-Julian/Owen
50)
The Drums - The Drums
49)
Love Is All - Two Thousand and Ten Injuries
48)
Menomena - Mines
47)
Crocodiles - Sleep Forever
46)
Cloud Nothings - Turning On
45)
Mogwai - Special Moves
44)
Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
43)
Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
42)
Happy Birthday - Happy Birthday
41)
The Chemical Brothers - Further
40)
Phantogram - Eyelid Movies
39)
Future Islands - In Evening Air
38)
Wavves - King of the Beach
37)
Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me
36)
Small Black - New Chain
35)
Tobacco - Maniac Meat
34)
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
33)
She & Him - Volume Two
32)
Foals - Total Life Forever
31)
The Black Keys - Brothers
30)
School of Seven Bells - Disconnect From Desire
29)
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
28)
The Radio Dept. - Clinging to a Scheme
27)
Vampire Weekend - Contra
26)
Wolf Parade - Expo 86
25)
Fang Island - Fang Island
24)
Ty Segall - Melted
23)
The Love Language - Libraries
22)
Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be
21)
The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt
20)
Las Robertas - Cry Out Loud
It may not be the most original album to be released this year, but there's something about Las Robertas' rough yet very studio sound and the lead singer's endearing vocals that draws me in and keeps me listening.
19)
Belle and Sebastian - Write About Love
Indie twee legends Belle and Sebastian returned from a four year hiatus with Write about Love, an album where they acknowledge their earlier recordings while at the same show continued development as a group. While it's definitely not as good as any of their nineties' masterpieces, Write About Love is still a great album.
18)
Best Coast - Crazy For You
Best Coast create something special in their low-fi two-minute pop bursts. Fuzzy and lovable, every track here is adorably catchy. Not serious in the least, these guys are perfect to kick back and relax to.
17)
Ra Ra Riot - The Orchard
Chamber pop group Ra Ra Riot follow up their excellent debut with The Orchard, a concise album that puts all of their strengths on display: fantastic string arrangements, simple hooks, and great vocals. Faced with the daunting task of not sounding too overblown with their many intricate accompaniments, Ra Ra Riot triumph and make it look so easy.
16)
Women - Public Strain
Some songs might sound like they're being shoved through a woodchipper, but in general, Public Strain is a strong sophmore album. It builds upon the rough sound that their debut didn't follow through with completely, and uses more conventional song structures to even it all out.
15)
Tame Impala - Innerspeaker
After releasing their self-titled EP two years ago, this Australian band got together last June to record their debut album. The result: psychedelic rock at its finest. Intricate, spacey chord progressions and stylishly lazy vocals make Innerspeaker a trippy experience that deserves its spot in the top 20. Listen to this with a good pair of headphones.
14)
Matt & Kim - Sidewalks
Matt & Kim are one of the most upbeat groups in the business, consistently churning out three-minute dance beats. Similar song structure doesn't get old as each tune carries its own distinct melody, an important addition that Matt & Kim have fixed since their often repetitive earlier albums. Immense progress so far shows show only signs more growth and improvement for the Brooklyn duo.
13)
The National - High Violet
Beautiful composition and song-writing continue to help The National live up to their early acclaim. High Violet is an intimate record with layers begging to be explored and listened to again and again.
12)
Wild Nothing - Gemini
A good example of how a dream pop album should sound. Though some of the songs might stay the same and linger a little longer than they need, each song has its own characteristic, and the lulling vocals mix well with the spacey synths. Wild Nothing don't exactly have their own sound, but they're doing a top-notch job with what they have.
11)
Portugal. The Man - American Ghetto
Unfairly criticized for being too refined on their excellent 2009 release The Satanic Satanist, Portugal. The Man silenced the critics with their fantastic new album this year, combining their signature weirdness with their recently-found ear for harmonic perfection.
10)
The Thermals - Personal Life
Ridiculously good when they go for loud and hard yet struggle when they slow down. They're one of our favorites this year for still churning out a great front-to-back album despite working with of one of softest and prissiest producers known to man, Chris Walla.
9)
Broken Bells - Broken Bells
Mercer and Mouse mesh well and sit in a happy medium between both of their really, really excellent sounds.
8)
Yellow Ostrich - The Mistress
A terrific third album from this little-known lo-fi folk rock musician. Captivating harmonies and charming melodies make this album. Even listening to the immensely beautiful harmonies on the track Mary was enough to get me to download the whole album. In short, this guy deserves a lot more recognition.
7)
Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma
I've never heard such an oddly satisfying blend of addictive beats and ramdom-ass noises hurled at my ears like this. Though it's hard to make sense of the majority of these blissfully frenzied tracks, not a beat is missed on Cosmogramma. It has to be on the favorite albums list of any avant-guard/electronic loving music geek.
6)
Julian Lynch - Mare
One of the more sublime, uniquely beautiful records to come out this year. Some of the tracks here give off a strong vibe of psychedelic Indian music, especially Just Enough, Mare, and Travelers. Also, it's nice to hear something outside the two main genres of 2010: retro-electronica, and noise pop.
5)
Local Natives - Gorilla Manor
A beautiful and tasty album, Gorilla Manor is catchy and likable enough to grab you on the first listen and deep enough to keep you hooked through the ninth or tenth.
4)
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
Apart from the last track which, though it was dedicated to the late Jay Reatard, doesn't seem completely nessesary to the rest of this incredibly ambitious album, I didn't find a single dull moment on Halcyon Digest. The distortion on tracks like Don't Cry and Revival fits in comfortably with the more quiet, acoustic presence of tracks like Sailing and Basement Scene, and everything in between brings the album together in a way that makes this the most accessible Deerhunter album to date.
3)
The Morning Benders - Big Echo
The Morning Benders were behind some of the best live shows you could have seen this year. They rocked Lollapalooza along with dozens of smaller venues on their Big Echo tour this year. Great ambition and musical growth since Talking Through Tin Cans leaves us in anticipation of what their next LP will bring.
2)
LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
For his third studio album, James Murphy once again shows us an impressive display of catchy melodies and danceable beats. Definitely my favorite electronica album of 2010. Though this is probably Murphy's last album as LCD Soundsystem, I certainly hope it's not his last album as a musician.
1)
Beach House - Teen Dream
An amazing album that earned its way to the top of our 2010 list. Released in January, Teen Dream has had all year to sink in and impress. Excellent instrumentals combined with gorgeous vocals produce our favorite record of 2010.
Close Contenders:
The Phantom Band - The Wants
OK Go - Of the Blue Colour of the Sky
Suckers - Wild Smile
Shugo Tokumaru - Port Entropy
Villagers - Becoming a Jackal
Weekend - Sports
Diamond Rings - Special Affections
Tokyo Police Club - Champ
