Arcade Fire, Deerhunter, Beach House and PS I Love You Top Exclaim!'s Best Pop Rocks Albums of 2010

BY Cam LindsayPublished Nov 30, 2010

Whenever Arcade Fire release an album, it is considered an event. The Montrealers have made such an impact on independent music, and let's face it, music in general, that it was clear Arcade Fire's The Suburbs would top Exclaim!'s 2010 Pop Rocks list, even before a vote was cast.

Arcade Fire are a dominant force within their assigned genre, not so much because they command it with their confidence, and some would even say pretension, but because they are so gifted in what they do: crafting mesmeric anthems that bring catharsis, elation and a sense of empowerment.

If you have yet to experience The Suburbs, it's not too late. The album will be streaming here all week on Exclaim.ca.

The competition for our Pop Rocks best-of list may not have been as stiff as previous years, but 2010 saw the likes of first and second runners-up, Deerhunter and Beach House, respectively, build on their growing audiences and expansive sounds with their best albums yet. The same can be said for Owen Pallett, whose Heartland nearly (read: should have) snagged him another Polaris Music Prize.

But like any good year in music, there were a bunch of first-timers either taking us by surprise or delivering on the promise they demonstrated last year. PS I Love You, Best Coast, Diamond Rings and Sleigh Bells all passed their freshman year with honours.

To see the rest of the names that made Exclaim!'s favourite Pop Rocks albums of 2010, click here.

Arcade Fire's The Suburbs will be streaming on Exclaim.ca until December 6.

Stay tuned for these future full-album streams on Exclaim.ca:

Janelle Monáe The ArchAndroid December 7 to December 13
The Sadies Darker Circles December 14 to December 20
Torche Songs for Singles December 21 to December 27
Laurie Anderson Homeland December 28 to January 3
Shad T.S.O.L. January 4 to January 10
White Lung It's the Evil January 11 to January 17
Caribou Swim January 18 to January 24

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