2010: A Year of Musical Discovery

Alternate name for this post: "How Many Words Can I Put 'Musical' In Front Of?"

I'm terrible at doing recaps. I thought about doing a "2010 in review" post, but I just couldn't come up with something that wasn't a long list of stuff we did. But in all my head-scratching, all I could really think of was a recap of what turned out to be a year of musical abundance. I briefly mentioned previously about my history of wandering musical tastes. While I'm still in not-really-going-there mode about my musical past, I have found my musical preferences tend to happen in phases or cycles. My high school to sophomore year of college was one gigantic feedback loop of bad Contemporary Christian Music, good Contemporary Christian Music, and Worship Music. Later on, my roommates had to endure my Country music phase, my Top 40 phase, my Nelly Furtado phase… yeah. I was young and foolish, and I'm not altogether proud of it (kidding, mostly).

2010 was a great year for music for me- I finally found my way from wandering through the desert of mediocre pop music. It was a musical explosion, a musical awakening*, a musical renaissance, even. The year began with a spate of new music, courtesy of Christmas gifts of CDs and iTunes gift cards. I consciously and frequently went out on a limb and bought different music than that to which I was accustomed**. As the year went on, my musical horizons expanded with a significant assist from Amazon's monthly $5 album offerings and daily $4 album specials. So here is a list of my favorite "albums of 2010". I put quotations there, because while much of the music I enjoyed this past year was released in years prior to 2010, this list comprises my favorite albums that I discovered in 2010 in the order that I began listening along with a few of my favorite tracks from each:

The Avett Brothers, Emotionalism (2007)
"Paranoia in B Major", "Die Die Die", "Pretty Girl From Chile", "Pretty Girl From San Diego"

I started listening to The Avett Brothers because one of my pastors from St. Louis wouldn't shut up about them on Twitter. I'm glad I checked them out. "Paranoia in B Major" is another of the best tracks I heard all year- it speaks to the their insecurities and mine in an energetic, almost reckless manner. The whole album could be described that way, really.

The Decemberists, The Crane Wife (2006)
"O Valencia!", "The Perfect Crime #2", "When The War Came", "Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)"

This was one of the albums I picked up on a whim. I remembered seeing a Decemberists poster at Beth and Drew's place; armed with an iTunes card, I listened to a few previews of this album, liked what I heard, and bought it. The Crane Wife theme is a good one, but these songs in between make for some vivid and very satisfying storytelling.

Derek Webb, Stockholm Syndrome (2009)
"Black Eye", "Cobra Con", "The Spirit vs the Kick Drum", "What Matters More"

Perhaps the best word to describe this album would be "subversive." I wish I could take credit for that description, but it's not mine- I just agree heartily with the assessment. Derek Webb makes some of the most honest, non-sugarcoated "Christian music" that I've encountered. Yeah, so he swears on one of the songs. But the issues he addresses are the same ones I care about- and the good beats behind them don't hurt their cause with me, either.

Arcade Fire, Funeral (2004)
"Wake Up", "Neighborhood #2 (Laika)", "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)"

"Wake Up" could very well be best song on all of these albums. It's such a moving anthem. This album took a while to get, and frankly, I'm still trying to figure out all of it, but the music is so good, and that one song may well have earned the album a spot on my list.

Local Natives, Gorilla Manor (2010)
"Wide Eyes", "Sun Hands", "World News", "Camera Talk"

I stumbled onto the Local Natives one day because I heard a snippet of their music on NPR one morning on the way to work. Coincidentally, Amazon offered up this album for $3.99 a few days later; I recognized the group from the NPR story, and I jumped on the deal. I have been thoroughly gratified for it; this is just such a solid album through and through. Every track is good sound. The strongest song is the first, but the rest of the album doesn't disappoint.

Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)
"Power", "All of the Lights", "Monster", "Lost in the World"

This is one of the most talked-about and highly reviewed albums of the year. I'm not much of a hip-hop or rap expert, so I can't speak to its technical merits- the album is just full of catchy songs. I had "Power" stuck in my head for a solid 2 weeks. Love him or hate him, and as juvenile as some of the songs are, this is in my opinion an indisputably great album.

The Roots, How I Got Over (2010)
"The Fire", "Dear God 2.0", "How I Got Over", "Doin' It Again", "Hustla", "Radio Daze"

This is my latest obsession. I have heard The Roots described as "hip hop for grownups," and I think it's an apt portrayal. This album took a few listens for me to acclimate to it, but once I did, I was and have since been hooked. The music itself is good, and (at times in stark contrast to Kanye) the lyrics are mature, reflective at times, inspirational at other times.

Honorable Mentions: Arcade Fire, The Suburbs (2010); The Avett Brothers, Four Thieves Gone - The Robbinsville Sessions (2010); The Avett Brothers, I and Love And You (2010); Ben Folds/Nick Hornby, Lonely Avenue (2010); The Decemberists, Hazards of Love (2009); The Dodos, Visiter (2008); Girl Talk, All Day (2010); John Legend, Evolver (2008); The Swell Season, Strict Joy (2009)

*I knew "musical discovery" and "musical renaissance" was pushing it a bit already… but screw it, I'm going big. **I try really hard to stick with correct grammar, but every now and then it produces mouthfuls like THAT.