Album of the Year 2010: Number 4

Sufjan Stevens: The Age of Adz (Asthmatic Kitty Records) [9.5]

It’s with a heavy heart that I place this here, three places below where it was only a few weeks ago. It’s been a tough choice separating the conscious decision about what the best music of the year and who my favourite artist of the last few years is and coming up with a list that works…

So putting the fact that Sufjan is some sort of music god to one side and admitting that three albums this year are better (one of those keeps climbing) has been hard but necessary and so we see him here, with his third top five spot in five years (number three in 2005 with Illinoise and number one last year with The BQE).

So why has he finished up at number four and not higher this time? It’s as much to do with Sufjan’s attempt to find the perfect sound than with anything else, as in this album we get a real sense of the two sides of Sufjan: first is the Sufjan that needs no real explanation of quality, the side that marries gorgeous tunes to his presence-filled voice…

 

Sufjan is as Sufjan does

Followed by the Sufjan that infuriates, even though I understand exactly what he’s doing, that is the experimental Sufjan, playing around with styles, instruments and even his voice to see what the results are. It’s funny, as it’s rare to hear him described as experimental, mostly alternative, yet he’s one of the most experimental artists I know.

Stevens released this album and an EP this year (All Delighted People) and seeing as the EP is as long as the album, I would have loved him to have done an Eels and released two albums. If he’d done that he could have released one album of experimental tunes and one of the stuff you see above, which would have been easily my album of 2010.

Which, leads me onto an announcement now, and that is the song of 2010 and what better place to announce it, for it is…

 

Taken from All Delighted People 2010.

Album of the Year 2010: Number 5

Holy Fuck: Latin (Holy Fuck Music) [9.4]

I’m brave enough to now admit that this is the highest placed instrumental album of 2010, meaning that there will be no repeat of 2009 and the shock of a completely instrumental album taking top spot. For this year the lyricists won out.

But the top five is no mean feat and this is one powerhouse of an album from mellow intro to powerful conclusion and I have listened to this album so, so much over the last few months, with it climbing up the chart with almost every reckoning.

The album was released with a bonus CD, titled + Ghost, which isn’t included in this verdict, being as I haven’t listened to it anywhere near as much and because, when seeing the comments and listings for the album, I only see Latin mentioned. Together they make a decent length album actually as Latin is a bit short on minutes, only racking up about 38 in total.

For lovers of the music over the lyrics there is a lot to admire here, and after my introduction to the band with their excellent 2007 album, LP, I am impressed by how ‘different’ they sound, especially in an age where everything sounds like something else. They are one of the few bands this year that I have trouble picking a band which compares when discussing them.

Have a look at the video for Red Lights, easily one of the silliest videos of the year (meaning it’s one of my favourites too):

 

Cat lovers everywhere rejoice!

An interesting side dish to this is that this is one of the bands that Maddoc has got a real kick out of when listening to over the Christmas holiday and asked the question I have dreaded him asking since I got the album earlier this year,

What’s this band called Daddy?

[Only four to go, but who’s there?]

Album of the Year 2010: Number 6

The Flaming Lips: The Flaming Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs with Henry Rollins and Peaches Doing The Dark Side of the Moon (Warner Bros) [9.4]

And yes, it’s now time for my blasphemy spot on the top ten, knowing, as I do, quite a few of my friends’ aversions to the thing called the cover version…

Now knowing people have an aversion to cover versions and then hitting them with not only a song for song cover of an entire album but the said album being one of the finest albums of all time is only asking for trouble and for people to stop reading my music blog right here, right now (as Fatboy Slim might put it) or?

You know I’m more than happy to argue my corner on most things musical, making the odd exception for nostalgia music, but here I’m right up for the fight, you tell me when you want it and I’ll set the date…

No, but seriously this is an absolute fucking pearl of an album, not in the nearest region of being able to clean Gilmour/Waters, et al’s shoes but that doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because The Flaming Lips (with assorted ensemble) have managed to cover a masterpiece and make it sound rather lovely. I know the question is why? Why bother remaking that great film, the great album, that great novel? Because we do it all the time, if we don’t quote we paraphrase, I mean we constantly hear samples of other tunes in our favourite tunes, apparently everyone has been inspired  by the beatles (lower case ALWAYS intentional there) and Shakespeare’s classic tragedies are just rip-offs of great Greek tragedies (great covers mind)…

So forget it, forget it right now and have a listen, see if it is worth one or not – you might think no but then there should be other reasons for that. Argue with your beliefs, argue with your trends, constantly, cause man, it makes for better music, you hear better stuff all the time!

So what do I like about this? Do you care? Course you do…

 

It’s not Floyd you know…stop listening…

I like it because it’s energetic, because they try things and they play around with stuff. I like it because every time I hear this album it makes me want to listen to the original again, which can be a bad sign, when you feel you need to wipe the cover from your memory, but in this case it makes me realise (as if I didn’t already) just how great the whole musical arrangement of the album is and why it’s still being hailed 37 years later. Is it still the best selling LP of all time?

It’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, in fact I read some abuse on the YouTube page where I got the video from, but I think it’s excellent and I’ve really enjoyed listening to it all year (it was one of the first of 2010 I got, being as it was released in December 2009).

[Remember there is a few days break now before we hit the top five on Monday 27th December – have a fantastic Christmas and see you on the other side…the light side?]

Album of the Year 2010: Number 7

Emeralds: Does it Look Like I’m Here? (Editions Mego) [9.2]

There’s some nostalgia mixed in with this one, as it’s time for one of my embarrassing confessions here, being that I am actually a fan of the German synth band, Tangerine Dream. I still remember the day, when I was living in Copenhagen, and my flatmate came in and asked what the ‘Pac-man music’ was that I was playing…

Which goes some to explaining this particular album’s lofty position (actually less lofty than it was last week, when it was sitting in the top five and seemed to be a contender for number one), as there is a real sense of nostalgia when listening, as they seem to have taken the music of Tangerine Dream and upped the ante, to make something much more modern and accessible, whilst retaining the essence of the band of my youth.

Have a look at a section of my favourite track (and the longest) Genetic here:

 

5 minutes of the 12 minute classic on the album.

I think it’s the inclusion of the guitars that make Emeralds feel more solid/more real than a band like Tangerine Dream, as, although the purely synth music of bands like Tangerine Dream and others of their ilk has lost much of its popularity, the addition of instruments with ‘clout’ add a new dimension.

The album flows along very nicely, it shifts and sways at the right times and is further indication that you can wow me with instrumental albums (if the number one album of 2009 didn’t show that) rather than this misconception (mostly brought about by myself it has to be said) that I am lyric fixated.

And there is another completely instrumental album still to come in this chart…

[Look out tomorrow for number six before a well earned break for Christmas!]

Album of the Year 2010: Number 8

The Knife: Tomorrow, In a Year (Brille Records) [9.1]

First up, you have to love music, I mean really love music, for this requires all the senses, all the faculties, patience, understanding and a whole host of other attributes too fearful to mention to get your head around it all otherwise.

David Sheppard, in his BBC review of the album has it spot on here when he states:

Okay, on paper it does sound a bit complicated, esoteric and, frankly, a bit bonkers: an opera, commissioned by a Danish performance art group, based on the theories of Charles Darwin, made by Swedish siblings Olof and Karin Dreijer, alias The Knife, who are better known for digital art pop and for donning spooky plague masks than for their insights into genetic mutation. Oh, and it also features three guest vocalists, including an operatic mezzo-soprano and some obscure electronic mates from mysterious Mitteleuropa and, er, Bolton.

The album is split into two CDs and while I enjoy both, I think I must have listened to the second CD around fifty times, compared to maybe ten for the first. The second is much more accessible and is a sort of pop/electronic meets classical sound, whilst the first is much more of the experimental meets classical/operatic. There is much to take in and I have very rarely listened to the two together, being as I was a little overwhelmed after the first attempt…(I warned you, it takes a lot this one!)

The BBC compare this to Björk, Crystal Castles and Fever Ray but I hasten to add that I don’t necessarily concur with that one. I would go as so far as to say that Björk’s Volta and Medulla, have enough of the ‘crazy juice’ in them to put them on a par but I’m not sure listeners of Björk will appreciate this or indeed vice versa.

If you want to get an idea of how hard work this is at times, then just have a listen to the three tracks on CD one: Intro, Minerals and Ebb Tide Explorer, then you’ve passed the test and can move to the next level…

Today, whilst looking for something to represent the album, I found a remix of probably my favourite track on CD two: Colouring of  Pigeons, so enjoy:

 

No video (unfortunately) but pretty tunes nonetheless!

You know what they say (I love the they, conjuring up wonderful images always) that hard work pays off, and I’m pretty sure it has for me here. By persevering with this one I think I’ve uncovered one of the absolute gems of 2010. Give it a chance you might just love it (or go mad in the process)!

[Look out for number seven on the morrow!]

Album of the Year 2010: Number 9

The Orb featuring David Gilmour: Metallic Spheres (Columbia) [9.0]

There’s just much that’s right about this collaboration that I don’t know where to start. I’ve always enjoyed The Orb’s music, right from my first encounter with them and U.F. Orb (yep, I missed the debut), which I still consider their best album.

They’ve gone up and down in my estimations over the years but have always put a lot into their music and their style is most certainly their own.

So to then bring in one of the greatest musician of our time, and not just have him featuring in an, ‘hey let’s have some Gilmour guitar playing on here’, but to actually give the man the respect he’s due by giving him a large chunk of input in the recording, planning, and producing and you’re setting yourself up for a classic.

The CD contains two tracks, Metallic Spheres/Hymns to the Sun/Black Graham/Hiding in Plain View/Classified and Es Vedra/Hymn to the Sun (Reprise)/Olympic/Chicago Dub/Bold Knife Trophy and if you’re a clever little so and so, you’ll go out and get the version with the bonus disc, containing the 3D60 Version (the same tracks but different).

This is one of the few in the ten that I loved on first listen, mainly due to the ever present sound of Gilmour, his guitar, his voice, his style and marrying it with The Orb’s ambient electronic sound just seems so effortless, so obvious that you wonder why they haven’t worked together before.

Unlike some of the other albums in the chart, this is one that can be listened to easily, in the background, yet I have enjoyed it the most in a dark room, the headphones on, resulting in 48 minutes of absolute bliss.

Here’s a taster of what you’ll get when you get around to getting the album, and as you watch this I’ll go and dig out some of my old Floyd stuff (don’t worry though I’ll be back tomorrow with number eight – which may come as a shock to a couple reading this).

The great David Gilmour works on Metallic Spheres

Album of the Year 2010: Number 10

10. Matthew Dear: Black City (Ghostly) [8.9]

Well there was a fair bit of debating on Friday about whether this or Erland and the Carnival were going to take the number ten spot, close as they are in quality, albeit different worlds when it comes to styles.

Another album that takes time to get into, being listed as electronic, although I’d see it as more avant-garde, following on from Martin Grech a few years ago.

There’s a lot to dislike actually on the first few listens, as Dear’s voice is not the most enduring, there seems to be some rather naive melodies, interestingly silly humming (again, this resulted in the wife wondering what the hell I was listening to when I played Slowdance the other day – easily my favourite song on the album).

Yet it grows, and then it grows, and then it grows some more, and it seems my lack of knowledge of the artist has worked against me, as those familiar with Dear’s work had some idea of how to approach the album.

There’s very obvious influences from his days as a DJ, and, as the Pitchfork review states:

Dear doesn’t really do clean electro-pop; his approach is more about pushing contrasting sounds together and leaving the edges jagged. The other part is his vocals. Dear is not a classically strong singer and can often sound pretty flat; importantly he knows how to make up for it.

This is what appeals to me, the idea of a jagged electro-pop feel, rather than a clean, dancefloor friendly effect. The other positive is that Dear is also aware of his vocal limitations and what he needs to do about that.

If you want to put this on in the background and see how it sounds, you’re going to be rather disappointed. This is an album that needs time and serious listening. If both are assigned to it then I am pretty sure you’ll realise why it’s in this lofty position.

A rather interesting montage teaser for the album…

[Stay tuned tomorrow for number nine!]

Album of the Year 2010: 20-11

And here it begins, the official countdown of the best albums of 2010. For those missing the post yesterday, numbers 20 to 11 will be listed here before the top 10 is listed day by day over the Christmas period, with the album of the year being announced on its traditional date of New Year’s Eve.

20. Dr. Dog: Shame, Shame (Anti) [8.3]

I’m not sure if I’m coming to Dr. Dog eight years late due to being a bit slow or due to this being their Anti debut, Anti being a record label I follow, due to a certain Tom Waits.

There is much to like on the album and I’m trying to decide which of the ten bands they remind me of, and more importantly, why that is important.

It’s a very well put together album, with some decent tunes, decent lyrics and it puts me in a good mood when I hear it (which is maybe why it’s not as high up as it could be).

If you’ve not heard them, then I’d give them a listen. They might not blow you away on initial listen but they are a grower.

19. Laurie Anderson: Homeland (Nonesuch) [8.3]

I’m unaware of how much of an introduction Laurie Anderson needs, so I will point any curious individuals to the Nonesuch website for more info. I would have actually totally missed this one if it wasn’t for Steve Duffy, and it’s one of the main reasons I do this and one of the main reasons I ask for tips through the year, as I miss so much.

This album has some real strengths and some powerhouse tracks (Falling, Flow) but like many experimental albums doesn’t work as a whole. I find two tracks on the album a little irritating: Only an Expert has a nice message but I feel it ultimately suffers from a dated melody and Another Day in America is easily one of my least favourite tracks of 2010.

However, the album is well worth a listen and extremely well put together.

18. Eels: Tomorrow Morning (E Works) [8.3]

Not having double checked my stats (I will later) I think this is the lowest the Eels have ever finished in the album of the year reckoning for me, usually within the top five and once (1998 and Electro-Shock Blues) a winner. This album is the third in a trilogy project for the man called E, the first being Hombre Lobo (finishing at number five last year) before being followed by End Times six months later (February this year) and finished off with this, six months on (August).

It’s a very well put together album and has that distinct Eels sound that I have come to love. There are some very enjoyable songs on the CD: Oh So Lovely, Baby Loves Me, That’s Not Her Way but I have to admit no classics. This will be the first year that the Eels have released an album (in fact this year, as mentioned above, there are two) where no tracks will feature on the year’s best CD.

17. Broken Social Scene: Forgiveness Rock Record (Arts & Crafts) [8.4]

You know I’ve been trying to nudge this album out of the way since I got hold of it, and it just won’t budge. It’s so determined to be in the twenty, and at seventeen finishes rather highly thank you very much.

It’s because it sounds very superficial and boppy and happy but in truth is more than that, Art House Director being a classic example of that. It moves along, drags you in, makes you tap your feet and smile, and it’s then you realise what is going on behind the song, the intricacies of the instruments and the whole collaborative feeling. There can be between six and nineteen people in the band at any one time and the similarities with Lambchop don’t end there.

Cracking album!

16. Eels: End Times (E Works) [8.5]

And here is the other Eels album of the year, only a couple of places above Tomorrow Morning. I don’t know if I feel like it was just an overwhelming of Eels stuff or if other stuff was affecting me this year but I feel like the three releases in a short space of time was maybe not the best idea.

Don’t get me wrong, it is fantastic and there are some very Eels sounding tracks on here: In my Younger Days, End Times and Apple Trees being particular favourites.

If you haven’t heard the mastery of the Eels, then this album is actually a good place to start.

 

15. Deerhunter: Halycon Digest (4AD) [8.5]

If 4AD release an album you can be pretty sure it will find its way into my year’s best of somewhere and so it should be no surprise that those who know me and my music tastes to learn that there is another 4AD release coming up soon. What may be a surprise is not only that I’ve missed a 4AD release in 2010 but that it’s also an Efterklang record. Oh man, I’m going to be kicking myself for that one!

Anyway, Deerhunter are a band I have struggled with a tad over the years but seem to have come into their own with this, their fourth studio album. I admit it takes a little while to get into and was much lower in my charts before the cut-off point for the stage two selections. I’m almost tempted to go through their back catalogue now to see if I was over hasty then too…

14. Julian Lynch: Mare (Olde English Spelling Bee) [8.5]

I was ready to dismiss this one immediately, before the full first listen and that would have been one of the crimes of 2010! I read a review the other day which commented that you could enjoy this simply, just letting it wash over you, or you could go deeper and fully explore it. I don’t actually agree with the comment as I don’t think it can be listened to as a background album at all. I think it’s very complex and requires many listens before its geniality comes through – of which there is much.

Ruth, My Sister is a good example of the album, as it is a really simple sounding tune but not easy to get into unless given a few listens. It’s this kind of complicated style that will mean Lynch is missed off several best ofs this year, I fear.

13. Natalie Merchant: Leave your Sleep (Noneshuch) [8.6]

And, at the risk of sounding like a broken record (ooh clever there eh?), I can state that, even taking the fact that I am a Natalie Merchate devotee into account, I still nearly booted this off the chart much earlier than it deserved. It’s because this is one hell of a difficult early listen, given as how Merchant decides to mix up so many different styles in an examination of childhood through music. Roots named this as the best packaged album of the year.

Once you get over the styles and give the album its due, it’s rather beautiful and a return to form for Merchant, who I feel has not been at her best over recent years.

Interesting to note on this album that whilst I was playing it the other day, my wife commented that this wasn’t the sort of thing I listened to. I understood what she meant on the one hand but merely replied with “I listen to everything, me” – eloquent and succinct to the last…

12. Bombay Bicycle Club: Flaws (Island) [8.7]

An artist and album I would have missed entirely if not for my friend Ian Stackhouse, who hasn’t mentioned it yet in his year’s best (and I fully expect it to finish high up his chart) and I have been very impressed since the first listen.

Very reminiscent of Devandra Banhart and Vetiver for me, in fact, I had to check the sleeve to look for Banhart’s involvement, as the voice of the lead singer (Jack) is so like Banhart’s it is untrue.

But it is its own sound and it’s a really lovely album, a cracking little debut from four teenagers who can definitely go a long way. Merely listening to the opening two tracks Rinse me Down and Many Ways gives you an idea of what a gem this album is!

11. Erland and the Carnival: Erland and the Carnival (Butterfly Recordings) [8.9]

This really does feel like the start of the top ten, especially as I was having so many problems choosing between this and the album currently sitting at number ten.

A group formed by Simon Tong (Blur, The Verve, The Good and Bad, and the Queen), these guys have released a very competent debut and this is an artist I’ll be following with interest over the coming years.

I love the mix of alternative music with the smattering of old Scottish and English folk songs and whilst this is a very easy album to get into, the more you listen to it the better it gets.

Look out for the middle section of the album and Disturbed this Morning and Was You Ever See: excellent stuff!

[Keep an eye out for Sunday (19th December) when the top ten begins…]

2010 heralds the new era for the album of the year

Ooh, that all sounded dramatic didn’t it? You’d half expect that I have decided to release a couple of albums and set them up for contention – or even set up my own music company…hmm…

Anyway, on to the point and one thing that comes in this year is that I have decided to design the year’s best song CD cover by using a friend’s photo from the year (or that I have at least seen for the first time that year). I have several friends, very adept with a camera who have jumped up at this idea (well they said yes) and so this year’s photo comes from Karin Strand, and will be unveiled in the next couple of days.

So, the idea that was hatched yesterday was inspired directly by Ian Stackhouse and indirectly by Claudi Martin, as I’ve been having chats with both about this year’s music and Ian has been posting his top 15 albums bought in 2010 on his Facebook.

What am I doing then? Well, last year I announced the albums between 20 and 11 in the chart on 20th December, before announcing 10 to 6 on 23rd December before the all important top five on 31st December. Naming the top five on New Year’s Eve has been a tradition since 1999 and this year I change it…*gasp*…as this year I have a new schedule.

17th December (tomorrow) will see the announcement of the albums finishing in the 20-11 slots before we move on to the top ten albums of the year, which will be announced daily…yes, you heard me, daily.

Here’s the schedule:

Sunday 19th December: 10

Monday 20th December: 9

Tuesday 21st December: 8

Wednesday 22nd December: 7

Thursday 23rd December: 6

Monday 27th December: 5

Tuesday 28th December: 4

Wednesday 29th December: 3

Thursday 30th December: 2

Friday 31st December: 1

2010 is the year I turned 40 and the year I came up with the idea of the new covers (and new titles) for each year, so it makes sense if I’m going to change this, I should do it here.

Moving into the Top Twenty of 2010

It’s been a very interesting week here at ‘Album of the Year 2010’ central (wish it was some fancy office, shaped as an LP and adorned with music memorabilia but hey, life intervenes!) or more importantly weekend, as after deciding on the twenty albums that shall go forth as contenders for album of the year this year and removing the other eleven in the mix, I did my annual pilgrimage of the music mags, to see how we compared, or, more importantly, differed.

And my do we differ, with not one single magazine having my current number one anywhere in their chart. Whether it be 50 albums or 20, there is no sign of the album that has affected me most, so far, this year.

Goes to show how much I they know eh?

And so, without further ado, here are the albums that are leaving the stage now, and the next time you will get a report from the album of the year, it will be to let you know the albums between 20 and 11 (all neatly presented with links and album covers – my I spoil you lot!).

Here’s the list:

• Wild Nothing: Gemini [8.0] First time I’ve heard them, very impressed!
• Wavves: King of the Beach [8.0] See above!
• Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse: Dark Night of the Soul [8.0] Fan of Sparklehorse and actually had bigger hopes for this one.
• Four Tet: There is Love in You [8.1] Didn’t like this at all at first but it really grew on me!
• Kaki King: Junior [8.1] Really warming to Kaki King, I think she’s a talent to watch!
• Jonsi: Go [8.1] Preferred the Jonsi and Alex collaboration better last year and of course Sigur Ros.
• Interpol: Interpol [8.1] Not one of their best and nowhere as good as Julien Plenti.
• Laura Veirs: July Flame [8.1] Love Laura and it’s a great album.
• Laura Marling: I Speak Because I Can [8.2] Really enjoyed this, and a couple of the songs are real stand outs!
• Massive Attack: Heligoland [8.2] Excellent as always.
• Midlake: The Courage of Others [8.2] Feel like I’m a steady Midlake fan now!