I will aim to keep this a musical review, I have no need or desire to regurgitate what a journey 2010 has been.
A quick statement though. There are people that read this who I have mistreated this year, for that I'm sorry. There are people that read this who have mistreated me, I apologise for my not always adult reaction. Most importantly, there are people that read this who are my friends and have helped me through a difficult year. My life has been pretty cushty so far but this has been one of the more difficult periods.
You mean more to me than this blog, the music I write about or my little black rectangle that contains all that music and fits in my pocket.
Thanks for everything.
2010 started off with a musical bang back in January (the traditional time to start a year) as I was struggling at the end of 2009 to summarise the previous decade's worth of output and eventually came to no conclusions. 2010 allows me to look back at just one year's worth of musical output yet I find myself as indecisive as I was this time last year.
You can't see my screen as I type this but below is a list of the albums that I've enjoyed this year, currently standing at 20. I know that I've forgotten albums. 20 is hardly a concise list either so I'll make it clear now that 2010 does not have one defining album. It certainly has 2 or 3 albums that were heads and shoulders above but just 1? Not in my world anyway.
2010 has been an excellently productive year for new music with many large acts releasing big albums to critical acclaim, as was to be expected after the relative dearth of 2009. We had hyped returns from New York Afro-punk's Vampire weekend and Bristol Trip-Hop pioneers Massive Attack star-studded affair amid exciting new albums from Delphic, Mount Kimbie and Warpaint to name but a few.
I'm almost unaware of how my age is affecting my music tastes though I'm sure it is. My days of more visceral guitar bands are dwindling, instead replaced by music that takes a conscious effort to listen to & that challenges on each listen. Mount Kimbie provided an excellent follow on from the sublime Maybes in their LP Crooks & Lovers, a delicately put together record with density in sound and ideas proving that Electronica really is the genre that is most forward-thinking for the moment.
However, brilliant guitar albums from Foals, Warpaint and The Tallest Man On Earth have shown that guitar music can still be relevant and interesting and this diversity is important and worth celebrating. We truly are spoiled for varied and exciting music, especially as bands such as Kings of Leon get washed away in a wave of banality.
2010 ultimately has ultimately been an enjoyable year for music. My top 10 is in no conscious order, this does not mean however that there is no order at all. It is more a way of me avoiding having to choose one record over another. I have also chosen to only mention album's released in 2010. If I were to include two albums of other years, my top 2 albums of this year would read 1) Burial - Untrue and 2) worriedaboutsatan - Arrivals.
It should also be mentioned that 2010 marked the loss of my favourite ever DJ, Mary Anne-Hobbs, from our airwaves. Though her stirling work continues, her show already is and will continue to be sorely missed.
Anyway, here goes. My 10 favourite records released in 2010. Perhaps at the end of 2011 I'll look back at this list and laugh, perhaps I'll still be listening to all of these albums. I hope it is the latter.
1) Four Tet - There Is Love In You Spotify Play.com
2) Bonobo - Black Sands Spotify Play.com
3) Mount Kimbie - Crooks & Lovers Soundcloud Play.com
4) Warpaint - The Fool Spotify Play.com
5) LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening Spotify Play.com
6) Gil Scott-Heron - I'm New Here Spotify Play.com
7) Ikonika - Contact, Love, Want, Have Spotify Play.com
8) Vampire Weekend - Contra Spotify Play.com
9) Foals - Total Life Forever Spotify Play.com
10) Actress - Splazsh Spotify Play.com
1 comment:
Thank you.
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