*sigh* Indie hype giveth, and indie hype taketh away.

People wouldn't be nearly as harsh on Maya if it were by an unknown.

I suppose I am listening to a bit diffrent music from 2010 than most people here, but I really like Drake's Thank Me Later. Good, chilled out album.
(Also, this is Depeche Mode speaking).

The Suburbs is pretty impressive. Right now I would place it on the level of Funeral (of which I'm not the biggest fan out there, but I do really love it (#171 of all time)). There's not really any dud on the record and some tracks are very, very good (Ready To Start, Suburban War, Sprawl II). I will be listening to this album for the coming week I reckon.

Edit: Second spin done and I'm listening to Funeral right now.. not quite the same level after all. It's up there though, and better than Neon Bible. 8.5/10

I think that makes this year the best since 2001 when looking at my personal lists. Nice. If Dylan were to release another Love And Theft it'd be the best year in decades.

How are you hearing it? Has it leaked? I heard them play most of the songs live a couple of weeks ago, and I was pleasantly surprised - they are good strong songs. But still the difference between when they play "Ready To Start" and when they play "Power Out" which they merge into "Rebellion (Lies)" is astonishing.

Yeah, it leaked this afternoon.

On first listen I really like Menomena - Mimes.

Janelle is Prince's daughter !! I'm hearing it for the first time. Impressing.

Haven't written in awhile, so here we go!

I'm not fond of The Suburbs after one listen. I'll give it a few more spins before completely dismissing it, but I'm not feeling it.

Being a big dance-pop fan, of course I got Kylie's Aphrodite. It's a solid album, and better than X, but it's not as good as classics like Fever or Body Language. A solid 4 stars, though, and a top 5 contender.

Robyn's Body Talk Pt 1 is pretty fun, too! "Dancing on My Own" is sooooo wonderful. The way the synths come in all loud and stuttering makes me realize that she gets it- that behind all of the bravado is a girl who knows her way around heartbreak. Anybody who still wants to claim that music with synths is invariably cold and sterile would be educated listening to it.

And of course, there's Prince! I cringed at the title 20Ten and the cover as well, but the album isn't half bad. The first six songs are all real keepers, but it gets a bit snoozy after that until the hysterial "Everybody Loves Me" whooshes in. It's largely a nostalgic effort with his trademark Minneapolis sound synthesizers. It's nice to hear that he's been listening to records like Controversy again. That said, it's not an essential work, but I still enjoy it.

Up soon for me are !!!, Kim Wilde and Chromeo. 2010 is shaping up to be a decent year, about on par with 2009 for me (2 surefire classics and some other really solid albums).

Renewed Top 5:

1. Janelle Monae- The ArchAndroid (my favorite album since Sound of Silver?)
2. LCD Soundsystem- This Is Happening (this has been slighted a lot recently, but I love it! I actually sobbed at the concert- the first time I've ever done that.)
3. Kylie Minogue- Aphrodite (I'll put it here for now, although it's a wash with #4)
4. Gorillaz- Plastic Beach (That run from tracks 4-13 is just killer!)
5. Robyn- Body Talk Pt 1

Others I've enjoyed:

Prince- 20Ten
James Murphy- Greenberg
Goldfrapp- Head First
Hot Chip- One Night Stand
Marina and the Diamonds- The Family Jewels

Disappointments:

Arcade Fire- The Suburbs (for now...)
Sade- Soldier of Love

New Interpol album.. not very good. 6/10

To those who enjoyed part one (and even those who haven't) Robyn's Body Talk Pt. 2 has leaked.

1) COSMOGRAMMA | Flying Lotus (9.5)
2) THE WAY OUT | The Books (8.8)
3) FLAWS | Bombay Bicycle Club (8.6)
4) SWIM | Caribou (8.3)
5) CONTRA | Vampire Weekend (8.0)
6) THERE IS LOVE IN YOU | Four Tet (7.9)
7) PERCH PATCHWORK | Maps & Atlases (7.7)
8) THE SUBURBS | Arcade Fire (7.4)
9) KOLLAPS TRADIXIONALES | A Silver Mt. Zion (7.2)
10) RETURNAL | Oneohtrix Point Never (7.0)

So up and coming releases during September/October:

*Sufjan Stevens
*Antony and the Johnsons
*Deerhunter
*Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series
*Robyn (leaked)

Any others? I must say that this is being an amazing year and critics will have a hard time to pick their favorite and not underrate or overrate anyone

There's also The Walkmen and Of Montreal... how could i forget these?

No Age as well, can't wait

I'm gonna say it: I think The ArchAndroid is overrated.

It's really good. But the second half drops off quite a lot I feel, it's too stretched out. I can't get behind it as one of the best albums of the year. Top 25 or top 30 for me. It's a 7.5 or 8 at a push, not a 9 I'd say.

I didn't know about Deerhunter. Jesus.

Next thing you know, TV On The Radio and Fleet Foxes will suddenly announce new albums.

I agree Archandroid drops off in the second half, but that doesn't drag down the brilliant first half to me.

Chromeo and Kim Wilde are out next month too! Blondie has a new album out in December as well. I'm probably the only one who cares about these artists, though!

I'd totally see Blondie live, I'd just question their current ability to write new great music.

How many artists have come out with great new music after 50? Dylan, Young, Waits... who else?

John Paul Jones w/Them Crooked Vultures

No Age's Everything In Between has leaked. And it kicks dick. Seriously, some of the riffs hit with force.

No big departure in sound but it's loud, fuzzy, fast and fun. Real fun.

Does anyone have any opinions on the releases by Eels, Mogwai, !!!?

!!! is a bit more mellow and less hooky than Myth Takes, but I still like it. A solid 3.5 stars- perhaps 4.

And there's Belle & Sebastian's Belle & Sebastian Writes About Love coming out too!

I didn't know Fleet Foxes were to release an album! Big expectations, and I think they can make another great record again.
One thing I'm sure, though: it won't be well received by the critics, cause they have already acheived their peak at recording, composing and interpreting. Even if their debut isn't perfect (falls a bit after the 8th track), I can't imagine they topping it. Also, if they change a bit their style, they will be criticized for losing the beauty of their sound, while if they keep in the same vein, they will be blamed for beeing stuck to a "formula" (I hate this expression).
This kind of thing occur with almost all bands, but here the impact is much more huge, cause the Foxes were successful not only for the quality of their tracks, but, maybe even most, for releasing records with an unusual and unique atemporal style, almost medieval. Generally, good compositions is the most important thing to an artist, but here musical style and atmosphere have almost the same importance, and those are things that is impossible to repeat from an album to another.

this month, i'm also looking forward to the new Manic Street Preachers.

I should also check the new EP by Young: Summer Camp, receiving raves, i've read a lot of good stuff about it

For those of you who lost track, I made a list of arguably excellent albums that came out this year. Hold on to your hats:

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Beach House - Teen Dream
Big Boi - Sir Luscious Left Foot
Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid
LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening
The National - High Violet
Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People

Not to mention Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Best Coast, Drake, Hot Chip, Joanna Newsom, Liars, MGMT, M.I.A., No Age, Robyn, Sleigh Bells, Spoon, The-Dream, The Shining, The Tallest Man on Earth, These New Puritans, Vampire Weekend, Wavves, Yeasayer and a bunch of others I probably forgot.

And we still have:
Cee-Lo
Kanye West
Radiohead
Sufjan Stevens #2
and maybe Fleet Foxes

left. Holy crap.

Nice collection Alex D, and if people wanna know more about this year and others more "obscure" releases, just read the topic (i guess we cited every very well received album released this year!)

And breaking news: another favorite album of last year will be re-released with bonus stuff: Bitte Orca. new EPs coming from everyone to The Tallest Man On Earth to Owen Pallett. And Liz Phair will finally release her legendary Girl Sound tapes (it's been around for years, but tape 3 is a mystery, no one knows what tracks were there, only 3 people had the tape and we only have demos that we're not sure if are "girlysound" or later material, so maybe we will finally see an end to this and finally the REAL third tape, these tapes are legendary)! And there's Marnie Stern, good music, but she dissed Best Coast and i'm mad. Hey stupid, not every music is about complicated, deep lyrics, and they always said it was about boys, cat and weed, what would you expect otherwise?

The cool thing about this topic is reading the older posts, the ones from January and beyond... we knew there were going to be some great artists coming back this year, but i didn't really expect this year to become what became. We're in September, more releases coming and i'm loving it. I don't even have more space to more albums inside my top 20, damn i feel bad to whoever become the #21, Joanna's Have One On Me is still my top album of the year, the one i really love, one of my all time favorites and i must say that in any other year, the rest of the top 10 could've easily topped a list or be placed inside the top 5. 2010 is rocking hard!

Big releases are rocking and so are the small ones: Avi Buffalo, Anais Mitchell, Dum Dum Girls, Fang Island, Tame Impala, Perfume Genius, Wavves, Tallest Man On Earth, The School, Surfer Blood, Delorean and Shining. I hope they find their place inside some of the lists.

2010 was the year when smaller acts become important and even the big acts from past decades give us yet another reason to justify their acclaim or satisfying returns to fans and admirers (even if it wasn't album of the year material). A year where even the ones that weren't that well received from M.I.A. to MGMT found people to rave about them. A year that Laurie Anderson released a political album done right, that the new artists are all superb from Janelle to Sleigh Bells. This year every album sounded like its own thing, there's no 2010 sound, it's really very diverse.

Bring the rest, i can't wait til december and play every album one after the other

Heh, this is gonna sound really dorky, but in December I usually put all the albums from the year I still listen to together in an elimination game.

I'm hyped up about the new Grinderman this week.

Anyone hear Body Talk Pt 2 yet? I'd like some opinions about how it's different from 1.

New Deerhunter is great

I am starting to dig Cosmogramma as well these days. Very special.

Robert Plant's new release is pretty good.

Maybe add him to the shortlist of people who released new good music after the age of 50, with this along with Raising Sand.

Once the reviews come in,I think everything else on the 2010 list will struggle to keep pace with this:

The Of Montreal is very fresh, very funky, mostly "real" instruments, very Prince-like, with Janelle Monae on a few songs

Fiona Apple is ALIVE

http://www.twentyfourbit.com/post/1130061138/fiona-apple-enlists-charley-drayton-for-new-album

Really enjoying the new Belle and Sebastian! Antony's is also pretty good

I don't think anybody else cares about this group, but the new album by Chromeo has vaulted into my top 3 for the year. Here's my review:

The early 2000s saw a large shift in the public's collective opinion and memory of the 80s. While so many were eager to flee from its glossy sheen in the 90s, the following decade saw a sea change in its favor, as entire careers were launched acrest of a massive wave of 80s nostalgia. Such a revivalist fever could have easily proven to be short-lived and rather embarrassing, but several years later, it does not seem to be letting up. In the end, people need 3-minute stabs of escapism, and so the doses of synthesized magic in the form of often shamelessly direct "kids music" so plentiful in the 80s have proven to be durable and worthy benchmarks to celebrate. For their part, Chromeo have stood at the forefront of a revitalization of synth funk, and although it has not brought them huge mainstream crossover success, their dedication to the cause of ridiculous fun has won them a few awards and a rather rabid fanbase. 2007's Fancy Footwork was such a blast that it managed to deliver sufficient demand for a reissue and an installment in the DJ Kicks series. Another key event in the duo's development was a collaboration with none other than Daryl Hall, and it clearly left an impression. Business Casual sees Chromeo streamline their sound even more, showcasing a group in transit with one foot firmly planted in the furious groove that won them thousands of fans and another crossing into a warm pop sound that could win them thousands more.

Fitting its name, Business Casual starts all business, and Chromeo's business is to concoct catchy synth funk dancefloor stormers. "Hot Mess" initiates the album with the trademark playful vocals of Dave 1 complemented by P-Thugg's vocodered hooks, interjected by some funny, unimpressed standoffishness courtesy of an anonymous British girl over a fiery blaze of synths. The momentum grows with "I'm Not Contagious". It is immediately apparent that the pop leanings present on Fancy Footwork have gained even more steam, as the last two syllables of each line of the chorus are immediately echoed to make it a real earworm, capped off by a wonderfully harmonized "down, down, down, down, down". Boasting both the tightest and quirkiest groove on the album, it is a real standout. Capping the opening bonanza is the whirring lead single "Night by Night", which also introduces one of the main themes of the album- the importance of maintaining communication in relationships. It's almost hard to notice this extra maturity, as the veritable feast for the ears makes it easy to miss lines like "Let's have a conversation that's not just about us". With a swift tempo provided by a chugging beat that eventually gives way to both a scorching guitar solo and a shimmering synth solo, it's a true monster of a track. And given that the song boasts a great melody in the chorus and for the first time in the verses, "Night by Night" is an obvious choice for a single.

After opening the album in such a strong fashion, Chromeo is free to open up into the new sounds. Leading the way is the second single "Don't Turn the Lights On", which seems to be about a guy clinging to the visions of his deceased girlfriend visiting him in the night. An eeriness pervades the track courtesy of some icy synths that fade in throughout the verses, giving the song a great atmosphere. "You Make It Rough", again about a failure to communicate, is a return to the highly rhythmic groove of the first three tracks, but a lengthy percolating outro veers straight into welcome synth pop territory hinted at by the previous songs. The band's pop ambitions are given full credence on "When the Night Falls", which features none other than Solange Knowles making a great case as a hook girl. The structure makes this quite apparent: it opens with the chorus and features two verses guided through two proper bridges leading again into the chorus, followed by a deliciously Solangified middle 8 that heads into one final chorus before a snazzy guitar solo closes the song in style. Eminently catchy and stylish synth pop, it screams crossover smash! Meanwhile, lush strings adorn the semi-ballad plea of "Don't Walk Away", which sounds like a lost hit from 1985 in all the right ways, and the otherwise sparse and beautifully sung kiss-off "J'ai Claqué La Porte". Closing the album are two shameless stabs of frothy pop that best illuminate the influence of Daryl Hall. "The Right Type" utilizes some downright sprightly synths to supplement the warm encouragement provided to a girl who has just discovered the true nature of her now ex. But instead of coming across sappy, it offers a refreshing return to an era where artists and their audiences weren't so meticulously self-aware and jaded. Likewise, "Grow Up" serves as a playfully shuffling closer, ending the album with one final indication that communication is the key to resolving relationship woes.

Now three albums into their career, it is clear that Chromeo isn't merely trying on the fashionable retro-80s style for size, but that they are fully dedicated to this sound. They certainly did not opt for conventional sources of inspiration on Business Casual, and album is better for the more human feeling that results. If Fancy Footwork was a coming-out party for Chromeo's irresistible fun and genuine cool, Business Casual extends that notion by showing that they can succeed with more than just party jams.

Of Montreal / False Priest 7/10

First of all : this is a very fresh review, I've only heard it once.
Well, a lot to say.

1) good things : it's funky, it's rich, it's pleasant, very Prince-like. Lots of "organic" instruments, a new direction, good songs like "Hydra Fancies".Tthe choruses are pleasant and almost sing-along.

2) why on hell are those guys so complicated ? Why do you feel like hearing 3 or 4 songs in one ? In the ends it ruins the whole thing. That's the big flaw of these groups (Animal Collective, Of MOntreal).
What if these guys stopped trying to sound smart and made the simple, great songs they have the capacity of writing and playing ?

I really like the new Dungen. It's got the trancy feel of their other albums, but they've gotten better at it.

I'll try Of Montreal's new one on Rhapsody. When Hissing Fauna came out I really liked it for a while, but then it gradually kind of wore out it's welcome with me. Plus I've started to hate those kinds of quirky, wavery, over the top off key male indie vocals. Architecture in Helsinki, Los Campesinos, etc. You sound awful, learn to sing in key!!

On this album the singing's ok
or else I wouldn't have given him a 7/10, I'm very vocals-sensitive

The new Belle & Sebastian is very easy listening. Hope critics don't confuse this with "playing it safe", it is less adventurous than their previous two efforts, but it is beautifully cohesive and produced.

Antony's new one is more experimental than his last two efforts. Okay, not AC experimental, but he plays more with the song's structures and instrumentation in general. So far, It's good even if it's not a Joanna Newsom kind of progression shown in Have One on Me or not as cohesive and tight as a whole as Anais Mitchell's Hadestown or as intimate as Perfume Genius is a nice addition to 2010's singer/songwriting cannon and Antony's too.

Still trying to dig Of Montreal's and Young's Summer Camp EP is pretty nice, though.

Still going to listen again to Deerhunter and No Age to build a better opinion.

You know how I hated Robyn's Body Talk Part 1? Well, Body Talk Part 2 is awesome.

It's like, using two examples from her s/t there are two Robyns.

This is Robyn A:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdTucUya9YE

This is Robyn B:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAjcVuc46Vw

Part 1 is all A, part 2 is all B.

I Checked some scores for some of the releases coming out soon:

-Antony's Swanlights (growing on me slowly):
4 stars by Mojo
4 stars by Q
4 stars by Uncut
8 out of 10 points by SPIN


-Belle & Sebastian's Write About Love
4 stars by Mojo
4 stars by Q
3.5 stars by MusicOMH
3 stars by Uncut


-Sufjan Stevens's The Age of Adz
4 stars by Consequence of Sound
3 stars by Mojo
3 stars by Uncut

This by no way represents the overall reception the album is supposed to receive, this was taken from Any Decent Music. Hope Sufjan's album receive better reviews than this and Antony's new one surpass "The Crying Light" in terms of acclaim (deserved better than what it received by the end of 2009).

The new Darkstar record, North, is streaming now on NPR.

Highly recommended for anyone with a taste for electronic music. Gorgeous. They've stepped away from dubstep into this almost synth-pop Burial territory. Very good on first two listens.

That, with Ikonika and Guido, is going down in my top 'kinda dubstep but not really' list for 2010.

Fan of hypnotic music? Shoegazey haze? Lush female vocals? Intricate guitarwork? Billowy pop? Then you need:

Warpaint. WarpaintwarpaintwarpaintWARPAINT. Debut album The Fool is streaming now, has leaked and will drop next week.

Fuck me, AS IF 2010 couldn't get better.

Rolling Stone gave Kanye's new album 5 stars. And that's why i dislike 'em. How they give 5 stars out of the blue to established artists such as him, Bruce, U2 and all those people and 3.5 or even less (aside the ridiculous 3 lines reviews) to basically every other deservedly critically acclaimed release of the year. I want to check out Kanye's album since i liked some of the material i've heard from this new album and his others.

Kanye moves product. They decided on the five star review before they even heard it. If it was absolutely horrible, maybe they would have given it four instead. And they've spent the last six months going over the lighting for his angry-serious pose on the cover.

I'll probably give it a listen, so long as this time his sampling material is less visible. With too many of his hits it's the source material that's enjoyable, and not anything Kanye added to it. Stronger, Gold Digger. When you sample you're supposed to make the source material into something new, not just rap over it.

The album is not too bad, Graduation level more or less.

It is from an album coming out in 2011, but the new Pj Harvey song is awesome. Loved the sample, the lyric, the vocals, all very cocteau twins-esque. Really excited.

Rolling Stone has the Elton John/Leon Russell album at #3 for 2010. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/68404/239077?RS_show_page=5

I don't recall reading anyone on the AM forum discussing this album yet.

I, for one, am a little annoyed that Robyn didn't tell us she was going to release a full length album that was a superset of the best tracks of the first two Body Talk albums.

Yeah Robyn, ya got me. Enjoy the tiny percentage of my money that got you.

(The full album is awesome! Better than the sum of it's parts!)

damn, should have bought som shares in...Deerhunter!

2010 is not fished yet, on Monday Apollo Kids by Ghostface Killah has been released and it's a damn fine album. Not as great as Fishscale or Supreme Clientele but still very good, with some candidates for your EOY songs lists !

Gorillaz fans were treated to quite the treat, as they were given free download access to a new album called The Fall. I'm not a member of the fan club, but you can stream the files on the website, as I'm doing now!

"Revolving Doors" sounded great, and I'm now on the third track.

A quick review of a quickly recorded and assembled album!

I'm one of those weirdos who prefers Gorillaz to Blur. I have no hesitation listing Demon Days as one of the ten greatest albums of the 2000s, one which I've never quite gotten around to reviewing because I find it difficult to structure the great esteem I have for it. For its part, Plastic Beach was one of my favorite albums of 2010, a year stacked to the brim with greatness in my book. Nevertheless, I never really latched onto Gorillaz as a particular favorite artist in the sense that I look out for concert tickets or anything like that. As such, I stumbled upon this release rather serendipidously as I perused a Prince forum. And I am once again pleasantly surprised by Gorillaz with The Fall.

Billed as a collection of demos, The Fall nevertheless feels like a proper album. The entire thing was recorded while the band toured North America in the fall of 2010, and it serves as a nice travelogue. The spontaneity granted through freedom from the pressures of recording a proper studio album is apparent throughout, and it offers a great change of scene from the meticulously planned worlds crafted in each of the band's prior efforts. While this means that The Fall isn't quite as weighty as its more polished cousins, the album still has a great deal of character and feeling. It seems to capture the listlessness of road life and the great geographic expanse of North America well, and I imagine it would be a great listen on a road trip. In addition, there are a few top-notch tracks that reveal that Gorillaz still have quite a bit of steam left in the engine. The synthetic curled funk of "Revolving Doors" begs for immediate replay, and the airy, brooding "Amarillo" is simply beautiful.

With The Fall, the journey of one of the most interesting groups of the past ten years continues. And while I do not label myself as a Gorillaz fan, gestures such as this definitely steer me more in that direction, because it showcases not only a generosity toward fans, but a diversity of both sound and approach to making music that I admire. Well done!