Albums of the Year 2010 - Honourable Mentions

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MGMT: 'Congratulations' for the honourable mention

It's that time of year again! Over the past couple of weeks, music hacks the world over have been holing themselves up in dimly lit bedrooms, agonising for literally moments over whether they prefer The National or Arcade Fire's chord changes, or desperately racking their brains for that obscure, enigmatic pick that will impress the people on the tube who have clear lens glasses and one side of their hair shaved off. Me? I've gone with the heart in compiling my favourite 25 records of the year, which means there are a few returning favourites, a handful of distinctly anti-zeitgeist picks, and above all: a lot of guitar. For the record, I think it's been a fair to middling year for music, lacking any life changing ephiphanies of sound, but nonetheless chock full of many fine records.

Anyway... before I post my 25 Albums of the Year 2010 (coming in three parts later in the week), I thought it necessary to honour some of the LPs that didn't quite make the cut, for reasons too numerous too mention here. Music should be about celebration, not exclusion, and each one of the good to very good 29 records listed below has provided prolonged enjoyment or touched me in some way. They all come highly recommended, and you should check them out, particularly those that fall under your spectrum of musical taste. I've also included a handful of compilations, which were barred from the final list, but are still very worthy of mention.

Here's the list, in no particular order, with a link provided to one of the records' choice cuts [or, if you're lazy, here's a link to a Spotify playlist]:


Mystery Jets - Serotonin (Rough Trade)
'Flash A Hungry Smile' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuzqD_ymV60

Kings Of Leon - Come Around Sundown (RCA)
'Pickup Truck' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51LozvKPDs8

Robyn - Body Talk [see also Body Talk Pts 1, 2 + 3] (Konichiwa)
'Hang With Me' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3a2qoyONVA

Yeti Lane - Yeti Lane (Sonic Cathedral)
'Lonesome George' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thzfS3oHlTE

Massive Attack - Heligoland (Virgin)
'Girl I Love You' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2InDdOsvtA

High Wire - The Sleep Tape (Grandpa Stan)
'Hang From the Lights' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKJMvcdQmA4

MGMT - Congratulations (Sony)
'Song For Dan Treacy' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LP7r7bRgBzg

Wavves - King of the Beach (Bella Union)
'Linus Spacehead' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdkp67_JOiQ

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Let It Sway (Polyvinyl)
'Critical Drain' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vGd5Sneq88

No Age - Everything In Between (Sub Pop)
'Valley Hump Crash' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fPGn2RARSo

Edwyn Collins: Unlikely to be 'Losing Sleep' over failing to make the final cut

Edwyn Collins - Losing Sleep (Heavenly Recordings)
'Losing Sleep' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x64tqDrHgM

Manic Street Preachers - Postcards From a Young Man (Sony)
'Billion Balconies Facing the Sun' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKr2xQVuaME

Good Shoes - No Hope No Future (Brille)
'City By the Sea' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvKRy1mmVXQ

V/A - Afro-Beat Airways: West African Shock Waves [Ghana & Togo 1972-78] (Analog Africa)
Majirata - 'Break Through' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9wD86nHZg0

The Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever (Vagrant)
'Weekenders' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=744-m7CXs6E

Kelis - Flesh Tone (Interscope)
'Scream' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-F5t7KMTgk

The Young Veins - Take A Vacation (One Haven)
'Young Veins (Die Tonight)' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofs24w2_GiE

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (Mercury)
'City With No Children' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9riPB-OR0nU

Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest (4AD)
'Revival' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uowHgu2ZYSg

Rihanna - Loud (Island/Def Jam)
'Only Girl In The World' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa14VNsdSYM

V/A - Tropicalia: A Brazilian Revolution In Sound (Soul Jazz Records)
'A Minha Menina' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEpSFOibJho 

Fool's Gold: Not fooling anyone

Fool's Gold - Fool's Gold (IAMSOUND)
'Nadine' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbkl-GzVYbI

Dinosaur Pile-Up - Growing Pains (Friends Vs)
'Never That Together' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiSZGbRhk0k

Adam Green - Minor Love (Rough Trade)
'Buddy Bradley' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGUcS5Auiac

Sky Larkin - Kaleide (Wichita)
'Still Windmills' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbGXAbYtoLY

Stereolab - Not Music (Duophonic UHF Disks)
'Supah Jaianto' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaaOuwtEMSw

V/A - The Best of Fried Egg Records [Bristol 1979-80] (Fried Egg Records)
The Various Artists - 'Original Mixed Up Kid' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nJzF3yOUy8

Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM (Because)
'In the End' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jayt8szqSDU

John Legend and the Roots - Wake Up (Getting Out Our Dreams/Sony)
'Shine' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnLUCry0DqY 

Agree or disagree? Should any of these picks made my top 25? Leave your comments below

Short Cuts! New Releases 25/1/10: Part 2

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*** Digestible run-downs of this week’s new releases, including track recommendations from THE POPSCENER***

Laura Veirs - July Flame

At first glance, this record appeared to be more of the kind of twiddly folk music tailor made for Waitrose adverts. At second glance, it still is, but in contrast to the perpetually disappointing ‘nu-folk’ from this side of the Atlantic, Veirs’ Portland residence gives this a more satisfying slant – dryer, less faux-authentic, and far less sorry for itself. Two dazzling tracks (‘Where are you driving’ and ‘Life is Good Blues’) help, whilst the others lope along in a soothingly pleasant, if unremarkable, manner.

Choice Cuts: ‘Where Are You Driving’, ‘Life Is Good Blues’

7/10

Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM

Sacre bleu! The brain haemorrhage debacle around which this concept-ish effort is based not only makes IRM a remarkable achievement in itself, but also provides a complimentary sub-plot to the songs, without ever becoming intrusive. Musically, writer/producer/arranger extraordinaire Beck leaves his indelible mark – notably dry beats and squirming sound effects – across tracks such as ‘IRM’, whilst Gainsbourg does her Francoise Hardy bit on couple tracks (‘Le Chat du Cafes des Artistes’), and the slightly unlikely collaborators even manage to enliven honky blues run throughs such as ‘Dandelion’. Bon.

Choice Cuts: ‘Master’s Hands’, ‘Le Chat Du Cafe Des Artistes’, ‘Time of the Assassins’

7.5/10

Beach House – Teen Dream

Objective as ever I am, seeing the ‘dream-pop’ label on Wikipedia made me feel I should like this more, but unfortunately I don’t. Minor problems thus: Legrand’s vocals approach Nico-esque baritone but are drowned in the mix; ‘Zebra’ could have been great but has one wrong chord choice in the chorus. Major problems thus: too pedestrian to convey emotion through energy but also lacks the sonic histrionics to do it via bursts of sound – in short, the whole thing strolls with such sloth that it ends up as the musical equivalent of the tortoise who doesn’t end up winning the race. An unmitigated disappointment.

Choice Cuts: ‘Norway’

3.5/10

Magnetic Fields - Realism

Whilst a healthy portion of the music on offer here makes me yawn with indifference and yearn for creative thrust Stephin Merritt to plug in as with previous efforts, thankfully enough quality exists elsewhere to redeem Realism. For instance, rib-tickling lyrics such as “seduced and abandoned and what can I do, I think I might drink a few” recall Neil Hannon at his most childishly subversive, and Merritt’s voice remains the measure of dry indifference. Sufficient for now.

Choice Cuts: ‘You Must Be Out’, ‘Seduced and Abandoned’

6/10

Hot 5 at 5

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***5 highly recommended tracks that have been tickling THE POPSCENER's eardrums today ***

Hot 5 at 5 (27/1)

Tullycraft - The Punks are Writing Love Songs
Well-crafted

The Delgados - Mauron Chanson
Bright

Betty and the Werewolves - David Cassidy
Lovestruck she-wolves

Charlotte Gainsbourg - Master's Hands
French Fancy

Vivian Girls - Where Do You Run To
Girl Power

Hot 5 at 5 (27/1)