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Best Albums of 2010 Staff Picks: Sunny Landon

Positivexposure’s General Manager Sunny Landon picks her top 8 albums of 2010, a year that saw 6 albums released by only two of her favorite bands and the discovery of a few new favorites.

#1 Firewood // The Bear Romantic

Firewood came in summer 2010 courtesy of prolific musician Jesse Clasen. It introduced me to a more mellow, softer side of his vocals than he showed off on his band Harvard’s album The Inevitable and I in 2009. Every song is beautiful, haunting, and memorable. Firewood immediately skyrocketed to the top of my Last.FM charts and I really don’t think it’s budged.

#2 The Appendage EP // Circa Survive

The Appendage EP brought me album versions of some of my favorite Circa Survive songs and brought them back to their roots a bit while still incorporating their new sound and direction we were introduced to on Blue Sky Noise. It reminded my of why I fell in love with Circa Survive and why I will be sticking around no matter what they do next.

#3 American Ghetto // Portugal. The man

American Ghetto kind of combined Waiter: “You Vultures!” and The Satanic Satanist. It has grooves, it has amazing harmonies and oohs and aahs courtesy of John Gourley and Zoe Manville. Seriously, those two are such a dynamic team. It was a perfect follow up to 2009’s The Satanic Satanist / The Majestic Majesty.

#4 Native Trash // Native Trash

Native Trash comes again courtesy of The Bear Romantic’s Jesse Clasen. This album shows off a much heavier, raunchier, dirtier side of Jesse than was seen on The Inevitable and I. It’s kind of the anti-Firewood. I love the album, my only complaint is it does not have enough songs on it!

#5 Blue Sky Noise // Circa Survive

Circa Survive’s back on my list with a full-length album. I didn’t immediately like Blue Sky Noise because it is so different from the signature Circa Survive sound. However, it grew on me and I ended up loving the acoustic tracks and I realized that their signature sound is there, it’s just a bit different. A great 3rd album, Circa did not “sell out”, completely change their sound, or put out an album indistinguishable from their first two, three things that really make failures out of the 3rd album. 

#6 The Interpretations EP // Harvard

Okay, last one from Jesse Clasen, I swear. The Interpretations EP is Jesse’s solo take on a few songs from Harvard’s The Inevitable and I, along with a few haunting instrumental tracks that would have fit right in on Firewood. What he did with “An End Weight”, my favorite Inevitable and I track, is amazing. 

#7 Fang Island // Fang Island

Fang Island, the debut album from Fang Island, is a giant, amazing mass of guitars and group vocals. Very upbeat, very inspirational, I predicted in February that Fang Island would be on my top 10 list and it endured the many released of 2010 and stood its ground.

#8 Have You Seen My Prefrontal Cortex? // A Great Big Pile of Leaves

Have You Seen My Prefrontal Cortex? is an album that is hard to say but easy and fun to listen to. It’s a deep breath of fresh air and it’s very unique. It instantly became one of my favorite albums from the very first song I heard. 

Notes

  1. xtinaxtravagant reblogged this from positivexposure and added:
    circa survive twice
  2. bingdddingdddingdingbumbumbolder reblogged this from positivexposure
  3. positivexposure posted this
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