2010: First Half

With albums coming yet in 2010 from Ze Catalist favorites like Radiohead, Arcade Fire, (possibly) Sufjan Stevens, Ryan Adams, Built to Spill, Panda Bear, Jenny and Jonny, Andre 3000, MIA, Sun Kil Moon, Andre 3000, Battles, Belle & Sebastian, Black Lips, MF Doom, Common, Fleet Foxes, Interpol, Lyrics Born, Of Montreal, R.E.M., The Strokes, The Walkmen, The Wrens, Slum Village, Kanye West and more, it feels almost silly to make a mid-point Albums of the Year list. 

Of the records listed below, we’re pretty confident that the Top 5 stand a good chance of being on our Year-End list come December. Others we think have a chance include Sufjan, Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Ryan Adams, Built to Spill, Panda Bear, Sun Kil Moon, The Strokes, Andre 3000 and, mostly, The Wrens. Well, that is, if The Wrens ever do put out the album they’re been promising for years. Also, fingers crossed for Sufjan.

For now, here are our 50 favorite albums from the first half of 2010:

1. The National - High Violet

2. Beach House – Teen Dream

3. MGMT - Congratulations

4. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

5. The Roots - How I Got Over

6. Clem Snide – The Meat of Life

7. Black Label Summer - The Rise + Fall of Josh Hall

8. Mark Hutchins – Sleepy Furnace

9. Marah - Life Is a Problem

10. Ty Segall - Melted

11. Band of Horses - Infinite Arms

12. The Morning Benders - Big Echo

13. She & Him – Volume Two

14. Spoon – Transference

15. Drive-By Truckers – The Big To-Do

16. The Black Keys - Brothers

17. The Besnard Lakes - Are the Roaring Night

18. The New Pornographers - Together

19. Harlem – Hippies

20. House of Bread - Superhuman Tomb

21. Phosphorescent - Here’s To Taking It Easy

22. Broken Bells – Broken Bells

23. Jason & the Scorchers - Halcyon Times

24. The Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt

25. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

26. B. Dolan - Fallen House, Sunken City

27. Dr. Dog - Shame, Shame

28. Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record

29. The Flaming Lips - Dark Side of the Moon

30. Johnny Cash - Aint No Grave

31. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor

32. The Soft Pack - The Soft Pack

33. Teenage Fanclub - Shadows

34. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang

35. Josh Ritter - So Runs the World Away

36. The Hold Steady - Heaven is Whenever

37. Sage Francis - Li(f)e

38. Ratatat - LP4

39. Joanna Newsom – Have One On Me

40. Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part Two

41. Yeasayer – Odd Blood

42. Surfer Blood – Astro Coast

43. Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM

44. Bonnie “Prince” Billy – The Wonder Show of the World

45. Drake - Thank Me Later

46. Ike Reilly - Hard Luck Stories

47. Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer of the Void

48. Ryan Adams - Orion

49. Four Tet – There is Love In You

50. The Magnetic Fields – Realism

Have a list of your own? Send it to us at misterlisterman@gmail.com. Thanks for reading!

Written by G. William Locke