2010's Top 10: Albums - Part Two

Here they are, as promised, numbers 5 through 1. Please, hold your applause until the end.


5. Astro Coast - Surfer Blood
[Kanine]
Not every track is fast, and not every track is an instant hit. But most definitely, Florida’s Surfer Blood is always catchy. “Floating Vibes” grooves easier than the waves that John Paul Pitts sings about. But the up-and-coming band’s most notable characteristic — aside from sounding like they record exclusively in absurdly large, hollow corridors — has to be their ability to just have fun. Songs like “Take It Easy” and “Neighbour Riffs” are just what you need to hear before waxing down and cruising through some heavy barrels.

TOP PICKS: "Swim" | "Slow Jabroni"

4. Year of the Black Rainbow - Coheed & Cambria
[Columbia]
First things first: Coheed and Cambria is my favorite band in the entire world — hands down, period. But even I can say that parts of 2007’s Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow can be just as difficult to get through as reading the album title. But the prequel to the Amory Wars saga — you see, it tells the story of ... hell, you’ll figure it out someday — improves on several things. Singer Claudio Sanchez has exponentially improved his vocal work, switching from disgruntled growls to belting out virtuosity in a matter of half-seconds. Second, the inclusion of new drummer Chris Pennie allowed the prog-punk-etc. group to branch out, performing a well-blended, seemingly impossible concoction ranging from speed metal to acoustic ballads.
TOP PICKS: "Here We Are Juggernaut" | "In the Flame of Error"

3. The Monitor - Titus Andronicus
[XL]
There are few things in this world that could have turned into a sloppy mess but turned out a masterpiece (Imagine if Orson Welles made Citizen Kane in a basement with house lamps as backlights). But Titus Andronicus’ incredibly bold concept album links the present with seven score and seven years ago. Using the Civil War as a backdrop, these New Jersey punks describe the ailments in America’s political climate. The exuberant “Titus Andronicus Forever” and “Theme from ‘Cheers’ ” are perpetual rally cries and fight-starters that would make an oi punk blush. But moreover, Titus Andronicus has been at the forefront of many bands this year that challenged the notion that punk can’t be ambitious.
TOP PICKS: "A More Perfect Union" | "A Pot in Which to Piss"


2. The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
[Merge]
Evidently, Arcade Fire didn’t deserve the 9.1 I gave them. I say I “gave” it to them, because it’s not the grade they earned.


Two parts eulogy and one part biting social commentary on treating music as a commodity, The Suburbs not only serves as a comment on the hidden traumas of suburban life, but also as a remembrance to youthful exuberance. Frontman Win Butler’s voice aches for past experiences, both real and also the ones he felt he should have had. It’s an anthem of exploration for today’s youth, as well as a call to take heed. But Butler doesn’t have all the answers to urban sprawl, and he doesn’t pretend that he does. Instead, The Suburbs is merely a mirror, allowing us to decide what we would do if we “could have it back, all the time that we wasted.” Hopefully Butler won’t think I’m wasting time if I’m listening to this.
TOP PICKS: "Ready to Start" | "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"

1. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West
[Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam]

It’s almost impossible to think of Kanye West without his ego. The rapper hasn’t explained his self-consciousness and shortcomings since The College Dropout back in 2004. And while West still hasn’t been able to get a grip on how ridiculous his lifestyle is, he is finally criticizing himself, along with the rest of the world. In doing so, he’s created his best album. 

West’s ambition is only surpassed by his superb production, creating some of the best, most emotional beats not only in his career, but also out of all of the current rap game. Tracks flow seamlessly together, creating an artwork with layers of musical texture dripped on top of each other like a Jackson Pollock. But the music is only as powerful as its message; West’s time away from the limelight was transcendental, but also necessary for him to compile his torment into one dark, truly beautiful — and certainly twisted — fantasy.

TOP PICKS: "All of the Lights" | "Monster"


Did I miss anything? Let me know!

2010's Top 10: Albums - Part One

As the year comes to a close, many of us find ourselves reflecting on the best music of the year. Critics begin thinking in late November of their favorites. But besides all the lists and critical hype, what makes this time great is the sharing of our favorite music. Combining both of these, I give you my top 10 favorite albums of the year.

10. White Crosses - Against Me!

[Sire]

Being a middle-of-the-road act in a volatile genre makes a band stand out, and not always for the best. But Against Me! point a big middle finger at the aging punk masses and shout indecisive psalms at the top of their lungs on White Crosses. After 2007’s positively received New Wave, the band’s ambivalence hit a peak, and while White Crosses is more of the same, the songwriting has been more introspective and, in some parts, more witty than their previous work’s straightforwardness.

TOP PICKS: "I Was a Teenage Anarchist" | "High Pressure Low"

9. All Day - Girl Talk

[Illegal Art]

Maybe it’s fitting that Gregg Gillis’ third album begins with Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” mashed up with Ludacris’ “Move Bitch”. On one hand, Gillis’ critics believe he’s been waging a war against the music industry with his unique style of extensive sampling. On the other hand, the Pittsburgh native may also be saying to these critics, quite literally, “Move bitch, get out the way,” as he currently dominates the party scene. And those particular bitches certainly should. All Day is a continuous master jam filled with several Easter eggs and fun for the whole family. Or, at least the part of the family that is allowed to hear stuff like “move bitch.”

TOP PICKS: described by Illegal Art as an album that should be listened to the entire way through. As a result, I suggest the entire thing.

8. Treats - Sleigh Bells

[Mom + Pop / N.E.E.T.]

However you look at the Brooklyn duo, Sleigh Bells literally brings a lot to the table. A mesmerizing practice in sheer distortion, their car speaker-bass and lo-fi guitars are only cherry picking this group’s source of power. No matter if they’re making punk, dance or just plain noise, one thing is certain: Sleigh Bells hits hard. But the grouping is not flimsy enough to be considered straight rock ‘n’ roll. Although former Poison the Well guitarist Derek E. Miller’s solos are catchy dance anthems, the sheer volume and calculation of the beats on tracks like “Run the Heart” and the absurdity of “Straight A’s” make this band’s forte its use of forte.

TOP PICKS: "Tell 'Em" | "Rill Rill"

7. Blue Sky Noise - Circa Survive

[Atlantic]

Although Atlantic visibly cut the fat out of Circa’s modern prog temperament, the move was overdue. Singer Anthony Green shines the brightest here out of his entire career, boasting a vocal aggression that attacks every song. Additionally, Green’s lyrics do justice to the emo community, shouting sing-along choruses that juxtapose zealous vigor and despondence. And if there’s anything as eclectic as Esao Andrews’ cover art, it’s rhythm guitarist Colin Frangicetto’s sleek, haunting hooks. At the least, Blue Sky Noise’s energy is a damn good argument against prog’s lengthy nature.

TOP PICKS: "Glass Arrows" | "Imaginary Enemy"

6. Halcyon Digest - Deerhunter

[4AD]

You can tell from the opening hi-hats on “Earthquake” that Deerhunter is not necessarily shattering boundaries, but they are seriously bending some rules here. This noise group finally dipped their toes in the mainstream with their fourth album, Halcyon Digest. Deerhunter’s ambient, tight jams are touchstone reflections on adolescence and isolation, relying heavily on Bradford Cox’s introspective songwriting to stir the audience’s pathos. But Halcyon Digest is also an exercise in imagination, with deep rumination required on the artist's and the listener’s part in order to truly enjoy this album.

TOP PICKS: "Sailing" | "Basement Scene"

I'll be releasing numbers 5 to 1 tomorrow night. Until then, comment and let me know what your favorites were this year!

Kanye West - "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy"

9.3/10

(2010 / Roc-a-Fella, Def Jam)

Read my review for Kanye West's production storm, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in this week's The Breeze. I'd paste it on here, but it's only two more seconds for you to click on the link and The Breeze will get more hits and our online editor will be a happy man. Win-win situation.

Dr. Dre's 'Kush' lights up Detox hype

9.0/10

You want to know why California's Prop. 19 didn't pass? Because Dre released this song two weeks too late.

I knew it. You did forget about Dre. It seemed like everyone I talked to hadn't remotely heard of this single, and were even more astounded that Detox might actually get released in our lifetime.

Honestly, I never thought even Dr. Dre would live to see Detox get released. Maybe the album would be released as a bunch of tracks that never got finished due to Dre's compulsive perfectionism. But we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel with "Kush."

Enlisting the help of DJ Khalil, Akon and, of course, Snoop Dogg, "Kush" has the appeal of old-school Dre with the production of something you'd probably have to sell your soul to build. Heart-pounding bass, pizzicato minor strings and some lone piano keys for the hook make the track a synergetic piece.

Typical stoner laughs will be emitted from lines such as "We roll shit that burns slower than fuckin' molasses," and Snoop's "Got some bubba, I give ya that, need it for my cataracts." Of course, the duo of Snoop and Dre have never been ones to shy away from their old friend Mary Jane, even if "Kush" is, as Dr. Dre said, not what his album is about at all.

But, to affirm reality, the single is something much bigger than weed. This shows that the 10-plus years Dre was sitting in his lab and pushing back Detox wasn't just for cheap hype. Rather, "Kush" is the single factor in what could be a monumental achievement for the West Coast pioneer before his retirement.

New White Stripes Box Set: Making You Go 'Bone Broke'

Mark your calendars: The White Stripes will deck more than your halls this year. In fact, the new White Stripes box set is sure to deck a few hundred people in the wallet.

It's been more than three years since the White Stripes released the oddball Icky Thump, and now Jack White is releasing something pretty damn ambitious for pre-order on Dec. 1.

The new box set contains:

• White Stripes portable record player
• Record boxes for both LP/7" formats
• Peppermint-designed Nixon headphones
• Peppermint slip mat
• Red-vinyl "Merry Christmas from the White Stripes" single
• Three 45 adapters

Wow. Now all it needs is an actual record. You may be asking yourself, "How much does this 'deluxe' — to say the least — package cost exactly?"

Well my friend, you're in luck. If you're one of the 333 people that may spend a mere $499, this pretty little number can be all yours. But even if you're one in the vast, VAST majority of people that think this may be a little bit of overkill for your holiday, take solace in Jack White's recent words to Vanity Fair:

"We thought we'd do a lot of things that we'd never done: a full tour of Canada, a documentary, coffee-table book, live album, a boxed set. It was one long project that took almost three years. Now that we've gotten a lot of that out of our system, Meg and I can get back in the studio and start fresh."

Oh, so that's how they're playing it: "12 Days of Christmas" style. On the first day of Christmas, the White Stripes gave to me, a whole bunch of stuff I don't need.

I'm guessing by the twelfth day, I'll get what I've really wanted for three years now: a new record. Seriously, how good could this box set possibly be?

Holy shit. Okay, but seriously, who needs three 45 adapters?

Coheed and Cambria - "Bull Moose Sessions" Tape

4.4/10

The question is easier said than answered: How do you take an emo-punk-etc. band's hardcore sound and soften it up for some easy listening? And while New York's Coheed and Cambria can do this very, very well (just listen to the "Junesong Provision" demo), it's increasingly difficult when the bootleg "Bull Moose Sessions" is a handful of repetition that most of the band's fans would likely roll their eyes at.

The acoustic tapes are a set the band performed at Bull Moose, an entertainment store in Scarborough, Maine. And while the exuded effort is an enjoyable one from lead singer/guitarist Claudio Sanchez and company, the result is unvaried.

Three tracks off their new release, Year of the Black Rainbow, are included, as well as an acoustic version of the crowd-pleasing "Welcome Home."

The acoustic "Here We Are Juggernaut" is a far break from the bleeding-heavy original. Heavy sustains and booming drums are replaced with whimsical piano and the incense-and-flowers-oh-girl side of Sanchez's vocals. And yet, they surprisingly fit the music's passion just as well as the brooding master track. So, a tangible copy of the spin-off is a must for anyone that considers themselves Children of the Fence.

But alas, new ground isn't exactly being broken here. The derivatives of ballads "Far" and "Pearl of the Stars" sound like soft matches to their studio-produced counterparts. Not to mention "Welcome Home" has not only been overplayed, but overproduced as an acoustic copy. One only needs to listen to the Kerrang! radio tape to make sense of this. Not to mention that the production is shoddy at best. Distortion, fades in and out in volume consistency, and too-loud audience members really make the last track a downer.

But it's not as if the band were feigning ambition. These versions were available on YouTube for about two weeks before Black Rainbow was actually released, and ultimately stirred up interest for the studio album. In the end, it seems like a live record where, in the most Bohemian of rock 'n' roll clichés, you really had to see them for yourself.

Will "Danger Days" be the End of My Chemical Romance?

Now hold on a second, here. Is this wildly popular pop-emo band really calling it quits? Well, it appears that way to a lot of people that are counting their chickens before they hatch.

In an interview published in yesterday's Sunday Times, MCR frontman Gerard Way had this to say about the band's new album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys:

"This record could be our last big adventure - that's why we had to make it again, that's why we spent the money, that's why we're going to spend more on how it looks than we ever have."

Okay, so that could send a few red flags to the Murder Scene community. But what many magazines, including NME, might be misinterpreting is the phrase "big adventure."

Keep in mind that MCR's last two albums, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge and The Black Parade were grandiose concept albums dealing with the themes of death. From the looks of the "Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" music video and title of the album itself, I think we can see that this is also going to be a sweeping event.

Maybe that's what Way means by a "big adventure." MCR's first record, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, turned into a two-part narrative with the conclusion appearing in Three Cheers, so maybe it's not so farfetched to say they might be done with writing stories in the music.

Maybe it is their last record. Maybe it isn't. Maybe we'll see more from Way's "Umbrella Academy" comic series and an ensuing film plan in the works. But for now, shouldn't we be focusing on who the hell this kid is?

Girl Talk announces 2011 tour

When it comes to mash-up dance parties with eclectic mixes and chucking more toilet paper than a laxative convention, there isn't really anything more of a rousing time than with Pittsburgh native Gregg Gillis (You might know him as Girl Talk.)

Last week, Gillis announced an exhausting tour line for Winter/Spring 2010-11, stopping at three venues in the D.C. area. Here's the list:

11-12 Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium
11-19 Buenos Aires, Argentina - Hot Festival
11-20 Sao Paulo, Brazil - Planeta Terra Festival
12-03-04 Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
12-31 Milwaukee, WI - The Rave
01-05 Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
01-06 Columbus, OH - LC Pavillion
01-07 Covington, KY - Madison Theater
01-08 Louisville, KY - Expo Five
01-10 New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
01-13 Houston, TX - House of Blues
01-14 Austin, TX - Austin Music Hall
01-15 Dallas, TX - Palladium
01-17 Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall
01-18 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
01-20 Birmingham, AL - Workplay
01-21 Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
01-22 Charleston, SC - Gaillard Municipal Auditorium
01-24 Knoxville, TN - Valarium
01-25 Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore
01-27 Raleigh, NC - Disco Rodeo
01-28 Norfolk, VA - NorVa
01-29 Richmond, VA - The National
01-31 Baltimore, MD - Ram's Head
02-01 Washington, D.C. - 9:30 Club
02-04 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
02-05 Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theatre
02-24 New York, NY - Terminal 5
02-25 Providence, RI - Lupo's
02-26 Boston, MA - House of Blues
02-28 Portland, ME - State Theater
03-01 Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis
03-03 Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Hall
03-04 Chicago, IL - Congress
03-07 Madison, WI - Orpheum
03-08 Minneapolis, MN - First Ave
03-11 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
03-14 Missoula, MT - Wilma Theater
03-15 Seattle, WA - Showbox
03-17 Portland, OR - Roseland
03-18 Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
03-19 Pomona, CA - Fox Theatre
03-21 Los Angeles, CA - Palladium
03-22 San Diego, CA - SOMA
03-23 Tempe, AZ - Marquee

Whew. In case you don't realize how blasted Gillis will feel come April, here's a small-spoon sample:

Arcade Fire — "The Suburbs"

9.1/10

2010, Merge Records

If you thought that planned communities were just an aesthetic annoyance in your brooding, Holden Caulfield-esque adolescence, apparently you didn’t get Arcade Fire’s memo.

The suburban war’s battle lines are drawn in the Montreal band’s third studio release, aptly titled The Suburbs. Here, Win Butler with his wife Reginé Chassagne and his brother William, lead their baroque-rock ensemble of just about everyone and their grandmother across 16 tracks detailing the trials and tribulations of the repressive lifestyle in Anytown, USA.

The band’s nature is just shy of what Cirque du Soleil might call “subtle”: it’s just not in their vocabulary. The grandiose texture of Arcade Fire constitutes their grievances with society in such a boisterous manner that usually resembles a middle finger. In short, imagine a symphony parked in your garage.

It’s because of this loaded orchestration that Arcade Fire’s deepest, most sentimental release so far seems ironic. All the dirty confessions on tracks like “Half Light II (No Celebration)” are wailed at the top of their lungs. Win’s shaky voice sings with vexed authority, “Oh, this city’s changed so much, Since I was a little child / Pray to God I won’t live to see, The death of everything that’s wild.” The listener gets the feeling Butler is talking about their dirt-town he or she wanted so badly to leave. That’s because he is.

Not many songs will provide an eye-welling catharsis like “Wake Up” and “No Cars Go”. In fact, some gems like “We Used to Wait” will leave you on the tip of your coccyx, only to leave you at the… wait for it! Climax... However, “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” allows the listener release their frustration in a thrilling, synth-pop finale that pits itself toe-to-toe with MGMT’s work, and wins with a hand tied behind its back.

Arcade Fire additionally uses half of the record to, putting it lightly, comment on our generation’s mistreatment of music as an art form in the digital age. Songs like the lightly seething “Rococo” and the gospel-rock anthem “Month of May” expose today’s American culture of commodities, such as acquiring ridiculous amounts of music, or taking stock in a bunch of people you think are your friends (Facebook, anyone?) It’s hard not to sing along and wave your hands like a goon when Butler commands through the query, “How you gonna lift it with your arms folded tight?”

Maybe it’s poetic injustice, but Arcade Fire’s most personal, expressive release will also be their most ignored by the crowd that became so enthralled with the same group that gave us Funeral. After the 2007 release of "Neon Bible," it suddenly became uncool for PBR-swilling hipsters to listen to the band. While Arcade Fire definitely has something important to say, the sweeping nature will probably alienate those Butler is trying to reach.

At the end of the fifth act, the album ends with Butler crooning, “If I could have it back, all the time that we wasted / I’d only waste it again,” the listener will probably get the message that they really aren’t supposed to be wasting anything as precious as this record. I can only pray that someone else is also listening.