2010

Yes, it's that lovely time of year - no, not christmas - where everybody becomes a little sentimental towards the passing of another year, and decides to do lists of stuff for some reason. It's been a pretty damn good year for music, as with any other year if you look hard enough I guess. It's gone quickly though; somehow I'm already a third of the way through my degree, but it still feels like I'm just starting.

Anyways, enough bullshit. Here are my picks for the Top 50 albums of 2010.

50. The Morning Benders - Big Echo

49. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - I Learned the Hard Way

48. Beach House - Teen Dream

47. Parades - Foreign Tapes

46. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

45. MellowHype - BlackenedWhite

44. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

43. Menomena - Mines

42. Raw Nerve - Raw Nerve

41. The Saddest Landscape - You Will Not Survive

40. Gonjasufi - A Sufi and a Killer

39. Total Abuse - Mutt

38. Madlib - Madlib Medicine Show: No. 7 - High Jazz

37. Mount Kimbie - Crooks & Lovers

36. Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

35. Woe - Quietly, Undramatically

34. Harvey Milk - A Small Turn of Human Kindness

33. Dark Time Sunshine - Cornucopia

32. Four Tet - There Is Love In You

31. Sed Non Satiata - Sed Non Satiata

30. Quiet Steps - Think Aloud

29. Alpinist - Lichtærm

28. Encoffination - Ritual Ascension Beyond Flesh

27. Downfall of Gaia - Epos

26. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor

25. Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid

24. Diocletian - War of All Against All

23. Broken Water - Whet

22. Witchrist - Beheaded Ouroborus

21. The National - High Violet

20. Ghostface Killah - Apollo Kids

19. Heaven in Her Arms - Paraselene

18. The Dillinger Escape Plan - Option Paralysis

17. Begrime Exemious - Impending Funeral of Man

16. Ash Borer / Fell Voices - Split

15. How To Dress Well - Love Remains

The lo-fi qualities are both good and bad in this album (which is probably why it has such a polarising effect), but when it all comes together, man, it really comes together.

14. Adversarial - All Idols Fall Before the Hammer

Blah blah SNARE blah blah... fucking rules, get over it.

13. Teebs - Ardour

Textures, man, those dreamy textures.

12. Vasaeleth - Crypt Born and Tethered To Ruin

Filthy death metal that is addictive, especially due to it's short length.

11. Immolation - Majesty and Decay

A return to form, adding yet another fantastic release to their discography.

10. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

While it doesn't top Microcastle, I never expected it to, and I am still suitably satisfied with what Cox and co. have come up with.

9. Max Richter - Infra

It's strongest point is also it's weakest; the short tracks make it very easy to digest, though I can't help but feel there should be more development in some of them. Then again, that would somewhat betray his style. Brilliant stuff regardless.

8. Defeated Sanity - Chapters of Repugnance

Honestly didn't see myself liking this all that much, though this proved to be a brutal death album that I thoroughly enjoyed... and is therefore in a very small group of albums.

7. The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt

Blah blah Bob Dylan blah blah...

6. Coffinworm - When All Became None

So disgusting. So good.

5. Women - Public Strain

After hearing the preview track "Eyesore", I was very excited to hear this, as it sounded like they had made a lot of progress since their self-titled debut. And no doubt, they delivered an album that surpassed my expectations.

4. The Men - Immaculada

After getting hooked by a couple of tracks initially, I just kept listening and it kept getting better. The Men utilise the good ol' "wall of sound" better than any punk band I have come across, though calling them just a punk band would be doing them a disservice. There is a lot going on here, but it all works very well - no meaningless experimentation.

3. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma

This man is a genius. An album that you can lose yourself in.

2. Deathspell Omega - Paracletus

The trilogy comes full circle, as Deathspell Omega refine their sound without sacrificing any of their ambition. Everything from their previous few releases has been condensed into one relentless monster of an album, and it may even be the best of the trilogy.

1. Dark Time Sunshine - Vessel

Since April, this has stood atop and had barely any contest. Fantastic production is what really gives this the massive replay value, considering how incredible and different it is. Called it as aoty back in May, and I'm quite glad I feel the same way now. Fantastic album.