Best Albums of 2010

These are my choices for best records of 2010. Some of the titles were released in 2009 but still had a place in my music player this year. I based my list how much I listened to these albums, how good I thought they were as a whole collection and how much I liked the albums as a whole.

30

Lady GaGa - The Remix
GaGa's second album of remixes in just under a year, this one contains new mixes of songs from The Fame Monster as well as some from The Fame that may or may not have appeared on her Canada-only remix disc Remixes. This disc contains the incredible Stuart Price Remix of Pararazzi, a remix of Alejandro by Sound of Arrows and a Pet Shop Boys Remix of Eh, Eh, among many other tracks. Still just a remix compilation but there are some gems.

29

Hawksley Workman - Milk
Hawksley Workman released two records in 2010, his first was the rockier, grittier Meat while it was followed up in the middle of the year by the poppy, electronic Milk. Overall, it's Milk that I gravitated toward because of the catchiness of the songs. For the most part, the songs definitely feel cheesy but one can't help but like the extreme cheese.

28

Sarah McLachlan - Laws Of Illusion
Sarah's first album since 2003's Afterglow. Contains a lot of the same things that made Afterglow a good record but unfortunately, might have also worked against it. Even still, Laws of Illusion is pure Sarah and has songs that stand strong.

27

Jann Arden - Spotlight
Spotlight is not a full-length release but mostly a live recording with one new studio recording. I Can't Make You Stay sounds made for radio while the remaining 8 tracks are songs from last year's Free with a few hits from Living Under June thrown in. This collection works as a good support for Free if you were one of those that skipped over that record entirely.

26

Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
Vocally, Marcus Mumford sounds like Blue October's Justin Furstenfeld while musically, the band reminds me of a stripped down Fleet Foxes. They're instantly recognizable with a style that, this year, was all their own. Lead by the hit Little Lion Man but the rest of the record is worth checking out.

25

Ash Koley - Inventions
Inventions has the sound of a high production value poppier Emm Gryner record taken from the 80s updated with a 2010 sound. I think the duo (lead by singer Ash) has potential to make a name for themselves in Canada, especially if the video for Don't Let Your Feet Touch Ground is any indication.

24

Lori McKenna - Lorraine
Lorraine is complete with songs of sadness and loss but also appreciation and rememberance. It's a solid record of country music that stands strong next to some of country's greats.

23

Indigo Girls - Staring Down The Brilliant Dream
Admittedly, this live double record was my first true experience of the Indigo Girls library aside from the couple of obvious songs from their past, which of course are included on here. Much more of a pleasant listen than any compilation album as you can pick up the energy of their devoted audience, it's hard not to sing along to their harmonies.

22

Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
For fans of non-genre-specific music like the Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene create this fusion record of rock, pop, dance and otherwise "indie rock" disc of fascinating, pleasing, complete songs.

21

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye keeps up with expectations while able to distance himself from his cocky attitude to let the music speak for itself with another record of solid rap tunes over plenty of strings and beats with some of music's biggest stars like Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Elton John, Fergie and more.

20

David Usher - The Mile End Sessions
David Usher has six album's of material since his first time going solo in 1998. But three of those are on a major label and the other three are independent. So therefore he's probably not going to have any sort of a compilation album of those actual songs any time soon so this year David did the next best thing, re-record the songs and release them as acoustic versions. Some of the songs have different sounds and style altogether while others stay fairly true to their original form, plus a few new songs.

19

Rihanna - Loud
Rihanna continues to grow as a vocalist, even if her songs themselves aren't better than stuff she's previously recorded. There are a few gems on Loud and likely to be more hits for her while the album itself is a respectible listen.

18

Katy Perry - Teenage Dream
Katy Perry was one of the year's biggest pop singers and it's likely because the songs she sings are immediately catchy and probably the definition of pop music in 2010. California Gurls was easily the top song of the summer but she didn't stop there. Aside from the hits, she does offer some more fun songs for a decent pop record. Album of the Year worthy for the Grammys? Maybe not but its attention is at least partially deserved.

17

Dragonette - Fixin' To Thrill
A holdover from last year, Fixin' To Thrill was the record that started my year in 2010. Martina and co. offer up some true electro-pop with sexualized lyrics and situations that go far and beyond what their debut album Galore explored. Musically, they've formed their own place in music and this album shows is splendidly.

16

Chantal Kreviazuk - Plain Jane
Chantal's fifth album, first on an independent label, might be her least consistent record to date but it still contains some classic Chantal songs. The downside might be more in the instant change from her poppiest songs like The Way and Today to her decent smooth jazz attempt on Plain Jane and the acoustic-guitar-backed tracks Kerosene Lamp and Halfway Around The World. Not as interesting as some of her previous material but Chantal continues to hold her own.

15

Soundtrack: Almost Alice
I considered this soundtrack the record that kept on giving this year. Every few weeks I would discover a new song that I recognized from hearing on the sattelite radio system at work that came from this soundtrack so in that sense, the music from this slowly made their way into my psyche. Of course the inclusion of the obvious Alice-inspired White Rabbit is definitely a plus for me as well.

14

Ray LaMontague & The Pariah Dogs - God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise
I sat on this album for a few months before giving it a full second chance and realizing that I actually quite like it. It became one of 2010's best kept secrets until the lead single Beg, Steal Or Borrow received a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year. God Willin' offers some other wonderful sounding songs including its title track, For The Summer, New York City's Killing Me and the room-stopper Like Rock & Roll And Radio.

13

B.o.B - The Adventures of Bobby Ray
When B.o.B released his debut album earlier this year, he gave Kanye a run for his abilities with some of the raps that appear on this record. His versatility gives an indication that he'll be in the biz for awhile and will probably be a go-to rapper for the next couple years. His teamup with Bruno Mars was probably the best thing either one could have done to jump-start their year.

12

Brandi Carlile - Give Up The Ghost
Brandi is one of those singers who can sit back, write her songs, record them and let the pieces fall into place. On 2009's Give Up The Ghost, the album spoke for itself with some of the best songs of the last few years including my personal favourite That Year. Her vocals are spot on with not only the force of a rocker but the range of a soul singer.

11

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
It took only one listen for me to decide that I liked The Suburbs more than Neon Bible. Not that I disliked Neon Bible but I felt that The Suburbs had a cleaner sound without being pretentious or trying to appease their following. The result is sure to please the fans of both Funeral and Neon Bible while allowing newcomers to join the party.

10

Pink - Greatest Hits...So Far!!!
Pink was nearly due for a Greatest Hits collection, being it ten years since her first hit and the result is a full compilation of hits that place it next to some of the best Greatest Hits of the last few years. A few notable hits were left off and this collection does lean more toward the latter hits than it should but it's still a solid group with the addition of two great new songs.

9

Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday
I've decided that Nicki Minaj is my favourite new artist of the year. Her appearances on many hits this year helped show off her amazing skills as a rapper even before the release of Pink Friday. While this album doesn't quite live up to what she offered beforehand, she does show other sides of her aside from the demented personality she shows on hits by Trey Songz and Christina Aguilera.

8

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - Soundtrack: The Social Network
The music behind one of the year's best movies stands strong as its own entity. The industrial ambience of the songs on The Social Network work splendidly with the scenes they were matched with in the movie but on their own, they're just awesome pieces.

7

Court Yard Hounds - Court Yard Hounds
Once again, there was no new Dixie Chicks album this year but the sisters Emily and Martie did do a side project of slightly-country folk songs that stand as strong as some of their music with Natalie. I'm unsure if this will be a permanent ongoing project for the sisters or just a one-time thing until Natalie is ready to record again but it satisfies me for the time-being.

6

Sarah Harmer - Oh Little Fire
Nearly five years since the release of Sarah's bluegrass record I'm A Mountain, she returns to her own sound of folk-pop that made her one of Canada's most beloved voices. Musically, Oh Little Fire is warmer and more pleasing than 2004's All Of Our Names but shares its level of production, which is more than 2000's You Were Here. Not including I'm A Mountain, Oh Little Fire is nearly on par with You Were Here for what makes Sarah Harmer.

5

KT Tunstall - Tiger Suit
Tiger Suit picks up where Drastic Fantastic left off. Dropping the wall-of-sound production for a thinner, slightly electronic sound but still remaining a full spectrum of sounds combining to make each song feel complete. For the most part, KT has left her days of softer acoustic recordings that made Eye To The Telescope special but that doesn't make her current sound any less significant. But if one needs to keep up with her Black Horse And The Cherry Tree image, there's the similarly sounding Come On, Get In.

4

Robyn - Body Talk
One of the year's most flawless pop records. Available in three parts or together as a combined 16-track collection, the entire Body Talk series was handled beautifully. On Body Talk are some of the best pop songs of the last decade and she sets the bar for what some of today's biggest pop singers should be aspiring to.

3

Eminem - Recovery
Eminem's comeback was among the year's top stories in music as Recovery sold over 3 million copies. Impressive when taking into consideration just last year, his album Relapse was one of the biggest disappointments and he was seen as on the road to has-been-ism. Eminem does reference that specifically in the second track where he raps "them last two albums didn't count...please accept my apology" while also praising rappers Lil'Wayne, Kanye West, T.I and his multiple mentions to slain D12 member Proof, who is remembered throughout the record. Recovery is the album where Eminem finally lets go of the themes that plagued his other records. Rarely is there any mention of his ex wife or mother, no mocking of pop singers and referencing himself as an egomaniac but instead bringing up his past mistakes. The closest thing to Without Me would be W.T.P. It's like an album full of Lose Yourself with a Sing For The Moment brought in in the form of Going Through Changes. Recovery is the album Eminem needed to move into the next decade and start the next series of his career.

2

Amy MacDonald - A Curious Thing
A Curious Thing was one of the first albums I got in 2010 and following This Is The Life my favourite record of 2009, I was very much looking forward to it. This album continues where the first left off and presents Amy front and centre with her strong, eager vocals over pleasant guitars and drums. It loses some of the Scotish charm that helped make This Is The Life what it was but still doesn't quite succumb to full western influences.

1

Lady GaGa - The Fame Monster
Despite being released in December 2009, I didn't quite get into The Fame Monster until a few months later but it became the centre of my musical existence for months. From GaGa's music videos for Bad Romance, Telephone and Alejandro to her amazing stageshow during The Monster Ball, GaGa has shown that she has a hold on every aspect of her career and it all started with the 8 songs that make up The Fame Monster. These songs have helped mold pop music in 2010 and will likely continue to influence the sound until her followup Born To Be drops in May.

Best Songs of 2010

Here's my list of the Top 50 best songs of 2010. I was going to do a write-up for each track but decided not to because I'd either write a lot about each song that would take too much time or come up with a short thought but then I felt it would be half-assing it so I'll leave you with just the list.
I feel that there's a good mix of songs on here but for the most part, my ears were dominated by pop music this year. Lady GaGa, Robyn, Katy Perry, with a few slightly older favourites Amy MacDonald, Sarah Harmer, Brandi Carlile and some rap from Eminem, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj. The songs I chose based on how often I listened to them, how much I liked them, how good I think the song actually is based on the recording, lyrics and music, and whether the song moved me or otherwise had sentimental value.

Court Yard Hounds

50. Ash Koley - Brighter At Night

49. Mumford & Sons - Little Lion Man

48. Diane Birch - Nothing But A Miracle

47. Sara Bareilles - King Of Anything

46. Lady Antebellum - Need You Now

45. MGMT - It's Working

44. V.V. Brown - Shark In The Water

43. Grace Potter & The Nocturnals - White Rabbit

42. Court Yard Hounds - Ain't No Son

41. Broken Social Scene - All To All

Arcade Fire

40. Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are

39. La Roux - Bulletproof

38. Hawksley Workman - The Ground We Stand On

37. Shelby Lynne - Alibi

36. Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

35. Corrine Bailey Rae - I'd Do It All Again

34. KT Tunstall - Difficulty

33. B.o.B - Airplanes Part I/II [featuring Eminem & Hayley Williams]

32. Lady GaGa - Alejandro

31. Florence + The Machine - Dog Days Are Over

Amy MacDonald

30. Sarah Harmer - The City

29. Jon Bryant - Deaf

28. Nicki Minaj - Roman's Revenge [featuring Eminem]

27. DJ Earworm - United State Of Pop 2009 (Blame It On The Pop)

26. Cee Lo Green - Fuck You

25. Amy MacDonald - This Pretty Face

24. Lady GaGa - Poker Face/Speechless/Your Song [Live @ The Grammys with Elton John]

23. Kanye West - Monster [featuring Jay-Z, Rick Ross & Nicki Minaj]

22. Tiësto - Feel It In My Bones [featuring Tegan & Sara]

21. Lil'Wayne - Hot Revolver

Robyn

20. Melissa McClelland - Brake [featuring Sarah McLachlan]

19. Arcade Fire - We Used To Wait

18. Ray LaMontague & The Pariah Dogs - Beg Steal Or Borrow

17. Robyn - U Should Know Better [featuring Snoop Dogg]

16. Edward Maya - Stereo Love [featuring Vika Jigulina]

15. Robyn - Dancing On My Own

14. Sarah Harmer - Silverado [with Neko Case]

13. Rihanna - Man Down

12. Wallis Bird - An Idea About Mary

11. Meaghan Smith - Poor

Lady GaGa

10. Pink - Glitter In The Air

9. Eminem - Love The Way You Lie [featuring Rihanna]

8. Katy Perry - California Girls [featuring Snoop Dogg]

7. Jay-Z - Empire State Of Mind [featuring Alicia Keys]

6. Katie Melua - The Flood

5. Robyn - Fembot

4. Eminem - No Love [featuring Lil'Wayne]

3. Lady GaGa - Telephone [featuring Beyoncé]

2. Brandi Carlile - That Year

1. Lady GaGa - Bad Romance