Adam Lukach's Best Songs of 2010
“rapping 2 u” – Das Racist
“Power” – Kanye West
“All I Want” – LCD Soundsystem
“Rill Rill” – Sleigh Bells
“Not In Love”– Crystal Castles ft. Robert Smith
“Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” – Arcade Fire
“The Ghetto” – Freddie Gibbs
“Fuck You” – Cee-Lo Green
“What You Know” – Two Door Cinema Club
“Super High Remix” – Rick Ross ft. Wiz Khalifa & Curren$y
“California Sunrise” – Dirty Gold
“Brain Storm (For Erin)” – Mark McGuire
“Unforgettable”– Drake ft. Young Jeezy
“On Melancholy Hill” – Gorillaz
“Dancing On My Own” – Robyn
“Shutterbugg” – Big Boi
“What’s In It For” – Avi Buffalo
“Swim Until You Can’t See Land” – Frightened Rabbit
“Magical World” – Bassnectar
“Conversation 16” – The National
Adam Lukach's Best Albums of 2010
1. “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” - Kanye West
Kanye’s modern masterpiece has emphatically reasserted his status and dominated both the indie and mainstream worlds this fall (see Pitchfork, 10.0).
2. “Sit Down, Man” — Das Racist
The duo has an orthodox style with lyrical relevance and self-awareness, all wrapped up in a package of diverse samples and cheeky hilarity.
3. “This is Happening” — LCD Soundsystem
Another truly great album from James Murphy’s crew, LCD Soundsystem’s alleged swan song lives up to every expectation that its predecessor created. “All I Want” is one of the year’s most beautiful tracks.
4. “Pilot Talk” — Curren$y
Lil Wayne’s former running mate had a much better 2010 than his counterpart: his chilled out, two-part “Pilot Talk” series with producer Ski Beatz was one of the year’s biggest surprises.
5. “Thank Me Later” — Drake
Meanwhile, Weezy’s protege tore up the summer with an expansive, nuanced studio debut, pumped up by Drake’s incessant toasting and boasting.
6. “Body Talk” — Robyn
The final compilation of Robyn’s best cuts from the “Body Talk” trilogy fulfills every potential expectation — the final jewel in the crown of this year’s pop queen.
7. “Congratulations” — MGMT
Divisive follow-up to their monstrosity of a debut, MGMT hangs back to create a more nuanced and challenging work of dense tracks.
8. “Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty” — Big Boi
Outkast’s “other half” should be an afterthought no more, as Big Boi’s solo debut slung his Southern style across several genres of samples and made one of the most complete albums of the year.
9. “King of the Beach” — Wavves
Raw and rebellious, Nathan William’s lo-fi project hit it big in 2010, channeling punk roots into something more polished with greater variety.
10. “Plastic Beach” — Gorillaz
For a group of virtual characters, Gorillaz can sure make music. With a ton of memorable guest spots and a conglomerate of eclectic sounds, “Beach” had something for everyone.
Mickey Woods' Best Albums of 2010
1. "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" – Kanye West
2. "Pink Friday" -- Nicki Minaj
Critics are divided over Minaj’s flip from rapid-fire pussy power to sing-song introspection on Pink Friday. Honestly, of all Minaj’s larger-than-life personalities, this is her most believable, and shows unlimited potential for the Millenials’ new Queen of Hip-Hop.
3. "Ring" -- Glasser
Free spirited Cameron Mesirow goes by the mononym Glasser. She is from California, and you can tell. Her debut album, “Ring,” sparkles with intricately-crafted perfection. Use some headphones for this cerebral trip. In one ear, you hear wind chimes and tribal drums, in another, a stellar voice full of sunshine.
4. "Body Talk" -- Robyn
The title is self-explanatory. The songs are fiercely catchy, dancefloor ready, and produced with unprecedented slickness. The real treat is Robyn’s much-earned swagger from track to track.
5. "Treats" -- Sleigh Bells
Sleigh Bells came out of nowhere as a sensation lighting blogs on fire. It is loud, cerebral and in your face. It would do no one any good to have this on as background music. Sleigh Bells’ “Treats” provides a hole-in-the-wall dance party even Ke$ha could love.
6. "/\/\ /\ Y /\" -- MIA
Most people hated this third album from M.I.A., because it was deliberately inaccessible. Give it another listen. Over the factory noises and gunshots, there are moments of brilliance. “XXXO,” probably the most accessible song on the album, talks about Internet culture and media brainwashing – completely revelant for the times.
7. "Record Collection" -- Mark Ronson and the Business Intl.
Mark Ronson’s latest is full of jams that remind me of the 80s a la Annie Lennox. There’s something tres chic about them too. The tracks, which veer in genre from hip-hop to pop are smoothly cut like a French tailored suit. Rose Elinor Dougall, former lead singer of British retro-pop band The Pipettes, offers so vocals on four of the tracks. Appearances by Ghostface Killah and Spank Rock make for an excellent record of boyhood influence.
8. "Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans" -- Uffie
Uffie is half prankster, half femcee. She says it best in the superfly “MCs Can Kiss:” “I’m not an entertainer, I’m a lyricist.” Uffie’s producers give her plenty of room to showcase this over dope trip-hop and electro beats. It all adds up to an entrancing album of hype that somehow tops itself with each spin.
9. "Age of Adz" -- Sufjan Stevens
The always delirious Sufjan Stevens came back this year with his greatest mindfuck to-date. After experiencing a mysterious viral infection in his nervous system, Sufjan took some much needed time off to recover. This album is about the confusion and as he was quoted saying, “hysterical melodrama” of losing touch with ones physical self. This album is a triumph, because Sufjan still hasn’t lost his touch for retrospective and intriguing songcraft.
10. "The Lady Killer" -- Cee-Lo Green
Cee-Lo Green came back stronger than ever this year after a divorce. He mixes the bitterness of that with ironic cheeriness in “Fuck You.” “Old Fashioned” is a smooth take on what’s it like to be lonely. The Lady Killer woos and seduces, but more important, it establishes Cee-Lo as a winner.
Austin Morris' Best TV Shows of 2010
1. “Community” (NBC)
A show this consistently experimental and wacky deserves recognition. It has it from critics now, but audiences need to follow.
2. “The Good Wife” (CBS)
Consistently engrossing and refreshingly complex, “The Good Wife” has a subtle lead performance by Julianna Margulies and an embarrassment of guest acting riches.
3. “Fringe” (FOX)
Firing on all creative cylinders, the showrunners have deftly woven together epic sci-fi with deeply personal storytelling.
4. “Lone Star” (FOX)
Yes, it was canceled, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t one of the finest series on the air this year, short life and all.
5. “Top Chef: All Stars” (Bravo)
One witty episode in and this all-star season already eats every challenger the Food Network can throw at it for breakfast.
6. “Glee” (FOX)
Love it or hate it, this show has changed music and television for good. In its second season, “Glee” is even weirder and ballsier than its first.
7. “The Walking Dead” (AMC)
It was nowhere near perfect, but it was exactly as beautiful and terrifying as it needed to be.
8. “Dexter” (Showtime)
Somehow the show maintained the normal levels of psychodrama while amping the plot machinations up to 11. Michael C. Hall’s performance remains fascinating.
9. “Mad Men” (AMC)
Shout out to Kiernan Shipka, the preternaturally talented child actor playing Don Draper’s daughter, Sally. Her performance defined the season.
10. “Boardwalk Empire” (HBO)
For putting the gratuitous violence and nudity back into the period drama and redefining spectacle. Again.
Brian Welk's Best Movies of 2010
1. “The Social Network”
It isn’t often that a biopic can be this mesmerizing. It’s the best written, acted, scored, shot, directed — everything.
2. “127 Hours”
Danny Boyle and James Franco made me rethink the way I feel fear, thirst and loneliness. There’s a shot where you are literally swimming in urine ... and it’s awesome.
3. “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”
After pumping the hits of Sex Bomb-omb and watching it again on Blu-Ray no less, this is the most fun I had at the movies all year. But more importantly, it’s a visual miracle of cinematography.
4. “Winter’s Bone”
It’s gritty, it’s visceral, it’s cold-blooded and it’s intense. And this came out of Sundance?
5. “The Secret in Their Eyes”
This Argentinian film remarkably blends the genres of a character drama, a mystery thriller and a romance. It won 2009’s Best Foreign Language Oscar and didn’t make our list for our own arbitrary reasons.
6. “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
Sadly, I thought the second one sucked, but because it did, “Dragon Tattoo” remains the cool, obscure Swedish film. even if “Millenium” is the next big thing in books.
7. “Inside Job”
Go see this hard-hitting and simply amazing documentary about the American economic crisis, and you’ll realize the $10 it cost to get in might have been the best investment you’ve made in your life.
8. "The Ghost Writer"
Roman Polanski's richly detailed and delicate political thriller plays like "Chinatown" meets "The Queen."
