Music That's Good

To all the loyal readers who have been waiting with bated breath for my top ten music list, your wait is over. I give you the top ten albums, mixtapes, or bootlegged mp3s that I've heard (or at least heard of) in 2010. Because I'm lazy, you only get a blurb for each pick. But you also get a video for each pick. So that's kind of cool.

First, also-rans who deserve mention:
Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer
Beach House - Teen Dream
The Black Keys - Brothers
MGMT - Congratulations
Vampire Weekend - Contra
RJD2 - The Colossus


And now the list:

10. Dark Time Sunshine - Vessel
A collabo between Seattle MC Cape Cowen (formerly Onry Ozzborne) and Chicago producer Zavala, this album mixes heavier production with powerful and clever lyrics. Several nice guest appearances too.



9. Flying Lotus - Cosmosgramm

The LA beatmeister's newest venture into soundscapes is more balanced than his previous offerings. Great music to do work to.



8. State of the Artist - Supercalifragilisticextrahelladope

These local boys can rock it. Having P Smoov produce and guest on the album doesn't hurt either. Plus my sister has been friends with Thad since grade school.



7. White Hinderland - Kairos

My future wife introduced me to this kick-ass duo from NY. They sound like they are from Scandinavia, but they're good ol' Americans. Guess something good does come from watching Project Runway.



6. Avi Buffalo - Avi Buffalo

These Long Beach kids (seriously, they're like 19) made a catchy, quirky album that I can listen to the whole way through. Not necessarily the deepest lyrics ("you are tiny and your lips are like little pieces of bacon"), but the songs stick in your head.



5. Sage Francis - Li(f)e

"Life is just a lie with an f in it." Sage has always been one of my favorite lyricists and he really pushed some genre boundaries with this album. Everyone is up in arms that Kanye put Bon Iver on his album; Sage put out an album with both Yann Tiersen and Chris Walla producing songs.



4. Aloe Blacc - Good Things

This dude is dope. Jumping from rapper to neo-soul singer, Aloe Blacc created an album sounds like it should have come out 40 years ago. Also, apparently dude is super smart, like dean's list, top two-percent of the class at USC.



3. Das Racist - Sit Down, Man

This isn't a real album, just a free mixtape, but I still had to include it. In fact, I would have put their other mixtape ("Shut Up, Dude") in my list, but I didn't two mixtapes from the same group in the list. I know Stefan isn't a big fan, but I think both the beats and the lyrics on this album are terrific. Seriously, I love this tough-in-cheek "weed rap" that's really all about race politics and consumerism.



2. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Up From Below

These California hippies sure can jam. This album sounds like Nashville-era Johnny Cash, Jefferson Airplane (no Starship) and a marching band got it on in a recording studio. It just makes you feel good.



1. Shad - TSOL

Man I love this album. Smart lyrics, catchy hooks, fresh beats, it's got it all. Plus Shad is aware of the history of hip hop and his position in that history, giving him more than a touch of self-deprecation. Canada is making moves.