I didn’t think I was going to do this, but my friend Shep wound up asking for people’s lists of their 5 favourite albums of 2010, which got my brain and memory working. There were indeed some great releases this past year, but interestingly enough two on my list are from the last few months (even this week!). I didn’t include live albums, of which there were some great ones (Transatlantic’s Whirldwind Live and Dio’s Live At Donnington), or reissues which I thought were superb (Bruce Springsteen’s The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story, Jay Z’s The Hits: Volume One or Black Sabbath’s Heaven and Hell Deluxe Edition). This is purely the five studio albums which I’ve enjoyed the most this year.
In random order:
The Rescues – Let Loose The Horses. A fantastic debut album from one of the hottest bands in L.A. Criminally ignored when it was released, it has the best vocal harmonies I’ve heard in years.
Duran Duran – All You Need Is Now. Yes, it was only released on December 21st, but I can’t stop listening to it. The title track has an unreal chorus that would sound great on the radio. If you’ve ever loved Duran Duran, definitely check this one out.
Kanye West – My Dark Twisted Fantasy. A return to form after 2008’s 808’s And Heartbreaks, Kanye’s latest has got a great flow. I went from thinking that the track “Monster” had too much cursing to it being one of my fave tracks on the album, while the King Crimson sample on “Power” is worth the price of admission alone.
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs. An album that me and the wife and our baby can all listen to and dig.
LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening. Somebody’s been listening to Talking Heads.
