2010 Albums of the Year (Nos. 80-61)

80.  Curren$y - Pilot Talk

One of the most entertaining and low-key rap albums of the year.  Using inventive, molasses slow beats and his trademark laconic, stoner flow, Curren$y set the bar high for other rappers this year; few of which even came close.

79.  Actress - Splazsh

After getting a headache trying to put this electronic music square peg into a round hole, I finally gave up and just let the music seep into my subconscious.  Borrowing from every genre known to man, and perhaps inventing a couple of his own, Actress (London DJ/producer Darren Cunningham) is more interested in getting your mind going than getting your feet on any dance floor.  Most of his tracks seem aimless and inert, but there are always surprises around each corner, making for a fascinating headphones listen.

78.  Grimes - Halfaxa

If Bjork, Kate Bush, and Fever Ray formed a commune and magically gave birth to a daughter, she would likely be Grimes.  Creating dense, swirling electronic tapestries, she sometimes edges close to new-age territory but never seems to lose her focus.  Halfaxa was the one go-to album this year when I wanted to lose myself in its lovely trance-inducing states.

77.  Olof Arnalds - Innundir Skinni

Iceland's Olof Arnalds weaves her gorgeous, childlike voice in and out of her beautiful folk songs, always in complete control of her vision, not even letting Bjork steal her spotlight on the stunning "Surrender."

76.  Best Coast - Crazy For You

Simple guitar, bass, and drums setup, with simple melodies and crack songwriting.  Try to listen to the infectious "Boyfriend" without becoming immediately smitten.

75.  No Age - Everything In Between

No Age seemed to always and only be about noise to me.  I just couldn't get into their sound, or even past the walls of lacerating squall.  I'm not sure why I gave them another chance, but I am glad I did.  Instead of being made with blinders on, Everything In Between puts the focus on melody and sound first and uses their trademark noise as texture, which makes this the most surprising record on my list this year.

74.  Glasser - Ring

Working in an intimate style that recalls strong, quasi-mystical female artists such as Bat for Lashes, Fever Ray, Zola Jesus, and Florence and the Machine, Cameron Mesirow who performs under the moniker Glasser brings forth an excellent debut. While it is thin on originality, she owns the songs, which have delicate drum programming, odd, Asian-influenced percussion, swirling strings and keyboards, and her gorgeous, flexible voice, bringing forth a truly beautiful vision.

73.  Balem Acab - (See) Birds

The Yin to Salem's Yang, Balem Acab traffics in the "witch-house" or "drag house" genre but instead of creating horror show soundtracks, leans to the more ambient side of the genre.  Most of the tracks on the (See) Birds ep barely get the BPMs past double digits, reveling in their Eno-like structures.

72.  Menomena - Mines

A typical Menomena album usually has off-kilter drumming, stop-start guitars, glitchy electronics, lopey vocals and a penchant for the bizarre.  While Mines has most of these elements, what is surprising about this record is the sense of melancholy and loneliness that pervades each song.  What makes this so notable is how this makes one listen closer to the songs, creating an almost palpable intimacy with the band.

71.  Vampire Weekend - Contra

Vampire Weekend's debut was one of my favorite albums of 2009, and I will admit, I didn't have high hopes for their sophomore release, thinking that it would either be just more of the same or worse, an attempt to completely change the sound that made me love them in the first place.  Instead, we get the best of both worlds, enough of the old sound to keep me satisfied, while adding just enough experimentation to keep me interested.  Vampire Weekend, I am so sorry I doubted my love for you.

70.  Digital Mystikz - Return II Space

The one thing that bothers me about the current state of electronic music, and in some cases the music industry in general, is the lack of artists willing to chart the waters of full length album releases.  It is one thing to have a few hit singles, but another to show the depth and breadth to pull off a thematic release.  Digital Mystikz has not embraced the form yet, however, based on the not quite full length/not quite EP Return II Space, he definitely shows a knack for piecing together disparate elements and making them feel sewn from the same cloth.

69.  DeLorean - Subiza

Subiza is the perfect soundtrack to waking up at 6am on a beach somewhere after a night of endless drinks and dancing.  Perfect Baleric pop.

68.  Liars - Sisterworld

You never know what Liars are going to do from album to album.  From their debut of amazing dance punk, through bizarre sojourns through German mysticism, motorik Krautrock, and blissed out fuzz/scuzz rock, you can never say they follow the conventional path.  Sisterworld is basically a melding of all their previous albums into one.  Time will tell whether this is classic Liars, or just a stopgap in their pursuit of their sound.

67.  Sade - Soldier of Love

Over the almost 3 decades they have been performing, Sade's sound hasn't so much changed as been refined and honed.  You are not going to get much experimentation from them, but you will always get well-crafted, beautifully sleek pop.  When they do step out of the box, as on the stuttering, militaristic title track, they can take your breath away.

66.  Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer

Containing 2010's ubiquitous, water-cooler buzzed single "Fuck You," The Lady Killer is not a one track album with the rest being filler.  Cee Lo Green has one of R&B's most supple and velvety voices, and over the course of the album shows why he is one of the best in the business.

65.  M.I.A. - /|/\/\Y/\

2010's most polarizing and most severely underrated albums of the year.  Like Kanye West's album, it is not a perfect album, it is overlong, in need of some serious editing, is grating, and in some cases unlistenable; however, it is brimming with ideas, melodies, and some of the thickest darkest beats of the year.   The album is a critique of our need it right now, Internet and technology obsessed culture; where the need for the latest and greatest technological tools as led our society to become less capable of honest and open communication.

64.  Avey Tare - Down There

David Portner of Animal Collective, working under the moniker Avey Tare, has released a bleak, minimal album that is as far from the buoyant, life affirming sounds of his band's Merriweather Post Pavilion.  Down There is not an easy listen, as it is basically his therapy following a couple of years where he saw his marriage dissolve, family members pass away, and his sister's cancer diagnosis and treatment.  It is a murky, almost swamp like listen, but one that is emotionally cathartic.

63.  Owen Pallett - Heartland

Once going under the moniker Final Fantasy, Owen Pallett switched back to his regular name to avoid trademark and copyright issues with the video game of the same name.  Luckily, he has not changed his inventive and gorgeous song craft.  Each song is filled to the brim with gorgeous orchestrations, synths, and playful beats.  The album Heartland, is apparently a concept album about an ultra-violent farmer named Lewis who in each of the twelve songs on the album, has conversations with his creator, conveniently named Owen.  On paper it sounds ludicrous, however, Pallett is so endlessly creative, he pulls it off with aplomb.

62.  Caribou - Swim

Leave it to Caribou to make the best Royksopp album of the year.  Each song is filled to bursting with playful beats, and an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink mentality.  Just when you think a song is going one way, he doubles back and takes another path.  If only all music could be this subversively wonderful.

61.  Prefab Sprout - Let's Change The World With Music

Paddy McAloon has basically been Prefab Sprout from the beginning, writing beautiful songs that have his name mentioned as a modern day Cole Porter.  Recently he as fallen ill with a mysterious series of ailments that prevent him from singing or performing in any meaningful way, which is a serious blow to the music industry.  Let's Change The World With Music is a series of demos that were supposed to be used as the follow up to their critically acclaimed album Jordan: The Comeback.  Even in this unfinished state, these songs are practically perfect: his sense of melody is amazingly intact.  Some of the songs cry out to be fleshed out with more instrumentation, but aside from that quibble this is an amazing series of songs that speak to the amazing way music has to touch and influence us.