Half-Way There... Best of '10 so far?

[Jacob Kobryn]

So, 2010 is half-way through (or at least just about.) What have been your favorite albums of the year so far. I've been dreadfully lazy when it comes to listening to new music over the past several months but that said, my favorite albums of the year thus far are:

Alcest - Écailles de Lune [shoegaze/post-black metal]
Wovenhand - The Threshingfloor [gothic americana/alt-country]
Les Discrets - Septembre et ses Dernières Pensées [shoegaze/post-rock with slight metal influence]
Jimi Hendrix - Valleys of Neptune [psychedelic blues rock] (recorded between '66 and '69)
Mike Patton - Mondo Cane [experimental italian baroque pop]
Jónsi - Go [post-rock/icelandic pop... or something like that]
Motorpsycho - Heavy Metal Fruit [psychadelic/progressive hard rock]
Midlake - The Courage of Others [folk-rock]
Triptykon - Eparistera Daimones [doom metal]
Eluvium - Similes [ambient]
Kayo Dot - Coyote [unclassifiable/avant-garde]
Portugal. The Man - American Ghetto [indie/electronic rock/pop]
Massive Attack - Heligoland [trip hop]
Ihsahn - After [progressive metal]
Demians - Mute [progressive alternative rock]
Katatonia - The Longest Year EP [atmospheric dark-rock/metal & remixes/electronic]
Burzum - Belus [atmospheric black metal]
Khi Darag! - Khi Darag! EP [middle-eastern/experimental rock] (Technically released Dec. 31, 2009)
Have a Nice Life - Time of Land EP [shoegaze/experimental]
Peter Gabriel - Scratch My Back [singer-songwriter/orchestral/cover-songs]
Orphaned Land - The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR [middle-eastern/progressive metal]
Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me [folk/singer-songwriter]

So, list your favorites please!

[tobbA]

You say lazy. I say crazy X)

I've only listened to three albums from 2010 so far that I can think of... But they're all worth mentioning I think.

Meat Loaf - Hang Cool Teddy Bear

At the age of 60 Meat Loaf still manages to make the best album since Bat Out of Hell 2, which is pretty cool. Hugh Laurie even plays piano on it, which should really be all you need to know to give it a listen. :P

Pearl - Little Immaculate White Fox

Well, she's the daughter of Meat Loaf and has teamed up with her husband Scott Ian from Anthrax to make an awesome rock album. She's an amazing singer as well.

Shonen Knife - Free Time

Might be my favorite Knife album so far. (For those who don't know, Shonen Knife is a japanese garage rock/punk-band... Who got successful in the west largely due to being discovered by Kurt Cobain.) It's full of the bands usual quirky and cute lyrics. But I also think it's their heaviest album to date leaning more towards heavy metal than their usual Ramones and the Beatles inspired songs.

[Rudeone]

The Black Keys - Brothers

The Dead Weather - Sea Of Cowards

[Demo]

Drink the Sea- The Glitch Mob

[Arshes Nei]

Agreed to the above post.

Been waiting for En Vogue's new Album.

I also liked
We Are Splatinum by Splatinum
http://amzn.com/B003BCUTDC <-- free tracks

This guy isn't half bad and also free tracks
The B.Reith EP by B.Reith
http://amzn.com/B002OUO3Y8

[Raoul Duke]

Gogol Bordello: Transcontinental Hustle
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Gorillaz: Plastic Beach
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Themselves: The Free Houdini
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[GHill]

Whoa, I didn't know there was a new Gogol Bordello out! Thanks Raoul Duke! Never pass up a chance to see those guys live.

It's been a great year for music so far. Some favs...

DEVO - Something for Everybody. Super classic DEVO goodness!
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The Chemical Brothers - Further
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Bonobo - Black Sands
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Blockhead - The Music Scene
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Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma
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[Raoul Duke]

Damn yo, Devo still has it. I like how they found new space hats to cover their age.

EVERYBODY NEEDS TO WATCH THE BLOCKHEAD VIDEO!

[Ian Barker]

I"ve been slacking this year, but favs are Flying Lotus, National, and Black Keys.

[Jacob Kobryn]

This year has been pretty weak, actually. The second half should be awesome, though, with Radiohead, Ulver, Ne Obliviscaris, Fredrik Thordendal, Oceansize, Iron & Wine, Gorguts, Akercocke, Dordeduh, Tom Waits, Arcade Fire, Devin Townsend, Black Mountain, Fleet Foxes, Paatos, Comus, Enslaved, Agalloch, etc, etc, etc... Those should all be at the least great, and at the most mindblowingly amazing. :P

[Dorkthrone]

Rosetta--A Determinism of Morality
Jonsi--Go
High on Fire--Snakes for the Divine
Kayo Dot--Coyote
Melvins--The Bride Screamed Murder
Howl--Full of Hell
The Unwinding Hours--The Unwinding Hours
Minsk/U.S Christmas/Harvestman--Hawkwind Triad
Mike Patton--Mondo Cane
Long Distance Calling--Avoid the Light
Hammock--Chasing After Shadows...Living With the Ghosts
Eluvium--Similes
Ascent of Everest--From This Vantage
Bomb the Music Industry!--Adults!!! Smart!!! Shithammered!!! And Excited by Nothing!!!
Off With Their Heads--In Desolation
Coliseum--House With A Curse
God is an Astronaut--Age of the Fifth Sun
RVIVR--LP
Red Sparowes--The Fear is Excruciating, but Therein Lies the Answer

[Jasper_]

I'm gonna throw in The American Dollar - Atlas

Beautiful music to listen to, especially while night driving on long road trips.

[UmpaArt]

Edit...Nvm...VBulletin is stupid. Linking stuff is way too difficult...

Edit: I really do hate Vbulletin

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Best album of the year.

[Dorkthrone]

I've also got to add Yakuza's Of Seismic Consequence. That album is great.

[nauvice]

I'm a noob at music... let's see... I know ratatat came out with an album this year, and I think its meh. Caribou came out with an album too, I love it, but it already got old to me. Is Edward Sharpe and the magnetic zeros from this year? If so, than that's my favorite of the year so far. If not, well it was my favorite discovery of this year at least (along with grizzly bear, and wu tang vs the beatles)

really ecstatic to hear radiohead, arcade fire, and fleet foxes are coming out with new albums this year.

the many other bands mentioned itt, i know nothing of, but I love that flying lotus song posted, and the blockhead animation video is sick!

[Jacob Kobryn]

Ed Sharpe is from last year. Good album, in fact it's grown on me a lot... It's really catchy! Grizzly Bear are awesome, too, but that was an '09 release as well.

[Raoul Duke]

This year has been pretty weak, actually. The second half should be awesome, though, with Radiohead, Ulver, Ne Obliviscaris, Fredrik Thordendal, Oceansize, Iron & Wine, Gorguts, Akercocke, Dordeduh, Tom Waits, Arcade Fire, Devin Townsend, Black Mountain, Fleet Foxes, Paatos, Comus, Enslaved, Agalloch, etc, etc, etc... Those should all be at the least great, and at the most mindblowingly amazing. :P
Tom Waits is coming out with an album this year? Is it one of his loud albums or one of his quiet albums? I'd be happy if anybody had any links to tracks for this.

[Jacob Kobryn]

^ Turns out that was just referring to his new live release, Glitter and Doom, which is great if you don't already have it. He's doing films now, it seems... He was in Book of Eli and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasus. I personal favor his "quiet" work far over his "loud" work but I love them both.

[ErikStorstein]

Been mostly into the instrumentals this year

Alcest - Écailles de Lune
Anathema - We're Here Bacause We're here
Bonobo - Black Sands
Emancipator - Safe in the Steep Cliffs
Jónsi - Go
Shining - Blackjazz
Sun Kil Moon - Admiral Fell Promises
The American Dollar - Atlas
The Autumn Film - Roll Over Me

I was really looking forward to Stars and Broken Social Scenes new albums, but they still need to grow on me I think.

[velderia]

Man, there's a lot of favorites released in late '09 but so far:

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Symbion Project released something earlier this year: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/misery-in-soliloquy/id349074211 It features vocals by Melissa Kaplan, of Splashdown and Universal Hall Pass fame.

Their video is pretty wicked. Kind of freaky. http://vimeo.com/11241391

And I'm dying for Emilie Autumn's new album. There should be at least live footage of some of the songs this year. I think she's going to release at least an EP before her fall tour. It's going to be called "Fight Like A Girl" (F.L.A.G.) Squeee. :D

[Ian Barker]

I was really looking forward to Stars and Broken Social Scenes new albums, but they still need to grow on me I think.

BSS I was pleasantly surprised by, but the Stars album seems kinda lackluster...

The new Menomena album is great! :)

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[Kagemusha22]

Went to Latitude last week and saw bands that'd released some pretty impressive albums this year;

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(Caught the drummer's drumstick after The National's set)

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[Ian Barker]

Here's my top 40 so far!

1. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma
2. Janelle Monae - The Archandroid
3. The National - High Violet
4. Emeralds - Does it Look Like I'm Here?
5. The Black Keys - Brothers
6. Yellow Swans - Going Places
7. Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt
8. Rova & Nels Cline Singers - The Celestial Septet
9. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
10. Menomena - Mines
11. Beach House - Teen Dream
12. Nest - Retold
13. James Blackshaw - All is Falling
14. Motorpsycho - Heavy Metal Fruit
15. Efdemin - Chicago
16. Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz
17. Elephant9 - Walk the Nile
18. Owen Pallett - Heartland
19. Brasstronaut - Mt Chimaera
20. Les Discrets - Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées
21. Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
22. Jamie Lidell - Pop
23. Charlotte Gainsburg - IRM
24. Geographer - Animal Shapes EP
25. Joanna Newsom - Have One on Me
26. Shining - Black Jazz
27. Jaga Jazzist - One-Armed Bandit
28. Jonsi - Go
29. Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
30. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
31. Alcest - Écailles de Lune
32. Denseland - Chunk
33. Food - Quiet Inlet
34. Negură Bunget - Vîrstele Pămîntului
35. Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago
36. The Walkman - Lisbon
37. The Besnard Lakes - Are the Roaring Night
38. Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can
39. Paul Cary - Ghost of a Man
40. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Who Killed Sgt Pepper?

[Jacob Kobryn]

Here's my top-40:

Alcest - Écailles de Lune [shoegaze/post-black metal | France]
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs ["indie" rock | Canada]
Sun Kil Moon - Admiral Fell Promises [acoustic folk | USA]
Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini [progressive black metal | Norway]
Grinderman - Grinderman 2 [experimental garage rock | USA]
Samsara Blues Experiment - Long Distance Trip [psychedelic/stoner rock | Germany]
Wovenhand - The Threshingfloor [gothic americana/alt-country | USA]
Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky [experimental/noise rock | USA]
Les Discrets - Septembre et ses Dernières Pensées [shoegaze/post-rock with slight metal influence | France]
Mike Patton - Mondo Cane [experimental Italian baroque pop | USA]
Dordeduh - Valea Omului EP [experimental/progressive black metal | Romania]
Philip Selway - Familial [singer-songwriter | UK]
Oceansize - Self Preserved As the Bodies Float Upward ["post" progressive rock | UK]
Ólafur Arnalds - ...and they have escaped the weight of darkness [neoclassical/ambient/post-rock | Iceland]
Jónsi - Go [post-rock/Icelandic pop... or something like that | Iceland]
Rome - Nos Chants Perdus [neofolk | Luxembourg]
Areknamés- In Case of Loss [progressive rock | Italy]
Voice of the Seven Thunders - Voice of the Seven Thunders [folk and psychedelic rock | UK]
Sleepy Sun - Fever [psychedelic folk rock | USA]
Olan Mill - Pine [ambient/neoclassical | ]
White Hills - White Hills [psychedelic/stoner rock | USA]
Consecration - .avi [post-metal | Serbia]
Lights Out Asia - In The Days of Jupiter [soundscape/experimental post-rock | USA]
Red Sparowes - The Fear is Excruciating, But Therein Lies the Answer [post-rock | USA]
Jimi Hendrix - Valleys of Neptune [psychedelic blues rock | USA/UK] (recorded between '66 and '69)
Midlake - The Courage of Others [folk-rock | USA]
Motorpsycho - Heavy Metal Fruit [psychedelic/progressive hard rock | Norway]
Brandon Perry - Ark [ambient/neo-classical | UK]
Anathema - We're Here Because We're Here ["crossover" progressive rock/post-prog | UK]
Triptykon - Eparistera Daimones [doom metal | Switzerland]
RQTN - Decades and Decisions [neoclassical/ambient/post-rock | France]
Kayo Dot - Coyote [unclassifiable/avant-garde | USA]
Massive Attack - Heligoland [trip hop | UK]
The Black Keys - Brothers [psychedelic blues rock | USA]
Morcheeba - Blood Like Lemonade [trip-hop/downtempo electronic | UK]
Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma [experimental electronic | USA]
In Lingua Mortua - Salon des Refuses [avant-garde/progressive black metal | Norway]
Caribou - Swim [experimental electronic/"indie" rock | Canada]
Eluvium - Similes [ambient | USA]
Ihsahn - After [progressive metal | Norway]

I'm listening to more each day, though, so it's subject to change...

[Ian Barker]

great, that gives me some new things to listen to :)