Top Music Of 2010
After reading through the top 10 albums of 2010 lists for both the popular media and independent critics alike I came to the realization that 2010 was the year where their opinions finally converged. In my opinion the internet has leveled the playing field between artsy indie bands and music produced by major labels which has caused the big media outlets to finally listen to something new. Sure Lady Gaga still kills it in the charts but big media is finally able to hear music that isn’t back by money and it appears that they like what they hear. In this world gone mad where indies become underdogs thrown into the spotlight overnight there is little differentiation between the substance of Yeasayer and the aforementioned new queen of pop. Indies found out that if they could dumb down their music that maybe they too could make it in the pages of Spin.
Luckily, while indie bands do their best to put out the same bullshit that pop stars do in hope of their success there is still an underground that thrives. Before indie was a genre it was an ethos and it’s those bands that still embody that ethos that made the best music in 2010. Note that there is a major label artist on my list and he is backed by tons of money but the substance behind The Promise comes from 30 years ago when Bruce was the epitome of bootstrapping success.
Below are the top 10 CDs and top 5 EPs that were released in 2010. I hope you find some music on here that’s new, good luck finding that in Rolling Stones or Pitchforks lists.
CDs
- The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
- Terror - Keepers Of The Faith
- Jónsi - Go
- Have Heart - 10.17.09
- Envy - Recitation
- Comeback Kid - Symptoms & Cures
- Circa Survive - Blue Sky Noise
- Hundredth - When Will We Surrender
- Crime In Stereo - I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone
- Bruce Springsteen - The Promise
EPs
- Energy - Walk Into The Fire
- States - Lem ‘Em Up
- Such Gold - Pedistals
- City and Colour - Live At The Orange Lounge
- Bane - Various EPs
*I purposely left off any description of the artists and the albums in hopes that you won’t write off the recommendation to listen based on what I think of an album or your assumption about a genre.
