The 25 Best Albums of 2010 (So Far)

We countdown the year's biggest LP's so far.

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It's the middle of the year, so Complex is looking back at The Best of 2010 (So Far) with a series of features that highlight our favorite stuff from the world of entertainment, fashion, art, and more.


What keeps the Complex office cranking on those long closing days? The right music. Whether it's grimy hip-hop or lo-fi indie rock, we're always looking for that hot LP that we can put on and let rock all the way through. And in this age of one-off MP3s, those end-to-end burners are harder than ever to find, but we managed to find some strong contenders for the first countdown in our Best of 2010 (So Far) series. For this feature, we considered all albums and mixtapes (seriously, what's the fucking difference, people) that were released BEFORE July 2010, and we came up with a diverse set of 25 that we're co-signing with pleasure.

RELATED: The 50 Best Albums of 2016

#25: Nas & Damian Marley Distant Relatives

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Distant Relatives

#24: Rusko O.M.G.

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#23: Theophilus London I Want You

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#22: B.o.B. The Adventures of Bobby Ray

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For once a rap album lives up to its title. Maybe that

#21: Royce Da 5'9'' The Bar Exam 3

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Being a Royce Da 5

#20: Broken Bells Broken Bells

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The Grey AlbumGarden State

#19: Dom Kennedy From The Westside, With Love

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From The Westside, With Love

#18: Beach House Teen Dream

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Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally hail from Baltimore but their sound is about as far as you can get from the bass-ridden anthems that dominate that city's clubs. The duo shot a music video for every song on Teen Dream (the same way 50 Cent did with the album that features "Baltimore Love Thing," unnecessary word association, we know), and it's easy to understand why. The lush sonic landscapes on standout tracks like "Lover Of Mine" sound like the backdrop to a dream sequence in your own personal romance film, hence the album title. If these records are playing during our REM sleep, we never want to wake up.

#17: Cam'ron & Vado Boss of All Bosses 2.5

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Boss Of All Bosses

#16: Vampire Weekend Contra

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You have to commend Vampire Weekend for even releasing a follow-up LP to their universally acclaimed debut. Rock critics love to tear down bands who receive instant fame and success, but Contra makes it clear that these Columbia grads aren't flash-in-the-pan hypes like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and a handful of other bands have proved to be. One reason VW's prep-school schtick hasn't gotten tired is because the tunes continue to impress. From the spastic clash of instruments on "Cousins" to the Auto-Tune experimentation on "California English," the Ivy League boys (no Chester French) find a way to keep their sound fresh. We can't be mad at that.

#15: Rick Ross The Albert Anastasia EP

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Teflon DonTeflon

#14: Wild Nothing Gemini

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Gemini

#13: Gil Scott Heron I'm New Here

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The soul and spoken word legend who predicted "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" had not released an album of original material in 16 years, until XL Recordings blessed us with this unexpected comeback. GSH's music has always been tough to classify, mixing up jazz, R&B, funk, and spoken word into a stew that many cite as an early precursor to hip-hop's sound. On the ironically titled I'm New Here (produced by XL's Richard Russell, in his first musical project), he maintains his aura of unpreditability with a mish-mash of stripped-down electro funk and minimalist trip-hop, all laced with his poetic jewels of wisdom.

#12: Freeway & Jake One The Stimulus Package

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First the Roc breakup, then Freeway

#11: The-Dream Love King

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Last year Complex named Dream's Love Vs. Money the #2 album of 2009, and it still stands as one of the most memorable R&B releases in a decade. But on album number three, Love King, the Radio Killa seems stuck in a bit of a creative rut. While still oozing with Dream's electro-pop appeal, nearly every song on the (supposedly final) LP is a re-tread of a previous hit—"Yamaha" is basically the same song as his 2007 Prince jack "Fast Car", and "February Love" is a clear attempt to recapture the subtle magic of 2009's "Fancy" (just to name a few). Even if he is stuck on repeat, Terius is still the best in the R&B business, and he still hits enough of the right notes to satisfy fans, most memorably on the hilarious "fuck you" anthem "Florida University" and the seething boast "Sex Intelligent (Remix)." Hopefully next album he spends less time setting up FBI stings and more time coming up with new sounds.

#10: Yeasayer Odd Blood

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and

#9: YelaWolf Trunk Muzik

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A white boy from Alabama who grew up listening to Led Zepplin and 10,000 Maniacs—and raps about drinkin' Jim Bean, methadone labs, and box Chevys—sounds like a cringe-worthy conception of some out-of-touch A&R. Thankfully, Yela proves he can hold his own against lyrical giants like Bun B and Raekwon, rapping his ass off over super-hot rap beats rather than contrived attempts to show off the diversity of his musical influences. We wish a motherfucker would tell us that this ain't hip-hop.

#8: Crystal Castles Crystal Castles

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#7: Roc Marciano Marcberg

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Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II

#6: LCD Soundsystem This Is Happening

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James Murphy's third LP as rock project LCD Soundsystem is like the indie version of Detox that actually got released. 2005's self-titled debut made them an instant hit, 2007's Sound of Silver elevated them nearly invincible heights, so this year's follow-up meant a lot. Thankfully, This Is Happening delivers. And the same way Dr. Dre pulls influence from '70s funk records, this album has David Bowie and Brian Eno homage written all over it. Most of the nine tracks run for eight or nine minutes, and Murphy's unpredictable production and soul-searching lyrics guarantee that they never get boring. If Kid Cudi freestyling over "Dance Yrself Clean" is your only exposure to This Is Happening, you're missing out.

#5: Wiz Khalifa Kush & Orange Juice

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#4: Big K.R.I.T. K.R.I.T. Wuz Here

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Big K.R.I.T. probably knows how young someone can die of old age. The Mississippi native's depressing depictions of growing up poor in America on "Good Enough," "They Got Us," and "Children Of The World" make it sound like he's seen way too much in his 23 years. But his thoughtful perspective and youthful exuberance on "Hometown Hero" and "Country Shit" make it clear that he's far from dwelling on life's various ills. As he says so succinctly on "Viktorious," "My lyrical content is crazy. I'm making my own beats. What the fuck?"

#3: Sleigh Bells Treats

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#2: Eminem Recovery

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RecoveryRecoveryRelapse

#1: Drake Thank Me Later

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Thankfully, Drizzy lives up to his improbable hype by sticking to the script and fine-tuning the So Far Gone sound—moody, conflicted R&B hooks and witty lyrics paired with quirky, sample-laced beats. He adds in a superstar guestlist for fun—Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Young Jeezy, Weezy, T.I., Nicki Minaj and The-Dream&#151but the album could easily stand alone on the songwriting and Drake's Stefan Urquelle-esque underdog charisma on the mic. It's the rare debut that feels sonically cohesive and thematically thought out (with the exception of "Fancy," the album's Swizz Beatz-produced weak link), a new blueprint for post-<em>808s & Heartbreak</em> pop rap.

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