Hello everybody! It's my favorite time of the year again... Time for things to end, beginnings to come, and more importantly - time for Cameron to put ten of this year's albums into a list! So, without further adieu...
10.) Bright Eyes and Neva Dinova - One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels
Originally released in 2004 on Crank! Records, 2010 saw the revival of this wonderful collaboration EP in CD/LP/Digital format through my second favorite label, Saddle Creek. It features 4 new tracks from Bright Eyes and Neva Dinova, which is what puts it in the running for a "new" album of this year - such great tracks, new and old!
9.) Josh Ritter - So Runs the World Away
The latest album from Josh Ritter feels more like an emotional viewing of the music South Pacific than a typical Josh Ritter album(ironically, there's a son
g titled South Pacific). So Runs the World Away is Ritter's orchestral folk masterpiece - judging on his comments of this album marking a "new point" in his musical career, I'm more than interested in seeing where he takes this full-music mentality in the next few albums.
8.) Margot & The Nuclear So and So's - Buzzard2008 - 2010 has brought Margot & the Nuclear So and So's plenty of attention from hipsters and music afficianados alike(heck, we're all hipsters here). Sure, Buzzard isn't the Margot we know and love from The Dust of Retreat anymore, but taken from a separate mindset this album is surprisingly simple and enjoyable. Sometimes befriending distortion isn't all too bad.
7.) Gold Panda - Lucky Shiner
I'm an "electronic musician," so naturally I'm interested in the new movements of electronic sound creation and the like. This year, Gold Panda's Lucky Shiner struck me as the most intuitive and sincere electronic albums I've heard in a long time(possibly ever). This glitch DJ has a way of mashing sounds in a way that can completely surprise the senses. It's a wonderful thing.
6.) letlive. - Fake History
It's not often that I actually enjoy and am
able to sit through an entire hardcore record, but letlive. has definitely pulled it off. Such raw sound, comparable to a faster Glassjaw.
5.) Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
Broken Social Scene has always had a way of making music sou
nd much fuller than need be. Their album You Forgot It In People will forever be marked in my mind as the first album I deemed worthy of converting to .flac, and this album follows front. Although it gets a bit slow at times, there's always a sense of weight in each song. Great stereo music.
4.) Tim Kasher - The Game of Monogamy
A change from his usual routine in Cursive and The Good Life(I'm wearing a Good Life t-shirt as I write this), Tim Kasher's reflections on modern commitment is written in an almost satirical format. Tending towards a more orchestral(and sometimes ska-ish!) sound, this release is both beautiful, hilarious, and heartwarming.
3.) Jaguar Love - Hologram Jams
I'm a huge fan of anything Johnny Whitney related, so as soon as I heard of Jaguar Love I knew I'd be in love. Cleaning up my tears from Blood Brother's ashes, Hologram Jams was the perfect electro-pop pick-me-up. Whitney's shrill vocals layered into hip-hop beats and electro synth is just plain perfect.
2.) Drivan - Disko
Maybe it's because I'm learning the Swedish, or maybe it's because Drivan isn't really a band; either way, there's something I really love about this album. Filled with lo-fi riffs and glitch-pop beats, this is the perfect sleep album even if you don't understand what they're singing.
1.) Steel Train - Steel Train
After plenty of problems with major labels and Jack Antonoff having some fun.(oh gosh Cameron you're so hilarious), Steel Train decided to take their hand at a self-release for a change. What a difference it made! Taking influence from 90's pop and denim jackets, this is exactly the album that I imagine pop rock to be. So much energy, so much emotion.
Honorable Mentions:
Jenny and Johnny - I'm Having Fun Now
Katy Perry - Teenage Dream
Land of Talk - Cloak and Cipher
Mount Kimbie - Crooks and Lovers
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Soundtrack
Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz
Tron: Legacy OST
Warpaint - The Fool