2011年 01月 13日 木曜日 02:09

The Best Albums of 2010
plus honorable mentions and let-downs
2010 was an amazing year of music, in my opinion. I had to listen/re-listen to a lot of albums to get a comprehensive and true-to-my-thoughts list compiled. The album descriptions and reviews are written in a simple style, due to the fact that I get really pissed when I read music reviews that give me extremely obscure information, imply knowledge of at least 6 other unrelated albums, and use adjectives that normal humans would never use to describe anything. On top of that, those kinds of reviews usually don’t even give me a good idea of what the album sounds like, and I would probably spend less time listening to the album than trying to figure out what each sentence means.
Anyway, after hours and hours of work, I present to you my year-end music list!

Let-Downs

MGMT – Congratulations
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MGMT released an insanely catchy, wide-appeal collection of songs a few years ago on Oracular Spectacular. I mean, who doesn’t fucking like Kids? So, of course their next album was going to be wanted like no other. And then what happened? They released Congratulations. And everyone turned it on with baited breath. It’s Working…Song for Dan Treacy…Someone’s Missing… wait what the hell is going on? The songs were boring, and weird. Instead of hooky beats and lovely synths, the songs were noticeably more psychedelic. What MGMT had done was respectable. They decided, fuck it, we’re not going to appeal to the masses and make a shitload of catchy songs that will be endlessly remixed at clubs around the world. They went into an “experimental” state-of-mind and made what they wanted to make. Some people think Congratulations is boring, others love it. Bottom line is, MGMT made a much less accessible album than Oracular Spectacular and personally, I couldn’t access it.

Tracks that are pretty good: Flash Delirium, I Found a Whistle

Kele – The Boxer
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Kele! That’s the guy from Bloc Party! If you disliked Intimacy, which I’m sure you did, then there’s a high chance that you’ll dislike this album. Kele ditched Bloc Party for at least a little while to continue his recently actualized dance-music-making tendencies and serves up this group of songs. Unfortunately, his desire to make dance music doesn’t match up with his actual skill in making dance music. His vocals, almost identical to his Bloc Party style of delivery, don’t really fit with the electronic feel of the songs. On top of that, the songs are generally unmemorable and don’t make me want to move around, save a few.

Good tracks on the album: Tenderoni, The Other Side

Honorable Mentions

Vampire Weekend – Contra
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Bah, Vampire Weekend. Those damn preppy Ivy League kids. Why do they make such… wait for it, stereotypical hipster-bashing adjective eminent… pretentious music? In December drinking Horchata, I look psychotic in my balaklava? Seriously? Fuck.

But seriously, these guys make poppy, minimalist, catchy songs with lots of keyboard, lots of clean guitar, and lots of cello, which all together will make you want to sing along, move your arms, and shake your legs, but definitely not dance. There’s also a tiny bit of autotune, and even though I hate autotune, the song in which they use it (California English) is, like, the best song ever. Contra is a step down from their debut, Vampire Weekend, but they haven’t changed their style one bit and that’s a good thing.

Tracks to sample: Horchata, California English

Balmorhea – Constellations
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Balmorhea are quite an amazing group. Their first couple of albums, Balmorhea and Rivers Arms, featured the most beautiful acoustic guitar and piano work I had ever heard combined. Entirely instrumental (some recorded voices in a certain song or two as far as I remember), their songs were incredibly moving and absolutely perfect for life-contemplation. Their third album, All is Wild, All is Silent, which was on my 2009 list, saw the band expanding from a duo into a sextet and their music became epic. It was now noticeably post-rock in its style, with violins, guitars, banjos, pianos, cellos, drums and even vocals all exploding with energy, greatly expanding the beauty of their stirring instrumental style. Constellations came just a year later and it’s evident why. Balmorhea went backwards to their sparse, quiet style of the first two albums. I’d go as far as to list “silence” as one of their instruments. The thing is, if they had made an album like the first two, this would be much better. But they didn’t. Instead, this album is a bit too boring. However, there are plenty of gorgeous moments where the best possible pitch exits your headphones and hits your eardrum just right, which helps keep this album at “great” status.

Tracks to sample: Bowsprit, On the Weight of Night

LCD Soundsystem – This is Happening
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James Murphy (the guy behind LCD Soundsystem) is a great producer who knows a lot about music. That is probably why he can successfully make such strange dance/electronic music and make it pleasant. 10 minute songs that are actually really repetitive, don’t sound that way, and I just don’t know how he does it. On This is Happening, that’s what you’ll find, plus some post-punk along the way (like The Strokes). There is less ranting than on previous albums but you’ll still hear his signature not-even-trying singing/speaking, which is not a bad thing.

Tracks to sample: Drunk Girls, You Wanted a Hit

Best Coast – Crazy For You
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If you’ve heard of Wavves, you’ve probably heard of Best Coast (and vice-versa). The lead of Wavves and the lead of Best Coast are going out, they both make summer, stoner rock and they’re obsessed with a cat named Snacks (see: Wavves’ album further on in this list). Best Coast is the one led by the chick though and Best Coast’s music is like what a cool, rock-loving girl would make if she had a small, crappy distortion amp and a busted-up guitar and tried to make pop songs in her garage. That’s probably what she did anyway, after getting a drummer from across the street to play with her. The lyrics are shallow, but damn it if they’re not sincere. It’s a happy-go-lucky album that would be perfect for a day at the beach. And of course with an album like this, quite a few songs will be stuck in your head.

Tracks to sample: Boyfriend, When I’m With You

The Black Keys – Brothers
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After listening to Brothers, there was one idea that I took away from the album. The Black Keys finally stopped making the same song over-and-over again. I’ve always enjoyed my dirty, garage, blues rock and The Black Keys provided a LOT of it. And I enjoyed their albums, even though they sounded very similar. When Brothers was released, I was hesitant about downloading it because I had enough of the Black Keys; I didn’t need a 64th version of Set You Free. I’m obviously busting their balls, but still, I hope some of you BK fans can understand. Anyway, I then saw the album cover and was intrigued. The Black Keys did not seem like a band that would pull some stupid joke like that. So, I listened, and was happy. The songs on Brothers are crisper, funkier, and dripping with the blues rock that I love. The album is also more accessible than their previous releases, and I applaud them for keeping their great style while opening it up for a wider audience.

Tracks to sample: Everlasting Light, Ten Cent Pistol

Top 25

25
The Octopus Project – Hexadecagon
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Hexadecagon is an album of deep sound exploration. The Octopus Project can make catchy electronic music as well as build-to-intense-drum-explosion masterpieces. On this album, they put those skills on the backburner for a bit (for the most part) and decide to see how they fare composing emotion-evoking pieces. With any such undertaking, it usually takes repeated listens to absorb everything that’s played. To be sure, this album is a grower, but even on an initial listen, there’s lots of great stuff to experience. Pianos, synths, pounding drums, theremins (alright, singular) resound in my head after finishing the album.

Tracks to sample: Fuguefat, Hallucinists

24
God is an Astronaut – Age of the Fifth Sun
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Post-rock bands usually never change their style, and if they start off good, that’s a great thing. God is an Astronaut is one of those bands, with their debut The End of the Beginning, they laid out their epic rock instrumental cards and cemented their names in the top of the ranks of post-rockdom. All of their albums are similar in style, lots of clean guitar melodies, occasionally distorted guitar riffs, reverb, ambience, pulsing bass, fitting drumlines, keyboard, and effect-obliterated “ahh”s, all working together to build up audio skyscrapers and then demolish them with unreal explosive breakdowns. Age of the Fifth Sun is another album to add to their discography that offers relentless God is an Astronaut-style post-rock.

Tracks to sample: Golden Sky, Shining Through

23
Holy Fuck – Latin
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Holy Fuck is a fitting name for Holy Fuck. It isn’t death metal or hardcore though, it’s just electronic music done right. The songs utilize the standard rock band ensemble and mix in a bunch of synths and effects, and delicious drum machines. No need for breakdowns here, the music is always active and any extra-energetic parts occur from vast layering that hits you when you want it the most. They make all of their music without using pre-recorded tracks, so all of it they can do live from scratch, which makes it seem even more impressive. Simply listening to Latin won’t make you scream “Holy Fuck” at the top of your lungs, but it is a guaranteed room-shaker if played loud.

Tracks to sample: Stay Lit, Red Lights

22
Surfer Blood – Astro Coast
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Surfer Blood makes surf-rock, kindof. It’s rockier than surf-rock but it definitely still has the same vibe. Wait until it gets warm, jump into your convertible, invite a bunch of your closest friends, and drive down a road with a view of the ocean/beach, blasting this record. Yes, your convertible. Alternatively, just go to the beach with a beat-up over-sized boombox and blast this. Yes, your beat-up over-sized boombox.

Tracks to sample: Take it Easy, Floating Vibes

21
Wavves – King of the Beach
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Accessible stoner noise punk? I feel like if I label anything like Wavves as punk, people who know what punk actually is will scold me. Power chords, simple lyrics, and mosh-pit forming songs are what permeate this album. Plus, it succeeds at being a summer album (hence the “Beach” in the title), somehow. In one sentence, King of the Beach will make you rock out in front of your mirror. And hell, I’ve been singing the ending of Baby Say Goodbye out loud since I’ve heard it.

Tracks to sample: Post Acid, Mickey Mouse

20
Marnie Stern – Marnie Stern
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Marnie Stern is an impressive chick guitarist. She plays pretty hard rock filled with glorious distortion guitar, tapping included. Her newest album is her best yet, with more accessible tracks, more melody, and unbelievable drumming by Zach Hill. Some of her songs are chaotic rock explosions, bordering on metal, while others are subdued and exhibit her remarkable guitar-work. She has a breathy soprano voice that some might not like, but she is by no means a bad singer (she hits all her notes right), and she definitely isn’t anywhere near polarizing with her voice like Joanna Newsom is, for example. Regardless, if you enjoy superb instrumentation, this is a great album to investigate, and there are definitely a lot of notes to process on this one.

Tracks to sample: Transparency is the New Mystery, Gimme

19
The National – High Violet
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The National are wonderful musicians that make wonderful music. On High Violet, you’ll hear adventurous, emotional rock: clean guitars, reverb (as if reverb is an instrument), piano, impressive drums, perfect background synthiness, all the good stuff. The only problem is I’m one of the few people who just doesn’t get Matt Berninger’s voice (the lead singer). He’s a baritone, which is fine, but it sounds like he has no emotion when he sings, his vocals come off as almost monotonous in every song (with very rare exceptions). If there was a different vocalist on this album, one that I did get, this album would probably be in my top 5. However, this is my opinion, and since I find the music (besides the vocals) to be spectacular, I highly recommend the album, just in case you do enjoy Matt’s voice.

Tracks to sample: Afraid of Everyone, Conversation 16

18
Clogs – The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton
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Clogs consist of a viola, a bassoon, an acoustic guitar, and a vibraphone. Very unique combination of instruments, right? Their previous albums were variable in quality, with Lullaby for Sue consisting of experimental, usually atonal music, Thom's Night Out showcasing their gift for making melodious classic-sounding instrumental compositions, Stick Music, which delved into a minimalistic style, and Lantern, consisting of a more structured set of songs with Clogs’s impeccable pleasant melodies making a return. The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton arrived four years later and features beautiful instrumental sections that are better-than-ever, a tighter structure, and vocal lines from various guest singers. These include Matt Berninger from The National, Shara Worden from My Brightest Diamond, and even Sufjan Stevens. (note: Bryce Dessner, who is also from The National, is in Clogs. The album also features his brother and The National member Aaron Dessner. The National and Sufjan Stevens are both elsewhere on this list.) This album, in a nutshell, is classical music done in modern song form with impressive vocal accompaniment, truly peaceful.

Tracks to sample: I Used to Do, Last Song

17
Foals – Total Life Forever
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The album begins with a calm rendition by Fleet Foxes. Not really, but they fooled you didn’t they? Foals’s second album doesn’t stray far from their original style: riff-based rock with flourishes of math rock and electronic goodness. It isn’t as strong as their debut, Antidotes, but at least they haven’t lost what made them good. The vocals are noticeably Brit-soaked, which isn’t a bad thing, in fact, they’re wonderful singers. The guitar tones are wonderful throughout the album and, coupled with the vocals and the impressive drumming, makes for an extremely harmonious album with minimal/no experimental/atonal fiddling (always a good thing).

Tracks to sample: Miami, Spanish Sahara

16
Jenny and Johnny – I'm Having Fun Now
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Jenny is 34. Johnny is 27. They’re going out. They also made a pretty wicked album together. It’s rock-rock-folk-rock-pop-pop-rock-folk. But a little bit more rock-folk-pop. This is definitely a lovely summer album, and a lovely “couple” album. It’s very straightforward but there are plenty of catchy songs along the way and, personally, I’ve had Big Wave stuck in my head for weeks.

Tracks to sample: Big Wave, Animal

15
Javelin – No Mas
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Javelin reach far out into many genres on No Mas. Hip-hop, dance, electronic, pop, even a slight lounge feel on certain songs. You might hear drum machines, light guitar, and clear singing, or you might hear an intense 80s pop beat with winding synths and hardly recognizable vocals. One song is a full-on guitar, drum, horn, action-detective movie blip that lasts less than two minutes (The Merkin Jerk). It’s a mish-mash that delivers a taste of a lot of different things, keeping each song a fresh experience, separate from the last, all the while bringing a recognizable Javelin style. Like a few other albums on this list, No Mas is simply groovy and that’s what makes it so enjoyable.

Tracks to sample: Vibrationz, Oh! Centra

14
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti – Before Today
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Ariel Pink is a crazy dude, but I won’t get into that. He makes rock, pop, 80s-style, you know, unclassifiable music. The main point is that it’s lo-fi (the quality is intentionally less-than-stellar) and, at times, really strange. However, there’s just something about his unique style that resonates with the human brain and makes his music not only listenable, but pretty damn enjoyable. Before Today covers a wide spectrum of sounds and a lot of the songs have incredible make-you-smile-from-how-good-it-was-that-the-song-just-broke-out-into-a-beautifully-groovy-segment moments (this sentence is not sponsored by the American Grammar Association). In two words, this album is fucking groovy.

Tracks to sample: Butt-House Blondies, Round and Round

13
Japandroids – No Singles
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Ah, Japandroids. I don’t think they can ever make a bad sounding song. And that’s because all they do is turn the volume up to 12, plug in 10 distortion pedals, play chords, bang drums like they’re going out of style, and sing loudly. In every song. And it’s damn amazing. This is My Bloody Valentine if they were angst-punkers. Maybe they were, but I didn’t understand what they were saying (who did?). Anyway, No Singles is a collection of previously EP-released Japandroids songs, and is generally as good, if not better, than their debut Post-Nothing. So get to your nearest surround-sound stereo, put this album on, and mosh by yourself until you break every breakable object you can reach.

Tracks to sample: Lovers/Strangers, Press Corps

12
Owen Pallett – Heartland
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Owen Pallett used to be in Arcade Fire. Then he decided, “Fuck it, there’s like 394 people in this band,” and went solo as Final Fantasy. He released a couple of fairly good albums which were of the “chamber pop” or “baroque pop” variety. Basically, it’s what pop would sound like in the fucking 17th century. The main instrument is violin, and damn it, Owen Pallett is godly at violin. He’s also a pretty great singer. Before releasing Heartland, he thought, “Why the fuck is my name Final Fantasy?” and released it as Owen Pallett. Anyway, Heartland is Owen Pallett’s pretty good chamber pop kicked up 100 levels. Now it’s a damn Broadway production. Seriously, sounds like Owen Pallett improved his songwriting tenfold and turned into an orchestra.

Tracks to sample: Lewis Takes Off His Shirt, The Great Elsewhere (the ending of this song is one of my favorite moments in all of music)

11
Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles (II)
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note: Make sure you’re listening to the right “Crystal Castles,” as two of their albums are self-titled.
Crystal Castles return with an album of dance delights. There’s nothing more satisfying to hear on a dance floor than intense, jarring electroblips framed with distorted-beyond-belief female screams. And I’m being serious. The entire album isn’t as I just described, but it is really hooky and usually body-busting electro-dance with a tinge of chiptune (!). Plus you might hear some Jónsi along the way (see: Year of Silence. Not to mention, Empathy is pretty much the JAM of 2010.

Tracks to sample: Empathy, Baptism

10
The Blue Van – Love Shot
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The Blue Van are tragically unknown. One of their songs, There Goes My Love, from their incredible album Man Up, was featured in the very first iPad commercial, which I thought would get them popular for sure, but, unfortunately, not so (I tried putting as many commas as possible in that last sentence). So I remained one of the few people who greatly anticipated their next release, and oh, it came. The Blue Van are a blues rock band with style. Listen to one of their songs, and you won’t understand why they’re not popular in the US. They’ve got a crisp, professional, extremely catchy rock style. On Love Shot, I KNEW they would incorporate some electronic elements to their songs, which was the logical progression that a band like theirs would and should take. Love Shot, as well as their previous albums, incorporates the usual rock ensemble of instruments: distortion guitar, drums, and bass, with a blues organ and an unbelievably great range of vocals (at least two of their members sing extremely well together produce some amazing vocal harmonies). And yes, you’ll hear a bunch of guitar solos.

Tracks to sample: Love Shot, Loser Takes it All

9
Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record
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For one reason or another, it seemed like Broken Social Scene was done with making albums that would be on year-end lists like this one (You Forgot It In People was one of those albums). At least, it seemed that way before Forgiveness Rock Record was released. Just so you know, Broken Social Scene is made up of 25+ members (seriously), most of them being in other bands, some popular, some not as much. In any case, wow. Forgiveness Rock Record is a lot to process. There’s a lot going on, and all of it is good. You’ll hear a lot of different instruments of course, but more importantly, this band knows how to craft their songs. Style-wise, there’s not much to say except that if you asked me 4 years ago, I would say that they define the indie rock sound that so many bands have embraced. Nowadays, that means nothing. Still, the difference is that they’re among the few bands that do it best.

Tracks to sample: World Sick, Forced to Love

8
The Dead Weather – Sea of Cowards
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Jack White won’t be making another album for The White Stripes for a long while, if ever. Meanwhile, he’s making even better albums with The Dead Weather, as a drummer. The Dead Weather’s Horehound was my favorite album of 2009 so I was excited to learn that they would be releasing another album so soon. Sea of Cowards continues their dirty garage rock onslaught. Killer riffs from Queens of the Stone Age’s Dean Fertita, killer bass lines from The Raconteurs’s Jack Lawrence, incredible, sexy singing and shrieking from The Kills’s Alison Mosshart, and surprisingly great drumming, and occasional vocals and guitar, from Mr. Jack White. Sea of Cowards is more intense than Horehound, which is pretty crazy. All in all, The Dead Weather isn’t just a side-project, it’s a super group (seewatididthere?).

Tracks to sample: Blue Blood Blues, Die by the Drop

7
Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz
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Sufjan Stevens is one of the best songwriters of our time. All of his albums and EPs are just filled with sound. Ordered complexity is Sufjan’s forte, but at the same time, he can write an acoustic guitar song that would make you cry. On The Age of Adz, Sufjan shows that he knows how to write electronic songs as well and ends up making huge, epic songs filled with synths, guitars, horns, pianos, drums, strings, choirs, and a billion other things. Plus, he puts a bunch of effects on anything he sees fit (including autotune!). All in all, it’s a massive exploration of sound coupled with superb songwriting that might take you about 4000 listens to fully process.

Tracks to sample: Get Real Get Right, I Want to Be Well

6
Phantogram – Eyelid Movies
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Phantogram, a truly unique band that have graced us with Eyelid Movies. I describe it as a mix of ambient, psychedelic, trip-hop, and electronic goodness. Sounds interesting right? Phantogram is a duo, a guy and a girl, who both sing over incredibly sick beats, with lots of clean, reverby guitar, among other instruments (mostly synths), and ambient sounds overlaying everything. Eyelid Movies is a very beautiful, think-about-life album that will make you bob your head.

Tracks to sample: Mouthful of Diamonds, When I’m Small

5
Yeasayer – Odd Blood
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In 2007, Yeasayer released All Hour Cymbals, an album that was filled with great folk and rock jams, brimming with sing-a-longs, and occasional psychedelic passages that made it seem like Yeasayer were some sort of Native American or Middle Eastern collective infused with modern American folk (incidentally, the primary singer is Native American). I did not expect them to change their sound so greatly on their second album, Odd Blood, but that is exactly what they did. The folk influences were still prevalent, but it was obvious they tried to make a freaky, strangely infectious brand of psychedelic, experimental pop or dance music. It totally worked. It isn’t as accessible as their first album, for obvious reasons, but if you can really get into the groove of the unique beats and unusual effects and melodies, you will not be disappointed.

Tracks to sample: Madder Red, Mondegreen

4
Beach House – Teen Dream
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Alright, what can I say about Teen Dream? One of the best singers I’ve ever heard (it’s a she) coupled with not only beautiful, but catchy melodies. The creative minds behind this album just hit it right. Despite the name, this isn’t a summer/beach album, it’s a “dream pop” album. In fact, I’ve heard a wave of dream pop albums lately, and just in case this genre really becomes widely recognized, no doubt Beach House is the best at it. In short, some albums are just all-around pleasing to the ears, and I’d bet laying in a comfy bed, doing nothing but listening to Teen Dream would be a memorable, and, of course, an enjoyable experience.

Tracks to sample: Zebra, Silver Soul

3
Warpaint – The Fool
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I’ve been waiting for this album since Warpaint’s incredible Exquisite Corpse EP (which you should definitely listen to if you haven’t already). Warpaint is an all-girl quartet that plays laidback, chill, ferocious, epic music. Yes. I doubt their tempo ever goes above 120 bpm. However, perfect guitar tone, beautiful melodies, reverb-to-the-max, smooth bass, intense drumming, and gorgeous singing transforms something that might have been boring (if done by someone else) into a deeply pleasing jam-rock album.
note: By the band’s own volition, this album is designed with stoners in mind.

Tracks to sample: Set Your Arms Down, Warpaint (yes they named a song after themselves)

2
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
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Arcade Fire can do no wrong. Three years after the release of Neon Bible, they’ve returned with a lengthy album about…well, the suburbs. This time around, I couldn’t help but feel like this was a perfectly American sounding album (despite their Canadian/French roots). Regardless, Arcade Fire have not lost the ability to make grand, detailed, and moving music. They’re also one of the few bands that can successfully craft songs with a thousand different instruments and not overload their listeners, an impressive feat. Even then, there are quite a few simple, yet still ambitious, songs on this album. After multiple listens, the only negative feeling I get is that I’m going to have to wait another three years for new Arcade Fire tunes.

Tracks to sample: The Suburbs, Empty Room

1
Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
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Ethereal and ruthless, Halcyon Digest is an adventure. Most albums put together a bunch of songs that a band has written since their last album, or since the band was created, while a select few really make you feel like you’re traveling along some new and exciting path as you hear the songs one after another. Deerhunter hasn’t made anything like that until now. In terms of style, they’ve got an ambient-garage rock sound going on with “experimental” bits and lovely buzziness scattered throughout. The vocals are reserved, yet penetrating. At times, the music on this album feels like it flows in waves, like I’m on a cartoon sailboat in a storm (note: there is a song called Sailing on the album). But fuck, this description does not do this album justice. It’s god damn beautiful and haunting and gorgeous and epic and…amazing. Halcyon Digest is a new life, so enjoy. Oh, and it’s okay to cry.

Tracks to sample: Desire Lines, Helicopter

Here, we reach the end of list. I hope you enjoyed reading, and found at least a few good albums that you haven’t heard of before. There are some great albums that I’ve heard that are slated to be released in 2011. These include:
Braids – Native Speaker
Delicate Steve – Wondervisions (digital version has been out since 2009)
The Luyas – Too Beautiful to Work
Starfucker – Reptilians

I am also really anticipating a few albums. These include:
The Dodos – No Color
The Kills – Blood Pressures
Red Hot Chili Peppers – TBA
and some others…that I cannot think of at the moment.
Word count: 5,050 (including last.fm markup)
Microsoft Word pages: 16

Writted by Val Bess