
The Results Are In: Listeners Pick 2010's Best Music (So Far)
The people have spoken! After tallying thousands of votes, we discovered that a solid majority of listeners who participated picked the Gorillaz album Plastic Beach as 2010's best album of the year so far. The National took the second spot for High Violet, followed by The Black Keys' album Brothers in third and Broken Bells in fourth. LCD Soundsystem rounded out the Top 5 with This Is Happening.
Some of the results were surprising. Neither Bob nor I would have predicted the Gorillaz album coming out on top. But Plastic Beach has been a wildly popular record this year, with lots of love from fans.
Just 10 votes separated The Black Keys and Broken Bells. Spoon and Sleigh Bells were also only 10 votes apart, while an album we predicted would have a strong showing, MGMT's Congratulations, didn't crack the Top 20.
You can hear cuts from the Top 20 albums on the latest episode of All Songs Considered. Below is a complete list of the Top 50. Be sure to let us know what you think of the results in the comments section.
Download a PDF of the top 50 albums.
- Gorillaz: Plastic Beach
- The National: High Violet
- The Black Keys: Brothers
- Broken Bells: Broken Bells
- LCD Soundsystem: This Is Happening
- Vampire Weekend: Contra
- Beach House: Teen Dream
- Mumford and Sons: Sigh No More
- Spoon: Transference
- Sleigh Bells: Treats
- Local Natives: Gorilla Manor
- Yeasayer: Odd Blood
- The New Pornographers: Together
- Flying Lotus: Cosmogramma
- She & Him: Volume Two
- Band of Horses: Infinite Arms
- Jonsi: Go
- The Knife: Tomorrow, In A Year
- Broken Social Scene: Forgiveness Rock Record
- Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings: I Learned The Hard Way
- MGMT: Congratulations
- Joanna Newsom: Have One On Me
- Josh Ritter: So Runs The World Away
- Janelle Monae: The ArchAndroid
- Frightened Rabbit: The Winter Of Mixed Drinks
- Surfer Blood: Astro Coast
- Dr. Dog: Shame, Shame
- Caribou: Swim
- Dead Weather: Sea Of Cowards
- Crystal Castles: Crystal Castles (II)
- Gaslight Anthem: American Slang
- Hold Steady: Heaven Is Whenever
- Massive Attack: Heligoland
- Freelance Whales: Weathervanes
- Charlotte Gainsbourg: IRM
- Jakob Dylan: Women And Country
- Laura Veirs: July Flame
- Four Tet: There Is Love In You
- Blitzen Trapper: Destroyer Of The Void
- The Flaming Lips: Dark Side Of The Moon
- Ratatat: LP4
- Erykah Badu: New Amerykah Pt. 2, Return Of The Ankh
- Owen Pallett: Heartland
- Quasi: American Gong
- Kings Go Forth: Outsiders Are Back
- Corinne Bailey Rae: The Sea
- Sade: Soldier Of Love
- Laura Marling: I Speak Because I Can
- Bettye LaVette: Interpretations: The British Songbook
- David Byrne: Here Lies Love