Kilo Wattson writesMicha Ward’s Best of 2010

As we celebrate the end of the year and our first year on the air, throughout the month of December CHIRP Radio will be featuring our members' Top 10 Albums of 2010. Our first list comes from CHIRP Radio DJ and Volunteer Coordinator Micha Ward.

1. Junip – Fields (Mute)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   There’s something subtle but unsettling about this record from Jose Gonzalez and band. Calm before the storm, the eerie silence before it starts to snow, the tick tick tick before the bomb goes off. Junip has melted its brand into my brain. My best of 2010. Best Song: “To The Grain”
2. The National – High Violet (4AD)
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   Every single song is about pain or sadness. It’s been that kind of year for me. The National puts it in words I can’t. Best Song: “England”
3. Land of Talk – Cloak and Cipher (Saddle Creek)
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   Hailing from Montreal, Land Of Talk’s Elizabeth Powell can bear her soul and shred on the guitar- often within the same song. And look damn good doing it. I never heard much from them until seeing them at Lincoln Hall and was instantly a fan and tracking down their entire catalog. Best Song: “Quarry Hymns”
4. Sharon Van Etten – Epic (Ba Da Bing)
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   I simply fell in love with Sharon Van Etten this year. That’s really all there is to say. Best Song: “One Day”
5. Superchunk – Majesty Shredding (Merge)
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   Hometown band hailing from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It sounds like 1991 again and it’s never sounded better. Best Song: “Crossed Wires”
6. First Aid Kit – The Big Black & The Blue (Wichita)
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   Swedish indie folk from sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg. Brutal, honest lyrics and voices that make you ache. Best Song: “Heavy Storm”
7. Megafaun – Heretofore (Hometapes)
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   Another North Carolina band playing moody Americana with a sound steeped in Appalachian folk, alt-country, and the blues. You say you wouldn’t like it, but you will. Best Song: “Heretofore”
8. The Hundred in the Hands – The Hundred in the Hands (Warp)
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   Post punk, neo-80’s dance music. Reminds me a little of what I think Berlin would sound like if they were around today. Yeah… exactly. Best Song: “Commotion”
9. Stornoway – Beachcomber’s Windowsill (4AD)
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   There is such a richness to the record. More texture than sound. Best Song: “The Coldharbour Road”
10. Vampire Weekend – Contra (XL)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Yeah…I know there will be a lot of backlash on this one. I dare you to see this band live and not come out of it blown away. These guys can play. Best Song: “Giving Up The Gun”