Best Albums of 2010: #20-11 (John's Picks)

In the site's more recent, less updated form, we've failed to really cover music the way we have in the past. While that will not be changing for the time being, we still felt compelled to put together some lists to coincide with the end of 2010. Also, just because we haven't been blogging mean we haven't been listening to this year's slate of new releases. On the contrary, writing less about what's new has allowed us to better enjoy it. And now, we'd like to invite you to enjoy our much scaled-down 2010 end-of-year coverage.

John's Top Albums of 2010: #20-11

20. Transference -- Spoon

Top Track: "Written In Reverse"

19. Down There -- Avey Tare

Top Track: "Lucky 1"

18. Fang Island -- Fang Island

Top Track: "Daisy"

17. Thank Me Later -- Drake

Top Track: "Over"

16. Everything In Between -- No Age

Top Track: "Fever Dreaming"

15. Lisbon -- The Walkmen

Top Track: "Angela Surf City"

14. Pilot Talk -- Curren$y

Top Track: "The Day" (Feat. Mos Def & Jay Electronica)

13. Astro Coast -- Surfer Blood

Top Track: "Swim"

12. Love King -- The-Dream

Top Track: "Yamaha"

11. The Age of Adz -- Sufjan Stevens

Top Track: "I Want to Be Well"

Most Prolific Artists of the Decade: #31-40

Our latest list-- the Most Prolific Artists of the Decade-- looks to chronicle the most important (for better or for worse) artists of the decade. For one reason or another, be it their positive (or negative) cultural significance, landmark moments for music, staying power or otherwise, these artists mattered a great deal this decade.

In no way is this a list of our favorites of the decade. On the contrary, many of our favorites are not present, while others whom we're actually not fans of, have made the list. So without further ado, check out our the second part of our Most Prolific Artists list below. Next to each artist's name, you'll see a basic numeric list of all primary recordings this decade. For many of these, their impact should probably be self-explanatory. Enjoy, and if you haven't yet read our list of the Best Songs of 2009, or Best Albums of the Decade, read up on those too.

40. Miley Cyrus -- 2 LPs (Most recent: 2008's Breakout)/2 EPs

39. Grizzly Bear -- 3 LPs (Most recent: 2009's Veckatimest)/2 EPs

38. Ludacris -- 6 LPs (Most recent: 2008's Theater of the Mind)

37. Alicia Keys -- 4 LPs (Most recent: 2009's The Element of Freedom)

36. Sufjan Stevens --8 LPs (Most recent: 2009's The BQE)

35. Beck -- 4 LPs (Most recent: 2008's Modern Guilt)

34. Spoon -- 4 LPs (Most recent: 2007's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga)/4 EPs

33. Leslie Feist -- 2 LPs (Most recent: 2007's The Reminder), Broken Social Scene -- 4 LPs (Most recent: 2005's Broken Social Scene)

32. Kelly Clarkson -- 4 LPs (Most recent: 2009's All I Ever Wanted)

31. Daft Punk -- 2 LPs (Most recent: 2005's Human After All)

[Previously on Animal Noises: Most Prolific Artists of the Decade: #41-50]

Best Albums of the Decade: #1-10

Welcome to the final installment of our countdown to the best albums of the decade. There's probably a consensus on the top few, but beyond that, hopefully there's some surprises. As would be expected, a few artists made multiple appearances on the overall list, some maybe shockingly so. Still, these are our picks for the best albums of the decade. Enjoy below-- album streams are courtesy of Lala.com.

10. Censored Colors, Portugal. The Man (2008)

9. Merriweather Post Pavillion, Animal Collective (2009)

8. The Black Album, Jay-Z (2003)

7. The Moon & Antarctica, Modest Mouse (2000)

6. Dog Problems, The Format (2006)

5. Illinois, Sufjan Stevens (2005)

4. Veckatimest, Grizzly Bear (2009)

3. Funeral, Arcade Fire (2004)

2. I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, Bright Eyes (2005)

1. Kid A, Radiohead (2000)

[Previously on Animal Noises: Best Albums of the Decade: #11-20]

#21-30

#31-40

#41-50

Tuesday's Releases (10/20): Now Streaming

As promised, we've got a full slate of releases this week. However, as was the case last week, Spinner is lacking a bit on some of the most notable ones-- Florence and the Machine, Alec Ounsworth and Do Make Say Think, to name a few. Still, hopefully they're added, and we'll adjust accordingly if they are. In the meantime, check out the ones that are up. As always, credit for the original idea for this goes out to LargeHeartedBoy.

• The BQE, Sufjan Stevens
• Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (Remix Collection), Phoenix
• Turning the Mind, Maps
• Declaration of Dependence, Kings of Convenience
• Twilight: New Moon OST, Various Artists (I hate putting this up here)
• Love Is Not Pop, El Perro Del Mar

[Previously on Animal Noises: Tuesday's Releases (10/13): Now Streaming]

New Sufjan Stevens BQE Clip

By now, any fans of Sufjan Stevens have heard all about The BQE. The project, more of an artsy multimedia project than an album, includes an audio version, comic book, View-Master reel (how hip of him) and a DVD of footage from the actual Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. This clip, which features the track "Interlude I- Dream Sequence in Subi Circumnavigation," is an orchestral giant. Playing off of the type of big band stuff one may be used to hearing only from Frank Sinatra, Stevens out does himself here, using the instruments at his disposal to recreate quite well the chaotic, yet scenic nature of the BQE itself. For those interested, The BQE is out October 20th via Asthmatic Kitty. Check out the song, and accompanying video clip below.

Weekly Top 10: Best Songs Named for Geographic Locations

For this week's list, we decided, for no apparent reason, that it would be fun to pick out songs named for either a city/town, state or country. We tried to avoid the obvious cliche tracks, except one, and unfortunately, two of the songs we originally wanted were not available. So, just so everyone's aware, The Beatles' "Back in the U.S.S.R." and Neutral Milk Hotel's "Holland, 1945" should have been here. Still, I think it's a pretty worthwhile list, as we tried to create variation in locations where possible. Enjoy.

Top 10 Songs Named After Countries/Cities

Weekly Top 10: Road Trip Songs

As you've probably figured out by now, we've relaunched our playlist feature. In keeping with that, it's Thursday, so we're due for another one. This week, the theme is road trip music, or at least, music that you can enjoy while traveling. Sit back, enjoy, and understand that The Beatles are included yet again, partially because the song is extremely appropriate, and partially because I love The Beatles. And as always, props to Imeem.

Not-New-At-All Sufjan Stevens, "Sofia's Song"

Noticed this quick and figured it'd be worth talking about briefly.  Sufjan Stevens, when in college, used to sit around making all kinds of recordings, by himself, much in the same way he does now, just without our modern methods of technology.  Recently, he found a bunch of these songs tucked away, and decided to give all of us at least one of them.  This one, "Sofia's Song" chronicles an imaginary relationship with Sofia Coppola.  Still with me?  Yeah, it's strange, but hey, people do strange things in college.  It's a good song, if you're a fan of his work, so I'd recommend it.  Check it out below, with the .mp3 courtesy of Stereogum.

Sufjan Stevens- "Sofia's Song"