Rolling Stone's Top Albums/Singles 2010

[KSmitty]

From Rolling Stone

Top 30 Albums:
30 Rick Ross – Teflon Don
29 The Roots – How I Got Over
28 My Chemical Romance – Danger Days: The True Lives of ...
27 Peter Wolf – Midnight Souvenirs
26 Yeasayer – Odd Blood
25 Superchunk – Majesty Shredding
24 Maximum Balloon – Maximum Balloon
23 Elizabeth Cook – Welder
22 Spoon – Transference
21 Big Boi – Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
20 Neil Young – Le Noise
19 M.I.A. – Maya
18 Kings of Leon – Come Around Sundown
17 Beach House – Teen Dream
16 Kid Rock – Born Free
15 The National – High Violet
14 Robyn – Body Talk
13 Taylor Swift – Speak Now
12 John Mellencamp – No Better Than This
11 The Dead Weather – Sea of Cowards
10 LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening
09 Eminem – Recovery
08 Robert Plant – Band Of Joy
07 Drake – Thank Me Later
06 Vampire Weekend – Contra
05 Jamey Johnson – The Guitar Song
04 Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
03 Elton John and Leon Russell – The Union
02 The Black Keys – Brothers
01 Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Top 50 Singles:
50 Ke$ha – “We R Who We R”
49 Elizabeth Cook – “El Camino”
48 Das Racist – “hahahaha jk?”
47 Kid Rock – “Born Free”
46 MGMT – “Congratulations”
45 The Rolling Stones – “Plundered My Soul”
44 Neil Young – “Love and War”
43 B.o.B. (Feat. Bruno Mars) – “Nothing on You”
42 Surfer Blood – “Floating Vibes”
41 Junip – “In Every Direction”
40 Kanye West -”Power”
39 The Gaslight Anthem – “The Diamond Church Street Choir”
38 Spoon – “The Mystery Zone”
37 Lloyd Banks (Feat. Juelz Santana) – “Beamer, Benz, or Bentley”
36 Drake (Feat. Nicki Minaj) – “Up All Night”
35 Massive Attack (Feat. Hope Sandoval) – “Paradise Circus”
34 Gorillaz (Feat. Mos Def and Bobby Womack) – “Stylo”
33 Wavves – “Post Acid”
32 Die Antwoord – “Enter the Ninja”
31 Gil Scott-Heron – “I’m New Here”
30 Jakob Dylan – “Nothing but the Whole Wide World”
29 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – “The Trip to Pirate’s Cove”
28 Band of Horses – “Laredo”
27 The National – “Bloodbuzz Ohio”
26 Robyn – “Dancing on My Own”
25 Nicki Minaj – “Did It On’em”
24 Eminem – “Not Afraid”
23 Jamey Johnson – “Macon”
22 Rick Ross (Feat. Styles P) – “B.M.F. (Blowin’ Money Fast)”
21 Sleigh Bells – “Infinity Guitars”
20 Best Coast – “Boyfriend”
19 The New Pornographers – “Your Hands (Together)”
18 Jenny and Johnny – “Scissor Runner”
17 LCD Soundsystem – “I Can Change”
16 Cold War Kids – “Coffee Spoon”
15 Drake – “Over”
14 Big Boi (Feat. Cutty) – “Shutterbugg”
13 The Dead Weather – “Hustle and Cuss”
12 Mark Ronson and the Business Intl. (Feat. Q-Tip & MNDR) – “Bang Bang Bang”
11 The Black Keys – “Everlasting Light”
10 Kanye West (Feat. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj and Bon Iver) – “Monster”
09 Broken Bells – “The Ghost Inside”
08 Janelle Monáe (Feat. Big Boi) – “Tightrope”
07 Vampire Weekend – “White Sky”
06 Mavis Staples -”You Are Not Alone”
05 Arcade Fire – “We Used to Wait”
04 Katy Perry – “Teenage Dream”
03 Sade – “Soldier of Love”
02 Cee Lo Green – “Fuck You”
01 Kanye West (Feat. Pusha T) -”Runaway”

Opinions? Love it? Hate it? Shenanigans?

[muddi900]

Wait, me must first fix that Space-Time anomaly that made Rolling Stone relevant again.

[Abednigo]

Originally Posted by muddi900

Wait, me must first fix that Space-Time anomaly that made Rolling Stone relevant again.

Thank you. I went through the whole list yesterday and wondered if they actually listened to any of these albums. I know I didn't.

While we're at it, here is my top 3 albums of 2010. It's hard to put these in order of favorites, since I loved all three. But here it goes.

3. As I Lay Dying - The Powerless Rise
2. Underoath - Disambiguation
1. The Devil Wears Prada - Zombie EP

Screw Rolling Stone.

[divinechaos]

I don't see any Metal up there, which means that this list sucks ass.

I really, really, really don't get the Kanye West thing. I have friends--artsy fartsy, indie, hip-hop and jazz types--who swear by Kanye West's new record. Claim it to be one if, if not the, most perfect pop records since Thriller. They throw the word genius around as if it's a natural way to describe him.

I try listening, but I just don't get it. Maybe I need to sit down and give the entire record a dedicated listen, I don't know. But in terms of lyricism, I put Eminem worlds above Kanye West (keeping within the rap/hip-hop milieu), but from what I understand KW's music has broken free of that constraint.

IMO, KW stumbles upon these bits of "genius", as opposed to manufactures them with intent. There's a difference in my eyes, but I guess the output is what matters to most.

Abednigo, you really need to break out of that Christian rock thing. Like, really.

[Abednigo]

Originally Posted by civil_union

Abednigo, you really need to break out of that Christian rock thing. Like, really.

I see no reason. I like it. LOL!

But I tend to be more drawn to bands who aren't trying to write the next Christian Metal Album and just want to make a good metal record. They might inject some of their faith into it, but they don't agonize over making sure they have what I like to call JMPMs (Jesus Mentions Per Minute). When bands start doing that (like they did all throughout the 80s and 90s), you end up with a lot of crap, and Christian bands trying to sound like other bands to give Christian kids Christian alternatives. Blah!

That's why I REALLY like The Devil Wears Prada. I have a weird zombie fixation too, and I love that they are in a place where they can freely make an album about the zombie apocalypse. It's awesome.

And for the record, Kanye is an ass and his "music" sucks.

[Sandman]

I'll have my top 50 albums list next week when I have time to think of it. I can already say the only album they have in the top 10 that may be in mine is Jamey Johnson's The Guitar Song, epic double album of outlaw country.

[burger]

Kanye West???????

[muddi900]

Originally Posted by civil_union

I really, really, really don't get the Kanye West thing.

I try listening, but I just don't get it. Maybe I need to sit down and give the entire record a dedicated listen, I don't know. But in terms of lyricism, I put Eminem worlds above Kanye West (keeping within the rap/hip-hop milieu), but from what I understand KW's music has broken free of that constraint.

IMO, KW stumbles upon these bits of "genius", as opposed to manufactures them with intent. There's a difference in my eyes, but I guess the output is what matters to most.

You and I both pal. Though the album does build up to something quite good, it was mostly mediocre. But I never really got the hype of Eminem. This was what, his third album in a row about making amends and being a better father?

[Abyssion]

I'm still listening to albums from last year...

[Superman's Dead]

Originally Posted by muddi900

You and I both pal. Though the album does build up to something quite good, it was mostly mediocre. But I never really got the hype of Eminem. This was what, his third album in a row about making amends and being a better father?

Nope. Encore- on drugs. Best friend dies. 2 year gap. Rehab. Then he releases Relapse- which was absolutely insane and a little schizophrenic. Then he releases Recovery- which was not a 'return to form' because...he isn't on drugs any more. In my opinion, it was better than 'form'.

Kanye West doesn't stumble onto anything on accident. Love it or hate it, everything he does is structured and obsessed over for quality. He's getting to be more and more of an auteur than just a rapper. It isn't my favorite direction for his music to go, but I dig it.

Drake's album sucked a bag of dicks. "Over" was a solid single, but it shouldn't be on this list and I think they're just paying for hyping him up so big.

I'd love to see Kanye West produce an Eminem record.

[Superman's Dead]

Originally Posted by civil_union

I'd love to see Kanye West produce an Eminem record.

I'd love to see him produce an album from any TALENTED rapper. Ke$ha made the top 50 singles, but not Lupe Fiasco?

NICOLE SIMPSON CAN'T RAP. I WANT JUSTICE

/chappelle

[muddi900]

Originally Posted by Superman's Dead

Nope. Encore- on drugs. Best friend dies. 2 year gap. Rehab. Then he releases Relapse- which was absolutely insane and a little schizophrenic. Then he releases Recovery- which was not a 'return to form' because...he isn't on drugs any more. In my opinion, it was better than 'form'.

So apparently drugs had very little impact on his output. I forgot, he has been doing this since the Eminem Show. If I play all four albums on shuffle, I bet nobody can tell what track is from where. It's monotonous and redundant.

Kanye West doesn't stumble onto anything on accident. Love it or hate it, everything he does is structured and obsessed over for quality. He's getting to be more and more of an auteur than just a rapper. It isn't my favorite direction for his music to go, but I dig it.

You make him sound like more pretentious than he actually is. But I never said the good tracks were by accident. I am saying that it does not deserve the praise it's been getting.

[Superman's Dead]

Originally Posted by muddi900

So apparently drugs had very little impact on his output. I forgot, he has been doing this since the Eminem Show. If I play all four albums on shuffle, I bet nobody can tell what track is from where. It's monotonous and redundant.

Well...I mean, if by 'little effect' you mean 'affected his upbringing, his early albums, his mental breakdown, and almost killed him' then yes.

You're right. Most people probably couldn't. I mean, I could and I don't think it's really that difficult to do because each album really does have a very distinct sound and production style (especially since he started using live instruments in Relapse) but...I'm the same way about Led Zeppelin. Sometimes I can't even tell their songs apart. So to each their own.

You make him sound like more pretentious than he actually is. But I never said the good tracks were by accident. I am saying that it does not deserve the praise it's been getting.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/68404/237348

I know it's Rolling Stone, but it's about the concert he performed where he did the whole album beginning to end. I'm the biggest proponent of Kanye's music that I know, but he is definitely pretentious.

[National Kato]

I can't argue with the positioning of The Black Keys' Brothers. Helluva album.

/your favorite band sucks

[KSmitty]

Originally Posted by muddi900

But I never really got the hype of Eminem. This was what, his third album in a row about making amends and being a better father?

Can you understand rap music? I don't mean to be a jerk when I say this, many people don't 'listen' to rap. They hear words, but they don't catch what is being said. I know people who claim to like rap that have never understood something until we were having a discussion about Rapper XYZ and I would repeat a verse. Eminem is a very accomplished lyricist. He squeezes a lot of words into a (musical) bar and does a lot of wordplay.

Regarding Kanye... I like Mr. West, and I like My Dark and Twisted Fantasy. However, I am not falling on my knees praising it as the best thing in years. Honestly I'd rate it as my 3rd favorite Kanye cd, and just making my top 5 albums of 2010.

I am VERY sad to see that the list did not include B.o.B. I wouldn't put The Roots, MIA, Kings of Leon, Vampire Weekend or Drake over his album this year.

But on the upside I now know that Massive Attack put out an album this year.

[Shieldmaiden]

I could give you my top two albums, but they are literally the only new albums I've sat down and listened to in their entirety this year.

The Tron: Legacy soundtrack and "Now That's What I Call Steampunk Vol. 1" by The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing.

[National Kato]

Originally Posted by KSmitty

Can you understand rap music? ... Eminem is a very accomplished lyricist. He squeezes a lot of words into a (musical) bar and does a lot of wordplay.

That's all well and true, but if a rapper/lyricist isn't saying anything new and engaging, many listeners won't give a damn about the wordplay. There are a lot of rappers who can do amazing things with their words, but are they saying anything they haven't already said?

I grew up listening to hip-hop in late 70s Philly and throughout the 80s and 90s. Technical proficiency is great, but you gotta have more than that.

Personally, I recognize Eminem's talent but I think his tone and delivery is stale and one-noted. Call it personal preference, I don't assume to tell someone else what is 'good' in hip-hop, but there are better lyricists and rappers than Eminem.

[Shieldmaiden]

Great example of rap that is nothing special technically, but incredibly powerful nonetheless.