Best Music of 2010 (101-143)

Each album is given a score on a 1-100 scale.

Albums 101-143

101. The Jayhawks-The Jayhawks (Aka The Bunkhouse Album), 39

102. Josh Rouse-El Turista, 38

103. Gogol Bordello-Trans-Continental Hustle, 38

104. Rufus Wainwright-All Days Or Nights, 38

105. Zac Brown Band-You Get What You Give, 37

106. David Archuleta-The Other Side of Down, 37

107. Jack Johnson-To The Sea, 36

108. Lifehouse-Smoke & Mirrors, 36

109. Citizen Cope-The Rainwater LP, 36

110. Glee Cast-The Music, Vol. 3, 35

111. Wakey!Wakey!-Almost Everything I Wish I'd Said, 35

112. Cypress Hill-Rise Up, 35

113. Jars of Clay-The Shelter, 35

114. Rocky Votolato-True Devotion, 35

115. Gucci Mane-The Appeal, 34

116. Kenny Chesney-Hemingway's Whiskey, 34

117. Juvenile-Beast Mode, 34

118. Blonde Redhead-Penny Sparkle, 34

119. Various-Almost Alice, 33

120. Ludacris-Battle of the Sexes, 33

121. Lecrae-Rehab, 32

122. Matt White-It's The Good Crazy, 32

123. Darius Rucker-Charleston SC, 1966, 31

124. Linkin Park-A Thousand Suns, 31

125. Corinne Bailey Rae-The Sea, 31

126. Vampire Weekend-Contra, 30

127. Clem Snide-The Meat of Like, 30

128. Flobots-Survival Story, 29

129. Belle & Sebastian-Write About Love, 28

130. Massive Attack-Heligoland, 26

131. DJ Khaled-Victory, 25

132. Circa Survive-Blue Sky Noise, 24

133. Maroon 5-Misery, 23

134. Usher-Raymond v. Raymond, 21

135. Mercy Me-The Generous Mr. Lovewell, 21

136. Soundgarden-Telephantasm, 21

137. La Roux-La Roux, 19

138. Drake-Thank Me Later, 19

139. Justin Bieber-My World 2.0, 18

140. Florence + The Machine-Lungs, 17

141. Train-Save Me San Francisco, 15

142. Coheed and Cambria-Year of the Black Rainbow, 13

143. Black Prairie-Feast of the Hunters' Moon, 12

Best Music of 2009 (91-101)

These are my favorite albums of 2009. The rankings are compiled by me and are subjective. However, even if I don’t like a certain artist, I’ll try to give them a decent score if their musical prowess warrants it. As I reflect on the music I like, the elements of excellent songwriting, a distinct yet diverse sound, and the latitude to grow in future albums are foremost in my mind. I ranked 101* albums and will post them 10 at a time, starting at the bottom. Each album also received a score on a 100 scale. Try not to be confused. So with no further ado:

91-101

26-Ke$sha-Animal

Ok, so this one doesn’t really belong here as it was released in 2010, but Tik Tok is such a catchy song. I mean, when I begin and end my New Year’s Eve night by listening to Tik Tok, it’s got to be special right? I was not really impressed. Outside of “Your Love Is My Drug” no track boasts a beat as good as Tik Tok. You heard it here first, she’ll never write a song as good as Tik Tok ever again.

25-Rihanna-Rater R

This was a very blah album. Typical top 40 pop/r&b.

24-Iron & Wine-Around The Well

I want to like Iron & Wine so bad, and I find their lyrics mesmerizing, but their music simply boring. Their talent is undeniable, I just can’t enjoy it.

23-Owl City-Ocean Eyes

The music, lyrics, and singing are passable, but you would be hard pressed to find a less original band. They smack of Postal Service, Death Cab For Cutie, and every boy band. The breathy, cliché music is just plain bad. “’Cause I’d get a thousand hugs from ten thousand lighting bugs as they tried to teach me how to dance.” I just threw up in my mouth.

22-Colbie Caillat-Breakthrough

She’s just too wishy-washy, sappy, and optimistic for me. Her improvement begins when she writes about real life.

22-Lady Gaga-The Fame Monster

I only tolerated her music for a while; now I can’t stand it. I’m not sure what draws people to her.

21-50 Cent-Before I Self Destruct

Contrived and unimaginative, this one failed. Better luck next time fitty.

20-Papa Roach-Metamorphosis

It's great to rock out on while driving through Indiana and Ohio, which speaks to the quality of all involved.

20-Vertical Horizon-Burning The Days

When you take into consideration the talent level of Vertical Horizon, based off their past efforts, this was a truly magical album. However, when measured against other albums, it does not stack up.

17-Joe Henry-Blood From Stars

Too much twang here for me. His sound was too much for me to listen to, so I didn’t really get to evaluate his talent or his songwriting.

6-Lady Antebellum-Lady Antebellum

Had I just never listened to any Lady Antebellum song? I kept seeing songs on iTunes top songs, so I downloaded the whole album and gave it a listen. To my horror, it’s country music. Sorry, Lady Antebellum, I consider interpretative dancing with streamers to be more of an art form than country music.