Best of 2010: 25-21

This is my first year end list, so I went into sorting and ranking my favorite albums without any preconceived notions or arbitrary criteria. I was not even sure what amount of "best" albums should even make the list. Rather than choose a number and force myself to whittle down my favorites to ultimately eliminate some really great artists and their work, I let my what I felt was the most deserving set the value at 25. Of course, even the last spot was difficult to decide and could easily have been one of a few albums in my Honorable Mentions. As far as my criteria for ranking the best albums, I tried to place them based not only how much I liked the work and how much I found myself listening to each album in it's entirety, but tried my darnest to quantify the album's staying power. Trying to predict what you would like in the future is not so easy, but it is strangely comforting. Music is always changing and evolving. As a critic, staying grounded in the present while having my eyes on the future and my consideration on the historical lineage from the past is the only way to do this properly. Enjoy the list as I enjoyed making it!

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Honorable Mentions : 20-16 : 15-11 : 10-6 : 5-1

#25  The Chemical Brothers - Further

Purchase Further here.

Read my original review here. 

Their first album came out in 1995 and they were dropping 12 inches as far back as 1989, but Tom and Ed of The Chemical Brothers have never sounded so fresh and vital as they did on this year's release. Sure, these Godfathers of Big Beat paved the way for the mainstreaming of electronica (for better or worse), but they always were weighted with all star vocalists and syrupy samples that stood out over the music itself. The feel of Further is like the shackles have been released and The Bros. took a gamble on exploring new territories. Look no further than the quirky squelch in "Another World", the joyous club pleaser "Swoon" or the 12 minute centerpiece "Escape Velocity" to see what I mean.

Chemical Brothers - Further (full album as one track)

#24  Maximum Balloon - Maximum Balloon

Purchase Maximum Balloon here.

Read my original review here.

Dave Sitek's side project from TV on the Radio received a lot of hype sporting big name guest vocalists and major label cred. The album sounds more like a singles collection and never aspires for a theme or common thread. Instead their is a varied abundance of indie pop songs that, at their best, challenges with Sitek's aggressively futuristic style. Look to the two tracks with his TV on the Radio bandmates on vocals for the buzzing "Absence of Light" and neo-soul of "Shakedown" for the most powerful pieces. He makes strong statements with his female guest vocalists on "If You Return" and "The Lesson" allowing the sweetness to seduce as the music slithers around, gripping tighter as the sirens whisper.

Maximum Balloon - Maximum Balloon (full album)

#23  Matthew Dear - Black City

Purchase Black City here.

Read my original review here.

Definitely taking a dark turn, Black City is quirky and uncomfortable in comparison to 2007's (and one of my favorites) Asa Breed. Still, the beats are compelling and motivated on singles "Soil To Seed", "I Can't Feel" and the epic "Little People (Black City). Yet the other surrounding tracks fluctuate between somber and eerie either as the prey of a seductive black widow on "You Put A Smell On Me", the slinky Beatles bassline grab of "Shortwave" or the last gasping breaths on "Slowdance". Claustrophobic and ominous is what Matthew Dear was going for on Black City. In my eyes, his mission was surely accomplished.

Matthew Dear - 4 Tracks from Black City

#22  Small Black - New Chain

Purchase New Chain here.

Read my original review here.

This is what chillwave should sound like. Of course it should be thick with hazy synths and icy beats with shadowy reminders of pop's 30 year long legacy. However the vocals, although nuanced with reverb, should be clear enough, just enough, to decode the lyrics while basking in their steely breeze. The 80's inspired hooks are especially strong on "Search Party", title track "New Chain", "Crisp 100s" and the single "Photojournalist". It is the first full length album for Small Black, making the list for ones to watch in the new decade.

Small Black - 7 Tracks from New Chain

#21  Teenage Fanclub - Shadows

Purchase Shadows here.

Another throwback to the late 80's still making waves in the new millennium, Teenage Fanclub has never gained more than a cult following, including me as an early member. I was suckered in by the shimmering power pop magic of their 1991 LP Bandwagonesque before I knew who Big Star even was. Now almost 20 years on, I have the requisite historical perspective to trace the characteristics to those 70's touchstones. In that time, I realized that Teenage Fanclub would never repeat perfection. Luckily so did they as the simplicity in Shadows allows this collection of soaring harmonies and folk-tinged guitar strums stand out like a lost classic from some obscure rock n' roll legend that no one else knew about but vinyl geeks. Listen to tracks like "The Fall", "Into The City", "Shock and Awe", "Today Never Ends" and the song given below and you will understand.

Teenage Fanclub - Sometimes I Don't Need to Believe in Anything