In that same spirit, here are my favorite albums of 2010. Because everybody does a Top 10 list, I'm going to do a Top 8. I'm counting down the albums that I have most "played to death" over the course of the last 376 days, saving the best for last:
8. The Roots- How I Got Over
The Roots do not make bad albums. Ever. In life, you are guaranteed that you will pay taxes, die, and that the Roots will make good album after good album. This one is no exception.
7. Empire of the Sun- Walking on a Dream
These guys make some crazy ass videos. When I first heard them, I thought they were MGMT. They weren't. They are a little more catchy, and frankly, a little bit more enjoyable (though I do love MGMT). The chorus for the song below is SO DAMN CATCHY. I am not sure if I will ever get tired of this song. But anyway, in addition to the below video, you should check out the one for "Walking on a Dream" since it is equally wild. Unfortunately, there's no embed code for it...
6. Local Natives- Gorilla Manor
So if "Airplanes" isn't one of the best songs of this year, I don't know what is. I find it interesting that such a sad song can sound so happy... It's a mindfuck.
Luckily, the rest of the album is equally good, though it can be quite different. I saw these guys at the 9:30 Club here in DC and they were pretty solid!
5. Crystal Castles- Crystal Castles II
Crystal Castles are a bit polarizing. I happen to absolutely love them, but when I shared them with a friend (Hi Karl!) he looked at me as if to say "This is the worst shit I have ever heard!" To each their own I suppose. I listen to quite a bit of electronic-y stuff so I guess it makes sense that I dig this band. Their latest album is terrific if you are into this type of music! Like every other album on here, this one has been in constant rotation.
4. Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (and the 10 or so free songs he released prior to the album dropping)
Man! Kanye West is just such a fucking douchebag. But in spite of that, he continually cranks out SICK music! How is that?! I think it's because he knows that he's a douchebag, he knows that you hate that about him, and then he flaunts both those things. It's like some weird Jedi reverse psychology craziness.
As much as I didn't want to be a lemming and jump on the "Kanye's new album is so sweet!" bandwagon, I am firmly on board.
Not only is the album amazing, but he released 10 or so free songs before the album came out that were all REALLY GOOD. In my opinion, the best song that he released came out as a free download a few weeks prior to the album release. Maybe Kanye thought he needed to put out a bunch of free music to offset the intense negative karma he has from interrupting Taylor Swift and doing other douchey things. After listening to this song, I forgave him for all of his sins:
3. Big Boi- Sir Lucious Left Foot
My girlfriend can attest to this: I played this album to death. Usually in her presence, and usually the song "Tangerine."
Who can't get onboard with a song whose chorus is "Shake it like a tambourine!"?!?!?!?!?!
My girlfriend and I also argued about whether or not "Tangerine" was about a stripper. She said it was. I said it wasn't. But I knew it was. It was a fun argument to have until the line "All I could see was tears, pussy lips, and ass cheeks" played. At that point, she usually gave me a disapproving glance. And/or hit me. But it was my fault. She hits me because she loves me. Right? Right?!
Back to my point. Big Boi is 50% of Outkast. Outkast is infinitely awesome So by math, Big Boi is 50%*InfiniteAwesomeness. That is pretty awesome. If you don't have this album, I don't know why. Do you have it? No? Well then you're an idiot.
And this brings us to my top two albums of 2010! I've saved the best for last! Why? Because these two albums are FREE and they are INSANELY GOOD! It's fun party music and everybody should have it! It's required listening! The links to download them are below:
2. Major Lazer and La Roux - Bulletproof
LAZERPROOF DOWNLOAD
This album is a mashup of Major Lazer and La Roux. I think I've blogged about this before, but I'm too lazy to check. You just have to get it. It is free. There are no excuses. I lost track of how many times I've listened to this album.
1. A-Trak- Dirty South Dance 2
DIRTY SOUTH DANCE #2 DOWNLOAD
Ahhh... finally. #1, and #1 for a fucking reason. This mixtape RULES. I got into A-Trak back when I was living in Baltimore. One of my roommates (Hi Matt!) went out to see him play at a local club, and came back with a mix CD (Dirty South Dance #1) that they had been giving out for free. I copied it, and fell in love with it. So naturally, I had to get my hands on the second one when it came out, and it does not disappoint. This mixtape is essentially a bunch of rap songs that you know, mixed with other songs that you probably don't know. Sound confusing? It's not really... What's important is that the end result is unfuckwithable. Again, it's free. So get a copy!
