Is the album dead? Maybe commercially, but aesthetically it's great albums, not great songs, what define a great band. So while Too Much Rock has already counted down the Top 30* Songs of 2010*, let's talk about those top albums. Here are 25 of my favourites from this year:

25. The Drums - s/t (Downtown) 24. Hot Hot Heat - Future Breeds (Dangerbird) 23. Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record) 22. Jonsi - Go (XL) 21. Tender Trap - Dansette Dansette (Slumberland) 20. Les Savy Fav - Root for Ruin (Frenchkiss) 19. Bill Callahan - Rough Travel for a Rare Thing (Drag City) 18. Sleigh Bells - Treats (Mom + Pop) 17. The Radio Dept - Clinging to a Scheme (Labrador) 16. Belle & Sebastian - Write About Love (Matador) 15. Laura Veirs - July Flame (Raven Marching Band) 14. Walter Schreifels - An Open Letter to the Scene (Academy Fight Song) 13. Ra Ra Riot - The Orchard (Barsuk) 12. Mammoth Life - An American Movement (Self Released) 11. The Extra Lens - Undercard (Merge) 10. Stars - The Five Ghosts (Vagrant) 9. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang (SideOneDummy) 8. Unicycle Loves You - Mirror, Mirror (Highwheel) 7. The New Pornographers - Together (Matador) 6. The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt (Dead Oceans) 5. Stornoway - Beachcombers Windowsill (4AD) 4. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (Merge) 3. Freelance Whales - Weathervanes (Frenchkiss) 2. Hold Steady - Heaven is Whenever (Vagrant) 1. She & Him - Volume Two (Merge)

Curiously I prepared this list in January of '11 though never posted it. I found this list when preparing my Top 30 Albums of 2011 post, and decided to quietly slip it onto the site. Even a year later I'm a bit confused by my list. Did I listen to the Laura Veirs that much? The Jonsi? Who are The Drums? Maybe I'll revisit those albums now and see what all the fuss was about.