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Steve: Well, I agree with you on Jonsi. He may be matched only by Sufjan Stevens in terms of the ingenuity he brings to his arrangements and songwriting in general. In some ways it feels silly to try and compare an epic sounding album like Go with some of the simpler fare from bands like Best Coast or The Young Evils. What I think those latter bands have in their corner is an emotional intimacy that I have a harder time getting from Jonsi. But if I want to play something loud that makes me feel happy at a core, visceral level, I'll go with Jonsi (or Sigur Ros) any time. And ultimately I think those trade-offs are what can allow for comparisons of very different works of music. For frame of reference: Jonsi - Go (13th), The Young Evils - Enchanted Chapel (19th), and Best Coast - Crazy For You (21st).

The National, well, we've talked about this before, but I have a hard time getting past the vocals. A little too baritone and monotone for me.

Noah: I still think you're missing out. There's more there than just the surface level on the vocal, and High Violet is worth a second listen.

I don't think we need to spend more time on the album we both have at number two. We reviewed Wolf Parade's Expo 86 earlier in the year and it's on our short list of Great albums.

So now it's time for our best of 2010...

Steve: I'm making a drumroll noise right now.

Noah: The best album of 2010 was one that anyone who reads a music blog won't be surprised to read on this list: Arcade Fire – The Suburbs.

For me, Arcade Fire made the most interesting album of the year. It’s textured and nuanced, without being trite on a subject (the aforementioned suburbs) that is begging for a lyricist to fall into the stereotype trap. The albums that stick with me the longest and make the biggest impact on my musical landscape are like onions, layered and requiring a little work to peel. The Suburbs is an onion.

I also think that The Suburbs is a little bit of a swerve for Arcade Fire. They’ve always had a big sound, filled with anthemic rock and roll. In concert, they are high energy, always moving, creating a wall of sound. But The Suburbs is a restrained, controlled album. The anthems are still there, but they don’t have the heart-on-the-sleeve fervor of Funeral or Neon Bible. You almost have to find them.

I spent most of the year thinking Wolf Parade’s Expo 86 would be at the top of my list for 2010, but in a year of great music the top to bottom quality and consistency of The Suburbs makes it my best of 2010.

Steve: The Suburbs had some excellent songs - in particular "Ready to Start", "Rococo", "City With No Children", "We Used to Wait", and "Sprawl II" were probably among my favorite individual songs of the year, and they were enough to propel The Suburbs to number 12 on my list.

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