Hot damn, 2010 went with a bang! There were way too many GREAT albums this year but the Grimy Goods staff kept it only at a top 20 (anything over 30 is kind of just trying to please everyone). With no further adieu, Grimy Goods presents its Staff Picks – Best Albums of 2010. What were some of yours? Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts.

P.S. – We listed Local Natives – “Gorilla Manor” for 2009.

Sandra Burciaga – Editor-in-Chief

  1. The National – High Violet (4AD)
  2. Spoon – Transference (Merge)
  3. Yeasayer – Odd Blood (Mute/Secretly Canadian)
  4. Beach House – Teen Dream (Sub Pop)
  5. Morning Benders – Big Echo (Rough Trade)
  6. Sufjan Stevens – The Age Of Adz (Asthmatic Kitty)
  7. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs (Merge)
  8. Andrew Bird – Useless Creatures (Fat Possum)
  9. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest (4AD)
  10. Sleigh Bells – Treats (N.E.E.T./Mom & Pop Music)
  11. White Denim – Last Day of Summer (Downtown)
  12. Archie Bronson Outfit – Coconut (Domino)
  13. The Love Language – Libraries (Mege)
  14. Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma (Warp)
  15. Lower Dens – Twin Hand Movement (Gnomonsong)
  16. Portugual the Man – American Ghetto (Equal Vision)
  17. Jónsi – Go (XL)
  18. Tame Impala – InnerSpeaker (Modular)
  19. Sharon Van Etten – Epic (Ba Da Bing)
  20. Das Racist – Shut up, Dude (Greedhead / Mishka)

Lori Bartlett – Senior Writer

  1. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs (Merge)
  2. Sleigh Bells – Treats (N.E.E.T./Mom & Pop Music)
  3. The Dead Weather – Sea of Cowards (Warner Bros/Third Man)
  4. Broken Bells – Broken Bells (Sony)
  5. Girl Talk – All Day (Illegal Art)
  6. Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Def Jam)
  7. J. Tillman – Singing Ax (Western Vinyl)
  8. Toro Y Moi – Causers of This (Carpark)
  9. Vampire Weekend – Contra (XL)
  10. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings – I Learned the Hard Way (Daptone)
  11. Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs – God Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise (RCA/Red)
  12. Florence and the Machine – Lungs (Universal Republic)
  13. Yeasayer – Odd Blood (Mute/Secretly Canadian)
  14. Max Tannone – Mos Dub (Self-Released)
  15. Janelle Monae – The ArchAndroid (Atlantic Records)
  16. Marina and the Diamonds – The Family Jewels (Atlantic)
  17. N.E.R.D – Nothing (Interscope Records)
  18. Joanna Newsom – Have One on Me (Drag City)
  19. Beach House – Teen Dream (Sub Pop)
  20. LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening (DFA / Virgin)

Wei Shi – Senior Photographer

  1. Two Door Cinema Club – Tourist History (Kitsuné)
  2. Foals – Total Life Forever (Sub Pop)
  3. Sleigh Bells – Treats (Mom & Pop Music)
  4. Delphic – Acolyte (Dangerbird)
  5. Katy Perry – Teenage Dream (Capitol)
  6. Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can (Virgin)
  7. Beach House – Teen Dream (Sub Pop)
  8. Mystery Jets – Serotonin (Rough Trade)
  9. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles II (Fiction)
  10. Avi Buffalo – Avi Buffalo (Sub Pop)
  11. Dum Dum Girls – I Will Be (Sub Pop)
  12. Stars – The Five Ghosts (Vagrant)
  13. Girl Talk – All Day (Illegal Art)
  14. The National – High Violet (4AD)
  15. Fang Island – Fang Island (Sargent House)

Matt Draper – Photographer

  1. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest (4AD)
  2. Caribou – Swim (Merge)
  3. Nightlands – Forget the Mantra (Secretly Canadian)
  4. Holy Fuck – Latin (Young Turks)
  5. Warpaint – The Fool (Rough Trade)
  6. Tamaryn – The Waves (Mexican Summer)
  7. Four Tet – There is Love in You (Domino)
  8. Crocodiles – Sleep Forever (Fat Possum)
  9. Dum Dum Girls – I Will Be (Sub Pop)
  10. LCD Soundsystem – This is Happening (DFA / Virgin)
  11. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today (4AD)
  12. Dead Luke – American Haircut (Floridas Dying)
  13. Baths – Cerulean (Anticon)
  14. Weekend – Sports (Slumberland)
  15. Ceremony – Rocket Fire (Killer Pimp)
  16. The Radio Dept. – Clinging to a Scheme (Labrador)
  17. Gil Scott Heron – I’m New Here (XL)
  18. Depreciation Guild – Spirit Youth (Kanine)
  19. How to Dress Well – Love Remains (Lefse)
  20. Мишка Presents: The Guide to Grave Wave: 3-Disc Set (Мишка)

Ivette Orenos – Photographer

  1. Tim Kasher – Game of Monogamy (Saddle Creek)
  2. Matt Costa – Mobile Chateau (Brushfire)
  3. Weezer – Pinkerton Deluxe Edition (Geffen)
  4. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs (Merge)
  5. Get Him to the Greek Soundtrack (Republic)
  6. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – The Brutalist Bricks (Matador)
  7. Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record (Arts & Crafts)
  8. Ra Ra Riot – The Orchard (Barsuk)
  9. Stars – Five Ghosts (Vagrant Records)
  10. Jenny and Johnny – I’m Having Fun Now (Warner Bros.)
  11. The New Pornographers – Together (Matador)
  12. We Are Scientists – Barbara (PIAS/Master Swan)
  13. Scott Pilgrim Vs the World Soundtrack (ABKCO)
  14. Geographer – Animal Shapes (Tricycle)
  15. Surfer Blood – Astrocoast (Kanine )
  16. Two Door Cinema Club – Tourist History (Kitsuné)
  17. Guster – Easy Wonderful (Aware/Universal Republic)
  18. Belle and Sebastian – Belle and Sebastian Write about Love (Matador)
  19. Born Ruffians – Say It (Warp)
  20. Superchunk – Majesty Shredding (Merge)

Roxy Roknian – Writer

  1. Avi Buffalo – Avi Buffalo (Sub Pop)x
  2. Tame Impala – Innerspeaker (Modular Recordings)
  3. Best Coast – Crazy For You (Mexican Summer/Wichita)
  4. Girl Talk – All Day (Illegal Art)
  5. Villagers – Becoming a Jackal (Domino)
  6. Shugo Tokumaro – Port Entropy (P-Vine)
  7. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs (Merge)
  8. Morning Benders – Big Echo (Rough Trade Records)
  9. Broken Bells – Broken Bells (Sony)
  10. Mt. Desolation – Mt. Desolation (Island/Cherry Tree/Coop)
  11. Lissie – Catching a Tiger
  12. Walking Sleep – Measures (Self Released)
  13. Delta Spirit – History from Below (Rounder / Umgd)
  14. Hot Chip – One Life Stand (Astralwerks)
  15. The National – High Violet (4AD)
  16. Devo – Something for Everyone (Warner Bros.)

Walter Burciaga – Writer

  1. Acid Washed – Acid Washed (Record Makers)
  2. Apparatjik – We are Here (Metamerge Un Ltd)
  3. Architect – Consume, Adapt, Create (Hymen Records)
  4. Blonde Redhead – Penny Sparkle (4AD)
  5. Combichrist – Making Monsters (Metropolis Records)
  6. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles II (Fiction)
  7. Deastro – Mind Altar (Ghostly International)
  8. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest (4AD)
  9. Ellen Allien – Dust (BPitch Control)
  10. Future Islands – In Evening Air (Thrill Jockey Records)
  11. Home Video – The Automatic Process (Home Video)
  12. Jonsi – Go (XL)
  13. Midnight Juggernauts – The Crystal Axis (Siberia Records)
  14. Salem – King Night (IAMSOUND Records)
  15. Stereolab – Not Music (Drag City Inc.)
  16. The National – High Violet (4AD)
  17. Trentemoller – Into the Great Wide Yonder (In My Room)
  18. Ulrich Schnauss – Missing Deadlines (Rocket girl)
  19. Underworld – Barking (Om Records)
  20. Unkle – Where Did the Night Fall (Surrender All)

Roxanne Hilburn – Writer

  1. The Black Angels – Phosphene Dream (Blue Horizon)
  2. She and Him – Volume 2 (Merge)
  3. Beach House – Teen Dream (Sub Pop)
  4. L.A. Font – The American Leagues (Self-Released)
  5. Surfer Blood – Astro Coast (Kanine )
  6. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today (4AD)
  7. The Soft Pack – The Soft Pack (Kemado)
  8. Ok Go – Of the Colour of the Blue Sky (Capitol)
  9. Wavves – King of The Beach (Fat Possum)
  10. Sleepy Sun – Fever (ATP)
  11. Roky Erickson with Okkervil River – True Love Cast Out all Evil (Anti)
  12. The Walkmen – Lisbon (Fat Possum)
  13. Darker My Love – Alive As You Are (Dangerbird)
  14. The Dead Weather – Sea of Cowards (Warner Bros/Third Man)
  15. Yeasayer – Odd Blood (Mute/Secretly Canadian)
  16. Sleigh Bells – Treats (Mom & Pop Music)
  17. Born Ruffians – Say It (Warp)
  18. No Age –Everything In Between (Sub Pop)