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Ben's Top 40 Albums of 2010
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I heard Volume two before Volume one, so then I listened to one - and I agree with ya, very similar, but still awesome.
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I jumped on the Rick Ross bandwagon this year. Teflon Don is an amazing album.
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25. Mavis Staples - You Are Not Alone
I was about to type up a writeup for this wonderful album, but then I realized in my entry for Mavis Staples' "You Are Not Alone" on the singles list, I said pretty much everything I was going to say anyway. So, this may look indulgent and silly, but here's that exact post from the first page in this very thread:
You get this many times every year. A legend decides to have a comeback, and enlists a hip producer/songwriter to steer him/her to the highest spotlight they have had in decades. Sometimes it comes off as a calculated move to get a younger audience, and it falls on its face. In the case of Mavis Staples, who enlisted Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy to produce her latest album, it's a move that makes artistic sense. They are both natives of Chicago, and Tweedy comes at this as a fan of Mavis' work. The best example of the collaboration is the stunning title track (which was also written by Tweedy), and it's a really wonderful song. It really showcases Mavis Staples' talents without appealing to a younger demographic. She is doing the same music she has always done, and it's just such a nice thing to hear.
Best Songs:
01. You Are Not Alone
02. Last Train
03. Creep Along Moses
24. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Mojo
I said in my write-up for Neil Young that with Le Noise, he had nothing left to prove. He has given us decades upon decades of wonderful music, so if he didn't do another great song again, it would be OK. You can say the exact same thing for Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, as they have also had a wonderful run since the mid '70s of amazing guitar-based rock. Mojo, like Le Noise, lives up to their legacy, and is yet another great album under their belt.
What makes Mojo so great is that it's an album that lives up to their legacy in a rollicking, and fun way. This isn't the GrammyBait album. Mike Campbell is delivering blistering solos more than ever, and the songs are just a lot of fun. This is thankfully not the album where they collaborate with the young, hot producer. This is the album where they make the same great blues-based/southern rock that they have practically patented from all those years ago. Not every song hits (The song "Don't Pull Me Over", a reggae based song where Petty adapts a faux-Jamaican accent is painful), but the great ones make this something special. I mean come on. "First Flash of Freedom" with that blazing intro, that then leads into a mellow vibe as Petty sings the verses, and then it goes haywire again. You can't do better than that.
You can tell that Mojo isn't a contractual obligation album. They are making this album, because of how much fun it is playing and writing this music. Even "Don't Pull Me Over", which I don't like, is a song they seem to have fun with, and are doing because they want to. For artists as legendary as Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, it's an inspiring thing to witness. I hope in my 60s that i'm having this much fun doing what I love.
Best Songs:
01. First Flash of Freedom
02. The Trip to Pirate's Cove
03. I Should Have Known It
23. Devo - Something for Everybody
After years of watching the sort of explosion of geek culture hit the mainstream, it was only a matter of time before Devo decided to put out another album. Mark Mothersbaugh has been busy all these years working on film scores (Most notably for nearly every Wes Anderson movie), and while those were really great, i'm happy to see him back playing with his buddies from Akron (along with celebrated session drummer Josh Freese) again.
Something for Everybody is just great fun. Like Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers' Mojo, it's an album of everything you love about that artist in a brand new album. Even with modern sounding production, the song structure remains the same. Really, one of the most interesting aspects is how they didn't change their sound at all since the '80s, and they now sound modern among the wave of dance-based rock from the past few years.
I don't know how to end this writeup, so i'll just say that this album is great, and if you want a fuller idea of how great this album is read Ryan's writeup. He does a much better job of articulating the very cool things Devo does with Something for Everybody.
Best Songs:
01. Human Rocket
02. Don't Shoot (I'm a Man)
03. Fresh
22. The Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards
I loved Horehound, the first Dead Weather album, but Sea of Cowards is even better. Yet, I believe this album is ranked lower overall than Horehound was. I don't get it either.
Anyway, Sea of Cowards is just ramshackle fun. While Horehound was very crazy at points, Sea of Cowards is just ridiculous. Jack White plays a larger role on this album, and the back and forth between him and Alison Mosshart has been more refined, in a crazy way. They even play around with some electronic music elements on "The Difference Between Us", which at the beginning sounds a bit like Space Invaders, before Mosshart goes berserk. Mosshart, in general, on this album gives a spectacular performance. Just listen to "I'm Mad", and listen to her unravel more and more as the song continues as she continues the "HA HA I'M MAD!" refrain. If there was a Best Actress in a Song category, she would win it hands down.
I have overused this word enough in this part of the year-end, but this album is just such fun. It's maybe the least polished of any Jack White album to date, which makes it all the more great to listen to. I can't get enough of it.
Best Songs:
01. The Difference Between Us
02. I'm Mad
03. Blue Blood Blues
21. Elvis Costello - National Ransom
Somehow, this is the set with all the veterans releasing new albums that are worth their legacy. Funny how that worked.
Because, yes, it's the same case here with Elvis Costello's National Ransom. Produced by the great T. Bone Burnett, Costello delivers his most wide-ranging album in years. For the past decade, Costello has only done albums using one genre of music at a time. Whether it was country (Secret, Profane & Sugarcane), jazz (River In Reverse, with Allen Toussaint), or just plain rock (Momofuku), he was very good with the genre exercises in the aughts. However, with National Ransom, and what makes it better than any of his output from the last decade, is, again, how over the map it is. You've got your country song, your rock that recalls his late '70s work, beautiful balladry, barnburner stompfests (I think I just made that one up), National Ransom has it all.
Elvis Costello is one of my favorite artists ever, and while he's had some duds in his time, his best work remains some of the music I go back to the most in my life. National Ransom feels like it could easily be lumped in with those great works, as T. Bone Burnett has done a masterful job of helping guide Costello to what he does best, as well as helping him tackle new genres in exciting and relevant ways. If you want to know what all the fuss is about when people go on and on about Elvis Costello, and want an immediate jumping-off point, National Ransom is a pretty great way to do that.
Best Songs:
01. A Slow Drag with Josephine
02. Church Underground
03. You Hung The Moon
Next up: 5 more! As we enter THE TOP 20. Exciting, isn't it? Well, about as exciting as looking at blocks of text can be.
Thanks for all the comments!
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ATRL Senior Member
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Your write ups are great.
Admittedly, have not heard any of the albums - but based on your write ups, Tom Petty and Dead Weather are next on the "to listen" list.
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The Dead Weather
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I will bump you, because you DESERVE IT.
Seriously, people, listen to new Devo. I'm not even ****ing around anymore, listen to it. It's one of the best albums of the year, period. There's at least one other person who will (or they better) give Devo love, and I hope you listen to him, too.
Most of the rest I haven't heard, but I was totally let down by new Dead Weather. Just didn't stand out when compared to Horehound, but maybe I should give it another listen. I REALLY need to check out that Mavis Staples album, because Mavis Staples is ****ing amazing.
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I always love looking at your lists because it helps reconfirm some of my taste and helps me discover potential obsessions While I don't always agree with all that is listed, it's always amazing to see how diverse your taste is (in response to Mavis especially)
Dancing on My Own was one of the reasons I knew I had to at least acknowledge Robyn ^_^ Shutterbug is one of the many reasons you will see Big Boi later on my list, haha.
J. Cole does not like that I'm not in Canada
I had no idea In the Sun had a video! OH ITS SO GREAT. Its one of those instances where I want to remember a director but probably won't... actually, most of the videos on your list I had no idea about but they have been a delight to watch! I think Yeasayer's was the most unexpected and I think I have to agree with you on everything concerning it.
I remember my friend telling me about Hobo with a Shotgun... SO RIDICULOUS! I can't wait. That and Cowboys & Aliens, haha. It's cool to hear from you on those movies more than just the "this is ridiculous, here is why" aspects. Thor, Green Hornet, and Your Highness I should remember to catch in theaters, and find people to watch with, haha. I had no idea Kristen Wiig was even working on a new movie, with such a great cast and director! See, I remembered that name at least
Ha, love your description of Jenny & Johnny. Overall, most of the albums that just missed the top 40, were barely in my 40 or quite low... or actually missed it for me, haha. BELLE AND SEBASTIAN HAD A NEW ALBUM?! Bah. I'm so out of the loop.
Since I have not finished my write ups for the upcoming posts, I'm afraid of looking at it for Gorillaz write-up BUT WOOO GORILLAZ! Actually, on that note, I'm going to end this essay and re-visit this later for the TV list+ to 1) bump it and 2) actually take it in better.
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Great set, Lord.
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20. The New ****ographers - Together
I wasn't a huge fan of The New ****ographers' last album Challengers. There were good songs on it, but I don't know. It just didn't connect with me, as much as I tried listening to it. This was also coming from someone who adored both Twin Cinema and Electric Version (I still haven't heard Mass Romantic, though I really ought to), so it was all the more disappointing for me.
Thankfully, their latest album, Together is a huge step in the right direction. Again, i'm not sure what makes Together better for me than Challengers, just beyond that there are better songs on here. I mean that first set of 3 songs alone (Moves, Crash Years, Your Hands (Together)) is maybe one of the best opening sets of music out of any album this year. You get the strong A.C. Newman led song, the always wonderful Neko Case led song, and then both of them singing together. It's everything that makes me a huge fan of The New ****ographers in just 12 minutes. The rest of the songs are also very good (The Dan Bejer songs are as great as ever), and it makes for a very enjoyable album. Is it better than Twin Cinema or Electric Version? Probably not, but it's at least on the same level as those two.
Best Songs:
01. Moves
02. Crash Years
03. A Bite Out of My Bed
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19. The National - High Violet
Maybe it's just me, but The National isn't the kind of band that you instantly get hooked onto. That's no slight on them, but they perform very subtle, moving music. It doesn't instantly grab you as much as, say, a Kanye West album. So my interest in The National came very late in the game. I can't remember if this is true or not, but I believe I put their last album, 2007's Boxer, on my Just Missed section of the top 40 albums. That had nothing to do with the quality, and was more about how late I was getting into it. Since 2007, I love Boxer a whole lot more than I did, and songs like "Fake Empire" have become some of the best songs of its era.
So, now in 2010, with The National finally releasing another album in High Violet, I was definitely more of a The National fan then I was, so I grew to appreciate this album very quickly. It's everything that makes them awesome: Matt Berninger's beautiful, and haunting vocals, the stark playing by the band, and many other great things that I find hard to describe. The National is a type of a band (and this was the case with both Boxer and High Violet) that you must pay attention to get the full appreciation of their work. You can't be folding laundry, or jogging on the treadmill as you listen to this. The best way is to just sit there, and pay attention, whether on a sound system or on headphones, and you will definitely grow to love the band a lot more. I become more of a fan of The National with each passing year, and I imagine whenever they decide to release another album, it could chart as high as the top 10 or 5. if you aren't on board with them yet, you really should be.
Best Songs:
01. Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks
02. Bloodbuzz Ohio
03. Terrible Love
18. Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III)
When I first heard about Janelle Monae all I knew about her was that striking album cover, and that she was signed to Bad Boy Records. And, while I find Diddy to be immensely entertaining in a trainwreck way (though he was intentionally funny in Get Him to The Greek), her being signed to Bad Boy kinda held me back for a bit. Was this another Danity Kane, or whatever that thing was? Well, all it took was seeing Janelle Monae performing on Late Show with David Letterman, where she did "Tightrope" with a full band, and did the whole James Brown cape thing. I was instantly sold
I then decided to listen to her album as soon as possible, and I am very glad that I did. Monae isn't doing anything new (But who is, really?), but she is merging multiple genres into one very wonderful combination. The obvious modern point of reference, not only because the music is similar, but because she just opened for him at Madison Square Garden, is Prince. I realize some people don't like Prince for some reason (likely because they are dummies), but any artist that is stylistically similar to Prince automatically gets my attention. With saying that, I don't want to sell Monae short by saying she is exactly the same as Prince. She is much more than that, and has her own style that seems to be working very well for her. Just in terms of the guest artists on the album alone, from Of Montreal to Saul Williams to Big Boi, it's a very eclectic group of artists and they all work. It's hard to believe an album with all of those artists guesting on it can be cohesive and not just a muddled mess, but it truly isn't. It's a sonic tour-de-force that grabs hold of you from beginning to end. I greatly look forward to whatever she has coming up.
Best Songs:
01. Tightrope featuring Big Boi
02. Cold War
03. Say You'll Go
17. Broken Bells - Broken Bells
I know some people don't like The Shins. They find them to be boring, and dull. I don't get those people at all, but I imagine even those Shins non-fans will come to enjoy Broken Bells. Broken Bells is lead singer James Mercer and producer extraordinaire Danger Mouse as a duo ala Gnarls Barkley, but instead of '60s soul, they are tackling '70s psychedelia.
It's a very interesting album musically, as on headphones it's really amazing. All the different instruments and noises throughout that Danger Mouse peppers in makes it always affecting. On top of that, you have Mercer doing some of his best vocal work to date, and he sounds like he's having some of the most fun he's had in his career. That is especially clear on best song on the album "The Ghost Inside", where Mercer gets his falsetto on and submits his own power jam for future generations to dance to.
It's unclear whether Mercer and Danger Mouse will ever work again, but I really hope so. Now that they have gotten comfortable with each other, and toured the world, I think the results they could deliver for album 2 would be even better.
Best Songs:
01. The Ghost Inside
02. October
03. Sailing To Nowhere
16. Grinderman - Grinderman 2
Nick Cave is someone I wasn't into for a long time. Not because I didn't like him, but because he was never on my radar. That all changed once I heard the very first Grinderman album. Songs like "No ***** Blues" just blew me away, as they were just so raw and primal. I couldn't get enough of it. After that he released Dig Lazarus Dig!!!, an album by his main dayjob Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, and I really loved that as well, especially the title track.
Now, Nick Cave has finally released another Grinderman album, and it's the best album of those 3 I listed. Again, sort of like The Dead Weather's Sea of Cowards, it takes everything that worked about the first album, and expands its worldview, yet also delivering everything that was so great about the first album. I think I could use a lot of the same words that I used to describe The Dead Weather album to describe Grinderman 2, like "unhinged." Songs like "Heathen Child" and "Worm Tamer" are just pure sex on record. The one-liners that Nick Cave gets to utter are just unbelievable. Here are some highlights:
- "I keep hanging around your kitchenette, and i'm going to get a pot to cook you in, I stick my fingers in your biscuit jar and crush all your Gingerbread Men"
- "What's this husband of yours ever given to you, Oprah Winfrey on a plasma screen, and a brood of jug-eared buck-toothed imbeciles. The ugliest ****ing kids i've ever seen."
- "Well my baby calls me the Loch Ness Monster. Two great big humps and then i'm gone. But actually I am the Abominable Snowman. I guess i've loved you for too long."
" Says, I don't care about Buddha. Don't care about Krishna. Don't care about Allah. Don't care about anything. Just sitting in the bathtub. Sucking her thumb. Cuz, she's a heathen child."
Those lines on the page may read as ridiculous (and they probably do), but Nick Cave is a classic showman. The way he delivers these lines are second to none. It also helps to have such amazing rock music behind him as he says these things. I highly recommend this album.
Best Songs:
01. Kitchenette
02. Heathen Child (better version is "Super Heathen Child" which features guitar giant Robert Fripp)
03. Worm Tamer
Sorry for the delay!
Next up: 5 more albums. A hint for the next set: The same artist appears twice.
Thanks for all the comments!
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First off, thank you for watching TV so much, ha.
I had no idea Walking Dead was going to deal with season two differently but, like you, I'm pretty glad that they will be taking a different route. I became so disappointed with the show as the season progressed so I really hope next season goes better.
So I finally started Dexter this year and I don't know if I agree here. I came to like the police focus but then again, I love almost everything about this show. I can't believe I never got into it before!
Now me watching Good Guys, definitely thanks to you! I had no idea that it was cancelled though (since I just caught up with the show). WHY DID IT GET CANCELLED?! I blame Fox.
Completely agree with you on Futurama and 30 Rock ^_^ Also, liked seeing Broadwalk Empire and Childrens Hospital!
I hate waiting for new Mad Men! Community (love your write-up here!), I'm glad the wait is short.
Other shows, I never could get into, or I had no idea were still going on... damn.
lol, I JUST got into an old Neil Young album this year that I didn't even look for new material by him. Great.
Good to see She & Him, Dead Weather, New ****ographers, The National, Devo, and Walkmen ^_^
I will probably give Janelle Monae (and other ranked-low albums) more listens as the year progresses, since I did hear a lot of good things and I know some things just grow slowly on me or just require more listens.
I can't believe I forgot to even think of including Broken Bells in singles or albums list, though I can't believe I forgot to check out their album in general before today, haha
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The National is awesome, Janelle Morae is awesomer, Nick Cave is even more awesome and Broken Bells are GLORIOUS! Trust me, "The Ghost Inside" has a spot on my top 70...somewhere.
Seriously, your write-ups? Are the best. No, wait, THE BEST! I truly feel like I've sinned for the albums I have not listened to. I'VE GOT WORK TO DO THANKS TO YOU, BENJAMIN!
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ATRL Senior Member
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3 outstanding albums in Broken Bells, New ****os, and the National.
The National keep putting out good albums and they don't get any bigger.
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Haven't heard any of these albums, but if they're on your list they have to be good. Keep it up sir.
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15. The Hold Steady - Heaven is Whenever
The Hold Steady have had a strong connection to my year-ends over the years. The first album I heard from them, Boys and Girls in America, was an album I only heard after I completed my list. I then made a post in that thread that pretty much said this: "HOLY ****, THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I HAVE HEARD. HOW DID I MISS OUT ON THIS???" Roughly.
Then, their next album, Stay Positive, was my #1 album for 2008. It was yet another great collection from a band that was quickly becoming one of my very favorites. So, obviously, anything they had coming up would be met with fevered anticipation from me. In between Stay Positive and Heaven is Whenever, however, a huge event happened: Franz Nicolay (keyboard player, multi-instrumentalist) left the band. I was very sad once that happened, but I had no idea how that would affect future Hold Steady albums.
Now, I don't want the considerable drop in placement (#1 to #15) make it look like The Hold Steady have lost it. Far from it. It's just that Franz Nicolay added so much to their sound. The songs on Heaven is Whenever are much more guitar-based, and a lot of the stuff that Franz did was what made the band special. With that said, they are still an amazing band, and Heaven is Whenever has so many wonderful songs.
My favorite song on the album (and one of the best Hold Steady songs, period) is "Our Whole Lives." It's really everything that makes the Hold Steady great, and you really forget that Franz left the band (especially when that great horn section pops up near the end). These lyrics on the song define a lot of what The Hold Steady sing about :
"We're good guys, but we can't be good every night.
We're good guys, but we can't be good our whole lives.
We're good guys, but we can't be good every night.
Now, father I have sinned, and I wanna do it all again tonight."
Those kind of lyrics are the reason why I will continue coming back to The Hold Steady as long as they continue making music. I imagine the next album post-Franz will be much more relaxed, and be even better.
Best Songs:
01. Our Whole Lives
02. We Can Get Together
03. Rock Problems
14. John Legend & The Roots - Wake Up!
There are many people that you could say won 2010. Louis C.K., Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Conan O'Brien, but one group whose name i'd like throw in the ring are The Roots. They are in the second year of their very successful stint as houseband of the very great Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, they played Stewart/Colbert's Rally To Restore Sanity and/or Fear, and many other things that I can't think of right now. Most importantly, they released two very wonderful albums that couldn't be more different from each other.
First up is the album they did with John Legend titled Wake Up! I have always liked John Legend. I'm not sure if I first heard him on Kanye's College Dropout or on his Kanye produced debut single "Used To Love U." He's a very great talent, who I feel hasn't gotten his due, as he's released some material that wasn't entirely to his level. Thankfully, The Roots came to save the day, and the combination of both of them working together is a very winning one.
Wake Up! is an album entirely of covers (beyond "Shine", an original written for the documentary Waiting for Superman), from the '60s and '70s. The conceit of the album is essentially an album of socially conscious R&B/soul that is as relevant today as it was decades ago. On paper, that may sound a bit boring, stale, and Grammybait-y, but you did look at who did this album, right? The Legendary Roots Crew does not do boring or stale. The arrangements fit each song perfectly, whether it's the HARD piledriving drumbeat for the aptly named "Hard Times", or its the slow psych-freakout of Bill Withers' Vietnam war protest song "I Can't Write Left Handed", this album belongs to The Roots. Not to say that it is entirely theirs as John Legend also does some of his best vocal work in quite some time, as his singing of classics by Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, among others, really does those classics justice.
Cover albums don't happen often, and when they do they are generally forgettable affairs. With Wake Up!, John Legend and The Roots have thrown out the gauntlet to anyone who wants to best them, as with its great vocal work, amazing arrangements, and perfectly chosen songs that reflect our current times, this album is something special.
Best Songs:
01. I Can't Write Left Handed
02. Hard Times featuring Black Thought
03. Little Ghetto Boy featuring Black Thought
13. The Apples In Stereo - Travellers In Space and Time
Before I begin, I would like to thank director Greg Mottola. Not just for making amazing movies like Superbad, Adventureland, and the upcoming Paul, but for recommending this album. He tweeted on his twitter feed (@gregmottola) that he was loving the latest Apples In Stereo album, and that it had a very heavy '70s influence, specifically ELO. That was one of the most appealing sounding albums I had ever heard, so I quickly went to give it a listen. And, he was right!
I had been aware of The Apples In Stereo prior to listening to this album, but this was the first album of theirs I had heard front to back. From what I understand, it was quite the departure from their usual sound, and that many fans didn't like it. Not to speak against likely longtime fans of the band, as i'm a fan of only one album, but go jump in a lake! I think what the Apples In Stereo did was kinda amazing, and I love how ballsy it is. They truly did make an album that could have been made in the mid to late '70s, and it is just dripping with that kind of popcraft. Beyond the ELO allusions (which there are plenty), it also references some of Wings' '70s output. Now, if you know me, there's nothing I love more than ELO and Wings.This album played like bananas to me.
I also love that The Apples In Stereo made an album so decidedly unhip in a time where everyone is striving to jump on the hippest and latest music trend. Yes, people are doing the dance music thing, but that is more of a European/club bent. Travellers In Space and Time is, again, very Jeff Lynne and very '70s poprock. To all the longtime fans of Apples In Stereo who were disappointed with this album: I'm sorry? But, maybe you should give it another listen. You may find out that it's pretty much the most fun thing ever.
Best Songs:
01. Dream About the Future
02. Dance Floor
03. Dignified Dignitary
12. The Roots - How I Got Over
Album number two from The Roots!
Every year that The Roots have put out a new album it always charts very high. Game Theory was top 5, and I believe Rising Down was as well (I know all of you folks are much better with your own stats, but i'm lazy, which is becoming a recurring feature of this list). So, just because How I Got Over isn't that high doesn't mean it's a poor effort. Not in the slightest. It isn't my favorite Roots album, but it's definitely up there.
How I Got Over is the first Roots album that has taken full advantage of their status as houseband of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. As houseband, they see every single artist perform on that show, and they get exposed to more music than ever. There are 3 instances where that came into play.
1) When Monsters of Folk performed "Dear God", that then lead to The Roots coming up with the idea of "Dear God 2.0." They then recruited Jim James to redo the hook.
2) When Joanna Newsom performed, that lead The Roots to become aware of her.They then sample her song "Book of Right-On" for "Right On."
3) When The Dirty Projectors performed, The Roots again became aware of them. So, The Roots recruited Amber Coffman, Angel Deradoorian, and Haley Dekle of the group to do the intro, and some interludes on the album.
Another way how Late Night with Jimmy Fallon came into play: They recorded a lot of the album backstage of the show, which is how they got some of these guests on the record.
Of course, the album isn't just about new faces they met on their shiny national TV gig. They recruit old favorites like Dice Raw, Truck North, Phonte (from Little Brother and the incredible The Foreign Exchange, who you will see later on. OOH TEASER!), great indie rapper Blu, and the elusive and incredible Least Googleage rapper in the game P.O.R.N. Also nice to see is that John Legend appears on the album, on one of the best songs "The Fire", after they completed their very successful collaboration on Wake Up!
This is just yet another amazing Roots album. Nothing more, nothing less. Some people may say that consistency is boring, but consistent for The Roots is a top 20 ranked album every time out. I'd say that's pretty great consistency.
Best Songs:
01. Walk Alone featuring Truck North, P.O.R.N., Dice Raw
02. The Fire featuring John Legend
03. The Day featuring Blu, Phonte, Patty Crash
11. The Black Keys - Brothers
The Black Keys kinda became a huge deal in 2010. It was the year your mom found out about them, and they broke out in a huge way. I couldn't be happier for them, as Akron's other favorite sons (which is a list that includes Devo and Ike Bart) are still one of the most talented groups around today.
Brothers, man. I don't even know how to describe it. It's just an album of great, great songs. Whether its the sole Danger Mouse produced song (and big #1 Rock hit) "Tighten Up", the barroom strut of "Howlin' For You", or the simply amazing "I'm Not The One", Brothers is an album that every rock band should strive for. There's a sense that this album is kinda effortless for the band, that they could do this in their sleep. Yet, you have other rock bands that struggle to have at least two songs as great as anything included on here.
A word to rock bands in 2011: The Black Keys raised the rock music game up, so you have to comply. You have to try harder if you want to be on this level of greatness.
I'm sorry for that Diddy-esque rant, but I kinda have no idea what to say about this album. It's just really, really good, and endlessly replayable. If you haven't listened to it yet, come on. You owe it to yourself to check it out.
Best Songs:
01. I'm Not the One
02. Everlasting Light
03. Howlin' for You
Coming up: WE ENTER THE TOP 10! Hooray! Now, i'm not much for schedules, but this is how it is looking for the rest of the year-end:
- Next Update: 10-6 albums
- Update after that: Albums 5-4
- Update after that: Movies of 2010 list. This list will likely be 20 or so deep. It will be posted in two parts.
- Update after that: Albums 3-2
Update after that: ALBUM #1. An album so special that it gets its own post. But then, pretty much all of my #1 albums have had posts to themselves, so that's just exclusive to that position.
I am toying with the idea of doing additional sidelists in between some of those (Albums of 2011, specifically), but i'll let you know if I decide to do it or not.
Thanks for all the comments! I really appreciate them all.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/24/2009
Posts: 70,975
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The Black Keys
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Member Since: 1/26/2006
Posts: 17,384
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High Violet and Broken Bells are the only albums I heard from your list and both are amazing! Wow, you must have taken your time to do all those write-ups.
What a variety of music is in here!, different from many Best Ofs haha.
I'm gonna check the rest of your lists for sure.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 6/9/2002
Posts: 6,789
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So, I decided to speed up the process. Since Johnald and Bart did such great jobs with their 2011 albums lists, I decided I didn't need to do a full one. If you want the full scoop on what is coming out this year (that feels weird to type!), then look at their lists. My #1 album wasn't on either of their lists, so I feel the need to hype it up.
LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Most Anticipated Album of 2011
Kanye West & Jay-Z - Watch My Throne
Release Date: First-Second Quarter 2011
This is seriously happening.
Some people expected that it would be an EP, and include some of the songs that Kanye/Jay-Z have already released on the internet. Let me answer both of those: Nope, Nope. This will be a full-length album, and once Kanye submitted his final master of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy to the label, he went straight to work on Watch My Throne. Two separate recording sessions.
Kanye and Jay-Z went to Bath, England to record many songs, and they also recorded some in New York. This will be the heavy hip-hop album. While I don't see how any fan of Kanye's could be disappointed by MBDTF, Watch My Throne will be for the people who prefer "Can't Tell Me Nothing" to "Stronger", "Through The Wire" to "All Falls Down", "Power" to "Runaway." You get the picture.
Production is said to be provided by many hip-hop nerd favorites like Madlib, Pete Rock, and Q-Tip. Jay-Z and Kanye over a Madlib beat??? I think I may hyperventilate.
Every single time these two have been on a song together, it has been nothing short of magic. The Diamonds remix. Never Let Me Down. The Power remix. So many others. There are a lot of great artists releasing albums in 2011, but this one is definitely at the very top of my list.
Other albums I am looking forward to in 2011:
Jay-Z (seriously! We will be getting two Jay-Z albums in the same year!!!!)
Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee, Vol. 2
Radiohead
U2 (produced by Danger Mouse)
Foo Fighters (produced by Butch Vig, features Krist Novoselic)
Dr. Dre - Detox
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter IV
The Cars - Free (the first album by the original lineup since the '80s)
My Morning Jacket
Beck
Lady Gaga - Born This Way
Danger Mouse - Rome
The Shins
The Strokes
R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Paul Simon – So Beautiful Or So What
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 10/1/2002
Posts: 14,726
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AHHHHHHHHHHHH OK.
Albums list: Hold Steady, I definitely remember reading your "ahhhh this is the best album ever" rant, amazing; That Roots/Legend album is great, love listening to it while driving; and biiiiiiiiig fan of Black Keys, they really made an impression on me this year.
Ok, and hold on, WHAT the WHAT. It's going to be a full-length Kanye/Jay LP?
Best news.
New Foos, U2, and more Jay Z for the win.
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