Records of 2010 - 01- Beach House - Teen Dream

Records of 2010 - 01- Beach House - Teen Dream

This is pristine. I love this. I love a lot of things. What's a stronger word for love? Here we hear from my good friend Rob Cassell:"

"treat your ears to a little aural sex". Thanks Rob. Well, this album has cleared up in a lot of the end of year polls, maybe just behind Kanye West - he's not on here, I don't like his voice - but enough hyperbole about my scruffy friend Rob. Kanye West may populate the lists and this list acknowledges him. I have to clear it up that I think he's not worthy. He tries. A little too hard for my liking.

So, this list. What does it mean? It's so hard to choose anything. Is 41st better than 7th? I'm confused. I just tried to compare them. Mount Kimbie and Four Tet are both brilliant. Anyway, back to base, Beach House delivered to the nth degree with "Teen Dream" - 2008's excellent "Devotion" was like looking for treasure in a cave and with "Teen Dream" we've found it - full-bodied and glorious music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIGvqxN--aY

Records of 2010 - 02 - The National - High Violet

Records of 2010 - 02 - The National - High Violet

• Owen Brown

  is still listening to the rich and classy High Violet all the time

  07 June at 01:21 · · Comment

  

Records of 2010 - 03 - Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz

Records of 2010 - 03 - Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz

Sufan Stevens? Yes. When he released "All Delighted People," it dropped out of heaven on August 20th and nobody knew. Most albums leak 2 months in advance nowadays and this "EP' was 59 minutes long. Is it worth kicking up beef about this? No. Let's praise "The Age of Adz." It's a great album because like I predicted, Sufjan turned away from the incredible delicacy of 2005's "Illinois" and went a lot darker and self-referential here. "Vesuvius" directly references the creator:

"Sufjan, follow the path

It leads to an article of imminent death

Sufjan, follow your heart

Follow the flame

Or fall on the floor"

Let's talk about the electronics. Sure, it's no Kid A. Everyone keeps talking about the comparison. This is more orchestral. More bombastic. It's not Kid A, but it's a meanly crafted electronic album. The 25 minute closer "Impossible Soul" is something else entirely and brings home one of the best records in an erm... age?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25OC3m5QdYY

Records of 2010 - 04 - Forest Swords - Dagger Path

Records of 2010 - 04 - Forest Swords - Dagger Path

In which cowboy music meets dub. In which subtlety meets coyness. In which dark nights meet bright mornings. In which intelligence meets soul. In which rustiness meets a search for oil. In which Leftfield meet Ennio Morricone. In which craft meets texture. In which roughness meets a smooth execution. In which a promising start means a great future. In which lo-fi should be played on your hi-fi.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsjLIjYEYQ4

Records of 2010 - 5. Mark McGuire - Living With Yourself

Records of 2010 - 5. Mark McGuire - Living With Yourself

What a great year for Mark McGuire. The Emeralds guitarist released the space-age album of the year in "Does It Look Like I'm Here" allowing listeners to meditate to the moon and back. On this debut, solo release however, McGuire steps back, strips down his down and gives an acoustic, glistening album about memories of family and friends. The sounds he creates are grainy and mesmeric, hushed and intimate. The childhood dialogues he plays over make for some of the most nostalgic shit I've heard in an age. I feel I'll look back in a few years, savoring 2010, the first time I heard it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-GUSF-Y6As

Records of 2010 - 06 - Gil Scott-Heron - I'm New Here

Records of 2010 - 06 - Gil Scott-Heron - I'm New Here

Gil Scott Herren has made perhaps the best comeback of all time in this unbelievably touching LP. Normally age softens up a man, but this poet, soul singer, legend still has more edge than a sharp side of paper. There's no papercuts here though, just on-the-beam spoken word over sharp DJ Shadow esque production. After 16 years out of the game, this return brings rap, dub, gospel and poetry to shady, shimmering and self-deprecating effect. Essential.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiuorrXsngM

Records of 2010 - 7. Four Tet - There is Love in You

Records of 2010 - 7. Four Tet - There is Love in You

Busy around the city? Buzzing around the city? Fidgeting on your way to work? No more my friend! "There is Love in You" is busy and minimal - but not cold! The beats have staccato elasticity to them. They crunch up. They scrunch up. So, when you're hunched up on the London Underground, do some secret dancing while you're listening to your device. It's not all upbeat however, "This Unfolds" and "She Just Likes to Fight" are total masterclasses at soothing your sleepy head after a hard day's work surfing Napster.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpe4id7cLnU

Records of 2010 - 8. Matthew Dear - Black City

Records of 2010 - 8. Matthew Dear - Black City

This album is a dark and twisted dance in the urban sprawl of a twisted mind in a jam of a funk. Matthew Dear has exceptionaly built on 2008's sprightly '"Asa Breed" to infuse disco, glitch and high vocal experimentation to create a sultry and foreboding fourth album. It's lyrical and vocal seduction. Take this for example- "You Put a Smell on Me:"

"Take a ride in my big black car

We can go real loud

We can go real far

We have a radio in my big black car

We can go all night, if you wanna go far

You decide if you want to come

Take a ride with me in my big black gun

We've got four wheels that can take us there

If you wanna come down

Don't answer me"

Could anything me more inviting right now? I don't think so. Noir. Sombre. Surpenant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnU_16mXMNw

Records of 2010 - 9. The Roots - How I Got Over

Records of 2010 - 9. The Roots - How I Got Over

The Roots are old-heads but I love to keep listening. "How I Got Over" is of course about jumping hurdles. I was never great at that. Once at school though, on sports day, I was winning the hurdles race. I must have been around 13. Just at the last one, I bottled it and clipped the last hurdle, losing my footing and finishing 2nd. I do this when I play pool too - race ahead and then fuck up on the 8-ball. Anyway The Roots still haven't overcome everything, hence a little irony in the albums title, but ?uestlove's soulful production as right on and the rhymes as best as they've ever done. Get on board. That's it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI4D1QOLGuM

Records of 2010 - 10. Everything Everything - Man Alive

Records of 2010 - 10. Everything Everything - Man Alive

The most underrated record this year. Pitchfork claimed: "Man Alive is jacked up with bizarre key changes, superfluous time-signature switches, electro noodling, and half-rap lyrics delivered in run-on melodies" giving it a 3.8 /10 in the process".

They felt it was a bit overcooked, a bit too full, overly rich. I disagree. I think it turns many corners, delivers a lot bizarre wit: "Who's gonna sit on your face when I'm gone?" asks the band on "Suffragette Suffragette." In terms of style, they are recollective of early Blur chippernes, mixed with the sparkling oddness of Wild Beasts. The production is stellar, the voice is stellar, this album is stellar. However, my writing is full of Spanish Rioja.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6udfNIzRUX0

Records of 2010 - 11 - Holy Fuck - Latin

Records of 2010 - 11 - Holy Fuck - Latin

Holy Fuck turn up the shit on this album. This improvisational dance rock band are "creating the equivalent of modern electronic music without actually using the techniques, looping, splicing, programming - and the like—of that music" according to Pitchfork. Where their first two albums were spazzy and "improvisational" (maybe only live,) they seem to be on a journey here, instead of a "let's riot" or a "let's get fucked up" philosophy.It's still a total blast though. With a lack of good rock albums this year, this is the album with the brimming energy that your pre-gaming needs. Just that "Latin" knows its limits, and forges a tight path this time around, which ain't no bad thing at all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2Y7TAtoAFk

Records of 2010 - 12. Brian Eno - Small Craft on a Milk Sea

Records of 2010 - 12. Brian Eno - Small Craft on a Milk Sea

What a record. I struggle to know what to say at 3.23 am. Elise is drying her hair and going to bed. Anyway:

"For Eno, the thrill of music at this stage in his pioneering career seems to be what it can stir in the mind’s eye, the imaginative place beyond any particular construct of notes. In that sense, Eno has little need for traditional composition and has instead built “Small Craft” from edited improvisations with his collaborators. None of the songs really have lead parts — several electronic elements thrum, often twisting around each other." --Margaret Wappler, L.A Times, November 2010---

Brian Eno has had an incredible year, curating the Brighton Festival and releasing a mesmeric album. Well done the egghead!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrB-iNHIP5k

Records of 2010 - 13. Dean and Britta - 13 Most Beautiful: Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests

Records of 2010 - 13. Dean and Britta - 13 Most Beautiful: Songs for Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests

Courtesy of Billboard.com

"

Between 1964 and 1966, Andy Warhol created nearly 500 "screen tests" -- s

hort, silent, filmed portraits of the famous and unknown personalities who made their way through the Factory. In 2008, the Andy Warhol Museum and Pittsburgh Cultural Trust commissioned the dreamy folk-rock duo of Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips (former members of indie-pop band Luna) to provide music for 13 of these silent clips and perform the songs as part of a live, multimedia presentation of the shorts"

What we have here is an album that sounds like a dream mixtape. Dean has taken the shoegaze from former band Galaxie 500 for the stellar "Teenage Lightning and Lonely Highyways," Casio electronica for "Ann Buchanan Theme" and old-blues for "Herringbone Tweed." The vocals of Britta on "I'll Keep it With Mine" are sugar-sweet and she contributes more across many tracks. Overall, the styles flutter around to give you an act that sound like 13 different bands in one stunning little package.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In1c5O3bNeg&NR=1

Records of 2010 - 14. Wools - In Fornelo

Records of 2010 - 14. Wools - In Fornelo

Straight out of Coimbra, Portugal, this music is nowhere to be seen on the interweb. Who is it? Some young student I think. Bedroom genius for sure. You can download it from the far reaches of Magiska like I did. I took a chance and gave it a shot. It's incredible. There's no information to describe it other than your ears picking up what they're hearing. Luscious and beautiful electronica. I think that the main hipster-logs will pick up on this in time, but hey, hype is tripe. Hush yourself and listen to this icy, Portugese music. Two words that have surely never fit into the same sentence.

http://vimeo.com/17353550

Records of 2010 - 15. Gold Panda - Lucky Shiner

Records of 2010 - 15. Gold Panda - Lucky Shiner

Wearing his influences on his sleeve, Derwin Panda fuses the gaze of Fennesz, the rhythm of The Field and the playfulness of Four Tet. To be honest, this album is all over the place, but it's like an average day in the life. You never know where it's gonna go next. It has nice percussion, strong attention to detail, woozy melodies, and often a very hyper attitude. However, it doesn't feel crammed and congested, just full of great and unpredictable ideas. I tip Gold Panda for future great electronic albums.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnMcvacNhk0&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=ML4oVf-d_DwKCCvQaOBnqr4lvtmHtWgR5U

Records of 2010 - 16. Dungen- Skit I Allt

Records of 2010 - 16. Dungen- Skit I Allt

This band keeps moving forwards. Every time. Psychedelia was the modus operandi in 2004 on"Ta Det Lugnt" and a folky influence was omnipresent on my favourite Dungen album "Stadsvandringar." 2007 and 2008 brought "Tio Bitar" and "4" respectively and the band have chilled out during these last few years. "Skit I Allt" translates as "Fuck it all" as in "Fuck it all, let's live now." So yea, forget your hang-ups and give this a whirl. It's not going to rock your socks off. If that's what you want, check out No Age's "Everything In Between" a little further down the list. This album mixes flutes with guitars with progress with autumn. Another blinder.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qJNAQG-lrE

Records of 2010 - 17. Walls- Walls

Records of 2010 - 17. Walls- Walls

Walls of sound? Yes.

All walls? No.

Hooks? Yes.

Good? More then good.

Rock? No.

Electronic? Yes.

Feel good? Yes. This does. And I do. Just had a shower thanks.

Is this album a solo project? No?

The guy from Banjo or Freakout and a producer? Yes.

Isn't his name Hello, Hello? No.

What is it then? You were close, it's French sounding. It's Allez Allez.

Does they work well together? Yes, I feel that they've fashioned a great sound. Distortion and harmonies that will wash over you like a wave drowning a prick. No more questions please.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3pcq_LtOTE

Records of 2010 - 18- Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma

Records of 2010 - 18- Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma

Is it hip-hop? A friend and I debated it. He thought he won. I thought I won. I won:

"00s abstract abstract hip hop abstract hip-hop acid jazz ambient america american avant-garde bass beatscalifornia chill chillout cinematic dope downtempo dub dubstep electroelectronic electronica experimental experimental electronicexperimental hip hop experimental hip-hop flying lotus flyinglotus free jazz funk genius glitch glitch hop glitch-hop hip hop hip-hop idm instrumental instrumental hip hop instrumental hip-hop interesting jazz jazz hop jazzy left-field lo-fi los angeles nu jazz producer psychedelic rapsoul trip hop trip-hop underground underground hip-hop warp warp records west coast wonky" --generated by last.fm--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uCyv05SG1g

Records of 2010 - 19. Baths - Cerulean

Records of 2010 - 19. Baths - Cerulean

I gave this is a spin this morning and what I thought about was the sheer potential that Will Wiesenfeld has got in his magic fingers, magic ears and magic imagination. "Cerulean" is very glitchy, very polished and very bedroom. The name of the artist is also apt as the aqua splashes around a lot on this LP. It's watery dream-hop and it's top dog.

While 2010 was full of blog-talk about chillwave and some it it was highly stylized and self-conscious, Baths came across as wonky and new, bouncy and tender. One to watch without a shadow of a doubt Rob.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oht03vPG-nE&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=MLAYMcY2vx8GQDghhcSv3VZwM8CXV8zUDT

Records of 2010 - 20 No Age - Everything In Between

Records of 2010 - 20 No Age - Everything In Between

I can't argue with this description from Filter Magazine:

"With the stunning Everything in Between, Randall and Spunt's emergent sonic juggernaut, No Age is continuing to build, brick by brick, a bulletproof reputation for thunderous virtuosity-all without leaning on worthless crutches like Auto-Tune, capitalized formula, compromise and other fakery that divides pretenders from those who set fire to the dustbin of musical history." --Scott Thill, Filter Magazine, August 2010--

An absolute tearaway of a rock album that breathes a lot of energy into proceedings, without breathing fire. This ain't do dragon. It's a brown bear. --Me, now--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWhCgA6r0Sk

Records of 2010 - 21. Vampire Weekend - Contra

Records of 2010 - 21. Vampire Weekend - Contra

I really can't edit pictures of vampires. I need to hire a designer that can trim the picture below that I wanted to cheekily use to describe the arrogant album you see on the right of your picture. Not to worry, "Contra" is confident, cocksure, brilliant and expansive. When I first heard it, it blew me away. "Contra" might not grow old gracefully, but I still admire the crafstmanship of Autotune. Maybe one day it'll come back and give me a bite in the neck, here's hoping:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVfTNCb_7js

Records of 2010 - 22. Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People

Records of 2010 - 22. Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People

I ain't putting EP in brackets on the title like I'm supposed to. This is an album. It's just under an hour long. Wanted to get that bit out of the way. Let's move on. This is great. It's really nice. It came out of nowhere, sans hype on August 10th 2010. Nobody expected it. It just dropped. That's refreshing. There may be 2 versions of the title track but I don't mind, they're different flavours. As for the rest, I feel that it he's as progressive as ever and pretty folky. He's very pretty, unlike a lot of folk. "The Age of Adz," which came out a couple of months later, is electronic in texture and is a great departure from "All Delighted People," but at least here we have a lot of instruments, a lot of songs exceeding the 5 and 10 (!) minute mark and a nice box of tricks. What a shit description from me. I retire.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcKZkYxB1Hk

Records of 2010 - 23. Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago

Records of 2010 - 23. Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago

Going back to nature. Going back to the heart. Going back to how to realized you fell in love with guitars and vocals in the first place. Going on holiday. Going to tell you about this:

Shearwater are an offshoot of Okkervil River, a stunning folk band from Austin, Texas. Where Okkervil River pour their heart out, I'd argue that Sheawater have a full-bodied sound in their instrumentation. This is rich and luscious stuff my friend. Sure, they strip it down at times, like in the opener "Meridian," but the voice of Jonathan Meiburg is so ruby-red that it shines through like a nice Cabernet Sauvignon. What am I writing?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpVHECZppdU

Records of 2010 - 24. Perfume Genius - Learning

Records of 2010 - 24. Perfume Genius - Learning

and sometimes someone just comes along that is a breath of fresh air and a refreshing story of a 26 year old who got sick of New York City and moved back in with his Mum in Seattle and he made his music and this is it and it's a story of someone who takes solace in comfort that he'll be aight and that troubled times are not behind and that he's, well, "learning" about stuff and songs about love and about suffer and about mending and all the usual shit done in a really unique style and a lot of piano and a great voice and someone that's really just started starting and one to watch absolutely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mqbl2oaKa8

Records of 2010 - 25. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

Records of 2010 - 25. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

Deerhunter are one of the best bands in the world. Live and on record. With their fourth album, they've gone for the concept of memory and created their most lucid piece of work in every sense of the word and I'll leave it at that. Just read the dictionary definition and listen to "Helicopter" on the link below, and instead of putting it into words, I'll put it into a word:

lu·cid

   [loo-sid] Show IPA

–adjective

1.

easily understood; completely intelligible or comprehensible: alucid explanation.

2.

characterized by clear perception or understanding; rationalor sane: a lucid moment in his madness.

3.

shining or bright.

4.

clear; pellucid; transparent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5RzpPrOd-4

Records of 2010 - 26. Jónsi - Go

Records of 2010 - 26. Jónsi - Go

This is a true heavyweight of an album. When it came out in Spring, it was like waking up to true techni-colour. Like all his music with Sigur Rós, "Go" is just adorable. You've pretty much got 2 virtuosos working together on this one. Nico Muhly copies and pastes the production like a student with quotes on a shit essay; the main difference being that this isn't shit. It's brilliant. The voice of the creator is better than ever, his range just utterly incredible, combining with Muhly's scuttling production on "Animal Arithmetic" with fizzy effect. However, it's "Boy Lilikoi" that provides that devastatingly beautiful moment that makes you think"You know what? This is the 26th best album to be released in 2010."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBgPmw3JCN4