2010 in music, part 2
I promise, this time it won't be a novel. ;) Do give me some of your picks!
Shorter blurbs, max three samples and one personal favourite (<) per album. Let me know if you want to hear more from any artist.
!!! - Strange Weather, Isn't It?
Dance-punk group (leans more on rock, less on electronics) throws groove after groove, laden with splashy guitar hooks, bass, and their namesake (the chk-chk-chk sounds of percussion). Front-loaded, but it'll definitely get you moving.
Try: AM/FM, Most Certain Sure, Jamie, My Intentions are Bass <
Aloe Blacc - Good Things
Rapper-turned-soul singer with a sound transplanted from the '70s (jazzy classic soul). Both the arrangements and the lyrics are modest, with songs about the everyman's struggles - universal, but good enough to hit home.
Try: I Need a Dollar, Momma Hold My Hand <, Femme Fatale (Velvet Underground cover)
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
A long record, but a profound statement about growing up in the sameness of the suburbs - its reassuring presence, the stifling feeling, the sprawl, the nostalgia, the escapes - made in the band's typically grand fashion. Repeat listens are especially rewarding.
Try: The Suburbs, We Used to Wait <, Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
Neon Bible (2007): Keep the Car Running, Intervention, No Cars Go
Belle & Sebastian - Write About Love
Melodic, elaborate, softly bouncy '60s-indebted pop. (Almost, or definitely twee?) Stuart Murdoch's witty vignettes remain engrossing and full of those little details...the ones that make them unique. Several guest spots, including Norah Jones.
Try: I Didn't See It Coming, I Want the World to Stop <, Write About Love (f. Carey Mulligan)
The Life Pursuit (2006): White Collar Boy, Funny Little Frog
Best Coast - Crazy for You
Bethany Cosentino lives a simple life - pining for a guy, California, her cat, and uh...weed. Her lyrics are simple too, but disarmingly honest. Surf-rock influenced, washed-out noise pop that sounds instantly familiar, easygoing, and summery, with lovely girl-group harmonies.
Try: Boyfriend <, Bratty B, When I'm With You
Class Actress - Journal of Ardency EP
Folk singer turned electro-pop trio frontwoman Elizabeth Harper's lilting voice (reminds me of Feist) coos over slinky, shimmery, after-dark arrangements. If there's any music that could genuinely be described as sexy, this is it - and it's excellent.
Try: Journal of Ardency <, Let Me Take You Out, Adolescent Heart
Chromeo - Business Casual
Cheesy '80s-indebted electro-funk full of cheesy come-ons, cheesy suaveness, and cheesy keyboard riffs. Slick, elastic synths, big electric guitar riffs, and vocoder effects add to the record's furious dance-cred. Since they're from Quebec, it includes some French.
Try: Hot Mess (f. La Roux), Night by Night <, Don't Turn the Lights On
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
A spacious, dreamy psych pop record - slow-burning and sprawling most times, splashy and rocking out at others, it's surprisingly sombre for something this bright and gorgeous sounding. Just something great to chill out to, and the layers of music are fascinating to deconstruct.
Try: Revival, Helicopter <, Desire Lines
The Depreciation Guild - Spirit Youth
Toning down the chiptune (buried in the mix now instead of front-and-center) and turning up the shoegaze (dreamy, blissed-out wall of sound), the songs hit a total sweet spot of rushing synths and 80s guitar lines. Kurt Feldman's wispy, timid voice is carried by rather immediate pop hooks.
Try: My Chariot, Crucify You <, Dream About Me
In Her Gentle Jaws (2007): Sky Ghosts, Butterfly Kisses
Diamond Rings - Special Affections
Despite his over-the-top flamboyant exterior and rainbow eye makeup, this is coyly straightforward and stripped-down pop music - drum machine, bit of guitars, and synth hooks under John O'Regan's surprisingly deep baritone voice. Strange combinations.
Try: Wait & See, Something Else, All Yr Songs <
Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be
Barebones garage/noise-pop that whizzes by at a fuzzy, breakneck pace, aided by girl-group harmonies, bright melodies, and sha-la-la kinda hooks.
Try: Bhang Bhang, I'm a Burnout <, Jail La La, Blank Girl
Everything Everything - Man Alive
At best described as math rock crossed with Britpop. Time signature, key, genre, instruments, and ideas so quickly change that you won't even notice, past the wordy, somewhat indecipherable yelping going on in the foreground.
Try: MY KZ, UR BF, Suffragette Suffragette, Photoshop Handsome <
Girls - Broken Dreams Club EP
Former unwilling cult member Christopher Owens doesn't sing like a dying cat anymore - though the sadness and insecurities remain. Less drugs, more refinement, same sun-baked 50s-style Californian pop music.
Try: Thee Oh So Protective One, Heartbreaker <
Album (2009): Lust for Life, Laura
Laura Veirs - July Flame
A warm, summer-night-by-the-fire type record is as close of a description as I can make. Beautifully understated, folky, and full of imagery and dreamy landscapes - despite currently living in tropical Singapore, this record transports me back home.
Try: July Flame, Life is Good Blues, Summer is the Champion <
Magic Kids - Memphis
Sunny, jangly 60s pop/strings/garage rock compacted into 2.5-minute morsels. Short, sickly sweet and shimmering, it’s a relentless rush of happy feelings and nostalgia. The record is a bit same-y, but it’s over before you know it.
Try: Candy, Summer, Hey Boy <
Mystery Jets - Serotonin
Stadium-ready Britpop, with punchy, whistle-able early 90s keyboard/electric guitar melodies and riffs. Easily accessible and plenty catchy, with call-and-response style harmonies.
Try: Alice Springs, Flash a Hungry Smile <, Dreaming of Another World
The Naked and Famous - Passive Me, Aggressive You
NZ electropop/alt-rock group with alternating male-female vocals that at times recall the xx…but far louder, pulsating, generally fast-paced and with a more experimental pop edge. Does the comparison still stand? :)
Try: All of This, Punching in a Dream, Young Blood <
Of Montreal - False Priest
I admit I’ve never been a fan, but Kevin Barnes’ new inclination towards funky psychedelic R&B, whimsy melodies, and a step towards accessibility definitely helps. Reaaally strange, trippy, vaguely/ambiguously sexual lyrics, but it’s a very playful record.
Try: Our Riotous Defects, Coquet Coquette, Sex Karma (f. Solange) <
The Pipettes - Earth vs. the Pipettes
With two members gone and only one new replacement, they’re no longer the same band - no more polka-dot 60s girl group; here’s a dose of 70s disco pop in space. Not nearly as successful and often overloaded, but some great singles in there.
Try: Call Me <, History, Stop the Music
We Are the Pipettes (2006, ironic name now): Pull Shapes, Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me
Quadron - Quadron
Eclectic Danish duo with airy/ambient electronic music heavily leaning on soul and jazz influences. Singer Coco O is sultry and coy, while producer Robin Hannibal brings in the horns, woodwinds, and light arrangements. Soothing and swinging - it’s strange how this record seems so overlooked!
Try: Slippin’ <, Day, Pressure
Radio Radio - Belmundo Regal
Acadian trio joke-rap in “Franglais” (Chiac), nominated for a Polaris Prize. The odd language quirks alone are worth the listen, but it’s also ridiculous, satirical, and doesn’t take it self seriously at all. Arrangements are electropop in nature.
Try: Cargué dans ma chaise, 9 Piece Luggage Set, Dekshoo <
Robyn - Body Talk
Yes, that Robyn ca. 1999. Released as three short LPs during 2010, the compilation record is jam-packed with killer electropop that really should find its way to radio: it’s club-ready, it’s wise, sad, smart, euphoric, full of heart and swagger… at its best, perfect pop.
Try: Dancing On My Own <, Hang With Me, Indestructible
Robyn (2005): Handle Me, With Every Heartbeat
Sia - We Are Born
Making a major stylistic shift from (quite excellent) balladry to bright pop music seems to have worked here. Sia’s big voice fits the new upbeat, hooky backdrop, and the album’s got a very playful spirit - it just sounds nothing like the past.
Try: Clap Your Hands, Stop Trying, You’ve Changed <
Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz
No more 50 states project. A much darker affair written during a debilitating illness, Sufjan Stevens seems more tortured and world-weary. No more plucky, folky arrangements anymore either; now it’s a glitchy electronic epic of a record, ranging from ambient to cacophonous. A record that begs to be listened in full.
Try: Too Much, I Walked <, I Want To Be Well
Illinois (2005): Jacksonville, Chicago
Twin Sister - Color Your Life EP
A dreamy, lush record indebted to the 80s. Andrea Estrella’s breathy voice is the one constant over a mish-mash of cheesy but gorgeous, sensual arrangements with a great sense of atmosphere.
Try: Lady Daydream, All Around and Away We Go <
Working for a Nuclear Free City - Jojo Burger Tempest
Psych pop, post-rock, krautrock, shoegaze, indie rock grooves…I have no idea. This double record’s jammed with so many disparate ideas that I’m not even sure how to describe it. It’s almost like a soundtrack. Half instrumental; the rest have hazy vocals.
Try: Do a Stunt <, Silent Times, Alphaville
Shorter blurbs, max three samples and one personal favourite (<) per album. Let me know if you want to hear more from any artist.
!!! - Strange Weather, Isn't It?
Dance-punk group (leans more on rock, less on electronics) throws groove after groove, laden with splashy guitar hooks, bass, and their namesake (the chk-chk-chk sounds of percussion). Front-loaded, but it'll definitely get you moving.
Try: AM/FM, Most Certain Sure, Jamie, My Intentions are Bass <
Aloe Blacc - Good Things
Rapper-turned-soul singer with a sound transplanted from the '70s (jazzy classic soul). Both the arrangements and the lyrics are modest, with songs about the everyman's struggles - universal, but good enough to hit home.
Try: I Need a Dollar, Momma Hold My Hand <, Femme Fatale (Velvet Underground cover)
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
A long record, but a profound statement about growing up in the sameness of the suburbs - its reassuring presence, the stifling feeling, the sprawl, the nostalgia, the escapes - made in the band's typically grand fashion. Repeat listens are especially rewarding.
Try: The Suburbs, We Used to Wait <, Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
Neon Bible (2007): Keep the Car Running, Intervention, No Cars Go
Belle & Sebastian - Write About Love
Melodic, elaborate, softly bouncy '60s-indebted pop. (Almost, or definitely twee?) Stuart Murdoch's witty vignettes remain engrossing and full of those little details...the ones that make them unique. Several guest spots, including Norah Jones.
Try: I Didn't See It Coming, I Want the World to Stop <, Write About Love (f. Carey Mulligan)
The Life Pursuit (2006): White Collar Boy, Funny Little Frog
Best Coast - Crazy for You
Bethany Cosentino lives a simple life - pining for a guy, California, her cat, and uh...weed. Her lyrics are simple too, but disarmingly honest. Surf-rock influenced, washed-out noise pop that sounds instantly familiar, easygoing, and summery, with lovely girl-group harmonies.
Try: Boyfriend <, Bratty B, When I'm With You
Class Actress - Journal of Ardency EP
Folk singer turned electro-pop trio frontwoman Elizabeth Harper's lilting voice (reminds me of Feist) coos over slinky, shimmery, after-dark arrangements. If there's any music that could genuinely be described as sexy, this is it - and it's excellent.
Try: Journal of Ardency <, Let Me Take You Out, Adolescent Heart
Chromeo - Business Casual
Cheesy '80s-indebted electro-funk full of cheesy come-ons, cheesy suaveness, and cheesy keyboard riffs. Slick, elastic synths, big electric guitar riffs, and vocoder effects add to the record's furious dance-cred. Since they're from Quebec, it includes some French.
Try: Hot Mess (f. La Roux), Night by Night <, Don't Turn the Lights On
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
A spacious, dreamy psych pop record - slow-burning and sprawling most times, splashy and rocking out at others, it's surprisingly sombre for something this bright and gorgeous sounding. Just something great to chill out to, and the layers of music are fascinating to deconstruct.
Try: Revival, Helicopter <, Desire Lines
The Depreciation Guild - Spirit Youth
Toning down the chiptune (buried in the mix now instead of front-and-center) and turning up the shoegaze (dreamy, blissed-out wall of sound), the songs hit a total sweet spot of rushing synths and 80s guitar lines. Kurt Feldman's wispy, timid voice is carried by rather immediate pop hooks.
Try: My Chariot, Crucify You <, Dream About Me
In Her Gentle Jaws (2007): Sky Ghosts, Butterfly Kisses
Diamond Rings - Special Affections
Despite his over-the-top flamboyant exterior and rainbow eye makeup, this is coyly straightforward and stripped-down pop music - drum machine, bit of guitars, and synth hooks under John O'Regan's surprisingly deep baritone voice. Strange combinations.
Try: Wait & See, Something Else, All Yr Songs <
Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be
Barebones garage/noise-pop that whizzes by at a fuzzy, breakneck pace, aided by girl-group harmonies, bright melodies, and sha-la-la kinda hooks.
Try: Bhang Bhang, I'm a Burnout <, Jail La La, Blank Girl
Everything Everything - Man Alive
At best described as math rock crossed with Britpop. Time signature, key, genre, instruments, and ideas so quickly change that you won't even notice, past the wordy, somewhat indecipherable yelping going on in the foreground.
Try: MY KZ, UR BF, Suffragette Suffragette, Photoshop Handsome <
Girls - Broken Dreams Club EP
Former unwilling cult member Christopher Owens doesn't sing like a dying cat anymore - though the sadness and insecurities remain. Less drugs, more refinement, same sun-baked 50s-style Californian pop music.
Try: Thee Oh So Protective One, Heartbreaker <
Album (2009): Lust for Life, Laura
Laura Veirs - July Flame
A warm, summer-night-by-the-fire type record is as close of a description as I can make. Beautifully understated, folky, and full of imagery and dreamy landscapes - despite currently living in tropical Singapore, this record transports me back home.
Try: July Flame, Life is Good Blues, Summer is the Champion <
Magic Kids - Memphis
Sunny, jangly 60s pop/strings/garage rock compacted into 2.5-minute morsels. Short, sickly sweet and shimmering, it’s a relentless rush of happy feelings and nostalgia. The record is a bit same-y, but it’s over before you know it.
Try: Candy, Summer, Hey Boy <
Mystery Jets - Serotonin
Stadium-ready Britpop, with punchy, whistle-able early 90s keyboard/electric guitar melodies and riffs. Easily accessible and plenty catchy, with call-and-response style harmonies.
Try: Alice Springs, Flash a Hungry Smile <, Dreaming of Another World
The Naked and Famous - Passive Me, Aggressive You
NZ electropop/alt-rock group with alternating male-female vocals that at times recall the xx…but far louder, pulsating, generally fast-paced and with a more experimental pop edge. Does the comparison still stand? :)
Try: All of This, Punching in a Dream, Young Blood <
Of Montreal - False Priest
I admit I’ve never been a fan, but Kevin Barnes’ new inclination towards funky psychedelic R&B, whimsy melodies, and a step towards accessibility definitely helps. Reaaally strange, trippy, vaguely/ambiguously sexual lyrics, but it’s a very playful record.
Try: Our Riotous Defects, Coquet Coquette, Sex Karma (f. Solange) <
The Pipettes - Earth vs. the Pipettes
With two members gone and only one new replacement, they’re no longer the same band - no more polka-dot 60s girl group; here’s a dose of 70s disco pop in space. Not nearly as successful and often overloaded, but some great singles in there.
Try: Call Me <, History, Stop the Music
We Are the Pipettes (2006, ironic name now): Pull Shapes, Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me
Quadron - Quadron
Eclectic Danish duo with airy/ambient electronic music heavily leaning on soul and jazz influences. Singer Coco O is sultry and coy, while producer Robin Hannibal brings in the horns, woodwinds, and light arrangements. Soothing and swinging - it’s strange how this record seems so overlooked!
Try: Slippin’ <, Day, Pressure
Radio Radio - Belmundo Regal
Acadian trio joke-rap in “Franglais” (Chiac), nominated for a Polaris Prize. The odd language quirks alone are worth the listen, but it’s also ridiculous, satirical, and doesn’t take it self seriously at all. Arrangements are electropop in nature.
Try: Cargué dans ma chaise, 9 Piece Luggage Set, Dekshoo <
Robyn - Body Talk
Yes, that Robyn ca. 1999. Released as three short LPs during 2010, the compilation record is jam-packed with killer electropop that really should find its way to radio: it’s club-ready, it’s wise, sad, smart, euphoric, full of heart and swagger… at its best, perfect pop.
Try: Dancing On My Own <, Hang With Me, Indestructible
Robyn (2005): Handle Me, With Every Heartbeat
Sia - We Are Born
Making a major stylistic shift from (quite excellent) balladry to bright pop music seems to have worked here. Sia’s big voice fits the new upbeat, hooky backdrop, and the album’s got a very playful spirit - it just sounds nothing like the past.
Try: Clap Your Hands, Stop Trying, You’ve Changed <
Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz
No more 50 states project. A much darker affair written during a debilitating illness, Sufjan Stevens seems more tortured and world-weary. No more plucky, folky arrangements anymore either; now it’s a glitchy electronic epic of a record, ranging from ambient to cacophonous. A record that begs to be listened in full.
Try: Too Much, I Walked <, I Want To Be Well
Illinois (2005): Jacksonville, Chicago
Twin Sister - Color Your Life EP
A dreamy, lush record indebted to the 80s. Andrea Estrella’s breathy voice is the one constant over a mish-mash of cheesy but gorgeous, sensual arrangements with a great sense of atmosphere.
Try: Lady Daydream, All Around and Away We Go <
Working for a Nuclear Free City - Jojo Burger Tempest
Psych pop, post-rock, krautrock, shoegaze, indie rock grooves…I have no idea. This double record’s jammed with so many disparate ideas that I’m not even sure how to describe it. It’s almost like a soundtrack. Half instrumental; the rest have hazy vocals.
Try: Do a Stunt <, Silent Times, Alphaville