My Favourite Albums and Songs of 2010!!!

Here they are. If you want anymore sort of explanation/description/questions, hit me up on my twitter.

@CANISCREAMYEAH

Thanks!

Top 25 Albums of 2010

1. The Arcade Fire - The Suburbs - By far and a way the best album this year. Easily my favourite this year, and one of my favourite albums ever. You either love them or hate them, so I won't even try explaining it, either you already know how awesome it is, or hate them based on one song you heard 2 years ago. Whatever, it's perfect in my eyes. Argument starter: "The Suburbs" is their best album! GASP!

2. Kanye West - My Dark Twisted Beautiful Fantasy - Artist of the year, for sure, even for his awesome rants and twitter feed. Plus it helps that Kanye makes rap music for people who hate rap, and damn if it isn't great stuff.

3. Kid Cudi - Man on Moon 2 - It's not quite rap, not quite rock, not quite R&B. It's a hard thing to nail down, and I didnt love it at first, but it's a real grower, and an album you can listen to front to back over and over.

4. Matt & Kim - Sidewalks - Pure poppy fun. Simple, yet original. Every song is a 2-4 minute long blast of pop rock fun. Love this album, it makes me happy as a hobo in a whore-house.

5. Crime In Stereo - I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone - A hell of a swan song. CiS wrote their best album yet, and then broke up within a year of putting it out. Quiet-Loud perfection.

6. Jimmy Eat World - Invented - At this point, I love any JEW album, even if they follow a fairly strict formula. That said, the second half of this album is great, and the first part is full of great pop-rock tunes.

7. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles 2 - Give Crystal Castles a listen (any of the songs listed in my 100 songs), if you can stand more then 30 seconds, you'll love the album. If you can't, don't even bother to try.

8. Klaxons - Surfing the Void - Don't you hate asinine genres like "Nu-Rave"? Yeah me too, and so do the Klaxons. Thankfully this album is an amazing mix of prog, metal, electronic, and awesomeness. Heavy at times, catchy at others, I love it.

9. The National - High Violet - Sadness and depression never sounded so uplifting. I love the vocals, and despite being so damned sorrowful (THEY HAVE A SONG TITLED SORROW ON THIS ALBUM), it somehow lifts me up every time.

10. Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record - Canada's greatest jam band, who somehow make that title not douchey and awful. Another great album in an amazing discography. You can get lost in this album, its hypnotic but somehow each song stands out on it's own. Amazing live show too!

11. Against Me! - White Crosses - Not as great as "New Wave" but no one does punk rock as rocky and poppy as AM! and I love them for that. (PS: If you liked their old stuff, then yeah, I get it, you hate me for liking this album, whatever).

12. Motion City Soundtrack - My Dinosaur Life - Forgot how good this was since it came out so early in the year. They've matured into a great band, poppy and rocky, with some awesome lyrics.

13. Tokyo Police Club - Champ - Have to love it when "buzz" bands live up to the hype and turn into awesome bands who put out great albums. TPC, good work.

14. The Futureheads - The Chaos - Sometimes rock and roll should just be played fast and hard. This album is proof. Nothing fancy. Just rock and roll - done quickly.

15. LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening - Doesn't live up to the perfection of "Sound of Silver", but still great nonetheless. I'm not sure if it's unique or not, but nobody else does this kind of music this well.

16. Jonsi - Go - Sigur Ros goes pop/dance. Love it. Most people won't like it. Epic yet catchy, what more could I want?

17. Circa Survive - Blue Sky Noise - Grown up emo with some fire. Never been a huge fan, but this album is great, all the way through.

18. The Automatic - Tear the Signs Down - They toned down the abrasiveness and made their sound catchier and it worked out well; really enjoyable disc.

19. Vampire Weekend - Contra - See the note about Tokyo Police Club and hype, and magnify it by ten. Wanted to hate this album, but couldn't; it's that good.

20. Hot Chip - One life Stand - Consistently great band. More British electro-pop hustle and fire! (No clue what that means either)

21. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
22. Foals - Total Life Forever
23. My Chemical Romance - Danger Days
24. Mumford and Songs - Sigh No More
25. We Are Scientists - Barbara


Playlist files:

1. The Whigs - Kill Me Carolyne (3:22)
2. Mumford & Sons - The Cave (3:38)
3. Vampire Weekend - Giving Up The Gun (4:46)
4. Lupe Fiasco - The Show Goes On (4:00)
5. Kanye West - All Of The Lights (4:59)
6. Arcade Fire - Ready To Start (4:15)
7. Matt & Kim - Cameras (3:32)
8. The Automatic - Interstate (3:34)
9. Down With Webster - Your Man (2:48)
10. Crime in Stereo - I Am Everything I Am Not (3:56)
11. The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio (4:36)
12. We Were Promised Jetpacks - Quiet Little Voices (4:21)
13. LostProphets - Where We Belong (4:37)
14. Arcade Fire - We Used To Wait (5:01)
15. Broken Social Scene - Meet Me in the Basement (3:44)
16. Against Me! - I Was a Teenage Anarchist (3:13)
17. Alkaline Trio - This Addiction (2:34)
18. I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody’s Business - Baby Steps (3:17)
19. Crystal Castles - Empathy (4:11)
20. LCD Soundsystem - You Wanted A Hit (9:12)
21. The Futureheads - Sun Goes Down (3:52)
22. Jimmy Eat World - Mixtape (6:31)
23. Jónsi - Around Us (5:18)
24. Klaxons - Venusia (4:07)
25. Crime in Stereo - Drugwolf (3:53)
26. Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) (5:25)
27. The Automatic - Sweat Heat Noise (3:20)
28. Angels & Airwaves - Young London (5:03)
29. The Chemical Brothers - Escape Velocity (11:56)
30. Linkin Park - Blackout (4:39)
31. Kanye West - Power (4:52)
32. Mumford & Sons - Little Lion Man (4:07)
33. Matt & Kim - Good For Great (3:50)
34. The Gaslight Anthem - We Did It When We Were Young (4:16)
35. Wolf Parade - Ghost Pressure (5:16)
36. Sleigh Bells - Tell 'Em (2:56)
37. My Chemical Romance - Planetary (GO!) (4:06)
38. Kanye West - Runaway (feat. Pusha T) (9:07)
39. Kid Cudi - Mr. Rager (4:54)
40. Tokyo Police Club - Favourite Food (3:55)
41. Crystal Castles - Celestica (3:47)
42. The National - Sorrow (3:25)
43. Jimmy Eat World - Higher Devotion (3:02)
44. Deftones - Rocket Skates (4:12)
45. Teddybears - Chrystal Meth Christian (Feat Flaming Lips)
46. Holy Fuck - Stilettos (3:55)
47. Hot Chip - I Feel Better (4:41)
48. Anberlin - You Belong Here (4:22)
49. Arcade Fire - Rococo (3:56)
50. Kid Cudi - Marijuana (4:20)
51. 30H!3 - R.I.P. (3:44)
52. B.o.B - Airplanes (feat. Hayley Williams of Paramore) (3:01)
53. The Audition - The Art Of Living (3:00)
54. Mumford & Sons - Winter Winds (3:39)
55. The Futureheads - Heartbeat Song (2:29)
56. Motion City Soundtrack - Pulp Fiction (3:53)
57. Foals - Total Life Forever (3:18)
58. Kings Of Leon - Radioactive (3:26)
59. Vampire Weekend - Cousins (2:25)
60. LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean (8:58)
61. Stars - Dead Hearts (3:29)
62. Tokyo Police Club - Bambi (2:46)
63. Interpol - Lights (5:37)
64. Jimmy Eat World - Evidence (4:40)
65. Arcade Fire - Half Light II (No Celebration) (4:27)
66. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang (3:41)
67. Circa Survive - I Felt Free (3:56)
68. My Chemical Romance - DESTROYA (4:32)
69. Broken Social Scene - Texico Bitches (3:50)
70. OK Go - This Too Shall Pass (3:08)
71. Devo - What We Do (3:17)
72. Tokyo Police Club - Breakneck Speed (3:44)
73. Circa Survive - Glass Arrows (4:12)
74. Klaxons - The Same Space (3:11)
75. My Chemical Romance - Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na) (3:25)
76. Down With Webster - Miracle Mile (3:39)
77. Matt & Kim - Silver Tiles (3:36)
78. Kanye West - Lost In The World (feat. Bon Iver) (4:16)
79. Broken Social Scene - Sentimental X's (5:41)
80. Kate Nash - Paris (3:06)
81. Crystal Castles - Baptism (4:12)
82. Stars - Fixed (3:25)
83. The Bravery - Hatefuck (2:56)
84. Far - Deafening (3:10)
85. Linkin Park - The Catalyst (5:39)
86. Terrible Things - Revolution (3:30)
87. Weezer - Ruling Me (3:29)
88. We Are Scientists - Pittsburgh (4:27)
89. Forever The Sickest Kids - Do Or Die (3:17)
90. Senses Fail - Landslide (3:45)
91. Jónsi - Animal Arithmetic (3:23)
92. Jimmy Eat World - My Best Theory (3:23)
93. Kele - Tenderoni (4:32)
94. The Maine - Dont Stop Now (3:36)
95. Enter Shikari - Tribalism (5:05)
96. Foals - Black Gold (6:26)
97. Hawthorne Heights - Drive (3:06)
98. Athlete - Superhuman Touch (3:58)
99. I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody’s Business - Sleep Means Sleeping (4:37)
100. Interpol - Barricade (4:10)

The Top 15 Canadian Albums Since 2000

I've been thinking about two things musically lately.

First off is the fact that the first decade of the new millennium ends at the end of this year. Yes, Y2K was ten years ago now, which is mind boggling.

Secondly, I've been really enjoying a lot of music from Canadian bands lately, and I've thought about how many great Canadian bands h ave emerged in the last ten years.

With those two things in mind, I now present my favourite fifteen albums from Canadian bands since 2000. The FavTape containing 30 songs from these 15 albums is at the bottom, if you'd like to hear some of the music while listening, go to the bottom, or click HERE.

The Top 15 Canadian Albums Since 2000
(Sorted by Year - Not by Favourite)
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Gob - The World According to Gob - 2001 - For a 16 year old me, this album was pure pop-punk bliss. I've always loved Gob, but this was their pinnacle, with song after song that just make me happy. "I Hear You Calling" may be the best pop-punk song of the last ten years in my opinion.

Treble Charger - Wide Awake Bored - 2001 - Containing one of the greatest Canadian singles of the last decade (American Psyho), the first three songs on Wide Awake Bored are nearly unbeatable. It's a shame they broke up, as a couple of their albums were great, especially this early 2000's classic.

Matthew Good - Avalanche - 2003 - I struggled to only put one Matthew Good album on this list, but Avalanche is by far and away my favourite piece of music he's put out since 2000. Full of lengthy and lush anthems, I can listen to this from start to finish over and over, it's a brilliant album.

Billy Talent - Billy Talent - 2003 - Bursting onto the mainstream in 2003, this album really brought a sense of rock and roll to Canadian music at the time. It was a real kick in the ass, adding a tonne of ferocity and almost danger to my musical choices of the time. It still holds up, as its an amazing album from start to finish.

The Stills - Logic Will Break Your Heart - 2003 - I remember going to University and opening my eyes to a lot of music, especially this album of shimmering and hypnotic rock. I have and still can listen to the entire album on repeat and lose hours of time, with how amazing and captivating it is.

Dears - No Cities Left - 2003 - This was another eye-opener, as I struggle to think of another band that sounds like the Dears did on this album. While it certainly beautiful and layered like other indie albums, this one has a layer of menace and doom that other indie bands don't dare approach; this album is equal parts uplifting and scary.

Metric - Old World Underground - 2003 - Making it ok to dance to rock again, Metric blew up with this awesome album that's endlessly catchy and happy.

Broken Social Scene - You Forgot it in People - 2003 - Six years later, and this album still impresses and surprises me. Broken Social Scene really changed the landscape of Canadian music with this album (and the peripheral band albums), and it still holds up well.

The Arcade Fire - Funeral - 2004 - I don't know what I can say about this album that hasn't been said before, there's a reason why it's universally hailed - it's amazing, nuff' said.

Death From Above 1979 -You're a Woman, I'm a Machine - 2004 - Making hard rock danceable was DFA's MO, and this brilliant first (and last) album is nigh-perfect, and it only adds to the greatness that they broke up shortly after putting it out.

The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema - 2005 - Relentlessly poppy, this album is hit after hit that serve to cheer you up, in a style that no other band really emulates right now, this album's excellently unique and catchy.

Moneen - the Red Tree - 2006 - After two albums and a few EPs trying to create the perfect album for their sound, Moneen struck gold in 2006 with this album that is brilliant from start to finish. I love Moneen, and while this song lacked a true single, it's one of the most complete albums I've ever heard.

The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible - 2007 - Proving that Funeral wasn't a fluke, Neon Bible expands their sonic landscapes to create more single-friendly rock and roll, yet never giving up any of their honesty and beauty.

Weakerthans - Reunion Tour - 2007 - You can pick any Weakerthans album and make a case for it's brilliance, but my favourite is their newest disc. It's unique, catchy, rocking, happy, and everything wonderful that you'd expect from a band as great and Canadian as they are.

Matt Mays - Terminal Romance - 2008 - From star to finish, every song counts on this album, and every song will hook you by the end. Not nearly as complicated as some of May's previous albums, but it's certainly his best album, with song after song of glorious Canadian rock and roll.


Honorable Mention
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Boys Night Out - Trainwreck - 2005 - If I had to pick a sixteenth album, I'd pick this amazing concept album about drug abuse and death. I don't think I liked an album before, and they haven't done anything great since, but Trainwreck's a masterpiece.


Below is a link to the FavTape I made for this list, which contains two songs off every album, except Wide Awake Bored, which only has one, so I threw on a song from Trainwreck to make it an even 30 songs, all available for streaming/downloading goodness.

Any opinions or arguments? Post away.

Jesse.

Top 15 Canadian Albums Since 2000 FAVTAPE