Monday, December 13, 2010

What's the Best Music of 2010? Some Early Opinions from Radio


The end of the year is always a time for looking back at the best albums, artists, etc. of the last 12 months, and here are some best-of lists that have already come out.

The DJs at L.A. radio station KCRW have each picked their top 10 albums of 2010, and the choices are the eclectic mix you'd expect from that station. Indie rock favorites like Arcade Fire, The Black Keys, Band of Horses, and The National are all on the list, as well as less mainstream acts as Frazey Ford, UNKLE, The Fall, and !!! (Chk Chik Chick).

Of course, there's a lot of good music coming out of KCRW's backyard, so the station's DJs offer a review of the best L.A. bands of 2010. They range from veteran Latino group Ozomatli to surf-rock newcomers The Best Coast to the retro-soul sounds of Fitz and the Tantrums.

The members of NPR's All Songs Considered review the year in music in their latest podcast.
a discussion, and also review their top 50 releases of the year. The list includes albums by Arcade Fire, Jonsi (of Sigur Ros), singer Janelle Monae, The Black Keys, and more.

In their following podcast, the All Songs staff took a look at the albums they missed in 2010. Most of the artists I hadn't heard of, except for Dean & Britta (formerly of Luna).

The year's end is also time for the Bucky Awards, when CBC Radio 3 recognizes in top vote-getters from its listeners in categories including Most Canadian Song, Lifetime Achievement, and Sexiest Canadian Artists, as well as some more traditional awards. Among other awards, Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs" won for best song, while Sarah Harmer's song "Captive" took the Bucky for best vocals.

The nearly two-hour-long Bucky Awards podcast features songs from the nominees and winners. (You'll find just the list of Bucky Awards winners here at the Canadian indie blog NxEW.ca.)

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