Mid Year Wrap Up: Best Albums
The year is almost half over! That means that all this week we will be listing our contributors’ favorite musical achievments for the year thus far. Here are our favorite national albums from the first half of 2010:
Jon Schober
1. Malachai: The Ugly Side of Love
2. Ariel Pinks Haunted Graffiti: Before Today (review)
3. The National: High Violet (review)
4. Holy Fuck: Latin (review)
5. The Besnard Lakes: The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night (review)
6. Avi Buffalo: Avi Buffalo
7. Woods: At Echo Lake (review)
8. Dissappears: Fox
9. Phantogram: Eyelid Movies
10. Twin Sister: Color Your Life
Josh Keller
1. The National: High Violet (review)
2. Beach House: Teen Dream (review)
3. Woods: At Echo Lake (review)
4. The Soft Pack: The Soft Pack (review)
5. LCD Soundsystem: This is Happening (review)
6. Ariel Pinks Haunted Graffiti: Before Today (review)
7. The Besnard Lakes: The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night (review)
8. Caribou: Swim (review)
9. Titus Andronicus: The Monitor (review)
10. Four Tet: There is Love in You
(Honorable Mention) Wolf Parade: Expo 86, Flying Lotus: Cosmogramma, Liam the Younger: Reveal Hidden Worlds
Jon Behm
1. Janelle Monae: The ArchAndroid (review)
2. Beach House: Teen Dream (review)
3. Caribou: Swim (review)
4. Various Artists: Next Stop Soweto Vol. 1 (review)
5. Sonny & the Sunsets: Tomorrow is Allright (review)
6. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings: I Learned the Hard Way (review)
7. Woods: At Echo Lake (review)
8. Dum Dum Girls: I Will Be (review)
9. Flying Lotus: Cosmogramma (review)
10. Dosh: Tommy (review)
JH
1. Joanna Newsom: Have One on Me (review)
2. Beach House: Teen Dream (review)
3. Plants and Animals: La La Land (review)
4. The National: High Violet (review)
5. Broken Social Scene: The Forgiveness Rock Record (review)
6. Owen Pallet: Heartland
7. Surfer Blood: Astro Coast
8. Vampire Weekend: Contra (review)
9. New Pornographers: Together
10. Bonnie Prince Billy and the Cairo Gang: The Wonder Show of the World
Adam Bubolz
1. The Fall: Your Future Our Clutter
2. Clipd Beaks: To Realize
3. Pierced Arrows: Descending Shadows
4. Retribution Gospel Choir: 2 (review)
5. Ariel Pinks Haunted Graffiti: Before Today (review)
6. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists: Brutalist Bricks
7. Happy Birthday: Happy Birthday
8. Steely Dan: Aja
9. Steely Dan: The Royal Scam
10. Steely Dan: Pretzel Logic
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Ok, I am calling you guys out – with a couple exceptions your lists are almost exclusively white, male, indie rockers. Dudes need to get out more ! 😉
OH NO YOU DIDN’T
good music >>>>> diversity
😉
Um, by that rationale it sounds like you are assuming that people like music by females and non-whites only for the sake of diversity, rather than actually liking their music? Wait here for a second while I go get my soapbox…
not accusing you personally, but i do know plenty of people who have the mindset that the more diverse your end-of-year lists, etc. are, the “better” your taste is somehow?
that philosophy/mindset has always baffled me… like what you like, no matter how “white male indie rocker” it may be.
it’s one thing to not listen to a wide range of music, that much i’d agree, but if someone likes what they like, doesn’t really matter how “diverse” their favorites are imo.
like, while i think the new Janelle Monae album is one of the more impressive debut full lengths this year, it’s not a style of music I personally enjoy or listen to a TON, so i doubt it’ll be very high on my list of favorites at the end of the year.
make sense?
“it’s not a style of music I personally enjoy or listen to a TON”
should clarify that, i meant “personally enjoy a TON or listen to often” 🙂
oh, and i misread your initial reply to me…
no, wasn’t saying people who liked music by females/non-whites only like them for the sake of diversity, but i think i explained my point better in my first reply.
Haha – I think that we have had this argument before but I get what you are saying 😉
i could probably just be more clear in my initial comments and avoid any confusion… oh well 🙂
You ladies need to bust out the Midol and stop fighting! 😉
(Ok, I am calling you guys out – with a couple exceptions your lists are almost exclusively white, male, indie rockers. Dudes need to get out more!)
Compared to the pitchfork/GvB approved list of stuff white kids like?
🙂
lulz.
wowzer, it looks like all-white….for many is… alright. o wells, it is what it is.
so we should just list some non-white music for the sake of?
trying to understand here…
yo’ solace never that, to list “non-white” acts just for diversity would be silly, and yes when making list there are many folks who like to list rap/soul/jazz/world music or whatever as a sign of their diverse choices, or faux choices.
I’m only crushed/saddened that far too many folks don’t actually listen to/appreciate music outside their first preferences ala indie rock.
i happened to believe that Sonic Youth and Gangstarr represent basically the same thing, so me it’s natural. We all can only like what we actually like, black, white, puerto rican everybodys just a freakin’.
thankfully the kids under 30 are exposed to various genres and actually listen/buy everything ignoring “genre specifics”.
cheers!
ah, thanks for clarifying, and i agree!