Best albums of 2010 (so far)

I am back, having gone missing for the past months due to my particle acceleration work for CERN, being trapped in a mine, and becoming a wedding planner for next year (I can't say who for). Well there is about as much music that has gone missing on this blog as their are pages of leaked war documents on the internet. So here is a quick round-up of the best albums of the year so far (if the title wasn't a give-away).


20. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today 7.5/10

19. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles (II) 7.5/10

18. Efterklang - Magic Chairs 7.5/10

17. Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty 7.5/10

16. These New Puritans - Hidden 7.5/10

15. The Irrepressibles - Mirror Mirror 8.0/10

14. Sufjan Stevens- The Age of Adz 8.0/10

13. Holy Fuck - Latin 8.0/10

12. The Tallest Man on Earth – The Wild Hunt 8.0/10

11. Tame Impala -Innerspeak 8.0/10

10. Four Tet – There Is Love in You

Kieran Hebden produces one of his best yet, with another stunning masterpiece of electronic music. This may not break ground as some earlier work of his, however this holds as a much more solid album, and definitely deserving a place in my top 10.
8.0/10

9. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs


Is it better than their debut? For me, Funeral represents a more youthful and emotional time, which is not lost in parts of this album. This album is filled with hits however I believe the choice of track numbers was means you easily forget some stellar songs. Nevertheless, this is a must for the MP3 player.

8.0/10
Hear - Ready to Start

8. Titus Andronicus – The Monitor

This album screams out America. It will not be to everyone's taste, and some segments can seem to tedious, and sometimes the singer can whine into an almost self-pitying emo. However the album as a whole is a superb passionate punk tribute to the American Civil war and local heroes.

8.5/10

Hear - A More Perfect Union

7. Yeasayer - Odd Blood

I have already reviewed this album. Here

8.5/10


6. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

Damon Albarn's Gorillaz produce a fascinating album with a cataclysm of classical, hip-hop, folk, jazz and several other music genres. Of course the success of the album is helped by the number of talented artists that are featured. Another ambitious album that gets its reward.

8.5/10

Hear - Melancholy Hills

5. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest

I don't remember an album so capable of striking up imagery than this. Halcyon Digest has the ability to give you chills then wrap a blanket around you to keep warm. This is a band centred around the strangeness and genius of one Bradford Cox, who will continue to make remarkable music.

8.5/10

Hear - Desire Lines

4. Sleigh Bells - Treats

Fast-paced, hard-hitting and fucking loud, this is pop-rock noise at its finest. Sleigh Bells are the perfect combination of bitter sweet, with one half being a hardcore rocker, and the other being like something from disney. It is only fitting that they are signed to M.I.A's label, and you can certainly understand the direction taken. This is guaranteed to impress, however please take some steps before playing:

• Put your hood up
• Put some shades on
• Put the volume to the max

Enjoy.

8.5/10
Hear - Infinity Guitars

3. Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can

Let's get the common compliments out the way - she was only 17 when she made her first album, and 19 for this one. That is astonishing. Forgetting all that, I Speak Because I Can is dark and astonishing. The album is covers love, responsibility and womanhood, passionately narrated making this such an emotional album.

8.5/10

Hear - Rambling Man

2. Beach House - Teen Dream


I must confess, I thought this album was released in 2009, and could compete with any from My Picks of 2009. Teen Dream is in essence, masterful. A beautifully formed selection of dream-pop tracks that hook you in from the first track, and you stay that way till the end. It does not need any bold dominant tracks to try and appeal to you. Beach House had a successful debut album, however that was just part of a learning curve to produce something that they can truly be happy with.

8.5/10
Hear - Zebra


1. Joannna Newsom - Have One On Me


Joanna Newsom's third album was for me the best album, however I accept it will not be everyone's. I disagree with several reviews suggesting that she has changed her style, as instead I believe she has added to her style, yet the album is still unmistakably Joanna Newsom. With a three-disk two-hour marathon of music, Have One On Me is as bold as Joanna Newsom herself, as not many would have done such a thing. Nevertheless, Joanna Newsom produces the most enchanting and magnificent collection of songs that take the listener on an adventure.

9.0/10

Hear - '81

January Round -Up

Okay so first month of 2010, thought I would do a roundup of my favourite songs out of the month. I must say, these songs have not necessarily been released in January 2010, as they may be a bit older or newer! But these are songs that I have picked up in the past month that are worth a mention.

Owen Pallett - Keep The Dog Quiet
Track Rating: 8/10
I fell in love with this song from the first listen. Throughout the song it has a consistent and very simple rhythm. It sounds perfectly orchestrated with the overlapping of string and brass throughout, which perfect fit around the catchy yet clever chorus.
Hear

Vampire Weekend - Cousins
9/10
Okay, so I may have been dissapointed by VWs new album, however this single is a cracker. It makes your feet tap from start to finish, and is probably the most different of all Vampire Weekend songs. Great vocals, cheeky lyrics and swift guitars, this song shows the best of the band.
Hear

Ke$ha - Tik Tok
6.5/10
An oversaturated market I would have thought, but apparantly not. Kesha is portrayed as a sexy naughty bitch, which I guess is to appeal to the teenage girl listeners to follow and relate to. Extremely catchy lyrics and chorus, unique vocals and a good happy-go-lucky beat, this song is on most peoples party playlist. Those who don't have this will be officially referred to as Party Poopers.
Hear

Yeasayer - Ambling Alp
7.5/10
This track is simply charming. Motivational lyrics that may be too quirky for some peoples liking, however they may forgive this for everything else that this song holds. Especially the great vocals and overall sound. Check out a whole album review here.
Hear

These New Purians - We Want War
8/10
Just like the band, this song is EPIC. A dark and sinister track which begins with huge drum blasts, keyboard and noise. However this 7-minute song develops into a beautifully orchestrated melee, with a perfect combination of high tones from choir, and lower tones from drums, along with brass to intertwine both elements. As I said, EPIC. Also done an album review here. Yay!
Hear

Delphic - Doubt
6.5/10
I hate Radio 1 and the BBCs power to say what artists, albums and tracks we should all go and purchase. Delphic were number 3 in this list. And soon after, they released this track. I think it sounds more like a mash-up of Hot-Chip with the Klaxons rather then anything as innovative as you may expect. Saying that, there is nothing wrong with the track and the band. It is simply an enjoyable listen, however does not make me want to go back for more. Don't Believe the Hype comes in mind.
Hear

Tindersticks - Keep you Beautiful
8/10
When I hear this track, I just wish it was summer and I was dazing in the warmth. As that is what it brings, warmth. This song could be easily mistaken for an old classic mowtown classic, and rightly so. A tender and beautiful song.
Hear

Four Tet - Love Cry
8.5/10
At over 9 minutes, it can be easy for a song to get boring, especially the repetition in dance tunes. This is somewhat repetitive, which is in fact something you wouldn't normally relate to Four Tet. However Love Cry is never boring. This song is the build up of chilled jazz percussion, sampled female vocals and clever interplay. Head bopping music, a great tune from a great DJ.
Hear

Los Campesinos! - There are Listed Buildings
8/10
I have to say, I think Los Campesinos! are quirky little indie-pop shits. However they must be doing something good, as they have magazines such as NME raving. At first I thought this song was a "Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly" cover of punk-rock song. However after a few more listens, I realise that this song is packed full of great lyrics, and are broken down by some complex are ever confusing guitar riffs. The chorus is actually not too bad either, its actually a breather for whats to come. All in all, this track impressed.
Hear

Liars - Scissor
7.5/10
Legends in the making Liars have got to keep up a significant reputation, so released this song early for their following album "Sisterworld". And with this song, they definately do deserve the reputation. It is creepy, dark and daunting, yet it has a Radioheadesque turn with heavy bass and soaring lead and vocals. However there is something missing from this song, which I think is that it does not show the tenacity that can be heard in previous records.
Hear

Yeasayer - Odd Blood (2010)

Rating: 8.5 / 10

It has been nearly three years since Yeasayer's debut album, but it seems like they have used this time very wisely. After a long wait, new album Odd Blood certainly does not dissapoint.

With a dark, deep and peculiar intro song, "The Children", the next song "Ambling Alp" is a complete contrast, with an upbeat tempo and lyrics to match. This is the first single from the album, however it is by far not the best.

The album then takes a more docile turn with the song "Madder Red", which seems to fit more with their first album. It is a bit more 80s pop revival than some may like, which then leads to a more MGMTesque anthem in "I Remember". Here we start to see just what Yeasayer are about, with complex musical arrangements, great vocals and a lot of passion in what they do.

All of sudden we get a total different side to their music, with one of the most energetic songs on the album, "The One", which in typical music of our day, compliments the past in pop. It has a sort of 80s Hollywood movie feel to it, with 90s vocals all complimented with a great hook.

The next song certainly cannot be called pop music. The intro to "Love Me Girl" can be very misleading to the listener, for me it seemed like the start of a Pendulum song. Instead we get a song that seems to have elements of 90s House music, garage and more recently dubstep, all complimented with great vocals that make the song refreshing, and very addictive. "Rome" is a less serious song, with a quirky melody and hints of funk. The song is broken down at periods with clever percussions. However in all it is similar to "Ambling Alp" as being a good single, but doesn't really expose Yeasayers experimental side.

"Strange Reunions" sounds like a caleidoscopic Eastern-Indie mix, similar to that of their debut album. This song is in stark contrast to the quicker tempo song "Mondegreen", which seems to have been a very complicated ensemble of instruments all to have been played at a higher bpm then that was supposed to. This is where we see their experimental side try to take over the music, which is unfortunate.

The final song "Grizelda" however is the perfect ending to an album of this sort. It sounds like a strange mash-up of The Dirty Projectors and MGMT, however it works incredibly well. The melody and vocal are both spellbouding, and makes this final song a suitable encore for the album.

It is true that generally this album can be called more high tempo, upbeat and danceable, however this does not do justice to just what has improved for Yeasayer since the debut album. Being an experimental band, from taking their interest in so many sounds, they seem to have finally found the right formula, and created something very special. Dare I say it, I myself have been a sceptic of bands such as MGMT and Vampire Weekend, however the new Yeasayer album seems to show just how to do it. Kudos

Hear - Ambling Alp (single)