My Top 100: 2010

[YI]

MY 100 FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

music video for "The Skin Surf"

60. "Patagonian Rats" by Tera Melos

Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/teramelos

Spotify Link:

If the Mars Volta went on a surf holiday you'd end up with this. This is the band's first full-length since their debut 5-years ago, and there's a few differences. Most notable is the inclusion of vocal parts. However they don't always seem to add much, actual lyrical substance is nigh-on impossible to distinguish and unlike the choral representations in a similar release by Fang Island, when looked at as a tonal instrument, there's times where it doesn't fully compliment what else is happening musically. That being said, in the songs with more rigid song-structures, it tends to be better, the high pitched croons in "West Ham United" really adding to the song. As a band they are crazy talented, but like a lot of these sorts of bands, when something awesome comes up, it's quickly discarded. For example the hilariously awesome ska element in "Trident Tail", which is dropped within seconds, replaced by a bunch of thrown together riffs, which don't seem to fit. One thing the band do have going for them over the likes of Mars Volta etc, is that they're not afraid to just be 'catchy', busting out the occasional killer pop hook.

BEST SONGS:

• In Citrus Heights
  
• West Ham United
  
• Trident Tail
  
  'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:
  
  • "Fang Island" by Fang Island
    
  • "This Is The Second Album Of A Band Called Adebisi Shank" by Adebisi Shank
    
  • one of Omar Rodríguez-López 19-billion releases, can someone tell him to fuck off?
    
    

    funny story + awesome live video of "Eight Letters" (song starts at 1:45)

    
    

    
    59. "Unbearable" by Paul Baribeau
    Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/paulbaribeau
    Download For Free: http://www.ifyoumakeit.com/get/paul-baribeau-unbearable.zip
    "The first letter I wrote you was way too long, way too crazy, way too scary, way too sad / The second letter I wrote you was way too short, just said, "I love you, baby. Please come back.""
    
    And at the opposite side of the musical spectrum. Simple acoustic strummings. The first time I heard the Paul Baribeau track "Never Get To Know", I couldn't help but wonder that if I was this guy, I'd probably spend my life curled up in the fetal position and refuse to leave the confines of my bedroom. A truly heartbreaking song, which really sets the tone for the majority of Baribeau's material. His most recent release, on name alone had me expecting more of the same, and it certainly didn't disappoint. 2nd track "Eight Letters", documenting the aftermath of a break-up is deperate, but at the same time an incredibly cute track. It's those sort of tracks where Paul really shines. Later on "Poor Girls" is of the same style. Bleak, heartbreaking, but ridiculously sweet. If he didn't have a homeless beard, he should be getting so much pussy for writing tracks like these, seriously. Hell, he should be getting it in spite of his homeless beard.

    
    BEST SONGS:
    

    • Eight Letters
      
    • Poor Girls
      
    • Rolling Clouds
      

    'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:

    [*]"James Is Going To Die Soon" by Crywank

    [*]"We Chase The Waves" by Sundowner

    [*]"Dissatisfactions" by ONSIND

Edited December 14, 2010 by YI

[YI]

MY 100 FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

music video for "Fixed"

58. "The Five Ghosts" by Stars

Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/stars

Spotify Link:

Canada's indietronica darlings Stars are back with their 5th album, an album of ghost stories. Lead single, "Fixed" took a while to grow on me, I was a little distracted by the fact it sounds like an indie rock imagining of "Viva La Vida" (my 3rd favourite sound-a-like of the year, 2nd being "Punching In A Dream" by The Naked & Famous/"Kids" by MGMT and 1st being "The Island Pt.1" by Pendulum/"Marching Bands Of Manhattan" by Death Cab For Cutie...those 3-songs which sound alike on the Gaslight Anthem album fit in somewhere too). I still don't rate it highly in comparison to a lot of the album, but it's a solid little track. In my opinion the lead single should have been absolute anthem, "Wasted Daylight". Pounding bass strums add a sense of urgency to the track's simple chorus, meaning it will be ingrained firmly in your head after a single listen. It is preceded by "Dead Hearts", a gorgeous opening track. Call and response boy/girl vocals lead into a vibrant and swelling chorus, which sets the album off to a flying start. There's always been a slight problem with Stars, which becomes more apparent on this record. They can't decide whether they want to be Metric or The Postal Service. Whilst there's plenty of bands that mix together live electronics and indie-pop very well (one such act will be placing very highly on this list), Stars seem to jump about a lot and it just doesn't have a natural flow.

BEST SONGS:

• Wasted Daylight
  
• Dead Hearts
  
• The Last Song Ever Written
  
  'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:
  
  • "Satellite of Love" by Color Of Clouds
    
  • "New Medium" by Faded Paper Figures
    
  • "Our Inventions" by Lali Puna
    
    

    music video for "Stay Close"

    
    

    
    57. "Subiza" by Delorean
    Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/delorean
    Spotify Link:
    I first got into Delorean on a whim, downloading their 2009 "Ayron Senna" EP, purely based on the name, finding it to be a fun listen. Then came this, the Spanish band's third album, which has seen them boost in popularity, even managing the occasional play on Radio 1. Delorean are a band that draw influence from a wide range of sources; 90's house music, 80's electro-pop, shoegaze and Britpop to name a few. Yes, it's been picked up as one of the hipster albums of the year, but it doesn't change the fact that it's legitimately fun, and full of toe-tapping rhythms.

    
    BEST SONGS:
    

    • Simple Graces
      
    • Come Wander
      
    • Endless Sunset
      

    'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:

    [*]"Swim" by Caribou

    [*]"LP4" by Ratatat

    [*]"Celebration" by MGMT

[YI]

MY 100 FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

music video for "Best Friend"

56. "The Drums" by The Drums

Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/thedrumsforever

Spotify Link:

Sometimes the scenesters are right. Not often, but sometimes they are. I originally wrote The Drums off after hearing "Let's Go Surfing", which I still hate with a passion I usually only keep for Alter Bridge. It's pretty the epitome of a cliché 'sort of ironically cool' indie-rock track (you know, like Weezer do, only without the charm). Then one night I was with some friends, a bit drunk and this album was put on. And I loved it. It sounded like a recording someone made with a mini-disk recorder from outside a pub, whilst a Smiths cover band played inside. You might think this will get old after a while, but it doesn't. In fact, when they try to veer away from this formula is when things start getting a bit wank. Thankfully, they don't do that much.

BEST SONGS:

• Book Of Stories
  
• Best Friend
  
• Skippin' Town
  
  'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:
  
  • "Lisbon" by The Walkmen
    
  • "Submarine" by Scanners
    
  • "Work" by Shout Out Louds
    
    

    music video for "Vader In Burgos"

    
    

    
    55. "Lifejackets" by Mimas
    Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/mimas
    Spotify Link:
    I started the list with a 'math-rock' turned 'post-rock' band, now it's time to go the other way. Housed on Big Scary Monsters (one of my favourite lables) these Danes released their debut album in the tail end of 2008. It was a fairly good album, but I never felt there was anything there to set them apart from similar bands. My opinion of the band started changing last year when a cover of labelmates, This Town Needs Guns' "26 Is Dancier Than 4" surfaced. The moment the song 'broke into' the chorus, which they'd stripped to melancholic guitar picks, legatto brass instrumentation and a chorus of slurred vocals, I knew they had all the tools to provide something amazing. Whether this album is that something amazing is debatable, but it is very, very good. Their 2nd album opens with the noise which resembles brass instruments melting in the sun, before the new clean guitars and handclaps start up the main motif of opener "Application". The song progresses sounding an awful like the singer from Barenaked Ladies decided to front This Town Needs Guns. The songs never follow a specific formulas, there's lots of time changes, tempo changes, style changes in every song. You've got the stabs of "La Moustache Formidable", the groove working in "Vader In Burgos", the laid back technicality of "Smom" and the gorgeous piano based closer, "Relationship", with the group chorus, reminding a lot of their fantastic "26 Is Dancier Than 4" cover. A band any indie, post-rock or math-rock fan should check out. Doesn't really fit in any of them, but takes elements to make something weirdly fantastic of their own.

    
    BEST SONGS:
    

    • Relationship
      
    • Smom
      
    • Application
      

    'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:

    [*]"About Everything And More" by Dorena

    [*]"The Quiet Finale" by Super Tennis

    [*]"Höldum í átt að óreiðu" by For A Minor Reflection

    [*]"Animals" by This Town Needs Guns (an old-y, but a good-y)

Edited December 16, 2010 by YI

[RPS]

Everything has been top notch until The Drums. That is an awful, awful, awful record. I don't think I disliked anything more, bar maybe Best Coast and Girl Talk albums.

[Damian WayLNKe]

I'm glad I'm not the only person around here that listens to Jukebox the Ghost. I mean seriously.

[YI]

MY 100 FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

music video for "Futile Devices"

54. "The Age Of Adz" by Sufjan Stevens

Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/sufjanstevens

Spotify Link: n/a

A read a review likening this to an orchestra having a nervous breakdown. It's a pretty apt description for Stevens' most recent work, his first 'proper' album release since 2005's "Illinois". Since that critically acclaimed album, Stevens' disappeared from public eye, overwhelmed by his planned States album series, uncomfortable with his rising fame and attributed to saying he was sick of music, more specifically, his music. Last year he put out a concept release called "The BQE", which set a number of orchestral, non-song based compositions to a journey on the Brooklyn Queen Expressway. You have to applaud him for trying something different, but when I compare it to some of the wider works of Peter Broderick (solo/Efterklang) it just didn't have the same depth to it. As "The Age of Adz" opens you could suspect that this is going to be more of the same from Stevens, which lets be honest, wouldn't be a bad thing. However, the moment the 2nd track begins, as the sound effect opening breaks into electric percussion and glitchy and downright weird electronics, you know this is going to be something different. And different, doesn't always mean better. I sometimes felt some of Sufjan's stuff had a couple of dud tracks put in throughout, but this album has gotten worse, it's as if the majority of the songs have a dud section thrown in there. Shockingly, there's a couple of songs where I don't feel this and one's the 25-minute closer "Impossible Soul". Given the way the song's structured, as it fades in and out of different sections (including an overly autotune, club hip-hop inspired section) it never gives Stevens the time to over-indulge and go crazy with the electronics, which are just far too intrusive. If you want to get into Stevens, this should not be the place you start. It's a good album, and has moments of absolute genius. I applaud him for developing his style, but it simply boils down to the electronics being a little harsh on the ear and ultimately distracting.

BEST SONGS:

• Vesuvius
  
• Impossible Soul
  
• Now That I'm Older
  
  'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:
  
  • "Heartland" by Owen Pallett
    
  • "The Violent Blue" by Electric President
    
  • "Go" by Jónsi
    
    
    

    music video for "American Slang"

    
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZKq6ZnWH-E
    53. "American Slang" by The Gaslight Anthem
    Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/thegaslightanthem
    Spotify Link: n/a
    Back with more nostalgia and shameless lifting from their influences, The Gaslight Anthem produce their 3rd album in quick succession. Their sound continues to develop, incorporating more of a stadium rock vibe into their songs. It works, in a "They sound even more like Bruce Springsteen" way, but it's really difficult to shake the fact they're a band who may not have anything new to actually offer. I guess that's always the difficulty. They managed to weather the storm with the 2nd album, maintaining the adoration of their underground fanbase whilst exploring a more mainstream indie-rock approach. This album however, has divided opinion a lot more, and whilst personally I enjoy it, I can certainly tell why. There's the over reliance on the old chord progressions, lyrical themes (although Brian Fallon's lyrics are still top notch) and styles. The 'stadium rock' tracks ("American Slang", "Old Haunts", "Bring It On") are all good on the surface, but analysing them makes you realise just how similar they actually are. "Orphans", "Boxer" and "The Spirit Of Jazz" sound like they're taken straight from "The '59 Sound", right down to the riffs. It's one thing for a band to have a signature sound, but when it's apparent the quality of songs is not as good as went before (besides "The Spirit Of Jazz", which is amazing) it does leave a bad taste. However, the cases where the band branches out a bit really shows the creativity they possess. The Clash inspired "The Queen Of Lower Chelsea" and haunting closer, "We Did It When We Were Young" are both incredible tracks, showing the band at their best. I'm being negative, but outside of "Stay Lucky", every song on here is actually good, and sometimes great, it's just not as good as what has come before. They still provide one hell of a fun show and work their arse off, with the recording of their 4th album beginning at the start of 2011. And amazing band.

    
    BEST SONGS:
    

    • The Queen Of Lower Chelsea
      
    • The Spirit Of Jazz
      
    • She Loves You (Bonus Track)
      

    'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:

    [*]"Sweet Saint Me" by Two Cow Garage

    [*]"Chamberlain Waits" by The Menzingers

    [*]"Good Morning, Magpie" by Murder By Death

[Jimmy]

I'm glad to see The Drums on your list. I originally hated to them, before warming to them and eventually falling in love with teheir album. One of my standout albums of 2010.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

GASLIGHT GASLIGHT GASLIGHT

PALLETT PALLETT PALLETT

That's all I know from the past two weeks

[YI]

MY 100 FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

performance of "My Sinking Ship"

52. "Good Old War" by Good Old War

Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/goodoldwar

Spotify Link:

Indie-folk is in. Mumford & Sons took the UK by storm last year and their popularity grew in the States in 2010. Since then there's been an emergence of similar bands, not that it's anywhere remotely close to an original genre, there just seems to be plenty of cashing in. Good Old War are actually a band that pre-exist Mumford & Sons, and this is the follow-up to their gorgeous debut "Only Way To Be Alone", released in 2008. Musically it's stripped down acoustic guitars, placid drum rhythms and the occasional accordion in the background for good measure. There's a good selection of "ooh's" and "ah's" adding substance and depth to the music. This self-titled relase does not jump out like their debut did. Songs are for the most part shorter and outside of a few tracks don't make a massive impression. It goes agaisnt a lot of what I normally say, that less is often more, but here that's no the case. If the release was cut to about 10-tracks, with some of the 2-minute tracks pushed to about 3/3-and-a-half, allowing some of the ideas a chance to really come to fruition, I feel it'd be a much better album. Still a very competent follow up album.

BEST SONGS:

• My Name's Sorrow
  
• My Sinking Ship
  
• That's Some Dream
  
  'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:
  
  • "Beachcomber's Windowsill" by Stornoway
    
  • "Cardona" by Michou
    
  • "Sigh No More" by Mumford & Sons (2009)
    
    

    music video for "A Moll"

    
    

    
    51. "Höldum í átt að óreiðu" by For A Minor Reflection
    Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/foraminorreflection
    Spotify Link: n/a
    I first came across this Icelandic act 2-years ago, supporting Sigur Rós in London. If I was to be perfectly honest, they didn't really do much for me (but they were supporting Sigur Rós so there's a surprise) and I wrote them off as just another post-rock band - but without the melodies or transcendence of others in the genre. That was during a time when I listened to a lot of post-rock, I don't listen to as much anymore and have become a lot more picky with what I actually like. Recognising the band name I decided to give them another go and I was incredibly surprised. One thing I hadn't taken into account was just how young the band actually were and their skills have certainly developed in the 3-year gap between material. Unlike the debut, the tracks are much shorter, but there's a wider range of instrumentation and development within the tracks. This also means when the only track to break the 10-minute barrier, "Sjáumst Í Virginíu" swells to completion it actually feels special, and the development of the track is not forced, the band really justify the length, it's not just it's what is expected of them. I the pleasure of seeing For A Minor Reflection live again in a much smaller venue, the show really did help me complete my 180 on them. Funnily, my feelings and my ranking of this album mimic that of Dorena's "Holofon" from last year, but more on them later.

    
    BEST SONGS:
    

    • Sjáumst Í Virginíu
      
    • Flóð
      
    • A Moll
      

    'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:

    [*]"Atlas" by The American Dollar

    [*]"About Everything And More" by Dorena

    [*]"Constellations" by Balmorhea

[Lowerdeck]

Out of the list so far, I've maybe heard of five or six of these.

American Slang wasn't bad, not awful but not bad either. I will agree with you on the two best songs being Lower Chelsea and the closer When We Were Young. What's this bonus track though, since my copy of the album only had 10 songs on it.

A couple of weeks ago I was in Brooklyn and picked up a copy of the recent Sufjan Stevens EP All Delighted People. I went in blind buying the thing, and it just sounds weird. Personally I think it could have been better if it was instrumentals only, or minimal vocals. That kind of scared me away from the Age of Adz album, which heading into my drunken Brooklyn record store trip I been hearing raves about.

[YI]

If you don't like the Sufjan EP you probably won't like the album.

And the Gaslight bonus was an i-tunes bonus (not that I'd buy off i-tunes), it's also available as a b-side to their vinyl release of The Rolling Stones' "Tumbling Dice".

[YI]

MY 100 FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

fucking brilliant live performance of "Weak4"

50. "We Were Exploding Anyway" by 65daysofstatic

Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/65propaganda

Spotify Link:

I admit, even though I feel like I should, I really don't know much about 65dos. I can't believe they hadn't appeared on my radar before last summer. Their blend of post-rock and live elctronics, bringing together two of my favourite things under one umbrella. This album was a make or break point for 65dos, they'd been alienating a lot of long-term fans with their switch to a more electronic sound. This obviously didn't phase them as they jumped right in at the deep end with an album that jumps more into the electro territory. From frantic tribal style drumbeats in standout "Weak4" to the 10-minute techno inspired closer "Tiger Girl", a collaboration with Robert Smith, the band show they're not afraid to take risks and whilst it doesn't always pay off, the majority of the album really works. Honestly, I can say, one of the most original bands going. Comparisons can be drawn to God Is An Astronaut or A Place To Bury Strangers, but I just think 65dos push things a little more.

BEST SONGS:

• Weak4
  
• Go Complex
  
• Crash Tactics
  
• Tiger Girl
  
  'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:
  
  • "Age Of The Fifth Sun" by God Is An Astronaut
    
  • "LP4" by Ratatat
    
  • "Latin" by Holy Fuck
    
  • "Immersion" by Pendulum
    
    

    the track "Kids On Acid"

    
    

    
    49. "Disco Synthesizers & Daily Tranquilizers" by Styrofoam
    Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/styrofoam
    Spotify Link:
    Morr Music alumni Arne Van Petegem is back with his 6th studio album (7th if you include his cooperative hip-hop effort with Fat Jon) and the development from his last release is very clear on the ear. For a long time, despite floating under the radar, the Belgian has been long respected by his peers. His last two album's feature a massive array of guest spots from the likes of; Andrew Kenny (American Analog Set), Valerie Trebeljahr (Lali Puna), Bent Van Looy (Das Pop), Erica Driscoll (Blondfire), Blake Hazard (The Submarines), Markus Acher (The Notwist), Jim Adkins (Jimmy Eat World) and Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie), with the last two inviting Styrofoam to tour alongside their bands. However, this time the guest spots are mostly limited to percussion, with Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook offering his sticks to anthem "Kids On Acid" and former Devo drummer Alan Myers seeing things out with "Believe Everything". One exception is Jim Adkins returning for a track, the pair clearly making amends for their mediocre effort in "My Next Mistake", with the album standout "Extra Careful". Outside of this, the album vocals are solely provided by Arne and his live band for the first time since 2003's downhearted "I'm What's There To Show That Something's Missing", and these albums couldn't be anymore different. With 2008's "A Thousand Words" Arne went out of his way to try and lose the stigma of being the 'miserable bloke who writes sad tunes', and went all-out with a full sounding indietronica album. He's went a step further here, with the album coming across as a more electro-dance album, but with those little twinges that still make the album feel like Styrofoam. The glitchy "Am I The Ghost" is faintly reminiscent of his very early material, "The Only One To Curse" sounds like a dancified "Nothing's Lost" track and there's a couple of others that wouldn't be out of place on previous releases if they were musically toned down a notch. It is a fairly hefty step in style, it has alienated some of his fans, but it's still clearly him behind it all. It was with his 3rd album "I'm What's There To Show That Something's Missing" that the Styrofoam project really found its legs. He followed that release with the unbelievable "Nothing's Lost" (featuring my absolute favourite song in the world, "Couches In Alleys") and then 2-years ago he brought out "A Thousand Words". There's a very significant progression in these releases, but this is ultimately the worst of the bunch ("Nothing's Lost" -> "I'm What's There..." -> "A Thousand Words" if anyone cares) but it's still a damn good album.

    
    BEST SONGS:
    

    • Extra Careful
      
    • The Only One To Curse
      
    • Looking Glass Two Zero
      
    • Get Smarter
      

    'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:

    [*]"This Is Happening" by LCD Soundsystem

    [*]"The Five Ghosts" by Stars

    [*]"The Habitable Zone" by To My Boy

    [*]"Liquid Love" by Shy Child

Edited January 2, 2011 by YI

[YI]

MY 100 FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

the track "Never Say Goodbye"

48. "The Stormy Petrel" by Leatherface

Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/frankieostubbs

Spotify Link:

Leatherface are fucking badass, there's no other way to put it. 19-years after the release of their critically acclaimed album, "Mush", the band are still going strong and have produced an album which gives their classic a run for its money. The first thing noticable with this, in comparison to basically all of their releases is how good it actually sounds. It's still sharp and has the punk edge, Frankie Stubbs trademark rough as hell, "I've been on a 3-week bender" vocals are still there and an absolute delight, but everything just seems fuller and better produced. It's crazy to think that one little known band from Sunderland pretty much fathered a style of punk-rock of their own. It could easily be argued that without these guys you wouldn't have the likes of Hot Water Music or Dillinger Four, or at least in the style that we've come to know them. The recent tribute album for the band was full of some amazing acts; Hot Water Music, Mike Hale, Chuck Ragan, Tiltwheel, Rentokill, In The Red, Tenement Kids, Sainte Catherines etc, they've certainly influenced many of my favourite acts, so I owe them a lot. But let's not get caught up into thinking this is a nostalgia act, or a 'cashing in' on a now 'popular' genre within the scene. "The Stormy Petrel" is a powerful release from a band who still pen fantastic songs and still have a message to spread.

BEST SONGS:

• Never Say Goodbye
  
• God Is Dead
  
• Diego Garcia
  
• Isn't Life Just Sweet?
  
  'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:
  
  • "Not Like This" by Iron Chic
    
  • "The High Hate Us" by Tiltwheel
    
  • "LP" by RVIVR
    
    

    music video for "Careful Crossers"

    
    

    
    47. "Fang Island" by Fang Island
    Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/fangisland
    Spotify Link:
    This is the self-titled debut from Rhode Island's, Fang Island. Fang Island are a band all about fun, self described as sounding like "everyone high-fiving everyone". Their mission statement is to cram as much cheesy and crazy stuff others wouldn't do into their songs (which ends up making them often sounding like LSD aided Christmas songs - see, "The Illinois"). And they do. Lead single "Daisy" is awash with with vocal chants, massive riffs, an electric organ and copious handclaps, making it one of the most intriguing tracks I've heard all year, not one you're going to forget soon. Then you've got "Sidesweeper", which is like an Andrew W.K song played on fast forward. "Fucking awesome" is pretty much the only way I can describe it. The production fuzz on the album makes it sound like a party's happening nextdoor, and you can't help but feel like you desperately want to be a part of it.

    
    BEST SONGS:
    

    • Sidesweeper
      
    • Daisy
      
    • Careful Crossers
      
    • The Illinois
      

    'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:

    [*]"This Is The Second Album Of A Band Called Adebisi Shank" by Adebisi Shank

    [*]"Patagonian Rats" by Tera Melos

    [*]"Pulled Apart By Horses" by Pulled Apart By Horses

    [*]"Close Calls With Brick Walls" by Andrew WK

[Cactus Drags]

We Were Exploding Anyway is bloody brilliant. The new EP isn't bad either. They have almost become a different band, but to be fair, it fits pretty well together live.

[YI]

MY 100 FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

music video for "I Want The World To Stop"

46. "Belle & Sebastian Write About Love" by Belle & Sebastian

Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/thebandbelleandsebastian

Spotify Link:

Belle & Sebastian are a lot like a kitten. Lovely and cute, but if I have to put up with it for an extended period of time it just becomes too much and I snap and want to lash out and hurt somebody. Nothing can be that fucking sweet for that long, it just gets annoying. But that aside, it's important not to write off the band, as not only are they very good at what they do, which can be seen by the fact this release his head and shoulders above similar 2010 releases from The School and Allo Darlin', but simply very good in general. Their previous effort "The Life Pursuit" was what got me into the band, I've seen it shunned by some fans, but I find it has a slightly more 'ballsy' sound than the majority of the stuff, and I really enjoy it. This album is very much a Belle & Sebastian record, but still has that more 'ballsy' feel, there's a wealth of instrumentation and understated engorgement throughout, with tremendous brass and string sections filling out a number of the songs. Belle & Sebastian are very much a band who subscribe to the theory that if it isn't broken, why fix it, so you're not going to find anything particularly different, or anything you haven't heard from the band before. But it's a perfectly good addition to their catalogue.

BEST SONGS:

• I Want The World To Stop
  
• I Can See Your Future
  
• I Didn't See It Coming
  
• Read The Blessed Pages
  
  'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:
  
  • "Allo Darlin'" by Allo Darlin'
    
  • "Loveless Unbeliever" by The School (which if I'd started the list again would easily be on...really-really been enjoying it recently, but was originally disappointed by it and wrote it off...I'm an idiot)
    
  • "The Drums" by The Drums
    
    

    music video for "I Am Your Leader"

    
    

    
    45. "Tikkle Me" by Tikkle Me
    Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/tikkleme
    Spotify Link:
    This is the self-titled debut release from this female duo from Sweden. One of my most exciting finds of the year, an album where I'll throw a few songs on from time to time just to put myself in a good mood. In comparison to a number of synthpop acts around these days, it's all rather 'simple'. There's very little in the way of layers, and you believe that with the help of a drum machine these two girls could easily handle the songs live without much computer assistance or a backing band. That's not to say there's not enough going on in the album. In fact there's a great deal of variation. The soaring "Blow My Brains Out" is one of my favourite tracks of the year, with a riff to die for; the groovy "Glockenspiel" and "And The Tiger Roared" have a more tropical vibe, with the latter feeling as though it could segue nicely with some of the early Islands tracks. Finally you have closer, "Beat That Devil", sounding like an electronic rendering of a nu-metal song, this took quite a while to grow on me, but I love it now. However the definite standout for the band is the ridiculously powerful vocals they unleash. The instant comparison is to The Knife's, Karin Dreijer. It's a fitting comparison, the band often sounding like The Knife when they were at their most youthful and exuberent stage, producing tracks like "Heartbeats". A cracking little album. So much fun!

    
    BEST SONGS:
    

    • Blow My Brains Out
      
    • Vampire Romance
      
    • Remind The World
      
    • Wake Up
      

    'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:

    [*]"Völuspà" by The Golden Filter

    [*]"Head First" by Goldfrapp

    [*]"Visionaries" by Parallels

Edited January 3, 2011 by YI

[YI]

MY 100 FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

music video for "Hallucinations"

44. "LOVE" by Angels & Airwaves

Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/angelsandairwaves

Spotify Link: n/a

I love Tom Delonge. Don't get me wrong, if I ever met the bloke I'd more than likely think he's a "Grade A Cunt", but I just find the idea of him as someone so far up himself for no real reason, absolutely amazing. Ever since the music video for "The Adventure" where he poignantly waved his arms about like a BTEC drama student and claimed he'd change the world in 30-years, he became a hero to me. The last 4-tracks on "We Don't Need To Whisper" really showed what a fantastic outfit Angels & Airwaves could be, unfortunately the groundwork was totally tossed aside with their poor second album. Fortunately they've turned things around with "LOVE", released for free on Valentines Day. It still has the stadium rock edge of "I-Empire", it still shamelessly rips of music Tom and the band have written before, but has the softer moments of "We Don't Need To Whisper" and it's just an all-together far superior album. I was honestly shocked on my first few listens, it was far better than I felt it had any right to be. I had seriously thought Tom Delonge had achieved what he'd set out to do when he first started the project (not change the world, but merely found the 'sound' he was searching for). However, the more I listen, the more I realise that's not really the case. This album is more just Tom throwing everything together he's ever done and luckily all the best bits have come out. There's a strong feeling of Box Car Racer in a number of tracks, the softer moments shine and the best bits from "I-Empire" are here too. Still a shockingly good album. This album will be followed by "LOVE II" this coming Valentine's Day, and a film which the band funded (at least Tom's using his money from cashing in on Blink to indulge himself) that seems to be a total ripoff of "Moon".

BEST SONGS:

• Young London
  
• Shove
  
• Epic Holiday
  
• Letters To God Pt.2
  
  'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:
  
  • "Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys" by My Chemical Romance
    
  • "Invented" by Jimmy Eat World
    
  • "Age Of The Fifth Sun" by God Tom Delonge Is An Astronaut
    
    

    the track "My Gap Feels Weird"

    
    

    
    43. "Majesty Shredding" by Superchunk
    Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/superchunkmusic
    Spotify Link:
    It's been 9-years since the last Superchunk album. When they last released an album they were defined as an indie-emo band. Funnily, what defines 'emo' has changed so much in the last decade or so. In 2001 the sound of Taking Back Sunday and their ilk was a pipedream, and now they're even outcasts from the current crop of 'emo' sound. It seems to be the in-thing for the influential emo bands to recurrect themselves. The Get up Kids did it (releasing an EP and an album due this year), Far have done it (releasing an album in 2010), Sunny Day Real Estate have done it and most recently math-rock pioneers Cap'n Jazz have thrust themselves into a reformation. However, unlike those bands, Superchunk haven't actually been anywhere. They never split up, they never went on an official hiatus, they just didn't release any material. Whether it's because of this, or merely the way the band represented the album, there wasn't much in the way of hysteria surrounding it, or pressure like similar bands would experience. All it is, is another Superchunk album with 11-new Superchunk songs, and that's it. Nothing's different, it's still the same old band, the only slight thing of intrigue is the return to the more gnarly style of "No Pocky For Kitty" etc, as apposed to how things 'were left' with the lighter "Come Pick Me Up" and "Here's To Shutting up". There's nothing special here and that's what makes it special. The moment it first overloads with distortion and the ear splintering hi-hat makes its first appearence, you can't help but smile. Great album from a band who do no wrong.

    
    BEST SONGS:
    

    • My Gap Feels Weird
      
    • Rope Light
      
    • Crossed Wires
      
    • Digging For Something
      

    'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:

    [*]"Everyone Everywhere" by Everyone Everywhere

    [*]"The Stormy Petrel" by Leatherface

    [*]"At Night We Live" by Far

[YI]

MY 100 FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

music video for "Back To The Fuck Yeah"

42. "Pulled Apart By Horses" by Pulled Apart By Horses

Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/pulledapartbyhorses

Spotify Link:

AWESOME! RADICAL! AWESOME! TOTALLY BODACIOUS! One of the eagerly anticipated albums of the year. Chanelling the spirit of Reuben and Mclusky, this alternative band from Leeds built their profile with near constant touring for 2-years. An erratic live show, some massive riffs and general in your face rock goodness saw them build up a big fanbase and pick up media attention. Having now shared the stage with the likes of The Bronx, Biffy Clyro and Muse, despite not having the easiest sound on the ear, there's definitely people lapping up what they're doing. And who can blame them. This is what rock music should be like. It's not clean, it's not smooth, it's a freight train travelling at 100mph, falling from the tracks, endangering the health of anyone who comes in contact with it. I was already familiar with the majority of these tracks before the release of the album and it took me a while to get used to the new versions, but a couple of months ago I blasted it whilst getting ready to go out and it was just so awesome.

BEST SONGS:

• The Crapsons
  
• Back To The Fuck Yeah
  
• Den Horn
  
• Yeah Buddy
  
  'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:
  
  • "Kill The Man That Shot That Man (EP)" by &U&I
    
  • "Cosmology" by Rolo Tomassi
    
  • "Basic Nature" by Calories
    
    

    the track "Slow Knots"

    
    

    
    41. "Mount Chimaera" by Brasstronaut
    Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/brasstronaut
    Spotify Link:
    Jazz infused 'pop' is a dangerous genre. One wrong move and you're in the wishy-washy territory of Jamie Cullum and Michael Bublé, playing to a bunch of menopausal women. However, if you try and combat this with a more experimental approach, it's only a short distance until you turn into John Zorn and can only be appreciated by psychopaths and those who indulge in class A drugs. This year there's been two significant attempts at jazz-pop albums, which have spoke to me. First is "This Is What Happens" by New York's, The Reign Of Kindo, a solid album, but a little unspectacular and the vocals begin to grate by the end, and this, the debut release from Canada's Brasstronaut. One thing that sets the Brasstronaut album apart is that it feels so genuine and unforced. You're not greeted with your regular vocalist for this kind of music (aka. the "Lay it on thick, I'm going to swing this bit" cunt), instead it's high pitched and soft on the ears. Musically it's not just endless swing, opener "Slow Knots" quickly throws you off that scent, it being a crooning downhearted indie-pop song, with an effortlessly cool chorus. Then you've got "Same Same", with its vocal distortion and groove, replace the trumpet with a token synthesizer and you have a track that would slide perfectly into the recent Caribou release. I admit this wont be for everyone, but it's a cool as hell listen and something very different to what is around.

    
    BEST SONGS:
    

    • Lo Hi Hopes
      
    • Slow Knots
      
    • Same Same
      
    • Hand Behind
      

    'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:

    [*]"This Is What Happens" by The Reign Of Kindo

    [*]"The Goddess: Music For The Ancient Of Days" by John Zorn

    [*]"Tic Toc Tic" by The Zolas

[Cactus Drags]

I love PABH. Unforunately I have a tendency to mix them up with Hold Your Horse Is and I forget which is which. Both ace though.

[YI]

MY 100 FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

music video for "MY KZ, UR BF"

40. "Man Alive" by Everything Everything

Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/everythingeverythinguk

Spotify Link:

Let's talk Everything Everything. The art students band of the year. For general quirkiness accepted by the 'mainstream' indie fan, you're not going to get anything that will compete with Everything Everything. Made up of members from around the country, the band which call Mancester home have set about to try and not sound like anyone else. In doing so they borrow from the likes of XTC, Vampire Weekend, Peter Gabriel and a dollop of The Futureheads (strip away the synths for traditional instrumentation and tell me tracks like "Qwerty Finger" don't reek of The Futureheads), whilst adding their own spin on things and definitely achieve their mission statement (well, if you ignore Crystal Fighters, who are better and have hot chicks in their line-up). Like a lot of these avant garde pop bands, they lyrically border on ridiculous at times, but if you are able to filter that out they have some absolutely cracking tunes. Vocalist Jonathan Higgs is the real star here, switching seamlessly from a frantic, tongue twisting epileptic-like vocal delivery to a gorgeous falsetto. A little bit up itself, but a good album.

BEST SONGS:

• Final Form
  
• MY KZ, UR BF
  
• Photoshop Handsome
  
• Suffragete Suffragete
  
  'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:
  
  • "Star Of Love" by Crystal Fighters
    
  • "Mortimer / (Sign Of The Fish)" by IDRchitecture (single)
    
  • "OMNI" by Minus The Bear
    
  • "Go" by Jónsi
    
    

    music video for "Age Of The Fifth Sun"

    
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQs8wwjJECQ
    39. "Age Of The Fifth Sun" by God Is An Astronaut
    Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/godisanastronaut
    Spotify Link:
    This album will sound all too familiar for longstanding fans of the band. I'm still not entirely sure if this is a bad thing or not as this Irish post-rock/instrumental group are one hell of a band. I stumbled across them with their 3rd release, 2007's "Far From Refuge" and instantly fell in love, submerged myself in their music and never looked back. Formed in 2002 by Torsten and Niels Kinsella (not to be confused with Chicago's Kinsella brothers of Cap'n Jazz, American Football, Owen, a big chunk of the early indie-emo/math-rock scene), they are now 5-albums deep, but for me the band really reached their peak with the 2nd album, 2005's "All Is Violent, All Is Bright". All of their material is top notch, and this new album is no exception, it just often feels like you've heard it all before. There's the mixture of the spacial electronic tones, the blissful serenity growing into euphoria as the music swells, the occasional metal riff and gorgeous ambient moments. But the exact same sentence could be used to describe all of their music.

    
    BEST SONGS:
    

    • Golden Sky
      
    • Shining Through
      
    • Dark Rift
      
    • In The Distance Fading
      

    'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:

    [*]"Sey Hollo" by Sey Hollo

    [*]"About Everything And More" by Dorena

    [*]"We Were Exploding Anyway" by 65daysofstatic

    [*]"Dead Waves" by Kyte

[YI]

MY 100 FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF THE YEAR

live performance "Suicide Is Painful"

38. "Dissatisfactions" by One Night Stand In North Dakota

Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/onenightstandinnorthdakota

Spotify Link:

"...you said you never ever wanted me to change, and to my detriment I'm still the fucking same..."

One of my favourite finds of the the past couple of years. ONSIND are a DIY folk-punk duo from Durham. One of my favourite live acts in the world, they released their debut album "Dworkin's Bastards" on local label Discount Horse in 2009. It was an album full of brilliant material, but didn't quite capture the spark that they had live. Now they've been snapped up by what is ultimately the most important/biggest label for this genre of music, Plan-It-X Records in the United States and have quickly released their 2nd album, "Dissatisfactions". The album is 10-tracks, 8 brand new and 2 re-workings of older tracks. First is "That Takes Ovaries", originally released on the band's split EP with labelmates Ghost Mice and the last track, live favourite "I Could Carve A Better Man Out Of A Banana", which originally appeared on the band's demo EP. Musically things have been souped up a little. There's more layers, occasional brass, strings, harmonicas etc, fill things out, the compositions seem more sophisticated, but they never stray from the DIY folk-punk style. Lyrically they continue to be fantastic, continuing to provide lyrical soundbytes and genuine comedy whilst remaining true to a message. Didn't manage to catch them in 2010, a fact I'm disappointed about.

BEST SONGS:

• Old Hazel Eyes Is Back
  
• Suicide Is Painful
  
• I Could Carve A Better Man Out Of A Banana
  
• Kim Kelly Is Still My Friend
  
  'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:
  
  • "The Anorexic Olsen Twin" by The Anorexic Olsen Twin
    
  • "Moved On" by Coffee Project
    
  • Various Releases by WEGROWBEARDS (mostly free, search)
    
  • "Unbearable" by Paul Baribeau
    
    

    AMAZING full-band acoustic renditions of "Honeydrip" and "Closer To Dallas"

    
    

    
    37. "Let This Be the Last Night We Care" by Alcoholic Faith Mission
    Myspce: http://www.myspace.com/alcoholicfaithmission
    Spotify Link:
    Alcoholic Faith Mission stumbled onto my radar with last year's sophomore album, "421 Wythe Avenue". Their mixture of soft indie-folk tracks with a dark post-rock overlay, sexually charged lyrics and a smidge of "We Have The Facts..." era Death Cab For Cutie catapulted the CD to one of my top-10 of 2009. I was shocked that they followed it up so quickly (especially given the 3-year gap between their debut and "421 Wythe Avenue"), but when listening to the album it's not really that much of a surprise. These songs would fit right at home on the last record, stylistically very similar, only a little less folk leaning. But saying that, it's not saying this is an album made up of leftover songs, because it isn't. It feels like its own beast, its own story. Some absolutely gorgeous tracks on here. Another one of my favourite finds of the last few years.

    
    BEST SONGS:
    

    • The You, That You Could Use
      
    • Honeydrip
      
    • Got Love? Got Shellfish!
      
    • Closer To Dallas
      

    'SIMILAR' 2010 ALBUMS:

    [*]"Youth Pictures Of Florence Henderson" by Youth Pictures Of Florence Henderson

    [*]"Infinite Arms" by Band Of Horses

    [*]"Bayonets" by Bayonets

    [*]"Stories Without Happy Ending" by Iowa Super Soccer (get in Poland, fuck grammar!)

    [*]"We Have The Facts And We're Voting Yes" by Death Cab For Cutie (to try and get some of you DCFC fans to listen to these guys, seriously, listen)