40. Major Lazer & La Roux - Lazerproof
On paper this sounds like a disaster, Major Lazer's baile funk merged with La Roux's 80s synthpop pastiche and colored with pop, reggae, and hip hop tracks. In reality, this mixtape is endlessly inventive, catchy, and just plain fun. I'm not saying that all pairings like this would work this well, however, this does show that when it works, it is brilliant.
On paper this sounds like a disaster, Major Lazer's baile funk merged with La Roux's 80s synthpop pastiche and colored with pop, reggae, and hip hop tracks. In reality, this mixtape is endlessly inventive, catchy, and just plain fun. I'm not saying that all pairings like this would work this well, however, this does show that when it works, it is brilliant.
39. Sleigh Bells - Treats
When this album came out, I was sure it would end up in my top ten. After a year of hearing it, and seeing them live twice, the newness and freshness of it have faltered a bit. Their live shows, for me, blunted the impact that hit so hard when I first heard them. The 808 beats and metal guitar, married with chanting/cheerleader vocals still enchant though. I just hope they expand their sound going forward.
When this album came out, I was sure it would end up in my top ten. After a year of hearing it, and seeing them live twice, the newness and freshness of it have faltered a bit. Their live shows, for me, blunted the impact that hit so hard when I first heard them. The 808 beats and metal guitar, married with chanting/cheerleader vocals still enchant though. I just hope they expand their sound going forward.
38. Wild Nothing - Gemini
One of the first bands this year that took 80s alternative (Cocteau Twins, Wolfgang Press, Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen) along with 80s pop, and made their own sound from it. Cooing vocals overlaid on pillowy synths, gauzy guitars, and muted beats are transformed into a glorious mixture that haunts like memories and drives you forward like a glimpse of your future.
One of the first bands this year that took 80s alternative (Cocteau Twins, Wolfgang Press, Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen) along with 80s pop, and made their own sound from it. Cooing vocals overlaid on pillowy synths, gauzy guitars, and muted beats are transformed into a glorious mixture that haunts like memories and drives you forward like a glimpse of your future.
37. Matthew Dear - Black City
Alternately sleazy and transcendent, Black City is the soundtrack to a long night of partying that doesn't end once the sun comes up. The only album this year that makes me want to take a shower after I hear it. And that is high praise.
36. The Drums - The Drums
Goofy, lovable and with more hooks than a tackle box, The Drums debut feels like it could have been released in the mid 80s. In lesser hands this could seem like cliched pastiche, however, with The Drums it is masterfully realized.
Goofy, lovable and with more hooks than a tackle box, The Drums debut feels like it could have been released in the mid 80s. In lesser hands this could seem like cliched pastiche, however, with The Drums it is masterfully realized.
35. The Morning Benders - Big Echo
Co-produced by Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear, Big Echo shows a humongous leap forward from their debut album Talking Through Tin Cans, which was a nice but unmemorable Shins like exercise. Big Echo opens up and expands their sound, allowing the band to retain their sunny, trademark sound, but coloring outside the lines with texture and a willingness to try new avenues.
Co-produced by Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear, Big Echo shows a humongous leap forward from their debut album Talking Through Tin Cans, which was a nice but unmemorable Shins like exercise. Big Echo opens up and expands their sound, allowing the band to retain their sunny, trademark sound, but coloring outside the lines with texture and a willingness to try new avenues.
34. Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid
2010 was definitely the Year of Janelle Monae. The ArchAndroid has more adventure than most artists show over their entire career. She glides from traditional R&B, to electronica, through English pastoral folk, and dozens of other styles and never takes a breath. I can only hope this is just a preview of things to come and not another Lauryn Hill, who shone brightly and faded just as fast.
2010 was definitely the Year of Janelle Monae. The ArchAndroid has more adventure than most artists show over their entire career. She glides from traditional R&B, to electronica, through English pastoral folk, and dozens of other styles and never takes a breath. I can only hope this is just a preview of things to come and not another Lauryn Hill, who shone brightly and faded just as fast.
33. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
I will completely admit that liking this album was a huge surprise for me. While I liked a couple of songs on Funeral, I never understood why everyone thought Arcade Fire was the second coming of Jesus. When they released Neon Bible, I was again very confused by one of the most overproduced and bloated albums ever. I don't even know why I even dared to listen to The Suburbs. I'm glad I did. Gone are the overdone "anthems" and bombast, instead, what's here is a glorious song cycle about growing older, and not necessarily wiser, waking up with your life nowhere near where you thought it would be. While Arcade Fire doesn't give any answers to life's questions, their beautiful music and gentle observations pull the listener in, letting them know they are not alone.
32. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma
Lush, dense, and challenging, Flying Lotus now has a second masterpiece down in his arsenal. But why, if this is a masterpiece, is it not at the top of my list? Good question. I think Cosmogramma is brilliant, but it is also more an album to appreciate than love. With Los Angeles, you could listen to the album of icy, futuristic neon electronica as a whole, as well as appreciate the songs as individual pieces. That album was whimsical, playful, and ahead of the game for any electronic album that came out the same time. Cosmogramma is not as lenient. You have to listen to the album as a whole, his pieces pulling from classical, jazz, old school techno, and hip hop, blending them into a 21st century poem. But listen out of sequence and it is hard to remember any one song; his sequencing is stellar. So while I love the album, it is not easy to warm up to. Thus it is at 32.
32. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma
31. Rusko - O.M.G.!
O.M.G.!, the first full release of original music by Rusko, is an amazing overview of dance genres over the past decades, all seen through the filter of dubstep. The album really shows his range and willingness to embrace a more mainstream/poppier sound. Kurt and I had a discussion about how most dubstep purists will likely look down on O.M.G.! because of this willingness, however, we felt that if it opens the genre up to a bigger audience there is nothing really wrong with it.
O.M.G.!, the first full release of original music by Rusko, is an amazing overview of dance genres over the past decades, all seen through the filter of dubstep. The album really shows his range and willingness to embrace a more mainstream/poppier sound. Kurt and I had a discussion about how most dubstep purists will likely look down on O.M.G.! because of this willingness, however, we felt that if it opens the genre up to a bigger audience there is nothing really wrong with it.
30. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
I have a theory that alternative bands follow one of two paths after commercial and/or critical success. One, they aim for more commercial success and streamline their sound for a mainstream audience (I am talking to you U2), or, two, they go even further off the map and make their sound more and more experimental (Autechre comes to mind, though recently they have come back to their original sound). With Deerhunter, I am sort of at a loss. With each album their sound becomes more and more polished, and yet, they still enjoy experimenting with different styles. In their catalog, Halcyon Digest is Deerhunter's most hushed and reverential album, but it brims with a new found love of 50s and 60s styles updated to a modern setting. Frontman Bradford Cox's lyrics are still obtuse and searching, as on the lovely first single "Helicopter," however, what is more amazingly apparent is how lead guitarist Lockett Pundt is now exerting his voice, as on the devastating "Desire Lines."
29. Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
While I am usually drawn to Broken Social Scene for their more driving, densely packed tracks, I was surprised with how the quieter moments on this record stayed with me longer. "Sweetest Kill," was one of my top singles of the year, and the aching, haunting vocals linger long in your heart. But the rest of record is still filled with the vitriol and anger that BSS is often known for; specifically in blistering tracks like "Texico Bitches."
While I am usually drawn to Broken Social Scene for their more driving, densely packed tracks, I was surprised with how the quieter moments on this record stayed with me longer. "Sweetest Kill," was one of my top singles of the year, and the aching, haunting vocals linger long in your heart. But the rest of record is still filled with the vitriol and anger that BSS is often known for; specifically in blistering tracks like "Texico Bitches."
28. Salem - King Night
One of the most polarizing releases of the year. Critics and listeners either hated it or loved it. I, for one, fell in love with it's dark, ominous mix of Dirty South beats, haunted house manipulated vocals, and shoegaze textures. Although Salem has been accused of not caring about their music or fans, I doubt an album of this quality and intensity would have been the result.
One of the most polarizing releases of the year. Critics and listeners either hated it or loved it. I, for one, fell in love with it's dark, ominous mix of Dirty South beats, haunted house manipulated vocals, and shoegaze textures. Although Salem has been accused of not caring about their music or fans, I doubt an album of this quality and intensity would have been the result.
27. Kylesa - Spiral Shadow
Melodic stoner metal from my hometown Savannah, Georgia. Backed by two drummers and three separate vocalists, Kylesa merge typical metal sounds with elements of shoegaze, punk, and alt-rock. The album has surprises around every corner, and sounds completely fresh in a very crowded field. In making their more accessible sound, the band has clearly been listening to a lot of alt-rock from the 80s and 90s, borrowing and adapting loosely from artists like Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, and the Pixies, to give the music texture and substance. First single, and standout track "Don't Look Back" could easily be a forgotten Pixies gem.
Melodic stoner metal from my hometown Savannah, Georgia. Backed by two drummers and three separate vocalists, Kylesa merge typical metal sounds with elements of shoegaze, punk, and alt-rock. The album has surprises around every corner, and sounds completely fresh in a very crowded field. In making their more accessible sound, the band has clearly been listening to a lot of alt-rock from the 80s and 90s, borrowing and adapting loosely from artists like Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, and the Pixies, to give the music texture and substance. First single, and standout track "Don't Look Back" could easily be a forgotten Pixies gem.
26. James Blake - CMYK/The Bells Sketch/Klavierwerke EPs
James Blake is a busy guy, releasing three distinct and separate eps over the course of 2010 all while prepping his debut album for the beginning of 2011. Blake obviously has a restless mind and imagination, as each of the eps, while sounding like they are from the same artist, are all different in tone and theme. The Bells Sketch is the more beat heavy of the three, with skittering drum programming and sounds pulled and twisted from video games. CMYK is the giant leap forward, where Blake takes soul and R&B samples, stretching, pulling and manipulating them into his own haunting chorus. And Klaiverwerke is the hat-tip towards what his debut album will mostly sound like, minimal instrumentation and the use of Blake's own gorgeous, soulful voice.
James Blake is a busy guy, releasing three distinct and separate eps over the course of 2010 all while prepping his debut album for the beginning of 2011. Blake obviously has a restless mind and imagination, as each of the eps, while sounding like they are from the same artist, are all different in tone and theme. The Bells Sketch is the more beat heavy of the three, with skittering drum programming and sounds pulled and twisted from video games. CMYK is the giant leap forward, where Blake takes soul and R&B samples, stretching, pulling and manipulating them into his own haunting chorus. And Klaiverwerke is the hat-tip towards what his debut album will mostly sound like, minimal instrumentation and the use of Blake's own gorgeous, soulful voice.
25. Flying Lotus - Pattern+Grid World
My friend Matthew was appalled that I was rating this ep higher than Cosmogramma. While agree with him that Cosmogramma is brilliant, it is brilliant in the sense of the mind but not the heart. This ep is what I wished Cosmogramma would make me feel. It is light, but not inconsequential, whimsical, but not cloying, and is just bursting at the seams with inventiveness and killer beats. I stand by my verdict.
My friend Matthew was appalled that I was rating this ep higher than Cosmogramma. While agree with him that Cosmogramma is brilliant, it is brilliant in the sense of the mind but not the heart. This ep is what I wished Cosmogramma would make me feel. It is light, but not inconsequential, whimsical, but not cloying, and is just bursting at the seams with inventiveness and killer beats. I stand by my verdict.
24. Foals - Total Life Forever
This album will be considered Foals' The Bends.
This album will be considered Foals' The Bends.
23. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
Although Crystal Castles doesn't completely forgo their trademark 8-Bit sonic attack, what is astonishing about their sophomore release is how much of it is actually beautiful. Those moments, as with gorgeous single "Celestica," are what make the record and their willingness to expand their sound makes me hopeful that Crystal Castles will be around for a long time.
Although Crystal Castles doesn't completely forgo their trademark 8-Bit sonic attack, what is astonishing about their sophomore release is how much of it is actually beautiful. Those moments, as with gorgeous single "Celestica," are what make the record and their willingness to expand their sound makes me hopeful that Crystal Castles will be around for a long time.
22. Yeahsayer - Odd Blood
It is never easy describing Yeasayer's sound, as each song could be from a completely different artist, and sometimes it feels like the members switch instruments within each song. Combining Talking Heads-like world music exploration with elements of traditional rock, electronica, R&B, jam band noodling, and everything including the kitchen sink, Yeasayer is not afraid to see if something will work. Not everything does, but when they do, the results are never more than stunning.
It is never easy describing Yeasayer's sound, as each song could be from a completely different artist, and sometimes it feels like the members switch instruments within each song. Combining Talking Heads-like world music exploration with elements of traditional rock, electronica, R&B, jam band noodling, and everything including the kitchen sink, Yeasayer is not afraid to see if something will work. Not everything does, but when they do, the results are never more than stunning.
21. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
Damon Albarn is just a genius. Plastic Beach is Gorillaz' masterpiece, pulling together a series of songs that actually work together as a whole, instead of their other albums, which seemed like a couple of great singles surrounded by filler. From the buzzy "Stylo," to elegantly somber "On Melancholy Hill," through the synthpop haze of "Empire Ants," Albarn and company constantly switch gears, while never forgetting that it is all about the melody.
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