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Album Of The Year 2010: Which Was The Best?

What Was The Best Album Of The Year?
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The Huffington Post

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2010, the year The Beatles catalogue finally made it to iTunes. Besides the much anticipated pairing of Apple records with Apple Inc., the year saw the release of several other great albums. Here we take a retrospective glance back at some of the year's best new music. Scroll through and vote for your year-end favorites.

The Best Albums of 2010
The Suburbs (Arcade Fire)(01 of10)
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Canada’s baroque rock outfit hit their stride with The Suburbs, blending high concept with accessibility on their sprawling third album. Equal parts The Boss, Blondie, and of course The ‘Burbs.
My World 2.0 (Justin Bieber)(02 of10)
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The most famous haircut in music since The Beatles! This Canadian wunderkind has a stranglehold on Youtube, Twitter, and pop charts around the world for good reason. With influences ranging from Michael Jackson to The Cranberries, this mellifluously voiced young man delivers an album packed with pop gems.
The Fame Monster (Lady Gaga)(03 of10)
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Lady Gaga might be the decade’s most interesting pop star. Meat dress aside, the Lady Gaga freak-show is the year's most refreshing and ingenious takeover of the airwaves. With The Fame Monster, Lady Gaga certainly solidifies her place in the lineage of pop royalty.
Contra (Vampire Weekend)(04 of10)
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Love ‘em or hate ‘em you can’t deny this album had enough melody to sustain the entire Upper West Side for a full year. Shying away from the Paul Simon brand of afro-pop, the band explores new territory–from synthesizers to mariachi horns to loop machines. A song paying tribute to the holidays certainly doesn't hurt Contra's ubiquity this time of year, either.
Teen Dream (Beach House)(05 of10)
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Victoria Legrand may be America’s preeminent modern chanteuse, and her smoky delivery provides one of the year's most engaging vocal performances. The album’s chilly atmosphere contrasts wonderfully with Legrand’s warm tones.
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Kanye West)(06 of10)
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Entertainment’s most divisive figure culls music’s best and brightest to create the production piece of the year. It’s Kanye’s most defining musical statement to date, encapsulating a career of ups and downs in glib turns of phrase and clever production tricks.
Halcyon Digest (Deerhunter)(07 of10)
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Deerhunter has come a long way from their early days of noise rock squall. Halcyon Digest stands as the year’s most hauntingly beautiful musical statement, paying homage to death and to bygone glory in the same sweeping gesture.
Gorilla Manor (Local Natives)(08 of10)
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The debut album of the year is packed with sunny harmonies, complex rhythms, and beautiful arrangements. Their musicianship and penchant for pop sensibilities are strikingly mature for a first release. Definitely a must listen.
Speak Now (Taylor Swift)(09 of10)
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Taylor Swift’s intensely personal country pop songs have matured significantly on her second album, though Swift has retained her knack to pen a catchy hook. Rebounding from Kanye’s embarrassing interruption at last year’s VMAs she returns with Speak Now and a batch of songs that are stronger than ever.
Recovery (Eminem)(10 of10)
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Despite last year’s Grammy winning Relapse, Eminem has basically dropped off the face of the planet since 2005. This year’s Recovery is more than a return to form. Eminem races out of the gates with verses rapped at lightning speed, in odd syncopations and filled with tongue twisting rhymes.

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