jon_chaisson (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
jon_chaisson) wrote2010-12-30 08:10 pm
jon_chaisson) wrote2010-12-30 08:10 pm
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[RTS] Jonc's Top Tunes of 2010
Hey kids!
I figure I may be a little busy tomorrow, between working (sigh) and doing some post-work shopping at Trader Joe's, then doing all sorts of silly end-of-year things. Okay, maybe not, but since I have the time now, I may as well share my countdown!
In no real particular order, here's my Top Twenty albums of 2010:
Linkin Park, A Thousand Suns
Interpol, Interpol
Civil Twilight, Civil Twilight*
OK Go, Of the Blue Colour of the Sky
UNKLE, Where Did the Night Fall
Middle Class Rut, No Name No Color
The Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
Band of Horses, Infinite Arms
The Gaslight Anthem, American Slang
Anberlin, Dark Is the Way, Light Is a Place
Duncan Sheik, Covers 80s EP
Editors, In This Light and On This Evening*
Scissor Sisters, Night Work
Best Coast, Crazy for You
Belle & Sebastian, Belle & Sebastian Write About Love
Hooverphonic, The Night Before
Massive Attack, Heligoland
Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More
Tricky, Mixed Race
Jimmy Eat World, Invented
* - Okay, technically these two came out last year, but their major reissues came out earlier this year so I'm keeping them here. :)
There's a good mix of both college radio/indie and major-label stuff here, as I tried to actively reach out to both sides this time out. There were quite a few things out there I did like, but these ended up being the albums I listened to most and consistently returned to. If anything, the UNKLE and the Interpol albums are probably my top favorites--not only are they two of my favorite bands, but their releases set the perfect mood for writing sessions. Close behind would be the always brilliant OK Go, with what definitely had to be their homage to Revolution-era Prince. :)
As for the songs themselves...well, there's a boatload of great songs that I liked this year, so I'll embed and/or link some nifty videos under a cut. Sorry if I went overboard here... :p
[NOTE: Also, sorry if some of these don't work right away...the VEVO channels have been acting up as of late and not playing.]
Vampire Weekend, "Cousins" from Contra, rel. 1/12/10
Once again these guys are hopped up on caffeine and creating a really fun video. Many of you have probably heard their track "Holiday" from the many commercials it's in. Or maybe in this delightfully odd video. Definitely a fun band to have around the house. :)
OK Go, "This Too Shall Pass" from Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, rel. 1/12/10
These guys totally had Music Video WIN this year. There's two videos for this song, and this one's my favorite. OK Go + Notre Dame Marching Band + Ghillie Suits = AWESOME. Of course, Rube Goldberg videos are awesome too. So are trained dogs (for "White Knuckles"). And time-lapse videos featuring large geese (for "End Love"). And lo-fi video effects (for "WTF"). And toast (for "Last Leaf"). Hell, they even apologized for angering YouTube. :p
Editors, "You Don't Know Love" from In This Light and On This Evening, US rel. 1/19/10.
Since I posted "Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool" earlier this year, I thought I'd share another track. This video's not nearly as disturbing as that one, but it's equally as strange. An excellent album, worth checking out.
Mumford & Sons, "Little Lion Man" from Sigh No More, rel. 2/16/10.
I've said in the past that these guys definitely remind me of The Waterboys, perhaps with a bit of Pogues thrown in. An extremely catchy and stomping-great song. (NOTE: This video has the f-word in it, in case you're at work.)
Civil Twilight, "Letters from the Sky" from Civil Twilight, rel. 4/6/10.
I know I posted this one before, but it's an excellent track and my top song of the year. The album is definitely worth getting.
UNKLE, "The Answer" from Where Did the Night Fall, rel. 5/11/10.
Can you tell I love my music all dark, moody and full of reverb? Heh. Seriously, I've been a fan of this band since Psyence Fiction back in '98 and they're still consistently awesome. I do like how this one sorta sounds like it's at the wrong speed. :)
Band of Horses, "Laredo" from Infinite Arms, rel. 5/18/10.
As I'd mentioned on Twitter, I never realized how much these guys sound like the Eagles. Kinda folksy-country-rock in a way. And speaking of bands sounding like 70s stars...
The Gaslight Anthem, "American Slang" from American Slang, rel. 6/15/10.
Now these guys sound like Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band circa Darkness or The River. This one got a lot of play while I was working from home, especially over the summer.
The Arcade Fire, "Ready to Start" from The Suburbs, rel. 8/3/10.
Once again this band has impressed me, this time with not only a strong album but a strong concept album at that.
Anberlin, "Impossible" from Dark Is the Way, Light is a Place, rel. 9/7/10.
I'd forgotten about this band until this album came out this year, and it's an intoxicatingly pop-rocky album that got quite a bit of airplay this way.
Interpol, "Lights" from Interpol, rel. 9/7/10.
They may have lost bassist Carlos D., and they may have gotten a bit weird with their sound, but this album blew me away on first listen--so much that I ended up pre-ordering it straight from the band right then. Once again these guys impressed the hell out of me.
Cake, "Sick of You" (released as a single), rel. 9/13/10.
YAY! Cake is back!!! This is so Indie Rock Pete's theme song. Channel 92.3 is playing the hell out of this song (well, they're sort of local, coming from Sacramento). Easily in the Top 5 songs of the year for me. New album in January! :)
Middle Class Rut, "New Low" from No Name No Color, rel. 10/5/10.
Another local band (again, from Sacramento), these guys are also getting quite a bit of play around these parts. A bit on the screaming side, but I like the crunchiness of their sound.
Kanye West, "Don't Look Down" (free download from his site), rel. 10/22/10.
I could have picked something from his weird-yet-good new album, but this one won out for me, and it got a lot of college radio play.
Crystal Castles feat. Robert Smith, "Not In Love" (single), rel. 11/22/10.
Hot damn, is this 80s or what?? Robert Smith, synthesizers, synth drums, gloomy lyrics...this is like a Wayback Machine for me!! I feel the need to wear my green trench coat now... :p
'
Hooverphonic, "The Night Before" from The Night Before, rel. 12/7/10.
YAY! Hooverphonic's back! They've got a new singer, but as always they're a great band and one of my favorites. This one definitely got a lot of play during my writing sessions as well.
Whew! A lot of great tracks this year! Probably the best alt-rock/college radio/indie year we've had in the last couple of years, I think. Definitely looking forward to next year, as there's supposed to be a goodly number of new albums by my favorite bands coming out (Cake, Wire, The Get Up Kids, Bush, REM, Bowling for Soup, Death Cab for Cutie and Foo Fighters, just to name a few...). Plus I've been listening to quite a bit of streamed college radio from both coasts, so I'm getting back into the indie swing of things again. Should be interesting.
Will post one last time tomorrow with more stuff. If I don't see you online tomorrow, here's to hoping everyone has an awesome, fantabulous and damn spiffy 2011! :)
I figure I may be a little busy tomorrow, between working (sigh) and doing some post-work shopping at Trader Joe's, then doing all sorts of silly end-of-year things. Okay, maybe not, but since I have the time now, I may as well share my countdown!
In no real particular order, here's my Top Twenty albums of 2010:
Linkin Park, A Thousand Suns
Interpol, Interpol
Civil Twilight, Civil Twilight*
OK Go, Of the Blue Colour of the Sky
UNKLE, Where Did the Night Fall
Middle Class Rut, No Name No Color
The Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
Band of Horses, Infinite Arms
The Gaslight Anthem, American Slang
Anberlin, Dark Is the Way, Light Is a Place
Duncan Sheik, Covers 80s EP
Editors, In This Light and On This Evening*
Scissor Sisters, Night Work
Best Coast, Crazy for You
Belle & Sebastian, Belle & Sebastian Write About Love
Hooverphonic, The Night Before
Massive Attack, Heligoland
Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More
Tricky, Mixed Race
Jimmy Eat World, Invented
* - Okay, technically these two came out last year, but their major reissues came out earlier this year so I'm keeping them here. :)
There's a good mix of both college radio/indie and major-label stuff here, as I tried to actively reach out to both sides this time out. There were quite a few things out there I did like, but these ended up being the albums I listened to most and consistently returned to. If anything, the UNKLE and the Interpol albums are probably my top favorites--not only are they two of my favorite bands, but their releases set the perfect mood for writing sessions. Close behind would be the always brilliant OK Go, with what definitely had to be their homage to Revolution-era Prince. :)
As for the songs themselves...well, there's a boatload of great songs that I liked this year, so I'll embed and/or link some nifty videos under a cut. Sorry if I went overboard here... :p
[NOTE: Also, sorry if some of these don't work right away...the VEVO channels have been acting up as of late and not playing.]
Vampire Weekend, "Cousins" from Contra, rel. 1/12/10
Once again these guys are hopped up on caffeine and creating a really fun video. Many of you have probably heard their track "Holiday" from the many commercials it's in. Or maybe in this delightfully odd video. Definitely a fun band to have around the house. :)
OK Go, "This Too Shall Pass" from Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, rel. 1/12/10
These guys totally had Music Video WIN this year. There's two videos for this song, and this one's my favorite. OK Go + Notre Dame Marching Band + Ghillie Suits = AWESOME. Of course, Rube Goldberg videos are awesome too. So are trained dogs (for "White Knuckles"). And time-lapse videos featuring large geese (for "End Love"). And lo-fi video effects (for "WTF"). And toast (for "Last Leaf"). Hell, they even apologized for angering YouTube. :p
Editors, "You Don't Know Love" from In This Light and On This Evening, US rel. 1/19/10.
Since I posted "Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool" earlier this year, I thought I'd share another track. This video's not nearly as disturbing as that one, but it's equally as strange. An excellent album, worth checking out.
Mumford & Sons, "Little Lion Man" from Sigh No More, rel. 2/16/10.
I've said in the past that these guys definitely remind me of The Waterboys, perhaps with a bit of Pogues thrown in. An extremely catchy and stomping-great song. (NOTE: This video has the f-word in it, in case you're at work.)
Civil Twilight, "Letters from the Sky" from Civil Twilight, rel. 4/6/10.
I know I posted this one before, but it's an excellent track and my top song of the year. The album is definitely worth getting.
UNKLE, "The Answer" from Where Did the Night Fall, rel. 5/11/10.
Can you tell I love my music all dark, moody and full of reverb? Heh. Seriously, I've been a fan of this band since Psyence Fiction back in '98 and they're still consistently awesome. I do like how this one sorta sounds like it's at the wrong speed. :)
Band of Horses, "Laredo" from Infinite Arms, rel. 5/18/10.
As I'd mentioned on Twitter, I never realized how much these guys sound like the Eagles. Kinda folksy-country-rock in a way. And speaking of bands sounding like 70s stars...
The Gaslight Anthem, "American Slang" from American Slang, rel. 6/15/10.
Now these guys sound like Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band circa Darkness or The River. This one got a lot of play while I was working from home, especially over the summer.
The Arcade Fire, "Ready to Start" from The Suburbs, rel. 8/3/10.
Once again this band has impressed me, this time with not only a strong album but a strong concept album at that.
Anberlin, "Impossible" from Dark Is the Way, Light is a Place, rel. 9/7/10.
I'd forgotten about this band until this album came out this year, and it's an intoxicatingly pop-rocky album that got quite a bit of airplay this way.
Interpol, "Lights" from Interpol, rel. 9/7/10.
They may have lost bassist Carlos D., and they may have gotten a bit weird with their sound, but this album blew me away on first listen--so much that I ended up pre-ordering it straight from the band right then. Once again these guys impressed the hell out of me.
Cake, "Sick of You" (released as a single), rel. 9/13/10.
YAY! Cake is back!!! This is so Indie Rock Pete's theme song. Channel 92.3 is playing the hell out of this song (well, they're sort of local, coming from Sacramento). Easily in the Top 5 songs of the year for me. New album in January! :)
Middle Class Rut, "New Low" from No Name No Color, rel. 10/5/10.
Another local band (again, from Sacramento), these guys are also getting quite a bit of play around these parts. A bit on the screaming side, but I like the crunchiness of their sound.
Kanye West, "Don't Look Down" (free download from his site), rel. 10/22/10.
I could have picked something from his weird-yet-good new album, but this one won out for me, and it got a lot of college radio play.
Crystal Castles feat. Robert Smith, "Not In Love" (single), rel. 11/22/10.
Hot damn, is this 80s or what?? Robert Smith, synthesizers, synth drums, gloomy lyrics...this is like a Wayback Machine for me!! I feel the need to wear my green trench coat now... :p
'
Hooverphonic, "The Night Before" from The Night Before, rel. 12/7/10.
YAY! Hooverphonic's back! They've got a new singer, but as always they're a great band and one of my favorites. This one definitely got a lot of play during my writing sessions as well.
Whew! A lot of great tracks this year! Probably the best alt-rock/college radio/indie year we've had in the last couple of years, I think. Definitely looking forward to next year, as there's supposed to be a goodly number of new albums by my favorite bands coming out (Cake, Wire, The Get Up Kids, Bush, REM, Bowling for Soup, Death Cab for Cutie and Foo Fighters, just to name a few...). Plus I've been listening to quite a bit of streamed college radio from both coasts, so I'm getting back into the indie swing of things again. Should be interesting.
Will post one last time tomorrow with more stuff. If I don't see you online tomorrow, here's to hoping everyone has an awesome, fantabulous and damn spiffy 2011! :)