Top 50 Albums of 2010: 31-40

31
Cursor Miner
"Requires Attention" (Uncharted Audio)

Sometimes it takes artists a while to hone their craft. Other times an artist is just too ahead of the game. Cursor Miner is probably both, but he is finally getting the attention he deserves with this latest album. Elements of Synthpop, IDM and Dubstep converge to form his most accomplished release.
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32
Drum Eyes
"Gira Gira" (Upset! The Rhythm)

Drum Eyes is Shige Ishihara (AKA DJ Scotch Egg), E-Da (ex-Boredoms drummer), and K-Power and is yet another hard to categorise album. Clocking in at just 36 minutes, it's short but far from sweet. Drone rock, Japanoise, space-age synth, Fuck Buttons-eqsue digital noise and Krautrock rhythms meld together in one furious blast.
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33
Deerhunter
"Halcyon Digest" (4AD)

I have never understood the hype around Deerhunter. Having been unimpressed by previous albums, and their live show, I wasn't expecting to love this release but it is a huge step forward. By far their best album, it builds upon their sound with far stronger songwriting - no doubt partly a result of Bradford Cox’s tireless work as Atlas Sound.
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34
Black Angels
"Phosphene Dream" (Blue Horizon)

Like Tame Impala, The Black Angels’ antennas are tuned back to 60s and 70s psychedelia, in this case to the fuzz-laden garage-pop of 13th Floor Elevators and Silver Apples as much as Barrett-era Floyd. Darker and more authentic than other sonic revivalists around today, Phosphene Dream feels more akin to time travel than pastiche.
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35
Broken Bells
"Broken Bells" (Columbia)

You couldn’t go anywhere this summer without hearing “The High Road”, the blissful opener from Broken Bells’ debut album of luscious indie-pop. James Mercer (lead singer of The Shins) and Brian Burton (AKA Danger Mouse) initially conceived this collaboration as a one-off but there is now thankfully talk of a second release.
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36
Four Tet
"There Is Love In You" (Domino)

There Is Love In You constitutes Kieran Hebden’s fifth album proper as Four Tet and his strongest since 2003’s Rounds. On this release, Hebden solidifies his gradual move away from his noodly headphone roots and towards tasteful dance club beats without sacrificing the distinctive sound that made him so popular in the first place.
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37
Brian McBride
"The Effective Disconnect" (Kranky)

Another soundtrack that works superbly as a standalone album is The Effective Disconnect. Composed for “Vanishing of the Bees”, an ecologically conscious documentary about the importance of bees to the ecosystem, it is a sumptuous, ethereal album of modern classical from Stars of the Lid member Brian McBride.
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38
Thomas Fehlmann
"Gute Luft" (Kompakt)

There were a lot of strong soundtrack releases in 2010 and Fehlmann’s, released on Köln's famed Kompakt label, is one of the most compelling. Composed by the Swiss dub techno legend and ex-member of The Orb, Gute Luft was originally scored for the TV documentary "24H Berlin" yet works equally well as a standalone album.
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39
Flying Lotus
"Cosmogramma" (Warp)

Less cohesive than Los Angeles or his excellent Pattern+Grid World EP, also of this year, the success of this album is a sign of the massive respect Flying Lotus commands as well as maybe a sign of where music is headed. Cosmogramma is an album for the ADHD generation – unapologetically frantic and eclectic.
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40
Jónsi
"Go" (XL Recordings)

This year the Sigur Rós front-man released his first solo album and despite its beauty, it falls foul of the common criticism of not sounding different enough from the band he's known for being in. That aside, Go is full of positivity, energy and those gorgeous baroque strings you come to expect from Iceland's second most famous musician. 
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Top 50 Albums of 2010: 41-50

41
Alasdair Roberts & Friends
"Too Long In This Condition" (Drag City)

Alasdair Roberts’s raison d'être is to revive traditional Scottish folk music but to make it relevant, not to put it behind a glass case as a musical archivist might. A big improvement on last year’s rather disappointing Spoils album, it comes much closer to the giddy heights of his first four solo releases.
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42
The Chap
"Well Done Europe" (Lo Recordings)

The Chap is a bunch of weirdoes from London who make music that escapes any serious attempt at categorisation. This is their first release since their acclaimed Mega Breakfast, which put them on the map and on the road. Manic and odd, they manage to make the least accessible pop imaginable.
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43
To Rococo Rot
"Speculation" (Domino)

Berlin-based trio To Rococo Rot situates themselves comfortably in the nexus of electronica and post-rock. Delicacy and groove sit side by side in their softly spoken yet powerful Krautrock-influenced sound. Their first album proper since Hotel Morgen in 2004, it is a rewarding listen, even if it doesn’t live up to their City Slang days.
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44
Konono Nº1
"Assume Crash Position" (Crammed Discs)

Konono Nº1’s sophomore album on the Crammed Discs label fails to match the immediacy of 2004’s Congotronics but despite some iffy vocals on the opening track it is a solid album and a real grower to boot. As ever their sound is based heavily on the use of likembé (thumb piano) and strikingly energetic percussion.
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45
Autechre
"Oversteps" (Warp)

Autechre albums are highly anticipated events. Prior to this release, a band that deserves to remain unnamed ‘accidentally’ mis-tagged their album as Oversteps. Disappointing as an Autechre release it did strike listeners as a welcome departure, highlighting the quality yet predictability of the Warp mainstay's sound.
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46
Max Richter
"Infra" (FatCat)

As well as contributing tracks to Shutter Island, Max Richter has released three full soundtracks this year, including Infra, originally composed as a score for the ballet of same name in November 2008. A subtle, emotive album of ambient and modern classical interwoven with the haunting static buzz of radios.
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47
Tame Impala
"Innerspeaker" (Modular Recordings)

Tame Impala’s Beatles-laden psychedelic stoner-pop isn’t breaking new ground but it is an unashamedly fun summer album. A well-executed debut that evokes John Lennon, early Pink Floyd, Cream and The Shins, these Aussie newcomers will no doubt be festival favourites next summer, if luck is on their side.
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48
Nest
"Retold" (Serein)

Nest is the collaborative project of Otto Totland, one half of the excellent Deaf Center, on Type Records, and Huw Roberts. Retold is a re-release of their excellent eponymous EP in 2007, extended to full-length. Electronics, minimal percussion, strings and piano converge to create a haunting experience.
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49
Frank Bretschneider
"EXP" (Raster-Noton)

German electronic artist and founder of the acclaimed Raster-Noton label, Bretschneider makes minimal glitch music out of white noise and sine waves. The achievement of EXP, seems somewhat diminished compared with his previous, and spectacular, full length Rhythm. Still, the spacious static-laden sound creates plenty of intrigue.
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50
Lower Dens
"Twin Hand Movement" (Gnomonsong)

In an Indie scene dominated in part by understated, dreamlike acts like The XX and Beach House it’s no surprise that there would be interest for Lower Dens. They contain elements in common with the aforementioned bands yet trashier and more urgent. An engaging and atmospheric debut suggesting even greater things to come!
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