The Best Of 2010 (Albums & Singles)

Well, it's that time of year again, when I emerge from my digital corner to spew my borderline autistic listing of those favorite things that pop culture brings, and we start with my favorite albums and singles of the past year. That's right...I still think of "albums" and "singles" as useful designations, and will most likely think that way until I am buried in a customized 6'6" jewel case, surrounded by the ashes of 8-track tapes and bound by reel-to-reel tape.

Here are albums of note, listed in order of frank awesomeness and joyful wonder:

LCD Soundsystem -- This Is Happening
Gil-Scott Heron -- I'm Still Here
Robyn -- Body Talk
Kanye West -- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Owen Pallett -- Heartland
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti -- Before Today
Sleigh Bells -- Treats
Wolf Parade -- Expo 86
Arcade Fire -- The Suburbs
Broken Bells -- Broken Bells
Gorillaz -- Plastic Beach
Janelle Monae -- The Archandroid
Hot Chip -- One Life Stand
Yeasayer -- Odd Blood
The Books -- The Way Out
Girl Talk -- All Day
Glasser -- Ring
Shit Robot -- From The Cradle To The Rave
Aeroplane -- We Can’t Fly
Nitzer Ebb -- Industrial Complex
Screaming Females -- Body Talk

And the honorable mentions, solid albums all, in no particular order:

Caribou -- Swim
Of Montreal -- False Priest
The National -- High Violet
Best Coast -- Crazy For You
Killing Joke -- Absolute Dissent
Matthew Dear -- Black City
Scissor Sisters -- Night Work
Beach House -- Teen Dream
Field Music -- Field Music (Measure)
Spoon -- Transference
The Black Keys -- Brothers
Twin Shadow -- Forget

As mentioned above, "singles" is a relatively meaningless term; I could pull tracks from the aforementioned records and have a pretty sweet collection of "singles" for a "playlist" or "mix CD" or whatever. So for the singles, I chose songs that weren't from the above artists, but that I found myself playing over and over. For your consideration, in no special sequence:

Cee Lo Green –- “Fuck You”
Crystal Castles –- “Not In Love” (feat. Robert Smith)
Against Me! –- “I Was A Teenage Anarchist”
Daft Punk –- “Derezzed”
Goldfrapp –- “Alive”
Dominique Young Unique –- “Shake My Ass”
These New Puritans -– “Attack Music”
M.I.A. -– “XXOO”
Clinic –- “Bubblegum”
Chromeo –- “Don’t Turn The Lights On”
School Of Seven Bells –- “Windstorm”
Sade –- “Soldier Of Love”
Kelis –- “Acapella”
Katy Perry –- “Teenage Dream”

As always, I'm sure I missed some songs and missed some records. But this isn't bad, a soundtrack to the laughing and thinking and feeling and driving and eating and listening, all that 2010 provided me.