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| From | "John L. Micek" <jlmicek@verizon.net> |
| Subject | Top 10 of 2010. |
| Date | Fri, 31 Dec 2010 10:40:53 -0500 |
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Here's my Top 10 on the year.
This list originally ran in Lehigh Valley Music, the music blog of
the Allentown (Pa) Morning Call, where I cover PA politics and
government.
http://blogs.mcall.com/lehighvalleymusic/2010/12/top-ten-cds-
of-2010.html
Happy New Year,
John
1. "Wake Up The Nation," Paul Weller.
After a bit of creative stagnation, the Modfather put out one of his
strongest solo sets in years with this disc. Dancing from Northern
Soul to Dad Rock to Space Age Bachelor Pad music, "Wake Up The
Nation," finds Weller at his adventurous best. The disc is worth the
price of admission alone with his caustic admonition to the kids to
"Get your face out of Facebook" on the title track. Best of all, he's
rejoined by oringal Jam bassist Bruce Foxton on one track.
2. "Contra," Vampire Weekend.
These precocious Columbia grads get a lot of stick for peppering
their lyrics with references to Louis Vuitton and what, to shallow
observers, seems a celebration of the Upper East Side lifestyle.
A closer inspection, however, reveals some sharp social commentary
and the unavoidable reality that Vampire Weekend are making some of
the most melodically challenging music around. You can't be a slouch
and still find your way around African poly-rhythms. Stand out tracks
here include "California English" and the absolutely joyous "White Sky."
3. "Body Talk (Parts I and II)," Robyn.
You can keep your Lady GaGa and her Warhol-On-Training-Wheels stylings.
When it comes to brainy dance-pop, we'll take this brace of EPs from
the Swedish pop singer born Robin Miriam Carlsson.
Sprung from the same Nordic pop-factory that stamped out the earlier
offerings from Britney and Christina, Ms. Carlsson took her fate in
her own hands a few years back, shunned the majors, went indie, and
quietly began making some absolutely exhilarating dance-pop.
This year, she hit her apogee with "Body Talk," a pair of EPs that
put current pop divas, like the increasingly predictable and amelodic
Rihanna, to shame. Listen to the biggest hit from this collection
"Dancing on My Own," and you can swear you hear her heart breaking.
4."Heaven Is Whenever," The Hold Steady
The Brooklyn combo uneasily wore the crown of America's greatest bar
band this year, occasionally hitting and missing the mark with their
follow-up to 2008's "Stay Positive."
Going without the services of departed keyboardist Franz Nicolay, who
seemed to play the Jay Bennett role to hyper-wordy lyricist/vocalist
Craig Finn, the 10 tracks here lack some of the melodic subtlety of
earlier releases.
That said, Finn has not lost his touch with a hook or the deftly
turned phrase as standout track "Hurricane J" reminds us.
5. "Alive Till I'm Dead," Professor Green.
With American hip-hop seemingly out of creative juice, the arrival of
this English MC seemed just the tonic that rap fans were looking for
in 2010. Sadly, only available as an import, you had to look hard to
find this LP. Stand-out here is "Just Be Good to Green," which
features a guest vocal from UK pop chanteuse Lilly Allen.
The Bottom Five starts after the jump.
6. "Unreleased Demos," Wiley.
The East London grime maestro opened the vaults this year, making
literally hundreds of unreleased tracks available as free downloads
to his fans. An absolute embarrassment of riches, and a reminder of
the loyalty that's spawned when performers rip down the walls that
separate them from their fans. It also tells you all you need to know
about the current pop scene that a treasure trove of unreleased demos
was more interesting than anything actually released by a major label
in 2010.
7. "Unseen Music/Unheard Words," Steve Kilbey/Martin Kennedy.
Thirty years into his rock career, Kilbey, the bassist and lyricist
for Aussie guitar legends The Church, teamed with Kennedy, of the
ambient outfit All-India Radio, for this lounge-y collection that
makes for perfect late-night or cloudy Sunday afternoon listening.
Not the most accessible introduction for newbies, but for Kilbey
completists, it's an essential addition to an already varied solo
catalogue.
8. "The Queens English," Mark Bacino.
If anyone ever tells you that power-pop is played out as a genre, and
nothing interesting has been said since The Raspberries and Big Star
hung up their guitars, you can remind them that the scene is, in
fact, burgeoning. And you can use the latest solo offering from the
NYC-born singer/songwriter to make your argument.
Bacino has penned a love letter to his hometown on his newest outing
and the tunes are about as diverse as you'd expect from a city where
you can walk through Chinese, Italian and Irish neighborhoods in just
a few blocks. Recommended: "Bridge and Tunnel," a string-driven
number for a musical yet to be written.
9. "The Sound of the Sunshine," Michael Franti & Spearhead.
If you're not dancing after listening this irresistible collection of
reggae and dancehall from the veteran singer/guitarist, seek help.
There's clearly something wrong with you.
10. "Postcards From a Young Man," Manic Street Preachers.
Two decades into their career, this Welsh three-piece have rarely
sounded as energized. One suspects it may have something to do with
the mainstream success of 2007's "Send Away the Tigers," and last
year's cathartic "Journal for Plague Lovers," which found James Dean
Bradfield and Co. recover their creative mojo after a bit of water-
treading. They may never hit the high water mark of "The Holy Bible"
ever again. But the Manics on a bad day tend to be better than most.
Honorable Mentions: "I Hate Girls," Parallax Project; "Raucous
Americanus," The Tim Lee Three; "This is Happening," LCD Soundsytem;
"Sale y Sol," Shakira, "Duppy Writer," Roots Manuva; "My Best Friend
Is You," Kate Nash; "Head First," Goldfrapp; "One Life Stand," Hot
Chip; "Love is Rain," The Badlees, "S/T," Broken Bells.
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