end of year post: 2010
Albums of the Year
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West
Sample tracks: Runaway & Monster (ft. Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj)
Pink Friday by Nicki Minaj
Sample tracks: Save Me & Girls Fall Like Dominoes
To Anyone by 2NE1
Sample tracks: Can't Nobody & Go Away
High Violet by The National
Sample tracks: Bloodbuzz, Ohio & Afraid of Everyone
Body Talk by Robyn
Sample tracks: Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do & U Should Know Better
This year was, without a doubt, a year of pop for me. The majority of the pop I listened to was a flash in the pan musically, but To Anyone is as solid, fresh, and fun a pop album as I've ever heard. There are even a few tracks that ring with the kind of emotional honesty that's hard to find in kpop. Body Talk reflects the euro-dance phase I went through during the summer and High Violet is the only indie record to blow me away this year. Pink Friday is a grower, pretty and angry and poppy and hip-hop all at once. It's a TERRIFIC debut and is still on constant rotation in my brain. Kanye has surpassed everyone this year by leaps and bounds. This record is stunning, new and challenging and i cannot possibly sum up how good it is. Just listen!
Films of the Year
Big studio films this year blew it out of the water-- I love The Social Network in the way I haven't loved a film in years. I've cried over all these films except Scott Pilgrim and Inception and they are all quality to the nth degree. Awards season this year is going to be incredibly exciting and just-- that's all I have to say about THAT.
Series of the Year
This list is obviously not based on quality or consistency in any way, but rather on shows that had the most emotional effect on me. Which explains the presence of the bitter disappoint that was Skins. Sherlock, Community, and Misfits are all quality all the way, and The Vampire Diaries continually surprises me. I gained some distance from TV fandoms this year, which is the reason for the shortness of this list. I got pulled in my kpop and TSN, what can I say?