Top 10 from 2010

#1 KT Tunstall

Come On, Get In

Tunstall describes her approach to the music on Tiger Suit as “nature techno”, blending organic instrumention with “electronic, dance-friendly textures”. Certainly, the calls and whistles that support opening tracks “Uummannaq Song” and “Glamour Puss” blend the more traditional aspects of Tunstall’s first LP with the splashier stylings of Drastic Fantastic. And while a track like “Lost” is more downbeat than much of the record, it grabs with a heavy synth and Tunstall’s vocals seem to be on the point of being lost into the song itself. Then there’s the getting on for ethereal quality of “(Still A) Weirdo”, too, which launches us into the heavy drums and distortion of “Madame Trudeaux”.

#2 Warpaint

Undertow

A recent staple of an increasingly compelling live show, “Undertow” has already inspired a rhapsodic “look out for this song/record/band” post with only a marginally watchable, live fan-clip affixed as an exhibit. The album that will host it in properly recorded form is The Fool, the band is the all-female L.A. quartet Warpaint, one of our Stereogum40: Class of 2010 because this is the year their debut full-length The Fool comes out, with all parties involved wisely selecting this track as its lead single. Soon there’s a tour, this band paired with the Mercury Prize’s very own the xx, for a sultry bill appropriate for date night or any order of mild, pill-based depressants. First taste of The Fool, a slowly unspooling, evocatively melodic and wonderfully structured rhythmic witch song.

#3 Sleigh Bells

Rill Rill

Sleigh Bells is one of the biggest new buzz bands of 2010. Their debut Treats was released in the craze that was May 2010′s release scene, so I kind of deliberately missed it. I’d heard the first single and album-opener “Tell ‘Em” and wasn’t blown away the way that everyone else was, so I didn’t consider it the utmost on my listening list. The main driving force between all of the praise for Sleigh Bells has been their sound, which is certainly unlike anything else out right now but while this may artistically interesting, it isn’t always aesthetically successful.It’s noise pop and it definitely has a lot of noise; the entire album seems to be as maxed out as possible and forgoes any sonic subtlety.

#4 Cee Lo Green

Fuck You

Cee-Lo’s ‘Fuck You’ has been out for a while now and pretty much everywhere, so it’s quite possible you’ve heard it. It’s a pretty awesome song, basically saying a ‘Fuck You’ to a girl that he dated and to the guy that she left him for. The songs upbeat with an ‘I don’t care’ kind of attitude. Pretty hopeful sounding, which makes it really fun. The lyrics are hilarious. Some of my favorites: ‘I guess he’s an Xbox and I’m more of an Atari/But the way you play your game ain’t fair’. ‘And although there’s pain in my chest, I still wish you the best with a…Fuck You!’. That no care attitude really plays to the melody.

WILLIAM SHATNER COVER (MUST SEE)

#5 Surfer Blood

Swim (To Reach the End)

If you think a Guided by Voices/Boston collaboration was never possible then you're right, but Surfer Blood's "Swim (To Reach the End)" is pretty damn close. Anthemic guitar chops, reaching vocals and dense, scratchy guitars outline this track. Unfortunately, there's also some Weezer-infused catchiness in here, which isn't bad as long as you only think of Pinkerton.

#6 Eminem feat. Rihanna

Love the Way You Lie (Pt. 2)

I have trust issues. With women, friends, whatever. You always wonder what their real motives are… [But] as far as going out, like dinner and a movie—I just can’t. Going out in public is just too crazy. I mean, I’d like to be in a relationship again someday. Who doesn’t? It’s just hard to meet new people, in my position.” — Eminem on dating, and his inability to meet new people due to his celebrity.

#7 Wild Nothing

Golden Haze

Wild Nothing is the solo-project of Jack Tatum whose music is inspired by a longtime love affair with nostalgia. His debut full-length album, Gemini, released on Captured Tracks spring of 2010, is full of dreamy, carefree synth-pop songs that linger with an inexplicable sense of regret. It had the distinction of being ranked 35th best album (so far) of 2010 by Amazon.com Music Editors. In October the band followed up Gemini with the Golden Haze EP, also on Captured Tracks.

#8 The Black Keys

Next Girl

The album emanates funky riffs and falsetto crooning. Aurbach’s slow, drawling, rough vocals layer snugly over the distorted guitars and driving drums. Every song is a throwback, jumping back decades to fit perfectly into the early-rolling-stones era of blues rock. Such purity will delight nostalgics while refraining from being so esoteric as to scare away the current generation. The Black Keys have created a multi-generational album, one that will delight your twelve-year-old brother as well as your sixty-year-old father. Isn’t that what rock-and-roll is supposed to be?

#9 Deerhunter

Helicopter

Halcyon Digest strikes me as somewhat of a variety show, juggling lead singers, bridging the gap between childlike synth vibrations and bluesy sax solos. Yet despite it’s range, I find myself unable to recall the tunes individually. It’s not for lack of sticking power or catchiness (Indeed it seems that Helicopter and He Would Have Laughed have been stuck in my head for weeks). It’s simply that Halcyon Digest has different priorities than most records. Instead of melodic precision, Deerhunter aim for a clear conveyance of emotion. It’s this emotional continuity that provides HD with its sonic blend and faux-monotony.

#10 Mumford and Sons

Awake My Soul

“We’re going to try something we’ve never tried before,” announced Marcus Mumford as Mumford & Sons took the stage for their encore at Webster Hall on Tuesday night. “We’re going to try playing without the microphones and the PA.” I’d seen this trick before – Loney Dear pulled it off in the tiny confines of Great Scott in Boston when I saw them last October. But here? In the massive, 1400 person capacity Webster Hall? You must be joking.