Review Of The Year: Best Albums Part 3 (The Top 5!)

This is it...after much deliberation, these are the top five albums of 2010 according to Rockinfreakopotimus. If you don't agree with the choices or want to have your say, leave a comment and let the debate begin.

This is the best music of the last 12 months, and I hope you've enjoyed the top 25. Rockinfreak will be back soon with a look forward to 2o11.


5. The Besnard Lakes- The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night
The band's first album, The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse, was one of the most underrated albums of the last decade, and it's sequel is looking to head the same way. Largely ignored in other end-of-year lists, this absolutely deserves to be heard. Filled with deep, sumptious epics, this takes the sonic distortion of bands like MBV, turns it down and suffuses it with slow-burning melody. Absolutely delicious.
Best Track: Like The Ocean, Like The Innocent Part 2: The Innocent

4. The Archandroid- Janelle Monae
Following on from last year's EP, suites II and III of Janelle Monae's Metropolis-obsessed robotic love story did not disappoint. The story was almost incomprehensible, but like all the greatest concept albums, the songs are of such a uniform standard that it would work without it. Some of the most inventive and sheer FUN pop music of this or any other year, she's a mindblowing live act to boot.
Best Track: Tightrope

3. Plastic Beach- Gorillaz
To say that Damon was under pressure for this would be an understatement. Demon Days was one of the best pop albums of the last decade, and for its follow up, Albarn went further into the rabbit hole. While vocally the focus is even more off him, this is his vision through and through- brave, bold and uncomprimising. Lou Reed, Snoop Dogg, Bobby Womack, Jones and Siminion, Mos Def and De La Soul were queueing up to be part of this masterpiece, and not even an ill-advised appearance at Glasto can stop this being Damon's year
Best Track: Stylo

2. The Suburbs- Arcade Fire
The most critically-celebrated album of the year (it's been made official), and who am I to argue? Neon Bible was biblically awesome, but could have proved a creative cul-de-sac.

Rather than top it, the Canadians pulled back and scaled down, with a trip to their hometown inspiring a look at the oft-observed city outskirts. The depressing, suffocating air that fills those towns is present here, but the band punch through the fog, dreaming of escape. What we're left with is a relatable album, filled to burst with musings on modern life. Worht every word of praise it's given.
Best Track: Month of May

And the album of the year goes to...



1. I Speak Because I Can- Laura Marling
A wonderful breath of youthful, folky air with her debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim in 2008, the leap forward on its follow up is astronomical. With a stronger embrace on more traditional folk songwriting on tracks like Rambling Man and Goodbye England (Covered In Snow), Laura mixes this with a less traditional approach to recording to push the genre out of obscurity and into relevance to a 21st Century audience.

Marling voice has deepened and grown. On Alas...she was a young girl, but on I Speak Because I Can she is fully woman. It's darker and more mature, which is a familiar path for second albums, but this one sidesteps the cliches entirely. The opening needle crackle and ominous chords of Devils' Spoke will stop you in your tracks, and Marling will not let go until she has proved her independent talent at the end of the title track. Make no mistake, this album gets under your skin, and offers more than enough subtlety to allow the songs freshness even after 300 listens.

The promised follow-up has yet to materialise but no matter. Laura Marling has confirmed herself as a talent with a long, open future