This one caught me by surprise. I wasn't expecting all that much, but
the band actually put out a much improved sophomore effort. Definitely
a super fun listen with the highlights being Alison Mosshart's sexy vocals
and Jack White's unhinged music.
:The
Dead Weather - Gasoline:
#24) Autolux - Transit Transit
I have to admit I'm a little torn on this album. I listened to it a
ton and I think that Autolux once again proved that they're fantastic at
crafting sonically interesting material, but the jaded-by-the-wait part of
me wants to say this sounds like the follow-up to Future Perfect that
should not have taken five years to make.
:Autolux
- Supertoys:
#23) The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt
As I said in my year-end song list, Kristian Matsson was the best that 2010
had to offer in regards to folk music. Personally, I find this album
to be rather accessible, so even if you're not a fan of the genre you should
still seek it out and give it a least one listen.
:The
Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt:
#22) Best Coast - Crazy For You
Despite having what I'm calling Best Coast burnout over the last month or
two, I still think that this is a really nice full length that features
nothing but fuzzy pop gems from beginning to end. Now if only I could
figure out where the band will go from here.
:Best
Coast - Boyfriend:
#21) The Sword - Warp Riders
If you come here enough then you're probably aware of the fact that metal
isn't a genre that gets posted on a lot. It's just not my thing.
The Sword, however, fucking rock and this riffy beast of an album is a blast
to listen to. You should give it a shot.
:The
Sword - Lawless Lands:
#20) The Morning Benders - Big Echo
Before you ask, none of the other tracks on this full length are as good as
Excuses (my favorite song of the year). Sorry. It's true.
With that being said, Big Echo is still a very inviting listen that
has more than enough quality pop for you to lovingly appreciate.
:The
Morning Benders - Promises:
#19) Black Mountain - Wilderness Heart
I'm not exactly sure as to what Black Mountain were going for here, but I do
know that I dug it quite a bit. Scatterbrain works! On occasion.
Like when a band as talented as this one decides to prove that they can play
any style of psych rock out there.
:Black
Mountain - Wilderness Heart:
#18) The Corin Tucker Band - 1,000 Years
Surprisingly, this LP doesn't only contain three minute songs that try to
melt faces with Corin's inspired wailing and rollicking guitar riffs.
It's actually a fairly intimate listen, and there isn't a part of me that
wouldn't like to hear more as soon as possible.
:The
Corin Tucker Band - It's Always Summer:
#17) The Budos Band - Budos Band III
"There's a fucking cobra on the cover!" I won't ever be able to look
at this album and not immediately flashback to the band emphatically
pointing that out between songs at their show in Austin earlier this year.
Not many do soul (or crazy, for that matter) like the Budos Band.
:The
Budos Band - Unbroken, Unshaven:
#16) Warpaint - The Fool
To be honest, this is just a cool listen. Moody, headphone-worthy art
rock isn't something that seems to be too popular these days, and it's nice
to hear a band taking on the challenge. Of course, it's certainly easy
for me to say that when the music is this good.
:Warpaint
- Set Your Arms Down:
#15) Menomena - Mines
If I wanted "interesting" this year then all I had to do was load up
Mines by Menomena and hit play. These guys are on another level
when it comes to creating music, and this album does nothing but prove it.
Be sure to slap on headphones for every play through.
:Menomena
- Five Little Rooms:
#14) Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be
Like I've said a million times over, this year had more than its fair share
of all-girl retro pop bands. They were everywhere. And most of
them were good. The Dum Dum Girls, however, had one of the better
albums. Good luck finding anything on I Will Be that's not
super catchy.
:Dum
Dum Girls - Bhang Bhang, I'm A Burnout:
#13) The Walkmen - Lisbon
I'm actually a bit surprised at my level of love for Lisbon.
The album isn't exactly "easy to love" with so many sprawling arrangements
(that can sometimes be borderline overwhelming), but there is just something
about it that has me hooked for all eternity.
:The
Walkmen - Stranded:
#12) The New Pornographers - Together
Before this came out I can honestly say that I wasn't too concerned with
whatever the New Pornographers had going on. They had lost me.
And now? I'm back in! Together is a really fun album
that's packed with the sort of sing-a-long worthy tracks that are impossible
to not like.
:The
New Pornographers - Your Hands (Together):
#11) The Octopus Project - Hexadecagon
As if it was made specifically for those who aren't big admirers of anything
that contains the word "instrumental," Hexadecagon contains some of
the most entertaining and accessible music that 2010 had to offer.
Talk about 48 minutes and 43 seconds repeatedly well spent.
:The
Octopus Project - Korakrit:
#10) Spoon - Transference
Have Spoon become the most consistent band around? It's certainly
starting to seem like it, as shown by Transference and the seemingly
unbreakable string of enjoyable moments that litter it. Even jaded
"indie" fans should find something to like here.
:Spoon
- The Mystery Zone:
#09) Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
Wild. That's what this full length is, and if you don't acknowledge
that particular fact then you can expect to randomly wake up in nothing but
your underwear with a bunch of empty beer cans around you and a fuzzy memory
of "letting loose." Listen to this LOUD.
:Titus
Andronicus - No Future Part Three: Escape From No Future:
#08) The Black Keys - Brothers
While this is easily the mainstream album of the year, I do think it should
be pointed out that the duo didn't just deliver a nine or ten song LP with a
couple of great singles. Brothers is a mammoth 15-track listen
that's impressive from beginning to end.
:The
Black Keys - Next Girl:
#07) Splinters - Kick
The Dum Dum Girls' I Will Be is probably a better album when it comes
to just straight up retro pop, but I can't begin to describe how much fun
I've had with the charming songs that fill Kick. Yeah, maybe
that means eventual burnout, but at least I'll say that in 2010 it ruled me.
:Splinters - Mysterious:
#06) Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings - I Learned The Hard Way
Because it's just what they do, this Daptone artist put another amazingly
great soul record. If at this point you haven't realized that Sharon
Jones has a golden voice or that the Dap-Kings are one of the best bands
working, you might want to reshuffle your brain.
:Sharon
Jones And The Dap-Kings - Better Things To Do:
#05) Tame Impala - Innerspeaker
If I had to pick an album this year to just kick back with and jam for hours
on end, Innerspeaker would my top choice. I love the Beatles-esque
vocals and the arrangements are so wonderfully textured that it's hard not
to get lost in them. Consider this to be as accessible as psych rock
can get.
:Tame
Impala - Island Walking:
#04) Phantogram - Eyelid Movies
Where School Of Seven Bells released a slightly less appealing sophomore
effort, Phantogram came out of nowhere with a similar, but simplified sound
in the form of Eyelid Movies, which is just stuffed with cool
track after cool track. Headphones are definitely recommended!
:Phantogram
- Mouthful Of Diamonds:
#03) Sleigh Bells - Treats
Let's face it, this isn't an album that you expect to throw on for a quiet
evening at home. Treats is meant to be blasted as your prepare
yourself for some sort of dance-enthused adventure of epic proportions.
I think I'm still amazed that it managed to blowout the hype that preceded
its release.
:Sleigh
Bells - Riot Rhythm:
#02) The Mynabirds - What We Lose In The Fire We Gain In The Flood
Definitely a little more AAA radio than I tend to like, and yet there were
so many times this year where I'd hear one song off this and then
immediately have to listen to the entire album (... at least once).
This is for those of you who miss the warmth of albums from way back when.
:The
Mynabirds - Let The Record Go:
#01) Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
To be honest, I could probably make a case for any of the top five to be #1.
This, however, was not just the year's first great release, but my fallback
listen for every single time I tired of something else. Astro Coast
is a fantastic effort with a wealth of fuzzy pop gems, and you need it.
:Surfer
Blood - Swim:
- John Laird -
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