Poll Results 11: What's the Best album of 2010?

We're entering into our fifth calendar year here at HSW. We kick it off by reviewing the results of 2010's final poll. It's the People's Choice for Album of the Year:

13 - Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
8 - Beach House - Teen Dream
25 - Black Keys - Brothers
1 - Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
2 - The Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever
4 - Local Natives - Gorilla Manor
20 - The National - High Violet
9 - Phosphorescent - Here's To Taking It Easy
10 - The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt
3 - Vampire Weekend - Contra
2 - The Walkmen - Lisbon


Thanks to everyone for voting. It was a close race until Brothers pulled away at the end. It may have been a wire-to-wire victory, but High Violet was threatening to take over by the end of it. Here are some factoids:

• I listed 4 of my top 5 (only omission was Deerhunter's Halcyon Digest.) The only one of my top 5 not to finish in the your top 5 was, interestingly enough, my #1: Gorilla Manor by Local Natives.
• May was an immense month for music in 2010, as we made abundantly clear. Three of top 5 were released in May (Here's to Taking It Easy, Brothers, and High Violet.) The Suburbs, while released in August, contributes a song called "Month of May".
• You all need to recognize, because Local Natives deserved more than four votes!
• This isn't the first time the popular mandate was in stark contrast with my rankings. Last year, the Avett Brothers' I & Love & You took the fan vote, despite only finishing 17th in my list.
• The largest disparity between my rankings and yours was, not surprisingly, Brothers, which I had in the back half of my top 25. The average disparity overall was 5.5. 
• Only Vampire Weekend's Contra aligned--we both had it 8th. 
• Yes, I realize that because the sample size isn't consistent, that comparing our lists is flawed. 

Thanks again for participating. Onward into the new year -- will have some new content up soon.