Feature: Top Ten Albums of 2010

1.  Jim Ferraro:  On Air [Muscleworks, Inc.]

Mr. Ferraro was quite busy this year releasing numerous distinguished records.  However, none could hold a candle to 2010’s undisputed gem, On Air.  Released as a CDr in extremely limited quantities (150 copies), On Air serves as an hour-long rant through the radio waves of James Ferraro’s fertile mind.  Scale figures and arpeggiated passages serve as the constant focus throughout the 14 tracks.  Manual loops play out against immaculate lo-fi atmospherics, as heard best on “Remote Control Under The Couch” and “Pleiadian Channel Surfer #2“.  The public access vibe of “Moonshocked Dudettes” and “S.O.S.” bring humor and stark contrast to the heavier loop-based pieces.  Once all the belching (yes…belching) subsides, we are given the gorgeous ambient closer, “Channel 3”.  It displays what Ferraro does best:  prolonged sonic environments.  Album of the year.

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2.  Demdike Stare:  Liberation Through Hearing [Modern Love]

Shades of dub enter this nightmarish catalog of sounds.  Sampling their favorite soundtracks of the past, Miles Whittaker and Sean Canty composed the finest segment of their 2010 record trilogy:  Liberation Through Hearing.  The opener, “Caged in Stammheim” begins with a manipulated sample of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s “Kontakte”.  This moment is quietly transformed into a modern dub-step template with deep bass frequencies and soaring string ensembles.  “The Stars are Moving” features a Ligeti-esque vocal ensemble set against a swung 8th-note rhythmic pattern and pulsating bass drums.  It’s a harrowing moment and a heavy listening experience!  The closer, “Matilda’s Dream” modulates from minor to major throughout the duration of it’s 11-minute running time.  It is a pristine choice for a final statement and a wondrous exercise in musical patience.  An essential record of magnificent proportions!

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3.  Dylan Ettinger:  New Age Outlaws (Director’s Cut) [Not Not Fun]

Dylan Ettinger first issued New Age Outlaws in cassette form earlier this year.  It was a stellar release that garnered much attention and critical acclaim.  Being a bit of a perfectionist, Ettinger re-worked the cassette tracks, re-sequenced the order, and even added additional instrumentation.  The director’s cut of New Age Outlaws was given a home by Not Not Fun.  It is far superior to the still excellent cassette version of the same name.  “The Waterfront” opens the record immaculately with the tenor saxophone adding a ghostly noir-esque quality.  “Shandor’s Dream” blends disjointed percussion and beautiful synth leads culminating in the strongest moment on the record.  Each track bleeds into the next, giving the album a fluidity that ranks amongst the strongest of the year.  Highly recommended!

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4.  Soft Powers:  Bad Pop [Self-Released]

Although regrettably short (under 22 minutes), Soft Powers’ debut record, Bad Pop doesn’t slack at all during its runtime.  As the Miami pastel cover suggests, there is a bit of sonic throwback involved, but it never overtakes the validity of the music.  “Strawberry Soup” is the breakthrough track, offering four-on-the-floor drums and cleverly placed offbeat guitar inflections.  “Just Like Tropica-L” serves an infectious dose of 80’s yacht pop with chorus-induced guitar and fuzz bass interplay.  The Quincy Jones-esque production job on “Diamond Daggs” is absolute ear candy!  The closing track, “Mary Never Sings Our Songs” is a welcomed sonic departure from the rest of the record.  This drum-less (at first) and muddled waltz combines echoed lo-fi vocal production with barebones guitar and bass accompaniment.  At the 3-minute mark, a shoegazer wall of sound assault comes full-swing with hazy electric guitar tones, soaring synths, and the final inclusion of drums.  No other record in 2010 had this much fun!!

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5.  Autre Ne Veut:  Autre Ne Veut [Olde English Spelling Bee]

Self-proclaimed as failure pop, Autre Ne Veut has tapped into a sub-genre that few have the audacity to pull off.  The obvious influences are there, like the Prince-like vocal swoon found on “Wake Up”.  “OMG” and “Two Days of Rain” are immediate club bangers, with immaculate attention to memorable melodies and carefully placed instrumentation.  “Emotional” produces an extraordinarily honest and human moment with semi-processed vocals (believe it or not) and stuttering percussion.  Side two’s defining moment lies in “Soldier”, with bone chilling lyrical content:  “Maybe when I’m older, I’ll be silent as a soldier.”  It is interesting that most of the cuts rely on one or two lines of dialogue, with the instrumentation carrying the overall weight.  The stunning production job on this record cannot be understated.  Essential.

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6.  Joanna Newsom:  Have One On Me [Drag City]

How many triple (!!!) album releases did you come across this year?  That’s what I thought.  A gorgeous collection of tone poems, Joanna Newsom’s Have One On Me finds her voice maturing and settling in comfortably.  On her previous full-length, Ys, Newsom’s voice sounded strained at times and even a bit forced.  There’s not an inkling of that here.  The variety of soundscapes and moods found on Have One On Me is staggering!  This release has a little of everything:  the overblown epic (“Have One On Me”), the whispering and stripped-down ballad (“On A Good Day”), and the medieval opus (“Kingfisher”). “Good Intentions Paving Company” features Newsom on piano amongst tasteful percussion, banjo, and quivering vocal harmonies.  “In California” is a travelog of magnificent proportions, beginning with only harp and voice and later expanding to include a chamber orchestra that embellishes in all the right places.  Wondrous!

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7.  Women:  Public Strain [Jagjaguwar]

It’s a shame that the gentlemen in this group could not work out their differences, because they were truly on to something with Public Strain.  From the ambient noise wreckage of the opener, “Can’t You See”, you realize that you’re in for a deeper listening experience than their self-titled debut album.  Women have made the masses believe in guitar-based music yet again, which is not an easy task to accomplish.  Their guitar theatrics are in top form on the cuts “Heat Distraction” and the Sonic Youth-inspired “Locust Valley”.  The iconic moment that seals the deal belongs to the epic album closer, “Eyesore”.  What begins as an innocent Shins-esque pop number catapults into a climactic and utterly fulfilling finale thanks to a beautifully executed guitar melody.  The final 2 1/2 minutes of this piece lie amongst the greatest musical moments of the year.

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8.  Clive Tanaka y su orquesta:  Jet Set Siempre 1º [Tall Corn Music]

No other album captured the essence of summer this year like Clive Tanaka’s Jet Set Siempre 1º. Virtually every cut on this cassette (due out on vinyl soon) release punches like a hit single.  Influences of Herbie Hancock and Daft Punk can be felt during the stellar vocoder moments of “All Night, All Right” and “I Want You (So Bad)”.  The mid-section of the cassette is completely instrumental, allowing a break from the heavily vocoded opening three cuts.  The 70’s voyage montage vibe of “The Fourth Magi” is side two’s standout.  The first half features a backbeat acoustic section accompanying a simple synth melody, only to be transformed by sleigh bells leading into a B section with synthesized warmth and gorgeous melodic content.  The eighth and final track, “Lonely for the High Scrapers” blends a stunning vocoder melody against ocean wave samples and an expertly produced rhythm section.

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9.  Speculator:  Lifestyle [Leaving Records]

Pop culture samples and fragments protrude through Speculator’s debut cassette, Lifestyle.  Quotes from TMNT 2 and Men in Black pop up in all the right places.  However, it is the original material interspersed throughout that is the main event.  Repetition plays a key role amongst the Lifestyle tracks.  “I Wait All Day” contains an impressively manipulated sample of Janet Jackson’s “When I Think of You”.  The aggressive fuzz guitars and down-played vocals added make this one of the strongest moments.  “No Future” comes complete with roaring lo-fi synthesizers and distorted vocals.  From a pop standpoint, this may be the most immediate favorite due to it’s polished structure.  “Pure Ecstacy” is sonic cacophony of the highest order!  The muddy synth bass fits perfectly amidst the Casio percussion effects.  Pick up a copy of the cassette while they’re still floating around.

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10.  Outer Limits Recordings:  Foxy Baby [Not Not Fun]

Glam rock from the bowels of your trash receptacle!  Sounds intriguing, right?!  Sam Meringue (Matrix Metals, Wingdings) strikes again with a fantastically whimsical kaleidoscope of sounds.  Low fidelity is embraced completely during the entire 45-minute record.  “Bergheim” contains an infectious repeated synth line that’s catapulted by the pounding rhythm section.  The chorus of the 80’s glam rocker “On The Rocks” is beyond catchy regardless of the ambiguity of the vocal content.  The trilogy of songs (“L.A. Skyline”, “Driving At Night”, “Final Seduction”) are the album’s most downplayed pieces.  They are ambient in scope and spiral the listener comfortably to the finish line.  Outer Limits Recordings’ debut record is an impressive one to say the least.

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December 24, 2010 | Categories: Feature, Music | Tags: autre ne veut, bad pop, caged in stammheim, clive tanaka, daft punk, demdike stare, director's cut, drag city, dub, dylan ettinger, eyesore, foxy baby, have one on me, herbie hancock, james ferraro, janet jackson, jet set siempre, jim ferraro, joanna newsom, kontakte, leaving records, liberation through hearing, lifestyle, ligeti, mary never sings our songs, matilda's dream, matrix metals, men in black, miami, modern love, muscleworks, new age outlaws, not not fun, old english spelling bee, on air, orquesta, outer limits recordings, pleiadian channel surfer, public strain, shandor's dream, soft powers, soldier, speculator, stockhausen, tall corn music, the stars are moving, tmnt 2, when i think of you, wingdings, women | Leave a comment