Best Albums of 2010
BY BURAK ŞAHİN (IR/III)
burak_s@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
Last week, we started to order the best albums of 2010 in the pop, rock, alternative, indie, and electronic genres. Now it is time to see which albums are the best 15. For those who missed the previous week, the list of the best albums from 30 to 16, you can find the list on the Bilkent News
website: http://bilnews.bilkent.edu.tr /issue_17_12/burak.html
Here are the top 15 albums of 2010:
15. Two Door Cinema Club - Tourist History
This new age Irish, alternative rock band's debut album was released this year. "I Can Talk" single made a huge impact, especially after it appeared in popular console games such as FIFA11 and 2K11.
14. Kings of Leon - Come Around Sundown
Actually, Come Around Sundown is the most disappointing album of the year for me, but Kings of Leon is one of the best bands in last decade. Maybe our expectations were too high but their album is totally average.
13. Broken Bells - Broken Bells
Broken Bells also released their fabulous debut album in 2010. "The High Road" was the first single from the album, which was followed by the amazing songs "October" and "The Ghost Inside".
12. Klaxons - Surfing the Void
Some people nominated Surfing the Void as the most disappointing album with only one magnificent song, "Echoes." They could be right but for the sake of this and some other songs, Surfing the Void deserves to be in this list.
11. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
Gorillaz's return is really impressive. Finally, they appeared on the stage with brilliant songs. The diversity among the tracks is good and must be heard.
10. These New Puritans - Hidden
This art rock band has one of the most controversial albums of the year. NME Magazine declared Hidden the best album of the year, whereas many others did not take them into account. People either love or hate Hidden.
9. The Black Keys - Brothers
The Black Keys' album was already nominated as Best Alternative Music Album at the Grammy Awards. Yes, they released one of the best albums of the year in the alternative genre, and the single "Tighten Up" should be heard.
8. Vampire Weekend - Contra
Vampire Weekend released their second studio album in 2010. Although the first reviews of the album were not so good, we learned to love the songs over time. The band's confidence increased with key songs and live performances.
7. Beach House - Teen Dream
The indie rock duo continues to impress with their new album. Their first single from the album "Norway" is an indication of all the tracks on album.
6. Groove Armada - Black Light
If you love listening to electro music, Groove Armada's Black Light takes you captive. This album is full of hits. They also impressed Turkish listeners at this year's Efes Pilsen One Love Festival with their live performance.
5. Paul Weller - Wake Up The Nation
Paul Weller is a legend and always keeps his standards high. This time, he really woke up the Modfather nation. The album was released with in a deluxe edition, which was nominated for Mercury Prize.
4. Foals - Total Life Forever
We were all expecting a good album from Foals, but Total Life Forever is totally better than what we expected. The band's second album is already called "excellent" and is one of the best examples of British guitar music.
3. The Drums - The Drums
We discovered them with the Summertime EP and a magnificent song "Let's Go Surfing," but The Drums amazed us with their debut album in the summer. "Forever and Ever, Amen," "Me and the Moon," and "We Tried" became some of the best tracks of the year. I should remind you that this is only their starting point; imagine what's to come.
2. The National - High Violet
We have known The National for 10 years as an American rock band with an impressive singer, Matt Berninger, but they hadn't made a huge impact. Finally, with High Violet, The National reached the point they wanted. They went dark for this one.
1. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
I wrote about The Suburbs before and said that this album is Arcade Fire's masterpiece. In addition to that, while listening to this album, I realized that listeners are taking a trip around the suburbs with the band from the 1980s to now. Arcade Fire excellently described the changes in indie music during the last 30 years and also the situations in the suburbs. We all loved their story and are very grateful for being part of this trip. Arcade Fire definitely recorded the best album of the year.
