Every website does some kind of best of the year countdown and TheSSHH is no exception. We (Tanner and I and maybe Danny) will be posting our top 10 albums and top 5 movies of the year this week. If you think that is lame then go somewhere else.
Looking back on the year of 2010 there were 27 albums that made it in my top of the year list. To narrow the 27 down to 10 has been pretty difficult and a number of these spots could easily be shifted around. There are also a couple of albums that are still to come out this year that could make it in my top 10 (Ryan Adams and the Cardinals and Ghostface). This has been a challenge but I have thrown caution to the wind and here is my list...
#10. Jakob Dylan - Women + Country: I have never been a fan of Jakob Dylan but this album has made me one. I didn't even know he had come out with anything until I saw the album at the counter of a Starbucks. For some reason I decided to check it out and I am very glad that I did. This is a pretty short and very mellow album but I listened to it continuously for a number of days. Some albums take a while to get into but I fell right in with this one.
#9. Mad Rad - The Youth Die Young: This album has been growing on me for a while. After the first listen I didn't think much of it and actually didn't like most of it. After giving it a bit more of a chance I have really come around to it. Like their first album these guys still generally just rap about sex and drugs but you can tell that they are starting to take their music pretty seriously. While they are becoming more serious this album is still about turning it up and partying. PSmoov is a great producer with a love for synthesizers and string plucks. I couldn't find a good video of any of their new music so no vid for this one.
#8. John Butler Trio - April Uprising: This album came with a little bit of drama. John Butler has gone through a number of different lineups but for his last couple of albums it seemed like he had a permanent band in order. The fans loved them and JBT had become more successful than ever. Apparently John Butler decided he needed a change to instill more creativity so he fired the band and cut off his dreadlocks. This was not very well received by fans and many were pretty upset with it (I'm talking about the change of band not the haircut). What do I think of this new lineup? (I know you want my opinion) I liked the old band he had before better but April Uprising is a good album so I'm not complaining too much. This time around John Butler ventured much more into using an electric guitar instead of his standard 12 string acoustic. In general though it is still his usual semi-hippie music, it rocks and has the whole socially conscious lyrics thing going.
#7. State of the Artist - Seattlecalifragilisticextrahelladopeness: Another Seattle hip-hop group on my list. SOTA came out with their first album this year and in general have not gotten the amount of attention they deserve. Seattlecalifrag...is some good music from beginning to end. Lots of good guest appearances and guest production (PSmoov specifically).
#6. The Roots - How I Got Over & The Roots and John Legend - Wake Up!: I am cheating with this one. These are two separate albums but I am not willing to split them and take up an extra spot. When listening to hip-hop I tend to kind of zone out the lyrics and just listen to the beats. The Roots are the best band to do that with. Their lyrics are really good, don't misunderstand me, but the music is what really makes it. Their effort with John Legend is a great collection of reworking some classics. Both albums are top to bottom fun to listen to.
#5. Black Keys - Brothers: I'll be honest, the Black Keys can really make anything and I will love it. These dudes just make kickass rock and roll. Again, I am completely biased and have drank their Kool Aid. This album could just as easily be my number 1. I have to say this is a really great video as well.
#4. Josh Rouse - El Turista: Josh Rouse is kind of alt rock country singer who started out in Nashville in the last 90s and has since moved to Spain. This album is a perfect combination of country and Spanish music. Part of the album is in Spanish and all of it has this super cool lounge feel to it. Every time I listen to this album I wish I was wearing linen pants. You know what I'm saying.
#3. Kings of Leon - Come Around Sundown: This band has slowly kind of become like The Black Keys to me. They just always make good music. With this album they seemed to go a little away from making the arena rock sound on their previous lp and went back a bit more to their roots, a little lower budget sound. Good rock and roll music.
#2. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: Kanye can be a bit of a dick, but he is so musically talented. Even if what he is often working with are samples, he can put them together in a way that nobody else would think of. In this album he seems to have realized he is a dick and he often raps about it. The amount of talent he surrounded himself with for this album is also amazing. Kanye went all out making this album. I really think this will become an album that other artists strive to make.
This is not an official video for the song "Power" but I really like it...
This is a neat video showing some of the different samples he used in making this album.
#1. Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer: Cee Lo is an amazingly talented singer who has a very distinct voice. The little dude can absolutely belt out some great songs. The Lady Killer is top to bottom full with great great songs. This album has songs that make you want to dance, sing along, and just feel good. Anyone who listens to this and doesn't like it is stupid, and thats a fact. Cee Lo is one of the most original musicians out there. He is extremely versatile, one example of this is his cover of Band of Horses "No One's Gonna Love You More." Also, who else could make a song call "Fuck You" a top 20 hit? Seriously, have you ever heard a more happy song about breaking up?
Another song of his that I like. I really like the Michael Jackson esque bass line and the James Bond feel with the strings.
Just for fun here is Cee Lo doing a cover of Kings of Leon.
Well there you go...my Top 10 albums of 2010.
As a little side bonus here is my favorite song of 2010.
Blue Scholars actually got a cease and desist letter for their sample in this song. You might recognize the music from the Amazon commercial.
Looking back over my list I realize that I really could put any of these albums at almost any number. Lots of good music.
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