9 Good Ones from 10

Being an obsessive collector of older music that I’ve missed, as well as congenitally risk-averse (I’m somewhere between early majority and late majority in the Everett Rogers Diffusion of innovations theory), I very rarely buy or listen to much music the year that it comes out, much less have any idea whether it has been a “good” or a “bad” year for music.

So I’ll just say that it has been a very good year for me for music. For a variety of reasons, I’ve bought a number of 2010 albums and listened to even more and have been very impressed with what I’ve found. My favorites (roughly in order) so far (still waiting on Kanye, The Roots, and a couple others):

Corin Tucker - 1,000 Years - I was all set to write an Underrated Albums column on this record, and then Robert Christgau goes and gives it an A. I admit that it really clicked in for me when I saw her in concert, but nevertheless, this album was really underrated. After all, Corin was the driving creative force of the greatest rock band around from 1995-2005. This one shows a slightly more subdued side to her, but her gifts for melody, hook, texture, and dynamics clearly haven't deserted her.

Elizabeth Cook - Welder - "El Camino" is the best song I’ve heard all year. Plus there’s 13 more great ones. I can’t possibly describe Cook’s voice - just listen to her.

MIA - MAYA - Another underrated one. Clearly, this isn't Kala, but is anything? It's got at least as many straight classics as the other two records (I count "xxxo," "Teqkilla," "Lovealot," "It Takes a Muscle," "Born Free," and "Med and Feds") plus a skit funnier than all the skits on the other records combined ("The Message").

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs - Put your money down now on this winning 2010’s Pazz and Jop poll. I didn’t much care for Funeral, loved Neon Bible but couldn’t remember more than a track or two when I came back to it this year. This one is much better: hooky, profound, great lyrics, varied song forms that nevertheless cohere into a good old fashioned concept album.

Care Bears on Fire - Girls Like it Loud - Title just about sums it up. Listen to it for free online here.

Vampire Weekend - Contra - Along with Spoon, the first record I bought this year (for Rena’s birthday). Great all around.

Spoon - Transference - I'm not sure, but I think it might be the best thing they've done so far. All the great weirdo sound effects from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga and Gimme Fiction, combined with the stellar melodies from Kill the Moonlight and Girls Can Tell, all in one great package.

Big Boi - Sir Lucious Leftfoot - There’s no denying that Big Boi has a bit of a “woman problem,” and he only adds to it when he tries to get “gansta,” but we learned with Speakerboxx/The Love Below, that he’s the more talented half of the most talented hip hop group around, and this album does nothing to disprove that.

Jenny and Johnny - I’m Having Fun Now - Better than Acid Tongue, can’t touch Rilo Kiley’s last two, about on par with Rabbit Fur Coat. In other words, more great music from one of my favorite women (plus her boyfriend).