Top 50 Songs of 2010

1. Deerhunter - "Desire Lines"

2. Beach House - "Walk in the Park"

3. Phosphorescent - "The Mermaid Parade"

4. Alcest - "Percées de Lumière"

5. Arcade Fire - "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"

6. Kayne West - "Lost in the World" (feat. Bon Iver)

7. The Rival Mob - "Hardcore for Hardcore"

8. Zola Jesus - "Tower"

9. No Joy - "Ghost Blonde"

10. Phosphorescent - "Los Angeles"

11. Prince Rama - "Lightning Fossil"

12. Kylesa - "Tired Climb"

13. Yeasayer - "O.N.E."

14. The War On Drugs - "Brothers"

15. Swans - "No Words/No Thoughts"

16. Defiance, Ohio - "You are Loved"

17. Das Racist - "hahahaha j/k?"

18. Wooden Wand - "Tiny Confessions"

19. Yeasayer - "Madder Red"

20. Yellow Swans - "Limited Space"

21. The Soft Pack - "Tides of Time"

22. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - "Menopause Man"

23. The Books - "I Didn't Know That"

24. Sufjan Stevens - "Vesuvius"

25. Monster Movie - "Bored Beyond Oblivion"

26. Pantha Du Prince - "Stick to My Side"

27. Dom - "Living in America"

28. Salem - "Sick"

29. LCD Soundsystem - "You Wanted a Hit"

30. Prince Rama - "Raghupati"

31. Beach House - "Silver Soul"

32. Zola Jesus - "Night"

33. Crystal Castles - "Celestica"

34. Hot Chip - "We Have Love"

35. Real Estate - "Out of Tune"

36. Gogol Bordello - "When Universes Collide"

37. Grinderman - "Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye Man"

38. Asian Women on the Telephone - "Horny Moose"

39. Four Tet - "This Unfolds"

40. Neil Young - "Hitchhiker"

41. Method Man, Ghostface & Raekwon - "Gunshowers"

42. Pocahaunted - "Make it Real"

43. Zoroaster - "Old World"

44. Gil Scott-Heron - "Me and the Devil"

45. Woods - "Blood Dries Darker"

46. Mi Ami - "Secrets"

47. Warpaint - "Baby"

48. Pop. 1280 - "Midget"

49. Tobacco - "Grape Aerosmith" (feat. Beck)

50. Kayne West - "All of the Lights"

Top 50 Albums of 2010

Here it is folks. I've been working on this for about three months and went through about 200 albums. I gave each album at least three full listens. I'm a dork.

#1 Beach House - Teen Dream

Sub Pop Records

I had a feeling this was going to be my favorite album of the year when it came out in February. It weathered a lot of contenders but it prevailed. Dream pop has never sounded so good. There are so many good songs on this album: "Silver Soul", "Walk in the Park", "Lover of Mine" and "Better Times" just to name a few.

I think that's what really made this album special for me: amazing song writing, catchy pop-structures and ethereal melodies. There were other albums on this list that I could appreciate what they achieved musically, but in the end of the day this a completely subjective exercise and even though this band didn't push too many musical boundaries, the strength of the song writing and the execution of the Baltimore duo was flawless.

#2 Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky

Young God Records

God damn this was one deep record. So deep. So complex. So much going on, but Michael Gira manages it all. Noise rock, folk and funeral dirges. The cover in a lot of ways sums up visually what this album is: expansive and explosive. It sounds like coming across the remains of a star that went supernova. It also sounds like it would make a great soundtrack if Stephen King's Dark Tower series is ever made into a movie: a strange mix of evil-shit, cosmic unraveling and a spaghetti western.

I've talked to some long-time Swans fans that enjoy the new record, but don't put into the same level as the earlier catalogue. I agree that it's different from the Swans earlier noise and no-wave, but I feel like this album is incredible. One of their best they've ever made in fact.

#3 Titus Andronicus - The Monitor

XL Recordings

Oh man this is such a fun album. Equal parts street punk, Bruce Springsteen/New Jersey and Billy Bragg done as a loose concept album about the Civil War. You are definitely playing with fire as a band putting that concoction together. A lot could potentially go wrong. But these New Jersey kids not only pulled it off but put together the most fun rock albums of the year.

This album is so great. It really excites both the inner 17-year old punkrock kid in me, but it also makes the 29-year-old, "I've heard it all before, so prove it to me" Pete very very happy too.

#4 Kayne West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam Records

I have to say I was never a fan of Kayne West. I generally don't care about popular culture what so ever. I just lumped Kayne in with all the other pop culture crap like Lady Gaga and the Jersey Shore that I completely ignore. But when I started reading reviews of this album I was really surprised at the universal acclaim for it. So I gave it a chance and I have to say it really lives up to the hype.

This album is extremely complex. There's no doubt this is a hip-hop and pop album, but it also has a dark and disturbing undercurrent. Kayne definitely has some real demons that he pours from his heart on this album, which gives it a whole deeper listen than just the pop surface. Plus the cast of guest singers and rappers is extensive. Everyone from Jay-Z, to the RZA, to Bon Iver, to a great sample of a Gil Scott-Heron reading to close out the album. This is a good thing because Kayne doesn't have to the best flow I've ever heard.

But check this album out if you haven't already heard it. It's worth it.

#5 Yellow Swans - Going Places

Type Records

Noise, as I have written before, can be a tricky genre. It can grate on people's nerves, bore the fuck out of you, or lack enough melody/rhythm/structure to keep a listener's attention the entire song. Going Places does not suffer from this. The Portland electronic noise/drone duo's last album is an absolute gem of a noise album. The waves of distortion, atmosphere and ephemeral noises wash over you. The waves build, enveloping you. Finally they recede, leaving you feeling like you just came out of a trance. One of the most amazing noise albums I've ever heard.

#6 Phosphorescent - Here's To Taking It Easy

Dead Oceans Records

My favorite alt-country album of the year. A lot of (alt-)country I could pass on. Not this album. The songwriting here is incredible. Matthew Houck really knows how to really pull on some heart strings. I dare you to listen to "The Mermaid Parade" and "Los Angeles" after a few beers and not get a little emotional for good-times long-gone. Truly amazing songwriting.

#7 Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

4AD Records

There has been sooooo much hype via stupid Pitchfork over the years about Deerhunter. I've always thought the band was way too over hyped. When I was still on college radio, years ago, I saw Deerhunter in a tiny club in Boston just after Cryptograms was released. Which is around the time they started to get hyped. I was not that impressed. It was OK, but that's about it. I thought they improved with Microcastle, but again, I wasn't totally blown away. Certainly there were some good songs, but it really wasn't the be-all, end-all (I mean really? Think about it for a second.)

I will now say that Deerhunter has finally lived up to the hype. Bradford Cox & Co have finally nailed down their sound. Before they still sounded like they were stumbling around the haze to find it. There are some great pop songs here and "Desire Lines" is one best songs of the year. (Top 50 Songs of 2010 will be posted soon!)

#8 Alcest - Écailles de Lune

Prophecy Productions

All signs point to cheesy-ass-shit in regards to Alcest. They're a melodic rock/black metal band. They're French. And one of the members drew a fairy-tale scene for an album cover.

BUT... This band is AMAZING. Totally overlooked this year. The French must not know that what they consider "melodic rock" is what we consider "shoegaze." And OMG this is some of the best shoegaze of the year. The fact that it's perfectly combined with ambient black metal makes this so awesome. It's like if My Bloody Valentine and Enslaved got together.

#9 Grinderman - Grinderman 2

ANTI- Records

Oh man is Nick Cave the shit. Not only has Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds churned out eclectic rock for close to 30 years, Cave's "solo" project Grinderman is fucking awesome. This is some real down-and-dirty rock shit. While The Bad Seeds are a multi-instrumental, multi-style band, Grinderman is just straight-up fucking rock n' roll. Garage/stoner rock that has some of the wittiest lyrics I've heard in a while (well Das Racist wins that battle). Oh and Grinderman made the BEST VIDEO OF THE YEAR!!!

#10 Defiance, Ohio - Midwestern Minutes

No Idea Records

OK Here's my punkrock album of the year (yeah, yeah I know, Titus Andronicus is kind of punkrock and Defiance, Ohio is "folk-punk" but whatever). It's was so refreshing to hear this album. It's good to hear something that isn't the same old shit I've heard for the past 15 years of my life, but still is undeniably punkrock. These kids know how to have fun, but they still have the youthful conviction that defines what it means to be an angry punrock kid. Its so good to hear.

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So here's the rest of list as it shaped up. The top ten was hard to narrow down and Ariel Pink, Arcade Fire and The Soft Pack were all super close to making it. But here we are...

#11 Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today

#12 Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

#13 The Soft Pack - The Soft Pack

#14 Prince Rama - Shadow Temple

#15 Neil Young - Le Noise

#16 Das Racist - Sit Down, Man

#17 LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening

#18 Four Tet - There is Love in You

#19 Yeasayer - Odd Blood

#20 Wooden Wand - Death Set

#21 Twin Shadow - Forget

#22 Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (2010)

#23 Phantogram - Eyelid Movies

#24 Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz

#25 Pantha Du Prince - Black Noise

#26 Tyvek - Nothing Fits

#27 The Books - The Way Out

#28 Pocahaunted - Make It Real

#29 Diamond Rings - Special Affections

#30 Sleigh Bells - Treats

#31 Tobacco - Maniac Meat

#32 Sun Araw - On Patrol

#33 Kylesa - Spiral Shadow

#34 Woods - At Echo Lake

#35 Hot Chip - One Life Stand

#36 Liars - Sisterworld

#37 Ty Segall - Melted

#38 Royksopp - Senior

#39 Midlake - The Courage of Others

#40 Arp - The Soft Wave

#41 Salem - King Night

#42 Screaming Females - Castle Talk

#43 Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be

#44 Envy - Recitation

#45 Gil Scott-Heron

#46 Idle Times - Idle Times

#47 Black Mountain - Wilderness Heart

#48 Bardo Pond - Bardo Pond

#49 Abe Vigoda - Crush

#50 No Joy - Ghost Blonde

Five Worst Albums of 2010.

These albums sucked. I'm sorry. If you liked any of these that's fine, you're entitled to your opinion (you're wrong though). Listen to better music than the shit that Pitchfork/NPR/CBC Radio 3 doesn't inappropriately touch itself for.

#1 Vampire Weekend - Contra

XL Recordings

I hate this band even more than in January. Now that yuppies the world-over have digested this band of rich kids, saw the band settle with the woman (then a doe-eyed teen) of the photo they used without permission and their songs are used in car commercials, it just shows you the depths of evil that this band is capable of. I don't have any proof, but I think that this band is a ploy by the global corporate oligarchy of the right to further castrate the ineffectual liberal elite.

"Yay Obama, Vampire Weekend and Starbucks! Let's buy smart cars and ignore real global economic and social inequalities! I love being a member to the CREATIVE CLASS! and thinking that Contra is the best!"

FUCK. THIS. BAND.

#2 The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Who Killed Sgt. Pepper?

A [Records]

Blaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh. Sucks. Man this band used to be so good. Too many drugs Anton. Tisk. Tisk. Tisk. All the songs on this album are twice as long as they need to be. That makes it so fucking B-O-R-I-N-G. And that song that rips off the Joy Devision riff really put a crinkle in my sheet.

Oh and WTF is up with that album cover? It's so incredibly bad. If I were to do a worse album covers of the year list this might take #2 after the Yeasayer album cover. I mean how can cheesy can you get? Jesus in fucking 3D? Fuck me that's really fucking bad.

#3 The Walkmen - Lisbon

Fat Possum Records

Holy shit I did not like this. It actually made me depressed it was so bad. I was wicked stressed with school and put this on while working and my mood actually turned south. I was thinking to myself when the first song came on "Oh man this is bad. I sure have a lot of work to do." By the mid-point of the album is was like "Oh dear lord this is B-A-D. I'm not really sure if my thesis is worth it... Oh hum... Why did I do this stupid thing? Wow this song sucks." Towards the end of the album I was thinking, "OH DEAR LORD I HATE MY LIFE! WHY DID I EVER GET INTO SO MUCH FUCKING DEBT FOR THIS STUPID STUPID THESIS?!?!! THIS ALBUM IS REALLY REALLY REALLY BAD!" I then sank my head down and left school and crawled into bed. After waking up the next day, head cleared and refreshed, I thought to myself, "What was I thinking last night? My thesis is awesome. Hmmmmm.... It must of been that shitty Walkmen album." I then went back to school listened to it again and I lo-and-behold I started to feel the same way. At that point I deleted it from my computer and this guy finished his thesis, and it was awesome. Fuck you Walkmen, you're not going to drag me down.

#4 Jónsi - Go

XL Recordings

I've written about this album before so you can read more here. I know some people like this but I'm a human not an elf. Elves would like this music. That's rad and all. But I'm not an elf. I don't live on a mystical island of fire and ice, trolls, unicorns and grumpy old witches of the underworld. JUST NOT THAT INTO IT. SORRY.

#5 Sightings - City of Straw

Jagjaguwar Records

See I love noise. I know it's not something that everyone can dig. But I really enjoy it when it works. The subtle fragments of music, sound collages and electronic chaos can really be composed in such a way that truly amazing soundscapes are created. ----OR---- It can be a bunch of over-privalleged dudes in Brooklyn that can afford to fuck around in a studio and call it noise and a respectable indie label like Jagjaguwar can pick it up and release it. This album falls into the former category. Bullshit noise is worst.

Top Ten Album Covers of 2010

I like art and stuff.

#1 Twin Stumps - Seedbed

Fan Death Records

Fucking disturbing. This image WILL trigger an emotional response. Plus the band is called twin STUMPS with the album being called SEEDBED. Brilliant. It makes you a little ill just looking at it.

#2 Pete Swanson - Feelings in America EP

Roots Strata Records

There's been a lot of found footage album covers lately. This one says it all. The grainy elements of the photo perfectly capture the waves of distortion that Pete Swanson masters.

#3 Zach Hill - Face Tat

Sergent House Records

Good lord what the hell is going on here?!!?!? Some demented librarian intern freaking the fuck out on her ex-boyfriend by torching his balls. Awesome.

#4 U.S. Girls - Go Grey EP

Siltbreeze Records

Amazing composition. I'm a big fan of greyscale album covers in general. And collaged pieces are great. Nice job of subtle contrast.

#5 AIDS Wolf - March To The Sea EP

Skin Graft Records

Fuck photoshop. Just build giant letter heads busted open with a bunch of pink blood draining out. Done.

#6 Beach Fossils - Face It/Distance 7"

Captured Tracks Records

This one wins the graphic design award. AMAZING LAYOUT GUYS.

#7 Pocahaunted - Keep It Real

Not Not Fun Records

Such a "Not Not Fun" cover. (WACKA WACKA). Seriously this album cover captures everything that Pocahaunted is: fun, weird, trippy, L.A., cool birds, singing fruit...

#8 Sex Worker - Waving Goodbye

Not Not Fun Records

This label has a huge, growing catalog and there's a lot of great artwork. I love this collage. It's vaguely sexual and works with the both the band name and the album name.

#9 Pop. 1280 - The Grid EP

Sacred Bones Recordings

This cover is so perfect for this band. Futuristic cyber-punk but more of an 80's version of the future (1998) with really shitty resolution CRT displays. This band should of done the soundtrack to the new Tron.

#10 Arp - The Soft Wave

Smalltown Supersound Records

Minimalist, post-modern electronic music needs a minimalist, post-modern cover.

Top Ten EPs of 2010

Somewhere between a 45 and Album exists the Extended Play. These are my favorite 10-30 minute releases of the year.

#1 Zola Jesus - Velusia

Sacred Bones Recordings

Both of Zola Jesus's EPs this year were amazing. The second one that came out in fall was really mind-blowing. The song "The Tower" is her most epic song to date. Reminds me of the parts of The Cure's Disintegration that really blow your mind, not the radio songs. This is what goth music should sound like.

#2 Real Estate - Reality

Mexican Summer Records

As with the Out of Tune 7" this EP is pure summer. When it came out way back in January I already suspected it to be a major summer play. And lo and behold I ended up picking this bad boy on cassette for the sole purpose of rocking it in the park. Summer rules my face.

#3 Sun Araw - Off Duty

Woodist Records

Fuck I love Sun Araw. As far as new, up-and-coming , experimental music this dude has been down-right prolific in the past couple of years. The jams are a strange mix of psychedelic, 70's soul, distortion and layered sound collages. So good. This combined with this year's double-LP On Patrol is a quite impressive body of amazing work.

#4 Cloud Nothings - Leave You Forever

True Panther Records

Great lo-fi pop from Cleveland. Super catchy and fun. Kind of reminds me of late 90's pop-punk and emo (I really hated that shit back when it came out, but you know what? Tastes change). Even though I like this EP, I can totally see these guys going mainstream, dropping the lo-fi sound and turning totally shitty and over-produced. But we shall see I guess.

#5 Zola Jesus - Stridulum

Sacred Bones Recordings

The first of Zola Jusus' EPs this year. Really amazing. Seriously, Nika Danilova's voice is one of the best to come along in a while. And she's still very young. These two EPs were released as an album called Stridulum II but I still consider them as they were originally released as separate entities. If they were released as one true album, it would of easily been #2 or #3 on the top albums list.

#6 War On Drugs - Future Weather

Secretly Canadian Records

Kurt Vile's other band. Its really not that far off from Kurt Vile's solo stuff. A little more chilled-out and dreamy. This still has the big Springsteen vibe of his solo stuff though. The song "Brothers" is such a great song too and I really can't get enough of it.

#7 Doom Town - Demo Tape

Self-Released

While this isn't technically an EP, it's still under 30 mins and it fucking rules. Punk rock from St. Louis. Duel female/male vocals, driving riffs, chances for sing-alongs. GREAT STUFF. I can't wait to hear more from this band. Thank you internets for allowing me to stumble across this.

#8 Rival Mob - Hardcore for Hardcore

Six Feet Under Records

BOSTON HARDCORE REPRESENT!!! Sweet fucking youth-crew shit. Seriously bros, Boston hardcore still knows how to throw down. One of the best pure-hardcore releases I've heard in a while.

#9 The Bitters - Have a Nap Hotel

Sacred Bones Recordings

Well Sacred Bones is well represented here. The Bitters are of course from Toronto and play some excellent garage-punk. Female lyrics and Ben from Fucked Up providing the music. One of my favorite garage releases of the year.

#10 Washed Out - Life of Leisure

Mexican Summer Records

Chilled out electronic/dream-pop. Solid four song collection with "New Theory" far and away the best song on the disc.

Top Five 7"/45s of 2010

These aren't necessarily singles, but formats into themselves. Old School. A Side. B Side. Done. A little annoying to play on your record player because you have to flip the disc over ever 4 minutes or so. Anyways here are my top five favorites of 2010:

#1 Real Estate - Out of Tune

True Panther Records

One of favorite bands of the year. Both this 45 and an earlier EP were terrific. Plus I saw them open up for both Woods and Kurt Vile and both times they stole the show. Fun relaxed summertime music. I miss the summer already...

#2 Bloody Gears - Bloody Gears

Deranged Records

Punkrock and hardcore was made for 7" format. Awesomely raw Wipers-style hardcore from Boston (yeah that's right). It really does sound like an early Wipers demo, but also has an early midwest-hardcore sound to it as well (early Husker Du for sure).

#3 Trailblazer - Gut Reaction b/w Mallard

Moniker Records

"Gut Reaction" is a really catchy, simple song that somehow draws you right into its hypnotic rhythms and distortion. Both tracks are a garage-y take on electronic post punk. Very raw/haunting sounding. I hear Suicide, Joy Division and Silver Apples here.

#4 Ducktails - Hamilton Road

Old English Spelling Bee Records

This is the guitarist, Matt from Real Estate's other band. Very similar sound. Summertime. Damn it's cold out. I miss the park, friends, my tape deck and beers...

#5 Pissed Jeans - Sam Kinison Woman

Sub Pop Records

One of the best hardcore bands out there. No joke. I was super pissed (hah!) that I missed their last tour through Toronto. Bummer-time. Last year's album was amazing and this 7" continues this trend. The B side "The L Word" sounds like it should be on Black Flag's My War album. Heavy shit.