C's Top 25 Albums of 2010

At the beginning of 2010, I thought there was no way to beat 2009's music. There were too many masterpiece albums--Phoenix's Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Passion Pit's Manners, Bon Iver's Blood Bank, Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion, Girls' Album, Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest, The XX's  self titled debut. Release after release, however, I realized 2010 had overcome the previous year.

These few releases changed my mind. (I've linked the album covers, check out some sales on iTunes.)

1. Cerulean-Baths: This album proves that you can make art out of bleeps and glitches.

2. Crystal Castles II-Crystal Castles: The complexities of their second release barely fit into one album. Every single time I listen to it, the record feels new again.

3. Treats-Sleigh Bells: After a free release of a fuzzy EP in 2009, Sleigh Bells threw themselves out into the spotlight (also with the help of M.I.A.). Their full-length debut represents one of the most inventive sounds ever to be created.

4. Contra-Vampire Weekend: When listening to Contra, you can't help but tell that these guys are perfectionists. The album's just so crisp in its production, but not cheesy or overly pop. Vampire Weekend actually care about the music.

5. The Suburbs-Arcade Fire: This third full-length from the indie-all-stars, now pop-somebodies is a testament to the fact that these artists can tackle any topic, no matter how grandiose or elusive, and express it in music.

6. Cosmogramma-Flying Lotus: Cosmogramma just sounds like noise at first listen, but given all the shit out there that dies after a few replays, you have to give it a chance.

7. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy-Kanye West: You can criticize him all you want, but while you're joking about his latest public blunder he's in a studio somewhere making real music.

8. Forget-Twin Shadow: This album's so well crafted you wouldn't believe it's a debut.

9. Halcyon Digest- Deerhunter: Halcyon Digest is an irrefutable masterpiece, hands down.

10. Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty- Big Boi: Whether solo or not, Big Boi knows how to make music inventive, catchy, and distinctive. 

Honorable Mentions: The Wild Hunt- The Tallest Man on Earth, King of the Beach- Wavves, Teen Dream- Beach House, Love Remains- How to Dress Well, Eyelid Movies- Phantogram, The Age of Adz- Sufjan Stevens, Fang Island- Fang Island, The ArchAndroid- Janelle Monáe, Clinging to a Scheme- The Radio Dept., Subiza- Delorean, Black City- Matthew Dear, Gorilla Manor- Local Natives, Root For Ruin- Les Savy Fav, High Violet- The National, Avi Buffalo- Avi Buffalo, CMYK- James Blake. 

-C

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