Monday, December 13, 2010

I cover local music for Side One: Track One so my year end list is comprised solely of Austin bands. Your list of the top 10 albums of 2010 probably differs quite a bit from mine and that’s the way it should be. These are the bands I was most excited about, went to see in concert, the groups I listen to the most and the albums I encouraged others to check out. Let me know if you think I made any major omissions:

Dan's Top 10 Local Albums Of 2010

10. Yellow Fever - Yellow Fever: I almost forgot about this one since it was released back in January. It’s lo-fi and fuzzy, but by no means does it blur together. It has a bunch of catchy tunes and you can hear elements of a number of genres. A solid album that I enjoyed the entire year.

:Yellow Fever - Cats And Rats:

9. The Black Angels - Phosphone Dream: The Black Angels were able to mix up their sound a bit on this one. They lifted some of the haze, focused a bit more on the hooks and they produced a great record. Telephone is probably my favorite track they’ve ever done.

:The Black Angels - Telephone:

8. White Denim - Last Day of Summer: Is it possible for White Denim to release a record and it not make my top 10 list? Probably not. I love these guys. This record, while not my favorite record by them, is another diverse yet accessible album by a band that continues to push themselves and in doing so wins over more and more fans.

:White Denim - Home Together:

7. Roky Erikson with Okkervil River - True Love Cast Out All Evil: When I first heard this record I wasn’t really that into it. Somehow I left it on my iPod and with repeated listens I discovered why others were raving so much. I’ve since gone back and downloaded a number of Roky’s older albums. I was late to the bandwagon on this one, but I’m an enthusiastic supporter now.

:Roky Erikson And Okkervil River - John Lawman:

6. Blue Kabuki - Blue Kabuki: Okay, technically this is an EP but I can’t have a yearend list and not mention this release. I don’t know much about the group other than they’re a thundering rock duo that reminds me a lot of Sleater-Kinney (and I don’t use that comparison lightly). I can’t wait to see them play live.

:Blue Kabuki - Lusitania:

5. Various Artists - Casual Victim Pile: Sure, not every song featured on the compilation is a winner but there are enough gems on here to warrant mention as a top album. I particularly enjoyed the tracks by Follow That Bird, Tre Orsi, and Bad Sports.

:Follow That Bird - The Ghost That Wakes You:

4. Monahans - 2010 Recordings: It’s one thing to have a really cool concept, releasing an album one song a month over the span of a year, but it doesn’t mean a thing if you can’t deliver the goods. Well, yet again Monahans delivered one of the best albums of the year.

:Monahans - I Break The Silence:

3. Harlem - Hippies: Catchy garage rock with a sense of humor. Lots of bands try it but none to it better than Harlem. They make is seem easy which is probably why Matador scooped up this band and why the album received great reviews around the country.

:Harlem - Friendly Ghost:

2. Spoon - Transference: If you’re a long time fan of Spoon, as I am, you might take their remarkable consistency for granted. They churn out great album after great album. Each release tweaks their sound just a bit as the continually evolve and prove they’re one of the very elite bands playing today.

:Spoon - Got Nuffin:

1. Leatherbag - Hey Day: My runaway winner for Album of the Year. It’s intelligent, fun, rocking and has a number of excellent songs with wide appeal. I recommend Leatherbag to all my friends, no matter what their musical preferences might be. It’s a band that everyone can agree on.

:Leatherbag - Forever Blue:

By the way, just for fun, I have two honorable mentions.  One is Damage Pants' self titled effort, and the other is Markov's This Quiet.  Until next year, friends.

- Dan Corbin -



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