Dan DeLuca's Best Local Albums of 2010

1. Dr. Dog

,

Shame, Shame

(Anti-). West Philly harmonizing rockers let the lyrics get a little darker, but couldn't make unhappy-sounding music if they tried.

2. Free Energy, Stuck on Nothing (Astralwerks). Minnesota boys make good in Philadelphia, deliver '70s power-pop crunch with hooks to spare.

3. Jazmine Sullivan, Love Me Back (J Records). Strawberry Mansion-raised, full-throated heiress to Mary J. Blige comes back strong with the follow-up to her five-time Grammy-nominated debut.

4. Chiddy Bang, The Preview (Virgin). Hip-hop duo of Chidera Adamege and Noah "Xaphoon Jones" Beresin sample MGMT, Sufjan Stevens, and others on this eight-song EP, and prepare for bigger things.

5. Drink Up Buttercup, Born and Thrown on a Hook (Yep Roc). Sunny sort of psychedelic trash-can-banging pop from this Bucks County-bred, Philadelphia-based quartet.

6. Summer Fiction, Summer Fiction (self-released). Singer-songwriter Bill Ricchini weaves together an enticing '60s pop-flavored tapestry, depicting chilly scenes of sun-kissed discontentment.

7. Sun Airway, Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier (Dead Oceans). Swirling psychedelicized soundscapes from former A-Sides leader Jon Barthmus. Trance-inducing and catchy.

8. Notekillers, We're Here To Help (Prophase). The mighty fury of this trio, founded in the '70s and re-formed in the '00s, is undimmed. Instrumentals delivered with hardcore force and surf-rock precision.

9. Bilal, Airtight's Revenge (Plug Research). Philadelphia's most Princely R&B vocalist shows off his neo-soul chops and heads off in experimental directions on long-awaited return.

10. North Lawrence Midnight Singers, Last Great Saturday Night (self-released). Impressively confident set of country-rock-flavored originals by the outfit fronted by Jamie Olsen, whose voice recalls Nashville Skyline-era Dylan.