butler blake

I’ll admit this is usually my favorite time of year because of the world wide return of the top ten list. There are tons of lists I could’ve made, but the only media I consume enough of to warrant making a top ten list is music. I’ve always been an album guy. I love listening to singles, but bands that can write an album with landscape, themes, highs and lows are the ones that stick with me.

This started as a top ten The more I worked on this list the more it expanded. The honorable mentions list was growing and growing, so I decided to expand this into the top 20. I’ve always had a superlative personality so there’s not doubt that I said this is the best release of there year to about half of these.

Everybody is entitled to their opinions, so I’m taking my entitlement and running with it. Here they are, my favorite albums of the year:

#20. Yearbook EPs- Sleeping at Last 

• I hesitated adding this to the list because its not necessarily an album, but a collection of albums. It’s actually one album per month. It is beautiful. Pick through them and keep up. I think each one is getting better.

#19. The Suburbs- The Arcade Fire

• Lets settle the score: The Arcade Fire is never going to put out an album better than Funeral. Don’t get me wrong, I love Wynn Butler and The Arcade Fire, but this album just can’t overshadow it even as good as it is. It took me a few listens, but then it hit me hard. I got a chance to see them late this summer. It was kind of a religious experience. it looked like this.

#18. Weathervanes- Freelance Whales

• I don’t even want to write about this album. It just childlike and dreamy enough. Just watch this.

#17. Teenage Dream- Katy Perry

• Say what you will, hipsters. I think most of you are just scared how much you like pop music to say that this album was good- feet tapping, head nodding, bass blasting good. I’m not scared to say it, I loved this album. I mean listen to “Teenage Dream” and tell me you aren’t a little bit attracted to Katy Perry.

#16. All Day- Girl Talk

• This isn’t just another college kid in a dorm room making mashups of songs. It’s genius. Granted there’s nothing original on the record, but he pumps out over an hour of nonstop tracks that you can really dance to, or at least bob your shoulders. I mean where else can you listen to Miley Cyrus and Radiohead in the same sitting. You can still get it for free here.

#15. Harlem River Blues- Justin Townes Earle

• I love good suggestions from my friends at Horizon Records. This record was one of those. It’s got soul, it’s got heartache, and its got harmonica. I love the feel of the entire thing. It’s just hollow enough to actually feel like you were in the studio…in the 1960s.

#14 High Violet- The National

• I’m a bit prejudice. Boxer by The National is on my top five favorite records of all time. At this point anything they put out I’m probably going to go fan boy over and ooze on and on about it. They did it again though. They aren’t just riding the success of their last release. From the opening track, “Terrible Love” I knew this was going to be one of my favorite records of the year. This music video was pretty entertaining too.

 

#13. Go- Jonsi

• When I was a senior in college a watched a film by Sigur Ros entitled Heima (thanks to the good folks at Google you can watch it too). Sigur Ros created not only music, but moments. Frontman, Jonsi, has taken pages from Sigur Ros’ success and paired it with his own personal style, flair, and English. I get floored everytime I heard “Tornado.”

#12. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy- Kanye West

• If you haven’t heard about this record or Kanye this year you’ve been living under a rock. As you can tell there isn’t a great deal of hip-hop on this list, but I think this is the greatest hip hop record I’ve listened to since Outkast was still making good music. Love him, hate him, or even think he’s a parody of himself, you can’t help liking this whole album. Bon Iver is one of my favorite bands (RIP for now) so I couldn’t help digging this track, but it’s definitely not even the best on the record.

#11. Contra- Vampire Weekend

• I’m not smart or hip enough to accurately review this album, but I loved it. So look at this and listen to this, 

#10. Pardon Me- Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights

• ROCK & ROLL. There is enough southern rock swagger to make Lynard Skynard a little bit jealous and vocals to make Lenny Kravitz a bit uncomfortable. This entire album is just freaking loud and in your face. Overdriven distorted bass, southern fried guitar licks, and backup dancers- yes this is 2010.

#9. Ten Eventful Years- Mortimer

• This didn’t make the list because I used to play music with the guitar player. Although, there is a part of me that feels a little more connected to it because of the stories I heard from and about it. Donnie Mortimer’s voice is pristine, all the instruments sounds perfect, and the themes are spot on. The record closes with my favorite track “Cobweb Heart” which confesses, “I’ve made a demon of all my freedoms.” Kill yo self.

#8. Brothers-The Black Keys

• For some reason it took a while for me to even hear this album, but once I did I was like a kid with a new Gameboy, I just couldn’t put it down. Its bluesy and infectious to say the least. I’ll let it speak for itself. Are they the best duo since the White Stripes?

 

#7. Kaleidoscope Heart- Sara Bareilles

• To some people this might be a guilty pleasure, but I’ll gladly wear fan status as a badge of honor. I really think that she has taken all the good melodies left in the world and put them on one album. Also, “Basketcase” is one of the best written songs of the year.

#6. So Runs the World Away- Josh Ritter

•  Don’t listen to Josh Ritter if you don’t like stories. Should you happen to like them then you might have found your new love. The first time I heard
  “The Curse” I listened to it for about 45 minutes straight to make sure I had the story right. The same thing happened with “Folk Bloodbath.” All in all this is a fantastic record with a fantastic story to tell.

#5. Deadmalls and Nightfalls- Frontier Ruckus

• These guys from Michigan might be able to navigate their way their Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary better than The Decemberists. Thats impressive. Beyond their way with a song is their way around eclectic instruments. Throughout the record bright trumpets and singing saws make plenty of apperances. “Silverfishes,” “Pontiac,” and “Nerves of the Nightmind” seal the deal to make this a top 5 for me.

#4. Pauper’s Field- Dylan LeBlanc

• Whatever you do, don’t tell Dylan Leblanc that this record reminds you of Ryan Adams Heartbreaker. I put my foot in my mouth one night this summer in Greenville after making that comment. Then i realized Dylan was making music different on a lot of levels. He’s 20, but he’s pulling from so much life experience and heartache that it makes your head hurt. I made a wise decision and bought this on vinyl. It plays at my house about once a week.

#3. Sigh No More- Mumford and Sons

• I wrote them off as a British version of The Avett Bros. for about 3 months. Then I was driving down I-85 late one night and decided to listen to this whole album. All I’m going to say is that I’m glad I was the only one in the car. The whole album is a struggle of redemption to my ears and that is more than ok with me. “Little Lion Man” and “Awake My Soul” made me pound on my steering wheel the most. 

 

#2. Valley Maker-Valley Maker (Austin Crane)

• By this point you’ve all heard the story: Austin Crane wrote this record as a thesis for a senior writing project. I’ll forget about that fact in 5 years, but I don’t think I’m going to forget about this album ever. Austin has been one of my favorite song writers ever since he handed me a burned demo after he opened for a band I was playing in way back in 2006. This release is no exception to his way with chord progressions and pens. I still don’t know if my man crush on him is healthy. 

#1. Age of Adz- Sufjan Stevens

• It doesn’t matter where he’s been or what state or expressway he’s been writing about, Sufjan is back, and he’s not effing around. I got this album late in the year so it’s tough to look at this all fairly, but this is truly my favorite album of the year. It’s all feels so disconnected with strings accompanied by layered tracks, but strangely whole all at the same time as Sufjan ties words together in a way that only he can. Did you see him on Fallon? 

Honorable Mentions:

• Treats- Sleigh Bells
• EPs I/II- Lovedrug 
• Return to Struggleville- Listener
• Bad Books- Bad Books

Please keep in mind these were the albums I actually listened to this year. I’m sure there are tons more fantastic releases, I’m just not nearly as cool as I once was.

What did i miss?