Best Of 2010: Honorable Mentions - Part 3

Tweet

Part 1 :: Part 2 :: Part 4 :: Top 25

Interpol - Interpol (first half of the album)

Purchase Interpol here.

This album was quite possibly the letdown of the year. The hype that Interpol created and drew out over 6 months of 2010 probably had a lot to do with that. Nevertheless, I feel that losing their heart and soul/bassist Carlos Dengler did irrefutable damage to the future of this once amazing band. As I wrote about when the album first came out, the first half of Interpol is absolutely solid containing two or three of the bands best tracks. However, the flipside of the album is uninspired and disappointing enough to earn a place as Example 4 of "Artists in 2010 Who Will Never Match Their Best Effort, Despite Trying".

Interpol - Summer Well

Land of Talk - Cloak and Cipher

Purchase Cloak and Cipher here.

Another example of great music coming out of Canada. Montreal trio Land of Talk doesn't garner as much attention as sound-alikes Broken Social Scene or fellow Honorable Mentions New Pornographers or The Arcade Fire, but Cloak and Cipher has just as many noteworthy moments as the 2010 albums from those more established bands. Again, this could have ended up in the Top 25 but, as with all lists, someone has to end up on the outside. Give a listen to the entire album below and maybe you can make a late case for your own list.

Land of Talk - Cloak and Cipher(Full Album)

New Pornographers - Together

Purchase Together here.

Damn, those New Pornographers. It is always the same story with them. With every album of theirs, I end up enjoying about half of it while scratching my head for the other half. In the case of Together, my hypothesis is still proven correct. There are some really wonderful tracks on this year's effort, including one of my favorite songs of this year "Moves" whose thick strings and affecting piano makes the whole thing click. On the other hand, there are square pegs like "My Shepherd" whose loveliness is stunted by awkward religious references that just don't fit. The good stuff is still good enough for me to recommend Together, or at least cherrypick it.

Moves - The New Pornographers

The Radio Dept. - Clinging To A Scheme

Purchase Clinging To A Scheme here.

Actually, I like this album a lot. This Swedish band has a gentle and blissful groove that always makes you go "Who is that again"? It seems that the Radio Dept. suffer from a lack of self-editing, not unlike the now defunct Guided By Voices. They have no problem making new music, they just can't stop. As a fan, you are held to get all it, including albums, EP's, singles and any other side projects & odd donations to whatever compilation happens to ask. Luckily, it seems their best stuff is saved for the LP's and this is a very good one. Since a lot of Radio Dept. songs are not unlike the others, there is not enough difference for me to put it on the big list. It is still pretty good though.

The Radio Dept. - Heaven's On Fire

Free Protest Song Available From The Radio Dept., EP Single Out In November

Sweden's The Radio Dept. have been spinning their blend of delicate synth melodies and shoegazing Euro-indie since 2002, distributing a steady stream of singles, EP's and LP's at a rate of over one release a year. The band has gotten nudges of encouragement throughout their tenure from the inclusion on the soundtrack for the Sofia Coppola film Marie Antoinette to much critical adulation for this year's release Clinging To A Scheme. In characteristic Radio Dept. fashion, they follow up a full length with more releases of original music.

Made available for free via their website, "The New Improved Hypocrisy" has been a work in progress leading up to the national elections in their home country. Well known as a society who socialist policies has resulted in a worry-free, well-educated population coupled with heart stopping taxation, the polling indicates that a moderate government will be taking power in Sweden in the new term. The topic of the new track is rife with concerns over this impending change and it doesn't seem that The Radio Dept. are too happy about it. Interestingly, the song's theme finds a common parallel to America's present Teabagger movement/scourge. Still, the song is airy and lovely, blowing through on a cloud as a catchy reminder that not all revolutions are warranted. Read the given lyrics for better clarification and click here for an article on Sweden's upcoming elections. Then click here to download the new track for free.

Also, upcoming is a EP centered along Clinging to A Scheme single "Never Follow Suit" slated to be out November 9. Download the track for free here. Included below as well is a stream of the entire album. Purchase Clinging To A Scheme here.

The Radio Dept. - The New Improved Hypocrisy


The Radio Dept. - Clinging To A Scheme LP