Top 20 Albums Of 2010

Here are my picks for the best long players this year. I 'm not doing the best songs of the year as they will appear in the Listomania series later on. All in all, it was a very good year for music, maybe not outstanding, but there were several superb records made in 2010. Here they are from 20-1:

20. The Sea - Corinne Bailey Rae

This is a pretty low-key record by the Leeds native. She was away for awhile coping with the overdose death of her husband last year and these songs reflect that tragedy. She has the voice of an angel though, so nuanced and soulful and full of feeling. This is what the Rihannas and Ke$has of the world couldn't achieve in their wildest dreams because this girl has that huge ingredient that they sorely lack: pure talent.
Best Songs: Are You Here, The Blackest Lily

19. The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night - The Besnard Lakes

Imagine the Cocteau Twins had a baby with the Jesus And Mary Chain and mix in some Led Zeppelin and ELO for good measure. That is about as close as I can get to describing this Montreal band. They are fronted by singer/guitarist Jace Lasek and his wife, bassist/vocalist Olga Goreas and their sound and vision are quite unique. They take dynamics to a whole new level, at times quietly ethereal and then as bombastic and heavy as it gets.
Best Songs: Like The Ocean Like The Innocent Pt. 1: The Innocent, And This Is What We Call Progress

18. Northern Aggression - Steve Wynn & The Miracle 3

Steve Wynn was a big deal in the Paisley Underground scene in California in the early '80s. His band The Dream Syndicate had a huge cult following and he was seen as one of the cool guys of the time. Well, he is now 50 and this album proves that even us old farts can still pack a punch. This album is straight-up rock played by the classic 2 guitars, bass and drums foursome, but it sounds so good. His voice is a cross between the snarl, half-talk of Lou Reed and the twang of Tom Petty. The riffs are great and the attitude is alive and well.
Best Songs: Resolution, On The Mend

17. School Of Seven Bells - Disconnect From Desire

I suppose these New Yorkers sound a lot like one of my fave '90s bands, Curve, but the vocals are clearer and the melodies are catchier. This band was created by Benjamin Curtis, formerly of Secret Machines, and twin sisters/ vocalists Alejandra and Claudia DeHeza. The music is very synth-driven and beat heavy, with the Dehezas' vocals pulling the listener into their Dream-Pop world. The album is full of glorious soundscapes and this record is a treat to listen to, for these worn ears at least.
Best Songs: Windstorm, Heart Is Strange, Babelonia

16. Mini Mansions - Mini Mansions

This band is essentially a side project for Queens Of The Stone Age bassist Michael Shuman. It always gets me when artists do a solo album or a side project to "get more creative" or whatever and it sounds exactly like the band that they are "getting away" from. Well, this sounds absolutely nothing like QOTSA, not even a bit. This is Beatlesque Chamber-Pop, full of harmony vocals and keyboards and dreamy melodies. A very interesting listen, and quite an unexpected pleasant surprise.
Best Songs: Crime Of The Season, Seven Sons, Kiddie Hypnogogia

15. High Violet - The National

Who would have expected such a collection of uptempo, happy songs? Oh wait, this is The National right? No happy, for sure, and little to no uptempo. These Brooklynites-by-way-of-Cincinnati continue with their bleak vision on this record, with much critical acclaim. While it is mostly worthy praise, I would argue that listening to them too much makes one dour and miserable, perhaps even depressed. It is great music to play when life is getting you down, or when one is feeling contemplative, but I advise against putting it on at your next holiday family get-together. It is indeed a great record though, but put away the sleeping pills and rope and razors before you put it on the Ipod.
Best Songs: Anyone's Ghost, Bloodbuzz Ohio, Conversation 16

14. Expo 86 - Wolf Parade

This Montreal band always puts out quality records, and this 3rd album is no exception. The herky-jerky rhythms and analog synth lines are their signature and they always write a mean melody as well. 2008's At Mount Zoomer was one of that year's best and a big fave of mine. This record is just a notch below that one, but it is still a brilliant piece of work.
Best Songs: Palm Road, Little Golden Age, Ghost Pressure

13. Total Life Forever - Foals

New Order meets Talking Heads on this 2nd album from these guys who hail from Oxford, England. This is a collection of songs that one can dance to, but they have a strong vein of indie-cred running through them. The rhythms and jittery guitars really do remind me of Talking Heads circa 1979, while the polyrhythms and African influences tip the cap to latter day Heads. The choruses are chant-like singalongs like the best of New Order, really bringing home the '80s influences that abound here.
Best Songs: Miami, Total Life Forever, This Orient

12. Strange Change Machine - The Grip Weeds

These Power-Pop veterans hail from New Jersey and reached a new level of acclaim with the release this year of this great double album. They wear their influences proudly on their sleeves and one can hear echoes of The Beatles, The Who, and even fellow Jersey natives The Smithereens in their music. This is music to be played in the sunshine, sitting out on the deck with a cold one, groovin' with the feeling. Little Steven of E-Street Band fame is a big champion of this band and often plays them on his Underground Garage radio show. They even do a very admirable cover of Todd Rundgren's seminal Hello It's Me on disc 2.
Best Songs: Speed Of Life, Close To The Sun, You're Not Walking Away

11. Field Music (Measure) - Field Music

This is a great record. It is 20 songs in total and I would struggle to find a dud amongst them. This is the 3rd album by this Sunderland, England four-piece and, in my opinion, their best ever. Their sound is hard to pigeonhole, but I would say a definite XTC influence is present in the way they create such intelligent Pop. They write angular melodies and at times they sound almost like Progressive Rock in the Yes or Emerson Lake & Palmer school. This is a grower of a record and I highly recommend it.
Best Songs: Effortlessly, Let's Write A Book, Curves Of The Needle

10. Halcyon Digest - Deerhunter

This band led by singer/guitarist Bradford Cox hails from Atlanta, but they sound nothing like a Southern rock group. Their milieu is not the kind of music that one finds instantly catchy, but requires a deeper investment from the listener. Once one spends some time with this beauty of a record, it becomes an inseparable part of your daily life. I quite love their sound, especially the way that no 2 songs sound even remotely alike. They are one of Indie rock's treasures and I advise you to give this record a long listen over several days and see if you can resist its charms.
Best Songs: Don't Cry, Desire Lines, Memory Boy, Helicopter

9. Teen Dream - Beach House

Music critics call this sound Dream-Pop and after listening to this beautiful record, it seems like an apt moniker. Singer/keyboardist Victoria Legrand's phrasing can be quite unusual, but these songs float along on her and guitarist Alex Scally's lovely clouds of sound. This record is chock full o' melodies which are sometimes obscured by the fog of the production, but they are indeed there and worm their way into the listener's consciousness after only a couple of hearings.
Best Songs: Zebra, Silver Soul, Norway, Walk In The Park

8. Wake Up The Nation - Paul Weller

This album is one of Weller's best solo records, which is saying a lot because of his longevity and prodigious output. This is an exercise in psychedelia and the sound is a bit strange on first listen. The emphasis is often placed on parts of the instrumentation not normally brought out front, such as a whirring farfisa organ or a cowbell. He has really stretched out with this record and gone for something different and knocked it right out of the park. The songs are all quite short, some only 1 minute and change, but it is very effective. I may even be so bold as to call this his Sgt. Pepper.
Best Songs: No Tears To Cry, Find The Torch/Burn The Plans, Aim High, Trees

7. Home Acres - Aloha

I have previously expressed my admiration for this album in this blog, so I will keep this short. Get this record. You won't be sorry. It is very good.
Best Songs: Moonless March, Microviolence, Cold Storage, Blackout

6. Wilderness Heart - Black Mountain

Give this a spin and prepare to be transported back to about 1975. Punk has yet to happen. dinosaurs roam the earth. and there, alongside Zep and Sabbath and their ilk, resides Black Mountain. Guitarist/vocalist Stephen McBean loves the '70s and makes no bones about it. This record is bludgeon riffola at its best, with an air of mysticism hanging around like Ozzy's ghost. There are great melodies here though, and co-vocalist Amber Webber adds a touch of Exene Cervenka (from '70s L.A. punks X) to the proceedings. This is the best rock record of the year folks. Grow your hair and put on the tie-dye!
Best Songs: The Hair Song, Old Fangs, Rollercoaster, The Way To Gone

5. The Suburbs - The Arcade Fire

There's not much that can be said about Canada's finest band at the moment. There must be something in the water in Montreal though, as it seems all the best Canadian bands are from there. The playing is amazing here, as is the singing, the feel, the sound, the lyrics...well, it is just another brilliant record. But, by now, what did you expect? These guys are 3 for 3 and if you didn't see their showstopping performance on Saturday Night Live earlier this fall, I beseech you to look it up on Youtube.
Best Songs: The Suburbs, Ready To Start, We Used To Wait, Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

4. Together - The New Pornographers

Lots Of Can-Con on this year's list, n'est-ce pas? These folks are one of my fave bands, so no surprise that they are high on this list, right? This record is such a grower! It is not as immediate as most of their stuff, but the Pop hooks are still there in droves. There are few writers around that make me as happy as Carl Newman does. His knack for melody and his ear for detail are unrivalled in my books. Normally, I don't much care for the songs penned by Dan Bejar, but even they are great this time. Neko Case is more understated here, but that is a good thing as she sounds less forced and more natural. Kathryn Calder is now an essential member and her contributions on piano and vocals are fantastic. Just another great record to add to the rest of their catalogue.
Best Songs: Crash Years, Sweet Talk Sweet Talk, My Shepherd, We End Up Together

3. Congratulations - MGMT

Well, I have written on this album extensively earlier this year. The critics are way wrong and so are all the bandwagon-jumping hipsters, who will listen to any drivel that Sufjan Stevens puts out and call it genius, or praise no-talent, high school assembly-worthy pretention like Joanna Newsom and call it high art whilst slagging off one of the bravest and most creative records of the year. To those poseurs, I say "Go and bugger thyselves."
Best Songs: It's Working, Flash Delerium, I Found A Whistle, Siberian Breaks

2. Maintenant - Gigi

This is my little slice of nostalgia this year. Old-style music recorded on old-style equipment by people who share my love of the sound of the Brill building in New York City in the early 1960s, Phil Spector and the wall of sound, beehive hairdos and skinny ties. Just bloody brilliant and if you don't like this, then you aren't a romantic at heart....or an old fart like me.
Best Songs: Play the whole damn thing! But, if I had to choose: The Hundredth Time, I'm Not Coming Out Tonight, Everyone Can Tell, The Marquee

1. InnerSpeaker - Tame Impala

Yes, for me, this is the album of the year. Read my earlier post about it to find out more, but this blast of stoner psychedelia just turns my crank.
Best Songs: Really, every song on the album. If you don't believe me, go play it and you'll see.

So, there it is gang. If you would like to submit a list, put it in the comments section. Oh, and Happy New Year to all 5 of you!