Top albums for 2010 - enjoy!
By Clint Bell
Choosing the best music of the year is always difficult when there are so many interesting bands to choose from and narrowing the field to say that one is the best of all is impossible. Here’s my take on the top albums of the year, in no specific order because, well, there just isn’t one that I can say tops them all.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Beat the Devil’s Tattoo
A great old-style rock album with a good beat, awesome lyrics. Their background vocals are extremely important to the music, and always have been for them, but I find this is the best one they’ve done. BRMC is based in San Francisco and have been quoted as having a garage rock, blues, folk revival sound. Current members Peter Hayes, Robert Levon Been, and Leah Shapiro have great chemistry. Shapiro is new to the band replacing Nik Jago on drums and her influence is clear on this album. Released on the band’s own Abstract Dragon label, Beat the Devil’s Tattoo is full of great rhythmic tunes. What more can I say – it’s a great rock ‘n roll album.
Kanye West – My Beautiful Twisted Dark Fantasy
Your grandmother’s not going to love this album. It’s rap, rock, classical, it’s all over the place although the closest genre would be hip-hop. The album was conceived during West’s self-imposed exile in Oahu, Hawaii, following a period of legal and public image controversy amid an overworked mental state at the time. It’s just so varied that I respected the work and it lived up to the media hype which is tough to do, especially for Kanye. It’s funny and extremely well done. Kanye produced it, wrote all the lyrics and it features a multitude of guests. I don’t like all of it, but I do like most of it and absolutely love some of it! Even though Kanye has gotten so big, if you like music, you’ll like this one.
Grinderman – Grinderman 2
Nick Cave and a few of his Bad Seeds came together in 2006 to create the Grinderman. Their debut album came out in 2007, and Grinderman 2 was released this year. This album is a straight-forward heavy rock album. At this stage of Cave’s career it’s an unexpected shift to heavier music. Most rock stars don’t get heavier as they get older, but with Nick’s gothic, dark lyrics this album is heavier than anything he’s done before. More than that, it doesn’t pull any punches. It opens new musical territory that no one has ventured into before. You can’t mistake Cave’s wit and graphic lyrics that few can come close to.
Gorillaz –Plastic Beach
This is another cross-over album incorporating pop, hip-hop, eastern rhythms, and even funk. Produced primarily by Daman Albarn, the album features collaborations with artists including: Snoop Dogg, Bobby Womack, Mos Deff, the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, and many more. Different from previous albums, Albarn takes people through his musical storyline and his Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett provided the characters – a little older and different than their normal appearance. Albarn uses pop music to bring to everyone’s attention the dilemma of plastic packaging in our world. Hat’s off to Albarn for also releasing a free album on Christmas day to fans on his website – The Fall – recorded entirely on his Ipad. Give them both a listen if you love music.
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
The third album for this Canadian icon band is theme-based as well – talking to growing up and living in the suburbs of the city. This Montreal indie band has risen to the top in North America over the past couple of years and really hit their stride with this album that was nominated for a Grammy in two categories including Album of the Year. Their music is a full sound guitar, drums, bass guitar, piano, violin, viola, cello, double bass, xylophone, glockenspiel, keyboard, French horn, accordion, harp, mandolin and hurdy-gurdy. The band takes most of their instruments on tour, and the multi-instrumentalist band members switch instrumental duties throughout their shows. Win Butler’s haunting, melodic lyrics take you on a trip through the city. Arcade Fire’s not showing any signs of petering out in their rise to the top and you can be sure there’s many more albums to come.
Autolux – Transit Transit
I loved this album – it’s reminiscent of older music mixed with new takes on it. It brings forth images of Pink Floyd and certainly has a psychedelic, ambient feel to it. The album is really well crafted by the Los Angeles trio of Eugene Goreshter, Greg Edwards, and Carla Azur. As they say on their site: “We use drums, guitar, bass and voice overs, we like to make noise, and we don’t care if we’re not liked.” It has an amazing soundscape and will be an album I’ll be listening to for the rest of my life!
Rolling Stones – Exile on Main Street (remastered)
One the Stones early albums and the first of the remakes to be released this year, this is one of their best albums ever. Dating back to the early ‘70s it’s one of their greatest albums and the re-mastered copy is better than it ever was. If you like rock ‘n roll at all it’s a one of the great British produced albums with a completely American sound. With lots of country twange, blues and rock mixed together, it is a full album too with so much thought and gifted musicality that’s never been matched by any American band. One of the classics, this will remain on the top of my list for years to come.
Black Keys – Brothers
This American rock-blues duo of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney formed in Ohio in 2001 and has already sold over 1.7 million records. This latest album has bluesy, funky, sludgy sounds in a very stripped down style. Most of the tunes are extremely good and the songs flow well throughout the album. It was recently announced that they have been nominated for Grammys in Best Song and Best Alternative Album categories. Rolling Stone magazine also rated this album #2 for the top albums in 2010. They have resisted giving into pop culture over the years, continued with their style and are making better and better music as they go along. Well worth a listen.
Robert Plant and the Band of Joy – The Band of Joy
With this new world beat rock album Robert Plant has finally hit his stride after many years of mediocre stuff. Plant shines with this beautiful album. It’s challenging for someone who has known fame with the likes of Led Zeppelin to come back and do his own thing, but this album demonstrates that Plant has much more to share with the world. Nominated for two Grammys, Plant’s collaboration with Patti Griffin, Bud Miller, Darrell Scott, Byron House, and Marco Giovino was recorded in Nashville with a stellar cast of musicians. Their new interpretations of songs from a wide range of sources encompasses fifties-style country gospel harmonies to sixties soul-classics and folk ballads. Probably Plant’s most eclectic work so far, you can tell he’s enjoying the challenge of new ideas and themes.
The National – High Violet
This is a great album in a brooding, melancholy rock style. Matt Berninger’s voice is beautiful and you can hear all his lyrics clearly. The music almost takes a background to his voice which acts as an instrument for their songs. Formed in 1999 in Ohio as well, the other members of the band consist of two sets of brothers: Aaron and Bryce Dessner and Scott and Brian Devendorf. When the album was released it topped the charts all over the world and has sold over 400,000 copies. Overall, you’ll enjoy a listen to this wonderful sound.
With files from Mona Mattei
