CHIRP: The Chicago Independent Radio Project

Carolyn Kassnoff writes

Carolyn Kassnoff's Best of 2010

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members’ top albums of 2010. The next list is from CHIRP Radio DJ Carolyn Kassnoff.

(Click here to get the complete list of CHIRP Radio members’ picks.)

1. The Arcade Fire – The Suburbs (Merge)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Best Track: “We Used To Wait” – Pounding pianos, a spectacular interactive music video, plus the haunting vocals that have become synonymous with the Arcade Fire’s orchestral style make this a standout song this year.
2. Cee Lo Green – The Lady Killer (Elektra)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Best Track: “F*** You” – Cee Lo’s soulful tale of a one-sided love story shows the worst of heartbreak makes the best of songs. This song slips straight out of the 1960s, featuring Doo-Wop background singers and a video that is reminiscent of Little Shop of Horrors, with a straightforward message that can’t help but be shouted to the girl that won’t give him a glance.
3. LCD Soundsystem – This is Happening (DFA)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Best Track: “Dance Yrself Clean” – This lengthy track pulses for the first few minutes before breaking loose into a full-out dance riot
4. Janelle Monáe – The Archandroid (Atlantic)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Best Track: “Tightrope (feat. Big Boi)” – Speaking of dance riots, here’s Janelle Monae, with the classiest choreographed dance moves in the craziest of locales.
5. RJD2 – The Colossus (RJ’s Electrical Connections)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Best Track: “Let There Be Horns” – Screaming strings screech into RJD2’s racing anthem. Bonus: he’s fascinating live, orchestrating every minor element with precise attention to detail.
6. She & Him – Volume Two (Merge)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Best Track: “Don’t Look Back” – Zooey Deschanel’s adorable voice and M. Ward’s beautiful guitar harmonize perfectly on this sweet country ballad.COMMENTARY
7. Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore – Dear Companion (Sub Pop)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Best Track: “Something. Somewhere, Sometime” – Two folksingers with a cello. A very pleasant track from a very pleasant album.
8. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings – I Learned the Hard Way (Daptone)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Best Track: “I Learned the Hard Way” – Sharon Jones returns with more music that sounds like the best of the Motown era, with her heartfelt telling of love and loss.
9. Stornoway – Beachcomber’s Windowsill (4AD)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Best Track: “I Saw You Blink” – British folk singers with nice harmonies and catchy melodies.
10. John Legend & The Roots – Wake Up! (Columbia)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Best Track: “Our Generation (The Hope Of The World) (featuring CL Smooth)” – It’s been a good musical year for both John Legend and The Roots. They team up on Wake Up! to outstanding effect.

Honorable Mentions (with Best Tracks):

1. The Budos Band, The Budos Band III (“Crimson Skies”)
2. The New Pornographers, Together (“Crash Years”)
3. Frightened Rabbit, The Winter of Mixed Drinks (“Swim Until You Can’t See Land”)
4. Of Montreal, False Priest (“I Feel Ya’ Strutter”)
5. Sufjan Stevens, The Age of Adz (“Impossible Soul”)