Author: Zac

2010 proved to be a fascinating year for music. As online methods of distribution became more refined there were moments in which it wouldn’t be at all ridiculous to describe the art of making an ‘album’ as dead and buried underneath a plethora of free single track downloads, EPs and re-issues. On the contrary, it fueled the motivations of musicians worldwide to make greater, fully realised LPs that reinvigorated many to sit down and enjoy what magic can occur when a selection of songs need to be heard in order and at 33rpm.

Here are the top ten albums that came from all of our regular writers after countless revisions. Now go and enjoy great music over the Christmas break.

1. Darker My Love – Alive As You Are (Dangerbird)
2. Red Dons – Fake Meets Failure (Deranged)
3. The Young Veins – Take A Vacation (One Haven Music)
4. Tweakbird – S/T (Souterrain Transmissions)
5. Black Mountain – Wilderness Heart (Jajaguwar)
6. Trash Talk – Eyes and Nines (Hassle)
7. Chickenhawk – Modern Bodies (Brew)
8. Ganglians – Monster Head Room (Souterrain Transmissions)
9. Pulled Apart By Horses – S/T (Transgressive)
10. Regulations – To Be Me (Deranged)

Darker My Love – Split Minute by Dangerbird Records

1. Dessa – A Badly Broken Code (Doomtree)
2. Big Boi – Sir Lucius Left Foot: Son Of Chico Dusty (Def Jam)
3. Mount Kimbie – Crooks and Lovers (Hot Flush)
4. Bring Me The Horizon – There Is A Hell… (Visible Noise)
5. Paper Tiger – Made Like Us (Doomtree)
6. Breakage – Foundation (Digital Soundboy)
7. Freeway and Jake One – The Stimulus Package (Rhymesayers)
8. Magnetic Man – Magnetic Man (Sony Columbia)
9. Gorillaz – Plastic Beach (Parlophone)
10. Gayngs – Relayted (Jagjaguwar)

Dessa – Children’s Work by Crossfire Music

1. Black Mountain – Wilderness Heart (Jajaguwar)
2. Ceremony – Rohnert Park (Bridge Nine)
3. Red Dons – Fake Meets Failure (Deranged)
4. Regulations – To Be Me (Deranged)
5. Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan – Hawk (V2)
6. Les Savy Fav – Root For Ruin (Wichita)
7. Tweakbird – S/T (Souterrain Transmissions)
8. The Flaming Lips & Stardeath And White Dwarfs – Dark Side Of The Moon (Warners)
9. Trash Talk – Eyes and Nines (Hassle)
10. Pulled Apart By Horses – S/T (Transgressive)

Black Mountain – Hair Song by Crossfire Music

1. Daft Punk – Tron: Legacy (Disney)
2. Mount Kimbie – Crooks and Lovers (Hot Flush)
3. Bonobo – Black Sands (Ninja Tune)
4. Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma (Warp)
5. Tokimonsta – Midnight Menu (Listen Up)
6. Big Boi – Sir Lucius Left Foot: Son Of Chico Dusty (Def Jam)
7. Guido – Anidea (Punch Drunk)
8.  Four Tet – There Is Love In You (Domino)
9. Chilly Gonzalez – Ivory Tower (Gentle Threat)
10. Gorillaz – Plastic Beach (Parlophone)

Daft Punk – Derezzed by Mr. TMS

1. Comeback Kid – Symptoms and Cures (Victory)
2. Bring Me The Horizon – There Is A Hell… (Visible Noise)
3. The Wonder Years – The Upsides (Hopeless)
4. The Gaslight Anthem – American Slang (SideOneDummy)
5. Bars Of Gold – Of Gold (Friction)
6. Ceremony – Rohnert Park (Bridge Nine)
7. Sleigh Bells – Treats (Neet)
8. Best Coast – Crazy For You (Wichita)
9. Dinosaur Pile-Up – Growing Pains (Friends Vs Records)
10. Pulled Apart By Horses – Pulled Apart By Horses (Transgressive)

Comeback Kid – “Do Yourself A Favour” by Distort Inc.

1. Mount Kimbie – Crooks and Lovers (Hot Flush)
2. Former Ghosts – New Love (Upset The Rhythm)
3. Big Boi – Sir Lucius Left Foot: Son Of Chico Dusty (Def Jam)
4. Dangers – Messy, Isn’t It? (Vitriol)
5. Ceremony – In Rohnert Park (Bridge Nine)
6. Pantha Du Prince – Black Noise (Rough Trade)
7. Breakage – Foundation (Digital Soundboy)
8. Deftones – Diamond Eyes (Warner)
9. Joie de Vivre – Summer Months (Count Your Lucky Stars)
10. Actress – Splazsh (Honest Jon’s)

Mount Kimbie – Field by Crossfire Music

1. Jonsi – GO (XL)
2. Beach House – Teen Dreams (Sub Pop)
3. Delphic – Acolyte (Polydor)
4. Everything Everything – Man Alive (Geffen)
5. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs (Mercury)
6. Sleigh Bells – Interpol (NEET)
7. Archie Bronson Outfit – Coconut (Domino)
8. Caribou – Swim (City Slang)
9. Warpaint – The Fool (Rough Trade)
10. Steve Mason – Boys Outside (Double Six)

Jónsi – “Tornado” by ljbodysong

1. Red Dons – Fake Meets Failure (Deranged)
2. Herätys – S/T (Not Enough)
3. Geriatric Unit – Audit of Enemies (Boss Tuneage)
4. Daylight Robbery – Though the Confusion (Residue)
5. Leatherface – The Stormy Petrel (No Idea)
6. Complications – S/T (Feral Ward)
7. The Estranged – The Subliminal Man (Dirtnap)
8. Spermbirds – A Columbus Feeling (Boss Tuneage)
9. Regulations – To Be Me (Deranged)
10. Autistic Youth – Idle Minds (Dirtnap)

Red Dons – Pieces by Crossfire Music

1. Hans Zimmer – Inception (Reprise)
2. LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening (DFA)
3. Lupen Crook – The Pros and Cons of Eating Out (Beast Reality)
4. Max Richter – Infra (Fat Cat)
5. Arcade Fire – The Surburbs (Mercury)
6. Jaga Jazzist – One Armed Bandit (Ninja Tune)
7. Grinderman – Grinderman 2 (Mute)
8. The National – High Violet (4AD)
9. Daft Punk – Tron: Legacy (Disney)
10. Janelle Monae – The Archandroid (Bad Boy)

Time – Inception OST Hans Zimmer by Thomas Aswin

1. Surfer Blood – Astro Coast (Kanine)
2. Joanna Newsom – Have One On Me (Drag City)
3. Foals – Total Life Forever (Transgressive)
4. Holy Fuck – Latin (XL)
5. Caribou – Swim (City Slang)
6. Beach House – Teen Dream (Sub Pop)
7. Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse – Dark Night of the Soul (EMI)
8. Daft Punk – Tron: Legacy (Disney)
9. Gayngs – Relayted (Jagjaguwar)
10. Beach Fossils – Beach Fossils (Captured Tracks)

Surfer Blood ‘Swim’ by kaninerecords

1. All Pigs Must Die – All Pigs Must Die (NONbeliever)
2. Nachtmystium – Addicts: Black Meddle Part II (Century Media)
3. Melvins – The Bride Screamed Murder (Ipecac)
4. The Hope Conspiracy – True Nihilist (Deathwish)
5. The Sword – Warp Riders (Kemado)
6. Autopsy – The Tomb Within (Peaceville)
7. Wino – Adrift (Exile On Mainstream)
8. Wormrot – Abuse (Earache)
9. Hank III – The Rebel Within (Curb)
10. Blind To Faith – The Seven Fat Years Are Over (Holy Terror)

All Pigs Must Die – Hungry Wolf, Easy Prey by Crossfire Music