Mittwoch, 29. Dez 2010, 9:12
2010 was a pretty fantastic year for music – probably the best one I can remember since some time in the late 90s, and I'm betting those memories are pretty rose-tinted. Not only was there a huge volume of new and exciting music this past year, but a large quantity of it what I was looking forward to actually turned out to be great! Strangely (or perhaps predictably), in spite of all the new artists I shared through my Mixes of the Month(s), my "best of" is mostly made up of bands I was already fond of before the beginning of 2010. There's something to be said for familiarity, I suppose.
The year started with some very good (albeit mildly disappointing due to past excellence) releases from Shearwater, Frightened Rabbit, and Midlake, the middle of 2010 was full of great stuff courtesy of The National, Menomena, and John Grant, among others, and the past few months have seen excellent releases from The Phantom Band, Robyn, and Kanye West. Overall, I’d say my favourite albums of the year were those released by The National, John Grant, and The Phantom Band.
The National’s High Violet is consistently excellent and emotionally affecting, and in my view represents the pinnacle of their work so far. John Grant’s Queen of Denmark was downloaded on a whim but turned out to be an exceptionally pleasant surprise, blending cynical and outlandish humour on a "space folk" backdrop, with moments of intense emotionality. Finally, the Phantom Band’s The Wants is a very worthy successor to their previous album, 2008’s Checkmate Savage, which was excellent in its own right. This young Scottish band have polished their craft and are creating some of the most interesting music I’ve had the pleasure of hearing in recent years.
Without further ado, here’s the mix!
1. Gord Downie and the Country of Miracles - The East Wind
2. Frightened Rabbit - Nothing Like You
3. Wolf Parade - What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way)
4. Menomena - TAOS
5. Maximum Balloon - Absence of Light
6. John Grant - Sigourney Weaver
7. Hawksley Workman - Warhol's Portrait of Gretzky
8. Sia - Clap Your Hands
9. Robyn - Fembot
10. Kanye West - Hell of a Life
11. Sage Francis - Three Sheets to the Wind
12. Buck 65 - Smalltown Boy
13. The Phantom Band - Into the Corn
14. Sufjan Stevens - Get Real Get Right
15. Midlake - Rulers, Ruling All Things
16. Shearwater - Hidden Lakes
17. Damien Jurado - The Falling Snow
18. The National - England
Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?a2zdvn026xf1ig7
BONUS MUSIC-RELATED NOTES FOR 2010:
Show of the year: The National - August 3, Royal Oak Theater
See review here.
Disappointment of the year: Autolux - Transit Transit
Six years in the making, mediocre as all heck.
Album "art" of the year: Shearwater - The Golden Dossier
An envelope full of historical documents and images relating to island life put together by singer Jonathan Meiburg on his travels while studying ornithology.
Most anticipated release of 2011: The Rural Alberta Advantage - Departing
Yeah, I've heard most of it already via concerts and radio shows, but I’m still excited!
Busiest artist of 2010: Buck 65
Four EPs, a random collection of new songs and b-sides released on Twitter, a regular job as a radio show host, and a tour of Australia. Not too shabby! Runners up: Hawksley Workman for releasing two albums at once, and Robyn for her three EPs combined to make one super-great album.