Fang Island – Fang Island [Sargent Records: 2010]
The easiest addition to our Best Of list this year is Fang Island - despite a long time umming and aahing about all the other inclusions. We think this is probably because we needed this record in 2010: loud, energetic good times, totally devoid of self-consciousness. Sometimes it feels like bands try too hard to make their music into something called “art” instead of just ripping on a guitar and calling it “rock and roll”. Fang Island put a big stupid grin on our faces and had us playing air guitar with gay abandon. Nothing else we heard this year gave us the feeling that the music was made purely for our enjoyment, not to make us feel left out of a members-only club and we dig that.
Kanye West – My Beautiful Twisted Dark Fantasy [Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam: 2010]
Is there even a point in us attempting to add something to the hectic dialogue that’s gone on ever since this record was released. You’ve already heard it all. We just love this record for its candor, lyrics, amazing beats, ridiculous hooks, perfect samples and awesome guest appearances that, when thrown together, equaled = good. We wanted to resist, but despite how questionable Kanye’s behaviour and media saturation might have been throughout 2010, this album rose above it all and kicked ass.
Tame Impala – Innerspeaker [Modular: 2010]
Is it weird that we feel like the four guys from Tame Impala are our close personal friends? Not sure why that is, but they do what they do better than anyone else and it always seems completely effortless.
Surfer Blood – Astro Coast [Kanine Records: 2010]
This record reminded people of the original ‘indie’ that they fell in love with in the 90s with bands like Built To Spill, Weezer, Pavement… Weirdest thing is they’re all too young to have experienced it first hand and yet they nail that same just-chillin,just-rockin vibe that those bands pioneered way back when. Nice big riffs, great hooks and a stack of amazing singles had us hooked.
Beach House – Teen Dream [Sub Pop: 2010]
When we first wrote about Beach House’s third full-length record we described it as “the aural equivalent of a contented sigh”. But the consistently gorgeous collection of dusky, romantic tunes and overwhelming 1970s Californian nostalgia made us realize it was much more than a sigh. It’s a sigh. A smile. A look. That makes it sound like we are absolute wankers but this album slays so much we’ve lost the ability to refrain from ridiculous hyperbole.
Das Racist - Shut Up, Dude and Sit Down, Man [Self-released: 2010]
Hands down the best, craziest, most mind-blowing rapping of 2010. That’s all.
LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening [DFA: 2010]
To be honest we had forgotten about James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem after halfway through the year. With the announcement of their retirement we sub-consciously decided their disco-house schtick had wrapped up neatly. Then the other day we threw this record on and realized it’s not a “schtick” it’s a fucking party – a huge one that no one else has ever pulled off in quite the same way. And like any great party there are highs and lows, crazy peaks and requisite down time, the dancefloor and the thoughtful sideline observations. LCD Soundsystem has provided the soundtrack to the party since 2002, and with ‘This Is Happening’ they proved that they get it more than anyone else. The party ain’t over yet…
LCD Soundsystem "Home" from FUNWUNCE on Vimeo.
Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest [4AD: 2010]
What can we say? Worth the hype. Worth the acclaim. A record we love.
Best Coast – Crazy For You [Mexican Summer: 2010]
If Best Coast members Bethany Cosentino, Bobb Bruno and Ali Koehler aren’t given the keys to the city of Los Angeles then the city parliament really need to start re-accessing the criteria. Somehow this hazy lo-fi pop record made us understand the greatness of the California sun, the beach and stoner charm. This year no one was safe from their catchy rock n roll beats, 60s girl-group melodies and gritty DIY undertone.
Beach Fossils – Beach Fossils [Captured Tracks/Popfrenzy: 2010]
Dustin Payseur calls himself Beach Fossils, but he’s from Brooklyn’s beach-less surrounds. Regardless, this record captures the authentic coastal vibe so nicely with reverb-heavy pop and echoing shoegaze better than we think a lot of the (more discussed) beach-associated acts did this year. From the minute we heard Beach Fossils’ dreamy, dusky, warm tones we slotted the record into our top five.
Cloud Control – Bliss Release [Ive League Records: 2010]
We’re Australian but we didn’t need bias to get us onto this record. Crisp guitars, wonderful harmonies and amazing layers. This album perfectly captures an active listening experience from clap-your-hands singalong territory to euphoric rock riff-driven highs, and beautifully raw lows. Cloud Control is a treasure.
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Grafitti – Before Today [4AD: 2010]
‘Before Today’ is jammed full of the curious combination of psychedelic rock, wailing guitars, New York noise, 70s disco, and classic pop tunes. It’s the closest thing to a band playing a mixtape playing a band playing a mixtape can sound, and yet somehow it all works. It doesn’t hurt that it also has one of the best singles of 2010 (“Round and Round”) in its lineup.
Blackbird Blackbird – Summer Heart
2010 was a major year for many bedroom artists, and none more so than California artist Mikey AKA Blackbird Blackbird. Fuzzy, atmospheric vocals, sparkling blips, strong beats and sublime synths put ‘Summer Heart’ down as one of our most-played records in 2010, and we know there’ll be even more of his tunes to love in 2011.
Blackbird Blackbird - Pure by blackbird blackbird
Twin Shadow – Forget [Terrible Records: 2010]
From when it was first released ‘Forget’ was one of Album Of The Week’s favourite albums of 2010 and has remained so. Twin Shadows’ record runs thick with the dreamy nostalgic Eighties pop sound that hit hard this year. But unlike a lot of the bands that attempted this sound, George Lewis Jr of Twin Shadow had the contemplative lyrics and soul-grasping music that well overcame the competition.
Wild Nothing – Gemini [Captured Tracks: 2010]
The man who is Wild Nothing is Jack Tatum and his dreamy shoegaze is sublimely romantic and beautifully wistful and it is just pure pleasure for the ears to hear. His EP ‘Golden Haze’ was on our list of Top EPs of the year and ‘Gemini’ could not be left off our Top Albums. The label that looks after him, Captured Tracks, has produced so many great records in 2010, and everything Wild Nothing did was simply gorgeous. There just aren’t enough superlatives.
Wild Nothing - Chinatown by LukeSlater
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