On the Sunday at the end of a much appreciated ten day vacation, I decided to have a marathon listening of my top ten albums from 2010. This will of course not include any albums that I didn't give a good listen to during the year. I didn't try to fit anything in for the sole purpose of being on my list.
10. Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
One of the best things about this record how variable the energy is from track to track. The multi-instrumentalism they are known for shines without being overwhelming. Guest vocalists only add to the feeling that this album could be a collection of many different bands, if it weren't unmistakably Broken Social Scene.
standout track: "Texico Bitches"
9. Rogue Wave - Permalight
Whenever I tell someone about Rogue Wave, I feel the need to include the story of events that preceded this album's release. Zach Rogue suffered a slipped disc in his neck which paralyzed him for several months. After recovering, he wanted to make a "dance record" - something to move to. With a history in heartfelt indie-folk, this album is a bit of a departure. They adapt to this new style with flying colors while still hearkening to their roots in muted melodies.
standout track: "Stars and Stripes"
8. Caribou - Swim
The mechanical preciseness of Dan Snaith's early records has given way to an organic presentation of evolving electronic rhythms. These songs serve as an excellent backdrop or an engaging experience of instrumental additions and subtractions that keeps you guessing what will come next.
standout track: "Leave House"
7. The Radio Dept. - Clinging to a Scheme
The Radio Dept. is one of those groups that I discovered and couldn't believe I had gone so long without hearing. Right up my alley with a combination of electronic elements in an indie rock package complete with obscure pop hooks. Effected vocals are mixed perfectly with the flowing instrumentalism. These are the kinds of songs that are easy to get lost in.
Standout track: "Heaven's On Fire"
6. The Go Find - Everybody Knows It's Gonna Happen Only Not Tonight
Another example of an indie rock band making the most of electronic flourishes, The Go Find is one of the bands I was most excited to see release an album this year. On the first listen, before any of the songs really sunk in I knew I was listening to a solid album that would only grow on me. The mood is wonderfully engrossing with a slightly dark edge. This is the kind of band I would love to play in.
standout track: "It's Automatic"
5. Bars of Gold - Of Gold
It only took seeing them live once to know that Bars of Gold was something special. A hybrid of two bands I never really got into - Bear Vs. Shark and Wildcatting - this band is much more than the sum of its parts. The energy they perform with is something I haven't witnessed before and can only imagine it being similar to what it was like to see Rites of Spring in 1985, with passion bursting from every note and lyric.
standout tracks: "Heaven Has a Heater", "Cannibals"
4. Spoon - Transference
One of my friends once described Spoon as the "comfort food" of music and while at the start of 2010 they were a band I knew but wasn't too crazy about, I now agree with that statement whole-heartedly. This year Spoon became one of my favorite bands, and
Transference was only an addition to my discovery of all of their albums. Seeing them live in March was one of the highlights of my year. The formula Spoon has adopted for making solid music is something that hopefully will stand strong for years to come.
standout tracks: "Mystery Zone", "Written in Reverse"
3. Menomena - Mines
This album took me by surprise. What started out as a pleasant background of agreeable songs became melodies and lyrical passages which got stuck in my head for days on end. This album gets better with every listen, as I keep discovering new facets of each song's composition. This is an incredibly mature album, in its poetic imagery and instrumental confidence. An unexpected find to say the least, this is perhaps my favorite lesser-known album to tell people about.
standout tracks: "Dirty Cartoons", "Tithe"
2. The Russian Futurists - The Weight's on the Wheels
The high placement of this album has a lot to do with an affinity I have for Matthew Adam Hart. His previous albums have all touched me as the honest outpouring of one man's heart, soul and ideas in musical form. The relationship issues he addresses are incredibly real and his delivery is at the same time fallible and confident. It has been five years since the last Russian Futurists record, and when I discovered it was available, I bought it from iTunes that moment. The first and most obvious difference between this album and previous ones is its production quality. The lo-fi sound of his earlier works is what gave them so much character, but Matt's songs hold up well to a scrutinizing attention to detail. This album feels like the product of five years of work and I am happy to tell everyone I know that they should listen to it.
standout tracks: "Hoeing Weeds Sowing Seeds", "Golden Years", "To Be Honest"
1. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
I think I knew this album was going to become one of my all-time favorites before I barely started listening to it. The events that followed the first time I played it in my car, right around the same time I started this blog, as Spring was fading into Summer, all feel like dominoes that had been set up at this album's first play. I embraced the changes that came at me, sometimes reluctantly but with open eyes. 2010 has been a tumultuous year for me, and turning to this album brought me peace of mind when I couldn't find it inside myself. Lyrics that are completely self-aware - of bad and difficult decisions, of the culture it simultaneously stands over and depends on and of life on a grander scale. This year was defined by the numerous nights where I simply set this album on repeat and knew that I was doing the right thing - that my life was indeed happening - that I was in control.
I had my first and possibly only opportunity to see LCD Soundsystem play in October and it will be awhile before I attend a better concert. The day after I ordered myself a vinyl copy of
This Is Happening and spent an evening hunkered over my record player poring over the lyrics sheet. Every phrase felt like a mantra of wisdom, acceptance and growth. It had been years since I felt such a true connection with music and I don't take the thought that this album changed my life lightly. For something to have such a profound effect on me gives me hope for the future. This album may be what "is happening", but now it's time for what's next.
standout tracks: "I Can Change", "You Wanted A Hit", "Pow Pow", "Home"
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