2010 in review: album roundup
it’s that time again! my vague reviews of the last year of new music. my followup to last year’s.
favorites in nonstop rotation:
5. brian eno - small craft on a milk sea
very cinematic. in fact, the material was directly inspired by the general sound of modern film
scores, and several of the songs are actually rejects from eno’s work for the film “the lovely bones”. the production involved here is very impressive, as eno manages to make a cohesive product despite the tracks being so different. in general, it kind of takes the ambient piano style from “music for airports” and adds glitchy drums and unexpected analog synthesis. the title is very telling: though generally placid, every sea gets rough waters at times.
4. how to destroy angels - how to destroy angels
as a nine inch nails fan coping with the new hiatus, i had mixed feelings about this project as a
whole. the first released track, “a drowning”, did not really catch my interest. the other songs on this free record both make up for it and place the single in a context which makes it more interesting and appropriate. the music is not entirely a departure from reznor’s other work, though considerably less heavy - no live drums or power chords. having his wife on vocals kind of gives it a “sneaker pimps” sound.
3. dax riggs - say goodnight to the world
dax has a very unique and immediately recognizable voice. while it is not at its best here (he seems to have toned back his crazy vibrato and otherwise flashy blues crooning) these songs have quickly become my favorites of his. they are attractive in a way that his past material is not. the entire record takes a dark and often noisy delta blues direction, which is as raw as it is refined. i love the production, and the entire thing is exceedingly stylish. nobody else is doing blues like this.
2. gorillaz - plastic beach
i remember being so enthralled with “demon days” when it came out that the first gorillaz album, which i had once adored, seemed amateur and boring by comparison. when “plastic beach” first leaked, i wasn’t blown away like then, but it has grown on me in a way that the others did not, and continues to do so. this is not a record of poppy singles for ipod commercials. the compositions are much more unpredictable and absolutely brilliant at times. it takes some patience at first - the beat doesn’t even drop in “empire eyes” until several minutes in, for instance, but it proves to be one of the project’s most moving and creative tracks. absolutely dreamy record that, now, does match “demon days” for me.
1. the budos band - budos band iii
the budos band are a collective of (mostly) grade school teachers from staten island, new york, who get together to record and tour on their summer breaks. for a generally “throwback” band - 70s style spy funk recorded on analog equipment - they have crafted a surprisingly innovative record this time around. there is a dark, brooding nastiness to these songs which the earlier material lacks; but they’ve still got an upbeat rhythm section you can groove to. the melodies are addictive and very memorable, despite having no words attached to them. you will know the record by heart after your first listen. i was already a fan of this band for the smooth albums that came before, but “iii” knocks it out of the park. i have never heard a record like this, modern nor 70s. i listen to it constantly and have made every single person i’ve shown it to an immediate fan. it is a major accomplishment and easily my number one this year.
great:
white moth - white moth
devo - something for everybody
superchunk - majesty shredding
trent reznor and atticus ross - the social network
mike patton - mondo cane
sufjan stevens - the age of adz
dead weather - sea of cowards
kanye west - my beautiful dark twisted fantasy
chromeo - business casual
alain johannes - spark
isobel campbell and mark lanegan - hawk
parallels - visionaries
ok, worth hearing:
peter gabriel - scratch my back
deftones - diamond eyes
emancipator - safe in the steep cliffs
electric six - zodiac
omar rodriguez lopez - cizana de los amores
boris and ian astbury - bxi
deerhunter - halcyon digest
ariya afrobeat arkestra - ariya afrobeat arkestra
brian jonestown massacre - who killed sgt pepper
circa survive - blue sky noise
she and him - volume two
four tet - there is love in you
spoon - transference
disappointing:
the black keys - brothers
fistful of mercy - as i call you down
yeasayer - odd blood
aloe blacc - good things
elvis costello - national ransom
bt - these hopeful machines
gil scott heron - i’m new here
crystal castles - crystal castles (2)
david byrne and fatboy slim - here lies love
cynic - retraced
slash - slashmichael jackson - michael
iron maiden - the final frontier
jakob dylan - women and country
tobacco - maniac meat
totally forgot to listen to:
jeff beck - emotion and commotion
neil young - le noise
the orb w/ david gilmour - metallic spheres
bruce springsteen - the promise
bob dylan - bootleg tapes volume 9
grinderman - grinderman 2
kylesa - spiral shadow
melvins - the bride screamed murder
swans - my father will guide me up a rope to the sky
cathedral - the guessing game
