1) Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
If you like it, good...if not, even better and I'll keep it all to myself. Every fan of music has had that one live performance that shook them and made them fans of an artist forever. Fresh off of eating my Toppers breadsticks I was witness to Kanye West's "Through the Wire" video for the very first time. Intrigued about this artist and his swag led me and my best friend and critical music snob Brian Moshe to The Rave to see Kanye in person. Standing next to a legend in an inside-out Clyde Drexler jersey the entire show, Kanye proceeded blow our minds. He has continued to do so year after year and this years album Kanye put it all together to make a true masterpiece. I could go on for hours about the lyrics, execution, guest collaborations, and metaphors of the album. Instead I will leave you with three of the greatest quotes from 2010, also belonging to Kanye West.
"Everyday I wonder what Thom Yorke is doing at this very moment"
"I have decided the bless the city today by wearing a white suit"
"Chain heavy, shirt optional..."
2) The National- High Violet
Growing steadily in popularity over the years, "High Violet" was the National's final push that broke them out of indie lore and into mainstream America. Not since Chris Iaask in Wicked Game has a a singer with a more rich vocal style come along in Matt Berninger. One of my favorite live acts around, The National bring just as much intelligence to every show as they due in energy and intensity. (and twin brothers, because they also bring that to the show) As beautiful and complex as any album this year, The National are no longer lightweights but Mike Tyson's in their genre. Not many artists will have as much anticipation and hype surrounding their next album as will The National. Until then I will joyfully listen to High Violet for the 100th time.
3) The Walkmen- Lisbon
Hamilton Leithauser is a cool dude and his band is no where near regressing. Lisbon is the follow-up to the sensational You & Me, my album of the year in 2008. Intimate and romantic, the Walkmen know how to make things personal. Adding to their sound is their near flawless execution of playing live. The Walkmen are a true "album" band which is rare these days. Like fine wine their albums age even more beautifully over time. "Strong men also cry, Mr. Lebowski. Strong men... also... cry."
4) Curren$y- Pilot Talk
Former property of Young Money, this New Orleans artist put out not one defining album this year but two. Choosing between the excellent Pilot Talk 1 or 2 was not easy but that is a good problem to have if you are a fan of this pot smoking rapper. A mixtape legend in his own right Curren$y finally put forth this debut album and surrounded himself with rising stars Jay Electronica, and Big K.R.I.T., as well as hip hop legend Mos Def. Any other year this album would have been higher.
5) Deerhunter- Halcyon Digest
If Bradford Cox would stop wearing dresses he would be one of my icons. Deerhunter's last album "Microcastle" held a spot on my previous Top Ten List and this album is no exception. Halcyon Digest is enhanced by strong production from Ben Allen whose past efforts included Animal Collective's masterpiece "Merriweather Post Pavilion." Still this project centers around Cox whose lyrics and vocals excel even more so in the guitar based rock n' roll genre than in his also excellent solo work Atlas Sound.
6) The Morning Benders- Big Echo
Maybe I'm just sick of the Wisconsin winters but 2010 had me diggin beach music more than ever. This album holds one of my favorite tracks of the year "Excuses" which some dude at Sony obviously must have liked as well because it is now on one of there commercials which plays 24/7. Great melodies combined with excellent production from Chris Chu and Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear make this an enjoyable album. Plus the album cover has a great pic of a Mom in a "onesi."
7) Surfer Blood- Astro Coast
Great guitar was hard to come by in 2010, and that is why I am thankful for Surfer Blood. The classic riffs and use of re-verb and distortion along with equally harmonic melodies made this as catchy as a Vampire Weekend album but with a rougher edge. They also have a song entitled "Twin Peaks" which plays homage to David Lynch's masterpiece. The only drawback was seeing them perform live on P4K TV where I'm convinced that is not the same singer on the album. Hopefully that performance was just a goof because this debut from Florida is not. Hooray for American rock and roll.
8) Twin Shadow- Forget
I was a little late on this album but since the recommendations came in to listen to it ASAP, it has not left my tape deck. Possibly this years lyrical gem, Dominican-born George Lewis Jr. has added class to the current crop of leading men. Morrissey and Bowie would be proud. And just like that George proclaims in his album, this George can also not wait for summer.
9) Broken Bells
The Shins "Oh, Inverted World" and Danger Mouse's (aka Brian Burton) "The Grey Album" a mash up of Jay-Z's Black Album and The Beatles White Album were two of my choices for albums of the decade. It was a no brainer that when these two hooked up I was looking forward to the collaboration. Burton plays most of his own instruments this time instead his usual sampling and Mercer's vocals are some of the best in the biz. A great album to fold your laundry to.
10) Tame Impala- Innerspeaker
When Noel Gallagher shows up at a concert I listen. This Australian trio debut's album explores the psychedelica of Pink Floyd, Cream, and The Flaming Lips all wrapped up in a Sgt. Peppers blanket. Lead singer Kevin Parker is a dead ringer for John Lennon and at times takes his vocals to atmospheric levels. If you stopped smoking pot for awhile here's your excuse to fire it up again.
10. Warpaint- "The Fool" Haunting, moody, ethereal record. Warpaint to me seem to be the one of the best in a crop of similar artists (generally fronted by women including Glasser, Twin Sister and to some degree School of Seven Bells) that seem to be making some really interesting atmospheric music these days. The thing that sets Warpaint apart is the shear amount of layers buried in the music. If you listen closely enough, there's almost a jam groove there that you definitely don't pick up at the onset. Standout track is definitely the first single 'Undertow' but this is a record well worth your time.
8. Sleigh Bells- "Treats" Are Brooklyn's Sleigh Bells a 1-trick pony?....probably.... Are they capable of anything deeper than the bombastic & driving sound of the whole of the songs on their audaciously bass busting debut 'Treats'....probably not.....but MAN what a sound!! It's rare to hear an artist that carries true power & the combination of off the rails guitar, maxxed out back-beats & cheerleader vocals, Sleigh Bells have come up with a truly original & unmistakeable sound. Do I see a lot of room for growth? not really...but who knows! Sometimes ya just gotta enjoy albums on a surface level & not think too much about where the next step in their career will be. Treats is a a lesson in raw intensity that is refreshing and really exciting to listen to.
7. Vampire Weekend- "Contra" Success can be a funny thing for artists. When it came time for Vampire Weekend to release the follow up to their smash self titled debut, they were put in the odd position of facing some daunting, pre-emptive harsh criticism of some of the same fans that championed them in the very early days of their development. To (almost) everybody in hipster community's shock, VW by many accounts delivered an excellent album in Contra even garnering Pitchfork 'Best New Music' tag. I Contra as a great evolution and continued development of a very appealing sound that is one part world music, one part heartfelt songwriting & about 3 parts gratuitous pop (not that there's anything wrong with gratuitous pop!) I will admit that if I hear 'Holiday' in one more Christmas themed commercial, I might have to take that particular song out of my itunes...but overall this is a satisfying & enjoyable record.
6. Best Coast- "Crazy for You" The debut from the surf-rock musical vehicle of Californian & THC enthusiast Bethany Cosentino has just a tremendous knack for taking really simple but great musical ideas & translating them into wonderfully personal & familiar terms. It's hard for me to tell if the massive amounts of teenage yearning contained in the album is sarcastic, sincere or some combination of both...but the fact is, for me, it's actually really refreshing just to hear some good solid pop songs about boyfriends, breakups, infatuation & heartache. Delivered with an excellent lo-fi nod to 60s girl groups & surf rock and just enough technical merit to pull it off convincingly, Best Coast has the start to a promising career drawn up in 'Crazy for You'. Favorite line in the record (which also pretty much sums it up) "I lost my job, I miss my mom, I wish my cat could talk" from track 4 'Goodbye'
5. Land of Talk- "Cloak & Cipher" Canada's Land of Talk has been kicking around for a number of years now & have put out a couple of other pretty great records although for me, none of those have even come close to 2010's 'Cloak & Cipher'. It's real shame that this release went largely unnoticed because the fact is, it is an excellently crafted record with moments where it's vulnerable others with real strength & at some points just downright anthemic. Whereas Canadian counterparts Metric seem to be hellbent on pure pop & Broken Social Scene conversely throwing everything at the wall in their latest release, Land of Talk demonstrates a measure of songcraft, proficiency & heart that's sorely missing from the 2 aforementioned artists latest releases. Singer Elizabeth Powell delivers a heartfelt performance paired with excellently epic arrangements that add up to a very compelling record from Land of Talk.
4. The Black Angels- "Phosphene Dream" Talk about a band coming out of left field for me!! I had cast off the last two Black Angels releases as average-at-best psych rock albums (a position I've now revised even on those albums).... but from the first notes of 'Phosphene Dream', I knew that there was something really special & exciting about this record. For starters...it's wonderfully evil..but evil in a good way...kinda like 70s Ozzy evil. With swirling guitar, reverby vocals & straight up psychedelic organ, "Phosphene Dream" sounds like it could have been ripped directly from another decade & does so unapologetically. Paired this with some amazingly creepy vocals and extremely dark lyrics, Phosphene Dream is an awesomely crankable record that's sure to put you in a villainous mood. (and some days that's just what you need).
3. The National- "High Violet" For my money, The National are one of the best live bands on the planet today. The shear intensity & blazing power that these guys are capable of live is more or less unmatched in my book. High Violet marks another excellent entry in what has been an increasingly exciting career to watch. Singer Matt Berninger's deep booming vocals make the headline here although that shouldn't mean that the tremendous rhythm section & downright proficiency should be overlooked. I found High Violet to be a far more instantly accessible record than 2007's masterpiece "Boxer" and in many ways the songs play better to the increasingly growing audiences that are showing up to see these guys. With gorgeously arranged songs & deeply cathartic moments of intensity, High Violet delivers on the promise of a band that is quickly & rightfully taking it's place alongside the truly great artists of their era.
2. The Arcade Fire- "The Suburbs" When I heard the first few tracks 'The Suburbs' & 'Month of May' that went to the internet from The Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs", I have to admit I was caught off guard. Both tracks were stripped down, almost laid back & decidedly non-epic. I have to admit, I was worried. I like my Arcade Fire EPIC . What's funny about "The Suburbs" is that in the end, not only does it turn out to be incredibly epic, it also does so without a lot of the devices that it's predecessor 'Neon Bible' did. The diversity on this record is truly amazing and the ability for The Arcade fire to tell compelling stories over the course of an album through the use of recurrent musical themes is something they have basically mastered. Very very exciting. Standout track to me is actually "Sprawl II" which Regina takes lead vocals on . Inspired record to say the least.
1. Janelle Monae- "The ArchAndroid" For 2010 choosing my number one album of the year was an absolutely clear choice for me. Janelle Monae's "The ArchAndroid" is simply put, a work of massive ambition, incredible imagination & true brilliance from one of the most promising artists I've heard in years. The 2nd & 3rd part in Monae's Afro-futurism epic 'Metropolis' project, Monae assumes the role of 'Cindy Mayweather' an android sent to save the futuristic society of Metropolis. As if this, thematically isn't enough, Monae traverses an incredible amount of genres with ease & skill throughout the course of the album from soul, to punk to salsa. All this is done effortlessly and naturally with true intelligence and the whole thing is strung together just beautifully. Monae possesses the rare triple threat of being a truly gifted singer, amazingly entertaining performer and overtly imaginative songwriter. If you have not heard this album, for god's sake...stop reading this & go listen to it!