Thursday, December 30, 2010

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Top 25 Albums of 2010

This was a tough exercise this year.  Plenty of interesting music throughout the year.  Lots of familiar favourites surfaced alongside some new artists and some who are just catching stride.

Hopefully I can write some short reviews for the top 5-10, but in the meantime, after much re-ordering and over thinking, this is my favourite 25 albums from 2010.


25 Well Done Europe The Chap
24 ..Are The Roaring Night The Besnard Lakes
23 Big Echo The Morning Benders
22 Magic Bullets Magic Bullets
21 The Suburbs Arcarde Fire
20 One Life Stand Hot Chip
19 How I Got Over The Roots
18 High Violet The National
17 Olympia Bryan Ferry
16 This Is Happening LCD Soundsystem
15 Business Casual Chromeo
14 Record Collection Mark Ronson
13 OMNI Minus The Bear
12 Shadows Teenage Fanclub
11 Acolyte Delphic
10 Barking Underworld
9 Man Alive Everything Everything
8 Gemini Wild Nothing
7 TSOL Shad
6 Forgiveness Rock Record Broken Social Scene
5 The Drums The Drums
4 Total Life Forever Foals
3 Majesty Shredding Superchunk
2 Swim Caribou
1 Odd Blood Yeasayer

Friday, December 3, 2010

100 Best Songs of 2010

I was going to wait a couple more weeks for this, but life is way too busy and no amount of waiting is going to help me get this right, since there really is no wrong.

Some ground rules:

-  I like Kanye West a lot, but not to the crazy bananas degree that he gets to be on top of my list the same way he will be on top everyone else's in the weeks ahead.

-  If you wonder why Hanson has a song on this list and your favourite band does not, it probably means Hanson are better than your favourite band.  Live with that.

-  My bread and butter is well put together songs, with good hooks, clever lyrics and listenability, generally at 4 minutes or less.  I don't tend to discriminate as to whether said songs are electronic or guitar based.

-  No list in the world gets sequencing right.  Lists are fun, not accurate.  I hated this 2 minutes after I finished it.  I have reworked it 50 times and it's still not perfect, but that's cool.

-  It was nice to reflect and see that Canadian independent artists are still writing some quality, world class calibre songs amidst a lot of shiny over produced mainstream foolishness.  We hold our own well out there.

-  I get the impression more people stop by this site than used to be the case.  Thank you for visiting.  I would love to hear what you think and even more importantly other music you are listening to that I may have missed or just didn't quite make the list.  Please feel free to leave comments.  It's cool if you do not agree with my take on things.  You are allowed to be wrong.

100  Synthetic Prince - Tesla Boy
099  The Drug - Royksopp
098  Waiting For This - Hanson
097  Midnight Lover - Kisses
096  Retard Canard - Born Ruffians
095  Superstar - Aeroplane
094  Norway - Beach House
093  Chaos - New Young Pony Club
092  A Side In A Bed - Love Is All
091  Fot I Hose - Casiokids
090  What We Do - Devo

089  Captive - Sarah Harmer
088  Being Gone - Poison Control Center
087  Small Talk - Faded Paper Figures
086  You're Taking All Of This Too - The Salteens
085  Running Out - Scissor Sisters
084  What's In It For? - Avi Buffalo
083  Vibrationz - Javelin
082  Slow - Twin Shadow
081  Big Difference - Tokyo Police Club
080  Divisive - We Have Band

079  Listenin' To The Records On My Wall - Skream
078  Blessa - Toro Y Moi
077  Still Windmills - Sky Larkin
076  You Stopped Making Sense - The Radio Dept.
075  Cousins - Vampire Weekend
074  Solid Gold - The Golden Filter
073  Isn't That Great? - Club 8
072  Circling - Four Tet
071  Riot Rhythm - Sleigh Bells
070  Dancing On My Own - Robyn

069  We Work in Bars - The Chap
068  Solitude Is Bliss - Tame Impala
067  Infinite Delay - Amusement Parks On Fire
066  I Feel Ya Strutter - Of Montreal
065  Rush Minute - Massive Attack
064  C'mon - The Soft Pack
063  Pull It Together - Club Feet
062  Good Morning - Rogue Wave
061  Echoes - Klaxons
060  Lying Around - Cassette Kids

059  Dreaming Of Another World - Mystery Jets
058  Girls FM - Happy Birthday
057  This Is The Life - Two Door Cinema
056  Albatross - The Besnard Lakes
055  Drugs - Ratatat
054  Laredo - Band Of Horses
053  AM / FM - !!!
052  I Want To Stop the World - Belle and Sebastian
051  Nice Guys - We Are Scientists
050  Stay Close - Delorean

049  Shooting Stars - Bag Raiders
048  Ghost Pressure - Wolf Parade
047  Heart Is Strange - School Of Seven Bells
046  NY City Moves to The Sound Of LA - Funeral Party
045  So Caroline - The Posies
044  Alive - Goldfrapp
043  The Ghost Inside - Broken Bells
042  Fireworks - Tender Trap
041  Wait & See - Diamond Rings
040  Runaway - Kanye West

039  It's Automatic - The Go Find
038  Fixed - Stars
037  Barricade - Interpol
036  Let Me Take You Out - Class Actress
035  Stylo - Gorillaz
034  Everybody's Hip - Jaill
033  Go Do - Jonsi
032  Your Hands (Together) - The New Pornographers
031  Nothing Like You - Frightened Rabbit
030  Shutterbug - Big Boi

029  Stay Lit - Holy Fuck
028  Pretend & Descend - Magic Bullets
027  Confirmation - Wild Nothing
026  One Life Stand - Hot Chip
025  You Can Dance - Bryan Ferry
024  Better Than Love - Hurts
023  Boy - Ra Ra Riot
022  Excuses - The Morning Benders
021  Bloodbuzz Ohio - The National
020  Doin It Again - The Roots

019  Ready To Start - Arcade Fire
018  The Lost Estate - Delays
017  Digging For Something - Superchunk
016  One - Yeasayer
015  Tightrope - Janelle Monae
014  Night By Night - Chromeo
013  Always Loved A Film - Underworld
012  Baby Lee - Teenage Fanclub
011  All I Want - LCD Soundsystem

010  Rose Garden - Shad
009  Trouble - Spoon
008  My Time - Minus The Bear
007  Doubt - Delphic
006  This Orient - Foals
005  Schoolin' - Everything Everything
004  Me and The Moon - The Drums
003  World Sick - Broken Social Scene
002  Bang - Mark Ronson & The Business Intl
001  Odessa - Caribou