The best of 2010: Music

I am a huge fan of music. Yes it may be mainstream, and not indie enough for you hipsters out there, but it’s what I enjoy. What are your top albums of the year? Did any of mine make your list? I’m always open to listening to new artists so please share!

5. Shad – TSOL

I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of London, Ontario born rapper Shad by now – if not, check out his first video “The Old Prince Still Lives At Home” and that should jog your memory.

I’ve been looking forward to TSOL for quite a while now, especially after the first single “Yaa I Get It” was released. The album is a lot more polished than his previous work, and quite a few tracks are catchy and single-worthy to me. Shad has a ton of skill and is one of those true stars that’s flying under the radar. It’s only a matter of time before an American label recognizes him and puts him on front stage like he deserves.

4. Kings of Leon – Come Around Sundown

Ever since I started listening to Kings of Leon a year or two ago, they’ve quickly shot to the top of my favourite bands list. It’s great rock music, with that southern spirit that is too hard to not enjoy.

Come Around Sundown started off a bit slow for me. It took a few listens before I could really get into this one, but then it felt like I’d been listening to it for years. I’ve even wondered if I had put on one of their old albums by mistake a couple of times.

Overall the album is a continuation of what they did on the Only By The Night album, so there isn’t nothing new there.. but hey, why mess with a good thing?

3. Broken Bells – (Self Titled)

I’m not really sure what got me listening to Broken Bells, but I’m happy I decided to give them a chance. Consisting of James Mercer (The Shins) and Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley), the two come together to create a great combination of vocals and sounds. The album is great for long drives or lazy Sundays, and best of all a few of the songs are catchy so you’ll be humming them all day.

Here’s, The Ghost Inside, which is a great track from the duo. It also features Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks, so obviously it’s  a hit with me 🙂

2. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

This is an album I never would’ve expected to see anywhere near my top 5 list, but here it is. Arcade Fire is a band I’ve long considered to be overhyped. Yes their music is good, but the adoration it receives from many kind of turns me off.

I decided to let all bias go and test out the album. It took quite a few listens, but it eventually started growing on me. Next thing I knew, I was listening to it pretty much non stop on the subway ride into work for 2 or 3 weeks, which with all the music on my iPod is quite the feat.

If you’re not a big fan of Arcade Fire, give this album a try; I promise you’ll at the very least like it. This one is the most deserving to be on my list because as I said, I wasn’t their biggest fan before hand.

Here’s The Suburbs video which is of course the title track, and also a great one:

1. Vampire Weekend – Contra

Definitely not a conventional sound that everyone will like, Contra by Vampire Weekend has been sold for the longest out of this top 5 group (January), but still manages to keep me coming back. Last year I wish I’d put Dragonette’s Fixin’ To Thrill at the top of my list, because it was one of those albums that did the same, so I wasn’t about to miss the opportunity this year (not to say Franz Ferdinand was any less deserving of the #1 spot).

Back in March I wrote a post breaking down the album fairly well so please check it out: My Musical Fix: Vampire Weekend