Mid-Year Top 10's (June 2010)
 

A weird thing has happened this year: people actually seem content with music. Everywhere we turn it's, "This is going to be music's year!" or "Music is really hot right now!" or "Ahoy sailor!!" And while that's an awesome mentality, especially around this emo environment, the most amazing thing is that we still have a whole lot of 2010 left. There's August, November, and boy oh boy is there still December. I'm giddy just thinking about it. Here at AP.net we've found some real gems; it seemed everyone filled out their lists at record speed this year. Hopefully you agree with a few picks, but even more hopefully-er, you have some 24-carat albums that have slipped by our nerdy noses. So please, we implore you, tell us about your favorite records now that it's halftime. Let's all rejoice in 6 awesome months, and let's get on our knees and pray for 6 more.






Jeremy Aaron

1. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
2. Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks
3. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - The Brutalist Bricks
4. These New Puritans - Hidden
5. The National - High Violet
6. Spoon - Transference
7. The Morning Benders - Big Echo
8. Phosphorescent - Here's to Taking It Easy
9. The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night
10. Plants and Animals - La La Land

Joe DeAndrea

1. Hawthorne Heights - Skeletons
2. The Morning Of - The Way I Fell In
3. Eminem - Recovery
4. Sing It Loud - Everything Collide
5. Drake - Thank Me Later
6. B.o.B - B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray
7. VersaEmerge - Fixed at Zero
8. Veara - What We Left Behind
9. Four Year Strong - Enemy of the World
10. Our Last Night - We Will All Evolve

Drew Beringer

1. Deftones - Diamond Eyes
2. The National - High Violet
3. The Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever
4. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
5. Stars - The Five Ghosts
6. Drake - Thank Me Later
7. Motion City Soundtrack - My Dinosaur Life
8. As I Lay Dying - The Powerless Rise
9. Parkway Drive - Deep Blue
10. Minus The Bear - Omni

Alex DiVincenzo

1. The Wonder Years - The Upsides
2. Dangers - Messy, Isn't It
3. Motion City Soundtrack - My Dinosaur Life
4. Four Year Strong - Enemy of the World
5. Man Overboard - Real Talk
6. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
7. Grown Ups - More Songs
8. Pianos Become The Teeth - Old Pride
9. Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys - Steam Ship Killers
10. Fang Island - Fang Island

Chris Fallon

1. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
2. Butch Walker & the Black Widows - I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart
3. Eli "Paperboy" Reed - Come and Get It
4. Off With Their Heads - In Desolation
5. The Riot Before - Rebellion
6. Steel Train - Steel Train
7. Stephen Egerton - The Seven Degrees of Stephen Egerton
8. Leatherface - The Stormy Petrel
9. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - The Brutalist Bricks
10. Far - At Night We Live

Steve Henderson

1. Freelance Whales - Weathervanes
2. The Morning Of – The Way I Fell In
3. Beach House – Teen Dream
4. Letlive – Fake History
5. Local Natives – Gorilla Manor
6. Portugal the Man – American Ghetto
7. The Radio Dept. – Clinging to a Scheme
8. The Narrative – The Narrative
9. Dr. Dog – Shame, Shame
10. Neon Trees – Habits

Keagan Ilvonen

1. Vampire Weekend - Contra
2. Local Natives - Gorilla Manor
3. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
4. Josh Ritter - So Runs The World Away
5. Circa Survive - Blue Sky Noise
6. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
7. Beach House - Teen Dream
8. The Morning Of - The Way I Fell In
9. Sleigh Bells - Treats
10. Drake - Thank Me Later

Thomas Nassiff

1. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
2. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
3. The Wonder Years - The Upsides
4. Four Year Strong - Enemy of the World
5. AM Taxi - We Don't Stand A Chance
6. Circa Survive - Blue Sky Noise
7. Foxy Shazam - Foxy Shazam
8. Man Overboard - Real Talk
9. A Great Big Pile of Leaves - Have You Seen My Prefrontal Cortex?
10. Mercy Mercedes - Believe It

Tony Pascarella

1. Eli "Paperboy" Reed - Come and Get It
2. Motion City Soundtrack - My Dinosaur Life
3. Steel Train - Steel Train
4. Black Kettle - Narrative
5. Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer of the Void
6. Josh Ritter - So Runs the World Away
7. Foxy Shazam - Foxy Shazam
8. Hanson - Shout It Out
9. Stacy Clark - Connect the Dots
10. Poema - Sing It Now EP

Short write-up about each of Tony's selections here.

Adam Pfleider

1. Native - Wrestling Moves
2. Circa Survive - Blue Sky Noise
3. Daughters - Daughters
4. Maps and Atlases - Perch Patchwork
5. Sleigh Bells - Treats
6. Crime in Stereo - I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone
7. Minus The Bear - OMNI
8. Fang Island - Fang Island
9. Portugal the Man - American Ghetto
10. Past Lives - Tapestry of Webs

Deborah Remus

1. The Menzingers - Chamberlain Waits
2. Off With Their Heads - In Desolation
3. Against Me! - White Crosses
4. The Dopamines - Expect the Worst
5. The Flatliners - Cavalcade
6. Minus The Bear - OMNI
7. Blacklist Royals - Semper Liberi
8. Grown Ups - More Songs
9. Paper Arms - Days Above Ground
10. Four Year Strong - Enemy of the World

Gregory Robson

1. Vampire Weekend - Contra
2. Josh Ritter - So Runs the World Away
3. Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More
4. Beach House - Teen Dream
5. Freelance Whales - Weathervanes
6. Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid
7. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - The Brutalist Bricks
8. Phosphorescent - Here's To Taking It Easy
9. The Right Now - Carry Me Home
10. The National - High Violet

Blake Solomon

1. Eagle Scout - New Hands
2. The Wonder Years - The Upsides
3. The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt
4. Vampire Weekend - Contra
5. Four Year Strong - Enemy of the World
6. The Radio Dept. - Clinging to a Scheme
7. Foals - Total Life Forever
8. Rocky Votolato - True Devotion
9. Holmes - Have I Told You Lately That I Loathe You
10. Sleigh Bells - Treats

Paul Tao

1. Caribou - Swim
2. Four Tet - There Is Love In You
3. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma
4. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
5. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
6. Pantha du Prince - Black Noise
7. The Black Keys - Brothers
8. Eli "Paperboy" Reed - Come And Get It
9. The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt
10. Actress - Splazsh

Matthew Tsai

1. Native - Wrestling Moves
2. Portugal the Man - American Ghetto
3. The National - High Violet
4. AM Taxi - We Don't Stand A Chance
5. Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer of the Void
6. The Ascent of Everest - From This Vantage
7. Corinne Baily Rae - The Sea
8. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
9. River City Extension - The Unmistakable Man
10. Menomena - Mines

Adrian Villagomez

1. House of Heroes - Suburba
2. Steel Train - Steel Train
3. Jakob Dylan - Women + Country
4. Vampire Weekend - Contra
5. A Great Big Pile of Leaves - Have You Seen My Prefrontal Cortex?

Lueda Alia

1. Angus & Julia Stone - Down The Way
2. Rocky Votolato - True Devotion
3. Seabear - We Built A Fire
4. Olafur Arnalds - .. And They Have Escaped The Weight Of Darkness
5. MONO - Holy Ground: NYC Live
6. The National - High Violet
7. The New Pornographers - Together
8. Tim and Sam's Tim and the Sam Band with Tim and Sam - Life Stream
9. Shugo Tokumaru - Port Entropy
10. Sally Seltmann - Heart That's Pounding

Here's my list:

1. Four Year Strong - Enemy of the World
2. Foxy Shazam - s/t
3. Motion City Soundtrack - My Dinosaur Life
4. Sing It Loud - Everything Collide
5. The Forecast - s/t
6. Against Me! - White Crosses
7. Far - At Night We Live
8. Good Old War - s/t
9. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
10. B.o.B - The Adventures of Bobby Ray

Your top five are all in my top 10.
Just add Circa, The Morning Of, maybe Gifts From Enola, PMToday...
Meh, I better just do a list. Will be up later.

no jonsi love anywhere? damn.
glad to see a great big pile of leaves there a couple times.

I got a late start on a lot of 2009 albums in 2010, but I think these were all released this year.

In no particular order...

The Wonder Years - The Upsides
Motion City Soundtrack- My Dinosaur Life
Neon Trees - Habits
Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
Kele Okereke - The Boxer

Jeremy's list is probably the closest to mine. Frightened Rabbit, Titus Andronicus, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, The National, and The Morning Benders all are right around the top 10 for me. Trash Talk, Daughters, Janelle Monae, and Broken Bells are all up there as well.

Edit: I am also surprised by the lack of Jonsi. Not a huge fan personally, but I thought he'd be on a few lists.

Quick thoughts:

1. Where are Jason's picks at?
2. Tao delivers again with the indie picks
3. Don't know if it wasn't released in time for the lists but no Man Overboard (note: just saw it on Thomas' list)
4. Tsai -- Surprised to see Blitzen Trapper on there, this album was pretty blah to me
5. Joe -- Skeletons at #1?

And I am very, very surprised to see Neon Trees on only one list, at #10.

(More Than) Honorable Mentions:

Trash Talk - Eyes and Nines
Dillinger Escape Plan - Option Paralysis
Wolf Parade - Expo 68
Narrative - s/t
Gifts From Enola - s/t
The Dig - Electric Toys
Steel Train - Steel Train

Envy On The Coast- Low Country
Angels & Airwaves- LOVE
Gaslight Anthem- American Slang
Motion City Soundtrack- My Dinosaur Life
The Wonder Years- The Upsides
AM Taxi- We Don't Stand A Chance
Just Surrender- Phoenix
We Are The In Crowd- Guaranteed to Disagree (EP)
Sing It Loud- Everything Collides
Hawtorne Heights- Skeletons

Murder by Death - Good Morning Magpie
LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening
The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt
Fang Island - S/T
Four Year Strong - Enemy of the World
Sleigh Bells - Treats
The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
The Wonder Years - The Upsides
Motion City Soundtrack - My Dinosaur Life
Future Islands - In Evening Air

Not too shabby of a year thus far!

For now:

1. Circa Survive- Blue Sky Noise
2. Motion City Soundtrack- My Dinosaur Life
3. The Audition- Great Danger
4. Four Year Strong- Enemy of the World
5. Coheed and Cambria- Year of the Black Rainbow

Those still in the running that I haven't given a good listen:
Envy on the Coast- Lowcountry
As I Lay Dying- The Powerless Rise
The Gaslight Anthem- American Slang

And what we're still waiting on:
You, Me and Everyone We Know- Some Things Don't Wash Out
Valencia
Craig Owens's new project
Manchester Orchestra?

Glad that someone is giving Janelle Monae some credit. That album is honestly the coolest thing I've heard in a few years.

Dude pulled a Jerry Maguire and just up and quit. idk. said he was going to work for some site called SupJustin. real weird. we all wish him the best of luck.

1. Foxy Shazam - S/T
2. The Wonder Years - The Upsides
3. Motion City Soundtrack - My Dinosaur Life
4. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
5. Janelle Monae - The Archandroid
6. Los Campesinos! - Romance is Boring
7. Dessa - A Badly Broken Code
8. Drake - Thank Me Later
9. Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks
10. The Rocket Summer - Of Men and Angels