There were great albums, great songs and great videos but the artists are the ones who are all behind what we get audio wise or visually, so here is our list of the Top 20 Artists of 2010! The following artists have had both a pretty great year with everyone else but most importantly with us! We still like them and we're betting you like a majority of them as well. See if your favorite artists made our list this year after the jump!
20. Blair
Blair may be one of the most overlooked artists we happen to love here on BeatCrave. We're not going to lie. She was one of our favs back in 2009 and when she released her debut album Die Young, back in January, we were nothing less than thankful. She's since then switched our golden coast for the east coast but with songs like "Candy in the Kitchen" and "Rampage," we still think her music did 2010 some good.
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19. Baths
In a year we were lucky enough to have Flying Lotus, we discovered another great electronic artist from the area who goes by the stage name of Baths (aka Will Wiesenfeld). If you don't frequent the Low End Theory nights at the Airliner, you have missed out on Baths altogether as he is only 21 and only recently been highly approved by those for an acquired taste. When we say that, we mean just because you happen to like chillwave doesn't mean you'll like Baths.
In addition to that, don't be so quick to lump Baths in with artists such as Washed Out or Toro Y Moi either. Although we love the two mentioned artists, there is something a bit deeper and structured within Bath's music. Cerulean embodies all of this. The loose ends in the laid-back chill wave genre are actually tied up and it still sounds just as interesting.
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18. Superhumanoids
With a name like Superhumanoids, this band must have some super powers right? We're not so sure about the super powers but we do know that their music is credible enough for us and everyone else to notice one thing. Superhumanoids = great pop music. If you have yet to dig into what Superhumanoids has to offer, we highly suggest taking a listen to "Hey Big Bang" off of their Urgency EP. Now.
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17. Delphic
Delphic is across the big pond which is really what we call the Atlantic Ocean, but that didn't mean their sounds didn't stay with us when they finally traveled to the States to do a few shows. Typically a band underneath the electronic umbrella, Delphic is also a great live band if you like more than just a turn table and a mic. Vocals are crisp, the energy is high and the music is all around lengthy as some of the remix jams the clubs spin. It's just always better when a live band plays the music for you.
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16. Rose Elinor Dougall
Rose Elinor Dougall may look familiar to you. She's a former member of the all-female British power-pop group The Pipettes and she's also been touring with Mark Ronson as part of The Business Intl collective. However, her debut album Without Why is without a doubt one of the most overlooked albums of the year and if you have even an inkling of how much talent this gal has, you've probably already done the slap on the forehead motion for telling yourself that you've been meaning to pick it up. If you haven't divulged in the album yet, take a listen to the song "Carry On," and feel your hand rise up to complete that motion shortly after.
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15. Flying Lotus
Flying Lotus or FlyLo as his fans like to call him was basically a beautiful breath of fresh air as he was also a breath taker with his album, Cosmogramma. A one man show who sometimes fleshes out his electronic music with a live band, Flying Lotus is the type of artist we've been patiently waiting for.
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14. Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros have been around since 2005 but it wasn't until their song, "Home" (a track from a 2009 album) actually got popular during the summer of 2010. Playing every festival you could ever muster up in your head, getting the track played in every other TV commercial as well as doing a David Bowie cover, it would be hard to say that this large hippie-esque group didn't achieve noteworthy status during 2010.
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13. Titus Andronicus
Although Titus Andronicus may be the name of Shakespeare tragedy, 2010 was definitely the opposite of tragedy for the New Jersey-based punk rock band who holds the same name. The band wasn't new to releasing an album, but the swarm of positive reviews for their second full-length must have been a nice little nudge into the spotlight for continual credibility. "Titus Andronicus Forever."
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12. Avi Buffalo
Avi Buffalo was actually one of our Bands To Look Out For In 2010 and our hunch was correct. Releasing their self-titled debut full-length, Avi Buffalo went out on the road for a majority of the year in support of the new material and by the time they came back for a their last 2010 show in November, their fan based was completely solidified. That's not bad for a bunch of kids who just recently graduated high school.
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11. Fitz & The Tantrums
Fitz & The Tantrums used to be a band playing a few residencies here and there in Los Angeles and considered to be another one of the music darlings in the local scene. Then they were suddenly going on massive tours, getting their songs in national phone commercials and coming home to sold-out shows at the El Rey. Who can blame their fans though? There is never enough soul music and they're definitely a great band to ease that genre more and more into the indie rock scene. Have you listened to "Moneygrabber" yet?
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10. Glasser
Cameron Mesirow aka Glasser only released her debut album on Matador just a couple of months ago but Ring has already made plenty of people's year end lists. She's not on here just to be on one of our lists (she's actually already on another one) but we're elated to have had the opportunity of discovering her as a local artist. All the nods toward Glasser are seconded here.
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09. Sharon Van Etten
If you've ever gotten your heart broken or you're still stuck in that place where you're trying to figure out "where" is, then there's a good chance you would be or have been affected by Sharon Van Etten's album, Epic. Simple, poignant, guitar-based but heavy on the lyrical content, Van Etten has been an influence on many listeners when it comes to the softer side of great sound.
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08. Warpaint
Warpaint not only released The Fool but also had a nice follow-up with a growth in fan base, tour date additions and more but they gained a permanent drummer for the time being. If you're ever in the mood to see four women be so deep into the music they're playing, Warpaint is your best bet. We're also betting you develop a crush or two if it's your first time with the girls.
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07. The Morning Benders
The Morning Benders may be adorable but we didn't let the cuteness fool us. There are some major smarts behind those pinch-worthy cheeks of theirs and if you're still not on the same page as us, just take a listen to Big Echo – a sophomore effort aided by Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor. "Excuses," "Promises" and "All Day Day Light" were all hits with the crowds this year and they still are with us.
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06. The Tallest Man On Earth
It's not easy to be on stage all by your lonesome unless you are Kristian Matsson aka The Tallest Man On Earth. With songwriting that rich and vocals that can move the stillest of stone cold hearts, the confidence is a great companion to move those songs along. In a time where there are bands who are just kids making noise together, it's been refreshing to experience such a captivating singer-songwriter work his magic on just guitar.
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05. Local Natives
Local Natives was another contender on our Bands To Look Out For In 2010, and they took a very similar route to their friends Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros in regards to music festivals and international tours. The only difference was the fact that they were playing shows in full support of their debut full-length, Gorilla Manor. The fun part is that everyone else was supporting them, too.
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04. Tame Impala
Tame Impala was our little mini Australian invasion. Hypnotizing people with their latest album, Innerspeaker, psychedelia took a whole new turn with these boys. Songs such as "Lucidity," "Desire Be Desire Go" and "Alter Ego" made us crank the volume up even if the distortion was nothing like we've safely heard before.
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03. Robyn
Robyn not only made a strong comeback in 2010 but she made a very smart comeback. We all knew Body Talk was coming our way but what surprised us most was her decision of breaking it up into a three-part series. All the singles and hits are on the official full-length but there were definitely a few jams and different renditions on Parts 1, 2 and 3 that aren't available on the latest release. This counts as record #2 which fully supports her departure from a major label as well as solid backing for her own indie label, Konichiwa Records.
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02. Janelle Monae
Janelle Monae gained mainstream attention for the tune, "Tightrope," but along with that and a new hairdo, it's really the energy and versatility that is getting a hold of new fans. With a voice much bigger than her stature, the girl can move, sing and inspire all at the same time. This inspiration can be channeled through her album, The ArchAndroid or any live show of hers. We love the album but highly recommend catching a show of hers sometime in the very near future.
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01. Wild Nothing
This is definitely something we could be concerned about saying in terms of being excessively cliche but Wild Nothing, the project of Jack Tatum, has won our ears and our hearts with Gemini. Combining a throwback sound to pop as well as propelling it into the current indie rock scene, Tatum has been a humble musician and a joy to listen to all year. Track after track, there hasn't been one disappointment. We thank 2010 for that.
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