Best Shows of 2010.

Last year I was a bit lazy/distracted and only attended 23 shows... so I tried to make up for it in 2010 and I made it out to 34... I saw so many good shows this year it was hard to cut the list down to only 10... the year started off right when I discovered Diamond Rings opening for Owen Pallett at the Mod Club... I saw John O'Regan three times in total around Toronto who also introduced me to my other favourite new act of 2010 PS I Love You... Surfer Blood made me love sweating upstairs at Sneaky Dee's again... and Kurt Vile introduced me to the Great Hall with feedback that would make J Mascis proud... Tune Yards unveiled new songs to a packed Horseshoe with a full band... and Best Coast and Male Bonding made it possible for me to smoke weed inside Lee's Palace once again... Carey Mercer took his yowl outside when Frog Eyes played the courtyard at The Music Gallery... and Damien Jurado shone through the smokiest venue known to man in Hamburg... while Sufjan Stevens tried to steal the best show of the year again when he played Massey Hall with Royal Robertson inspired video and sci-fi clad backup singers... but Deerhunter took it in the end with one of the loudest shows on record especially when they almost brought the house down when they played Nothing Ever Happened and ended the night with one of my favouite songs of the year He Would Have Laughed.

Best Shows of 2010

01. Deerhunter
The Opera House - Toronto, Ontario
October 19, 2010

02. Sufjan Stevens
Massey Hall - Toronto, Ontario
October 13, 2010

03. Damien Jurado
Kulturhaus III&70 - Hamburg, Germany
September 15, 2010

04. Frog Eyes
The Music Gallery - Toronto, Ontario
June 15, 2010

05. Best Coast & Male Bonding
Lee's Palace - Toronto, Ontario
September 25, 2010

06. Tune Yards
The Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto, Ontario
June 13, 2010

07. Caribou
Phoenix Concert Theatre - Toronto, Ontario
May 3, 2010

08. Kurt Vile
Great Hall - Toronto, Ontario
July 20, 2010

09. Surfer Blood
Sneaky Dee's - Toronto, Ontario
March 6, 2010

10. Owen Pallett & Diamond Rings
The Mod Club - Toronto, Ontario
January 12, 2010

Best of 2010.

Best Albums of 2010
01. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
02. Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me
03. Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz
04. Best Coast - Crazy For You
05. Wavves - King of the Beach
06. The Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
07. Caribou - Swim
08. Frederick Squire - March 12
09. Frog Eyes - Paul's Tomb: A Triumph
10. Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
11. Male Bonding - Nothing Hurts
12. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & The Cairo Gang -
The Wonder Show of the World

13. Hot Chip - One Life Stand
14. Owen Pallet - Heartland
15. PS I Love You - At Munster Station
16. Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be
17. No Age - Everything In Between
18. Sleigh Bells - Treats
19. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
20. Sam Amidon - I See The Sign
21. The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt
22. The Morning Benders - Big Echo
23. Twin Shadow - Forget
24. Gil-Scott Heron - I'm New Here

25. Spoon - Transference

Honourable Mention
Diamond Rings - Special Affections
The Drums - Self Titled
Daniel, Fred & Julie - Self Title
Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM
Black Mountain - Wilderness Heart
The National - High Violet
The Black Keys - Brothers
Scout Niblett - The Calcination of Scout Niblett
Phosphorescent - Here's To Taking It Easy

Best Songs of 2010
01. Wavves - Green Eyes
02. Deerhunter - He Would Have Laughed
03. Sufjan Stevens - I Want To Be Well
04. PS I Love You - Facelove
05. Best Coast - Boyfriend
06. The Arcade Fire - Suburban War
07. LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean
08. Caribou - Found Out
09. Joanna Newsom - Jack Rabbits
10. Male Bonding - Pumpkin
11. Hot Chip - One Life Stand
12. Twin Shadow - Forget
13. Damien Jurado - Beacon Hill
14. Frederick Squire - Pretty Bird

15. Surfer Blood - Slow Jabroni
16. Owen Pallet - Oh Heartland, Up Yours!
17. The Tallest Man On Earth - A Lion's Heart
18. Dum Dum Girls - Jail La La
19. Frog Eyes - A Flower In A Glove
20. The Morning Benders - All Day Day Light

21. No Age - Glitter
22. Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill
23. Gil-Scott Heron - I'm New Here
24. Spoon - Written In Reverse
25. The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio