favorite albums of 2010

2010 was a sweet year for music. so much good stuff came out this year and i'm excited to share my favorites with you. let's get right into it.

10. Jimmy Eat World - Invented - JEW brought it again, and with a sound rivaling Futures. The album rocks top-to-bottom with a lot of feeling. "Heart is Hard to Find" and "My Best Theory" hit you with catchiness we remember from Bleed American while the album has an epic finish with a pair of winners; "Invented" and "Mixtape".

9. Steel Train - Steel Train - If you enjoy power pop, this is the album for you in 2010. Steel Train has changed their sound a bit, but they'll hit you in the face with glam and stick in your head for days to come.

8. Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz - I don't know what to say about this album that hasn't already been said. It's confusing. It's mind-blowing. It's Sufjan Stevens doing something we've never heard. Where did the banjo go? Who knows, but this album is getting accolades for a reason.

7. The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt - I can't lie, Kristian Matsson isn't really that tall. But this album is the best solo album of the year. His voice is unmistakable and the songwriting gets to your heart. The album ends and you just want more and more.

6. House of Heroes - Suburba - This may be biased on my part, but who cares, it's my favorites. House of Heroes wrote the second-best album about the suburbs this year with a pop-punk beauty. The album brings you back to high school, singing about girls, school, and fights behind the bleachers.

5. The New Pornographers - Together - This was my first exposure to The New Pornographers and I'm glad it didn't take any longer. These Canadian folk have been around a while and pack the stage with 8 musicians. The music is poppy, but layered. The beats and lyrics are fun, but don't mess with Neko Case. She'll curse you out.

4. Band of Horses - Infinite Arms - I think I liked this album a lot more than other people. But I can't get enough. It didn't leave my CD player for a while because BoH is some smooth, relaxed, country-infused indie rock. The tunes are soothing when they're down and will get your foot tapping when they're up.

3. Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More - It took me a while to come around to this one, but the talent of Mumford and Sons is undeniable. Fans of the Avett Brothers are falling for Mumford for a reason. The songwriting is incredible, the energy is top-notch, and the emotion is unparalleled.

2. Hellogoodbye - Would it Kill You? - Pop-rock mastery. This is the best pop-punk album I've heard since Ocean Avenue. It's not the synth-infused pop music you heard on Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!, but they're getting back to their roots. Every track is a hit and you can't pull it out of my CD player.

1. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs - When I heard Funeral for the first time this summer, I didn't think an indie album could top it. Arguably, The Suburbs has. This album catches you at the beginning and flows the entire way. The best album writing about the suburbs this year, their approach is much more adult-themed, not in an XXX way but rather in a way that we look back at where we came from and wonder how we got here. Bottom line, this is one of the best albums I've ever heard. "The Suburbs" is the first single and caught my attention every time it came on the XM at work. The album has a flow that moves from one song to the next without a hitch. "We Used to Wait" has an incredible video associated with it at www.thewildernessdown.com. Before you realize that the album is almost over, it hits you with, arguably, the best closer you'll ever hear; "Sprawl II (Mountaints Beyond Mountains). The only downside? The album gets pretty depressing, but they're hipsters singing about growing up, what do you expect?