besnard Lakes | Are the Roaring Night
44 | Laura Marling | I Speak Because I Can
45 | Paul Cary | Ghost of a Man
46 | Delorean | Subiza
47 | Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin | Let it Sway
48 | Actress | Splazsh
49 | The Fun Years | God Was Like, No
50 | Balmorhea | Constellations

[ewok20t3]

Time Magazine's top 10 http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/completelist/0,29569,2035319,00.html

[bloop]

Pitchfork's list is out, and of course the AOTY went to the year's only 10.0, but I still can't help but think albums further down the list were better, more enduring, and sometimes even more ambitious. I really liked it a lot, but I don't think I'll be listening to it 10 years from now like I have with many of the PF 10.0s of the past.

[murlough23]

Pitchfork's list is out, and of course the AOTY went to the year's only 10.0, but I still can't help but think albums further down the list were better, more enduring, and sometimes even more ambitious. I really liked it a lot, but I don't think I'll be listening to it 10 years from now like I have with many of the PF 10.0s of the past.

Pitchfork's been around for 10 years?

[bloop]

More than that, believe it or not. According to Wiki, it launched in 1995.

(Kid A is a 10 year old album now, btw)

[ewok20t3]

Pitchfork's list is out, and of course the AOTY went to the year's only 10.0, but I still can't help but think albums further down the list were better, more enduring, and sometimes even more ambitious. I really liked it a lot, but I don't think I'll be listening to it 10 years from now like I have with many of the PF 10.0s of the past.

What do you think of the song that topped their "Best Tracks of 2010" list? I thought it was pretty decent, but not good enough to the best best track of the year.

[murlough23]

Nice to see that my Top 10 shares an album with Pitchfork's (Contra). Of course, in classic Pitchfork style, they spend one large paragraph telling us about an amusing anecdote concerning the cover art and then one small paragraph saying "And oh yeah, this album was pretty good, too."

I'm glad Pitchfork agrees with me that "Sprawl II" was one of the year's best songs, and definitely the best thing on The Suburbs.

[bloop]

I think I might have gone with the aforementioned "Sprawl II" for SOTY, or possibly the Kanye track that was there at #2, but I like their pick enough. I pay more attention to the album list.

[murlough23]

I think I might have gone with the aforementioned "Sprawl II" for SOTY, or possibly the Kanye track that was there at #2, but I like their pick enough. I pay more attention to the album list.

I still have to figure out my SOTY. "Sprawl II" is in the running , as is "Andalucia" by Doves and a bunch of others I'm probably not thinking of at the moment.

[murlough23]

Thinking about it a bit more, I'd say the following songs are all in the running for my SOTY:

"Andalucia", Doves
"The Catalyst", Linkin Park
"Change of Time", Josh Ritter
"Circles", As Tall as Lions
"The Curse", Josh Ritter
"Salt in the Sea", House of Heroes
"Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)", Arcade Fire
"Three Tigers", The River Empires
"Thrill of the Fall", The Reign of Kindo
"Tiger Teeth", Paper Route

I generally like to have something that was actually released that year as the #1, even if I don't mind having stuff from last year that I discovered late elsewhere in the list. With that in mind, I'd have to exclude As Tall as Lions and Paper Route from the top spot, though they'd most likely remain in the Top 10.

[Ian]

Disappointingly, Sprawl II sounds better than it actually is.  Wears thin very fast.

[Aaron]

That linkin park song doesn't belong anywhere on a best of list, furlough!

[murlough23]

That linkin park song doesn't belong anywhere on a best of list, furlough!

It's different for them. Even bloop kinda likes it.

[Aaron]

isn't that the sign of the apocalypse?   

[murlough23]

isn't that the sign of the apocalypse?   

I expected the whole album to suck, honestly. For me it turned out to be a volatile mixture of "Pretty good, in ways I didn't expect for this group" and "Pretty bad, in ways I didn't expect for this group."

[bloop]

Now that I think of it, Joanna Newsom's "Good Intentions Paving Company"  would be in the running for me as well. "Thrill of the Fall" was a good choice too, I must say.

It's difficult for me to choose among the top  four albums on my list, and they are all so different from each other, so I'll just leave the list unnumbered and let the ratings tell the story.

The more I listen to it, the more I can't see AOTY for Kanye. It's big, ambitious, at times brutally honest (and loud, obnoxiously mixed in spots, and gratuitous). Sorry.

[murlough23]

"Thrill of the Fall" was a good choice too, I must say.

I keep wondering how that song would play to someone who didn't have as much of a sense of rhythm. It would probably sound like a lot of chaotic banging on stuff if you couldn't figure out the beat.

[Aaron]

Today I'm going through everyone's music journal and typing up a list of albums I want to hear/get.  Not having a computer this year set me back.  I have only heard 9 or 10 albums in their entirety from 2010. 

[murlough23]

Today I'm going through everyone's music journal and typing up a list of albums I want to hear/get.  Not having a computer this year set me back.  I have only heard 9 or 10 albums in their entirety from 2010. 

I'm happy to help you with any of those that I can. Normally I encourage folks to buy stuff, but when money's tight and you need it for more important stuff, it's either hear it for free (with the possibility of buying it later when you have disposable income) or don't hear it at all, so I figure the former is better for the artist and for the fan.