2010 Albums of the Year (Nos. 60-41)

60.  Klaxons - Surfing The Void

One of my most anticipated albums of the year took a long time to grow on me.  The album, produced by nu-metal producer Ross Robinson (Korn, Limp Bizkit), is half lovely, sci-fi tinged pop music, which is what one would expect from their previous album, however, the other half, shows them verging into more cacophonous territory.  It is a bit of a shock and difficult to get your head around at first, but after multiple listens it becomes amazing at how well the two halves merge so well together.

59.  Tame Impala - Innerspeaker

Stoner/sludge rock from an Aussie trio that knows how to create an full album of material without it sounding too one-note.  For one, they have an excellent ear for melody, and two, they know how to inject texture and drama into the music.

58.  Gonjasufi - A Sufi & A Killer

Almost unclassifiable, Gonjasufi, one of the many artists in Flying Lotus' stable of musicians, creates electronic music that draws from a variety of sources.  Mixing jazz, soul, blues, as well as IDM, dubstep, and house music; all going into a big pot, swirled around into a brilliant mess.

57.  Lone - Emerald Fantasy Tracks

Probably the least inventive or original albums of the year, but also one of the most joyous I've heard.  Taking a love for acid house, techno, and rave music from the late 80s and early 90s, Lone just keep the hooks coming one after another.

56.  John Roberts - Glass Eights

Not quite downtempo and not quite dubstep, artists like John Roberts, including James Blake and Shed, definitely work in their own field.  Most of the music is hushed, insular and haunting.  Merging stumbled beats, treated piano, echoed vocals manipulated within an inch of their humanity, this music is the sound of future right here in the present.

55.  Shed - The Traveller

Not as classical sounding as James Blake and John Roberts, Shed puts a little more oomph into his beats.  While the BPMs are forceful, the music is still made more for headphones than the dance floor.

54.  Local Natives - Gorilla Manor

Sounding like a west coast Grizzly Bear, Local Natives fill their songs to the brim with inventive melodies and non-traditional instrumentation.  Each song is like a small symphony while the songs as a whole work as a suite.  Truly magical.

53.  Diamond Rings - Special Affections

John O'Regan, of Canadian post-punk quartet D'Ubervilles, created Diamond Rings as a solo project, and has now surpassed them in notoriety and fame.  Revealing his love for 80s synth pop and new wave acts, he builds each song with tinny drum machines, analog synths, and angular guitar riffs.  The songs are full of just joy for creating music.  They start simply and by the end of each you find yourself singing along at the top of your lungs.

52.  Terror Danjah - Undeniable

The grime godfather Terror Danjah takes his music into surprising directions on his debut full length.  Tackling dubstep, grime, deep house, and a dozen other genres, he puts his meticulous stamp on each one.

51.  Violens - Amoral

Mixing a love of 80s alternative stalwarts such as XTC, Smiths, The Cure, New Order and Echo and Bunnymen, Violens hits the ground running with this phenomenal debut.  Bold, driving songs that take deep root in your brain.

50.  Teebs - Ardour

While not as fully realized and innovative as Flying Lotus, Teebs still weaves together one of the most gorgeous electronic debuts of the year.  While no one song on Ardour will stick with you as a "single," the album is wholly realized, constructed perfectly; if you take out one element the entire creation will fall like a house of cards.

49.  The Radio Dept. - Clinging To A Scene

Sweden's The Radio Dept. have been lurking in the shadows of indie pop fame for the past few years, but shot into prominence with this outstanding album.  Clocking in at a svelte 34 minutes, the music runs the gamut from indie rock a la Belle and Sebastian to proto-60s dance pop like Saint Etienne.  Their pop sensibilities are spot on song after song, specifically on amazing toe-tapping cuts like "Heaven's On Fire."

48.  Girl Talk - All Day

Gregg Gillis, aka Girl Talk, knows exactly what he is doing.  Over his longest release to date, his consummate ear for mashing up pop songs, alternative and electronic music, R&B and hip-hop is never more than mind blowing.  Deceptively disposable, the album gets under your skin, making you play it over and over again, each time finding little snippets you missed before.

47.  Skream - Outside The Box

One of dubsteps' first innovators, Skream is moving slightly more towards the mainstream, mixing more vocals into the mix and moving away from the wobbly bass and intricate drum programming on his early singles and album.  Purists will call foul, but he is opening the doors for more fans to become acquainted with one of my favorite electronic genres.

46.  Holy Fuck - Latin

Instrumental rock can be either overbearingly complicated or very one note.  Holy Fuck avoids those traps by keeping their music moving.  Locking into fierce disco/rock grooves, the band shoots forward at a blistering pace, taunting you to keep up with them.

45.  Autechre - Oversteps/Move of Ten

Releasing not one but two new albums, Autechre are hitting their stride in the elder-statesman years.  Following off of last years brilliant Quaristice, Autechre aims for the headphones set with Oversteps, and finishes off things with the obtuse, beat heavy Moves of Ten.  Unlike so many electronic acts that tend to wind up rehashing the same music that made them popular, Autechre's restlessness and desire to expand their sound is thrilling.

44.  Sufjan Stevens - Age of the Adz

Adding more electronic textures and beats to his already pristine singer-songwriter milieu, Sufjan opens up his sound without alienating his core audience.  Whether he is putting together simple, gorgeous pop songs like "Futile Devices" or going batshit nuts on the 25 minute closing musical suite "Impossible Soul," Sufjan's impressive talent is always shining.

43.  Zola Jesus - Stridium

Like a goth Kate Bush mixed with the deep voice of Barry White, Zola Jesus crafts exquisite synth-driven pop songs, that revel in dark, morose atmospheres, but never veers toward cliche.  The songs begin minimally, the slowly build layer upon layer, all grounded by the haunting voice of Nika Danilova's majestic voice.

42.  Four Tet - There Is Love In You

You could easily put Four Tet in any classified genre of electronic music and it would fit.  He moves effortlessly between minimal techno, downtempo house, chillwave, shoegaze, dubstep, or deep house.  His skill is making the disparate elements all fit and work together so seamlessly.

41.  The Chemical Brothers - Further

I had given up on Chemical Brothers, I will full admit.  They seemed to have become almost a parody of themselves, or even worse, some bland electronic act that solely made music to be featured in the latest action movie or beer commercial.  Such was my surprise when I listened to Further and found that they found their muse again, crafting a cohesive and gorgeous set of amazing techno music.  As long as the Chems keep putting out records like this, I will never doubt them again.