AFI1. Portugal. The Man : The Satanic Satanist Simply the best album I've heard in a long, long, time, period. I've gone weeks on end with these gems stuck in my head.
2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs : It's Blitz! They get better and better with every release.
3. Florence + The Machine : Lungs I love the passion and delicate energy of Florence Welch's voice. Definitely one to pay attention to in 2010.
4. dredg : The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion A departure in style from previous albums, yet pays off.
5. Blue October : Approaching Normal Jumps from dark to uplifting subject matter with great ease.
6. Chevelle : Sci-Fi Crimes This one will be sure to get your ass outa bed!
7. Wolfmother : Cosmic Egg Manages to release a remarkable effort based on the strength of Andrew Stockdale's craftmanship, in spite of a completely new supporting cast.
8. Metric : Fantasies One of my favorite Canadian indie bands with their best release thus far.
9. Islands : Vapours This six-piece ensemble hailing from Montreal, Canada releases an album as fun and unique as it is catchy.
10. Handsome Furs : Face Control Seeing this married duo light it up on stage in front of no more than 40 people in the room was a sight to behold!
11. The Mars Volta : Octahedron The latest release from former At the Drive In's Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Baxler have a knack for taking the acute listener on an unexpected journey.
12. Green Day : 21st Century Breakdown Green Day seemed to turn a corner with their 2001 Grammy Award-winning American Idiot. Their follow up 21st Century Breakdown expands on it.
13. Phoenix : Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix All I can say is, wow this is catchy!
14. AFI : Crash Love Clearly still figuring out their ever-morphing sound, A Fire Inside has what it takes to be a prolific band for years to come.
15. Alice in Chains : Black Gives Way To Blue Back from the ashes of frontman Lane Stayley's untimely drug-related death, AIC led by Jerry Cantrell, seem to be in a much healthier place, and it shows on Black Gives Way to Blue.
16. Flyleaf : Memento Mori This young band has the energy to cover up any noticeable deficiencies.
17. Andrew Bird : Noble Beast The Birdman does it again with his unique and quirky style.
18. Castledoor : Shouting At Mountains
19. The Dead Weather : Horehound Notable members Jack White of the White Stripes and the Raconteurs, and Alison “VV” Mosshart of the Kills join to create this monster.
20. Dethklok : Dethalbum II Initially created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha for Adult Swim's Metalocalypse, the two have again created one of the best Metal albums of the year.
21. Muse : The Resistance While admitedly taking a more "symphonic" approach on this album, it surprisingly fits quite nicely.
22. Vitalic : Flashmob Fans of electronica will love these catchy beats. If this doesn't make you want to dance, well, nuff said.
23. Dave Matthews Band : Big Whiskey & The Groogrux King While admittedly, not big fan of DMB, I was drawn to notable tracks "You & Me" and "Why I Am" on this tribute album to late band member LeRoi Moore. BW&GK seems to dictate that DMB is alive and well.
24. Monsters of Folk : Monsters of Folk This indie/folk supergroup consisting of Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis (both of Bright Eyes), Jim James (of My Morning Jacket) and M. Ward connects with all that a folk album should be.
25. Paramore : Brand New Eyes
A band learning on the fly shows fantastic potential.
Honorable Mentions:
2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs : It's Blitz! They get better and better with every release.
3. Florence + The Machine : Lungs I love the passion and delicate energy of Florence Welch's voice. Definitely one to pay attention to in 2010.
4. dredg : The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion A departure in style from previous albums, yet pays off.
5. Blue October : Approaching Normal Jumps from dark to uplifting subject matter with great ease.
6. Chevelle : Sci-Fi Crimes This one will be sure to get your ass outa bed!
7. Wolfmother : Cosmic Egg Manages to release a remarkable effort based on the strength of Andrew Stockdale's craftmanship, in spite of a completely new supporting cast.
8. Metric : Fantasies One of my favorite Canadian indie bands with their best release thus far.
9. Islands : Vapours This six-piece ensemble hailing from Montreal, Canada releases an album as fun and unique as it is catchy.
10. Handsome Furs : Face Control Seeing this married duo light it up on stage in front of no more than 40 people in the room was a sight to behold!
11. The Mars Volta : Octahedron The latest release from former At the Drive In's Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Baxler have a knack for taking the acute listener on an unexpected journey.
12. Green Day : 21st Century Breakdown Green Day seemed to turn a corner with their 2001 Grammy Award-winning American Idiot. Their follow up 21st Century Breakdown expands on it.
13. Phoenix : Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix All I can say is, wow this is catchy!
14. AFI : Crash Love Clearly still figuring out their ever-morphing sound, A Fire Inside has what it takes to be a prolific band for years to come.
15. Alice in Chains : Black Gives Way To Blue Back from the ashes of frontman Lane Stayley's untimely drug-related death, AIC led by Jerry Cantrell, seem to be in a much healthier place, and it shows on Black Gives Way to Blue.
16. Flyleaf : Memento Mori This young band has the energy to cover up any noticeable deficiencies.
17. Andrew Bird : Noble Beast The Birdman does it again with his unique and quirky style.
18. Castledoor : Shouting At Mountains
19. The Dead Weather : Horehound Notable members Jack White of the White Stripes and the Raconteurs, and Alison “VV” Mosshart of the Kills join to create this monster.
20. Dethklok : Dethalbum II Initially created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha for Adult Swim's Metalocalypse, the two have again created one of the best Metal albums of the year.
21. Muse : The Resistance While admitedly taking a more "symphonic" approach on this album, it surprisingly fits quite nicely.
22. Vitalic : Flashmob Fans of electronica will love these catchy beats. If this doesn't make you want to dance, well, nuff said.
23. Dave Matthews Band : Big Whiskey & The Groogrux King While admittedly, not big fan of DMB, I was drawn to notable tracks "You & Me" and "Why I Am" on this tribute album to late band member LeRoi Moore. BW&GK seems to dictate that DMB is alive and well.
24. Monsters of Folk : Monsters of Folk This indie/folk supergroup consisting of Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis (both of Bright Eyes), Jim James (of My Morning Jacket) and M. Ward connects with all that a folk album should be.
25. Paramore : Brand New Eyes
A band learning on the fly shows fantastic potential.
Honorable Mentions:
- Regina Spektor : Far
- Neko Case : Middle Cyclone
- Passion Pit : Manners
- Nickelback : Dark Horse (just kidding =P)
