One year. Thirty albums. Two sentences. An mp3.
These are my ten favorites of the year. I broke down and ranked them. Let me know what you think. (Comments are like little Christmas presents, you guys.)
10. J.Roddy Walston and the Business: J.Roddy Walston and the Business
A raucous, bluesy rock album from a bunch of scruffy Baltimore residents. This somehow snuck into my top ten while I wasn’t looking.
J Roddy Walston & The Business: Used To Did
9. Kasey Anderson: Nowhere Nights
Great album, about which I’ve written many words. The new album won’t sound like this.
Kasey Anderson: I Was a Photograph
8. Mumford and Sons: Sigh No More
Yeah, I know; these guys are like super mainstream, but I had no idea who they were or how much radio play they got when I fell in love with this album. Go ahead and judge/strip me of my indie credibility – I’m over it.
Mumford and Sons: Little Lion Man (Live)
7. The Black Keys: Brothers
Just so damn good. Unfortunately, also over-exposed.
6. Typhoon: Hunger and Thirst
The best new Portland band I never told you about this year. Annoyingly young, surprisingly large and terribly promising.
5. Two Cow Garage: Sweet Saint Me
These guys have graduated from garage cow-punk (see what I did there?) to a more anthemic bar-band sound. Echoes of The Hold Steady with much rougher edges.
Two Cow Garage: Soundtrack to My Summer
4. Sharon VanEtten: Epic EP
This big little EP just keeps growing on me. Pay attention to this one.
3. The Sadies: Darker Circles
So dark, so lovely, so damn good. Go see them live; they wear very cool suits.
The Sadies: Tell Her What I Said (iTunes session)
2. Roadside Graves: You Won’t Be Happy With Me EP
I can’t say enough good things about this band. If you only take my advice one time this year, it should be to check out Jersey’s Roadside Graves.
1. The Gaslight Anthem: American Slang
It’s unlikely that anything will ever top 2008′s The ’59 Sound, but this album is great in its own right. I also feel like these guys are narrating my journey into old age with the right balance of joy and nostalgia.
Comments 5
great list, ellie. party.
Posted 22 Dec 2010 at 3:44 pm ¶I got my hands on Sharon Van Etten less than 24 hours ago and have already listened to One Day approximately 47 times. I can easily track the process of ruining the song for myself but can’t stop. I look forward to checking out some other music on your list that I can overplay and subsequently never be able to listen to again!
Posted 22 Dec 2010 at 4:01 pm ¶I probably wouldn’t have given two shits about the Gaslight Anthem if I hadn’t read about them here. The recent trend for bands to pay tribute to the Boss is somewhat… trendy, but their show at the Crystal this year was great… energetic, fun, and very classy. So whatever they’re doing, it just works for me, and thank you, for that. It’s also great to see The Sadies(!) way up here. It might be their best album to date.
Posted 22 Dec 2010 at 8:24 pm ¶Need to give the Roadside Graves a try, the Mumford’s I’ve avoided for the reasons you state – need to get over myself!
Posted 23 Dec 2010 at 5:44 am ¶Thanks for the van Etten recommendation, love the track A Crime, one of my favourite tunes of 2010.
Appreciate the list. Some of these bands really grow on me. I liked J Roddy Walston, Typhoon, Two Cow Garage, Roadside Graves, and The Gaslight Anthem best. Thanks for the introductions. I will have to return to check out PART 2. Nice site with useful info.
Posted 29 Mar 2011 at 11:15 pm ¶Trackbacks & Pingbacks 1
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