3DD Top Albums of 2010: Results

[shuffle]

Runners-up (albums that got a minimum of 2 votes, but didn't make the top 25):

[ 73 ] Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - III/IV
[ 72 ] The New Pornographers - Together
[ 71 ] Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty

[ 70 ] Theodore - Hold You Like a Lover
[ 69 ] Elizabeth Cook - Welder
[ 68 ] Chatham County Line - Wildwood
[ 67 ] Dr. Dog - Shame, Shame
[ 66 ] The Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards

[ 65 ] Spoon - Transference
[ 64 ] Various Artists - Twistable, Turnable Man: Tribute to the Songs of Shel Silverstein. – A musical tribute to the songs of Shel Silverstein
[ 63 ] Grace Potter & The Nocturnals - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
[ 62 ] Howlin Rain - The Good Life EP
[ 61 ] The Hold Steady - Heaven is Whenever

[ 60 ] Marc Ford - Fuzz Machine
[ 59 ] John Mellencamp – No Better Than This
[ 58 ] Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
[ 57 ] Roky Erickson with Okkervil River - True Love Cast Out All Evil
[ 56 ] Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

[ 55 ] American Aquarium- Small Town Hymns
[ 54 ] Johnny Cash - American VI: Ain't No Grave
[ 53 ] Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
[ 52 ] The Roots - How I Got Over
[ 51 ] Grinderman - Grinderman 2

[ 50 ] Delta Spirit – History From Below
[ 49 ] Cee-Lo Green - The Lady Killer
[ 48 ] Various Artists - Songs of John Prine - Broken Hearts and Dirty Windows
[ 47 ] Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People EP
[ 46 ] The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang

[ 45 ] The Fresh And Onlys - Play It Strange
[ 44 ] The Black Crowes - Croweology
[ 43 ] Micah Schnabel - When the Stage Lights Dim
[ 42 ] Deer Tick - The Black Dirt Sessions
[ 41 ] Otis Gibbs – Joe Hill’s Ashes

[ 40 ] Joe Pug - Messenger
[ 39 ] The Sadies – Darker Circles
[ 38 ] Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Hawk
[ 37 ] Black Mountain - Wilderness Heart
[ 36 ] Gil Scott-Heron – I’m New Here

[ 35 ] Dave Gleason - Turn & Fade
[ 34 ] Warpaint - The Fool
[ 33 ] Bobby Bare Jr. – A Storm, A Tree, My Mother’s Head
[ 32 ] Ray Wylie Hubbard – A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment (Hint: There Is No C)
[ 31 ] The Deadstring Brothers – Sao Paulo

[ 30 ] Mavis Staples - You Are Not Alone
[ 29 ] Sufjan Stevens - Age Of Adz
[ 28 ] Sun Kil Moon - Admiral Fell Promises
[ 27 ] Los Lobos - Tin Can Trust
[ 26 ] Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me

the top 25 is coming soon

[shuffle]

[25] Band of Horses - Infinite Arms

[128,5 points] [4 votes] [top voters: Zip City (3), dogstar (15), scotto (20)]

Band of Horses takes another large step out from MMJ's shadow with their third LP. Everyone in the band contributed to the songwriting, and the results are an album with more dynamics. Great band continues to get better. - Zip City


[24] Dylan Leblanc - Paupers Field

[129 points] [4 votes] [top voters: 3milelake (12), Trucker Tomer (12), Smitty (15)]

at first I thought this album was mainly just a sound, and the songs were a bit too weak. and I was partly right, the songwriting is great at times, but overall it’s all too familiar, but when it’s great it’s really good and considering the little fucker is a year younger than me he should have great things ahead of him. soundwise it reminds me a lot of early ryan adams, except slicker and warmer. don’t hear all the townes van zandt comparisons I’ve seen though. - shuffle


[23] The Roadside Graves - You Won't Be Happy With Me EP

[133,5 points] [4 votes] [top voters: Duke Silver (3), Tequila Cowboy (7), cortez the killer (25)]

It's been a lot of fun watching these guys evolve. Probably my favorite non-DBT band. - Duke Silver


[22] Centro-matic / South San Gabriel - Eyas EP

[136 points] [5 votes] [top voters: Smitty (16), 3milelake (18), cortez the killer (19)]

another excellent release from will johnson and co and it really should be a lot higher. I just never listen to it for some reason… - shuffle


[21] David Barbe & The Quick Hooks - Love It, Don't Choke It To Death

[136,5 points] [3 votes] [top voters: 3milelake (5), Smitty (6), cortez the killer (7)]

Sludgy and trippy, the vocals are buried deep under the wall of sludge on this record. This album combines the psychedelic sensibility of late 60’s Beatles with the simplistic, heavy plod of Crazy Horse. Adding to the comparisons, Barbe’s voice has a trace of John Lennon to it. Other than the fact he produced several DBT records and was a former member of Sugar, I knew very little of Barbe going into this record. I guess there’s a certain irony in that I like his record better than the one he produced for The Truckers this past year.

Key Tracks: Peel Away, My Shiny Bird, Metal Confines, The Broadcast Spreader - cortez the killer

[shuffle]

[20] Robert Plant - The Band of Joy

[140 points] [4 votes] [top voters: vacant (4), dogstar (10), Zip City (15)]

Not as strong as Raising Sand. Love the fact that it includes two Low songs. - dogstar

Not as good as Raising Sand, but Buddy Miller's production is top notch. - Zip City

I’ve enjoyed this album and Mighty Rearranger more than any thing Plant has done outside of that other band of his. Growing old with dignity works well for him. - vacant


[19] Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Mojo

[153 points] [4 votes] [top voters: Trucker Tomer (4), Zip City (13), Smitty (14)]

Uneven record, but when the band is on, they smoke. Campbell's guitar work is unbelievable. - Zip City

Mike Campbell gets unleashed on an album full of moody songs and epic guitar solos. I always wanted Petty to go down this path after hearing late 90’s gems like Honey Bee and Sweet William. It should be great, and yet… - vacant


[18] Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

[157,5 points] [3 votes] [top voters: Zip City (2), dogstar (3), shuffle (4)]

so kanye west is pretty much the biggest pop star in the world right now. plus he’s the closest thing to a true rock star around these days. he’s an egotistic megalomaniac but he’s also one of the most talented musicians out there, and what’s more impressive is that he keeps pushing himself even when he’s on the top, which is something rare, especially nowadays when all big artists just seem to resort to writing whatever’s gonna keep them at the top of the charts. not everything he tries works, but it’s always entertaining and interesting, and most of the album is filled with quality tracks. - shuffle

Nearly as good as all the citics say it is. This is good from start to finish which is a rarity on rap records. - dogstar

It's tough for any record to live up to a mountain of hype, but Kanye did it. Though it's not the perfect 10 that many critics made it out to be, it's a fantastic, ground breaking hip hop record. - Zip City


[17] Titus Andronicus – The Monitor

[162 points] [5 votes] [top voters: scotto (10), dee dee (13), beentownbubba (14)]

There’s no “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” here, but an interesting concept and a batch of good songs. Docked a notch or two for the interminable and annoying song endings - beentownbubba

An epic concept album loosely based around The Civil War mixes punk, rock, and an indie sound that sounds paranoid, hopeless, and confused. - dee dee


[16] The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt

[169,5 points] [4 votes] [top voters: shuffle (1), Duke Silver (5), 3milelake (11)]

I was expecting this to be my album of the year and I wasn’t disappointed. his debut shallow grave, from 2008, is my favourite album of the ‘00s and this one has a good chance at being a top 5 (at the very least) of the ‘10s. his songwriting’s became more varied, and so has his guitarplaying and singing, but at the same time he’s not moving too fast or experimenting just for its own sake. there’s not a bad song on the album, and love is all might be the best thing he’s done. - shuffle

[shuffle]

[15] Alejandro Escovedo - Street Songs Of Love

[178 points] [5 votes] [top voters:Tequila Cowboy (4), cortez the killer (5), beentownbubba (8)]

alejandro escovedo shouldn’t be able to write songs this good at his age. he’s in his late 50s and is delivering albums better than most 30 year old musician could dream of. - shuffle

What can you say about a 59 year old singer/songwriter that can still put out gems like this? Start to finish this album is fantastic and picks up where the Excellent Real Animal Left off. David Pulkingham provides some nice interplay on guitar alongside Alejandro and the rest of the band is top notch. Ian Hunter even puts in an appearance on Down In The Bowery. Favorites include that song, Silver Cloud and This Bed is Getting Crowded. - Tequila Cowboy

Alejandro headed down to Mexico with his kindred spirit Chuck Prophet to flesh out the songs for this album. He re-enlisted Real Animal legendary glam rock producer Tony Visconti to produce the project. There is a strong theme on this record - love. It encompasses all kinds of love - love for child, significant other, life, lust, love lost - it’s all in there baby. Backed by some excellent female vocalists, this albums rocks, pulls at the heart, and induces tears and goose bumps along the way.

Key Tracks: Down in the Bowrey, Anchor, Undesired, After the Meteor Showers, This Bed Is Getting Crowded, Fort Worth Blue - cortez the killer


[14] Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer of the Void

[198 points] [5 votes] [top voters: scotto (7), dee dee (8), 3 milelake (13)]

Tough to follow up a record like Furr, but this is a fun record with all the glitz and glam we expect. - Zip City

A sonic blend of 70s rock, The Beatles, and modern day indie rock. - dee dee


[13] Two Cow Garage – Sweet Saint Me

[199 points] [4 votes] [top voters: Tequila Cowboy (1), dee dee (1), beentownbubba (6)]

Been hearing about this album seems like forever, finally heard it yesterday. Lives up to the notices, thanks folks. “I want to feel like the second verse of ‘Let’s Get It On;’” “You’re much too young to have your teeth on the tip of my tongue” Both from the same song! - beentownbubba

This was an easy choice for album of the year. A mature statement from a maturing band. Jackson Don't Worry andMy Great Gatsby are two of the best songs of this or any other year and I dare anyone not to sing along to Lydia. I've always felt that these guys were one great album away from being in the Replacements/Husker Du territory of having evolved from a rocking punk band to so much more. That great album has arrived. - Tequila Cowboy

A fun record that I heard late in the year. Would probably rank higher with more listens. - Zip City

Two Cow Garage peaks with catchy power pop (Lydia), pissed off punk (My Great Gatsby), beautiful tributes to a friend and his new child (Jackson Don't You Worry), while still keeping with their alt-country roots (Wanted to Be). - dee dee


[12] Jamey Johnson - The Guitar Song

[218,5 points] [5 votes] [top voters: 3milelake (3), cortez the killer (4), Smitty (7)]

The Guitar Song firmly cements Jamey Johnson's place as the modern day torchbearer for Outlaw Country. Twenty five songs fly by with Johnson's gifted storytelling and Waylon Jennings like style. - dee dee

I wanted to hate this fucker. I really did. I hate the way he spells his name. Jamey? What the fuck is that? Pull a Cougar and change that shit. Reeks of mainstream Nashville country. Wrote “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” for Christ’s sakes. Seriously, what the fuck? A new co-worker of mine, knowing I like country music, recommended it. I resisted, but I did some research. The reviews were glowing. Comparisons to Waylon, George, Merle, Willie. Talk of him being the torch-bearer for “Outlaw Country.” The dude has the cojones to record a sprawling double album of vintage-sounding country music in 2010. I listened. I could not believe my ears. This guy is fucking good. He can sing and the band can fucking really play. Sold. If you are weary about him being a mainstream country artist, a phony, or the next Toby Keith, you need to listen to this album. It will squash all your preconceived stereotypes. This is a damn fine country record. A tad uneven, but filled with precious country nuggets.

Key Tracks: That’s How I Don’t Love You, Macon, Can’t Cash My Checks, Set ‘Em Up Joe, Cover Your Eyes, For the Good Times, The Guitar Song - cortez the killer


[11] Bruce Springsteen - The Promise

[218,5 points] [5 votes] [beentownbubba (2), cortez the killer (3), Smitty (13)]

I'd say the mid to late 70's was a pretty fertile period for the Boss - beentownbubba

I've only had it for a week. Might be higher if I did this in February. - Duke Silver

Nothing short of amazing that Bruce sat on much of this material for thirty plus years. Wow! Starting in 1974 and running through the decade, the man was on a creative roll few artists have ever experienced. If there was ever any question, let me introduce you to The Promise. Culled from stuff following Born to Run and leading up to the River, The Promise sheds some light on just how talented a songwriter The Boss truly is. I can understand the how and why most of the material missed the cut for Darkness. However, for the life of me, I can’t fathom how or why “The Promise” missed the cut. It’s not my favorite song from this collection (that honor easily goes to “Someday (We’ll Be Together)”) but it certainly fit’s the theme and vibe of that record. Borderline criminal exclusion, but he is The Boss and all.

Key Tracks: Someday (We’ll Be Together), Ain’t Good Enough For You, Save My Love, The Promise, Gotta Get That Feeling - cortez the killer

[shuffle]

[10] Ray Lamontagne & The Pariah Dogs - God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise

[227 points] [5 votes] [top voters: Zip City (1), Tequila Cowboy (6), cortez the killer (9)]

I've liked a few of his songs in the past, but none of his albums hit me like this one. Ray channels the singer/songwriter vibes of Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, et al while keeping a modern feel. Not a bad track on the record. - Zip City

Ray Lamontagne is not typically an artist I gravitate toward. He has a nice voice and he crafts nice songs, but I tend to like a little more grit than he tends to provide. A little more grit here would elevate this to classic status. Nevertheless, this is a very good album. The Pariah Dogs add fantastic country elements to the mix. This made a late push into my Top 10. Given another month or two it might have charted higher.

Key Tracks: Like Rock & Roll and Radio, Beg Steal or Borrow, The Devil’s in the Jukebox, This Love Is Over - cortez the killer


[9] Glossary - Feral Fire

[240,5 points] [6 votes] [top voters: Tequila Cowboy (2), Smitty (3), beentownbubba (7)]

A pleasant discovery by this previously unknown to me band - beentownbubba

Glossary is a great, great band. The music is smooth and Joey & Kelly Kneiser's vocals sit on top of it like a cloud over a country pond. This is their best album to date. The songwriting here is colored by the couple's recent divorce and like most "divorce" albums the feelings are raw, personal and occasionally heartbreaking. Favorites include The Sweet Forever, Pretty Things and Save Your Money For the Weekend. - Tequila Cowboy

My first intro to Glossary. A fun band that I'd love to see live. - Zip City


[8] Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse – Dark Night of the Soul

[249,5 points] [5 votes] [top voters: beentownbubba (1), Smitty (2), scotto (3), dee dee (9)]
note: this album could be counted as a 2009 release since it was supposed to be released then, but wasn't due to label issues. the album was available online though, and danger mouse encouraged downloading. but since it wasn't officially released anywhere until 2010 I'll allow it

Intense, compelling, inventive. Hugely ambitious, it hits a lot more than it misses but has its uneven moments - beentownbubba

In a dark album which saw Sparklehorse (Mark Linkous) pass away along with album contributor Vic Chesnutt, you are treated to a trippy, lonely bit of psychedelia. The Flaming Lips, Black Francis, film maker David Lynch, and Jason Lytle all contribute stellar tracks. I liked Danger Mouse's Broken Bells project, and I know this puts me in the minority, but I like this better. Be careful, this thing may cause you float in outer space. - dee dee


[7] The National - High Violet

[252 points] [6 votes] [top voters: cortez the killer (1), dee dee (2), scotto (8)]

it wasn’t until this album that I finally got into the national, and now I’d rank this as their second best together with boxer, with alligator being number one. this one is a bit bigger in sound but it’s just as melancholy and dark as a national album is supposed to be. it’s just gloriously depressing and sad, while at the same time comforting and hopeful. however that may be. - shuffle

The album that forced me to "get" The National continues to grow on me with every listen. How can something so sad and miserable be so beautiful? Moody, complex songs of adult angst full of sound make this one of the year's very best. - dee dee

Most of the time I have no fucking clue what Matt Berninger is signing about. It really doesn’t matter. The mood and emotion these guys create with the music is unmatched. Tension, tension, tension - It builds. It sprawls. It seeps into your being. These guys are on a serious tear. I’ll put the trifecta of Alligator - Boxer - High Violet against pretty much anything released in the past three decades. I’ve said it many times before, but it bears repeating - drummer Bryan Devendorf is a BEAST. This one burns deep into the soul.

Key Tracks: Afraid of Everyone, England, Conversation 16, Anyone’s Ghost, Bloodbuzz Ohio, Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks - cortez the killer


[6] Phosphorescent - Here's To Taking It Easy

[253,5 points] [6 votes] [top voters: dogstar (1), shuffle (5), dee dee (7)]

I never expected to like this as much as I’ve did since I had checked out pride earlier and wasn’t a big fan. this album blew me away though, and it also made me revisit pride and re-evaluate it. the mermaid parade is a top five song of the year, and los angeles is just this wonderful neil young & crazy horse-esque jam. amazing live band too, one of the best I’ve seen this year. - shuffle

Crept up on me. It's the recorded I've listened to the most this year so deserves this. - dogstar

I'd given Phosphorescent's previous albums listens and they were decent, but not decent enough to give repeated listens. This bit of dreamy California country was different and one of 2010's biggest surprises for me. - dee dee

There was a sweltering hot two or three week stretch over the summer where this was all I listened to it. Haven't gone back to it much since, but I need to. Reminds me of early MMJ. Perfect album for riding the bike to work on an 80-degree morning. - Duke Silver

[shuffle]

[5] Ryan Bingham - Junky Star

[259,5 points] [6 votes] [top voters: Trucker Tomer (1), dee dee (5), Smitty (10)]

This album was a grower. Love his voice and can't wait to hear more. - Zip City

I had some concern that after the success of "The Weary Kind", Bingham might head towards pop country. This concern was misplaced. To me, Junky Star captures the tone of 2010 in the U.S.A. Songs of hardship, desperation, and even a shot at conservative media. I've loved all of Bingham's releases and this rivals Mescalito as my favorite. - dee dee


[4] Justin Townes Earle - Harlem River Blues

[374,5 points] [9 votes] [top voters: Duke Silver (2), Tequila Cowboy (5), shuffle (6), Trucker Tomer (6), 3milelake (8), Smitty (9)]

to echo everyone else: amazingly consistent songwriter. I don’t have much to add to everyone else’s comments but it’s just very impressive. this is imo his strongest album so far, and rogers park, harlem river blues and christchurch woman all belong among the top songs of the year. if he could keep that quality through his entire next album it’d be a definite classic. - shuffle

JTE just keeps getting better album after album. His songwriting and lyrical chops are improving even as his influences get more diverse. The old timey country vibe is still here, but now it's mixed with indie rock and other influences. This man has seen life and is sharing it with us. If you listen closely you'll here some nice guitar work from Jason Isbell as well. Just excellent. Favorites include Christchurch Woman, Working for The MTA & Slippin' and Slidin'. - Tequila Cowboy

While I prefer the more Nashville sounding Americana of last year's excellent JTE release, Midnight At the Movies, that only speaks to the quality of that album. This album sees JTE bringing his New York influence into the studio to meld with his Nashville Americana style with predictably great results. - dee dee

Is there another artist/band as consistent as JTE? Three albums and an EP into his career, and I can't think of a negative thing to say about any of them. A great batch of songs here, elevated by some nimble electric guitar playing (that's all Isbell, right?). - Duke Silver


[3] Neil Young - Le Noise

[465 points] [12 votes] [top voters: beentownbubba (3), dogstar (5), cortez the killer (6), 3milelake (7), Flying Rabbit (9), Tequila Cowboy (9)]

the best neil young album since sleeps with angels or even ragged glory. it’s just neil and his guitar, and the songs are the strongest he’s had in a long time. lanois’s production works most of the time, and he gets a great sound out of neil’s guitar, but at times it’s too gimmicky. - shuffle

A man and his guitar. Electric, that is. - beentownbubba

With no band to help him Neil digs out some of his best songs in years. - dogstar

A man and his guitar. Neil has had some bright flashes of brilliance recently (No Hidden Path, Spirit Road, Just Singing A Song), but whole albums haven’t been that consistent. Le Noise breaks that pattern. - vacant

Amazing that a musician can stay relevant for over forty years, but with Le Noise Neil Young does just that. A man and an electric guitar belt out arguably his best album in the last ten years. - dee dee

Initially, I was pretty ambivalent about Le Noise. It took a long time for me to get it. And I will say if it wasn’t for the fact it was a Neil Young record, I probably would have stopped trying a couple of listens in. Then again, being a Neil Young record, I approached it with an incredibly critical ear. I think the collaboration with Daniel Lanois proved to be a wonderful decision. They made the record over the course of three full moons at Daniel’s estate. The production on this album is amazing. The sound quality is sublime. I much prefer a traditional rock band - guitar-bass-drum-singer, but this album has won me over. The tone of Neil’s guitar is flat-out insane. The record sounds so fresh and energized and Neil continues to be a relevant artist.

Key Tracks: Peaceful Valley Boulevard, Hitchhiker, Angry World, Love & War, Someone’s Gonna Rescue You - cortez the killer


[2] The Black Keys - Brothers

[574,5 points] [13 votes] [top voters: 3milelake (1), cortez the killer (2), dee dee (3), Duke Silver (4)]

The boys from Akron keep getting better, producing their fullest, most diverse set of tunes ever. After several albums of two-man, lo-fi garage band songs, Auerbach and Carney up the ante with fuller arrangements and more diverse styles. - Zip City

Lots of folks love this one, with good reason. It kicks ass, and shows a new side to these guys. I still prefer the dirt and raunch of Thickfreakness though. - vacant

So what if this is a bit slicker than their previous releases. Top to bottom, great songs that rock. - dee dee

Huge step forward for these guys. They took everything that worked up to this point, threw out everything that didn't, and made what might be their masterpiece. - Duke Silver

the black keys expand their sound, and their songwriting, on this one and it’s their most accomplished album so far, even if I might prefer rubber factory. it’s only problem is being a bit on the long side (but I couldn’t tell you what to cut) and it really showcases their skills as musicians, especially dan auerbach’s vocals. - shuffle

I was slow to warm to this album but it eventually got to me - beentownbubba

Meanwhile in North Alabama, Dan and Patrick come to town to record that sweet soul music, to get that Muscle Shoals sound. Well, I’m not sure it is sweet, but it sure kicks ass. This album simply smokes. Dirty. Greasy. Soulful. Phat beats. Sexy female backing vocals. Falsettos. This album has it all. And while there are some different elements and directions taken, make no mistake, this album is 100% Black Keys. It garnered some serious mainstream acceptance, but who cares? It’s that good that the masses need to hear it. Nice work fellas.

Key Tracks: The Only One, Black Mud, Ten Cent Pistol, Next Girl, Tighten Up, Sinister Kid, Unknown Brother, These Days - cortez the killer


[1] Drive-By Truckers - The Big To-Do

[677,5 points] [15 votes] [top voters: Smitty (1), Trucker Tomer (2), Tequila Cowboy (3), dee dee (4), beentownbubba (5), scotto (5)]

really good album from the truckers, but at the same time I’m a bit disappointed since it seems a bit like dbt on autopilot. a couple of great tracks, and a few weaker, but there’s nothing as great as on their earlier albums. patterson steals the show here, even if birthday boy is classic cooley. - shuffle

Suffers by comparison only to their own impossibly high standards. A rock solid rock album w/ many highlights - beentownbubba

My first exposure to the DBT's. - dogstar

The thing that strikes me most about this album is the remarkable consistency. There isn't a bad song on here. How this band manages to put out solid album after solid album is beyond my comprehension. The other thing that strikes me is how fully integrated into the band's sound John Neff and Jay Gonzales have become. Their work here is simply excellent. The other think is just how much Shonna Tucker has grown in her new role as singer and songwriter. Favorites include The Wig He Made Her Wear, You've Got Another (most days my favorite song on the record)and After The Scene Dies. - Tequila Cowboy

Like many others, I wish I could rank this one higher. The great songs are really great (After the Scene Dies, Get Downtown, Fourth Night of My Drinking), but the misses rank pretty low on my list of DBT songs (Wig, Told You So). - Zip City

The Rock Show on wax. - vacant

Stories of strippers, shitty jobs, drinking binges, a wife murdering her preacher husband over kinky sex, the death of the scene, and more make an average DBT album one of my favorites of 2010. In my mind, these boys (and girl) can do no wrong. (How did "Girls Who Smoke" not make the final cut? Love that song.) - dee dee

Probably my most-listened-to album of the year. - Duke Silver

I’m really torn here. I love this band and think it is a fine album, but I am not crazy about it. There is an uneven quality to several of their albums, but this one really seems to suffer from this. There are some excellent songs here, but the flow is not very good. I think high expectations hurt it a bit, but I feel like it truly fits here at #8. I think Jay is a nice addition here and there, but the keys can be overwhelming at times. I’m not sure how I truly feel yet about him being a full-time member of the band. Patterson far outshines Cooley on this one.

Key Tracks: The Wig He Made Her Wear, After the Scene Dies, Santa Fe, The Fourth Night of My Drinking - cortez the killer

[shuffle]

...and that's it!

as you can see it's obviously better to be liked among many than loved by a few (case in point: the only record with two number one votes ended up at thirteen, while the ones who finished at three and four didn't get a single number one vote).

on a personal note: only seven of the albums in my top 25 made the 3DD top 25, and 11 out of my top 50 made the top 25. and I was the only one that voted for five of the albums in my top ten... the only albums I haven't heard in the top 25 is the ray lamontagne one and the jamey johnson one.

I would've expected two cow garage to break the top ten at least, and high violet to get more than six votes when brothers got thirteen.

[tinnitus photography]

4 of the top 73 picks were ones i voted for (highest was Warpaint at 34)

[scotto]

Good job, Shuffle.
Not a bad list.

[beantownbubba]

4 of the top 73 picks were ones i voted for (highest was Warpaint at 34)

I guess that means you've been voted off the island, tin

[beantownbubba]

Great job, shuffle! Thanks for taking it on.

TBTD is certainly worthy enough to be number one, but damn it's a bit cliched for a fan site to turn out that way. For that reason alone i would have preferred that it finish #2

I agree, Shuffle, w/ all I heard about the 2 cow garage album, and having personally heard it for the first time only on the day i voted, i was really surprised w/ how relatively low it wound up and how relatively high i had it compared to others.

[cortez the killer]

Nice work compiling the data, and I like the presentation (even if you didn't use a single comment of mine).

[Clams]

The Big To-Do wins? On the DBT message board??? Shocking!!


Excellent job Shuffle. Love all the comments.

[Duke Silver]

guess i'm gonna have to break down and check out that ray lamontagne album. i had him pegged as a pete yorn/john mayer type in the past. apparently that's not the case.

what am i missing with "junky star"? listened to it a few times over the summer and nothing (except for "the weary kind", which was tacked on at the end) stood out. sounds like alt country by numbers to me.

thanks for taking the time to throw all this together, shuffle. had fun compiling my list and reading everyone else's.

[beantownbubba]

Just realized how low Los Lobos finished. Well, they made the top 30 so that's not terrible, but as always, I'm surprised they're not more widely loved around here. But beyond that, my impression was that they had done well in the voting. I guess not. Where are u when we need u, stevie ray?

By contrast, Gil Scott Heron did surprisingly well, considering that I think he only got 2 votes (me & scotto).

[Kudzu Guillotine]

The Big To-Do wins? On the DBT message board??? Shocking!!

Since this is a DBT board and it's rather obvious everyone is a fan here, maybe they should be eliminated from the competition this year just to give a broader spectrum of what everyone is into. I also realize that suggestion probably won't go over too well but I'm just throwing it out there. On one board I belong to, the band it's devoted to isn't included (for obvious reasons), most everyone gets that but there's a few fanboy types that revolt and include them anyway. They're warned ahead of time that including them automatically disqualifies them but they do it anyway.

[Smitty]

The Big To-Do wins? On the DBT message board??? Shocking!!

Since this is a DBT board and it's rather obvious everyone is a fan here, maybe they should be eliminated from the competition this year just to give a broader spectrum of what everyone is into. I also realize that suggestion probably won't go over too well but I'm just throwing it out there. On one board I belong to, the band it's devoted to isn't included (for obvious reasons), most everyone gets that but there's a few fanboy types that revolt and include them anyway. They're warned ahead of time that including them automatically disqualifies them but they do it anyway.

I could get behind this; I try to exclude them from every other lil quicklist and such

[beantownbubba]

The Big To-Do wins? On the DBT message board??? Shocking!!

Since this is a DBT board and it's rather obvious everyone is a fan here, maybe they should be eliminated from the competition this year just to give a broader spectrum of what everyone is into. I also realize that suggestion probably won't go over too well but I'm just throwing it out there. On one board I belong to, the band it's devoted to isn't included (for obvious reasons), most everyone gets that but there's a few fanboy types that revolt and include them anyway. They're warned ahead of time that including them automatically disqualifies them but they do it anyway.

I could get behind this; I try to exclude them from every other lil quicklist and such

Says the guy who voted them #1

Actually, this may be a little odd coming from one of the folks to comment about the inevitability of DBT finishing #1, but when u look closely, it actually makes sense in a fairly positive, not so overtly boosterish way: It's proof of shuffle's observation that it turned out better to be named on a lot of ballots than to be named highly on a few. DBT was named 15 times on what had to be fewer than 20 ballots, which makes total sense on a fan board. BUT only one #1 and only six in the top 5. That combination of being broadly named but not especially highly seems like a pretty decent result for those of us who like to think of ourselves as something a little better than fanboys

[Smitty]

this was an exception

[RevMatt]

Great job, guys. I didn't vote because I didn't buy enough 2010 releases to qualify. If I could my vote would have been Jamey Johnson number 1 and TBTD number 2.

[shuffle]

Nice work compiling the data, and I like the presentation (even if you didn't use a single comment of mine).

you didn't have any comments on your list: http://www.threedimesdown.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1473&start=30#p56112

:s

edit: oh, just saw that you posted a top ten with comments in the "Best albums of 2010 / the music of 2010"-thread. I only used the stuff posted in the actual voting thread...will edit in your comments

edit2: done did it

[dee dee]

Awesome job Shuffle and all who contributed.

[Tequila Cowboy]

Really nice job on this shuffle. Lots of hard work.

Nice list.

[cortez the killer]

Nice work compiling the data, and I like the presentation (even if you didn't use a single comment of mine).

you didn't have any comments on your list: http://www.threedimesdown.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1473&start=30#p56112

:s

edit: oh, just saw that you posted a top ten with comments in the "Best albums of 2010 / the music of 2010"-thread. I only used the stuff posted in the actual voting thread...will edit in your comments

edit2: done did it

I was being difficult. Again, nice job & thanks.

[shuffle]

no problem and it honestly wasn't that much work...I think there only were 15 lists or so, so it's pretty easy. on another forum there's usually around one hundred lists for the yearly list. it'd take ages compiling that.

[littlemamma]

u are a gem, shuffle.
and I still have those bands you recommended in the queue.
love the Jamey and Justin and Junky. and tbtd was sure fun!!!!

[shuffle]

which bands did I recommend? hopefully nothing too bad

speaking of recs, I've still got about 200 power pop recs from btb that I still haven't listened to, sorry...

[TruckerTomer]

Very nice...Thanks for the work and the info, Shuffle. Pretty cool list.

[beantownbubba]

Had I heard it in time, Jamey Johnson's The Guitar Song would be fairly high on my list. After just one listen, i feel like it fades quite a bit in the homestretch, but the first half or so would easily put it in my top 20 and probably in my top 10.

This raises a version of Cowboy's "Springsteen problem": If the first half of a double album is really great and would by itself be, say, "top 10" should it be penalized just for having more music that isn't quite as good? And if so, how much?

[Zip City]

Had I heard it in time, Jamey Johnson's The Guitar Song would be fairly high on my list. After just one listen, i feel like it fades quite a bit in the homestretch, but the first half or so would easily put it in my top 20 and probably in my top 10.

This raises a version of Cowboy's "Springsteen problem": If the first half of a double album is really great and would by itself be, say, "top 10" should it be penalized just for having more music that isn't quite as good? And if so, how much?

Good question. I feel like this "problem" is what keeps SRO from topping many people's list of DBT albums.