Top Albums of 2010

It’s been a mixed year for music in my world. Amongst the multitude of fantastic albums and live shows there has been sadness, with the deaths of Ronnie James Dio and Paul Gray, both huge influences within the metal world. Then there’s been drama. Hero Mike Portnoy’s joining Avenged Sevenfold, leaving Dream Theater and ending the year in neither. The Big Four played together for the first time at Sonisphere Festivals across Eastern Europe, and have now announced they will play at Knebworth in 2011 (cue me exploding). Overall, it’s been a very exciting year.

But now it’s nearly over. And as is the norm, it’s time for the top 20 albums of the year! As faithful followers of the wigwam will know, I did a top 5 half way through the year. If you read that, well, forget it. Things have changed. If you didn’t, then you’re in luck, you won’t be confused. Here goes:

22...

Oh yeah, it’s a top 22. Couldn’t decide which to get rid of. ANYWAY...

22. Chromeo – Business Casual

It’s business as usual for the world’s most successful Arab/ Jewish collaboration. An accessible slice of funky electro, this is what Chromeo do best. Maybe not as good as the critically acclaimed ‘Fancy Footwork’, but it’s certainly an excellent follow-up.

21. Bullet For My Valentine – Fever

Not wanting to tire out the old Marmite analogy, but there is a lot of love and a lot of hate for this band. The album is a solid piece of melodic metal, and it deserves at least a mention for the fervour they create.

20. Parkway Drive – Deep Drive

Parkway have been hailed as the best metalcore band around right now, with this album being the epitome of the genre right now. They aren’t and it isn’t. It is, however, a great album (though it did take a while to grow on me) and it’s certainly up there with this year’s exemplary offerings, hence its placement here.

19. Rolo Tomassi – Cosmology

This band is baffling. Not just their spasmodic sound, but that with it they’ve managed to grace the pages of NME (the more cynical of us will come up with various reasons why). Cosmology is hectic, frenzied, experimental, but it isn’t just a random mashing of buttons that some bands seem to ply their trade in.

18. Manic Street Preachers – Postcards From A Young Man

Nicky Wire described this album as various things before it’s release. Heavy Metal meets Motown was an early prediction, and he compared to Aerosmith’s ‘Pump’. Neither is particularly accurate. ‘Postcards...’ is more a mix of the early and middle parts of the band’s history. You can hear the influence of the angry and political ‘Generation Terrorists’ tracks with the mellower, poppy material from ‘This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours’. It’s commercial, and it works.

17. The Melvins – The Bride Screamed Murder

Sludge Metal wasn’t even on my radar until this year. But if you’re going to start listening to it, The Melvins are a good way to go. The latest is as good an album as any of theirs to introduce you to a legendary band.

16. The Hold Steady – Heaven Is Whenever

A modern Bruce Springsteen in band form. This is a good enough way to describe The Hold Steady, and indeed this album. The tracks are great pop songs, and lyrically it’s almost as good as ‘Girls and Boys in America’. And that’s saying a lot.

15. Airbourne – No Guts, No Glory

There is no way you can’t enjoy this album. OK, they’re essentially an AC/DC cover band with delusions of grandeur, but that’s why they’re such fun. Fantastic live, fantastic on record, they are a full package. Cheers guys!

14. Royksopp – Senior

Kings of relaxing electronic music, the Norwegian duo returned with the followed to last years aptly named ‘Junior’. Although arguably a much weaker release, it’s still a well produced, well written chill-out album.

13. Torche – Songs For Singles

Another sludge metal band who only really registered for me this year. And another album which, although not as good as its predecessor, is a perfect next step. Thanks to their more poppy style, it’s a more accessible affair, and one which will hopefully push them more into the mainstream.

12. All That Remains – For We Are Many

A band that keeps getting better, and this album doesn’t break the trend. All That Remains are one of the more distinctive metalcore bands, thanks to the frontman Phil Labonte’s powerful voice. They’re band that often gets forgotten, but they certainly deserve more.

11. Haste The Day – Attack Of The Wolf King

When they came to the UK in April, very few people went to their barfly show. Those that didn’t missed out. It was incredible, and now sadly it will never happen again. But we can still enjoy their most accessible offering to date, including a genius cover of Black Eyed Peas’ ‘Meet Me Half Way’. It wobbles a bit on tracks such as ‘Dog Like Vultures’, but it makes up for it elsewhere with some of the best stuff they’ve written.

And that’s it for part 1. Part 2 comes probably tomorrow. Or maybe later. I have time to waste.