Last week I posted some of my favorite songs of the previous year. Now it’s time for albums, along with mini-reviews. These are in order from favorite to not-as-favorite-as-the-previous-one. And as with the songs, they might be older than a year — their inclusion on this list means I was turned on to them this year (I think this only applies to two of the albums but it could apply to more). Anyways, on to the music!
See original here.
1. Sleigh Bells, “Treats” 5 Stars
Stand Out Songs:
- Tell ‘Em
- Riot Rhythm
- Straight A’s
Description:
This album is a brand new acquistion with Christmas money from my beautiful wife. Two weeks ago I’d never heard of them. And now they are number one on my “Albums of the Year” list. Go figure. Anyways. Sleigh Bells is a fascinating band. It’s two people, kind of like the White Stripes, but have quite a different sound. The guitarist/producer is formerly of a hardcore-ish band called Poison The Well and the singer is a female with a lovely voice. It’s hard rocking yet sugary sweet (I saw one reviewer describe them as putting Rage Against The Machine in a blender with the Spice Girls…it sounds like a crazy combination but it works). And it’s easy to find yourself moving to the music. Even my wife, who would said 10 seconds in to a song “It’s too hard and too LOUD”, started bobbing her head and dancing around. That’s saying something there. It’s currently replace #2 on this list for “go to album while working or cooking”. Oh and it was produced with help from MIA so there’s that.
2. Mumford & Sons, “Sigh No More” 5 Stars
Stand Out Songs:
- Sigh No More
- Awake My Soul
- White Blank Page
Description:
This album would have been #1 if not for the discovery of Sleigh Bells. It rocks in a folky banjo-y way. It’s not loud and it’s not necessarily going to evoke a lot of movement out of you but it is full of emotion (at least I find it to be so). The overriding word that comes to mind when I think of this album is HOPE, and that’s a very good thing. In a year with a lot of change thats incredibly important in fact. I just love the harmonies near the end of the album in the song Awake My Soul — “Awake my soul, awake my soul, awake my soul. For you were made to meet your maker.” The whole album is brilliant and full of emotion and worth listening to in its entirety (something that can’t be said for every album). If you pick up one album on this list, this may be the one to go for since my #1 choice is a bit eccentric.
See original here.
3. Broken Bells, “Broken Bells” 5 Stars
Stand Out Songs:
- The High Road
- Citizen
Description:
Near the beginning of 2010, this was probably my most highly anticipated album of 2010. I think I first heard about it through a tweet by Derek Webb. Anyways, the album itself is a collaboration of Danger Mouse and The Shins’ James Mercer. And it’s a beautiful work of electronic/alternative/indie rock. It’s not likely to make you get up and dance around — it’s perfect relaxing music.
4. Kanye West, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” 5 Stars
Stand Out Songs:
- Dark Fantasy
- Runaway
- All of the Lights
- Power
Description:
Yes, well. Kanye West is what you’d call guilty pleasure music, probably. I’ve been a “fan” for quite some time and have liked a song or two off of most of his albums (and pretty much all of 808s & Heartbreaks…what a fantastic album…). Anyways, a saw another blogger describe this quite well:
It’s outrageously scandalous and hilariously funny in equal measure. It’s also a tour de force: a work of breathtaking musical intensity and lyrical inventiveness, with brilliant rhymes of Dylanesque proportions. (from Faith & Theology)
5. Arcade Fire, “The Suburbs” 5
Stand Out Songs:
- The Suburbs
- Modern Man
- Sprawl II
Description:
This one might win “Most Surprising of the Year”. There are significantly more dedicated Arcade Fire fans out there. When their first album came out, I was never able to get into it (indie rock heresy, I know, but who cares?). This one though I love. It fits together — one song flows into the next and they all carry the same theme. The music is diverse but not “out there” — you’ve got some tracks that’ll make you move, some that’ll make you think, and others that will make you sit and chill. It feels of a tour of suburbia without ever leaving the living room (and even better — dealt with in an intelligent, appropriate way). Christianity Today gave it 5 stars so there is no reason for you to not check it out.
6. Girl Talk, “All Day” 3 Stars
Stand Out Songs:
This one really doesn’t work like that. It’s more of a big long singular track.
Description:
Girl Talk is another one of those guilty pleasure artists. It’s pleasure because you can’t help but dance and move and get excited for all of it. The album (all of Girl Talk’s albums actually) is a giant mashup of various artists and genres. It’s 10-15 seconds of an incredibly wide variety of songs layered on top of one another for about 70 minutes of music. I’ve heard his concerts are some of the funnest dance parties around and it wouldn’t surprise me. Wanted to go to one in Tulsa but was never able to make it. Anyways if I’m home alone cooking lots of food, chances are this will show up on the playlist to get me warmed up. Or if I’ve been working, staring at a computer for a long time, this’ll pump me back up. Bonus: Due to licensing issues it’s released completely free of charge.
As with Kanye, it would carry an explicit label in the stores. Be aware of that if you check either out. In both albums, several tracks get left off the playlist.
7. Jonsi, “Go” 4 Stars
Stand Out Songs:
- Go Do
- Tornado
Description:
One word description: Happy. You probably want more than that though. This is the solo album for the lead guy in the post-rock band, Sigur Ros. It’s similar in sound but with a much greater emphasis on the melodic pop strong structure (at least in my opinion…I’m not a professional music reviewer
though). It’s an album though were I can’t say I love every song on it (one thing that often separates 4 star from 5 star albums). It does make me feel happy though, and I often turn it on if I need a quick smile (particularly the song “Go Do”).
8. The National, “High Violet” 4
Stand Out Songs:
- Sorrow
Description:
I don’t really know how to describe the singers voice. It’s deep and dreamy and pretty much makes the music what it is. I absolutely love the song “Sorrow”. As with the other 4 star albums though, I don’t necessarily love all of the songs here. It’s quite a good album though, and definitely worth a listen.
9. Anderson, “It Runs In The Family” 4
Stand Out Songs:
- Michael—Running on the Asphalt
- Trevor—On the Dancefloor
- Sarah—For So Long We’ve Been Disconnected
Description:
I’m lucky to have heard this band. They are from the Netherlands, and not one I’d normally have much access to. Thankfully, a good friend here in Cape Town is from the Netherlands and we both share a love of music and this is one of the bands he turned me on to. It’s delightful electropop that’s relatively chill but will still get you moving (if you want to be moving). Check it out!
