Best of 2010 preview.
This week I’ve been going through albums (not so much movies cause I haven’t seen, like, any) that came out this year and I’m just starting to rank them. Do you have any standouts or hidden gems you think we should know about before we all make our lists?
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Apparently “socially-inept” is the 2,010th tag saved to the system.
This year kinda sucked for new music. The only “new” things that kind of kicked my ass were the Yeasayer album and the Holy Fuck record. Everything else I liked and listened to were good but not exactly anything new or out of left field. I just liked them in the same way I liked those bands previous records (Shearwater, The National, Wolf Parade, etc). That LCD album was pretty darn dissapointing overall except for a song or two. I kind of sort of liked the Best Coast record and the Zola Jesus stuff, but even that wasn’t exactly in a “Holy crap this is awesome!!” way and more of a “Yeah, this is diverting to listen to while doing other things” kind of way.
Overall I come out of 2010 thinking that someone just needs to ban the use of reverb in indie rock. Just stop it, all of you.
I sorta went off the beaten path this year. With the exception of a small handful of albums by bands I already knew, most of what I ended up really enjoying were from bands that were totally new to me. A lot of it has to do with my working from home this year and being able to listen to speakers, but I found myself seeking out more sonically interesting, noisier stuff while getting really impatient with more traditional rock/pop.
Well I told you about that psychedelic rock band Tame Impala. You said they sound like Dungen and Boris, if I remember correctly.
That Hiromi album Place To Be. We heard her first on NPR in your car and downloaded it immediately when we got home.
There’s this fuzzy, instrumental, electronic soundscape album called Tommy by Dosh. Acoustic guitar, some singing, and a lot of that speaker-bubbling-popping background effect.
And the Silent League’s But You’ve Always Been The Caretaker is a great post-rock album that spreads around genres like that Phoenix album with that Funky Square Dance song on it.
I think Place to Be is 2009.
Huh, Wiki says 2009, Amazon says the CD was January of 2010. Maybe American vs. Japanese releases? Either way, I’ve listened to it all this year, so it totally counts.
John said:I sorta went off the beaten path this year. With the exception of a small handful of albums by bands I already knew, most of what I ended up really enjoying were from bands that were totally new to me. A lot of it has to do with my working from home this year and being able to listen to speakers, but I found myself seeking out more sonically interesting, noisier stuff while getting really impatient with more traditional rock/pop.
Just noticed this. You should definitely try that Dosh album. Currently putting it you-know-where.
I just want you to know that I think you’re an asshole for keeping Dosh all to yourself when you clearly should have told me about them months ago.
Seriously, this last track has completely floored me. Few things make me happier than a perfectly executed epic last track.
I’d like to throw Cosmogramma by Flying Lotus into the mix. It’s the only album from 2010 I really enjoyed. But I admittedly didn’t listen to a ton of new music this year.
I’ll second Cosmogramma. Fantastic album and very much in line with the weirder, more sonically interesting stuff I mentioned previously.
John said:Seriously, this last track has completely floored me. Few things make me happier than a perfectly executed epic last track.
Yes that last track is VERY good. I like “Yerface” and a good portion of the middle of the album too. Oh and heh heh, sorry but I think this album came out in like February.
Oh and the Avey Tare album? I assume you heard this, but I’m just playing it safe. It has a solid overall theme to its sound, but it can get pretty boring/unenergetic sometimes. It’s also not really as weird as I expected it to be.
I’m going to use this thread to rant about the 2010 version of my favorite topic which is bloggy selectiveness in hype, particularly as it relates to this OFF! album which is the new record by Keith Morris of Black Flag and Circle Jerks, doing pretty much that sound, some 30+ years later. It’s a great record without a doubt. But the fact that all the usual suspects are hyping it as the second coming of hardcore punk (see Pitchfork’s 8.5 review) when there have been literally thousands of bands playing that type of music, better, over the past 20 years and probably to a number NONE of them get covered or even reviewed let alone fawned over just raises my ire.
Don’t want to review hardcore punk bands? Fine. No problem. Not everyone’s cup of tea. I get that. But then don’t just randomly select this one band to deem the “it band” and then praise it to high heaven and talk about it with a faux expertise on the subject. Just stop.
It’s the same problem I have with metal coverage. If you’ve been listening to and reviewing and loving the genre for a long time then great. But don’t suddenly jump right in randomly and try to tell me how Mastodon or Wolves In the Throne Room (both of which I like a lot) are the greatest things since sliced bread and are “bringin’ it back!” or “resurrecting the genre” so to speak.
O.K., rant done. Can someone upload that Flying Lotus record? I like what I’ve heard but haven’t gotten around to grabbing it yet.
I hadn’t heard about that album. Sounds like I should give it a listen. Hardcore’s been due for a comeback.
Flying Lotus is up, Kev.
John said:Hardcore’s been due for a comeback.
Insert facepalm.jpg here. Although I’m guessing that was the intended effect of intentional smartassery. At least I hope.
I’ll grab that Flying Lotus. Thanks.
Crystal Castles and what was that other album you played?
The solo album from the dude from Ponytail? That’s just Dustin Wong – Infinite Love. That’s the only other album I remember playing, but i could have played others…
I just read the first batch of the Pitchfork list (50-21). So I guess this year Drake is the recipient of the token “Pop Music we say is o.k. to listen to”, The Dream is the token “Non-Kanye Hip Hop Band we say is o.k. to listen to” and Kylesa is this years “Token metal band we say is o.k. but only because Mastodon didn’t put out an album this year.”
That’s unless the top 20 yields some major surprises in those categories which I’m guessing is unlikely.