New year, new look for the blog. This is my fourth go at making a "favorite albums" list and this 2010 list was probably the most difficult one for me to assemble yet. While I don't keep official stats or anything, I think its safe to say that I listened to more music this year than ever before. 2010 is probably also the first year where I acquired more new music digitally than in hard copy format. I see both pluses and minuses in
that. On the positive side, less clutter and quicker and easier access to new stuff. On the negative side, I miss having an actual tangible item with artwork, liner notes and the ability to hold it in my hand. Furthermore, I'm better at picking up a cd or record when I see it and going, "I should give that another spin" than I am at scrolling through a list on a computer or ipod and remembering it. Additionally, CDs and vinyl just sound better. I know, blah, blah, blah, FLAC, loseless, and MP3s at 320kps are all supposed to sound great and I shouldn't hear a difference, but, well, I do. Maybe. I'm convincing myself of that more than it being the actual truth, but if I think it, it might as well be so.
At anyrate, in order to compile this year's list- I wound up spending the last few weeks going back and giving multiple listens to a bunch of albums because I did not spend as much time with any one album this year as I normally would. I imagine the list of "one & done" albums I had this year was also huge- if it didn't grab me, I didn't go back. The albums that made the list definetly grabbed me and all demanded multiple listens and are, for the most part, a constant part of my roatation.
So for the curious, here's a look back at the previous lists for
2007,
2008, &
2009, and here now, this year's list:
20.
Rock Dust Light Star- Jamiroquai (Mercury UK) I get tons of grief for liking these guys, so I'll keep this brief. This sounds like a Jamiroquai album, I like Jamiroquai albums. Do all the cuts sound like they could be placed on any previous Jamiroquai album and fit in seemlessly. Yes. This is not a problem for me, because
as I mentioned, I like Jamiroquai albums. So while this easily could have dropped in, say, 1998, it didn't. Nothing gritty, or remotely raw about this album, it is the same pristine dance floor friendly pop with the pseudo-funk licks you either like or don't. I do. I'm glad they are back, sounding like they always did.
19.
Everything in Time- DJ Center (Push the Fader) I like DJ records. DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, RJD2, Lack of Afro, among many others. Didn't know too much about this guy going in, and while it's hit & miss in places, the hits work really well for me. My biggest gripe with records like this typically lies with guest MCs where the quality can vary drastically. (Certainly an issue I've had with some of RJD2's releases) But it's not really an issue here, I like pretty much all of the guests on this album and DJ Center's beats are first rate.
18.
The ArchAndroid (Suites II & III)- Janelle Monáe (Bad Boy/Wondaland) Full disclosure: My friend Sandy turned me on to this just last week, and while I had heard about its release earlier in the year, I had not bothered to pick it up, let alone listen to it. My gut feeling is that if I'd have had more time with this album it would be ranked considerably higher. Genre-bending and experimental- I have trouble classifying it easily, which is great. Who needs labels, right? There's a lot going on here. It checks in at over 70 minutes and has elements of pop, folk, psychedelia, soul and orchestral music. So far, I think I dig "Tightrope (featuring Big Boi)" and "BaBopBye Ya" the most. Will definitely be spending more time with this album.
17. Back To Reality-Tony Cook (Stones Throw) This is one of those records that I've only heard over the computer thus far. (Cd release is actually this coming January 25th.) The tunes here are compiled from recordings that took place between 1982-1986. Wonderful electro and synth heavy funk, this stuff compares favorably with anything from the genre you're familiar with from back in the day. (Open note to my friend Kirk- You NEED to pick this up, if you buy the cd and don't love it, I'll pay for it for you- this is right in your wheelhouse) To all others- you remember Newcleus? Cameo? Afrika Bambaatta? Did you like them? If so, you need to pick this up too.
16.
Seven Feet Under- The Underbelly featuring Roxie Ray (Record Kicks) Some tight, in the pocket funk. These guys are from Cornwall, England. It seems that tons of retro-funk acts come from across the pond. I like the Roxie Ray tracks on this one in particular- they should have put her on more than three tunes as a good vocalist never hurt anyone. Regardless, these guys can flat out play, and if you like saxophone, well these guys go three deep.
15. Cali Fever- Orgone (Ubiquity) These guys put out my favorite album of 2007 (The Killion Floor) and while this one is great as well, they clearly had stronger competition this year and the element of surprise was no longer part of the equation as now I had expectations of them. The album is very good, I particuarily like the start and stop of "Sandstorm" and its rather ominous rythmn, but the album lacked a stand out track like the cover of "I Get Lifted" on The Killion Floor. Still, this was good enough for the 15th spot on my list, and that ain't too shabby. If you like their previous efforts, you'll like this.
14.
All Day- Girl Talk (illegal art)- In terms of mash-up artists, this guy sets the standard, simply put- there is no one I know of doing what he does as consistently as he does it. I started really paying attention to mash-ups maybe around 2002 with the release of
As Heard on Radio Soulwax Part 2 by Too Many DJs (an album I loved) and started scooping up mash-ups whenever I could. The next "proper" mash up album I grabbed was Girl Talk's Night Ripper, which I also really liked. All Day continues in that vein (throw his Feed the Animals album in as well) of straight good time party music. It's fun to play spot the sample until your head explodes- once you get past that, however, you sort of say, wow- these are really great mash-ups and you say that again, and again, and eventually realize there isn't much else to say about it. Nevertheless, I still can not deny the sheer awesomeness that exists the first few times you listen to this album and perhaps the best thing about it is you can grab it from his website for free.
13. Rolling Blackouts- The Go! Team (Memphis Industries) Alright, I heard the internet leak of this one (thanks, Steve) as it's not due out until Feb 1st. This album is pretty sweet and once again, if you like previous efforts of theirs, you should like this. I've been reading around the interwebs that there was a concerted effort to make sure this album had a coherency to their lyrics that was lacking on previous albums. Hmm...well, ok- but I gotta tell ya, that doesn't matter. I really don't care what those cheerleader chants are saying or what sort of flow Ninja is spitting this time around. I didn't care with the previous albums either, the joy of their work, in my estimation, lies in their ability to take this cacophonus hodge-podge of noise and instrumentation and turn it into their own unique signature sound, No one else sounds like these guys, yet they always sound like themselves and I love it. Although, I must confess I could do without hearing "The Power is On" (off their Thunder, Lightning, Strike album) as it comes on in that NFL Play 60 commercial at least 20 times during an NFL broadcast. Then again, I could just watch less football.
12.
The Lady Killer- Cee Lo Green (Elektra Asylum)- About a year or so ago, I confessed to my pal Beave that the Gnarls Barkley albums did not hold up as well as I thought they would. "Crazy" , much like Outkast's "Hey Ya" a few years before it, was everywhere. I found both those tracks to be infectious and while they quickly got played into the ground, I hoped both releases would lead to even better slices of sweet pop goodness. Sadly, both Outkast and Gnarls Barkley's subsequent output hasn't reached those heights in my estimation. Here's the deal with The Lady Killer; "F@#$ You!" gave this album its legs and I'm hopeful that it continues to run. I really like Cee Lo as a vocalist and there's some pretty great stuff here. Having said that, I don't think there's another single here that will have anywhere near the crossover impact that "F@#$ You!" has had, so it's possible this is his finest hour. I'm hopeful that it won't be.
11.
Sound of Police- Cut Chemist (A Stable Sound/Soul Kitchen) This is the type of live DJ set where I wish I was there when he threw it down. I don't want to go into a rant about why something like this will almost always trump what Girl Talk and other mash up artists do, but it's what I think. There is something just so immediate and wonderful about this set that it feels fresh every time I throw it on. There is a sonic texture that challenges without overwhelming, I don't know- he's like Girl Talk for adults. Cut Chemist has crates that are both deep and global and instead of saying "wow, listen to how he used that track" (although, you will say that when you hear the Apache Break in part two) more often than not I'm saying "What is that track?" It's that element of discovery that I love.
10.
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy- Kanye West (Def Jam) If this album had not landed in my top ten, you'd be able to trash the whole list, because I'd be a liar. All over the interwebs you'll find that this album gets almost universal critical praise and endless gushing reviews. Critics like it even if they secretly wanted to pan it. The reason? Well, quite simply, it's a really good album. It's ambitious, revelatory and pushes hip hop boundaries like few other albums before it. Kanye has a very polarizing effect on people, mostly because he has a tendency to behave like a jackass. People who don't appreciate this album are more than likely those who can't get past that, or don't like hip hop to begin with. I understand. My biggest gripe is the track "Blame Game" with the Chris Rock rant which is just a misfire to me, but I genuinely love "Lost in the World" and "Runaway" (even if it checks in at 9+ minutes) Overall, the album is worthy of much of the love it's received, although, it wasn't my favorite of the year.
9.
No Más- Javelin (Luka Pop) Here's one from this year where I quite honestly can't remember how I got turned on to it. It could have been a review, a random internet find, friend recommendation, album forum recommendation, man, I just don't know. What I can tell you is that it's a pretty sweet piece of electro-pop fun. "Vibrationz" and "Susie Cues" have been in pretty heavy roatation since I first heard them and after giving this some recent spins "On it On it" will probably wind up in the rotation as well. I have not done any real digging about these guys so I don't have much to say about them other than the album is on my ipod and I played it frequently.
5. Complete Mythology- Syl Johnson (Numero Group)- The folks over at Pitchfork gave this collection a rather mediocre review. I think it's a treasure chest full of R&B, soul and funk goodness. But, I am also very guilty of being a Numero Group sychophant. I can't help it. I find nearly all their releases to be revelatory and exciting at best and intriguing and curious at worst. An argument can be made this is the sort of thing that exists just for audiophiles and will overwhelm just about anyone else, and that might be correct, but if more labels put the time, care, and effort into their releases that Numero obviously does, I think the music industry would be in a much better place.
4. Carry Me Home- The Right Now (The Right Now)- I think it was my brother who sent me a link to an article about this band, the fact that they were a local outfit intrigued me. While I sometimes feel I'm criminally out of step with the local soul scene- I do try to keep up and know what's going on. I was all over The Crown Royals years ago, and have been keeping tabs on JC Brooks and The Uptown Sound, but I had no idea who these guys were. Well apparently, I'm out of the loop, these guys have been kicking around in various incarnations for a number of years now, so what do I know? I know this: This is a good band playing soul music with funk flourishes and an exceptional vocalist. I'm gonna try and keep up with them, see them live, delve into some of the older stuff they put out under different names and eagerly await new releases from them. In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy this album and drop "Doing Nothing" and "I'll Get Down" into sets whenever I can. Good stuff.
3. I Learned The Hard Way- Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings (Daptone Records) If you know me, there are no surprises here. These cats are probably the biggest stars of the whole retro soul thing because they are the best. The band, the production, and Sharon out front, you just can't beat it. Really, they only compete against themselves in their little niche as far as I'm concerned. I frequently wrestle with deciding which album of theirs is my favorite (Naturally usually wins) but this one ain't no slouch either. I certainly have played "Better Things" more times than would be considered healthy and that leads to extra plays of "Give it Back" and well, it's a vicious cycle. They're great, you know it, I know it, we all know it. I eagerly await the next release.
So, that's what I got for 2010. Overall, a pretty sweet year for music. I'm sure I've forgotten a few albums that might have challenged for positions on this list, but again, that just speaks to the overwhelmingly amount of stuff that's out there. If you've got a good sense of my aesthetic and think I'm blatantly missing something, let me know about it, because odds are, I want to hear it.
