My Year In Lists: The Top 50 Songs of 2010

2010 was an interesting year on a song level. While most popular singles followed the same heavily produced, glossy, and manufactured formula, there was a groundswell of great songs being made by bands on the mid to low level spectrum. 2010 had albums from indie stalwarts such as Arcade Fire, The National, and to some extent, Kanye West. While these great albums spawned great songs, there were also bands that I did not expect to have such a profound effect with simply amazing songs. Bands that I had not even heard of, such as Titus Andronicus. Bands that I had forgotten about, such as Caribou, The Tallest Man on Earth, and Damien Jurado. It was a year of comebacks in a way for me, and this list reflects that.

50. Apparat - Sayulita




49. ceo - Illuminata
48. The Soft Pack - Answer To Yourself
47. The Morning Benders - Excuses
46. Avi Buffalo - What's It In For?
45. Les Savy Fav - Sleepless in Silverlake




44. Vampire Weekend - Holiday
43. The Apples In Stereo - Dream About The Future
42. Damien Jurado - Arkansas
41. Los Campesinos! - This is a Flag, There is No Wind

My Year In Lists: My Top Albums of 2010 According to Last.fm

Same rules apply as artists: Everything counts, not just 2010 albums.

10. The Replacements - Let it Be (185 Plays)

The Replacements' best album. This is the album where it all worked in unison for them. It mixed their early works punk aesthetic as well as their later albums pop sensibilities.

9. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More (210 Plays)

An emotionally devastating album. Maybe not in the sense of a complete loss of hope like, for example, The Antlers' Hospice, but more in a sense of not being able to have what you want. A study in broken hearts and busted promises.

My Year In Lists: My Top Artists of 2010 According To last.fm

I thought I would kick off my music lists by showing everyone what I actually listened to this year. This is in no way my top artists/songs/etc of 2010, it is just the raw stats of what I actually listened to during the year. Because of this is will not be secluded to just artists who were relevant in 2010. But still, an interesting way to look at what I was actually listening to a lot in 2010.

10. Japandroids (265 Plays)

Japandroids had a pretty cool 2010, even though there debut album came out in 2009. They began a singles series that produced three really good songs ("Art Czars", "Younger Us", and "Heavenward Grand Prix"). They played a bunch of live shows as well, including Bonnaroo, where I got a chance to see them. For only having two members they generate an intense amount of sounds. They are the spiritual successors to Death From Above 1979.

My Year In Lists: The Best TV Shows of 2010

Thanks to the invention of the DVR, I have been able to watch more shows that I am usually accustomed too. So here's my top 10 TV shows of the past year.

BUT FIRST: Shows I didn't watch that are probably awesome:
-Breaking Bad
-Justified
-Louie
-Parks and Recreation
-Fringe
-Dexter
-Sons of Anarchy

10. Archer (FX)

A nice little show that ended up being better than I expected. It doesn't hurt that one of my favorite voice actor/comedian's H. John Benjamin does the voice of lead character Sterling Archer. While the humor is somewhat juvenile, it works because the show is animated.

Album Review: Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010, Def Jam)

Listen:

Grooveshark (kind of a mess)

Purchsase:

Insound

Amazon mp3

iTunes

So... I guess there really isn't much to say about this album that you haven't already heard. Blah blah Kanye meltdown blah blah Taylor Swift. But there is another story to this album. This is the story of Kanye's rebirth from a villain to almost a tragic figure. Through his use of twitter, surprisingly ambitious music video for "Runaway", and releasing of free songs every week on Friday, Kanye has managed to somewhat recover a positive image in the media.

The story of  the creation of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is almost as interesting. Kanye stowed away to Hawaii where he brought in virtually every notable artist at some point to work on either his new album or a track for G.O.O.D. Friday. Everyone from Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, and Mos Def, to producers like Pete Rock and Q-Tip, to oddly enough, Bon Iver's Justin Vernon. Needless to say, Kanye made this album and its creation almost into his own little sandbox, utilizing any toys he could get his hand on.

And it certainly shows. Mr. West's new album is overtly ambitious and contains possibly his best production (which is saying a lot, considering that I believe he is currently the best hip-hop producer on the planet, and has been for years). While there are times when his lyrics fail to match this level as well as some strange features, this album is still one of the best of the year.

Track 1: Dark Fantasy
OK Nikki, what is up with the British accent? Just wondering. Kanye pulls out a classic sample on this one. How many people do you think had even heard of Mike Oldfield before they heard this song (not me)? This is about as classic Kanye beat wise as you can get. He used to be so into samples. I really like how he uses the keys in this song as well. Lyrcism is just fine, maybe not his best effort though. The probably with this album is that Kanye brought it so hard on the beats and production that it's virtually impossible for him to create lyrics that live up to the music.
"So much head I woke up in sleepy hollow" Man does Kanye love rapping about oral sex.
Verdict: 9/10


Track 2: Gorgeous
This beat gets stuck in my head every time I listen to this album. Kid Cudi just kind of does his "I think I can sing" thing on the chorus. The effects on both Kanye and Raekwon's part isn't necessarily needed. Kind of brings the song down a little. It sounds like they are rapping through the phone. I guess it's possible that Raekwon couldn't make it out to Hawaii, so maybe that explains it. In the end, "Gorgeous" has a cool beat and features two of my five current favorite hip-hop artists, so it's still pretty good.
Verdict: 9/10


Track 3 POWER
What can be said about "Power" that hasn't been in the last 6 months? Awesome King Crimson sample. Big time "Fuck You" lyrics. Pretty much an all around package of Kanye being Kanye. If it hadn't been floating around for a long time, this song would probably seem a lot more epic and powerful. Even given that, it is still a masterpiece.
"You got the power to let power go?"
Verdict: 10/10

My 10 Favorite Moments from The New Girl Talk Album

It would be nearly impossible to review the new Girl Talk album, All Day. Not that I couldn't do it. I just feel like it would end up being a bunch of sentences consisting of "This mash up was cool" and "I really like this mash up". So pretty much there is no reason to review it (if you're wondering, I did think it was pretty good, there is a high percentage chance of it ending up in my albums of the year list).

So instead of a review I'm going to go track to track and try to pick out my 10 favorite moments from All Day. In chronological order for ease. Will also post the time of the sample as noted on the wikipedia page for the album.

If you didn't know, the album is free for download on Illegal Art's Site (here's a helpful link).

Here is a link to the Wikipedia page as well, if you want to look at (most of) the samples used.

1. Track 1 "Oh No" @ 2:09
1. "Teach Me How To Dougie/Jane Says 
2. Cali Swag Distric/Jane's Addiction
2. Track 1 "Oh No" @ 4:11
1. "Bleitzkrieg Bop/Waiting For The Sun
2. The Ramones/The Doors
3. Track 3 "That's Right" @ 2:44
1. Single Ladies/Ante Up/Party in the USA
2. Beyonce/M.O.P./Miley Cyrus
1. This one's like 2 minutes long so you kind of have to wait for it
4. Track 4 "Jump on Stage" @ 2:52
1. "Creep/Shimmy Shimmy Ya"
2. Radiohead/Old Dirty Bastard
5. Track 5 "This is the Remix" @ 3:29
1. "Get Low/Cecilia"
2. Lil' Jon/Simon and Garfunkel
6. Track 8 "Down for the Count" @ 3:45
1. "20th Century Boy/Bounce/House of Jealous Lovers"
2. T-Rex/MSTRKRFT/The Rapture
7. Track 9 "Make Me Wanna"  @ 3:39
1. "Wake Up/Money To Blow"
2. Arcade Fire/Birdman
8. Track 10 "Steady Stock" @ 3:20
1. "Over/I Ran"
2. Drake/A Flock of Seagulls
9. Track 11 "Triple Double" @ 0:00
1. "1901/How Low"
2. Phoenix/Ludacris
10. Track 12 "Every Day" @ 1:19
1. Dirt Off Your Should/I Melt With You
2. Jay-Z/Modern English

So There it is. As of me writing this there has been another site that can be used to help you listen to this album. if you go to http://alldaysamples.com/ you can listen to the album while the samples are shown in real time. Pretty cool, huh?

Album Review: The Tallest Man on Earth: Sometimes The Blues Is Just A Passing Bird EP

The Tallest Man On Earth: Sometimes The Blues Is Just A Passing Bird (2010, Dead Oceans)

Listen:
Grooveshark

Purchase:
Dead Oceans
Insound
Amazon mp3
iTunes


Kristian Matsson, under the moniker The Tallest Man on Earth, has been putting out possibly the best folk music in the past couple of years. His debut album, 2008's Shallow Graves, sent a breath of fresh, Bob Dylan inspired, air into the singer/songwriter genre. This current year he released an even better album, The Wild Hunt, which in my opinion is in contention for album of the year. To complement The Wild Hunt, Kristian has released a new EP, named Sometimes The Blues Is Just A Passing Bird. This EP has actually been available on iTunes for some time, but is just now receiving a physical release.

This will probably a quick review. Only 5 tracks.

Track 1: Little River
There is something to be said about simplicity. Especially in folk music. Simplicity is something that Kristian seems to have a knack for. On this song, his guitar work manages to flow to the point where you barely notice it, leaving the listener the ability to listen to his vulnerable lyricism. There is something beautifully seasonal about this song as well. It just makes me feel like I'm sitting in a log cabin during winter. Just an all around great song.
Verdict: 8/10


Track 2: The Dreamer
This song is pretty much unlike anything we have heard from The Tallest Man On Earth so far. He switches to an electric guitar, which I'm pretty sure he has never done. It fits him just as well as acoustic, so the change is not really noticeable, except in sound. This song is also one of my favorite lyrical showings from Kristian. We have seen, more in his later work, points where his vocals get emotional to the point where he is screaming. While this song doesn't have that intensity, it feels like there was a lot of emotion put into the making of this song.
Verdict: 10/10


Track 3: Like The Wheel
"Like The Wheel" is a very vulnerable song. One thing I love about The Tallest Man On Earth is how he conveys strong emotions without losing his edge as a songwriter. He can be lovesick or depressed without getting horribly sappy. I would go as far as saying that he is currently the best songwriter in his given genre. Similar to "The Dreamer" this song conveys a lot of emotion in a constrained manner.
Verdict: 9/10


Track 4: Trampled In The Tangled Wheat
This is another great song. I can't really say much new about it that I haven't said about the previous songs. Simple, elegant, and strong lyrically.
Verdict: 8/10


Track 5: Thrown Right At Me
This is the only song that I didn't really enjoy on this album. It seems direct and forced compared to the other songs. While it isn't bad, it just doesn't reach the standards of its predecessors.
Verdict 6/10


Final Score: 42/50 = 8.4