Top 10 Albums in No Particular Order

1) Eminem - Recovery


There is not a better rapper in the game, now or ever. I may go as far as saying this is my favorite rap album of all time; if not it is in the top 5 for sure. He is so unique, even my dad, who never listens to rap knows an Eminem song when he hears one.
I love that this album has no filler tracks, no skits, and barely any guest verses. This album is all Eminem. The songs are very personal, and the song Going Through Changes is a very real look at why Eminem hasn't been around for several years, one of the most emotional rap songs I have heard. You can feel his despair and his anger, and that is rare for rap. I have included the video No Love with Lil Wayne (who I never really got into). He is considered one of the best in the game, but I personally feel Eminem leaves him in the dust on this song. Look up the lyrics and try to rap along, it isn't easy at all. . .Eminem rhymes to his own drummer, it is unique, catchy and hard to replicate. I like the drug free Eminem. If I had to nitpick the album my one gripe would be that he mentions lightning/getting struck by lightning too much (at least half a dozen times)



2) Avenged Sevenfold - Nightmare



I have always liked A7X, but never REALLY listened to their albums. I gave this one a chance because of the story of the album. The Rev died of a drug overdose after the album had been written but not recorded. His favorite drummer/biggest influence, Mike Portnoy (who also happens to be my favorite musician, and one of my favorite people on the planet) was asked to fill in on drums and record the album. The album is the best A7X album to date (or at least the one I have listened to the most). Again, there is not a bad song on the album. The mood is all over the place, classic A7X, really really heavy, and even a couple of ballads, and a very personal song about death written by The Rev before his death. The drum parts were not changed from how The Rev wrote them, and his style really comes through in Portnoy's playing. If you have ever liked the band I suggest you check out this album, you will not be disappointed.



3) Periphery - Periphery



If you mixed Tool, Meshuggah, and a red bull in a blender you would have this album. Periphery are the definition of groove metal. I can't listen to this album without bobbing my head. I don't know why though, it is so complex rhythmically I'm surprised I like it at all. I wish there were no screaming vocals because I like the clean vocals so much, but the music is so interesting I look past the vocals. I am giving Periphery the award for having the most complex song of the year with Zyglrox. It isn't that I love the song as much as I appreciate it. 'Bulb', the founding member of the group definitely has a very unique style for composing and arranging his music. He is involved in several side projects as well, if you are interested let me know and I'll send you some links.




4) Mutiny Within - Mutiny Within



I lucked into this band while searching for a Necrophagist cover band on YouTube. The closest I got was a video of the guitarist from Mutiny, and the drummer from Abigal Williams (although he wasn't the drummer at the time). I liked what I heard and checked out some of the guitarists original music. The band, Mutiny, was signed to Roadrunner Records about 6 months after I found the video and their name was changed to Mutiny Within. This album is pure progressive metal leaning towards power metal, in the style of Into Eternity. The guitar and drum work are top notch, so much so that on a forum discussing the album people were questioning whether a drummer or drum machine was used to record it. Luckily, the drummer for the band joined the conversation and pwned everyone. If you like top notch musicianship check out this album, a great debut!



5) Against Me! - White Crosses



I never thought I would like a new wave/pop punk album as much as I like White Crosses. The songs are so damn catchy I can't quit listening to the album. This is probably my most listened to album of 2010. If you like Green Day you will like this album. . .hell, if you don't like Green Day you will probably like this album. Most of the songs are upbeat and poppy, but my favorite track on the album is probably Ache With Me (not surprisingly, the studio version is much better). It is very different than the other songs so I included another song (the video below) which better suits the style of the album.



6) Bruno Mars - Doowops and Hooligans



If it weren't for Billionaire and Fuck You I probably wouldn't have listened to this album. I am going to go ahead and call Bruno Mars the number 1 song writer of 2010. He has had several songs in the top 10, and co-wrote Fuck You, which is my favorite song of the year. His album is no different than the hits he wrote, very very catchy. The weak point for Bruno Mars is his lyrics, they aren't horrible, just nothing to write home about. Every song on the album is memorable and catchy. I included a live version of Lazy Song (very similar guitar to Billionaire) which shows that he isn't a studio wonder, he can sing and play live. I expect several Grammys and number 1 hits in this guys future.



7) Motion City Soundtrack - My Dinosaur Life



This album is heavily influenced by Weezer, Presidents of the USA, and Third Eye Blind (in my head it is anyway). I probably like this album more than anything any of those bands have put out. Every song on the album could be a single. I included the first track from the album in the video below. I couldn't pick a favorite song so I figured I'd start at the beginning. This is the best pop rock album of the year, maybe of the past several years. If I was 15 the first time I heard this album it would probably be my favorite of all time, I don't know why I think that, I just do.





8) The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang



Of all the albums on the list I have probably listened to this one the least. It has really started to grow on me and expect to listen several more times in the coming weeks. This is just a good rock album, it sounds very similar vocally/lyrically to The Hold Steady album listed below.




9) The Holdsteady - Heaven Is Whenever



A very good classic rock sounding album. This is the first album by The Hold Steady I have listened to and I have really enjoyed it. Every song is written like a mini story and the lyrical phrasing is very different than most of the music I listen to. If you like classic rock give this album a spin or two. The song below sounds like a dad teaching his son about life, and is one of my favorite songs on the album.




10) Here Come The Mummies! - Carnal Carnival



This isn't the best album by Here Come The Mummies, but it is still better than most of the albums I heard this year. Once again all the songs are full of innuendoes and the production is some of the best I heard all year. My favorite song on the album (which I can't find to share) is called Eye of Horus. The song stands out to me as the best on the album for 2 reasons: first, it has the catchiest hook on the album and second it has about 10-12 false endings which seriously made me LOL the first time I listened. If you have never heard of this band before the below video isn't really a good introduction, but unfortunately it is the only song I could find off the new album on YouTube that didn't sound like it was recorded in a tin can. To get a better idea of the musical stylings of the Mummies check out the video I recorded at the last show they did in Lexington





Runners Up

Bring Me The Horizon - There is a Hell Believe Me I've Seen it. There is a Heaven, Let's Keep it Between Us.

Bo Burnham - Words Words Words

Seventh Wonder - Great Escape

James LaBrie - Static Impulse

Renzo Charlez - Elevator Muzak

Andrew Ripp - She Remains The Same

Cee-Lo Green - The Lady Killer



Biggest Dissapointments

Coheed and Cambria - Year Of The Black Rainbow

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Serj Tankian - Imperfect Harmonies



Other Albums I Heard In No Particular Order

Hanson – Shout It Out
Disturbed – Asylum
Birthday Massacre – Pins and Needles
Lifehouse – Smoke and Mirrors
Paul Gilbert – Fuzz Universe
Dillinger Escape Plan – Option Paralysis
B.o.b – Bobby Ray
Katy perry – Teenage Dream
Jimmy eat world - Invented
All that remains – For We Are Many
Weezer – Hurley
Anberlin – Art Of War
Alesana – The Emptiness
As I Lay Dying – The Powerless Rise
Devil Wears Prada – Zombie EP
Emarosa – Emarosa
Pierce The Veil – Selfish Machines
Four Year Strong – Enemy Of The World
Chiodos – Illuminaudio
Circa Survive – Blue Sky Noise
Deftones – Diamond Eyes
Envy on the Coast – Lowcountry
Isles & Glaciers – The Hearts Of Lonely People
Sleigh Bells – Treats
Stick To Your Guns – The Hope Division
The Sleeping – The Big Deep
Girl Talk - All Day
Twista – The Perfect Storm
Michael Jackson – Michael
My Chemical Romance - Danger Days - The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys