Best albums of 2010

[Thorngrub]

Top 10:

Serj Tankian: Imperfect Harmonies
Gorillaz: Plastic Beach
Deftones: Diamond Eyes
Monster Magnet: Mastermind
Gogol Bordello: Trans-Continental Hustle
Coheed and Cambria: Year of the Black Rainbow
Korn Korn III: Remember Who You Are
Grinderman: Grinderman 2
Brian Eno: Small Craft on a Milk Sea
Skeletonwitch: Breathe the Fire



Top Alternative / Yet To Listen To:

Serj Tankian: Elect The Dead Symphony
Jimmi Hendrix: Valleys of Neptune
Sevendust: Cool Day Memory
Murder Dolls: Women and Children Last
Stone Sour: Audio Secrecy
Black Rebel Motorcycles Club: Beat the Devil’s Tattoo
Slash: Slash
The Bouncing Souls: Ghosts on the Boardwalk
Eels: End Times
David Byrne & Fatboy Slim: Here Lies Love
Klaxons: Surfing the Void
Helmet: Seeing Eye Dog
Spoon: Transference
Shearwater: The Golden Archipelago
Weezer: Hurley
Magnetic Fields: Realism
Minus The Bear: Omni
The New Pornographers: Together
The Dead Weather: Sea of Cowards
Interpol: Interpol
The Chemical Brothers: Further
The National: High Violet
The Black Keys: Brothers
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers: Mojo
John Mellencamp: No Better Than This
Cyndi Lauper: Memphis Blues
Eminem: Recovery
Ice Cube: I Am The West
Rick Ross: Teflon Don
Kanye West: By Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Mushroomhead: Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children
Killing Joke: Absolute Dissent
Bad Religion: The Dissent of Man
Elton John & Leon Russell: The Union
Daft Punk: Tron Legacy


Top Metal:

Fear Factory: Mechanize
Overkill: Ironbound
Finntroll: Nifelvind
Dark Tranquility: We Are The Void
Katatonia: The Longest Year EP
Armoured Saint: La Raza
The Dillinger Escape Plan: Option Paralysis
Exodus: Exhibit B: The Human Condition
Iron Maiden: The Final Frontier
Accept: Blood of the Nations
Apocalyptica: 7th Symphony
Death Angel: Relentless Retribution


^ The above list comprises 57 albums released this year, in 2010, which are of interest to me.

The middle of the list -- "Top Alternative / Yet To Listen To" represents the largest portion - - of music I'd like to lend an ear to at some time or another, but just don't have enough time in the day to get my shit together enough to do so.

*The 12 metal releases listed aren't necessarily on my "must listen" list -- rather, these are the dozen popular metal bands I am familiar with, which released albums in 2010. I really could care less about a new Fear Factory album - - I wouldn't even bother listening to it. Same goes for Accept and Overkill, and oh yeah - Armoured Saint. Wouldn't mind givin' the rest a listen, tho'.

Well, that's my quick'n' dirty "Best of" list for 2010 album releases. I didn't find one already made, and this is, after all, "The Music Thread" - - so feel free to contribute here, about the new music released this year that you were into or want to hear.

[Ayinger]

I forgot all about that Death Angel disc....had previewed it some time ago and it was kicking oldschool azz!

I was on the fence with the new Monster Magnet.....saw a live cut of one of the tracks that was killer but most of the rest that I heard/saw just felt like Dave & Co. were coming up short....review T?

[phil]

@ thorn ~ I'm familiar with only six of your choices...

- Brian Eno: Small Craft on a Milk Sea
- Jimmi Hendrix: Valleys of Neptune
- The National: High Violet
- Cyndi Lauper: Memphis Blues
- Kanye West: By Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
- Elton John & Leon Russell: The Union

ps: The Cindy Lauper is nice but easily forgettable. (IMO)

2010 albums I listened to most this year:


... Robert Sadin ~ Art of Love... Afrocubism ... Ben Sidran ~ Dylan Different


Neil Young ~ Le Noise... Robert Plant ~ Band Of Joy ... Tiken Jah Fakoly ~ African Revolution


Mavis Staple ~ You Are Not Alone ... Preservation Hall Jazz Band ... Gil Scott Heron: I'm New Here


El Guincho ~ Pop Negro ... Peter Wolf ~ Midnight Souvenirs ... Maurice Brown ~ The Cycle Of Love

[Ayinger]

ah, and now Phil is reminding me of that Peter Wolf release! Heard good stuff off of it....his last solo outing had some nice (and overlooked) selections on it.

The Hendrix release that intrigued me was the new box set of "rare" tracks & takes....can't recall the title tho'!

[RocDoc]

west coast seattle boy...it'll arrive at my library sooner than you can say 'jack robinson'.
i'm next on the hold list.

tho i honestly don't imagine it's got something that i don't already have...cleaned up sonically perhaps, but my GOD have i gotten a ton of jimi.
some of which give absolutely stellar insight on the hendrix creative process...tho i really probably will NOT sit through all 17 takes of voodoo child anytime soon, again.
i shit you not. all on one disc.

[Ayinger]

yeah, that's the one! When I was reading/sampling up on it, the stress was on that a LOT of the material had been out before but in inferior quality....that, and some of his stuff as a sideman was hard to find. Anyhow, was some interest....

MEANwhile: can you believe 'dese guys made the Hall Of Fame? Be killer if the surviving members all got together and jammed out on some of the crazy shit from the good ol' days!!

[maarts]

These ones have been the most played this year...can't make a decent order of it yet but the first three are the top 3....

Electric President- Violent Blue
Swans- My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky
Staffraen Hakon- Sanitas
Voice Of The Seven Thunders- s/t
Black Angels- Phosphene Dream
The Album Leaf- A Chorus Of Storytellers
Brian Eno- Small Craft On A Milk Sea
Faun Fables- Light Of A Vaster Dark
Jonsi- Go
Our Broken Garden- Golden Sea
Dean & Britta- 13 Most Beautiful Songs For Andy Warhol's Screen Tests
Amiina- Puzzle
Besnard Lakes- Are The Roaring Night
Four Tet- There Is Love In You
Nest- ReTold
Eluvium- Similes (and the EPs Leaves Eclipse The Light/The Motion Makes It Last)
Working For a Nuclear Free City- Jojo Burger Tempest
Tame Impala- Innerspeaker
Joe Bonamassa- Black Rock
Brendan Perry- Ark

[phil]

A few more:


Angéliqie Kidjo ~ Oyo ... Stacey Kent ~ Raconte-moi ... Sharon Jone/Dap-Kings ~ Learned the Hard Way

... Stupid internet connection is playing tricks on me...

Back at another time.

[phil]

OK! Where were we...

Oui! Oui! Oui!


Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté ... Luz Casal ~ La Pasion ... Black Dub ~ Black Dub

[Thorngrub]

whoa - phil reminded me of the new Neil Young, "Le Noise" - -which I haven't even heard yet. Would like to check that out - Lanois producing -?- - I'm intrigued by that, and the seemingly contradictory, that is, "lo -fi /garage" sound allegedly inherent to this album. Wouldn't think Lanois would be the right fit for that -- thus the intrigue.

Ayinger - finally listened to the new Monster Magnet yesterday - -and I have to admit, I was real impressed by the "return to form" - - there is much more of an earlier-era, monster magnet vibe on MASTERMIND - some of the tunes reminescent of DOPES TO INFINITY (which really pleases me) and an overall return to the grander, cosmic-scope comic-book themes which made them stand out from the rest. Musically, MASTERMIND just rocks balls from start to finish - - a real treat for purveyors of an older school of straight up psychedelic rock. I'm actually kinda shocked at how good MASTERMIND sounded to these ears.

And maarts has reminded me of the new Faun Fables album, which I purchased from Nils personally on the very first date of their latest tour, here in Salt Lake City.

While I'm on that subject - - you'll love this, maarts - - I recorded on my FlipCam, about 3 songs from Faun Fables's performance that night. And you'll never believe what I managed to capture, on video - - their encore song, CHILDREN OF THE SEA. Yes - that Children Of The Sea, made famous by one Ronnie James Dio, singing with BLACK SABBATH on their early 80s classic, HEAVEN AND HELL. This was a stripped-down [one guitar, one drum] rendition, plugged-in - - and soulful. I have yet to upload it to YouTube - but that's out of respect for Dawn - - I don't think she appreciates hastily uploaded fan videos, necessarily - - so I'll have to solve this small conundrum, as to how to present this startling, admittedly not great quality - -but not shite either - - I consider it a piece of ass-kicking, underground footage, actually - - to Dawn and Nils for their viewing pleasure and hopefully - - their blessings and approval of my uploading it for a YouTube audience. Wish me luck on that . . . because if I don't get approval - - I'll be tempted to set it up either as a "password protected" video - -exclusive to the few I hand the password out to - - or I may just defiantly upload the video anyhow. I gotta give this more thought. . .

[Ayinger]

That rendition of "Children Of The Sea" sounds fucking great --- what a way to do it! WH00PS.....I just found it while typing this --- playing now in another window! check it out:

niiiccce vocal job and would LOVE to hear this played LOUD.

And Thorns, now your making me want to take the dive into DavieLand and check out the MMagnet....like I said, one of the songs I DID think was just f'ning great --- and, yeah it was much more Old Skool towards the Dope days.

[Ayinger]

Hard to do a 'best 0f 2010' as I hardly had the cash to go out and get a good variety of things....could just as well just post what I DID manage to buy!


Roky Erickson True Love Cast Out All Evil

The best lost icon this side of the late Syd Barrett makes a homerun slam....I mean, it opens with recordings he made while locked up in the nuthatch fer k'rist sake --- ya gotta love THAT!


Robert Plant Band Of Joy

Old troubadour makes an album where he re-invents himself as himself of the 60's making one ask "Zeppelin, who?"


JJ Grey Georgia Warhorse

A Southern stir-fry heavy on r&b soul mixed homestyle with a funky rock base. Like the best of early J. Geils Band had been reborn south of the Mason-Dixon Line.


The Drive-By Truckers The Big To-Do

Speaking of the South, these guys again prove that they are FAR from the hick nature their name or roots may suggest. The songwriting here is of a deep cyphering' nature, pinching nerves with cutting lyric and wry sense of the ways of Life. The music rocks, sways, trips upon itself and never leaves one stuck out in the field. Another solid effort from this band!


Bruce Springsteen The Promise

Gems and a reminder of Bruce in context of what/where he was in the late 70's and the foundation being laid of what/where he was to go. My own joy was just hearing him and the band as they were in this state....the one where I had my first true, deep exposure to him. A LOT of these songs just burst out with a young lion's vigor. It's creation is for creaton's own sake and need devod of an artistic attitude that he "has" or "should" take a particular avenue.....like getting reacquainted with an old friend.


Los Lobos Tin Can Trust

Why this band hasn't had the acclaim & attention it deserves by the average populace is beyond me. Album after album of supreme craft of which this 2010 release continued in solid execution. This is a meal served up with no extra fanfare needed, everything gels just as it should and sates the musical appetite without any flashy presentation. The beats fall in line, the guitar solos come in on a breeze, the lyrics are urban poems spoken on any street....this band can connect like so few others.