Honorable Mentions : 25-21 : 15-11 : 10-6 : 5-1
Purchase Champ here.
Read my original review here.
Toronto's Tokyo Police Club became the reigning kings of the two minute punk pop nugget by releasing EP's and singles that are fun and fleeting. The downside was that they were often finishing well before your internet surfing was finished. Their second full length Champ has them bulking up their songs by an extra minute or so, but added a level of maturity and focus that never takes away from the main objective of laying out the hooks and sinking them into your memory. From the slow build of "Favorite Food", the swaying "Breakneck Speed" and the rocker "Wait Up (Boots of Danger), Champ delivers the good times even when they take more time to do get the job done.
Tokyo Police Club - Favourite Food
Purchase Sports here.
Read my original review here.
From the first listen of Sports, there is something that goes deeper and beyond the murky production and wailing vocals. There is a echoing, throbbing fury filtered through a basement of shadowy stories of lost hope while this new trio from San Francisco imputes early Sonic Youth, Joy Division and darker new wave without a stolen note to be found. It is rare when a band sounds like your old favorites, but the new stuff doesn't directly refer to the actual songs. These are best realized on the decided changes in the opener "Coma Summer", the bloody road movie of "Youth Haunts" or the well worn riffs on "Age Class" or "End Times". There is a lot of promise found here from Weekend's debut. I look forward to the inevitable sophomore followup, whatever it may hold.
Weekend - Coma Summer
Purchase There Is Love in You here.
Kieran Hebden, better known as Four Tet, has methodically honed his sound from the dissonant and experimental sounds of Rounds and Everything Ecstatic to this lovely and touching, but no less impacting release. Many of his earlier work may be more challenging, but he has never made an LP that consistently moves the listener. There Is Love In You connects the dots like a love story, providing the soundtrack to the coolest, more difficult and triumphant moments in your life. In addition, Four Tet's forbearing influence is the inspiration for one of the Top Ten albums of 2010.
Four Tet - Plastic People
Purchase Forgiveness Rock Record here.
There is so much to love about the idea of what Broken Social Scene is. A collective of several (31 for this album including "guest" appearances) Canadian musicians from different indie outfits coming together to make music feels like what any grass roots artistic endeavor should be; a communal meeting born of late night drinking, camaraderie, mutual respect and a common goal of making stadium sized music for the small stage. The epic length of Forgiveness Rock Record allows for every member to get his say and at its best, finds a synchronized acme when the stars are aligned. Unlike the raw emotions and the strong lead of Kevin Drew in the past two albums, the best tracks are the ones that keep it simple and employ the power trio of female vocals from Emily Haines, Leslie Feist and Amy Millan. Tracks "All to All" and "Sentimental X's" are truly revealing an underused weapon in their ensemble, while the bliss out quirks of "Ungrateful Little Father", the fragile "Sweetest Kill", the obviously John McEntire produced "Romance to the Grave" and the mighty instrumental "Meet Me In The Basement" make you want to wrap your arms around and sing at the top of your lungs with this potent community of friends, if only for the big finale.
Broken Social Scene - Sentimental X's
Purchase Treats here.
This first full length from Sleigh Bells is not a prototypical "Top" album for me. I am not sure I would listen to Treats at any given time or even finish the entire album at one sitting. However, this is a "special cases" record in the truest sense. Sure, throwing on Treats at a party or blaring it your car en route to a late night adventure is a no-brainer. Maybe there is a moment where no lesser album will do. However, the singular, blown-out-beyond-the-red sound of Sleigh Bells holds the promise of a new "more-is-more" movement. Hopefully there will be more bands that follow this aesthetic and we won't have to wait such a long time for the next album.
Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill
