This year, we decided to revive an old trick from our print magazine of listing music releases that are neither the best nor the worst, but rather are the bodies of work that inspired shrugs in slow motion, what-do-you-want-from-me raised eyebrows, and our favorite one-syllable, high-pitched utterance of indifference. Why not go into further detail about what makes these documents completely predictable, often mundane, usually dull as a butter knife? May we introduce you to a somewhat average syllable…
Here you have it folks, the 199 most “eh…” worthy releases of 2010, with our bonus worst album of the year, buried at the bottom.
The 199 most “eh…” releases of 2010
M.I.A., / / / Y / (N.E.E.T./Interscope)
Ke$ha, Animal (RCA)
Owen Pallett, Heartland (Domino)
OK Go, Of the Blue Colour of the Sky (Capitol)
Tape Deck Mountain, Ghost (Lefse)
Cold War Kids, Behave Yourself (Downtown)
Surfer Blood, Astro Coast (Kanine)
Rjd2, The Colossus (RJ's Electrical Connection)
Editors, In This Light & On This Evening (Kitchenware)
Citay, Dream Get Together (Dead Oceans)
Strong Arm Steady, In Search of Stoney Jackson (Stones Throw)
Pierced Arrows, Descending Shadows (Vice)
Rob Zombie, Hellbilly Deluxe II (Roadrunner Records)
ceo, White Magic (Modular/Sincerely Yours)
Tame Impala, Innerspeaker (Modular)
Yeasayer, Odd Blood (Secretly Canadian)
Freeway & Jake One, The Stimulus Package (Rhymesayers)
Hot Chip, One Life To Stand (Astralwerks)
You Say Party! We Say Die!, XXXX (Paper Bag)
Priestess, Prior to the Fire (Tee Pee)
The Album Leaf, A Chorus of Storytellers (Sub Pop)
The Soft Pack, The Soft Pack (Kemado)
Wu-Tang Clan, Return of the Wu & Friends (Gold Dust)
Everybody Was In The French Resistance…Now , Fixin' The Charts, Volume One (Cooking Vinyl)
Local Natives, Gorilla Manor (French Kiss)
N.E.R.D., Nothing (Star Trak)
The Morning Benders, Big Echo (Rough Trade)
Little Boots, Hands (679/Atlantic/Elektra)
Joanna Newsom, Have One On Me (Drag City)
Juliana Hatfield, Peace And Love (Ye Olde)
Lightspeed Champion, Life Is Sweet! Nice To Meet You (Domino)
High on Fire, Snakes for the Divine (Koch)
Shout Out Louds, Work (Merge)
Alkaline Trio, This Addiction (Heart & Skull/Epitaph)
We Are Wolves, Invisible Violence (+1)
The Radio Dept., Clinging to a Scheme (Labrador)
Nymph, Nymph (The Social Registry)
Shit Robot, From the Cradle to the Rave (DFA)
Cloud Cult, Light Chasers, (Earthology)
Shearwater, Golden Archipelago (Matador)
Jaguar Love, Hologram Jams (Fat Possum)
Aloha, Home Acres (Polyvinyl)
Was (Not Was), Pick of the Litter 1980-2000 (Micro Werks)
Kidz in the Hall, Land of the Make Believe (Duckdown)
The Besnard Lakes, The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night (Jagjaguwar)
Ludacris, Battle of the Sexes DTP
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Beat the Devil's Tattoo (Abstract Dragon/Vagrant)
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, The Brutalist Bricks
Broken Bells, Broken Bells (Sony)
Drive By Truckers, The Big To-Do (ATO)
The Bird And The Bee, Interpreting The Masters, Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall And John Oates (Blue Note)
She & Him, Volume Two (Merge)
Usher, Raymond v. Raymond (La Face)
Dr. Dog, Shame, Shame (Anti)
Plan B, The Defamation of Strickland Banks (679/Atlantic)
Murs & 9th Wonder, Fornever (SMC)
Coheed and Cambria, Year of the Black Rainbow (Sony)
Matt Pond PA, The Dark Leaves (Attitude)
MGMT, Congratulations (Columbia)
Roky Erickson With Okkervil River, True Love Cast Out All Evil (Anti)
Kurupt, Streetlights (Penagon)
B.o.b., The Adventures of Bobby Ray (Atlantic)
Hole, Nobody's Daughter (Mercury)
The New Pornographers, Together (Matador)
Damian Marley / Nas, Distant Relatives (Def Jam / Universal Republic)
Band of Horses, Infinite Arms (Fat Possum / Columbia / Brown)
Woven Hand, The Threshingfloor (Sounds Familyre)
LCD Soundsystem, This Is Happening Virgin (Parlophone / DFA)
Stone Temple Pilots, Stone Temple Pilots (Atlantic)
Sleigh Bells, Treats (N.E.E.T. / Mom & Pop)
Japandroids, No Singles (Polyvinyl)
A-Trak, Dirty South Dance 2 (Self-released)
UNKLE, Where Did the Night Fall (Surrender All)
Melvins, The Bride Screamed Murder (Ipecac)
David Cross, Bigger and Blackerer (Sub Pop)
Wild Nothing, Gemini (Captured Tracks)
Holy Fuck, Latin (Young Turks/XL)
The Depreciation Guild, Spirit Youth (Kanine)
Dead Meadow, Three Kings (Xemu)
The Black Keys, Brothers (Nonesuch)
T.I., Fuck A Mixtape
Club 8, The People's Record (Labrador)
Phosphorescent, Here's to Taking It Easy (Dead Oceans)
CocoRosie, Grey Oceans (Sub Pop)
The National, High Violet (4AD)
Broken Social Scene, Forgiveness Rock Record (Arts & Crafts)
The Hold Steady, Heaven Is Whenever (Rough Trade / Vagrant)
Here We Go Magic, Pigeons (Secretly Canadian)
The Roots, How I Got Over (Def Jam)
Suckers, Wild Smile (Frenchkiss)
Tokyo Police Club, Champ (Mom + Pop)
Scissor Sisters, Night Work (Universal)
Eminem, The Recovery (Aftermath)
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, “Say No To Love” 7-inch
Drake, Thank Me Later (Young Money)
The Cure, Disintegration (Deluxe Edition)
Ratatat, LP4 (XL Recordings)
Blitzen Trapper, Destroyer of the Void (Sub Pop)
Melvins, The Bride Screamed Murder (Ipecac)
Deer Tick, The Black Dirt Sessions (Partisan Records)
Born Ruffians, Say It (Paper Bag Records)
Sia, We Are Born (Monkey Puzzle/Jive)
Oasis, Time Flies… 1994-2009 (Big Brother)
Stars, The Five Ghosts (Vagrant)
Kele, The Boxer (Glassnote Records)
The Drums, The Drums (Downtown)
Devo, Something For Everybody (Warner Bros.)
Kylie Minogue, Aphrodite (Astralwerks/EMI)
The Hives, Tarred and Feathered EP (self-released)
El Guincho, Piratas de Sudamérica (Young Turks)
Mystery Jets, Serotonin (Rough Trade)
School of Seven Bells, Disconnect From Desire (Vagrant/Ghostly International)
Paul Wall, Heart of a Champion (SwishaHouse/Asylum)
Department of Eagles, Archive 2003-2006 (American Dust)
Film School, Fission (FFO)
Danger Mouse / Sparklehorse, Dark Night of the Soul (Parlophone/EMI)
Amanda Palmer, Amanda Palmer Plays the Popular Hits of Radiohead on Her Magical Ukelele (self-released)
Secret Cities, Pink Graffiti (Western Vinyl)
Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More (Glass Note)
Basia Bulat, Heart of My Own (Secert City)
Rick Ross, Teflon Don (Maybach Music Group / Def Jam)
Nite Jewel, Am I Real? EP (self-released)
Menomena, Mines (Barsuk)
Of Montreal, “The Past Is a Grotesque Animal” 12” (Polyvinyl)
Tony da Gatorra vs. Gruff Rhys, The Terror of Cosmic Loneliness (OVNI/Turnstile)
Slum Village, Villa Manifesto (N'Astra Music Group)
Arcade Fire, The Suburbs (Merge)
Gucci Mane, Jewelry Selection (Self-Released)
Klaxons, Surfing the Void (Polydor)
Young Jeezy, 1,000 Grams Vol. 1 (CTE)
We Are Scientists, Barbara (PIAS)
Jenny and Johnny, I'm Having Fun Now (Warner Bros.)
!!!, Strange Weather, Isn't It? (Warp)
Mac Miller, K.I.D.S. Mixtape
Dâm-Funk, Hood Pass Intact (Stones Throw)
Bun B, Trill OG (Rap-A-Lot Records)
Asylum, Disturbed (Reprise)
Usher, Versus (Versus)
The Sword, Warp Riders (Kemado Records)
Autolux, Transit Transit (ATP Recordings)
Ra Ra Riot, The Orchard (Barsuk)
Goo Goo Dolls, Something for the Rest of Us (Warner Bros.)
Iron Maiden, The Final Frontier (EMI)
David Gray, Foundling (Downtown)
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Let It Sway (Polyvinyl)
Eli “Paperboy” Reed, Come And Get It! (Capitol)
Wavves, King of the Beach (Fat Possum)
Weezer, Hurley (Epitaph)
Flying Lotus, Pattern+Grid World (Warp)
Duck Sauce, All their stupid songs, if they have more than one.
El Guincho, Pop Negro (Young Turks)
Of Montreal, False Priest (Polyvinyl)
Interpol, Interpol (Matador)
Les Savy Fav, Root For Ruin (Frenchkiss)
Nick Hornby and Ben Folds, Lonely Avenue (Nonesuch)
Atmosphere, To All My Friends, Blood Makes The Blade Holy:The Atmosphere EPs (Rhymesayers)
Brandon Flowers, Flamingo (Island)
Chromeo, Business Casual (Atlantic)
Wavves' weed grinders
Black Mountain, Wilderness Heart (Jagjaguwar)
The Charlatans UK, Who We Touch, (The End)
Robyn, Body Talk, Pt. 2 (Island)
Naledge, Naledge Is… Twenty Something
Gucci Mane, The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted (Warner Bros./Asylum)
Avey Tare, Down There (Paw Tracks)
Bruno Mars, Doo-Wops and Hooligans (Elektra)
Clinic, Bubblegum (Domino)
Twin Shadow, Forget (4AD/Terrible)
Die Antwoord, $O$ (Interscope/Cherrytree)
Warpaint, The Fool (Rough Trade)
Badly Drawn Boy, It's What I'm Thinking, Pt. 1: Photographing Snowflakes (One Last Fruit)
Lil Wayne, I Am Not A Human Being (Universal Motown)
Shakira, Sale el Sol (Sony)
Sufjan Stevens, The Age of Adz (Asthmatic Kitty)
Kings of Leon, Come Around Sundown (RCA)
Mark Ronson, Record Collection (Columbia)
Soundgarden, Telephantasm (A&M Records)
Simian Mobile Disco, Is Fixed (Defend Music Inc.)
Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday (Universal Motown)
Violens, Amoral, (Friendly Fire)
Matt and Kim, Sidewalks (Fader)
Bear Hands, Burning Bush Supper Club (Cantora)
Rihanna, Loud (Def Jam)
Black Eyed Peas, The Beginning (Interscope)
Smashing Pumpkins, Teargarden by Kaleidyscope Vol. II, The Solstice Bare (Rocket Science)
Robyn, Body Talk (Interscope)
Weezer, Death To False Metal (Geffen)
Cradle of Filth, Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa (Nuclear Blast)
The Concretes, WYWH (Friendly Fire)
Mini Mansions, Mini Mansions (Ipecac)
David Banner & 9th Wonder, Death of a Pop Star
Lyrics Born, As You Were (Decon)
T.I., No Mercy (Atlantic)
Flo Rida, Only 1 Flo, Pt. 1 (Atlantic)
Ke$ha, Cannibal (RCA)
Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Def Jam)
Finally: Is dead Bill Hicks psyched about his new box set or what??
And, we didn't forget:
Worst album of 2010
Lil' Wayne, Rebirth (Young Money)
We all make mistakes. We do not all have the vast means at our fingertips to take an initial mistake, repeat it 12 times (we got that this whole turgid thing was going to make us sad after “Prom Queen” leaked), and have it go gold. Lil' Wayne was beset with plenty of other problems, not all of them alien: a year in jail, a month in solitary confinement. Certainly we wish only the best for the guy, and consider him possibly the greatest living rapper. But just one question: Why is is that when quoting or writing rock music, 9 out of 10 rap artists resort to the sleaziest, gel-heaviest hair metal and Chemical Romance emo that ever clogged up a smoke machine? Looking at “Paradice“. Sidenote: Was “On Fire” the best chillwave intro of 2010?
