Liz's Top 10 of 2010

Disclaimer: Overall, 2010 was not a great year for music, in my opinion. A breakdown of this list: the top three are albums that I genuinely love, and any one of them I'll claim as my favorite record of the year, depending on the day; four through eight are really great records that I've gone back to consistently since their release; and the final pair would have been left off in a year with better musical offerings. And for those wondering? While Kanye West's "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" has a handful of truly transcendent moments (see my best tracks), it's the most overrated record of the year. So, here you have it: my personal favorite music of 2010. 

1. Arcade Fire - "The Suburbs"

"The Suburbs" was the record that I was most able to connect with on a personal level in 2010. It brilliantly epitomizes the contrast between big cities and the suburbs, between childhood and adulthood, and explores the theme that no one can truly go home again. It also finds the band members stretching their musical boundaries and soaring to new heights on songs like "We Used to Wait" and the deceptively euphoric-sounding "Sprawl II." If I wasn't going through a mid-20s angst period myself, would I still like it as much? Actually, probably yeah.

Arcade Fire - "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"

2. The Jezabels - "Dark Storm" EP

My favorite musical discovery of 2010, The Jezabels won me over at the CMJ Music Marathon with their captivating melodies, aggressive percussion and brooding lyrics. Led by dynamic, diminutive singer Hayley Mary (think The National fronted by Kate Bush), this Australian quartet has me salivating for what they'll produce in 2011. The five-song "Dark Storm" collection, the band's third and strongest EP to date (they have yet to release a full-length), is full of hidden treasures, not the least of which is Mary's stunning range on songs like the title track and the haunting "A Little Piece."

The Jezabels - "Dark Storm"

3. Robyn - "Body Talk"

Throughout what is hands down my favorite strictly pop record of the year, Robyn threads a consistent dance floor aesthetic through intelligent love songs that borrow from a variety of musical genres and feature guest appearances by the likes of Snoop Dogg. The lush dance anthems on her three-EP series collectively known as "Body Talk" are just as (often more) catchy than anything by Ke$ha or any of the other Top 40 female carbon copies, and if young girls looked to the Swedish chanteuse as a role model rather than watching Katy Perry shoot whipped cream out of her bra, the world would probably be a better place.

Robyn - "Indestructible"

4. Mumford & Sons - "Sigh No More"

The debut record from this London four-piece has been the recipient of much well-deserved critical and commercial acclaim of late. An enticing blend of classic British folk, Irish jig-esque rhythms and modern Americana influences provide a comfortable cushion for emotional harmonies and self-deprecating lyrics to boot.

Mumford & Sons - "The Cave"

5. Against Me! - "White Crosses"

After undergoing a lineup change, Gainesville, Florida rockers Against Me! stick to their politically-tinged punk roots on "White Crosses", but with more of a pop sensibility. Like their previous effort "New Wave," the record is a grower, and some of its appeal escaped me on the first few listens. And though there are probably more relevant targets for criticism than Robert McNamara, singer Tom Gabel once again demonstrates a knack for skewering political figures in a blunt, thought-provoking way.

Against Me! - "High Pressure Low"

6. Hypernova - "Through the Chaos"

These Iranian imports who now call New York City home have picked up where the lackluster-of-late Editors left off in the genre of dark dance-pop. Hailing from Tehran, where Western rock music is illegal, it would be easy for the group to play up a political angle, but they prefer to let their music do the talking. So far, it's working out just fine.

7. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - "The Social Network" Soundtrack

One of the best movies of 2010 owes much of its appeal to the unique score provided by Reznor and Ross, which is never overpowering but often adds a quiet tension or understated poignancy to what might otherwise be insignificant scenes. For fans of ambient music, the Golden Globe-nominated soundtrack is also a pretty good album in its own right.

8. Best Coast - "Crazy For You"

Like a shimmering ray of sunshine, "Crazy For You" is a record that I keep returning to even in the dead of winter, hoping to recapture that California summer feeling evoked so well on this debut album by Bethany Cosentino and company. Tipping her hat to older girl groups like The Ronettes and their less heralded counterparts, Cosentino spends a dozen tracks pining over a guy and somehow manages to never sound whiny. The fuzzy, old-school production quality is just icing on the cake.

Best Coast - "Boyfriend"

9. The National - "High Violet"

While it's true that the latest album from the moody Brooklyn quintet was a disappointment, especially for fans who know what the band is capable of musically (ahem, 2007's "Boxer"), it was still better than 90 percent of the albums released in 2010. "Boxer" was a love letter to New York, but here, singer Matt Berninger chronicles his disillusionment with the city, his life and adulthood in general. It's the perfect counterpart to "The Suburbs," addressing the same themes of the responsibilities, for better or worse, that inevitably come with the paths we choose for ourselves.

The National - "Lemonworld"

10. Frightened Rabbit - "The Winter of Mixed Drinks"

Though it initially didn't even make it onto my shortlist of Top 10 albums, I realized that I'm still listening to a few of the tracks on this record nearly a year after its release. Though not as solid as the Scottish outfit's previous offering, 2008's "The Midnight Organ Fight," "Winter" as a whole still holds up after multiple spins.

Frightened Rabbit - "Yes, I Would"

Other favorite songs of the year (in no order and not appearing on any of the above albums):

Fences, "Boys Around Here"

Kanye West feat. Bon Iver, "Lost in the World"

The Middle East, "Blood"

Eminem feat. Lil' Wayne, "No Love"

Amanda Palmer, "Idioteque"