#10

#10 'WITHOUT WHY' by ROSE ELINOR DOUGALL - The Pipettes were one of my favourite groups so I had high expectations for Rose Elinor Dougall's first solo album, and this doesn't disappoint. It takes the pure pop template of her former band and gives it an adult twist, her style references everyone from Morrissey to The Sundays to Joni Mitchell. Lyrically it's a mature dissection of modern romance but there is a sweetness and honesty to the subject matter conveyed through Rose's stunning voice, it's hard not to swoon as she sings about her regrets, mistakes and lost loves.
#9

#9 'HAVE ON ON ME' by JOANNA NEWSOM - Overwhelmingly ambitious, complex and artistic ‘Have One On Me’ frustrated and astonished in equal measure. You would be a more open-minded music fan than me if you sat through the 3 disc set for the first time with anything less than apprehension. It was a daunting prospect made all the more daunting by the fact that this is a difficult and purposefully evasive record. The dense instrumentation is like a jungle you have to cut down as you walk through whilst Joanna spin yarns that unravel over the space of eight minutes.Eventually you realize the over-indulgence is a part of it’s captivating charm, and 'Have One On Me' is one of the most rewarding albums you could listen to.
#8

#8 'MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY' by KANYE WEST - Kanye West is truly the best pop star in the world right now, by quite a considerable distance. People go on about Lady Ga Ga, and sure she's interesting, but she's yet to back up her claims for that title with a decent album whilst Kanye West is on his fifth game changing one. As I said in my review 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' was more of an event than a traditional record - a perfectly executed bid to be the successor to Michael Jackson. He ticked a lot of the boxes - Killer singles, epic videos, iconic artwork, unique fashion statements, bizarre public appearances and cage rattling interviews. I was half expecting the album itself to be a damp squib but it was far from it, for all the bluster and hyperbole it was just as personal as '808s and Heartbreak' but rather than being clouded by downbeat melancholy this time the lyrics were complimented by some genre expanding and positively euphoric sounds. The ego was (slightly) humanized and Kanye has finally been accepted as a 'douchbag' it's ok to like.
#7

#7 'THE SUBURBS' by THE ARCADE FIRE - 'The Suburbs' is one of the most thoughtfully constructed albums I've ever heard, it's a thorough and poetic album about growing up, moving away and coming back home. Whilst it occasionally veers a bit too close to 'Dad rock' territory for the most part it's a pretty ambitious and exciting mixture of epic anthems in the mould of 'Wake Up' alongside some more experimental songs for the group (see them try synth pop on 'Sprawl II'). Perfect? No (a bit too long and a bit too safe perhaps) but where this album succeeds it does so in staggering ways.
#6

#6 'CONTRA' by VAMPIRE WEEKEND - Vampire Weekend had a lot to prove with this second album simply because so many people loved their debut and 'Contra' turned out to be a pretty perfect follow-up. This is a diverse and ambitious collection of songs that pushes their sound in new directions whilst always sounding distinctively like Vampire Weekend. Scoring a number one album in the states this album sealed VW's position as possibly America's most prominent young indie band.
#5

#5 'MEMPHIS' by MAGIC KIDS - Memphis - Magic Kids - There is something about albums so obviously meant to be heard in the Summer that actually translates well in the winter. Like a holiday snaphot a summer record can transport you to a warmer place, it can make the whites and greys seem brighter and more interesting. Therefore 'Memphis' by Magic Kids (a summer album if ever I heard one) never got boring, for such a hot and sticky album where the highlights were pretty immediate it stayed remarkably fresh all year around. Probably something to do with the strength of the songwriting and sweeping production.
#4

#4 'SEROTONIN' by MYSTERY JETS - As this list suggests my favourite albums are the ones that successfully follow the pop rule book whilst knowing exactly when and where they should bend or break those rules. Mystery Jets are the class swats, they know the rule book inside out and yet they always manage to deliver their own spin on classic themes. There are 12 songs here and each one could be a hit single (in a fairer world), the production is flawless, the melodies are irresistible and most importantly every single chorus is unforgettable. Mystery Jets have tried something a bit different with each album, and every one has been exceptional - this continues the trend.
#3

#3 'THE DRUMS' by THE DRUMS - This time last year The Drums were causing more hype than any band had done in years - this album was pretty highly anticipated to say the least. Overall they did exactly what the wanted to and exactly what they said they would - they made a remarkably consistent, simple, downcast pop album that they never intended to change lives but that they hoped would make Saturday night indie discos and Radio 1 daytime playlists a lot more enjoyable. How much you brought into the idea of this band depended on how bored you were with experimental indie and how much you longed for catchy, intelligent pop songs you could hum. Not everyone's cup of tea but those who did get 'it', got it in a big way. Forward thinking? Not at all. Groundbreaking? In no way. Interesting even? that depends on what you find interesting. But whilst there are more headline grabbing, risk taking, 'creative', albums on this list there are hardly any I listened to more and connected with more than 'The Drums'. Most of all I like them because they are the real deal; an opinionated, stylish, old-fashioned indie band that have the tunes to back up their swagger. It's been too long since we had a band like that.
#2

#2 'CONGRATULATIONS' by MGMT - 'Congratulations' proved just how far ahead of the competition MGMT are when it comes to making polished and well constructed psychedelic pop music. Critics banged on about how annoyingly difficult this album was, about how MGMT had deliberately made confusing and inaccessible songs because they were scared of having another hit. Well that is the biggest lie you will hear all year, 'Congratulations' contained some of the most insanely addictive melodies I've heard in ages and the production was constantly sharp and inviting. In the year of lo-fi 'Congratulations' was anything but difficult and inaccessible, it was stunningly well mixed, experimental but traditional and strange but always understandable. The balance between pop and psychedelia was brilliantly found, and I thought the tunes were odd enough to keep us digging for new things to discover but immediate enough to keep us humming them from dawn till dusk. The icing on the cake for MGMT was that at the end of the year many of the critics that had written off this album were queuing to apologize for their misjudgment (NME even had an article declaring it to be amongst other initially misunderstood classics including 'In Utero' and 'What's the Story Morning Glory'.) This is mind blowing and MGMT are at the top of their game.
#1

#1 'AVI BUFFALO' by AVI BUFFALO - Avi Buffalo - Avi Buffalo - Whilst compiling this list I started to question why myself and others enjoy ranking our favourite albums of the year. I came to the conclusion that it's a good excuse to look back over the year's releases, and to remind yourself what you've spent the last 12 months listening to as well as what you've done with the year (plus I'm pretty obsessive about making lists of everything!) Music may be the soundtrack to your life but it's also like a photo album and each song, whether you've heard it once or a hundred times, can take you back to a time and place. Certain albums remind me of holiday's I've been of, people I knew, places I've been, nights out, nights in, hot summer evenings and cold, miserable winter nights. So when I'm ranking albums it's not just the music I'm thinking about, it's the things that the music reminds me of and the memories it brings back. 'AVI Buffalo' by AVI Buffalo is my favourite album of the year so what does it remind me of and where does it take me? The strange thing is that it takes me to lots of places and reminds me of lots of things because I really haven't stopped listening to it, I've never stopped discovering new things to love about it. 'Truth Sets In' and 'What's In It For' sounded amazing on the first summer day I heard it, walking by the sea - the breezy melodies, sun-kissed guitar sounds and laid back vocals sounded amazing. The thing that really hit me immediately was the interplay between singer Avi and his ex-girlfriend Rebecca, the themes of young love and heartbreak rang true and I loved how uncliched and honest the pair were. Overtime I realized just how well structured the album is. Those instantly catchy songs are in exactly the right places whilst the more introspective numbers are well positioned in the second half. This wasn't a record that gave up its secrets easily, it revealed it's best bits over time but at the same time it's never hard work. The band are never cocky or show-offy, Avi is one of the best young guitarists I can think of but with the exception of 'Remember Last Time' he never overindulges or gets too geeky with it. And when the solos finally do come flying in 'Remember...' it makes for a cinematic semi-conclusion before he returns for one last acoustic number, 'Where's Your Dirty Mind. 'Avi Buffalo' is a pretty traditional record and compared to a lot of albums on this list it's extremely understated, but I think that's its biggest charm. As I said at the beginning of the list there hasn't been an album in 2010 that's made me radically rethink music, there hasn't been a particularly life changing, generation defining, collectively adored piece of work. Perhaps if there had been an album in that mould something like 'Avi Buffalo' would have been overlooked such is its quiet honesty and lack of self-importance. Avi Buffalo will never be massive and this album is unlikely to be remembered by more than a cult following but as far as music's a personal experience then 'Avi Buffalo' will be remembered by me as the album that I connected with most in 2010.