25. The Drums - s/t (Downtown)
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:
24. Hot Hot Heat - Future Breeds (Dangerbird)
23. Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record (Arts & Crafts)
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.
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