Top 10 Albums of 2010

Top albums of 2010. In no particular order.

ARTIST / ALBUM

Sigur Ros / Takk... (EMI 2005)
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I helped put together an acoustic show for Sigur Ros in October of 2007 at Good Shepard Faith Church on West 66th street in Manhattan. I remember it was deathly quiet and 100 degrees when they started. Their instruments were acoustic gtr, bass, 3-piece kit and vox. Stripped down and simple, but the sound that came out was from another planet. I remember thinking "how can they sound like this with just these instruments?!"

The second half of Takk... is like the second half of a marathon. The part where you ask yourself if it's worth it. The difficult part, the meat. It's confusing and dramatic but it all resolves with the first chord of the final track and everything comes back into focus.
 















Sigur Ros / Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust (XL Recordings 2008)

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Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust is Takk...'s upbeat cousin at an Icelandic family reunion.

 Johnny Cash (1932 - 2003) / American VI: Ain't No Grave (American / Lost Highway 2010)
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The last album Johnny Cash recorded before he died in 2003, and he couldn't have gone out on a higher note. It is simple and beautiful, and few artists manage to create something this good late in their career.

 

Can / Ege Bamyasi (United Artists 1972)
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Ege Bamyasi could be played in the darkest nightclub in Tokyo at 4am or over the PA between sets on the main stage at Bonnaroo. Can is a band whose t-shirt will always be cool.

 

The Rolling Stones / Exile on Main St. (Atlantic 1972)
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There are 20 musicians credited on Exile in addition to Mick, Keith, Charlie and Bill. It was their 12th studio album released in eight years. And was recorded and written shortly after the Beatles released Let It Be (their final album). While the Beatles became the most popular band in rock 'n roll, the Rolling Stones went on to become the biggest concert band in the world.

 

Frightened Rabbit / The Winter of Mixed Drinks (Fat Cat 2010)
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It's probably hard to find someone who liked pop-punk in highschool who doesn't like Frightened Rabbit in their 20's.

 

Dr. Dog / Shame, Shame (Anti 2010)
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The sad thing is that I have never seen Dr. Dog live. But I did stumble upon an acoustic performance by Scott McMicken this summer at the tiny Rock Shop in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I got an invite from David, and did my best to pay him back in Tecate beers. The show reminded me of how important small rock clubs are in New York City. In the event of a blackout, the electricity in the room could have powered Brooklyn for a month. I don't remember losing interest for even one second. Nor anyone else in the room. We were all there glued to the moment. And that says a lot in the age of Facebook and iPhones. 

 

Drake / So Far Gone MIXTAPE (OVO 2009)
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It's bubble gum and graffiti. This is the mix-tape version not the official ep.

 

The Black Keys / Brothers (Nonesuch 2010)
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Brothers was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album for this year's Grammy's -- competing against Arcade Fire, Band of Horses, Broken Bells, and Vampire Weekend. For me, that category is a no-brainer.
 
The Black Keys' ascent is slow and steady, and their fanbase is faithful. This is their sixth studio album, and they keep getting better.

 

Jimmy Cliff / Jimmy Cliff (Trojan Records 1969) 
Re-issued 1970 on Atlantic under title, "Wonderful World, Beautiful People"
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This is production office music as much so as Phish, the Grateful Dead or Bob Marley. It is an album I played over and over in 2010 at the end of a day sitting in the office drinking budweiser with the crew, or the middle of the day when the counter-opposite of what was going on onstage was needed in the office.

Miles Davis (1926 - 1991) / Relaxin' (Prestige 1958)
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Miles Davis recorded 4 albums of material in two sessions in 1956 that was released as: Cookin' (1957), Relaxin' (1958), Workin' (1959), & Steamin' (1961)...all on Prestige Records. The "in'" sessions as they could be called. All of them excellent, but this one for whatever reason has something intangible that drew me to it. Maybe I like the idea of relaxin over cookin, workin, or steamin. The musicians on these are: Miles Davis (trumpet), John Coltrane (tenor sax), Red Garland (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), & Philly Joe Jones (drums).  














Paul Simon (b. 1941) / Graceland (Warner Bros 1986) 
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Growing up in West Texas there were whole sections of society I missed out on. Albums, tv shows, movies, etc. Stuff that didn't come close to my radar. Which is why I never heard a Mozart concerto or saw a Woody Allen film until I was in college. Maybe this is common for kids growing up in the middle of nowhere, but it is the only explanation I can give for never hearing Paul Simon's Graceland until now. I listen to a lot of music, but it's always the circumstances that bring me to something new. And it wasn't until Paul Banks played the album on his iPhone in a NY diner at 3am on a Tuesday that I had any relationship with the music. Thanks Paul, and thanks for reciting half the lyrics.