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!

Tweet


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

Album Review: Maximum Balloon - Maximum Balloon

Aging musicians releasing collaborative solo albums fronted by an all-star lineup of vocalists is a real marketable tool right now. Big name guitarists such as Slash and Carlos Santana are cashing in on pushing mediocre lifestyle music on their devoted fans who listen with the pretense, "Hey, I like (add dull MOR artist name here) and I like 70's classic rock/80's hair metal! This song must be good!" Millions of units sold and multiple Grammy wins later, mainstream opinion becomes the truth obscuring what the product really is: an glossy, over-constructed collection of songs with no common thread beyond the one money driven focal point whose name graces the album cover. With the album release from Dave Sitek's (of TV On The Radio's fame) Maximum Balloon on a major label, it brings notice to some strange parallels to the star-studded collaborative/big money product push. The overarching debate is this: Is Maximum Balloon a well-orchestrated, cohesive effort or merely a pedantic collection of tracks with a couple gems found amidst the rubble?

Maximum Balloon has some large shoes to fill with Sitek as a main creative force in musicianship and production behind TV On The Radio. The comparison if unfair is definitely inevitable. One thing is obvious from the kickoff: this is no TVOTR project. "Groove Me", featuring vocals from Theophilus London, is a sexy pop hit in the making featuring funky keys and Prince-like guitar jabs that juxtapose the industrial hum and roll under the London's assured voice. The nearest tracks to his Sitek's early efforts are by no surprise the tracks fronted by TVOTR frontmen Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone. Adebimpe's track "Absence of Light" has that slinky buzz meshing with Adebimpe's hefty voice that raises the hair on your neck while the beat punches you in the gut, making it the album's standout track. Malone's offering "Shakedown" is soulful and smooth, reaching beyond the doo-wop style carried by horns and chimes, sounding like a Curtis Mayfield jam brought back to life 500 years in the future. Oh, and that is a good thing.

The female vocal representation ably colors the wide open canvas on Maximum Balloon, often sounding like a different take or a remix, for better or worse, of their band of origin. The track "Communion" sung by Karen O has a Yeah Yeah Yeahs flavor via new wave that is sultry and swaying but misses the guitar crunch that fans expect. That similar retro pop is found on the Katrina Ford fronted "Young Love", a New Order groove that misses the subtlety of its inclination. The best female vocals on Maximum Balloon goes to Little Dragon, whose track "If You Return" blends the her effortless performance with jittery guitars and an ethereal synth that is a lovely homage to the best of 1980's pop. On that topic, I would be negligent if I did not mention the David Byrne track "Apartment Wrestling", that lifts the best nervous riffs from Remain In Light but retaining the contemporary flow, making me wonder what the Talking Heads would sound like formed circa 2005.

To answer the question posed earlier, Maximum Balloon leans more towards an album rather than a collection, with Sitek borrowing from his influences, then giving them a whitewash of futuristic industrial buzz that makes him a sought after producer. The diversions in sound are never so great to draw away from the whole album and the standouts rival anything in the TVOTR catalog. The result is Dave Sitek's outlook on the direction of pop music that touts a evenly distributed balance between memorable earworm melodies and au courant indie sensibility. It makes me look forward to the future of music while reminding of an amazing and varied past.

Purchase Maximum Balloon here.

Maximum Balloon - Groove Me


Maximum Balloon - Absence of Light


Maximum Balloon - If You Return


Maximum Balloon - Pink Bricks

Maximum Balloon Release Another New Single, LP Out August 24

As the artists in the innovative band TV On The Radio are on a friendly hiatus, we reap the benefits from their worthy side projects. Tunde Adebimpe is building a quality resume of acting credits. Kyp Malone gave us his solo effort Rain Machine last year and this year we have been enticed by Dave Sitek's latest creations as Maximum Balloon. According to a SPIN magazine article, the release party last month in Los Angeles showed an indie parade of vocalists including Malone and Adebimpe, David Byrne and Karen O.

In the meantime, Mr. Sitek has been letting a steady drip of songs loose for maximum interest to escalate. The most noticeable quality in these tracks is their purposeful variety in sound while still finding room under the thematic umbrella. It started with the lovely "If You Return" that features an 80's keyboard engine and ethereal vocals from Little Dragon's Yukimi Nagano. After that, we were given the TVOTR soundalike "Tiger" featuring vocals from frontman for Dragons Of Zynth Aku. Most recent on the tease list is the best of the lot "Groove Me". Fronted by hip hop artist Theophilus London, this dance track features a jittery funk guitar stab, whistling keys and a smooth disco sheen that is a true attention grabber. "Groove Me" is available for purchase at the Maximum Balloon website. Give all of the tracks a listen and watch the balloon-laden video for Tiger below. After that, pencil in August 24 on your calendars.

Purchase the Maximum Balloon album here.

Purchase "Groove Me" as an early single release here.



Maximum Balloon - Tiger


Maximum Balloon - If You Return