I ended up buying more records this year than the previous 10 years combined. Having your desk literally inches from an awesome record store can have that effect on you.
And yet, as I was compiling this list this year, I found I was still discovering bands/releases I'd missed in 2010 - most likely because I wasted too much time trying to understand the unwarranted hype of Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti's Before Today (a charming exercise in lo-fi '80s nostalgia, but not something worth the amount of praise it received), or Arcade Fire's Suburbs (dull, banal, insipid, and largely irrelevant), or Sleigh Bell's disappointingly misnamed Treats (the early demos of this record were much better than the mess this record turned out to be).
I also wasted a lot of listening time trying to figure out how records I had anticipated (Spoon's Transference, Ted Leo's Brutalist Bricks, New Pornographer's Together) could leave me so cold. Was music changing? Was I changing? Or were these bands changing?
I'm not sure if making a top 20 year end list should result in a minor existential crisis. But then, if music is important to you, why shouldn't it have some effect on how you see yourself, how you understand your world and how you construct your aesthetic? I guess those are issues I'll have to keep working through. But at least I'll have an awesome soundtrack to listen to while I do. -Benn
TOP 20 ALBUMS
by Benn Ray
I think if I had to summarize my 2010 listening experience with simply a handful of descriptors, I'd say: fuzzy, lo-fi, West Coast, garagey, psychedelic, surfer/beachy.
And those are all words that make me excited/interested when I see them associated with music.
1. KING OF THE BEACH by WAVVES
[mp3] King of the Beach
I can't think of a record I was less interested in this year. I had no interest at all in Wavves after their last album and the assholish rep they'd been working hard at. Sure, sterling reviews made me a little curious, but still, how good could it be? Not worth my time, I thought. Then I kept hearing these great songs - these sort of Beach Boys psyche-garage lo-fi songs filled with self-loathing and punkish irreverence. I started digging the songs, and then I found out it was Wavves. It was a mini mind blow. It's a record so good that it immediately caused me to rethink how I thought of the band itself. Sure the band can be difficult. So what? That's rock and roll. Sure there may be some production techniques that annoy some purists. So what? The songs sound great. And it's a fascinating, layered, and confessional record that is also strangely anthemic. More on my thoughts about this record.
2. CRAZY FOR YOU by BEST COAST
Admittedly, Best Coast and Wavves were, in my mind, in a constant battle for record of the year. The bands are difficult to separate as they are regionally connected, sonically similar and Beth Cosentino dates Wavves' Nathan Williams. These songs are lo-fi, girl group, golden coast, but anyone who thinks Cosentino's lyrics make her adorable and appealing isn't listening closely enough. There are deep psychological issues with Consentino's narrators that make for fascinating songs.
3. MASKS EP by DOUBLE DAGGER
[mp3] Pillow Talk
Double Dagger may be the best band to ever come out of Baltimore. They may be the most important band to ever come out of Baltimore. But they are also more than that. They are a smart band with a point of view. Every release, their songs get better. The music becomes more adventurous. Nolen's lyrics get sharper. Masks is only an EP, and I really can't wait for their next full length given the direction and growth of DD as a band. This record was my go-to record for the better part of 2010 - when I was driving around with my windows down and I wanted something to blare and shout along to, I'd turn to Bruce, Nolen and Denny.
4. GASTONIA GALLOP - COTTON MILL SONGS & HILLBILLY BLUES: 1927-31 by various artists
The songs in this collection were produced from the mill villages located in Gastonia County, North Carolina in the late '20s - early '30s. Primarily - it's a collection of songs from workers at the Piedmont Mill and it provides a fascinating look at a time and a place that, even though it is nearly a century ago, is surprisingly similar, at least in terms of issues and concerns, as today. I simply adore this record.
5. ASTRO COAST by SURFER BLOOD
[mp3] Swim (To Reach the End)
These kids recreate an anthemic, '80s, stadium rock sound that is both familiar and curiously puzzling at the same time. I think I really got hung up on West Coast music this year, but there really is a sound going on there right now that's pretty damn appealing. What is it I'm hearing here? Asia? Toto? I can't figure it out.
6. WILDERNESS HEART by BLACK MOUNTAIN
[mp3] The Hair Song
Sometimes you just want '70s stoner rock, and with a name like Black Mountain, you should have a good idea that's what you're gonna get. Quality.
7. STEAL YOUR FACE by MI AMI
[mp3] Latin Lover
Often I get the feeling that Mi Ami is just one broken guitar string away from becoming a drum circle, and that worries me. And sometimes I feel like if the Muppet Show's house band were around today, and strung out on coke and playing in video game arcades, this is what they'd sound like. Mi Ami makes dance music I can get behind.
8. MELTED by TY SEGALL
[mp3] Caesar
[mp3] Girlfriend
Ty Segall is a real weirdo, and I mean that in the best possible sense of the word. Each time I listen to Melted, I get a handle on it - but it's a completely new handle. So let's just say it's fuzzy, hooky and catchy as hell.
9. I WILL BE by DUM DUM GIRLS
[mp3] Bhang, Bhang, I'm a Burnout
A surprisingly versatile band that is too easily written off as just part of that Vivian Girls' Shaggs revival simplistic outsider girl garage group trend. But DDG can trade blows with The Vivian Girls on one song, then turn around and sound like they were bred by The Breeders the next.
10. "HIPPIES" by HARLEM
I came to the Harlem game late. But it's not my fault, see. First, they went and called their record "Hippies". That right there chased me off. Then, well, it pretty much looks like they're misusing quotation marks on the cover. Maybe they're not. But maybe they are. I can't figure it out. So again, I was chased off. Who wants to think that much about simple album titles. Then, I listened to a track and goddamn if it wasn't at all what I expected. I'm not sure what I expected when a band named Harlem puts out a record called "'Hippies'". Maybe junk funk? I don't know. But I wasn't expecting catchy as hell, pretty stripped down, garagey nuggets. Anyway, I came late to the Harlem game. But I'm here now. Let's play!
11. ALL SONGS GO TO HEAVEN by LIZZ KING
[mp3] Mr. Fella
[mp3] Till They Do
Lizz King writes quirky and compelling songs. It sounds like she enlists a troupe of pals to help her record the songs. And the songs are witty, funny, with banjos, group sings, etc. Her album is the first time I heard the term "Twitterbate" so that also deserves props even though I have yet to try it out for myself. But the winning elements here are Liz's rich voice, her intimate largely acoustic arrangements that feel sort of like you're hanging out stoned in someone's warehouse afterparty and singing along with friends to songs you didn't even know you knew.
12. TWIN-HAND MOVEMENT by LOWER DENS
[mp3] Blue And Silver
[mp3] Tea Lights
Honestly, for some reason, I wrestled all year with trying to explain this record. I'd recommend it to people, and they'd invariably ask the dreaded, "What's it sound like?" And for some weird reason, I couldn't hammer it down. But I've had months to think about it, so here goes:
Jana Hunter, like Lizz King, has a rich, full of character voice. Like Lizz King, she has a Baltimore connection. Unlike Lizz King, she went out and got herself a band. And while the band fits in with the Baltimore Beach House, Wye Oak sort of shoe-gazey vibe - it also melds some of that Future Islands, '80s retro style.
13. WARM SLIME by THEE OH SEES
[mp3] I Was Denied
Okay, here's what I think: Thee Oh Sees saw the acclaim their last record, Help, got and decided to become somewhat more repellant in an attempt to challenge their listeners. That's why the kind of gross record cover. That's why the unpleasant title "Warm Slime". And that's why the record opens with the 13.5 minute long title track. That, or it's just completely gratuitous. Either way, the songs that work here - lo-fi, very smart, garage-psyche that sound loose and dashed off - are a very good time.
14. MAJESTY SHREDDING by SUPERCHUNK
[mp3] Digging for Something
This year's Old Folks Surprise Return entry goes to Superchunk. Majesty Shredding is as consistent an entry in the Superchunk catalog as any of their other records. It's almost like they haven't been away for years. It's almost like they haven't paid any attention, musically, to the world around them. They deliver a 100% Superchunk record - and maybe it's just what music needs right now.
15. WWII by WHITE WIRES
White Wires are seemingly very simple - but they manage to cram some really awesome influences into short, catchy as hell songs. Surf, garage, power pop, punk, lo-fi - it's all here. Sure, the lyrics aren't going to have you scratching your head pondering their meaning - but that's cool cuz your head will already be preoccupied playing their songs on endless loops.
16. TEEN DREAM by BEACH HOUSE
[mp3] Norway
Beach House gets sexy and delivers their most accomplished record yet. There are moments here of pure transcendent beauty. There is some sound exprimenting that is very interesting. I think the track "Norway" sums up everything that as great about Beach House.
17. EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN by NO AGE
[mp3] Fever Dreaming
[mp3] Glitter
Quality art noise punk. No Age seems to be applying more structure to their songs, and let's face it, that's not a bad thing, especially since they don't seem to be sacrificing spontaniety, energy and excitement in the process.
18. HALCYON DIGEST by DEERHUNTER
Sometimes I think Deerhunter might be a modern day Yo La Tengo - they're mellow but intense, musically adventurous but can turn a quick hook so powerful it's like a stranger grabbing you by the throat, they sound at once familiar and unique - and they will, because of this, remain critics darlings. I don't know. This "Deerhunter is the new Yo La Tengo" is a new theory I'm just trying out. Let me know.
19. RELEASE ME by THE LIKE
I like The Like largerly because they conflict me. First, they are a band made up of children from established members of the L.A. music business scene. So that means they have certain advantages that other bands don't. Which explains why their full length debut came out on a major label. However, prior to that, they had been self-publishing and selling and distroing their own EPs via touring and their website, so that's DIY. The band formed as the members were in high school together. And when you listen to their first record, it sounds like an uninspired '90s indie rock throwback. Then they virtually disappear for 5 years and come back soundling like a cool L.A. version of what I idealize the Pipettes as sounding like. That's suspicious. Except, well, think about how much your musical tastes grew and changed between the ages of 18 and 25. Some of the songs here are undeniably great. Great. Yes, I said great. But at the same time, they have Mark Ronson producing, and for what he gets paid, he should make things sound great. So The Like are a fun intellectual conundrum for folks who like to worry about authenticity vs. phonies. Meanwhile, some of the songs are just completely compelling.
20. CAVE PAINTING by SRI AUROBINDO
[mp3] Soul Vibrations of Man
[mp3] My Luv Is Stoned
These Baltimore Eastern-influenced spiritual rockers create sounds that are super '60s total psyche-out. Seriously, when you listen to this record, you can see the tapestry prints and smell the incense. And while it may not sound like it, I totally mean that as a compliment.
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JESS MORGAN'S DELIGHTFUL TOP ELEVENTEEN RECORDS OF 2010 THAT MADE IT TO MY iTUNES
by Jess Morgan
Let me preface this list by saying I am a complete jackass for music. While not as obsessive as the Record Store Day trolls, I definitely darken the record stores of Baltimore on a regular basis. I buy, trade, swap MP3s, drag 7"s to parties, cajole my friends into stopping by the store for new music and found my girlfriend through a shared love of Moss Icon. I'm not an expert, I'm just a really big enthusiast. So I humbly submit the 11 records that came out in 2010 that I found myself listening to the most.
A disclaimer: I have a lot more that I loved that, for one reason or another, I don't have on my iTunes. For better or for worse, that's how I listen to the lion's share of my jams.
1. SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (video game soundtrack) by ANAMANGUCHI
Everything music-related to SPVTW is golden. Trust me on this. The soundtrack, featuring songwriting contributions from Beck, is like a really good mix tape that your cool cousin made for you in 1996. Nigel Goodrich's score is fantastic, and compliments the film perfectly. But my favorite is the video game soundtrack, performed by Anamanguchi. The game is an old-school brawler, a la River City Ransom, with a million Easter eggs that recall the book. Anamanguchi's score matches up perfectly. I could be sitting in front of my NES in 1988, furiously button mashing, waiting for my mom to run me and my neighbor out to the mall. This is my early-morning, "GET STOKED" play.
2. BROTHERS by THE BLACK KEYS
I spent a fair portion of my summer with my windows rolled down, playing "Next Girl" as loud as I possibly could. I file this under "Heavy, Heavy, Monster Sounds".
3. MASKS by DOUBLE DAGGER
Double Dagger is my all-time favorite Baltimore band. No bullshit. With the exception of Lungfish, I've never seen a band getting progressively better over such a period of time. Masks is the perfect length; a five-song 12", with a couple of scorchers, a couple of mid-tempo jams and a nice lullaby instrumental to wrap it all up. The record cover is great, the playing inspired. Recommended if you like something to run through a brick wall to. It was also a high point this year to receive my first show-related injury ever during DD, when some dick opened up a gash over my eye during their set in October at CCAS.
4. THE FORGETTERS by THE FORGETTERS
This double 7" is what I've been waiting for since Jawbreaker broke up. Amazing artwork as well.
5. 1987-1992 by INFEST
So there's this blog called Blogged & Quartered. They compile really great, out-of-print mid-'80s to late-'90s hardcore and post-hardcore. I think I found them looking for Hated MP3s. While their releases this year haven't been prolific, they've been amazing to download: Life's Blood, Chisel, Assuck, and Breakdown are among the best. But this, a remastered near-complete discography of one of the best hardcore bands I've ever heard, just blew my mind for weeks. Now I understand what a lot of my friends were talking about when they talked up Infest 10 years ago.
6. THE NORTH END and TOUR DEMO by JOIE DE VIVRE
I booked my first show in 4 years for these guys and labelmates Empire! Empire! I like the resurgence in Cap'n Jazz-style twee emo, and these guys are one of the leading lights. They were totally worth buying a metric fuckton of Andy Nelson's BBQ for.
7. THE STORMY PETREL by LEATHERFACE
One of my few disappointments in 2010 was that Leatherface had to cancel their tour this past summer. I love this release for its mailorder gatefold, the double LP cut at 45 RPM, for Frankie Stubbs' voice, for inspiring so many good bands while still sounding cutting edge and for showing that you can still whip a younger band's ass while you're in your 40s.
8. ROMANCE IS BORING by LOS CAMPESINOS!
I've been obsessed with these guys for the past two years, and I finally got to see them play in DC earlier this year. Their records sound like the Sex Pistols and Belle & Sebastian screwed and wiped the best part on a thesaurus. This record is so bratty and twee...I can't help but fall in love.
9. OLD PRIDE by PIANOS BECOME THE TEETH
10. LOVE SONGS by SACRED LOVE
These two records are two sides of the same HC coin. It's inspiring to see bands from Baltimore get their due, and these are two that are getting well-deserved credit. PBTT grabs me because they evoke bands like Envy and Pg.99, two of my favorites. Sacred Love has my favorite burly Greek as a frontman and has amazing mosh parts. Look, I know that, at the ripe old age of 33, I really should move on from the same stuff I listened to when I was 17. "Your tastes should mature," some might say. "Listen to Die Antwoord & Ariel Pink." Fuck that. Sometimes I just want to dance around and pretend I don't have a mortgage, mediocre job and poor future prospects.
Ain't nostalgia a bitch?
11. MAJESTY SHREDDING by SUPERCHUNK
Speaking of which: I recall being 18, and having much smarter, older friends try to get me to check out Superchunk, and I just blew them off, because I was too much punx for indie rock faggotry, and, besides, I have this new Snapcase CD to listen to, and run-on sentences to write. I'm at a much better place now; a place where I can appreciate a killer power-pop record that plays even better than the ones Superchunk released 10 years ago. Maybe I like this because I read the Merge book (well worth picking up, by the way) before it came out. Maybe it's because Tony Pence and Mike Stearns keep telling me that I was foolish for not checking them out. I love this because it's whip smart and demands repeated plays. I can run into any song on shuffle, and it will make me want to listen to the full record.
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BEST RECORDS I HEARD IN 2010 (AND ONE THAT'S NOT)
by Steve Ashby
There's definitely stuff that probably should be on here (like Devo, or Roky Erickson, or maybe Old 97's) but if I didn't pick it up, or didn't hear the whole album, didn't think it was right to put it on the list.
These are the best albums that I heard this year.
WHAT WE LOSE IN THE FIRE WE GAIN IN THE FLOOD by THE MYNABIRDS
Easily the best album almost nobody else has on their lists.
THE MONITOR by TITUS ANDRONICUS
“No I never wanted to change the world, but I’m looking for a new New Jersey, because tramps like us, baby, we were born to die.”
DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL by DANGER MOUSE & SPARKLEHORSE
Technically should have been a 2009 release, but the release was delayed and finally got put out this year. Featuring some of the last works of both Sparklehorse (Mark Linkous) and Vic Chesnutt.
LADY KILLER by CEE-LO GREEN
Another album with songs that sound pulled from another era (like the Mynabirds above), Cee-Lo pulls it off with ease. Oh, and “Fuck You” isn’t the best song on the album.
CRAZY FOR YOU by BEST COAST
Bethany Cosentino apparently wants a boyfriend, and will tell you all about it on this album. It works surprisingly well with the beach garage pop sound here, but it’s fair warning that without a change of topic, the next album won’t make another “best of” list.
THE FIVE GHOSTS by STARS
AMERICAN SLANG by THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM
INFINITE ARMS by BAND OF HORSES
All three of these albums aren’t quite as good as the albums that preceded them, but are still solid albums through and through.
And finally, one biggest disappointment:
YOU ARE NOT ALONE by MAVIS STAPLES
From the hype, from it being produced by Jeff Tweedy, this album was built up to be on par with Johnny Cash’s comeback on American Recordings or Van Lear Rose by Loretta Lynn. Instead, it’s a mostly uninspired gospel record. It’s not a “bad” record. But like Flavor Flav said, “don’t believe the hype.”
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10 ALBUMS IN 2010 I REALLY LIKE
by Brian Dubin
This year I moved to Japan. It was a tough thing to do, but I can't even begin to describe how amazing it is. Since I left America, I haven't really been keeping track of that many American releases (though there are some I am keenly aware of). I have gotten to hear and see some of the most amazing bands since moving to Japan. I am really really lucky. That's the bottom line. This year, releases were all over the place for me. These reviews are more mixed than in the previous years. I mean that in the sense that there are compilations mixed in here as well as one re-issue. Anyway, I hope you check these out and find something that you like! Happy New Year everyone and have a great 2011! As usual, these are in no particular order. Just 10 albums I really like.
SAIGON ROCK & ROLL: VIETNAMESE CLASSIC TRACKS 1968-1974 by various artists
The opening riff on the first song entitled "Tinh Yeu Tuyet Vot (or The Greatest Love)" by CBC Band sealed the deal for me. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Some seriously incredible Vietnamese psychedelic and rock music that surely had not been heard by many, if any, western ears. This compilation is filled with some of the best music Sublime Frequencies has released. I was so excited about this album, that I mail ordered it from America. I just had to have the vinyl. Plus the liner notes are incredibly interesting and paint a great picture of the era/times of these songs. There really isn't one bad song on this compilation. You can listen to it over and over again and hear new things you might have missed the first time, since you were so blown away by it initially. I can't say enough good things about this, so you'll have to trust me and go and buy it. Also, the cover is super rad. A picture of this totally hip Vietnamese girl smoking a cigarette adorns the front cover. It only gets better once you put the record on.
MALDITO PAIS: PRIMERA EPOCA 1982-84 by ESKORBUTO
Eskorbuto, which is a modified version of the word escorbuto meaning scurvy, were a band from Santurtzi (Greater Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain) which formed in 1980. They were one of the most influential bands for Spanish and Latin American punk rock and were one of the first bands to perform their lyrics in Spanish. They were heavily influenced by the punk explosion of 1977 and started playing around 1980. Eskorbuto had a load of demos, proper recordings and live recordings that they did over the period that this double CD covers. Sure, there are 4 different versions of the same song throughout this compilation, but I don't mind. The songs on here are urgent, catchy and played by true punk rockers. This band was from the streets. They grew up, lived and died on the streets. These recordings are essential and easily some of the best punk songs from the era.
FUTURE IS IN OUR HANDS/TSUYAMA HC COMPILATION 7" by various artists
"Play Loud and about 30 People Die!!" adorns the back of this 7" compilation. This compilation features 4 of Tsuyama, Japan's best punk/hardcore bands: Last, Disturd, The Sick and Skizophrenia. All of these bands are loved in Tsuyama as well as the rest of Japan. Last play a more straight forward style of hardcore and put on one of my favorite live shows. Disturd are reminiscent of some of my favorite '80s thrash metal bands. Think Sacrilege or The Accused. The Sick are a melodic, fast and frenetic hardcore band with some of the catchiest songs I've heard since living in Japan. They also put on a stellar live show. Skizophrenia are the local favorites in Tsuyama and people love them all over Japan. They play an original style of 70s/80s street punk that you really just don't hear much these days. It's quite refreshing and exciting. Plus, their live show is killer. People go absolutely nuts! All of these bands are different and unique from one another, but they all work together to make a positive and vibrant music scene in Tsuyama. There are other great Tsuyama bands that are not on this compilation. Bands such as Massgrave and Death Dust Extractor among others.
KRIEGSHOG by KRIEGSHOG
I can safely say that this is one of the most brutal hardcore records I've heard since I started listening to punk/hardcore. I hadn't really been listening to much hardcore/punk over the last 4 or 5 years. Moving to Japan really reignited my love of punk and hardcore. This LP really does it for me though. It's really pummeling and the first song "Heathen (Code Z)" makes you want to smash your head into a wall. It's really that brutal. The production on the record is nearly flawless for this kind of music. The guitars cut through like a buzz saw, the bass sound is one of my favorite that I've heard in a long time, really complimenting the guitar. The drums are pounded furiously and ferociously during every song. And the vocals are perfect. Slightly distorted and screamed with an intensity that you don't hear much with American punk/hardcore bands. I highly highly recommend this record.
MASSHYSTERI by MASSHYSTERI
Masshysteri are from Sweden. Many people in Baltimore (and elsewhere of course) love this band. I never really paid any attention to them while living in America. I was at my friends house a few months ago and he was playing this record. I asked him what it was and he said "Masshysteri." I was really surprised because this record is incredibly catchy. I can't understand Swedish at all, but you know what they say, music transcends language (or something like that). Anyway, this is one catchy fuckin' record. I haven't heard any of this bands previous output, so all I have to go on is this and I love it! One thing I especially love about this record is the shared male/female vocals on almost all of the songs. It's quite unique and both voices compliment each other incredibly well. The songs too, have a sort of '80s feel to them. I can't quite put my finger on it, maybe it's some guitar effect or something. Regardless, this record rules and if you have a chance to check it out, you will be happy you did.
BEFORE TODAY by ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI
I have always been an advocate for what Ariel Pink does. Sometimes his stuff is amazing, sometimes it's just ok. I have to say that this album is phenomenal. I have been listening to it at least 3 times a day since I got it. Before Today has the bizarre pop sound that Ariel Pink has been churning out for the last 5 or 6 years (most likely longer) but it's catchier than ever. There are loads of amazing pop hooks and generally catchy songs. Now he is playing with a full band and the difference is obvious. Having a full band really brings the pop aspect of his music to the forefront and because of that, this is his best album to date. Hands down. The song "Round and Round" is one of the catchiest songs I've heard in years. All of the songs on this album are incredible though two of my other favorites are "Beverly Kills" and "Little Wig". I can't say enough good things about this album, so I recommend you buy it now, or as soon as you can (if you haven't already).
MELTED by TY SEGALL
Last year (or maybe it was two years ago) I reviewed Lemons by Ty Segall. I really liked the album alot. However, I felt like it was slightly lacking. It wasn't bad, there just wasn't the "oomph" I was hoping for. And then there's Melted. It has all of that "oomph" and more that I was looking for on Lemons. The whole album is quite consistent (with the exception of Mike D's Coke, which is slightly ridiculous). This album has more heavy fuzz than anything I've heard in years. I couldn't believe it. It's such an incredibly catchy, yet simple album. This is easily the best Ty Segall record yet. The song "Melted" has some of the heaviest fuzz I've heard since early Mudhoney. "Girlfriend" is surely the catchiest song on the record. I sing along to it all the time when I'm driving around. "Mrs." Is an amazing murder ballad set on the Mississippi River which has a similar lyrical feel to "Hey Joe." I bought this album months ago and I am still listening to it on a fairly regular basis.
COIL SEA by COIL SEA
I have always been a big fan of Dave Heumanns musical endeavors and side projects. He is a master at crafting some of the most interesting guitar work live and on record. I thought Human Bell was pretty damn incredible, but I must say that Coil Sea is by far my favorite non-Arbouretum recording yet. Coil Sea is comprised of 6 people, playing at various intervals and sometimes altogether throughout the album. These people include Walker Teret, Michael Kuhl, Michael Lowry, Matthew Pierce, Jimmy Clay Wallace and of course Dave Heumann. This album consists of 4 long songs that are loosely structured so there is plenty of room for improvisation and the ability to let things happen with the sound. And this is exactly what happens on this record. All of the songs flow into one another seamlessly, so it is almost as if the album is just 1 long song. It's all instrumental and actually quite catchy. This record really locks into some great heavy grooves at certain times and becomes quite hypnotic. It's a definite departure from Arbouretum, but it's incredibly well-crafted, interesting and is a record you can listen to over and over and you will always hear something new.
SAY GOD by DANIEL HIGGS
This might be my favorite Daniel Higgs album. I had been seeing him play a bunch in Baltimore and he was playing these really amazing songs. And all of them are on this album. It has a very interesting feel to it, the album that is. The first song "Hoofprints on the Ceiling of Your Mind" is a drone with Higgs speaking/chanting/singing over it and he really pulls you into the song and it puts you in an almost trance-like state. I loved watching him play that song live. It's really otherworldly in the best possible way. The next song, "Song for Azariah" is an instrumental banjo song which is quite amazing as well. Daniel Higgs is an incredibly diverse and fascinating musician and person. I think his personality/beliefs/thoughts really shine through in this album, thus making it my favorite of his.
ESCAPE by MOON DUO
This is the new album from Ripley Johnson of Wooden Shjips and Sanae Yamada. The band is a two piece (hence the "Duo" in their name), but they are able to explore a lot of territory with just guitar and drums. In fact, at first listen you might think it's a full band. The guitar wonders into some pretty far out sonic territories and the drums keep a simple, yet fully effective beat. Think Mo Tucker in the Velvet Underground. Escape is only 4 songs, but the songs are long (between 6 and 8 minutes each) and they do a great job of pulling you in to them. If you have not heard this band, this is as good of a place as any to start.
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BEST ALBUMS OF 2010
by Ian Nagoski
1. Master of Rembetika, 1932-1935 by Markos Vamvakaris
2. Echo Party by Edan
3. Luck in the Valley by Jack Rose
4. New Amerykah II by Erykah Badu
5. Outsing the Nightingale by various artists
6. Funeral Mariachi by Sun City Girls
7. Clairaudience Fellowship by Twig Harper & Daniel Higgs
8. Been in the Storm So Long by various artists
9. Tall Hours in the Glowstream by Cotton Jones
10. The Further the Flame, the Worse it Burns Me by Marika Papagika
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BEST ALBUMS OF 2010
by Matt Kirby
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West
Crooks & Lovers by Mount Kimbie
In Search of Stoney Jackson by Strong Arm Steady
Down There by Avey Tare
Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty by Big Boi
Lisbon by The Walkmen
How I Got Over by The Roots
Swim by Caribou
Shabazz Palaces by Shabazz Palaces
Klavierwerke EP by James Blake
Teen Dream by Beach House
Splazsh by Actress
Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter
/\/\ /\ Y /\ by M.I.A.
New Amerykah Pt. 2: Return of the Ankh by Erykah Badu
Downhill Exxxpress by Coyote Clean Up
No Mas by Javelin
Landscapes by Ducktails
North by Darkstar
Brothers by The Black Keys
The Fool by Warpaint
Causers of This by Toro Y Moi
Cerulean by Baths
Nothing by N.E.R.D.
Sisterworld by Liars
Triangulation by Scuba
I'm New Here by Gil Scott-Heron
See Birds by Balam Acab
King of the Beach by Wavves
Good Evening by Nite Jewel
Paul White & The Purple Brain by Paul White
Long Distance by Onra
Innerspeaker by Tame Impala
Witches by Fur
On Patrol by Sun Araw
Pop Negro by El Guincho
Black Noise by Pantha du Prince
Sit Down, Man by Das Racist
Volume 1 by Star Slinger
Dagger Paths by Forest Swords
Astrocoast by Surfer Blood
Planet Earth About to be Recycled by LAKE R▲DIO
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TOP 10 LIVE PERFORMANCES OF 2010
by Henry H. Owings
1. The Stooges, Toronto, NXNE
2. Liturgy, Atlanta, EARL
3. Dead C, Bardo Pond, The Ex & Flowers/Corsano Duo, Minehead, UK
4. The Jesus Lizard, Chicago, Metro
5. Disappears, Atlanta, EARL
6. Unrest (3 different sets), WDC, Black Cat
7. Twin Stumps/Kim Phuc/Bukkake Boys, Atlanta, Club 529
8. Floor (all 3 line ups), Atlanta, EARL
9. Urinals (and the rest of the Mess-Around weekend), Atlanta, Club 529/EARL
10. My Disco, Atlanta, Club 529
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BEST MUSIC OF 2010
by Scott Hedeen
1. Sweet Apple
2. The Soft Pack
3. Local Natives
4. Cee Lo's "F*ck You" song
5. all the bands that are doing the Guided By Voices EVERY YEAR thing... Arcade Fire... Deerhunter... Sufjan Stevens.. I swear... I spent more time this year listening to The Who.
6. Vinyl is back... told you fuckers.
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TOP 10 SONGS OF 2010
by Joe Kibelbek
These are my top 10 favorite songs released from some of my favorite albums and EP's in 2010.
They are in no particular order.
1. "Go Outside" by Cults
2. "Fuck You" by Cee Lo Green
3. "For WMF" by Medications
4. "Ballad of Vitality" by Delta Spirit
5. "Drop Out" by Kylesa
6. "Marathon" by Tennis
7 . "Ring Ring" by Sleigh Bells
8. "Ruby" by Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté
9. "Puppybreath" by PACKRAT
10. "Cane Trader" by Sloath
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TOP 10 (WELL, 11) COVER SONGS OF 2010
by Steve Ashby
Listen
This was a great year for cover songs. The Onion’s AV club, Dr. Martens and Beck’s Record Club both churned out cover after cover; lots of bands released cover albums (like Old 97's) and labels releasing tribute albums (like the excellent Wisco covers of Wilco from Wisconsin bands). There were plenty of back and forth covers (Peter Gabriel’s Scratch My Back series with Bon Iver for example), live and recorded and straight to YouTube versions. These made the top of the list for me.
1. “LONG WAY HOME” by MATES OF STATE
One of the things a good cover can do is trick you into thinking it’s not a cover. Without pretext, most people wouldn’t realize this is a cover song, much less an impressively sunny turnaround of a a Tom Waits song, turning it into something damn catchy.
2. "UNBREAK MY HEART" by WEEZER
Sometimes though it’s less about changing the song as it is which song you choose. Weezer’s version is completely faithful to the original Toni Braxton version, and the result is fantastic.
3. “I WANNA BE ADORED" by THE RAVEONETTES
This is a perfect choice for the Raveonettes. Well, actually, I would have expected them to cover the Jesus and Mary Chain before the Stone Roses, but this will more than do.
4. “BAD ROMANCE" by LISSIE
Lady Gaga will never be accused of not being able to write a good pop/dance song but her delivery has always been distant, plastic and soulless. There’s none of that here; Lissie puts back the heart and the sense of urgency missing in the original.
5. "NO ONE'S GONNA LOVE YOU" by CEE-LO GREEN
Cee-Lo’s not new to cover songs or trading covers back and forth (Gnarls Barkley and the Violent Femmes traded off “Blister In The Sun” and “Crazy” respectively). This time he throws his hat in the ring with a cover of the Band of Horses tune, who respond with….
6. "GEORGIA” by BAND OF HORSES
…a cover of “Georgia” that came out before the Cee-Lo album it appeared on was released. Band of Horses ups the ante here by getting backup from the University of Georgia Redcoat Marching Band.
7. “I DREAMED I SAW ST. AUGUSTINE” by DIRTY PROJECTORS
An unusual Bob Dylan song to choose, they somehow manage to invoke the sound of Bob Dylan while making it their own.
8. "GOD ONLY KNOWS" BY DALE EARNHARDT JR. JR.
This band would make the list by their band name alone. A faithful rendition of the Beach Boys classic.
9. “ASHES TO ASHES" BY WARPAINT
Another faithful version, Warpaint gives a slightly new coat of paint to the old Bowie song.
10. "KISS ON MY LIST" by THE BIRD AND THE BEE
From an album full of Hall and Oates covers, this seems like it would be just as at home in the late 70s as it is today.
And the number 11:
"STRANGERS" by WYE OAK
This would be number one, except the only place to find this cover of the Kinks (with Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater) is the Onion’s AV Club.
Some honorable mentions: Rock Sugar’s “Don’t Stop The Sandman” mixing Journey and Metallica (did you know the lead singer is the voice of Animaniac’s “Wakko”?); Lissie’s version of Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness”; Beck’s “Never Tear Us Apart” (INXS); The Vatican Cellars’ “Runnin’ With The Devil” (Van Halen); Nada Surf’s “Enjoy the Silence” (Depeche Mode); and Amanda Palmer’s “Fake Plastic Trees” (Radiohead).
Nice & THOROUGH...thx Benn
Posted by: Kirby | January 10, 2011 at 10:57 AM
Where is Beach House on everyone's lists? Is everyone considering that '09?
Posted by: Joel | January 12, 2011 at 07:52 AM
And by "where is it" I mean why isn't it No. 1 or No. 2 on everyone's list. Heh.
Posted by: Joel | January 12, 2011 at 07:54 AM