The Best Music Of 2010

The Best Music Of 2010
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Best Music Of 2010: The Complete List
text size A A A December 1, 2010
Use the list below to browse NPR's Best Music of 2010 recommendations. Each critic's list is presented separately. Click on the article names to read our critics' comments about the albums. You can also download the full list as a .pdf file (Windows: Right-Click and "Save Link As"; Mac: Control-Click and "Save Link As").


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'NPR Music's 50 Favorite Albums Of 2010'

Recommended by NPR Music Staff

Thomas Ades, Tevot


Agalloch, Marrow Of The Spirit

Aloe Blacc, Good Things

Khaira Arby, Timbuktu Tarab

Arcade Fire, The Suburbs

Erykah Badu, New Amerykah, Pt. 2: Return Of The Ankh

Big Boi, Sir Lucious Leftfoot...The Son Of Chico Dusty

The Black Keys, Brothers

Brooklyn Rider, Dominant Curve

Buke & Gass, Riposte

Carolina Chocolate Drops, Genuine Negro Jig


Regina Carter, Reverse Thread

Chancha Via Circuito, Rio Arriba

Deerhunter, Halcyon Digest

Issac Delgado, Love

Joyce DiDonato, Rossini: Colbran, The Muse

Flying Lotus, Cosmogramma

Four Tet, There Is Love In You

Vittorio Grigolo, The Italian Tenor

Gyptian, Hold You

Hilary Hahn, Higdon & Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos


Mary Halvorson Quintet, Saturn Sings

Rita Indiana, El Juidero

Jamey Johnson, The Guitar Song

Jonsi, Go

Seu Jorge And Almaz, Seu Jorge And Almaz

King Sunny Ade, Baba Mo Tunde

Ray LaMontagne And The Pariah Dogs, God Willin' And The Creek Don't Rise

LCD Soundsystem, This Is Happening

Lower Dens, Twin Hand Movement

Alexander Melnikov, Shostakovich

Janelle Monae, The ArchAndroid

Jason Moran, Ten

Carla Morrison, Mientras Tu Dormias

The National, High Violet

Owen Pallett, Heartland

Sondra Radvanovsky, Verdi Arias

Josh Ritter, So Runs The World Away

Robyn, Body Talk

Kermit Ruffins, Happy Talk

Christian Scott, Yesterday You Said Tomorrow

Gil Scott-Heron, I'm New Here

Sleigh Bells, Treats

Esperanza Spalding, Chamber Music Society

Mavis Staples, You Are Not Alone

Sufjan Stevens, The Age Of Adz

The Tallest Man On Earth, The Wild Hunt

Titus Andronicus, The Monitor

Sharon Van Etten, Epic

Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy


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Top 10 Jazz Albums Of 2010
Recommended By Patrick Jarenwattananon, A Blog Supreme

1. Jason Moran, Ten

2. Guillermo Klein, Domador De Huellas

3. Steve Coleman And Five Elements, Harvesting Semblances And Affinities

4. Bill Carrothers, Joy Spring

5. Maurice Brown, The Cycle Of Love

6. Mary Halvorson Quintet, Saturn Sings

7. Geri Allen, Flying Toward The Sound

8. Fight The Big Bull Feat. Steven Bernstein, All Is Gladness In The Kingdom

9. Chris Lightcap's Bigmouth, Deluxe

10. Mike Reed's People, Places And Things, Stories And Negotiations


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Top 10 Latin Alternative Albums Of 2010

Recommended By Jasmine Garsd, Alt.Latino


1. Seu Jorge And Almaz, Seu Jorge And Almaz

2. Carla Morrison, Mientras Tu Dormias

3. Rita Indiana, El Juidero

4. Calle 13, Entren Los Que Quieran

5. Alex Cuba, Alex Cuba

6. Chancha Via Circuito, Rio Arriba

7. Javiera Mena, Mena

8. Maneja Beto, Escante Calling

9. Mala Rodriguez, Dirty Bailarina

10. Alex Anwandter, Odisea


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Top Ten Classical Albums Of 2010

Recommended By Tom Huizenga, Deceptive Cadence


1. Shostakovich: The Preludes And Fugues, Op. 87

2. Sondra Radvanovsky: Verdi Arias

3. Thomas Ades: Tevot, Etc.

4. Vittorio Grigolo: The Italian Tenor

5. Baltic Runes: Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir

6. Victoire: Cathedral City

7. Joyce DiDonato: Colbran, The Muse

8. Danny Driver: C.P.E. Bach: Keyboard Sonatas

9. Valentin Silvestrov: Sacred Works

10. Steve Reich: Double Sextet, 2x5



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Five Artists You Should Have Known In 2010

Recommended By Kevin Cole, KEXP

Breathe Owl Breathe, Magic Central

Tame Impala, Innerspeaker

Macklemore x Ryan Lewis, The Vs.

The Capstan Shafts, Revelation Skirts

The Head And The Heart, The Head And The Heart


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Download The Best World Cafe Sessions Of 2010

Recommended By David Dye, WXPN

Beach House

Phosphorescent

Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs

Villagers

Minus The Bear



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Best Cover Songs Of 2010

Recommended By Michael Katzif, NPR Music

Damien Jurado & Richard Swift, "Be Not Fearful" from Other People's Songs

Cee Lo, "No One's Gonna Love You" from The Lady Killer

Warpaint, "Ashes To Ashes" from We Were So Turned On: A Tribute To David Bowie

Centenaire, "Sea Of Teeth" from I Wish I Had A Horse's Head

Peter Gabriel, "Flume" / Bon Iver, "Come Talk To Me" from Scratch My Back



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5 Artists Who Transcended Jazz Standards In 2010

Recommended By Shaunna Morrison Machosky, WDUQ

Pat Metheny, Orchestrion

Brad Mehldau, Highway Rider

Rez Abbasi Acoustic Quartet, Natural Selection

Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra, Portrait In Seven Shades

Stacey Kent, Raconte-Moi...


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Stephen Thompson's Top 10 Albums Of 2010

1. Jonsi, Go

2. The National, High Violet

3. Horse Feathers, Thistled Spring

4. Jeremy Messersmith, The Reluctant Graveyard

5. Sharon Van Etten, Epic

6. Eau Claire Memorial Jazz I Featuring Justin Vernon, A Decade With Duke

7. Titus Andronicus, The Monitor

8. Stars, The Five Ghosts

9. Regina Carter, Reverse Thread

10. The Heligoats, Goodness Gracious


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Robin Hilton's Top 10 Albums Of 2010

1. Lower Dens, Twin Hand Movement

2. Deerhunter, Halcyon Digest

3. Sufjan Stevens, The Age Of ADZ

4. Sharon Van Etten, Epic

5. Jonsi, Go

6. Sleigh Bells, Treats

7. The Tallest Man On Earth, The Wild Hunt

8. Sea Of Bees, Songs For The Ravens

9. Broken Bells, Broken Bells

10. Candy Claws, Hidden Lands


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Bob Boilen's Top 10 (Really 9) Albums Of 2010

1. Sufjan Stevens, The Age Of ADZ

2. Jonsi, Go

3. Lost In The Trees, All Alone In An Empty House

4. Buke & Gass, Riposte

5. Surfer Blood, Astro Coast

6. The Tallest Man On Earth, The Wild Hunt

7. Sleigh Bells, Treats

8. The Red River, Little Songs About The Big Picture

9. Josh Ritter, So Runs The World Away


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5 Best J.S. Bach Releases Of 2010

Recommended By Brian McCreath, WGBH

Andreas Staier: Goldberg Variations

John Eliot Gardiner: Cantatas, Vol. 2

Isabelle Faust: Sonatas And Partitas

Jonathan Plowright: Piano Transcriptions, Vol. 9: British Bach Transcriptions

Simon Preston: The Organ Works

http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/


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The Best Music Of 2010
5 Songs The Current Couldn't Stop Playing
The Current highlights five 2010 songs that have been enshrined in the station's Hall of Fame.
Alt.Latino
Adios 2010: Alt.Latino Salutes The Albums Of The Year
Alt.Latino picks the year's best music with Ernesto Lechner from WEXT's The Latin Alternative.
5 For '10
The 5 Best Side Projects Of 2010
It's been a banner year for musical side projects. WFUV's Rita Houston picks her favorites.



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Recent First Oldest First Most Recommended Shawn Bussey (busworth) wrote:

Sorry, on a crappy laptop.
It's the Freelance Whales - Weathervanes & The new Pornographers - Together
Wednesday, December 01, 2010 5:45:40 PM

Recommend (5)
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Shawn Bussey (busworth) wrote:

There is two albums that easily made my top 20 for best album of 2010 that didn't make your top 50 are
The Freelance Whales - Weatheris not mentionevanes
&
The New Pornographers - Together
If you give these two albums/cd's/mp3's a listen you won't be disappointed.
Cheers & thanks for being the best station for music in North America

Wednesday, December 01, 2010 5:44:16 PM

Recommend (10)
Report abuse

Rachel Pitzer (RachelPitzer) wrote:

Murder by Death-'Good Morning Magpie' should be on the list
Wednesday, December 01, 2010 4:41:30 PM

Recommend (8)
Report abuse

View all comments (3)»
The Best Music Of 2010
Our Complete Year-End Coverage
Explore our lists of the best rock, jazz, classical and undiscovered music of the year and hear a mix of our favorite songs of 2010.


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Best Music Of 2010
5 Songs The Current Couldn't Stop Playing
The Current highlights five 2010 songs that have been enshrined in the station's Hall of Fame.
Adios 2010: Alt.Latino Salutes The Albums Of The Year
Alt.Latino picks the year's best music with Ernesto Lechner from WEXT's The Latin Alternative.
The 5 Best Side Projects Of 2010
It's been a banner year for musical side projects. WFUV's Rita Houston picks her favorites.
5 Best American Contemporary Classical Albums Of 2010
American classical music is thriving. Hear five examples of recent compositions that prove it.

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