Top of the Pops: 2010

This was a really great year for new music. A lot of newcomers made a big splash, a lot of heavyweights made a comeback, two legends provided us their last words and their lost words, and a bunch of Irish artists (like Glen Hansard, Damien Rice, Liam Clancy, Sinead O'Connor, and Damien Dempsey) provided us one of the better compilation albums in recent memory. I usually do a top ten, but this year I think I'll do a top thirty, because I really can't decide who should be honored and who shouldn't. Without any further ado, here we go go:

31) The Promise - Bruce Springsteen (honorable mention as this was all recorded in 1978)

30) Permalight - Rogue Wave

29) How I Got Over - The Roots

28) The Five Ghosts - Stars

27) God Willin and the Creek Don't Rise - Ray LaMontagne

26) Brothers - The Black Keys

25) Come Around Sundown - Kings of Leon

24) Sea of Cowards - The Dead Weather

23) Women and Country - Jakob Dylan

22) Welcome Home: the Music of Ireland - Various Artists

21) I Speak Because I Can - Laura Marling

20) Ain't No Grave - Johnny Cash

19) Becoming a Jackal - Villagers

18) Together - The New Pornographers

17) So Runs the World Away - Josh Ritter

16) Go - Jonsi

15) Forgiveness Rock Record - Broken Social Scene

14) The Winter of Mixed Drinks - Frightened Rabbits

13) Transference - Spoon

12) This Is Happening - LCD Soundsystem

11) The Monitor - Titus Andronicus

10) I Learned the Hard Way - Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings

9) Contra - Vampire Weekend

8) Treats - Sleigh Bells

7) The Age of Adz / All Delighted People - Sufjan Stevens

6) The Wild Hunt - The Tallest Man On Earth

5) High Violet - The National

4) Sigh No More - Mumford and Sons

3) The ArchAndroid - Janelle Monae

2) The Suburbs - Arcade Fire

1) My Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West