Best of 2010
It is again that time of year when I give away all the records that I really liked this year.
For those who are unfamiliar, every year on here I do a list of the records that I liked that came out this year. It is, first and foremost, an exercise about taking stock of my year in music. It’s not necessarily about what is really best, and I never rank albums. Much like the way I do posts here normally, it’s about what I like, and what I think other people should hear.
To that end, every link in this post points to a .zip file of the entire album, in good quality mp3 format.
(Standard note - I trust that you are a conscientious person, and if you like these bands/records, you will support them as you are able. See them live! Buy merch! Maybe you’re one of those people who still buys CDs? Do that!)
You may be interested in perusing my lists from 2009, 2008, and/or my records of the decade list from last year. (Funny story - about a month ago I actually almost rewrote that decade list, under a slightly different organizing theme, without remembering that I’d already done it once. So, yeah, read that; I guess it’s important to me?)
If it’s been over a week or so since I’ve posted this, and the links no longer work, that’s on purpose. Nothing lasts forever, so get while the getting’s good.
I also want to note that there’s still a bunch of records from this year that I haven’t listened to, and so this list is probably incomplete. I heartily encourage and welcome your comments, disagreements, discussion, etc.
Lastly, and not really related, I feel like it’s been a really good year for friends. I know some pretty fantastic people, and I’m very grateful for that.
Abe Vigoda - Crush
I loved their last record, and here they flipped the sound up so much that I wasn’t sure if I’d like it. The 80’s influence works well for them, though, and while I miss the “tropical” Abe Vigoda, this version is pretty good. It’s a little odd - rarely does a band change its sound so much and still basically sound like the same band.
Agalloch - Marrow of the Spirit
I’d been anticipating this for a while, having really thoroughly enjoyed the folk-metal of Ashes Against the Grain. It was almost guaranteed to disappoint me, given the build up, but it’s still a good album. Much more black metal influenced than their previous work, but in a way that folds it into their sound and makes it theirs. A deep record.
Autechre - Move of Ten
It is incredibly surprising to me that Autechre can still put out records that I enjoy. Long after pretty much every other IDM act has quit or moved on, they’re still making unapologetically digital and cerebral music, and it’s still got little hooks in it that make for a pleasant listen.
Beach House - Teen Dream
If I ranked these, this would be way towards the top. The first time I listened to this record, I enjoyed it, but had no idea how much I would come back to it. Beautiful, sad, dreamy little songs that stay with you. If I did a songs of the year list, “Walk in the Park” and “Zebra” would be serious contenders.
Best Coast - Crazy For You
Since their/her earlier work made it onto last year’s best-of list, it’s no surprise that I liked the full length. The sound is cleaned up, and while I normally kind of hate it when lo-fi bands drop that part of their sound, it’s not bad here. If you’re a lyrics kind of person, that’s admittedly the one part of this album that’s a little lacking, with some lazy writing, but for me, this is a sunny, cute pop record full of California love songs.
The Books - The Way Out
I have loved The Books for some time. I especially like how they combine the kind of plunderphonics sampling that got me interested in making music with a real sense of musicality, and in doing so create a whole new kind of folk music. The Way Out is probably even more accessible than their earlier albums, but it’s no less remarkable, and clearly still carefully assembled.
Brian McBride - The Effective Disconnect
Because he is half of Stars of the Lid, and because this record sounds like them, and because I like everything they do. Gentle, moving, sleeping, sweeping. Slow, quiet beauty.
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
I didn’t really expect to like this record very much, but it’s a surprisingly “mature” record. There’s a lot more sonic variety and subtlety than I’ve previously heard from them, and overall, it’s a really creative record. Still noisy and abrasive, but maybe a little less in your face about it.
Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be
I will like almost any record that sounds like this. That jangly, reverbed 60’s pop sound is like honey to my ears. Like the Best Coast record, but a little dirtier and with better lyrics.
Fitz & The Tantrums - Pickin’ Up the Pieces
There were a few records on my list last year that had a real “oldies” influence. This sort of goes beyond mere influence and on to homage. A big 60’s and 70’s radio pop sound, which would be novel, but then the songs are also really catchy. This is a really great record, and the kind of thing you and your parents can probably both enjoy.
Glasser - Ring
The obvious comparison here is with Bjork, but it’s not entirely apt. Her voice sounds similar (but not so foreign as Bjork’s), but there’s also just a light experimental streak running through this record that makes me think of Debut or Post, when Bjork made pop records that had a handful of quirk to them. This is a bit like that.
How to Dress Well - Love Remains
I know, when I posted tracks from this a few weeks ago, I said I wasn’t sure if I really liked it or not. And I’m still a little uncertain, honestly. But I’m putting it on the list anyways, simply because it’s stuck in my head a bit. More the concept and overall aesthetic than any individual song, if that makes sense. Whether or not it’s good or bad, I do feel like you should probably listen to this.
Indignant Senility - Plays Wagner
Speaking of things I like the concept of: given my appreciation of DJ Screw, and that simple transformative act of just slowing things down, this was a record I was bound to like. Basically, it’s a Wagner recording played very slowly. All of that Wagnerian bombast gets completely changed into something much more subtly beautiful. If you heard the slowed down Justin Bieber that sounds like Sigur Ros (google it if you haven’t), there’s a similar element here, but considerably more compelling.
James Blackshaw - All Is Falling
No major surprises here - another record of gorgeous guitar- or piano-based classical minimalism. There’s still little string touches fleshing it out; the only big change from his last record is that there’s a little more sonic variety, I think. The songs aren’t as consistently dense, which is kind of nice. Really, James Blackshaw makes some of the most beautiful music around - there is no reason not to like this.
Male Bonding - Nothing Hurts
The easiest description here is to say that this is kind of like Vivian Girls, but dudes, and maybe a little more punk influenced. A similar lo-fi garagey kind of vibe, though, and a solid record front to back.
Mark McGuire - Living With Yourself
In the six years (I thought it was nine at first, and that I’m super-old, but even at six I still think, “jeez, I’m old”) since Greg Davis’ “Curling Pond Woods”, I’ve yet to hear another record with that perfect blend of ambience and “folktronics”. This comes really close, though. A record about the haziness of memory and nostalgia, with all the accompanying sadness and wistful joy that suggests, the fact that it’s an instrumental record really doesn’t get in the way of that message at all. It also rocks more than Greg Davis ever did - there’s a couple of busier, electrified parts that come in unexpectedly and really clearly evoke longing.
Marnie Stern - Marnie Stern
For having such a prog-influenced sound, and having Zach Hill drumming on it, this is a remarkably accessible indie-rock record. It’s fascinating to me to hear Hill’s drumming, especially: it still sounds like his style, but he’s clearly slowed down and let a little more space into his rhythms to fit this album’s sound.
Menomena - Mines
While also eagerly anticipated by me, this was a hard record for me. I think that “Friend and Foe” is such an incredible record, and when this didn’t immediately top it, I had a certain amount of skepticism. It’s a different record, but it’s still good - there’s a sense I get when I listen to it that they’re trying to put more hooks in or trying to be a little more accessible, and I’m not sure I like that. Still, repeated listening has been rewarding, and I am sure that I will come to love this album too.
Mount Kimbie - Crooks & Lovers
“Maybes” will probably always be the best song these guys have produced, and so it is a shame that this album isn’t basically that from beginning to end. Nevertheless, their approach to post-dubstep is still something I find fascinating. It’s completely unclear to me where you’re supposed to listen to this music - in a club, dancing, or on headphones, or just at home on a decent stereo? - and I think that’s a big part of what I like about it. A lot of music gives you the answers; this album just presents itself as an artifact for you to figure out.
The New Pornographers - Together
While I like all of their records, I definitely prefer the ones that sound more like A.C. Newman’s solo records. This is one of those, and so it’s a wonderfully crafted pop gem.
Ocrilim - Annothrith Hymns
Sounds kind of like the Fucking Champs, but just solo guitar. This is a little slower-paced than other Ocrilim records, but it’s a great improvised exploration of metal guitar. Lots of odd chords, held for a while and shifting slowly. As with every Ocrilim record, this is metal for experimental heads who may not actually like metal all that much.
Ocrilim - Ixoltion
And yes, I’m putting two Ocrilim records on my list. They’re so different; I just couldn’t decide. Longtime readers will note that I’ve put Krallice on my list the last two years running (since they’re the most creative metal band I’ve ever heard - wonderful sheets of dissonance that never resolve). This is essentially a solo guitar version of a Krallice album. All of that dissonance, no resolution, bristling and bleak and intense, just from one guitar.
Ravenna Woods - Demons & Lakes
I have an odd bias toward live music, where I tend to like bands a lot live that I might not otherwise enjoy. So it’s rare that I see a band live, like them, get their record, and like it just as much. In this case, I might actually like the record more. Beardo pacific northwest folk, with some odd percussion - live, their drummer mostly plays one big drum, hitting the rim of it instead of using a snare. It’s a sound that isn’t super dynamic, and I thought might get tedious on the record, but doesn’t.
Reading Rainbow - Prism Eyes
More garagey rock with a bunch of reverb, but the vocals here are all harmonies and really pull me in. There’s a little more overt 60’s influence, too, but really: the vocals on “Wasting Time” suck me right in.
School of Seven Bells - Disconnect From Desire
I somehow always manage to forget what School of Seven Bells sound like, and so I’m always surprising myself with how much I like them. There’s a big 80’s sound on this album, with synths and drum machines everywhere, but it’s still operating in a sort of dream-pop context, and manages to make cheesy sounds not sound cheesy.
The Seven Fields of Aphelion - Periphery
If you like Black Moth Super Rainbow, but wish they used those vintage synths to make ambient music instead of psychedelic vocoder freakouts, you want this record. Really understated and beautiful, and while the sound is similar to BMSR, it’s still something of a surprise that someone in that band could make something this subtle.
Sleigh Bells - Treats
As soon as I heard this record, I knew it was going on this list. If I ranked these, this would have a very good chance of being number one. I’ve heard some people say they’re not into it; that they don’t like the thin, “digital-sounding” distortion, but I can’t get enough of it. This is such a fun, energetic, catchy, cohesive record. I definitely worry that they won’t be able to follow it up - that sound is so distinct; another record of it would be fine but probably not as good, and I’m not sure how they could shift it without damaging it. But: even if they simply don’t make another record, I’ll be listening to Treats for a while.
Team Ghost - You Never Did Anything Wrong To Me
M83’s “Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts” is a record that I really truly love, and while I’ve liked their output since, they’ve never done anything as compelling to me. But, here’s an EP from the other guy in M83 who left after Dead Cities, and it’s clear that he was a major source of what I liked about that album. It’s not an exact retread, but that synthy shoegaze sound is definitely back, and it’s still great.
Title Tracks - It Was Easy
Let’s put aside my DC scene cred (or lack thereof) for a minute - I didn’t really like Georgie James. It was simply not a project that connected with me. John Davis’ new band, though, really surprised me. This is a really catchy, solid power pop record. Almost every song on it has a good hook, and it’s definitely gotten stuck in my head a fair bit. I didn’t really expect to love this record, and I absolutely kind of do.
Tristan Perich - 1-Bit Symphony
I’ve listened to a bit of chiptune music in my day, and it tends to get awfully repetitive. This, however, is actually composed - the word “symphony” in the title is not just Perich being a bit pompous. While a big part of this as a work of art is the physical object and the facts of it, the music stands up on its own. Think of it as a triumph over limitations.
Wavves - King of the Beach
I never would have thought that Wavves could make a record this good. That’s a little backhanded, I’ll admit, but his earlier work really lacks discipline, and this album is so much tighter. Still a little sloppy, very west coast casual, but backed up by songs with hooks. Once again, if I did songs of the year, “Post Acid” would definitely make that list. So catchy, so energetic, very much makes me want to move. If I still lived in California, I would totally skateboard to this record.
Yeasayer - Odd Blood
I skipped their first record, because what I’d heard of it didn’t sound like it was for me. But I kept hearing “Ambling Alp” on radio and around, and that’s a hell of a song. After getting it stuck in my head pretty well, I caved and listened to the whole album, and was surprised by how much I liked it. Extremely reminiscent of the kind of left-field pop that I like. While it’s not a direct comparison, sound-wise, if you liked the Olivia Tremor Control, or Islands, you will probably enjoy this record.
Zach Hill - Face Tat
Hella’s “Hold Your Horse Is” is quite possibly my favorite fast-tempos-and-odd-time-signatures record, and Zach Hill’s drumming has a lot to do with that. It’s a tough call between him and Brian Chippendale (from Lightning Bolt) for most creative drummer working in rock music today. Hill’s catalog has been a little uneven, though, and so I approached this record a little warily. Unnecessary, though - this is some of the most accessible work I’ve heard from him. His playing is still all over the place, and these aren’t exactly conventional pop songs, but it’s a really listenable album.