In my opinion 2010 was a really good year for Rock music, especially in the alternative and indie circles. What I liked in particular was that, for a lot of artists, there seemed to be a return to the concept of the 'album' rather than the 'single'. By this I mean that most of my favorite CD's were those where the songs were of a certain theme and the album was meant to be listened to beginning to end instead of it just being created around a few obvious singles and the rest filler. There is further proof of this in the fact that there were more vinyl LP's released last year to accompany CD's than have been in many years... and the vinyl actually sold well! There is nothing more satisfying than putting on a CD, (or album), and enjoying every song and knowing that they belong together, are part of a whole, are perhaps telling one story and in doing so making that particular CD something that aspires to true art. This aspiration to 'Art', to rise above mere 'Pop', are a common element among my top 10 favorite CD's...
1. 'The Suburbs' by Arcade Fire: The third full length CD by one of the best rock bands in the world is epic in scope and ambitious in structure. 'The Suburbs' is built around themes of childhood, alienation, longing and escape using songs that are anthemic and rocking juxtaposed with others that are quieter but no less intense. An instant classic that topped the year end list of most critics and, in a bit of an upset, won the grammy for Album of the Year, 'The Suburbs' is definitely meant to be taken as a whole and preferably listened to from start to finish as each song builds upon the last culminating in the masterful 'Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)'.
2. 'Halcyon Digest' by Deerhunter: By jettisoning a lot of the weirdness that made previous CD's hard for some listeners to get their heads around and introducing a more melodious side, Deerhunter have crafted a CD that is much more accessible without having to 'sell out'. Halcyon Digest is the sound of an innovative and creative rock band concentrating hard on making 'songs' rather than soundscapes and in doing so have produced a unique hybrid that owes as much to classic rock as it does to modern.
3. 'The Promise' by Bruce Springsteen: What a welcome gift to true fans of the Boss! Although all of the songs on this collection are at least 2 decades old they easily stand up to anything being recorded today and are much better than most. Outtakes from the 'Darkness on the Edge of Town' sessions, these gems showcase Bruce and his E-Street Band's 'pop' side in, (mostly), sunny, soul-inflected odes to the boardwalk, cars, and romance. Taken as a whole, this timeless group of songs form a complete album that ranks alongside Bruce's best.
1. 'The Suburbs' by Arcade Fire: The third full length CD by one of the best rock bands in the world is epic in scope and ambitious in structure. 'The Suburbs' is built around themes of childhood, alienation, longing and escape using songs that are anthemic and rocking juxtaposed with others that are quieter but no less intense. An instant classic that topped the year end list of most critics and, in a bit of an upset, won the grammy for Album of the Year, 'The Suburbs' is definitely meant to be taken as a whole and preferably listened to from start to finish as each song builds upon the last culminating in the masterful 'Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)'.
2. 'Halcyon Digest' by Deerhunter: By jettisoning a lot of the weirdness that made previous CD's hard for some listeners to get their heads around and introducing a more melodious side, Deerhunter have crafted a CD that is much more accessible without having to 'sell out'. Halcyon Digest is the sound of an innovative and creative rock band concentrating hard on making 'songs' rather than soundscapes and in doing so have produced a unique hybrid that owes as much to classic rock as it does to modern.
3. 'The Promise' by Bruce Springsteen: What a welcome gift to true fans of the Boss! Although all of the songs on this collection are at least 2 decades old they easily stand up to anything being recorded today and are much better than most. Outtakes from the 'Darkness on the Edge of Town' sessions, these gems showcase Bruce and his E-Street Band's 'pop' side in, (mostly), sunny, soul-inflected odes to the boardwalk, cars, and romance. Taken as a whole, this timeless group of songs form a complete album that ranks alongside Bruce's best.
4. 'High Violet' by The National: Built around Matt Berninger's deep, almost monotone voice, this Brooklyn band produce dark, impassioned, rainy day rock that speaks to the angst of every day life. 'High Violet' is their best CD and perhaps even a minor masterpiece. The album as a whole weaves a wonderful symphony of depression and includes the droning, fuzzy, 'Blood Buzz Ohio', the best rock single of the year.
5. 'Beach Fossils': This self-titled debut from the Brooklyn by way of Charlotte, NC band harkens back to early 80's college rock and reshapes that sound to fit their own bright but melancholy vibe. Dustin Payseur, lead singer, chief songwriter and all-around head honcho, is at the forefront of the 'lo-fi' movement and, in keeping with such, makes sure that the CD maintains the raw, under-produced quality identified with that sound. The end result is a spaced-out, blissful pop jewel where guitars chime amidst righteous melodies that float through your brain like aural candy.
6. 'Lungs' by Florence + the Machine: Though Florence Welch's debut CD is a 2009 release I didn't catch up to it until late 2010 and I'm thrilled that I did! Welchs' powerful vocals combined with great songwriting produces an eclectic sound that recalls both the melodic lushness of Kate Bush and the passionate, celtic howl of Sinead O'Connor. The big, catchy single, 'Dog Days Are Over' is easily one of the best songs of the year.
7. 'Sigh No More' by Mumford & Sons: Jamming mandolins, banjos and other assorted instruments of acoustic ilk combine to create a British version of American Bluegrass filtered through rock'n roll. Alternating between soft and loud, soulful and epic, these songs, performed by young, skilled musicians, are passionate, energetic and surprisingly commercial.
8. 'American Slang' by The Gaslight Anthem: Fired up, straight ahead guitars and drums rock'n roll performed by a Springsteen worshipping, Jersey band that is both old school and fresh at the same time. Nothing complicated here- just good old fashioned rock with a few, nice slow tunes thrown in to break up the pace. Best listened to loud on the car stereo while cruising down the highway.
9. 'The Age of Adz' by Sufjan Stevens: Sufjan continues to expand on an already expansive sound by leaving the dense orchestrations of earlier work behind for a suite of songs that rely heavily on electronics and studio tricks to tell the story. And there is a story, for this is definitely a concept album, but what the story is I have no idea. It doesn't matter, though, because the songs are beautifully strange and a listening pleasure. I've found that the album works best when listened to from beginning to end as they create a sumptuous symphony of contemporary, enigmatic and often bizarre sounds. 'Age of Adz' is, without a doubt, an album that defines the word 'challenging'.
10. 'No Better Than This' by John Mellencamp: Recorded in Mono using non-contemporary recording techniques in atypical places like old Churches and hotel rooms with famed producer T-Bone Burnett, Mellencamp has crafted a throwback album that could easily fit in with folk and country music recordings from the 1930's and 40's. The songs are all by Mellencamp, so, surprisingly, for an album striving to accurately capture the sound of old time Americana, there are no covers. But, nevertheless, the songs do capture the feel of that era and are all very well written, albeit with mostly downer themes of death, misery and woe-is-me. Backed by mostly, if not all, acoustic instruments, Mellencamp's voice sounds older and raspier, lending the music a real poignancy. An experiment that works, in large part due to Burnett's outstanding production, 'No Better Than This' proves to be one of John Mellencamp's more memorable releases.
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