Like I mentioned previously, I don't think it was a great year for music this year. Some good cds, sure, but nothing great.
Again, I start off with those who didn't make the list.
Kanye West--For the second year in a row, his album has fallen flat.
Duffy--Some catchy songs, sure, but she's the poor man's Amy Winehouse.
Vampire Weekend--It's light and delightful, but not serious enough to be on my top 10.
Fleet Foxes--Yawn.
Bon Iver--Double Yawn. Even if you do have the hometown advantage.
Some things I've noticed about the albums that have made my list. New takes on retro sounds has been popular, riding Amy Winehouse's coattails. Grown up dance music is big too (the coattails of LCD Soundsystem).
And now, for this year's list. An alphabetical list this year, because I didn't fall in love with an album enough for me to feel comfortable naming it number one. None of these would have made my top 8 of last year (numbers 9 and 10 from my list last year were mistakes and I take them back).
Estelle--Shine(mp3/video)
A who's who of big name R&B/rap producers, Estelle raps and sings the great, danceable songs of the summer. It's a good thing "Put a Ring on It" is so good, otherwise Beyonce would have some competition.
Girl Talk--Feed the Animals(mp3/video)
Steven King described this album as the Ulysses of albums, and I kind of agree with him--it's incredibly dense and filled with allusions, but there's a joy to it that Joyce could never master. I'm a big fan of bastard pop, and this is probably as bastard as you can get.
Hercules and Love Affair--Hercules and Love Affair (mp3/video)
Taking disco out of the hands of bad dance remixes of gay icons and giving it back to the hipsters.
Hot Chip--Made in the Dark (mp3/video)
Sure, it's not as good as their last album, but it's still a solid dance/electronic from the always reliable DFA records.
Jamie Lidell--Jim (mp3/video)
Like Amy Winehouse, this Brit puts a modern spin on old school R&B, only he's more fun to dance to.
Janelle Monae--Metropolis: The Chase Suite (mp3/video)
The female OutKast kicks off a 4-EP suite about futuristic robots falling in love with humans. Like the Missy Elliot lyric goes, Janelle is "funky, fresh, dressed to impress, and ready to party."
Punch Brothers--Punch (mp3/video)
Chris Thile, bluegrass virtuoso, comes up with another winner, writing an epic album about his failed marriage.
Puppini Sisters--Rise and Fall of Ruby Woo (mp3/video)
Inspired by the Triplets of Belleville, these sisters sing 1940s style versions of the Bangles, Beyonce, Kate Bush, and Blondie, along with their own post-modern songs of heartbreak.
Robyn--Robyn (mp3/video)
Hook-infused dancepop greatness from the this 90s flash in the pan. Probably the most fun album of the year, but still smart enough for adults to dance to.
TV on the Radio--Dear Science, (mp3/video)
The experimental rock group finally comes up with an album that listenable the whole way through, without compromising their capital A-art ambitions.
As always, right click and save the mp3s, preview use only, support the artists you enjoy, and be patient, bandwidth is limited, and feel free to argue your favorites in the comments.
(Music links taken down January 22 because I'm sick of running out of bandwidth.)
