sun is high

Top 15 Albums of 2010

December 11, 2010 – 12:10 am

Ahh…2010. Finally, a year of respectable music. It refreshing to finally have some albums that are listenable from start to finish….

1. The Walkmen – Lisbon
This is one of those albums that the first time I heard it, I found absolutely nothing remarkable about it. In fact, I think I went a month before listening to it again. Then I gave it a few more plays, and it just grew on me. The thing you will notice as you listen to this is its understatement and minimalism. Every flourish is strategically placed, whether it’s a soft horn section, or light percussion. “You and Me” was a phenomenal album, but I think this album has surpassed that. The two are really quite similar, so if you like this one at all, that should be the immediate next one you go to. Their earlier work is much louder and brasher.

2. Wolf Parade – Expo 86
This album is equally as good as the Walkmen’s, and horribly underrated. Once you get passed the delivery, there are some fantastic pop songs buried in this, along with some of the best lyrics I have heard written for an album (see “Little Golden Age” or “Yulia”). Some songs have multiple songs contained within them. I’m kind of disappointed that this band has decided to throw in the towel for awhile.

3. Sambassadeur – European
If you have never checked out Labrador Records, “Sweden’s and the world’s finest purveyor of pop music,” you really should. They have so many great artists in their catalog. Probably the most well known is the Radio Dept, which had a so-so album released this year. In my opinion the best thing to come out of their label was this album from Sambassadeur. Accessible, straightforward and to the point; this album is solid all the way through.

4. Club 8 – The People’s Record
My other favorite release from Labrador. This one is sunny, and has a tropical vibe to it. It’s a bit more upbeat than their previous work, but I think that’s a good thing. Sometimes there is a bit too much going on, but it all seems to work out in the end.

5. Charlotte Gainsbourg – IRM
Daughter of the french musician Serge, Charlotte does an interesting job of carrying on a lot of the sounds her father created, especially his work with Jean-Claude Vannier, although her sound remains distinct. I like this album for its variety and lush orchestrations. Her vocals are pretty dead pan and a healthy dose of whispers, but then again, that was what her father did…

6. Autolux – Transit Transit
Finally, after a 6 year wait, Autolux finally got their album out. It seems they’ve turned the guitar down a bit with their newer sound, and focused more on creating texture. I’m not entirely sure if it was worth waiting 6 years for, but it’s still impressive.

7. UNKLE – Where Did The Night Fall
This is probably Lavelle’s best work since “Psyence Fiction,” and I think finally shows that he does not need DJ Shadow to make a quality album.

8. Robyn – Body Talk
I’ve never been into Robyn, but I decided to give this a go based on the rave reviews she’s been getting lately. It seems they are mostly justified.

9. Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record
More of the same lush and overwhelming sounds from the behemoth band known as Broken Social Scene, but that’s a good thing.

10. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
Not quite as good as Microcastle, but still a quirky and listenable record.

11. Goldfrapp – Head First
Goldfrapp always seems to manage to put out quality. This album is no exception, being a great listen all the way through, however, it seemed a bit too “safe.” It’s better than Supernature though.

12. School of Seven Bells – Disconnect from Desire
They’ve managed to refine their sound with this more accessible album. I still don’t think they’ve reached their full capability as a band, so I will be curious to see how they operate with 2/3 of their original lineup going forward.

13. Kurt Wagoner & Courtney Tidwell – Invariable Heartache
This album consists of covers from the come and gone Nashville label “Chart Records.” I was never aware of any of these songs prior to hearing this album, and these two Nashvillians have done a great job putting together a country album that doesn’t sound like a typical country album.

14. The National – High Violet
I am slowly coming around to The National. I’ve been turned off to them in the past mostly because I find their music a little too “the modern age has doomed us,” but after seeing them live, I definitely appreciate them more than I had.

15. Hurts – Happiness
I really don’t know what to think of this duo. They are so over the top in terms of emotional delivery. They kind of remind me of an updated version of Tears for Fears meets Jon Secada. As weird as that sounds, this album somehow manages to work, and is highly enjoyable once you get past the cheesiness.

Favorite EPs:

White Sea – This Frontier
You might like this if you like Bjork and Imogen Heap, but with more soothing than weird vocals. If she sounds familiar, that’s because she sang on the last M83 album.

Snowden – Slow Soft Syrup
These guys have really slowed things down again into borderline shoegaze sound. Really interested to see what their next album sounds like. This one is free, and can be downloaded here.