Top 10 Albums of 2010

I've said it a million times, and i'll say it once more, 2010 was an impressive year for music. But as much as enjoyed all the good music, trying to narrow down my favorite albums of the year to only 10 was quite the task. I went back and forth on some of these, but I eventually came to a decision and i'll stand by these picks. So without further ado, i'm very pleased to present my top 10 albums of 2010. Enjoy!

10. Yann Tiersen - Dust Lane

Grief channeled brilliance from one of the all-around most talented musicians out there.

Yann Tiersen - Fuck Me (feat. Gaelle Kerrien) by Concrete Opinions

Purchase Dust Lane via Amazon or iTunes.

9. Los Campesinos! - Romance is Boring

Noise-pop at its best!

Los Campesinos! - Plan A by Concrete Opinions

Purchase Romance is Boring via Amazon or iTunes.

8. Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer

Contemporary, confident conception of soul music, with one of the best cover songs of the last 10 years (if not more).

Cee-Lo Green - No Ones Gonna Love You by bangnmash

Purchase The Lady Killer via Amazon or iTunes.

7. Freelance Whales - Weathervanes

Odd collection of instruments + bandmates found on Craigslist + a quality rarely found on debut albums = one damn good record!

Freelance Whales - Generator First Floor by al_debaran

Purchase Weathervanes via Amazon or iTunes.

6. Beach House - Teen Dream

Dream pop gem from a duo that should be a household name among music fans.

Beach House - Walk In The Park by Concrete Opinions

Purchase Teen Dream via Amazon or iTunes.

5. Sonos - December Songs

Talent wise, this a cappella sextet is number one. It's absolutely amazing what they do with nothing but their voices. More at sonosings.com.

Sonos - Come December by Concrete Opinions

Purchase December Songs via Amazon or iTunes.

4. Jónsi - Go

Sigur Rós frontman proves once again that his vocals and production quality are one-of-a-kind.

Jónsi - Animal Arithmetic by Concrete Opinions

Purchase Go via Amazon or iTunes.

3. LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening

Synth-pop, new wave, punk-funk at it's best!

LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean by Concrete Opinions

Purchase This is Happening via Amazon or iTunes.

2. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Best live show I went to this year...and maybe ever. Not a bad song on this ambitious, and pretty much perfect, album.

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) by Concrete Opinions

Purchase The Suburbs via Amazon or iTunes.

1. Sleigh Bells - Treats

I've been in love with these noise rock newcomers since the first time I heard the demo for Crown on the Ground. Treats is the perfect combination of synth-rock, lo-fi, power chords, and visceral pop.

Sleigh Bells - Rachel by Concrete Opinions

Purchase Treats via Amazon or iTunes.

The rest of my 2010 favorites (11 — 100, but in alphabetical order):

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today

Avi Buffalo - Avi Buffalo

Band of Horses - Infinite Arms

Baths - Cerulean

Belle And Sebastian - Write About Love

Best Coast - Crazy For You

Big Boi - Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

Blackbird Blackbird - Summer Heart

The Black Keys - Brothers

Broken Bells - Broken Bells

Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record

Caribou - Swim

Carla Morrison - Mientras Tu Dormias

Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM

Chiddy Bang - The Preview

Childish Gambino - I Am Not A Rapper (1 & 2)

Chromeo - Business Casual

Clint Mansell - Black Swan (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

CocoRosie - Grey Oceans

Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (II)

Daft Punk - TRON: Legacy

Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

Delorean - Subiza

The Drums - The Drums

Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be

The Fall - Your Future, Our Clutter

Field Music - Measure

Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma

Foals - Total Life Forever

Four Tet - There Is Love In You

Frankie Rose and the Outs - Frankie Rose & the Outs

Future Islands - In Evening Air

Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks

Games - That We Can Play

Girls - Broken Dreams Club

Girl Talk - All Day

Glasser - Ring

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

Grinderman - Grinderman 2

Hans Zimmer - Inception (Music from the Motion Picture)

Hoodie Allen - Pep Rally

Hot Chip - One Life Stand

Hurts - Happiness

Janelle Monae - Archandroid

Jenny and Johnny - I'm Having Fun Now

Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me

Kate Nash - My Best Friend is You

Kele - Boxer

Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon Part 2

Klaxons - Surfing The Void

Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can

Les Savy Fav - Root For Ruin

Liars - Sisterworld

Local Natives - Gorilla Manner

Magnetic Man - Magnetic Man

Marina & the Diamonds - The Family Jewels

Matt & Kim - Sidewalks

Magic Kids - Memphis

Manic Street Preachers - Postcards From A Young Man

Massive Attack - Heligoland

Maximum Balloon - Maximum Balloon

MGMT - Congratulations

Miami Horror - Illumination

Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

The Mynabirds - What We Lose In the Fire We Gain In the Flood

Mystery Jets - Serotonin

The National - High Violet

The New Pornographers - Together

New Young Pony Club - The Optimist

The Radio Dept. - Clinging to a Scheme

Rapdragons - Featuring Baltimore

Ratatat - Lp4

Rjd2 - The Colossus

Robyn - Body Talk Pt 1

Royksopp - Senior

She & Him - Volume Two

Snow & Voices - Anything That Moves

Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz

Surfer Blood - Astro Coast

Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky

Teen Daze - Four More Years

Theophilus London - I Want You

These New Puritans - Hidden

Two Door Cinema Club - Tourist History

Underworld - Barking

Vampire Weekend - Contra

Warpaint - The Fool

Wavves - King of the Beach

Yeasayer - Odd Blood

You Say Party - XXXX

Dust Lane

Yann Tiersen's latest offering, Dust Lane, is out today!

Dust Lane is the sixth studio album by Tiersen. Two years in the making, produced by Tiersen and mixed by Ken Thomas (Sigur Ros, M83, Dave Gahan), Dust Lane is an album preoccupied with mortality.

During its recording, Tiersen lost his mother and a close friend, and the music within embodies what it is to be bereaved. It is also an album about life not as something lost, but something to be live. Tiersen describes the album as, "not such a sad thing, but a colourful thing - an experience sometimes painful, but also joyful".

More about Yann Tiersen here.

You can purchase the album via MUTE or iTunes

coming soon: yann tiersen

Definitely one of my all time favorite artists, Yann Tiersen (Amelie, Goodbye Lenin, Tabarly), is set to release his latest album, Dust Lane, October 11th in Europe (via MUTE) and October 12th in the US (via ANTI). He's also about to set out on a European tour with more dates promised. I was lucky enough to see Mr. Tiersen live awhile back (w/ Asobi Seksu...so good), so hopefully the tour makes it's way to the US, this is a show you don't want to to miss.

(yann tiersen @ the el rey theatre w/ asobi seksu, may 2, 2009)

A bit about Dust Lane (courtesy of yanntiersen.com):

Dust Lane is the sixth studio album by Yann Tiersen. Two years in the making, it was largely recorded on Tiersen's current home of Ouessant, a small island off the coast of West Britanny, with further parts recorded on an island in the south Philippines and last touches and final mix at The Chairworks Studio in Castelford with producer Ken Thomas (Sigur Rós, M83, Dave Gahan).

Dust Lane is, inescapably, an album preoccupied with mortality. During its recording, Tiersen lost his mother and a close friend, and the music within embodies what it is to be bereaved. It is also an album about life not as something lost, but something to be lived. "Not a sad thing, but a colourful thing - an experience sometimes painful, but also joyful," says Tiersen.

Head on over to the official site and you can stream his entire show at La Route du Rock Festival (for a limited time)