The Best of 2010 1/2 -- Albums and Songs

Think we can go ahead and put the first half of 2010 up against the last two year's musical output combined. Amazing year so far and with Arcade Fire, Radiohead, & My Morning Jacket albums all likely arriving in the 2nd half, the '10's could perhaps mark the return of good, interesting, non-lowest-common-denominator music to the mainstream airwaves and Billboard charts. When Dr. Dog, LCD Soundsystem, The National, a bizarro/unfit for radio album by former pop darlings MGMT, road warriors Widespread Panic, & The Black Keys all hit their chart peaks in the same year, the tides are undoubtedly changing towards pop music's best year since 1994 (Oasis Definitely Maybe, Weezer Blue Record, Nirvana MTV Unplugged In New York, Nas Illmatic, Soundgarden Superunknown, Nine Inch Nails The Downward Spiral, Live Throwing Copper, Pink Floyd The Division Bell, and on and on and on...). The kids are catching on, it's working...

Here are my choices for the first six months of this new decade:


The Best Songs of 2010

1. MGMT--Siberian Breaks--Congratulations
2. Beach House--Take Care--Teen Dream
3. Yeasayer--Madder Red--ODD BLOOD
4. The National--Afraid of Everyone--High Violet
5. Gorillaz--Empire Ants, Plastic Beach, Stylo, Rhinestone Eyes, Superfast Jellyfish [Pick One]--Plastic Beach
6. LCD Soundsystem--I Can Change--This Is Happening
7. Delta Spirit--Before the Devil Knows Your Dead--History From Below
8. Dr. Dog--Where’d All The Time Go?--Shame, Shame
9. Preservation Hall Jazz Band & Tom Waits--Tootie Ma Is A Real Fine Thing--A Benefit Album for Preservation Hall
T-10. Bonobo--Animals > Black Sands--Black Sands
T-10. The Melvins--Evil New War God--The Bride Screamed Murder
T-10. Radio Dept.--Heaven's On Fire--Clinging to a Scheme

Others Deserving Recognition:
Morning Benders--Mason Jar--Big Echo
The Tallest Man On Earth--Love Is All--Wild Hunt
Spoon--Mystery Zone--Transference
MGMT--It’s Working--Congratulations
MGMT--Song For Dan Treacy--Congratulations
Reptar--Houseboat Babies (studio recording)--Single
Cold War Kids--Audience--Behave Yourself EP
Black Keys--Tighten Up--Brothers
Black Keys--Never Gonna Give You Up--Brothers
Surfer Blood--Twin Peaks--Astrocoast
Ben Cameron--Sun Will Shine--Sun Will Shine
Broken Social Scene--Meet Me In The Basement--Forgiveness Rock Record
Widespread Panic--St. Ex--Dirty Side Down
She & Him--In The Sun--Volume Two
Preservation Hall Jazz Band & Yim Yames--Louisiana Fairytale--A Benefit Album For Preservation Hall
Delta Spirit--Ballad of Vitality--History From Below
Jonsi--Grow Till Tall--Go
Broken Bells--Your Head Is On Fire--Broken Bells
LCD Soundsystem--Dance Yrself Clean & Home--This Is Happening
The Roots--Dear God 2.0 (ft. Yim Yames)--How I Got Over
Midlake--Children of the Grounds--The Courage of Others
The Disco Biscuits--On Time--Planet Anthem (just kidding just kidding just kidding)

A couple choice live SBD gems to hit the streets this year:
My Morning Jacket--Oh! Sweet Nuthin (Velvet Underground)--Live From Bonnaroo 2008
The White Stripes--Jolene (Dolly Parton)--Under Great White Northern Lights

Best Albums of 2010 1/2

T-1. Beach House--Teen Dream
T-1. MGMT--Congratulations
3. Gorillaz--Plastic Beach
4. Yeasayer--ODD BLOOD
5. Dr. Dog--Shame, Shame
T-6. The Black Keys--Brothers
T-6. Morning Benders--Big Echo
T-6. The Radio Dept.--Clinging To A Scheme
9. LCD Soundsystem--This Is Happening
T-10. Delta Spirit--History From Below
T-10. The Melvins--The Bride Screamed Murder
T-10. Bonobo--Black Sands

Album that comes out June 28th that is primed for many best-of lists:
ceo--White Magic [Only listened once, could be the summer album we've been waiting patiently for]

Other Albums Deserving Recognition:
Broken Bells--Self-Titled
Spoon--Transference
Tallest Man On Earth--The Wild Hunt
She & Him--Volume Two
The National--High Violet [Will probably make Top 3/5/10 by the end of the year, gets better with age, repetition]
Preservation Hall Jazz Band--A Benefit Album for Preservation Hall

Haven't listened enough to form opinion:
Deer Tick--Black Dirt Sessions
Futurebirds--Hampton's Lullaby [Out 7/27 on Autumn Tone]
Surfer Blood--Astrocoast
Tame Impala--Innerspeaker [like what I hear...]

Disappointing:
Band of Horses--Infinite (Very slowly fading into mediocrity, album-by-album, in an inverse relationship with widespread popularity)
Midlake--The Courage of Others
Widespread Panic--Dirty Side Down (Return to John Keane's Athens studio sounded promising, album falls sorta flat though, decent at best).


LIVE:
Jay-Z--6.12.2010, Manchester, TN {Which Stage, Bonnaroo Music Festival}
Galactic--2.13.2010, New Orleans, LA {Tipitina's Uptown}