2010 Top Ten List Spotlight Sharlese

photo by Amelia Gydé

When it comes to albums released in 2010, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who’s pored over them more intensely than a KEXP DJ. So, what were their favorites? Which CDs did they reach for the most, or, uh, “click on” the most in their iTunes players? Find out as KEXP looks at each DJ’s list through the month of December, leading up to our 2010 Top 90.3 Countdown, as voted on by YOU, the KEXP listener! Voting ends on Monday, December 20th, so let us know your favorites now.

Sharlese’s 2010 Top Ten Albums
At the end of the year KEXP Staff and DJs are asked to make a top 10 album list. This is one of the hardest things I have to do next to choosing an outfit every morning. Ten is not nearly enough and I find myself complaining about it every year! So this year, DJs were given the opportunity to have their own blog post centered around their top 10 of 2010 and now I present to you my beautiful dark twisted fantasy…of music.

Top 10 Albums
The Drums – The Drums (Downtown)

Xiu Xiu – Dear God, I Hate Myself (Kill Rock Stars)
click for video [warning: explicit!]

Tokyo Police Club – Champ (Mom + Pop Recording Co.)

Wolf Parade – Expo ‘86 (Sub Pop)

Magic Bullets – Magic Bullets (Mon Amie)
Cloud Nothings – Turning On (Car Park Records)
Tanlines – Settings EP (True Panther)
Salem – King Night (IAMSOUND)
Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest (4AD)
✝NO VIRGIN✝ – Downer EP (Self-Released)

Top 10 Albums That Should’ve Been On My Top 10
Blank Dogs – Land and Fixed (Captured Tracks)
Vampire Weekend – Contra (XL Recordings)
Mahjongg – The Long Shadow of the Paper Tiger (K)
Wild Nothing – Gemini (Captured Tracks)
Beach Fossils – Beach Fossils (Captured Tracks)
Javelin – No Más (Luaka Bop)
White Ring – Black Earth That Made Me (Disaro)
Blonde Redhead – Penny Sparkle (4AD)
Zola Jesus – Valusia EP (Sacred Bones)
Former Ghosts – New Love (Upset The Rhythm)

Top 10 Local Albums
Mt St Helen’s Vietnam Band – Where The Messengers Meet (Dead Oceans)
Absolute Monarchs – Demo
Feral Children – Brand New Blood (Sarathan Records)
Reporter – Time Incredible (Holocene)
Mad Rad – The Youth Die Young (Out For Stardom)
Frog Eyes – Paul’s Tomb: A Triumph (Dead Oceans)
Beat Connection – Surf Noir EP (Self-Released)
Wild Orchid Children – Wild Orchid is Alexander Supertramp (Equal Vision)
Ravenna Woods – Demons & Lakes (Self Released)
Dark Time Sunshine – Vessel (Fake Four Inc)

Top 10 Local Albums That Should’ve Made My Top 10
Copy – Hard Dream (Audio Dregs)
Truckasauras – Quarters (Fourth City)
Parenthetical Girls – Privilege Part II: The Past, Imperfect (Slender Means Society)
The Young Evils – Enchanted Chapel (Self-Released)
Sports – Demo
Hoqiuam – Hoqiuam (St. Ives)
The Thermals – Personal Life (Kill Rock Stars)
Soft Metals – The Cold War Melts Ep (Captured Tracks)
Oc Notes – Doo Doo (self-released)
Theesatisfaction – Transitions (Self-Released)

Top 10 Reissues/Comps/EPs
Weezer – Pinkerton [Deluxe Edition] (Geffen)
Chromatics – Nightdrive (Italians Do It Better)
Orange Juice – Coals to New Castle (Domino)
Black Tambourine – Black Tambourine (Slumberland)
Snowden – Slow Soft Syrup EP (self-released)
The Cold Jungle – A Cairo Compiliation (Cairo)
The Minimal Wave Tapes: Volume 1 (Stones Throw)
Holy Ghost! – Static on a Wire EP (DFA)
Girls – Broken Dreams Club EP (True Panter)
Cold Wave and Minimal Electronics – Volume 1 (Angular)

Top 10 In-Studios
Wet Paint DMM – 1/23/2010
LAKE – 6/12/2010
Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside – 6/12/2010
Ravenna Woods – 4/12/2010
of Montreal – 10/27/2010
Broken Social Scene – 10/15/2010
Thee Oh Sees (LIVE on KEXP from Doug Fir) – 9/10/2010
Mad Rad – 11/30/2010
The Drums (LIVE from CMJ) – 10/21/2010
Theesatisfaction (LIVE from Capitol Hill Block Party) – 07/25/10

Top 10 Jamz
Happy Birthday – Girls FM [Happy Birthday, Sub Pop]
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs [The Suburbs, Merge]

Avey Tare – Oliver Twist [Down There, Paw Tracks]

Delorean – Stay Close [Subiza, True Panther]

Caribou – Odessa [Swim, Merge]

Black Whales – Rattle Your Bones [Rattle Your Bones 7’’, New Canada]
Jarv Dee – I Just Wanna [SINGLE]
Das Racist – Commercial [Sit Down, Man, Self-Released]

Seapony – Dreaming [Dreaming 7’’, Double Denim]
Yeasayer – Ambling Alp (Odd Blood, Secretly Canadian)

Sharlese is on the air Friday mornings from 1-6AM, and is the producer of Audioasis, on the air Saturday evenings 6-9PM.