Last year's list was dominated by concept albums and the heavier side of the musical spectrum.
By January I had devoured NPR's best of the year/decade lists and had been turned (innoncently enough by my friend Blythe) to Pitchfork's lists. I had said that I thought Arcade Fire's Funeral may have been my favourite album of the decade (though in hindsight...probablyYs by Joanna Newsom) and Blythe had pointed out that Funeral was Pitchfork's #2. Anyway, long story short. I have read Pitchfork pretty much everyday since January and this year's list reflects that...almost painfully. Everyone of my picks for this year are of those that Pitchfork has labeled "Best New Music."
This list, like last year's, is in alphabetical order.
The Best Albums of 2010:
Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot...The Son of Chico Dusty
This may shock some people who know me. A Hip-Hop album? In your top 5? Yes. It's true (There'll be two). Hip-Hop has always had a soft place in my heart; I love the energy, the beats, the syncopation, the SWAGGER. It's electrifying. Unfortunately, like any genre, there is a lot of crap to sort through. And, unlike some genres, I don't want to spend the money/effort to sort through the rap game. There are a few rap artists that I trust though, and Outkast is definitely one of them, so when I heard about Big Boi's solo album, I was excited. Then "Shutterbug" came out as the first single and I was sold. So much originality packed into one song: the thundering acapella bass line alone could make a song worth listening to! Still, I don't just go out and buy hip-hop. But after hearing a couple more tracks and reading Pitchfork's review I went and got it and was not disappointed. There are a few lulls, yes, but none are long or painful enough to disrupt the record (perhaps Hustle Blood...). There are plenty of guest appearances (like any self-respecting rap album) but my favourite is definitely Yelawolf's redneck spiel in "You Ain't No DJ". Every track is brimming with creative ideas, beats and samples - and the skits are actually funny to boot! A fun, and energertic album.
Favourite Track: "General Patton" - so. hardcore. and over a classical loop for the hook!
James Blake - his three 2010 EPs: The Bells Sketch; CMYK; Klavierwerke
I'm lumping 21 year old James Blake's EP together because I just can't pick, and together they'd about make up a full length. This kid. This freaking guy is a classically trained pianist who makes some of the most unique electronic music I've heard. It's dark, it's subdued, its glitchy, it's organic, it's melodic, but most of all, it's beautiful. Like other artists influenced by Burial and the Dubstep scene, he takes vocal tracks - sometimes his own- and screws with them until they speak their own language. Each EP showcases another side of this diverse young artist:The Bells Sketch is glitchy; CMYK is more of a dance oriented EP; and Klavierwerke is (as it's name implies) an album of mostly (haunting) piano tracks. Steeped in classical music, current electronic trends, jazz, and 90s R&B(?!) Blake has created a whole new, and exquisite world. Look for his first LP (out in Feb)to almost definitely show up on my best of 2011 list.
Favourite Track: "I Only Know (What I Know)"
Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me*
Joanna Newsom is easily one of the most creative artists of the new millennium so far. Her pixie like voice, incredibly complex and beautiful harp playing, and her poetic long-form story telling combine to create sometimes whimsical, but always beautiful, worlds. Her first album was light-hearted and filled with short, fun little tunes. Her second (and still her best) albumYs, is, as I said, one of my favourite albums of the last decade and was full of complex arrangements and emotional allegories. Joanna's voice has matured considerably since Ys, and it shows. She has more control and more emotional range than before and she uses it... A lot.Have One On Me is 2 hours worth of music over 18 tracks and 3 LPs. This is intimidating and for the first few listens I had to take an LP at a time. The arrangements are more sparse, but they fit the tunes which are more personal than before. Lyrically Joanna Newsom is as sharp and elusive as ever. You could spend many many hours just pouring over her lyrics quite aside from her music. Have One On Me has her sitting at the piano quite a bit, but my favourite tracks are still harp-centered. Now, almost a year later, when I listen to the album I hear how much the 3 LPs tie together; it is definitely a single unified whole, but like a tapestry you have to stand back to truly see the remarkable achievement that this album is.
Joanna also put on the best show of the year. Live she is charming and funny and plays impeccably. She's also really pretty. A true joy to behold.
Favourite Track: "Baby Birch"
*Best Album of the Year
Robyn - Body Talk Pt. 1
Robyn is my new favourite pop star. If she doesn't quite warrant stardom yet, she should. She has a much better ear for melody than most of the crap on the radio these days and works with interesting producers (Royksopp among others) who help make her dance floor beats stand out from the pack. Robyn released 3 EPs this year in the Body Talk line and each of them was great, but Pt. 1 stands out as the best. It's the most diverse; despite it's dance floor grounding it encompasses elements of reggae and ends with a beautiful traditional tune from her homeland of Sweden. Lyrically, Robyn walks a fine line between being really sweet and really hard. (Swagger is kind of a theme this year...) From being heart broken on "Dancing On My Own" to telling everyone how much they're "killing" her on "Don't F***ing Tell Me What To Do" to warning young girls that "love hurts when you do it right" on "You'll Cry When You Get Older" Robyn covers a large range of emotion in a short EP.
Favourite Track: "Dancing On My Own"
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
The Lords of the Fork have been obsessed with Yeezy all year; Kanye garnered Best Track, Best Album, even best Twitter Feed. All the hype has not been for nothing either. Kanye has always put out great tracks - "Gold Digger"; "Stronger"; "Jesus Walks" - but after the nearly fatal blow of the Taylor Swift debacle he really needed something huge to stop the blood. And he delivered. Free tracks every week for 3 months - some from the album, some not; some great, most good - that's what got my attention: I love free music! But what really woke me up was my favourite track of the year: "Monster." Featuring Jay Z, Nicki Minaj and others, the song blows the doors off. "Best living or dead hands down huh?" Ye raps, then Jay Z claims that his achilles heel is love and then Nicki destroys every other great verse before it with the weirdest rap verse I've ever heard: "First things first I'll eat your brains!" My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is aptly named. It walks the fine line between between delusions of grandeur and self destruction. And it's more musical than any rap album I've heard (lots of Bon Iver contributions help). Great guitar tones, sick beats, creative writing, impeccable rhythmns and interesting structural modulation are on the plate with nearly every track - each could almost be an EP unto itself. Plenty of great moments but some of the more interesting ones include Kanye toasting himself as a "douchebag" and a "jerk off that'll never take work off" on "Runaway" as well as a confession that he was "never much of a romantic" because of intimacy issues. The album is obsessed with rebirth and the final suite of "Lost in the World/Who Will Survive in America?" almost feels like a rite of spring, a crazy dance of rhythmic ecstasy giving way to a sobering end to Ye's fantasy with a long excerpt from Gil Scott-Heron about false freedom in America. Kanye knows it's a fantasy, but can't help indulging. "I gotta have it." But luckily, we get to too.
Favourite Track: "Monster"*
*Favourite of the Year
Honourable Mention:
LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
Favourite Tracks: "I Can Change"
Best Tracks (that aren't on my Best Albums):
Arcade Fire - "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
A disco giant filled with Regine's haunting voice.
Girls - "Carolina"
A slow melancholy build that ends with a great jam session.
Janelle Monae - "Tight Rope (feat Big Boi.)"
Swagger and amazing vocals with a dash of James Brown.
Titus Andronicus - "A More Perfect Union"
If a band has ever channeled Springsteen better, I haven't heard it yet.
Wavves - "Post Acid"
Drugs and summer equals a great pop-punk track.
Best Non-2010 purchases:
Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz to Come 1959
Neu! - Neu! 1972
Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady 1963
Van Morrison - Astral Weeks 1968
Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom 1974
Biggest Disappointment:
The Ocean - Heliocentric/Anthropocentric
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