This radio show / podcast is the BEST CDs/EPs (3 songs min.) of 2010.

Picks for the best CDs/EPs are based on the album’s overall quality — so the albums below have *at least* 3 or 4 good songs on them. Now maybe that’s not much for you, but I’m finicky! … hey, I didn’t come up with the name of my show out of thin air!

That said, it makes it hard to pick *1 song off each of the following albums to play of this “Best of” show, but it ultimately makes for a hell-ava-solid hour of great music.

There’s a great mixture of genres (as always represented in my radio shows) in this year’s “Best of…”, including rap, pop, electro pop, R&B/funk, neo-rock, rock, trance/techno hybrid.

And if you’ve still don’t have capel tunnel after Ituning, MySpacing or whatever you do with the artists in my “Best of” list, then check further below for my “Honorable Mentions” list. It’s more top UK music of 2010.

I hope you enjoy the show. I loved putting it together and hearing these tunes again after playing some of them so long ago. I look forward to your feedback on this show! (BestInBritishMusic@gmail.com

And lastly, by coincidence (as I’ve spoken highly of their CD throughout my 2010 shows), I recently interviewed the band ranking-almost at the top of my list.

To listen to even more tracks from the artists below, go to 2010 Podcasts and do a search (“Edit”, “Find”) by artist name.

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#13.  This rapper pulls in a sampling, collaborative effort (ironically, the 3rd artist in this year’s list that takes the  collaboration route…) with the likes of Emeli Sande, Labrinth and the golden voice of UK girl Lily Allen heard on this tune…

Professor Green
Alive till I’m dead   (Released: Jul)
Just be good to green

#12. This sought after UK producer scores another winner CD, bringing in vocals from too many artists to mention but some include The View’s Kyle Falconer on the cute Bike Song, Rose Dougall (The Pipettes). The album’s strongest and most original track has Boy George and Andrew Wyatt from Miike Snow on vocals…

Mark Ronson & The Business Intl
Record Collection (sep)
Somebody To Love Me

#11. Next up, is this year’s (as there’s always some every year isn’t there?) winner of best neo-rock (think Fratellis…). If you love this genre and the song I picked, then without question you’ll love the whole CD which nevers sways from the genre.

The Moons
Life on Earth (mar)
Nightmare Day

#10. Then we switch gears completely with a band that kicked off 2010 by… well starting their engines in 2009 with an aggressive marketing campaign and lots of love from the BBC. They toured madly (including my city) and then went into obscurion (if such a word exists!). They are e-lectronica w/strong vocals — something that can be hard to find. I keep wondering how they’ll evolve/what direction they’ll take after this…

Delphic
Acolyte (jan)
Counterpoint

#9. Well this guy blew my mind when I first heard his CD. What a breath of fresh air I thought… yet it’s foundations are in artists & genres that have been around for decades. He just pools them all together to create new sounds, and gives it a modern twist. If you like(d) Luther Vandross, Jackson 5, and other R&B funkers (yes, I know this word doesn’t exist either) and you’ve got a soft spot for Kravitz, then you must explore this CD. It would still sound new if you only heard it today for the 1st time.

Jamie Lidell
Compass (may)
You Are Waking

#8. I like almost all genres but I’ve a special place for prog (esp. old prog if truth be told). But new prog to the rescue! Or, as this band refers to themselves… “Post rock”. Essentially this is instruments used for rock but it incorporates non-rock melodies, chords, etc. Upon 1st listen, I think it took all of 2 minutes to realize how great this CD was going to be. And finally, a non-London band. These 6 guys are from Hereford. And yeah, I’m about to get corny …. Let’s Here (it) Ford (the)…

Talons
Hollow Realm (nov)
Iris

#7. Ooo. Our only EP on this year’s list. But I played you all 5 tracks so no excuse not to have come across them at some point. Here’s your last chance to benefit from …

Raven Beats Crow
Zola Budd EP (nov)
Escalator

#6. I always bopped around on my chair everytime I played you these guys. Damn catchy electro pop. For some reason, I always got this swedish vibe off them.. not sure why cause they’re def. UK ….

Skibunny
Hugs (sep)
Moving

#5. Talk about an independant artist honing his craft for years… His electro trance techno (no vocals) CD is one of the most unusual CDs I had the pleasure of hearing this year. Creative and he’s got more monikers in 2011. Can’t wait. So glad u got in touch with me Chris!

Casimir’s Blake
Casimir’s Blake (Dec)
Schwarzschild

#4. Another CD that hard to pick ‘the best’ tune from. Too many. This trio — husband & wife +1 put out some catchy sh*t if I do say so. Btw, why do never say ‘wife & husband’? Electro pop again but you won’t tire. And SOMEbody’s gotta clear up that double (triple?) entendre about “…we went out, we got wasted…we went home, and turkey basted.” wh-haat?

We Have Band
WHB (apr)
hear it in the cans

#3. No stranger to the UK music scene, I hate to give attention to such a well known band but it is what it is: Good. Flip em on, sit back on your couch and chill with…

Chemical Brothers
Further (jun)
swoon

#2. Ahh we’ve arrived at this Northern Irish band I coincidentally interviewed in early Jan 2011. Not only did i play *every track of this CD (over many shows of course), but their debut CD was so successful, they did a re-issue (albeit remixes and some bonus tracks). And they’re already working on CD2. But of course you can hear all about that ‘n more in the interview

Two Door Cinema Club
Tourist History (mar)
This Is The Life

#1. Flow, composition, and creativity come to mind with this CD. Our 3rd & final collaborative CD, includes a xsection of artists like Bobby Womack (who btw had to be informed by his *daughter who this artist was!), Super Furry Animal’s Gruff Rhys, the Orchestra For Oriental Aabic Music (who add alot of class), Mark Smith (The Fall) and more more more! Yeah, their live concerts apparantly lacked but lucky for them, that’s not a criteria in this list. And while it did debue at #2 on the UK album charts… creativity and how a CD moves you are much more defining features.

Gorillaz (Daman Albarn & cartoonist partner Jamie Hewlett)
Plastic Beach (mar)
Rhinestone Eyes

PS if you still haven’t seen it… Damon’s 90s band ‘Blur’ released a DVD in 2010 that includes a documentary & their 2009 Hyde Park live reunion show. A HIghly recommended watch.

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And in no particular order.. here are my Honorable Mentions:

Alex Heath, Lust (EP) (Released: Oct)
Carl Barat, Carl Barat
Deadwax, Deadwax
Deluka, You Are The Night (sep)
Gaoler’s Daughter, Alchemy (jun)
Groove Armada Black Light (feb)
Klaxons, Surfing the Void (aug)
Neon Highwire, Luminescese EP (Jan)
Sound of guns, SoG EP
Sunshine Underground, Nobody’s Coming to Save you (feb)
Tango In The Attic, Bank Place Locomotive Society (free download on their site!)
Friendly Fires, Bugged Out! Presents Suck My Deck – remix CD (sep)
MIA, MAYA (jul)
Foals, Total Life Forever (May)
Chew Lips, Unicorn (Jan)

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My radio show / podcast for the best CDs of 2009 here.