Quinn's Top Albums of 2010

Well, the year is over -- didn't see that coming. If there's one thing I can say about 2010, it's that it was the best and most productive year Mixtape Muse has had since it was born back in 2006. I'd like to thank all the artists, bands, and readers who helped make this year so awesome and successful. I would have never thought Mixtape Muse could have accomplished so much in a year. So, thank you all.

Now, my choices for the top albums of 2010. Oh, the year-end list. It's just a troublesome thing. Are we ranking them according to how great they are or how much we enjoyed them? In the end, isn't this all just a matter of opinion anyway? I must admit that if you've been following the site over the years, I have never before ranked my year-end choices. It all seems rather odd to me to say "oh, this album was the best" when you come from the perspective of a musician. So, please consider the fact that I have never exercised my right, or rather my ability, to rank albums (save for my "Top Albums of 2010...so far" list) and that I struggled with this bad boy up until the end. Furthermore, because this isn't my day job I didn't have the opportunity to listen to everything that I saw, heard, or read about. Alright? Alright.

Remember, folks, as people, all we can do is offer opinions when it comes to art. Facts are what we use to form opinions, not the other way around; all we know are the facts, not the opinions. I can't tell you what your opinion is, because that is something you must create with the facts before you (e.g. FACT: I love a lot of different genres of music that some people might not fancy in the least bit). Then again, I guess there are at least a few flaws in this logic. Hopefully, you get my point. In the words of Malcolm Gladwell, "The key to good decision making is not knowledge, it is understanding."

10. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – The Brutalist Bricks

I love Ted Leo and The Pharmacists. Every album that Ted and Co. put out is something I can easily get into. With an undying punk fervor and endless conviction, Ted leads with an engaging charisma that makes everything he sings about -- whether or not it's political -- come across as quite relatable. He knows how to hook you in and he knows how to knock you out. You can dance; you can rock; and you can always have a great time with Ted Leo and The Rx. It's a fast, smart, and entirely catchy album, in more ways than one. 'Ol reliable; Mr. Ted Leo.

9. Marnie Stern - Marnie Stern

When I reviewed this album a few months back, I called it a "dizzyingly amazing ride." With Zach Hill keeping pace behind her, Stern travels up and down the fretboard of her guitar to create an album that's incredibly emotional and personal without being overtly or overbearingly so. In her wild guitar playing, Stern is very expressive. Everything is so enrapturing through layered guitar riffs and smart rhythmic shifts. The success here is due to her ability to match well-crafted songs with impressive instrumentation and arrangements.

8. The Sparta Philharmonic - (trans)migratory birds

After a decade of existence, the Sparta Philharmonic remains an underappreciated band -- one that is entirely its own animal. With (trans)migratory birds, Greg and Alex Bortnichak have crafted something that truly captures the band's passion, heart, soul, and familial foundation. It is the duo's most cohesive, exciting, and enthralling release to date, characterized by monstrous riffs, classically-influenced instrumentation, and the perfect use of the quiet-to-loud dynamic. They understand how to utilize space and know that hushed moments are equally, if not more important, than the loud, active moments. I still consider it to be incredibly epic, intimate, vulnerable, powerful, visceral, and undeniably moving.

7. Local Natives – Gorilla Manor

Yes, technically this album was released in 2009, but only in the U.K. It wasn't released stateside until this year, and I would, therefore, be absolutely remiss in not including it. Talk about a band. These guys play, and sound, like they are connected -- heart, mind, and soul. The harmonies are entirely spot-on and only serve to empower, and underscore, the band's shifting, twisting arrangements and riffs. At their core, there's somewhat of a folk heart to their sound, one that embodies the comfort of home. It stirs up all sorts of welcomed nostalgia.

6. The Roots - How I Got Over

Full confession: Before checking this album out I really only knew The Roots through "The Seed 2.0" (a hit when I was in high school) and as the house band for Jimmy Fallon. Anyways, How I Got Over was an album that came into my life right when I needed it; a record that's deep and thought-provoking. It's sincere, socially and politically aware, and filled with such great substance; an album of integrity. Great guest spots from the likes of Jim James, Joanna Newsom, members of Dirty Projectors, and Dice Raw provide the album with a diverse range of styles and sounds that The Roots mix perfectly with their signature blend of hip hop. I can't believe this became one of the most overlooked and underappreciated records of the year.

5. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

The Suburbs, in a number of ways, is entirely more ambitious than Neon Bible. Without overstepping themselves, the band crafted an album that's sprawling while maintaining a direct poeticism. It's rich with detail without being verbose -- or musically verbose, for that matter. It hits all the right notes and moods, capturing the spirit of yearning all suburbanites come to feel when they meet the mystery of what lies beyond the outskirts of town. Arcade Fire is the type of band that will stand the test of time. Years from now, we'll look back and one of the handful of bands that'll still be relevant, or at the very least memorable, will be Arcade Fire.

4. The Love Language - Libraries

When I listen to Libraries, I think of great singer/songwriters like Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly, in addition to the captivating mood of baroque pop from the '60s. Band mastermind Stuart McLamb proves to be well-versed in the classics, writing songs that possess the timelessness of those that have come before him. Libraries can be rather mesmerizing for its warm, bottomless reverb that, for lack of a better word, causes these songs to sound quite magical. It's an exceptional album for its cinematic moments (e.g. "Pedals" and "This Blood Is Our Own") and the obvious attention and care for sonic detail. McLamb does heartbreak with a familiar angle that's both elegant and charming.

3. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor

This album reminded me of what albums are supposed to be: a body of work, not a collection of songs. It defines "raw" thanks to frontman Patrick Stickles' unrelenting, spirited growl that spits out candid, unabashed lyrics about victory and defeat. When Stickles is backed by an army of singers, it sounds like they're all headed into battle. Fitting, then, that The Monitor is loosely based on the Civil War. And with reoccurring musical and story motifs, the album plays out more like a piece of history (the quotes from historical figures spread throughout helps). The fact that the album is structured around themes tied to the Civil War only adds to how awesome the album is.

2. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

When you hear about how James Murphy puts himself physically and mentally through the ringer to write, you take away a new appreciation for what he's doing -- especially considering how energizing and entertaining the music can be.  On record, this album is fun, invigorating, and an escape from worry. Murphy and Co. do dance-punk with a welcomed sense of thoughtfulness. Over natural drums, heavy, blaring synthesizers, thumping bass, and punctuating guitar, Murphy sings with a personal inflection and an almost soulful croon that leads to LCD Soundsystem sounding all the more infectious. Dance yrself clean.

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1. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Love him or hate him, there's no denying his artistry. Kanye West, as I have written before, is one of the few artists that are currently active in the music industry that're making music that possesses social, and in some cases political, significance. It's one thing to make music for the sake of doing so, it's another to do so in order to speak honestly and whole heartedly. Like any real artist, West is best heard, and best perceived, through his music. Too many people approach his music through the lens of his public persona and past actions as opposed to learning who he is through open-minded listening. With this album, West's bold claim that he's the voice of this generation went from being pure blasphemy to actual truth. While addressing his personal strengths and flaws, he managed to produce a statement about humanity as a whole, speaking to the power of soul and the potential and strength of any one man. In the aftermath of his highly publicized VMA incident, West disappeared and went on to re-evaluate everything. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is not just his magnum opus (thus far), it's also his redemption.