3DD Top Albums of 2010: Voting Thread

[vacant]

1. Alberta Cross - The Broken Side of Time - Where did this come from? Echoes of Crazy Horse and Zeppelin abound. Hopefully these guys have a nice long career ahead of them.

2. South Memphis String Band - Home Sweet Home – Folk blues at it’s finest. A lesson on how to be badass without an amp.

3. Local H - Local H's Awesome Mix tape, vol. 1 – A short, fun EP of covers. They absolutely own on epic takes of Wolf Like Me and Time. For Lovers and Joey show some pop sensibilities, while Bloodstains and Spiderbite rage with punkish energy. Their take on Last Caress is downright spooky too.

4. Robert Plant - Band of Joy – I’ve enjoyed this album and Mighty Rearranger more than any thing Plant has done outside of that other band of his. Growing old with dignity works well for him.

5. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Beat The Devil's Tattoo – Another consistent release from BRMC. They do a better job of blending the sounds of Howl and their first two album here than on Baby 81.

6. Black Mountain - Wilderness Heart – The songwriting this time out is stronger than their last two albums. They continue to impress, bringing balls out rock, dark and moody psychedelia, and some folk sounds too.

7. Dead Confederate - Sugar – Wonderfully loud rock. I gained a whole new appreciation for these guys after seeing them with Alberta Cross. They seemed to diversify their sound a little with this one.

8. Steepwater Band - The Stars Look Good Tonight – Another tight, little EP. This is another band that’s been on a roll with consistent releases that rock.

9. Black Keys - Brothers – Lots of folks love this one, with good reason. It kicks ass, and shows a new side to these guys. I still prefer the dirt and raunch of Thickfreakness though.

10. Howlin' Rain - The Good Life – More psychedelic goodness from the Bay Area in the form of a digital EP. It serves as a nice stop-gap/preview until the new album comes out this year.

11. Neil Young - Le Noise – A man and his guitar. Neil has had some bright flashes of brilliance recently (No Hidden Path, Spirit Road, Just Singing A Song), but whole albums haven’t been that consistent. Le Noise breaks that pattern.

12. Drive-By Truckers - The Big To Do – The Rock Show on wax.

13. Monster Magnet - Mastermind – Wyndorf and co. return to form with Mastermind. Now if only they would return to touring the US.

14. Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards – Another band that I gained a new appreciation for after seeing the live.

15. Black Crowes - Croweology – A fun look at the past that brings some freshness to the band’s back catalog. It’s nice to finally get studio versions of Cold Boy Smile, She, Willin’, and Boomer’s Story. Still, it seems like this could have been more than it was.

16. Jackie Greene - Till The Light Comes – Good songwriting, but the production is a little too slick here.

17. Truth & Salvage Co. - Truth & Salvage Co. – Great harmonies and Americana songwriting. I enjoyed this back when it came out, but it fell through the cracks as the year went.

18. Hill Country Revue - Zebra Ranch – Some good boogie + blues rock from Cody’s gig while Luther is with the Crowes.

19. Joe Bonamassa - Black Rock – Joe continues to throw down old school guitar rock. It makes for a good extension of The Ballad of John Henry.

20. Marc Ford - Fuzz Machine – Long awaited by his fans, and full of great guitar work. Bluebird St. is epic. Unfortunately, the album as a whole is marred by Marc’s uneven songwriting.

21. Everest - On Approach – Just got it, and am enjoying it. Not familiar enough to place it higher, although it will most likely move upward.

22. Widespread Panic - Dirty Side Down – Panic continues to drive down the middle of the road here. There are some highlights (North, Saint Ex., and St. Louis > Shut Up & Drive), but the rest just comes off as forgettable in the grand scheme of things.

23. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Mojo – Mike Campbell gets unleashed on an album full of moody songs and epic guitar solos. I always wanted Petty to go down this path after hearing late 90’s gems like Honey Bee and Sweet William. It should be great, and yet…

24. Iron Maiden - Final Frontier – It’s Maiden, and it rocks.

25. Backyard Tire Fire - Good To Be – A fun slice of rock from Backyard Tire Fire. Their studio work continues to get better, but they lose something in the transition from the stage to the studio.

[cortez the killer]

Neil Young - Le Noise – A man and his guitar. Neil has had some bright flashes of brilliance recently (No Hidden Path, Spirit Road, Just Singing A Song), but whole albums haven’t been that consistent. Le Noise breaks that pattern.

Great call on "No Hidden Path." It's one of my favorite Neil songs of all-time.

[cortez the killer]

1. High Violet/The National
2. Brothers/The Black Keys
3. The Promise/Bruce Springsteen
4. The Guitar Song/Jamey Johnson
5. Street Songs of Love/Alejandro Escovedo
6. Le Noise/Neil Young
7. Love It, Don't Choke It to Death/David Barbe & The Quick Hooks
8. The Big To-Do/Drive-By Truckers
9. God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise/Ray Lamontagne & The Pariah Dogs
10. A Storm - A Tree - My Mother's Head/Bobby Bare Jr.
11. Harlem River Blues/Justin Townes Earle
12. Turn and Fade/Dave Gleason
13. We All Got Out of the Army/Robert Pollard
14. Messenger/Joe Pug
15. Destroyer of the Void/Blitzen Trapper
16. Junky Star/Ryan Bingham
17. True Love Cast Out All Evil/Roky Erickson w/ Okkervil River
18. The Foundling/Mary Gauthier
19. Eyas/Centro-Matic/South San Gabriel
20. A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment (Hint: There is no C)/Ray Wylie Hubbard
21. Sao Paulo/The Deadstring Brothers
22. Big Red And Barbacoa/Hacienda
23. No Better Than This/John Mellencamp
24. The Volebeats/The Volebeats
25. You Won't Be Happy With Me/Roadside Graves

[3milelake]

1. Black Keys – Brothers
2. Deadstring Brothers – Sao Paulo
3. Jamey Johnson – The Guitar Song
4. Dave Gleason - Turn & Fade
5. David Barbe & The Quick Hooks - Love It, Don't Choke It To Death
6. Joe Pug - Messenger
7. Neil Young – Le Noise
8. Justin Townes Earle – Harlem River Blues
9. Drive-by Truckers – The Big To-do
10. Otis Gibbs – Joe Hill’s Ashes
11. The Tallest Man on Earth – The Wild Hunt
12. Dylan LeBlanc - Paupers Field
13. Blitzen Trapper – Destroyer of the Void
14. Ryan Bingham – Junky Star
15. Bruce Springsteen – The Promise
16. Bobby Bare Jr. – A Storm, A Tree, My Mother’s Head
17. Sun Kil Moon – Admiral Fell Promises
18. Centro-Matic/South San Gabriel – Eyas
19. The National – High Violet
20. John Mellencamp – No Better Than This
21. Ray Wylie Hubbard – A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment (Hint: There Is No C)
22. Glossary – Feral Fire
23. American Aquarium – Small Town Hymns
24. Delta Spirit – History From Below
25. Deer Tick - The Black Dirt Sessions


These are 2 I've somehow missed out on this year that I'll try to get to in the next 37 hours

Ray Lamontagne & The Pariah Dogs - God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise
The Roadside Graves – You Won’t Be Happy With Me

[shuffle]

1. Alberta Cross - The Broken Side of Time - Where did this come from? Echoes of Crazy Horse and Zeppelin abound. Hopefully these guys have a nice long career ahead of them.

never even heard of these guys...probably gonna have to check 'em out now.

[scotto]

Instead of rearranging the order and entries again for the 87th time I'll just go ahead and post this version and say fuck it.


1. The Love Language - Libraries
2. The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night
3. Dangermouse and Sparklehorse - Dark Night of the Soul
4. Gil Scott-Heron - I’m New Here
5. Drive-By Truckers - The Big To Do
6. Warpaint - The Fool
7. Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer of the Void
8. The National - High Violet
9. The Black Keys - Brothers
10. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
11. The Mynabirds - What We Lost in the Fire We Gained in the Flood
12. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
13. Harlem - Hippies
14. Theodore - Hold You Like a Lover
15. Belle and Sebastian - Write About Love
16. The Fresh and Onlys - Play It Strange
17. The Morning Benders - Big Echo
18. Los Lobos - Tin Can Trust
19. Best Coast - Crazy For You
20. Band of Horses - Infinite Arms

[shuffle]

we've got nine lists now (ten with my not-yet-posted one), keep 'em coming!

[Zip City]

These are 2 I've somehow missed out on this year that I'll try to get to in the next 37 hours

Ray Lamontagne & The Pariah Dogs - God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise

Probably my #1 album of the year, so you better get to it!

[beantownbubba]

Stop the presses! Just picked up 4 albums that might make my list I'm working thru 'em as fast as i can, shuffle!

True story: the largest independent music store in new england has never heard of Two Cow Garage. Thus, that is not one of my new purchases.

In addition, the non-qualifying Elmo Williams & Hezekiah Early album arrived today. Yowza! Big win. Tip o the hat to cortez & 3mile.

[3milelake]

In addition, the non-qualifying Elmo Williams & Hezekiah Early album arrived today. Yowza! Big win. Tip o the hat to cortez & 3mile.

I've just been playin' it. Cortez uncovered this gem. Hardcore...

[scotto]

Stop the presses! Just picked up 4 albums that might make my list

What are the others?

[beantownbubba]

Stop the presses! Just picked up 4 albums that might make my list

What are the others?

Ray LaMontagne, Titus Andronicus, The Black Keys and Gil Scott-Heron

[Zip City]

EDIT: Forgot Neil Young and moved Grinderman up a few spots

40 new albums this year. Not too shabby


1. Ray LaMontagne - God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise - I've liked a few of his songs in the past, but none of his albums hit me like this one. Ray channels the singer/songwriter vibes of Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, et al while keeping a modern feel. Not a bad track on the record.

2. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - It's tough for any record to live up to a mountain of hype, but Kanye did it. Though it's not the perfect 10 that many critics made it out to be, it's a fantastic, ground breaking hip hop record.

3. Band of Horses - Infinite Arms - Band of Horses takes another large step out from MMJ's shadow with their third LP. Everyone in the band contributed to the songwriting, and the results are an album with more dynamics. Great band continues to get better.

4. Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More - Picked this up after hearing them described as "the British Avett Brothers." Though that comparison is somewhat tenuous, the record is full of emotionally charged songs that get better with every listen.

5. The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger - Acoustic Sessions - Sean Lennon's umpteenth side project might be his best record to date. Lennon (and girlfriend/actress/model Charlotte Kemp Muhl) produce a record of hauntingly beautiful songs, with simple arrangements of intricate songs. Beautiful harmonies.

6. The Black Keys - Brothers - The boys from Akron keep getting better, producing their fullest, most diverse set of tunes ever. After several albums of two-man, lo-fi garage band songs, Auerbach and Carney up the ante with fuller arrangements and more diverse styles.

7. Brett Detar - Bird in the Tangle - Found this completely by accident; while looking for something else on one of the alt. country blogs, I saw a brief post about this free album. I gave it a shot and fell in love with it. The former leader of The Julia Theory comes through with a fantastic alt. country album, full of pedal steel, banjo, fiddle, and songs of drinking, love lost, and all
the other stuff we love.

8. Drive-By Truckers - The Big To-Do - Like many others, I wish I could rank this one higher. The great songs are really great (After the Scene Dies, Get Downtown, Fourth Night of My Drinking), but the misses rank pretty low on my list of DBT songs (Wig, Told You So).

9. Avett Brothers - Live Volume 3 - No new material, but a fantastic homecoming show recorded in Charlotte, NC this past summer. After seeing the Brothers here in Columbus, I became a huge fan, and this live album serves as a great reminder of the 2010 tour.

10. Micah Schnabel - When the Stage Lights Dim - This was the first year I heard any Two Cow Garage or Schnabel, but unlike many others on 3DD, I prefer the solo disc. A man pouring his heart and his life onto a demo tape.

11. Glossary - Feral Fire - My first intro to Glossary. A fun band that I'd love to see live.
12. Ryan Bingham - Junky Star - This album was a grower. Love his voice and can't wait to hear more.
13. Tom Petty - Mojo - Uneven record, but when the band is on, they smoke. Campbell's guitar work is unbelievable.
14. Blitzen Trapper - Destroyer of the Void - Tough to follow up a record like Furr, but this is a fun record with all the glitz and glam we expect.
15. Robert Plant - Band of Joy - Not as good as Raising Sand, but Buddy Miller's production is top notch.
16. Dr. Dog - Shame, Shame - Impossible to match the brilliance of Fate, but the boys from Philly still bring the goods.
17. Two Cow Garage - Sweet Saint Me - A fun record that I heard late in the year. Would probably rank higher with more listens.
18. Jakob Dylan - Women and Country - Took a chance on this one, hoping it wasn't too pop, but the former Wallflowers singer stays true to roots country (and has gorgeous backing vocals from Kelly Hogan and Neko Case).
19. Black Prairie - Feast of the Hunter's Moon - Mostly instrumental side project from The Decemberists sounds like the soundtrack to a movie that was never made.
20. Mavis Staples - You Are Not Alone - What a voice! Jeff Tweedy brings out the best in this national treasure.

21. Johnny Cash - American VI
22. The Roots - How I Got Over
23. Blake Mills - Break Mirrors
24. Phosphorescent - Here's To Taking It Easy
25. Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People EP
26. Isaac Russell - Self Titled EP
27. Neil Young - Le Noise
28. The National - High Violet
29. Grinderman - Grinderman 2
30. Justin Towns Earle - Harlem River Blues
31. Big Boi - Sir Lucious Leftfoot
32. Sufjan stevens - Age of Adz
33. Cee-Lo Green - The Ladykiller
34. The Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards
35. Ryan Adams - III/IV
36. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
37. Chatham County Line - Wildwood
38. The Orb - Metallic Spheres
39. Bettye LaVette - Song book
40. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang

[Tequila Cowboy]

Ok I'll get some write ups done for 6-10 later but wanted to get this posted under the wire.


10. American Aquarium- Small Town Hymns


9. Neil Young. Le Noise


8. The Black Keys- Brothers


7. Roadside Graves- You Won't Be Happy With Me


6. Ray Lamontagne & The Pariah Dogs- God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise


5. Justin Townes Earle- Harlem River Blues


JTE just keeps getting better album after album. His songwriting and lyrical chops are improving even as his influences get more diverse. The old timey country vibe is still here, but now it's mixed with indie rock and other influences. This man has seen life and is sharing it with us. If you listen closely you'll here some nice guitar work from Jason Isbell as well. Just excellent. Favorites include Christchurch Woman, Working for The MTA & Slippin' and Slidin'.


4. Alejandro Escovedo- Street Songs of Love


What can you say about a 59 year old singer/songwriter that can still put out gems like this? Start to finish this album is fantastic and picks up where the Excellent Real Animal Left off. David Pulkingham provides some nice interplay on guitar alongside Alejandro and the rest of the band is top notch. Ian Hunter even puts in an appearance on Down In The Bowery. Favorites include that song, Silver Cloud and This Bed is Getting Crowded.

3. Drive-By Truckers- The Big To-Do


The thing that strikes me most about this album is the remarkable consistency. There isn't a bad song on here. How this band manages to put out solid album after solid album is beyond my comprehension. The other thing that strikes me is how fully integrated into the band's sound John Neff and Jay Gonzales have become. Their work here is simply excellent. The other think is just how much Shonna Tucker has grown in her new role as singer and songwriter. Favorites include The Wig He Made Her Wear, You've Got Another (most days my favorite song on the record)and After The Scene Dies.


2. Glossary- Feral Fire


Glossary is a great, great band. The music is smooth and Joey & Kelly Kneiser's vocals sit on top of it like a cloud over a country pond. This is their best album to date. The songwriting here is colored by the couple's recent divorce and like most "divorce" albums the feelings are raw, personal and occasionally heartbreaking. Favorites include The Sweet Forever, Pretty Things and Save Your Money For the Weekend.

1. Two Cow Garage- Sweet Saint Me


This was an easy choice for album of the year. A mature statement from a maturing band. Jackson Don't Worry andMy Great Gatsby are two of the best songs of this or any other year and I dare anyone not to sing along to Lydia. I've always felt that these guys were one great album away from being in the Replacements/Husker Du territory of having evolved from a rocking punk band to so much more. That great album has arrived.

[dogstar]

#1 - Phosphoresent - Here's to taking it easy
Crept up on me. It's the recorded I've listened to the most this year so deserves this.

#2 - Joanna Newsom - Have one on me
Triple album of beatiful, bonkers harp music.

#3 - Kanye West - My beautiful dark twisted fantasy
Nearly as good as all the citics say it is. This is good from start to finish which is a rarity on rap records.

#4 - John Grant - Queen of Denmark
If only the Midlake record had been this good.

#5 - Neil Young - Le Noise
With no band to help him Neil digs out some of his best songs in years.

#6 - DBT's - The Big to do
My first exposure to the DBT's.

#7 - Caitlin Rose - Own side now
Mainly for the live shows. The albums not great but the live shows were fantastic. The future of country music.

#8 - Sufjan Stevens - Age of Adz
Sufjan lights out for the territory previously only occupied by Brain Wilson and Van Dyke Parkes.

#9 - Mavis Staples - You are not alone
One of the lasting images of this year is Mavis Staples performing on Later (a UK TV programme) with Robert Plant and the whole of the band of joy looking on in amazement.

#10 - Robert Plant - The Band of Joy
Not as strong as Raising Sand. Love the fact that it includes two Low songs.

#11 - Dangermouse & Sparklehorse - Dark night of the soul
#12 - Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
#13 - Anais Mitchell - Hadestwon
#14 - Richard Thompson - Dream Attic
#15 - Band of Horses - Infinite Arms

[shuffle]

so...anyone else wanna get a list in?

[tinnitus photography]

i'll get mine up in a couple of hours if that works for you.

[shuffle]

yeah, no problem at all. I haven't decided exactly when to close the polls, it the depends a bit about whether people want more time or not. but not for 15 hours or so at the very least.

[tinnitus photography]

1 sun city girls funeral mariachi
2 marc ribot silent movies
3 jack rose luck in the valley
4 emeralds does it look like i'm here?
5 jim shepard/V-3 next album
6 warpaint the fool
7 dungen skit i allt
8 the fresh and onlys play it strange
9 boston spaceships our cubehouse still rocks
10 robyn hitchcock propellor time
11 tame impala innerspeaker
12 bronze horse self-titled
13 white hills self-titled
14 ghost box orchestra the only light on
15 killing joke absolute dissent
16 barn owl ancestral star
17 mogwai special moves
18 rangda false flag
19 various artists stroke
20 gorillaz plastic beach
21 driveby truckers the big to do
22 various artists honest strings
23 parson sound box
24 master musicians of bukkake totem II
25 real estate reality
26 alastair galbraith mass
27 grails black tar prophecies IV
28 gnod/white hills gnod drop out with white hills II
29 versus on the ones and threes
30 grinderman grinderman 2


i know i am totally omitting any metal here...the Burzum record was pretty good, as was the High On Fire. Haven't heard a lot this year. the new Electric Wizard will certainly land on next year's list. gotta listen to the Nachtmystium more, and the Torche sounded good. haven't heard the new Allagoch that everyone's creaming over.

[shuffle]

I'm doing comments on my list now, and when I get done I'll close the poll. if someone wanna get a list in let me know, I'll accept lists as long as I'm not finished with adding every list to an excel spreadsheet...

[Flying Rabbit]

My Top 25:

1. Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me
2. Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore - Dear Companion
3. Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz/All Delighted People EP
4. Mountain Man - Made The Harbor
5. Beach House - Teen Dream
6. Drive-By Truckers - The Big To Do
7. Jonsi - Go
8. Neil Young - Le Noise
9. Brian Johnson - Love Came Down
10. Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra - Kollaps Tradizionales
11. The Black Keys - Brothers
12. Hoquiam - s/t
13. Mavis Staples - You Are Not Alone
14. Bottomless Pit - Blood Under The Bridge
15. Jamey Johnson - The Guitar Song
16. Wildbirds & Peacedrums - Rivers
17. Nels Cline - Dirty Baby
18. White Hinterland - Kairos
19. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
20. Stornoway - Beachcombers Windowsill
21. Surfer Blood - Astrocoast
22. Wovenhand - The Threshingfloor
23. Hans Chew - Tennessee & Other Stories
24. 1-Speed Bike - Pashto Translator Needed
25. Zs - New Slaves

[shuffle]

damn, it takes a lot of time to write comments for fifty albums...

[beantownbubba]

My latest, and hopefully last.

Heard a bunch of stuff right at the end of the year, so here’s a further revised and reconsidered list. As previously noted, I heard less new music this year than i can ever remember, but here's the best of what i did hear:

1. Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse – Dark Night of the Soul - Intense, compelling, inventive. Hugely ambitious, it hits a lot more than it misses but has its uneven moments
2. Bruce Springsteen - The Promise - I'd say the mid to late 70's was a pretty fertile period for the Boss
3. Neil Young - Le Noise - A man and his guitar. Electric, that is.
4. Los Lobos - Tin Can Trust - A defining moment short of the top spot; yet another excellent effort by this great band
5. DBT - The Big To Do - Suffers by comparison only to their own impossibly high standards. A rock solid rock album w/ many highlights

6. Two Cow Garage – Sweet Saint Me – Been hearing about this album seems like forever, finally heard it yesterday. Lives up to the notices, thanks folks. “I want to feel like the second verse of ‘Let’s Get It On;’” “You’re much too young to have your teeth on the tip of my tongue” Both from the same song!
7. Glossary - Feral Fire - A pleasant discovery by this previously unknown to me band
8. Alejandro Escovedo - Street Songs of Love
9 . Peter Wolf - Midnight Souvenirs - Like DBT, suffers a little in comparison to his best, but the guy still brings it and is always worth a listen
10. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - I Learned the Hard Way - One of their best; old school and proud of it

11. Ray Lamontagne – God Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise
12. Gil Scott-Heron – I’m New Here. Powerful, intense, honest. Good to have him back.
13. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs - Totally overhyped, but in the end, a pretty good listen
14. Titus Andronicus – The Monitor. There’s no “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” here, but an interesting concept and a batch of good songs. Docked a notch or two for the interminable and annoying song endings.
15. Ray Wylie Hubbard - A. Enlightment - Great cover of "Drunken Poet's Dream" and typically strong throughout. Another great find I owe to 3DD and 4sooner

16. Teenage Fanclub - Shadows - something a little different from these guys, short on great hooks but comes together nicely as a whole
17. The Black Keys – Brothers – I was slow to warm to this album but it eventually got to me.
18, Gaslight Anthem – American Slang – Dropped a lot after it did not hold up well on a recent re-listen.
19. The Hold Steady - Heaven is Whenever - more of the same, for better or worse
20. The New Pornographers - Together - more of the same, for better or worse

21. The Scissor Sisters - Night Work - Not likely to appeal to many here, but sometimes you just want to party w/ the hip, gay crowd
22. Eli "Paperboy" Reed - Come and Get It - Old school soul w/ some modern touches
23. Cee Lo Green - Lady Killer (Based only on the single, which is my nominee for song of the year)
24. David Byrne/Fatboy Slim - Here Lies Love (the 2d most interesting album of the year after #1, though I'm very curious to hear the Ben Folds/Nick Hornby collaboration as well).
25. Grace Potter & The Nocturnals - s/t - solid but they're still looking for that breakthrough

[shuffle]

NP: Emily

[beantownbubba]

What kind of freudian shit is this shuffle? Messing up your own thread?

[shuffle]

woops



wrong thread obviously, was gonna post in both and managed to post one thing in the wrong thread, and forgetting completely about the relevant one. I'm gonna finish my comments before go to sleep tonight, it's 22.37 here right now, but I'll probably be up til 3-4 am. but I'm gonna finish it up tonight at least. and that's when the voting's closed.

[Flying Rabbit]

I thought it was going to be a statement about my no. 1 album of 2010...

[shuffle]

have one on me is great. but I haven't really given it much time for whatever reason...it's just soooo long, and I tend to ignore albums over 50 minutes (and I'm saying that on a dbt forum).

[shuffle]

okay, here we go...

50. The White Stripes - Under Great White Northern Lights
live album by the white stripes, and you get pretty much what you’d expect. It’s really good, but at the same time the studio versions of the songs remains the definitive versions.

49. Hans Zimmer - Inception OST
it’s far from the most original motion picture soundtrack, but it fits the movie (probably the best one from 2010) and it’s a good listen on its own too.

48. Ghostface Killah - Apollo Kids
released only the week before christmas, so I haven’t had much time to listen to it and let it sink in but it’s definitely a good one, the question is just how good…

47. Christian Kjellvander - The Rough And Rynge
swedish singer-songwriter who apparently grew up in seattle. musically it’s spare folk stuff, reminds me a bit of jason molina’s work at times.

46. The Walkmen – Lisbon
one of the bigger indie rock bands out there today, and one I’ve never really connected with on a personal level, but I’m enjoying this one a lot more than their previous albums so I’m getting there. the singer’s got a really good voice.

45. The Goodnight Loving - The Goodnight Loving Supper Club
good little garage rock band in the same vein as reigning sound, meaning ‘60s garage rock mixed with a bit of country rock at times.

44. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - III/IV
a better version of adams’ 2003 album rock n roll. or something like that at least, it’s mostly power poppy rock, and it’s better than anything he’s done since jacksonville city nights.

43. Centro-matic / South San Gabriel - Eyas EP
another excellent release from will johnson and co and it really should be a lot higher. I just never listen to it for some reason…

42. Futurebirds - Hampton's Lullaby
I checked out their self-titled free ep based on a comparison to early my morning jacket from the hear ya blog, and they weren’t wrong. this, their debut full length, expands on the folk of the ep, and ventures into at dawn/it still moves-era mmj. kinda at least. I’ve got high hopes for these guys in the future.

41. Pete Molinari - A Train Bound For Glory
british folk/country, but it sounds more like he grew up in Memphis or something than london. this is his third album, and while it’s not his best it’s almost there. great songs, but like with justin townes earle at times, it all seems a bit archaic at times.

40. Possessed By Paul James - Feed The Family
folk rock that at times remind me of sixteen horsepower (a good thing).

39. Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me
ys, from 2006, is one of those indie/hipster classics of the ‘00s, and one of the very best. this 3 lp monster might just be as good, but due to the length I haven’t really given it the time it deserves…my loss I suppose, but I’m gonna try to remedy it.

38. Robyn - Body Talk Pt. 1
the first part of the body talk trilogy is the second best, and is mostly filled with great pop music. there’s a few missteps but it doesn’t detract much (like it does on part two). it also contains the best pop song of 2010, namely dancing on my own (yeah, it’s better than fuck you, or anything kanye did).

37. Neil Young - Le Noise
the best neil young album since sleeps with angels or even ragged glory. it’s just neil and his guitar, and the songs are the strongest he’s had in a long time. lanois’s production works most of the time, and he gets a great sound out of neil’s guitar, but at times it’s too gimmicky.

36. Dylan Leblanc - Paupers Field
at first I thought this album was mainly just a sound, and the songs were a bit too weak. and I was partly right, the songwriting is great at times, but overall it’s all too familiar, but when it’s great it’s really good and considering the little fucker is a year younger than me he should have great things ahead of him. soundwise it reminds a lot of early ryan adams, except slicker and warmer. don’t hear all the townes van zandt comparisons I’ve seen though.

35. Alejandro Escovedo - Street Songs Of Love
alejandro escovedo shouldn’t be able to write songs this good at his age. he’s in his late 50s and is delivering albums better than most 30 year old musician could dream of.

34. Curren$y - Pilot Talk
I initially dismissed this guy because of the ridiculous dollar sign in his name but when I finally gave him a shot (started with pilot talk II) I was kinda blown away. the guy is a great rapper, and although his lyrics mainly deal with just life (girls, drugs, party etc), which isn’t the type of rap lyrics I usually go for, he makes it work. but what’s really impressive is the production and backing band, think the black keys’ side-project blakroc (apparently curren$y’s supposed to feature on the second blakroc album). all the songs on this one are good except for the one with snoop dogg, which is useless.

33. LCD Soundsystem - London Sessions
lcd soundsystem is one hell of a live band, and on this live-in-studio album they show that. mostly it’s not that different from the studio versions of the songs, but there’s an clear difference it the sense that it’s all played live by musicians. would probably be a good intro for people looking to get into lcd from the “rock side” who might otherwise have trouble with the more electronic side of their studio lps. james murphy’s david bowie worship is quite obvious here.

32. Deer Tick - The Black Dirt Sessions
it’s a bit uneven and not as strong as war elephant, but when he hits the mark it’s just great, like on twenty miles which might be my favourite song of his. plus the vocals are great (and sounds like the tallest man on earth).

31. Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty
the less poppy, less famous perhaps, half of outkast delivers his debut solo album, and it’s filled with well-produced hip-hop with good lyrics, and better delivery.

30. Howlin Rain - The Good Life EP
great little ep from Howlin Rain. can’t wait for their next album.

29. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
this album took quite some time to grow on me. at first I only liked it, but pretty much every track on the album is a minute or two too long, and a few are kinda useless. overall it’s really good though, and the good tracks are pretty excellent. stand out is dance yrself clean, while the bowie imitation all I want and I can change are almost as good.

28. Daniel Adams-Ray - Svart, Vitt Och Allt Däremellan
swedish pop-rock that I never expected to like as much as I did. he used to be half of a really popular hip-hop duo here in sweden a couple of years ago and both of them released their debut solo albums this year, both turning away from hip-hop and toward pop, rock and soul instead. most people seem to prefer the other guy (oskar linnros) but imo this is a far better record, and far more even. great lyrics although none of you’d understand them…unfortunately.

27. Nathaniel Rateliff - In Memory Of Loss
folk rock record that I never seem to really get a hang of. sometimes I think it should be in my top ten and sometimes that it shouldn’t even be in the top 50…he’s got a great voice, no doubt, though.

26. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
I gave deerhunter a shot in 2008 when they released microcastle/weird era cont. and wasn’t a fan. downloaded this on a whim, and it turns out it’s actually really good. really strong songwriting.

25. Cee-Lo Green - The Lady Killer
pure entertainment. this isn’t the album to go for if you’re looking for heavy stuff or the like, but when it comes to pop this is pretty excellent. it also contains two of the best singles this year, fuck you and bright lights bigger city.

24. Robyn - Body Talk Pt. 3 EP
the third part of the body talk trilogy is the strongest, mainly because it’s only an ep with five songs, meaning no useless filler (like the snoop dogg track on part two).

23. Superchunk - Majesty Shredding
I’d never even heard of these guys before this album was released but it kinda blew me away. it’s been a long time since I got excited by pop-punk-ish sounding stuff.

22. Grinderman - Grinderman 2
nick cave and the bad seeds rockier little brother returns for a second album, and it’s definitely a step up from the first which is weaker than most latter day bad seeds album, while this is as good as most of them. nick cave’s in top form, and lyrically it’s just as weird and fucked up as a nick cave album should be.

21. The Henry Clay People - Somewhere On The Golden Coast
I played this to death during the summer, it’s pretty much pavement-meets-the hold steady. it’s a really good little album but I really overplayed it and nowadays I pretty much only listen to this ain’t a scene.

20. Curren$y - Pilot Talk II
see the comment for pilot talk. why is this higher? no fuckin' snoop dogg.

19. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
the gaslight anthem moves further away from their punk roots, and on american slang they go for a more classic rock-inspired, tighter sound, reminiscent of ‘70s the who at times. the songs are weaker than on the ’59 sound but the production is better.

18. Robyn - Body Talk
this isn’t really an album so it shouldn’t be included, it’s a comp of all three parts in the body talk trilogy and it’s better than each one on its own since both parts one and two have some filler, and part three is just an ep. this is excellent mainstream pop which is leagues ahead of its contemporaries and competitors.

17. Drive-By Truckers - The Big To-Do
really good album from the truckers, but at the same time I’m a bit disappointed since it seems a bit like dbt on autopilot. a couple of great tracks, and a few weaker, but there’s nothing as great as on their earlier albums. patterson steals the show here, even if birthday boy is classic cooley.

16. Paul Cary - Ghost Of A Man
this came pretty much out of nowhere for me, and it’s been getting lots of praise by pretty much everyone who’ve heard it. I wrote this for the year-end list at the site I write for, so please excuse the tone: “Ghost of a Man is Paul Cary’s, former frontman of In The Red Records’ garage rock band The Horrors (not to be confused with UK Joy Division-wannabes The Horrors), debut solo album. Cary’s first appearance as a solo artist was on a split single with Thee Oh Sees last year, and those two songs set the tone for Ghost of a Man. On his debut full length the frantic garage punk of The Horrors is toned down to a mix of stomping garage rock, country, blues and folk presented mostly by a simple setup of vocals, guitars, bass and drums where Cary’s voice is always present, but never draws too much attention from the music itself. Ghost of a Man isn’t exactly a revelatory experience but Cary’s a skilled songsmith and since the break-up of The Horrors in 2003 he’s grown as a songwriter and what he’s making here isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s taking something old and making it seem new and fresh, which is something rare enough.”

15. Nerve City - Sleepwalker EP
fuzzy garage lo-fi where you can barely make out the vocals. what’s not to like?

14. The Black Keys – Brothers
the black keys expand their sound, and their songwriting, on this one and it’s their most accomplished album so far, even if I might prefer rubber factory. it’s only problem is being a bit on the long side (but I couldn’t tell you what to cut) and it really showcases their skills as musicians, especially dan auerbach’s vocals.

13. The Parting Gifts - Strychnine Dandelion
greg cartwright (reigning sound/compulsive gamblers/oblivians) proves once again that he’s one of the most consistent songwriters of the ‘00s (although technically it’s the ‘10s now). great little garage rock record.

12. The National - High Violet
it wasn’t until this album that I finally got into the national, and now I’d rank this as their second best together with boxer, with alligator being number one. this one is a bit bigger in sound but it’s just as melancholy and dark as a national album is supposed to be. it’s just gloriously depressing and sad, while at the same time comforting and hopeful. however that may be.

11. Sun Kil Moon - Admiral Fell Promises
a sun kil moon album? not exactly, at least not if you expect a band like on ghosts of the great highway and april. it’s a mark kozelek solo acoustic guitar album, which might at first throw you off but given some time the songs will reveal themselves as being just as good one could hope for.

10. The Tarantula Waltz - Did Not Leave To Find But To Forget, To Leave Behind
swedish indie folk singer-songwriter who reminds me of jason molina and and will johnson, kinda. this is his second album, and while the first one is mostly solo acoustic this one’s got a kickass band and it’s branching out stylistically. you got acoustic singer-songwriter-y folk, alt. country, indie rock. plus he’s a pretty awesome songwriter. recommended.

09. The Roots - How I Got Over
this is pretty much the album that really got me into hip-hop. I’d been listening quite a lot at times before, but it was usually a bit of forcing myself to involved. not that I didn’t like it, just that I never really felt like “yeah, I wanna listen to this”, it always had to be more calculated. this album changed that, mainly because it’s short and concise, the band is great, and the songs are great.

08. Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can
british folk from this young lady (born in 1990) and it’s pretty much excellent. reminds me a lot of johnny flynn, and it’s kinda what I hoped his second album (been listening) would’ve been, since it didn’t even make my top 50 this year.

07. Donovan Quinn & The 13th Month - Your Wicked Man
apparently donovan quinn is half of the skygreen leopards, a california (I think) folk rock band that I hadn’t even heard, only heard of, when I heard this record. it got a lot of buzz (by the right people) on another forum I frequent and while it didn’t blow me away at first it’s kept growing on me. it’s a hazy folk rock album which is perfect for late night listening.

06. Justin Townes Earle - Harlem River Blues
to echo everyone else: amazingly consistent artist. I don’t have much to add to everyone else’s comments but it’s just very impressive. this is imo his strongest album so far, and rogers park, harlem river blues and christchurch woman all belong among the top songs of the year. if he could keep that quality through his entire next album it’d be a definite classic.

05. Phosphorescent - Here's To Taking It Easy
I never expected to like this as much as I’ve did since I had checked out pride earlier and wasn’t a big fan. this album blew me away though, and it also made me revisit pride and re-evaluate it. the mermaid parade is a top five song of the year, and los angeles is just this wonderful neil young & crazy horse-esque jam. amazing live band too, one of the best I’ve seen this year.

04. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
so kanye west is pretty much the biggest pop star in the world right now. plus he’s the closest thing to a true rock star around these days. he’s an egotistic megalomaniac but he’s also one of the most talented musicians out there, and what’s more impressive is that he keeps pushing himself even when he’s on the top, which is something rare, especially nowadays when all big artists just seem to resort to writing whatever’s gonna keep them at the top of the charts. not everything he tries works, but it’s always entertaining and interesting, and most of the album is filled with quality tracks.

03. Håkan Hellström - 2 Steg Från Paradise
it’s really a shame that håkan hellström sings in swedish because he’s good enough to be star all around to (anglo-american) world. his music seems to come the closest to capture what made ‘70s springsteen and ’68-’72 stones so great. can’t really give higher praise than that. this is probably my favourite record of his, which is saying something since he’s ten years into his career and haven’t released a less than “very good” record yet.

02. The Tallest Man On Earth - Sometimes The Blues Is Just A Passing Bird EP
kristian matsson aka the tallest man on earth wrote these songs during his tour this year and says himself that the songs were his way of dealing with homesickness. I can’t say I hear much on that subject myself, but it’s a wonderful ep and continues his almost amazing run of top notch releases. on the dreamer he also uses the electric guitar for the first time as the tallest man on earth, and it’s just as good as with the acoustic although markedly different.

01. The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt
I was expecting this to be my album of the year and I wasn’t disappointed. his debut shallow grave, from 2008, is my favourite album of the ‘00s and this one has a good chance at being a top 5 (at the very least) of the ‘10s. his songwriting’s became more varied, and so has his guitarplaying and singing, but at the same time he’s not moving too fast or experimenting just for its own sake. there’s not a bad song on the album, and love is all might be the best thing he’s done.

edit: since the promise is allowed, it would've been at number four.

[cortez the killer]

How many times did you motherfuck me while doing your comments?