I guess I haven't posted much this half of the year, but I think it's pretty obvious why. 2010 was not the greatest year for music. Loads of unrecognizable muck was shoved through the gates, pushing the agendas of lame ducks like pop-punk, things called "ambient punk," and the almighty of ruses, indie rock. Sorry to be a sad sack, but clicking through Amazon or iTunes' top albums is like visiting the Vampire and Zombie sections of a bookstore. It's tiring and redundant, rarely yielding anything worth a second look.
Of course, there were a few gems, otherwise I wouldn't be writing this. But I never really found more than a handful of works that had the merit to make a list. Which is why lists like Paste's, where like 50 albums are listed, baffle me. I read articles by those I respect and the results are hollow. Some say this was a fantastic year for music, many just give a list and move on. But really, did anything come out of 2010 that you, as a reader, expect to be listening to in the next 10 years? Which albums may have changed the course of music? Which ones were your favorite? Prior to any "top whatever" list, I believe it's fundamental to give a reason for the list. Any publication that avoids the topic of purpose and take-away should be cast aside, as these lists are the bane of internet culture. Create an article, become an expert. But I digress...and could probably write another article on that alone. The point remains: why are these 5 albums worth the seconds it will take you to read about them?
Every single one of these albums are ones that not only enticed me at first glance, but they kept me coming back and surprised me over and over again. None of them are simple (despite the format of some), for they all find their substance in details and maturity. Most importantly, I will never forget these five. They're ingrained in my interpretation of musical culture as much as Brand New's "Deja Entendu" or Discovery's "LP". If there's anything you must take away from this, it's that these albums have power to them, if you give them a chance.
#1. LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening
LCD Soundsystem was the greatest surprise for me since I fell in love with Taking Back Sunday, some 6 years ago. In the same way, one band introduced me into a genre I never believed I would understand, let alone become practically dependent on. I can give Discovery and Daft Punk a little credit, as they gave me a glimpse into the electronic world, but as far as I'm concerned there was nothing before This is Happening. "Dance Yrself Clean" gets about 90% of the credit, although "Pow Pow," "All I Want," and "Home" have stolen the thunder in recent days. No album in my mind has so perfectly taken beat and style and mixed them effectively with what is essentially spoken word. If Discovery ushered the synth sound into my world, James Murphy put it on a pedestal. An album for music lovers, dancers (which I am definitely NOT one of), and most of all people who don't understand synth/electronic music. It's a conversion tool, and certainly has taken me back to listen to Murphy's previous "Sound of Silver" and "LCD Soundsystem" albums with focus and reverence.
#2. Vampire Weekend - Contra
When I first listened to Contra, straight through on a car ride alone, I immediately texted a friend "This is definitely going to be one of my top 10 albums of the year". And keep in mind, this was somewhere around the 2nd or 3rd week of January. 2010 was still an undiscovered landscape ahead of us. But somehow I knew. It certainly had to do with the instantly infectious guitar slide in "Cousins," and even more with the mind-blowing, game changing curve-ball of auto-tune in "California English". Contra started off strangely conventional, with the first 3 songs being strangely the weak part in my opinion, but from track 4 on Ezra Koenig and crew had me hooked into their world. In the Vampire Weekend realm, conventions are made to be exploited, and those strong over-done themes of love and loss appear behind a veil of wistful reflection. I was struck by the power of "Run," "Taxi Cab," and the deceptively mild-mannered finale of "Diplomat's Son" and "I Think Ur A Contra". Those last two linger like a lost memory on the edge of your mind, and I always find myself lusting for more. Certainly an album that's left its mark on my heart and will have a large influence on the future of music.
#3. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
This album is about the Civil War. No wait, it's about unrealized potential while living one's life in the normalcy of New Jersey. Or maybe it's just about wailing like Conor Oberst while The Dropkick Murphy's play in the background. Titus Andronicus is a hybrid of so many ideas and concepts that The Monitor is an album practically dedicated to wearing you out. Look up the lyrics for opener (and hands down best track) "A More Perfect Union," and you'll find quotes by Abraham Lincoln foreword-ing what seems like complaints about New Jersey, ultimately culminating in a "Battle Hymn of the Republic" chant. And from then on, the lesson, though dragged through excrement and booze, comes out clear: we are a nation made free through toil yet we are as broken as we've ever been. To be American is to be comprised of unfulfilled potential, all the while being told that we've fought to be where we are. It's an uncompromising, depressing, but alltogether eerily accurate depiction of this great Union. And let's face it, these guys should be up here just for the fact that they make grungy, dirty, in-your-face punk a legitimate effort that's worth your time. When was the last time that happened?
#4. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
When I consider all these albums, at this point I almost feel guilty for putting this so low at #4. Mumford & Sons will be with us for a long while, and I think Sigh No More may eventually be considered the album of the decade. Songs like "The Cave" and "Little Lion Man" are so catchy, not because they try to be or even because they try NOT to be, but because they stand alone as remnants of a man's soul, laid before us merely to consume. Marcus Mumford may be seen as brilliant, and indeed he can write a song extremely well. But the effects of M&S don't lie in the guitar or banjo work, even though they embellish the points already made and make for the danciest folk music you'll ever hear. The real magic lies in the straightforward emotion of his voice, and the fact that these lyrics are very very personal. Even the most easy-to-grab choruses have layers of personal strife and redemption. Songs like (my favorite) "White Blank Page" evoke desperate images of love not only unrequited but even spited. This album will fall into history for bringing the brawny masses together with the brainy hipsters in a way no other album has in a long, long, LONG while.
#5. Yeasayer - Odd Blood
The #5 spot was the toughest here. I'll list a bunch below that could easily have interchanged with Yeasayer. It needs to be said however, that Yeasayer has a kind of a hold on every part of me. Odd Blood is quirky, dancy, alternative, and riddled with enough moments of guilty pleasure that I cannot stop coming back to it. The only price you'll pay to get to this great music is one pathetic opener, as some producer surely missed the ball by not canning "The Children." But from then on, if you've never listened, prepare to be captivated. "Ambling Alp" is a single and yet somehow it's just too weird to be a single. "Madder Red" and "Love Me Girl" are poetic in their own ways, and would be miracles themselves if not for the KILLER "O.N.E." and "Rome". Both these songs grab and don't let go, embracing rhythm and their progressive nature into an extremely refreshing and unique sound. "O.N.E." is just a song that should never stop, should always be sung along to, and should be passed from friend to friend purely out of unadulterated joy.
Take a deep breath, I'm sure that was a lot. I hope though that this extrapolation can prove the point I was making earlier. These albums meant a lot to me; I've labored discussing them with others and myself, trying to understand their influence on us. So I hope anybody reading this will take a jump and try these out, if only to prove me wrong :)
Ones that almost made the list are below. I could write just as much about these, but they still haven't made their mark yet. But they all have merit in their own fields.
Bad Books - Bad Books (the best straight alternative album of the year. authentic and raw)
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (this is what good rap actually sounds like)
Grum - Heartbeats (electronic bliss)
Ra Ra Riot - The Orchard (try putting this on while smoking a cigar/pipe/hookah. sublime.)
Sleigh Bells - Treats (if only because it's changing music dramatically)
The National - High Violet (it's no Boxer, but it's delicious. forgettable, but delicious.)
Go listen to music. You owe me that.
-The Audio
