Best of The Year: The Sidekicks, Alex Goldfarb (No Friends, Gatorface), Dane Erbach (Switchboard Sessions)

There's no better way to commemorate Jesus's birthday than with more best-of lists! This time around, we have entries from Matt Climer and Steve Ciolek of The Sidekicks, bassist extraordinaire Alex Goldfarb of No Friends, Gatorface, VRGNS and New Mexican Disaster Squad, and Dane Erbach, curator of Switchboard Sessions.

Click below to read them.

Matt Climer and Steve Ciolek (The Sidekicks)

Matt Climer:
1. The National- "High Violet"
2. Andy Cook- "Sing, Dionysus"
3. Kid Cudi- "Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager"
4. Tigers Jaw- "Two Worlds"
5. Arcade Fire- "The Suburbs"
6. Kanye West- "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy"
7. Joanna Newsom- "Have One on Me"
8. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin- "Let It Sway"
9. The Tallest Man on Earth- "The Wild Hunt"
10. A 3 way tie between The Menzingers- "Chamberlain Waits" Cee Lo Green- "The Lady Killer", Titus Andronicus- "The Monitor

Records that will blow your mind in 2011:

Saintseneca
Tin Armor- "Life of Abundance"
Reverse the Curse- "Hither and Yon"
Two Hand Fools

Steve Ciolek:
The Tallest Man On Earth- The Wild Hunt
Three Man Cannon- EP
Titus Andronicus- The Monitor
Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Arcade Fire- The Suburbs
Saintseneca- Grey Flag (tape)
Good Luck- Demonstration 2010
Tigers Jaw- Two Worlds
Girls- Broken Dreams Club
The Menzingers- Chamberlain Waits

Already loving these records for Twenty One One:

Tin Armor- Life of Abundance
Reverse the Curse- Hither and Yon

Alex Goldfarb (No Friends, Gatorface, VRGNS, New Mexican Disaster Squad)

1. None More Black - Icons
2. Arrivals - Volatile Molotov
3. Off! - The First Four EPs
4. Off With Their Heads - In Desolation
5. Night Birds 7"
6. Autistic Youth - Idle Minds
7. Dead to Me - Wait for It 7"
8. Flatliners - Cavalcade
9. Young Livers - Of Misery and Toil
10. Masshysteri - S/T

You can use it. Or not. People will just write stuff like "needs more (insert band I don't give a shit about)" anyways.

Dane Erbach (Switchboard Sessions)

Long Ones…
These records made me most excited in 2010. Some of these are bands I hadn't heard of before they blew me away; others are bands of which I was aware but, stupidly, skipped them over at the time. Still others have been old standbys of mine for years, but turned my head in 2010 with their new material. Each of these records-be it overproduced or underdeveloped-are moving and meaningful to me.

10. We Are the Union - Great Leaps Forward
9. Weezer - Hurley
8. The Wonder Years - The Upsides
7. RVIVR - LP
6. Sundowner - We Chase the Waves
5. Hostage Calm - Hostage Calm
4. Jimmy Eat World - Invented
3. Make Do and Mend - End Measured Mile
2. Everyone Everywhere - Everyone Everywhere
1. Two Cow Garage - Sweet Saint Me

Short Ones…
Sometimes it's less motivating to listen to an EP. Since it starts and stops so quickly. There's no time to savor the record before it skips back to the beginning. The records on this list, though, were ones I spun obsessively in 2010, and also ones that left me salivating for more.

5. Bomb the Music Industry - Adults!!!… Smart!!! Shithammered!!! And Excited By Nothing!!!!!!!
4. The Great Explainer - The Way Things Swell
3. Red City Radio - Spinning in Circles is a Gateway Drug
2. The Holy Mess - Benefit Sesh
1. Direct Hit! and Mixtapes - Split

Record Makers..
It's hilarious that, with the exception of number four on the preceding list, I hadn't heard of these labels before this year began--though, to be fair, a few were just releasing their first few records at the time. In 2010, though, I followed them pretty religiously and I'm looking forward to hearing what they will release in 2011.

5. Anchorless Records
4. Paper + Plastick
3. Death to False Hope Records
2. Tiny Engines
1. Run For Cover Records