SH Forums Best Albums of 2010

I'm a Thief is my favorite new song of the year! what a surprise, I didn't know they did big productions like that!

 

Adding Jason and the Scorchers - Halcyon Times to the list.

 

Skream - Outside The Box (Tempa)
Mark Ronson & the Business Intl. - Record Collection (RCA)
Calibre - Even If...(Signature)
Janelle Monae - Archandroid (Bad Boy/Wondaland)
Dungen - Skit I Allt (Mexican Summer)
Jose James - Blackmagic (Brownswood Recordings)
Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Pt. 2: Return of the Ankh (Motown)
Random Movement - Lucky Guess (Innerground)
Utah Jazz - Vintage
Daft Punk - Tron Legacy OST (Disney)'

Movie of the year goes to Banksy "Exit Through the Gift Shop"
Single of the year goes to S.P.Y. "By Your Side" on Spearhead records. EPIC!

 

Le Noise - Neil Young
Speak Now - Taylor Swift
Your Future Our Clutter - The Fall
Maya - M.I.A.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head but I'm sure I'm forgetting something essential

probably put Ariel, Marnie and LCD in the list when I have more time to listen to those LPs and more familiarity - I definitely trust them all enough as artists to know that they'll be on the list but I'm just not familiar enough with the particular albums!

 

that's why you listed them in Best 2010 albums thread

 

This was my list. The others were editorial comments. And your problem is?

 

I think the problem is that someone will actually be going through this sprawling mess of a thread to tally entries. Mixing in albums we DON'T like will only make matters even more complicated.

 

Fair enough explanation. I didn't know that was the intent. Sorry for the post.

 

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals!

 

Jeff Beck - Emotion & Commotion
Peter Frampton - Thank You Mr. Churchill
Black Crowes - Croweology
Joe Satriani - Black Swans & Wormhole Wizards
Pat Travers - Fidelis

 

I bought more new music this year than I have in 10 years. It was exciting to hear great new music. I still like pop and rock more than other genres, and I am impressed! These are my favorite 2010 releases:

Perfume Genius-Learning
The Budos Band III
Beach House-Teen Dream
No Age-Everything in Between
Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night
The National-High Violet
Surfer Blood-Astro Coast
Tame Impala-Innerspeaker
Local Natives-Gorilla Manor
The Radio Dept.-Clinging to a Scheme
John Grant-Queen of Denmark

 

That's always the problem with threads like these. I started off by suggesting that people maybe list their favourite 10 albums of the year but it always ends up being a hotchpotch of lists and opinions. In fairness I didn't try to place any rules around it so no problem. At least we will get a good sampling of the Forum members favourites of the year. Happy New Year all!

 

The only one I come back to all the time,because it is convincingly good and challenging at the same time is NATALIE MERCHANT's latest offering.

 

A new favorite, Eric Heatherly's Painkillers. Great freakin' album, it's streaming at his myspace page for anyone interested...

www.myspace.com/ericheatherly

 

1. Twin Shadow ~ Forget...no contest here at all, this was an automatic win for me after one play.
2. Jamey Johnson ~ The Guitar Song...more impressive with each listen...a double-disc country concept album that works perfectly...sliding into the abyss, then crawling out into the light.
3. Les Shelleys ~ Les Shelleys...sweet "mini-disc field recordings" complete with dogs barking. Timeless.
4. Marnie Stern ~ Marnie Stern...particle accelerator music, occasionally reminding me of both Beefheart and Zappa.
5. The Tallest Man On Earth ~ Sometimes The Blues Is Just A Passing Bird...yeah, just an EP, but The Dreamer alone mandates its inclusion.
6. The National ~ High Violet (Expanded)...i guess i'm with everyone else on this one. oh well, can't avoid all the popular stuff.
7. John Trudell ~ Crazier Than Hell...spoken word over a Black Sabbath riff? the sky is falling, this ain't no chicken little. "it is what it is".
8. Beach House ~ Teen Dream...enchanting, crystal waves lapping at my shore.
9. Willie Nile ~ The Innocent Ones...just got this, Willie's closer to the "one-man Clash" tag than ever before...why hasn't this been released here?
X. Joe West ~ Xoe Fitzgerald: Time Traveling Transvestite...concept album of the year...cold war paranoia, alien babies, rock and roll, time-travel & transvestism of course, and a great cover of Bowie's Heroes...a Must Hear!

 

OK, year over, here is my final list of 10 (including a very late addition at the top that knocked me out and comes highly recommended), the next 10 I liked, my favourite comps/reissues. and my favourite EP's/singles.

My Top 10 New Albums of 2010

1. Flying Horseman "Wild Eyes"
2. Actress "Splazsh"
3. Joanna Newsom "Have One on Me"
4. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti "Before Today"
5. Vampire Weekend "Contra"
6. Janelle Monae "The Archandroid"
7. Yeasayer "Yeasayer"
8. Oneohtrix Point Never "Returnal"
9. Emeralds "Does it Look Like I'm Here"
10. Beach House "Before Today"

My 11-20:

11. Zola Jesus "Stridulum II"
12. Big Boi ""Sir Lucious Left Foot, The Son of Chico Dusty"
13. Jamie Lidell "Compass"
14. Four Tet "There is Love in You"
15. Grinderman "Grinderman 2"
16. Bonnie Prince Billy & The Cairo Gang "The Wonder Show of the World"
17. Erykah Badu "New Amerykah Part 2 - Return of the Ankh"
18. Field Music "Measure"
19. Swans "My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky"
20. John Grant "The Queen of Denmark"

My Favourite Comps/Reissues of the Year

Robert Wyatt "Greatest Misses"
David Sylvian "Sleepwalkers"
Iggy and the Stooges "Raw Power" (Legacy Edition - Bowie Mix)
Rolling Stones "Exile on Main Street" (prefer 1990's Ludwig mastering)
David Bowie "Station to Station" (prefer the original RCA CD mastering)
Stevie Wonder "Talking Book" AF Gold
Nat King Cole SACD's Analogue Productions/SH mastered
Curtis Mayfield "Curtis" Mofi
Suede "Best of"

Finally, my favourite Extended EP's and Singles of the Year

Games "Everything is Working" - 2 Track Single
Games "That We Can Play -EP"
Washed Out "Life of Leisure - EP"
Pangaea "Pangaea - EP"
Joy Orbison "The Shrew Would Have Cushioned The Blow- EP"
LA Vampires and Zola Jesus "LA Vampires Meets Zola Jesus - EP"
Pas Chic Chic "12" Single

Happy New Year and here's to some great new music in 2011!

 

Oops...my No.10 by Beach House is of course called "Teen Dream". Over and out...

 

My list, in no particular order after the first 2:

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
The Black Keys - Brothers
Owen Pallett - Heartland
Beach House - Teen Dream
Neil Young - Le Noise
Land of Talk - Cloak and Cipher
Kristin Hersh - Crooked
Foals - Total Life Forever
Born Ruffians - Say It
Black Francis - The Golem
Belle & Sebastien - Write About Love
Stars - The Five Ghosts
Surfer Blood - Astro Coast

 

A very good out-of-leftfield folk album that came out in 2010 is Erland & The Carnival's self-titled album. Definitely the craziest throwback album of the year, it takes old folk ballads and twists it into something resembling 60's garage and psychedelic rock.

 

My top 4:
1)Shriekback - Life In The Loading Bay
2) Wire - Red Barked Tree
3) Grinderman - Grinderman II
4) John Grant - Queen Of Denmark

 

A couple of albums that get honourable mentions in addition to my top albums list above are:

Hype Williams "Hype Williams"
Kanye West "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy"

 

How is that possible - not due for release until week after next!

 

Mine in no particular order

Gil Scott Heron - I'm New Here
Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me
Chicago Underground Duo - Boca Negra
Cinematic Orchestra - Late Night Tales
LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
Eliza Carthy & Norma Waterson - Gift
Robert Wyatt etc - For The Ghosts Within
Henry Threadgill - This Brings Us To vol 2
Brian Eno - Small Craft on a Milk Sea

 

Mine:

25. MGMT - Congratulations
24. The Posies - Blood/Candy
23. Black Dub - Black Dub
22. Male Bonding - Nothing Hurts
21. Robert Plant - Band Of Joy
20. Maximum Balloon - Maximum Balloon
19. Neil Young - Le Noise
18. Ben Folds - Lonely Avenue
17. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
16. Belle & Sebastian - Write About Love
15. Superchunk - Majesty Shredding
14. The Black Keys - Brothers
13. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
12. Killing Joke - Absolute Dissent
11. The Charlatans - Who We Touch
10. The Futureheads - The Chaos
09. The National - High Violet
08. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
07. Wavves - King Of The Beach
06. Wild Nothing - Gemini
05. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
04. Sleigh Bells - Treats
03. Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer
02. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today
01. Surfer Blood - Astro Coast

 

Just got a couple of additional 2010 releases that I like a lot, LCD Soundsystem and Beach House. LCD Soundsystem will probably make it into my top 10 after a couple of more spins (not sure what I would drop). Don't think Beach House will make the top 10, but I do like it.