2010

1. Pantha du Prince – Black Noise (Rough Trade)
2. Swans – My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky (Young God)
3. Steve Reich / Bang on a Can – Double Sextet, 2×5 (Nonesuch)
4. Owen Pallett – Heartland (Domino)
5. Valentin Silvestrov / Kiev Chamber Choir – Sacred Works (ECM)
6. Scott Amendola Trio – Lift (Sazi)
7. Tracey Thorn  - Love and It’s Opposite (Merge)
8. Baths – Cerulean (Anticon)
9. Max Richter  - Infra (Fat Cat)
10. Paul Hillier / Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir – Baltic Runes (Harmonia Mundi)
11. Chris Lightcap’s Bigmouth – Deluxe (Clean Feed)
12. Matthew Dear – Black City (Ghostly International)
13. Brooklyn Rider – Dominant Curve (In a Circle)
14. The Roots – How I Got Over” (Def Jam)
15. Mount Kimbie – Crooks & Lovers (Hotflush)
16. The National – High Violet (4AD)
17. Black Keys – Brothers (Nonesuch)
18. Jesca Hoop – Hunting My Dress (Vanguard)
19. Janelle Monae – The Archandroid (Bad Boy)
20. Mavis Staples – You Are Not Alone (Anti)
21. Antony and the Johnsons – Swanlights (Secretly Canadian)
22. Myra Melford’s Be Bread – The Whole Tree Gone (Firehouse 12)
23. Dave Holland Octet  - Pathways (Dare2)
24. Guillermo Klein – Domador de Huellas (Sunnyside)
25. Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings – I Learned the Hard Way (Daptone)
26. Victoire – Cathedral City (New Amsterdam)
27. Marty Stuart – Ghost Train: The Studio B Sessions (Sugar Hill)
28. Foals  - Total Life Forever (Sub Pop)
29. Konono Nº1 – Assume Crash Position (Crammed Disc)
30. Caribou – Swim (Merge)
31. The Budos Band – The Budos Band III (Daptone)

Five Favorite Reissues/Compilations

• The Rolling Stones – Exile On Main Street (Universal)
• Ella Fitzgerald – 12 Nights in Hollywood (Verve)
• v/a – Palenque Palenque – Afro Roots In Colombia 1975-91 (Soundway)
• v/a – The World Ends Afro Rock and Psychedelia in 1970s Nigeria (Soundway)
• v/a – Afrosound Of Colombia Vol. 1 (Vampi Soul)

Five Favorite Films of 2010

• Red Riding Trilogy (Julian Jarrold, James Marsh, Anand Tucker)
• The Secret of Kells (Tomm Moore)
• The Square (Edgerton Brothers)
• Mesrine: Killer Instinct & Public Enemy #1 (Jean-François Richet)
• I Am Love (Luca Guadagnino)

• X featuring Ray Manzarek @ Slims, December 28th
• H.U.N.X. “Noel Noir” @ YBCA, December 10th
• Hunx and his Punkettes, Shannon + Clams (Devo covers) @ The White Horse / down at lulus halloween bash, October 28th
• Swann Danger, Magick Daggers @ Terminal, October 9th
• Harlem @ Ghost Town, July 7th
• Filth, Gr’ups reunion show @ 924 Gilman, June 4th
• NN, Nobunny, Younger Lovers, Endemics, Dirty Marquee @ 924 Gilman, May 2nd
• Pinhead Gunpowder @ 924 Gilman, February 12th

• Hot Chip – One Life Stand (Astralwerks/Caroline)
• !!! – Strange Weather Isn’t It? (Warp)
• The Like – Release Me (Downtown)
• Sleigh Bells – Treats (Mom + Pop)
• Soundpool – Mirrors In Your Eyes (Killer Pimp)
• The Depreciation Guild – Spirit Youth (Kanine)
• Stereolab– Not Music (Drag City)
• Blonde Redhead – Penny Sparkle (4AD)
• The Magic Kids – Memphis (True Panther Sounds)
• Morning Musume – Fantasy Juuchi (Up Front Works)
• Arcade Fire – The Suburbs (Merge)
• Zola Jesus – Stridulum (Sacred Bones)
• Autolux – Transit Transit (TBD)
• v/a – SOUND CONCIERGE (Captain Trip Japan)
• AKB48 – Kamikyoku Tachi (King Records)
• SKE48 – Seifuku no Me (wint)
• Devo – Something For Everybody (Warner Bros.)
• Polysics – Absolute Polysics (MySpace/Interscope)
• Watarirouka Hashiritai – Roka wa Hashiruna (Pony Canyon)
• S/Mileage – Warugaki 1 (Forward Music)
• The Bird & The Bee – Interpreting The Masters Vol. 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall & John Oates(Blue Note)
• John Lennon & Yoko Ono – Double Fantasy Stripped Down (Capitol)
• LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening (DFA)
• How To Destroy Angels – S/T (Null)
• v/a – BEST OF APPLE RECORDS (Apple)
• v/a – NIPPON GIRLS (Big Beat UK)

Rock/Pop

• Jefferson Starship - ”Sunrise” – Blows Against The Empire(RCA Victor)
• Jefferson Airplane - ”Crown of Creation” – If You Feel (RCA Victor)
• Jimi Hendrix - ”Hear My Train A Comin'” – Valleys of Neptune (Sony)

Folk/Americana

• Greg Brown - ”Smell of Coffee” – Milk of the Moon (Red House)
• Richard & Linda Thompson - ”Wall of Death” – Shoot out the Lights (4 Men with Beards)
• Terry van Zandt & The Keys – “Ride All Night” – The Buffalo Session Singles (Sllabfoog)

Best New Releases

Americana

• Brian Langlinais - Tonight I Might (Blue Boot)
• Laura Veirs - July Flame (Raven Marching Band)
• Smokin Joe Kubek & Bnois King Have Blues Will Travel (Alligator)
• Tara Linda - Tortilla Western Serenade (Physalia)
• John Prine - In Person and On Stage (Oh Boy)
• Audra Mae - The Happiest Lamb (Planetary)

Hip Hop

• Beats Antique - Blind Threshold (S/R)
• Bonobo - Black Sands (Ninja Tune)
• Gorillaz - Plastic Beach (Virgin)
• Janelle Monae - The Archandroid (Bad Boy)
• NNeka - Concrete Jungle (Yo Mama’s)

Jazz

• Ella Fitzgerald - 12 Nights in Hollywood (Verve)
• Hot Club of Detroit - It’s About That Time (Mack Avenue)
• Mose Allison - The Way of the World (Anti-)
• Pink Martini - Splendor in the Grass (Heinz)
• Scott Amendola Trio - Lift (Sazi)

Rock/Pop

• Betty LaVette - Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook (Anti-)
• Chairmen of the Board - A Little More Time (Music Club)
• Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM (Because)
• Drive By Truckers - The Big To-Do (ATO)
• Gogol Bordello - Transcontinental Hustle (American)
• Hacienda - Big Red and Barbacoa (Alive)
• Hot Toddies - Get Your Heart On (Asian Man)
• Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Hawk (Vanguard)
• Mad Sin - Burn & Rise (People Like You)
• Slim Cessna’s Auto Club - Jesus Let Me Down (Alternative Tentacles)
• Stereo Total - Baby Ouh! (Kill Rock Stars)
• The Bird and The Bee - Interpreting The Masters Vol. 1: A Tribute To Daryl Hall And John Oates (Blue Note)
• The Like - Release Me (Downtown)

Difficult

• Rasputina - Sister Kinderhook (Filthy Bonnet)
• Rykarda Parasol - For Blood and Wine (S/R)

World

• Afrocubism - S/T (Nonesuch)
• Baris Manco - Turkish Freakout Bouzouki Joe)
• Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba - I Speak Fula (Sub Pop)
• Cilibrinas Do Eden - Cilibrinas Do Eden (Philips)
• De Temps Antan - Les habits de papier (L-Abe)
• Fela Kuti - The Best of the Black President (Knitting Factory)
• Marta Kubisova - The Soul of Marta Kubisova (Vampi Soul)

• Joe Rut – Injured While Faking Own Death (Self Released)
• Slim Cessna’s Auto Club – Buried Behind the Barn (Alternative Tentacles)
• Audra Mae – The Happiest Lamb (Side One Dummy)
• Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band – The Wages (Side One Dummy)
• Balkan Beat Box – Blue Eyed Black Boy (National Geographic)
• Fishtank Ensemble – Woman in Sin (Self Released)
• Trampled By Turtles – Palomino (Banjodad)
• Tom Waits – Glitter and Doom Live (Anti-)
• Mike Beck and the Bohemian Saints – In Person (Self Released)
• California Honeydrops – Spreadin’ Honey (Tub Tone)
• Devo – Something For Everybody (Warner Brothers)
• Gogol Bordello – Live From Axis Mundi (Side One Dummy)
• Lucero – 1372 Overton Park (Universal Republic)
• The Stone Foxes – Bears and Bulls  (Self Released)
• Mavis Staples – You Are Not Alone (Anit-)
• Orgone – Cali Fever (Ubiquity)
• John Mellencamp – No Better Than This (Rounder)
• Pokey Lafarge and the South City Three – Riverboat Soul (Free Dirt)
• Mad Sin – Burn and Rise (People Like You)
• Infected Mushroom – Legend of the Black Shawarma (Perfecto)
• Truckstop Honeymoon – Homemade Haircut (Squirrel)
• The Grascals – The Famous Lefty Flynn’s (Rounder)
• Endless Boogie – Full House Head (No Quarter)
• Plastic Crimewave Sound – Self Titled (Prophase)
• Charnett Moffett – Treasure (Motema)

1. Titus Andronicus – The Monitor (XL)
2. Surfer Blood – Astro Coast (Kanine)
3. Owen Pallett – Heartland (Domino)
4. Allo Darlin’ – S/T (Fortuna Pop!)
5. Wavves – King of the Beach (Fat Possum)
6. Gigi – Maintenant (Tomlab)
7. Japanther – Rock ‘n’ Roll Ice Cream (Menlo Park)
8. Woom – Muu’s Way (Ba Da Bing)
9. Half-handed Cloud – As Stowaways In Cabinets Of Surf, We Live-out in our Members a Kind Of Rebirth (Asthmatic Kitty)
10. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest (4AD)