Best Music (and more) of 2010

I really like best of the year lists, in almost any topic. But I especially like year end best of music lists. For the past several years, my music list has been published in The Tompkins Weekly. You can download last year's article here. For 2010, I'm publishing my list here and that offers me a bit more freedom to include a few of my favorite books and, yeah, even my favorite coffee of the year. Another change for this year: I kept a running tab of the songs and albums that I really liked instead of trying to come up with the list at the end of the year. And some of the music isn't even new for 2010, but was just really meaningful to me.

So this is what's on my list:

Albums

• Corinne Bailey Rae–The Sea
• Nneka–Concrete Jungle
• Carolina Chocolate Drops–Genuine Negro Gig
• Johnny Cash–American VI Ain’t No Grav
• Frightened Rabbit–The Winter of Mixed Drinks
• Broken Bells–Broken Bells
• The National–High Violet
• Gaslight Anthem–American Slang (This gets my kids vote as their favorite)
• Mynabirds–What We Loose In The Fire We gain In The Flood
• The Black Keys–Brothers
• Preservation Hall Jazz band–A Benefit for Preservation Hall
• The Corin Tucker Band–1000 Years
• Hilary Hahn with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra–Higdon & Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos
• Mavis Staples–You Are Not Alone
• Arcade Fire–The Suburbs
• The White Stripes–Under Great White Northern Lights (Live)
• Max Roach–We Insist! (Not new for 2010, but a new discovery for me)

Concert DVD

• Bruce Springsteen–London Calling: Live in Hyde Park

Songs:

• Carolina Chocolate Drops “Peace Behind The Bridge”
• Broken Bells “The High Road”
• Frightened Rabbit “Yes, I Would”
• Johnny Cash “Can’t Help But Wonder Where I’m Bound”
• Sarah Jaffe “Clementine”
• Bruce Springsteen “The Rising,” Live
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziEfHxzNrug
• Gaslight Anthem “Bring It On”
• Frank Turner  “Long Live The Queen,” Live
• Frank Turner "Father's Day"
• Mavis Staples "You Are Not Alone"
• Bruce Springsteen "Tougher Than the Rest" 
• Preservation Hall Jazz band with Richie Havens "Trouble In Mind"
  
  

Books:

• Jennifer Egan–A Visit From The Goon Squad
• Rob Sheffield–Talking To Girls About Duran Duran
• Dennis Lehane–Moonlight Mile 

 Coffee:

• Gimme Coffee!–Las Peñitas Cup of Excellence from Honduras