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wow…I should update this list more often…anyway, here are my top 10 records of 2010…
Honorable Mention, in order from 11-30: Tame Impala (Innerspeakers), Bronze Horse (S/T), White Hills (S/T), Ghost Box Orchestra (The Only Light On), Killing Joke (Absolute Dissent), Barn Owl (Ancestral Star), Mogwai (Special Moves), Rangda (False Flag), Various Artists (Stroke: Songs For Chris Knox), Gorillaz (Plastic Beach),
Drive-by Truckers (The Big To Do), Various Artists (Honest Strings), Pärson Sound (Box Set), Master Musicians of Bukkake (Totem 2), Real Estate (Reality), Alastair Galbraith (Mass), Grails (Black Tar Prophecies Vol 4), Kurt Vile (Square Shells), Versus (On The Ones and Threes), Grinderman (Grinderman 2)
#10 Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 – Propellor Time [Sartorial]
Hitchcock is back with another sublimely crafted set of music, and once again backed by 3/5ths of REM. One of the standouts is “Ordinary Millionaire,” written by Johnny Marr who also plays on it.
#9 Boston Spaceships – Our Cubehouse Still Rocks [Guided By Voices, Inc]
The GBV reunion tour probably garnered the most press for Pollard (and rightly so, it was a totally amazing experience) but he also released the half-dozen or so LPs like usual. They were all pretty great records, but I give nod to Cubehouse as it contains the utterly wonderful “John The Dwarf Wants To Become An Angel” (really, how can one man come up with so many killer songs?) and also as it’s likely the only record to have “Cubehouse” in the title.
#8 The Fresh and Onlys – Play It Strange [In The Red]
The quality of hazy 60s pop/psych that this SF band has covered over its short existence is pretty amazing and bodes well for the future.
#7 Dungen – Skit It Allt [Subliminal Sounds]
Swedish folk/psych is probably limited to a small number of bands, but it’s not a question as to who’s at the top of the heap. This record took a bit longer to sink in than their last few, but I’m glad I spent the time. I also finally had the opportunity to see them live, which was a transcendental experience.
#6 Warpaint – The Fool [Rough Trade]
I just found out about this post-punk tinged LA band recently and their particular mix of edgy, spacious and slightly off-kilter songs was the best discovery of the year.
#5 Jim Shepard/V-3 – Next Album [bootleg]
Jim Shepard played a fascinating take on damaged art-rock and he sadly ended his life a dozen years ago. This record came out of the blue, with no accompanying info (a friend told me that the re-press of the LP came with a photocopy of the interview I did with Jim for Popwatch magazine in the 90s). I was initially guessing it may have been a vinyl pressing of Motorcycle Movie, a cdr that was posthumously released in a tiny edition, but it’s not.
#4 Emeralds – Does It Look Like I’m Here? [Editions Mego]
Emeralds has been quietly moving from low volume/minimal guitar sparseness to a more analog synth sound and this record perfectly captures that vibe. If you like this, be sure to also check out Oneohtrix Point Never.
#3 Jack Rose – Luck In The Valley [Thrill Jockey]
Though Jack had plenty of excellent recordings as part of the noise/improv band Pelt and his later solo acoustic guitar, he was picking up a lot of momentum and his untimely death last year was a major blow. This LP was released a couple of months after his passing, and truly showcases where he came from and what direction he was heading towards. The 12” with D Charles Speer is also worth hearing.
#2 Marc Ribot – Silent Movies [Pi]
Ribot is capable of pretty much any style of music you can think of, and as such he’s been a sought after studio musician for Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, Robert Plant, Elton John, Lou Reed and others, but he’s most widely known as the go to foil for John Zorn. His technique can be inscrutable on occasion, but this collection is a lovely outing of pieces of music from various soundtracks.
#1 Sun City Girls – Funeral Mariachi [Abduction]
The final release of the prodigious Sun City Girls is a massive statement, a most appropriate farewell to the band and to the late Charlie Gocher, whose drumming anchored the freewheeling Bishop brothers. Their releases can be abrasive, beautiful, wayfaring, and playfu, sometimes all in the context of a single songl. The mood here is a bit more solemn, but maybe that’s just my projection, given the circumstances. I hate to think of a world with no new SCG material, but this is one hell of a send off.
