My 2010 in music

I was originally going to list my favorite music of the year, before I realized a depressing fact - I can't even think of ten albums that came out this year that I really got excited about. Brandon Boyd's solo music was pretty great, and I already gushed about Good Charlotte's new tunes taking me back to my middle school roots. And uh...does The Airborne Toxic Event's live album count? That's pretty much all I've got. These are dark times, my friends.

So instead, let's talk about what I did listen to in 2010, regardless of the year it came out. This was ultimately the year of Mumford and Sons,  Florence and the Machine and some old classics. Take it away, Last.fm.

Time to break it down a little now:

1. Third Eye Blind - No surprise there. Actually, 524 plays might be a little low compared to previous years.
2. & 3. Green Day & AFI - I saw them in concert together in July, and the show was so phenomenal that my obsession was reborn a little bit for the next month.
4. Mumford and Sons - This was the year I fell in love with this British folk band. Sigh No More is the album I've been playing on repeat since March and miraculously, I haven't gotten even slightly sick of it yet.
5. The Airborne Toxic Event - Yeah, you guys get it by now. I love them. Saw them twice this year, and the word on the street is they'll be releasing a new album in 2011. I can't wait to flood your RSS Feeds with more posts about how fantastic this band is.
6. Incubus - No idea what happened this year to inspire me to listen to them so much. I guess they've been one of my favorite bands since middle school, so I just keep on rockin' out to them.
7. Jimmy Eat World - I did not review the new JEW album, Invented, because to be honest, I was a little disappointed in it and I can't bear to say anything mean about this band. Sure, tracks like "Higher Devotion" and "Cut" immediately took their spots on My Top Rated playlist, but something about the album as a whole just felt incomplete. I expect epic from JEW. However, to be fair, they redeemed themselves when I saw them play in October. Thankfully, they are still one of my favorite live bands.
8. Florence and the Machine - Florence Welch's voice is so good, it's almost unbelievable. I saw her in concert in October and she was absolutely incredible.
9. A Fine Frenzy - I adore Alison Sudol, the voice behind AFF. Nothing else needs to be said.
10. Midnight Youth - My favorite New Zealand band. I discovered them on my trip there mid-2009, and I still haven't gotten over how much I love their album, The Brave Don't Run.

I have absolutely no idea why that Ataris song is listed here. I haven't listened to them in years, so it must be some sort of mistake. Regardless, now I want to go listen to The Ataris. Well played, Last.fm.

So there it is, my year in music. I wish you all a happy new year, and let's hope 2011 is filled with even better releases.