Best Music of 2010

There were a whole lot of very good albums released in 2010, and it was a difficult task to come up with a list of the best 20 albums, because so many good ones didn’t make the cut.  Anyway, here’s my list:

Neil YoungLe Noise Neil Young has put out some really great albums and a few duds too.  This one produced by Daniel Lanois is one of his best.  It’s just Neil playing his guitars and singing about his life and career.  Key Tracks:  “Walk with Me” and “The Hitchhiker”

GrindermanGrinderman 2 Nick Cave is back with his smaller, much harder rocking group playing the role of a wolf man on the prowl for sex and love – anyway he can get it.  Key tracks:  “Heathen Child” and “Bellringer Blues”

SpoonTransference This one came out very early in 2010, and I always find myself going back to it.  Britt Daniel knows how to write catch pop tunes.  The best ones on the album are “The Mystery Zone” and “Written in Reverse.”

John Legend and The Roots Wake Up! I never really paid much attention to John Legend until I saw him perform live with The Roots at The Rally to Restore Sanity.  All the songs but one on this album are covers of old-school soul/funk/R&B songs.  The Roots are one of the most solid bands working today, and John Legend shines as a vocalist with them backing him up.  Favorites are Ernie Hines’s “Our Generation” and Bill Withers’ “I Can’t Write Left Handed.”

Justin Townes EarleHarlem River Blues I had never really paid much attention to Justin Townes Earle before I saw him at Bumbershoot this year.  His song writing and singing style are signature Austin style, and he sounds like he’s having a really great time singing these songs.  Favorite songs are “Harlem River Blues” and “Christchurch Woman.”

Isobel Campbell & Mark LaneganHawk Mark Lanegan’s gravely baritone voice kills me.  Isobel Campbell’s soft, sweet voice provides the perfect foil.  Together they remind me of another great duo from years back, Nancy Sinatra and Lee Greenwood.  Key tracks:  “Come Undone” and “Lately.”

The MynabirdsWhat We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood This is another new band for me.  I was sucked in by the Memphis soul sound.  Laura Burhenn’s vocals remind me of another great one, Dusty Springfield.  Favorite songs are “What We Gained in the Fire” and “LA Rain.”

Black Rebel Motorcycle ClubBeat the Devil’s Tattoo I’ve been a fan of this band ever since their 2003 release, Take Them on Their Own.  This album is as good as the one that got me listening to the band.  “Aya” has got to be one of the best songs they’ve ever recorded.  I listen to it all the time.  Other key track is “River Styx.”

Jesca HoopHunting My Dress Who is this woman with the first name that is missing a syllable?  I don’t know… I’ve read that she used to be a nanny for Tom Waits’s kids.  I think she picked up some of his rhythms.  I love the percussion and vocal style on this album.  Key tracks are “Tulip” and “Murder of Birds.”

The RootsHow I Got Over See above about how this is one of the best bands working today.  I am not a big fan of rap music, and these guys do rap, but what makes them different is that they are a real band, and they have real melodies in their songs.  Love the band.  My favorites are “Walk Alone” and “The Fire.”

Danger Mouse and SparklehorseDark Night of the Soul This album is bittersweet.  Were it not for some kind of weird contract or legal issue between Danger Mouse and somebody, this would have been released last year before co-creator Mark Linkous, and Vic Chesnutt (who also appears on the album) both committed suicide.  I was a big fan of both of them, and was sad to see them go.  David Lynch is the third major party in this project, and he actually does vocals on a couple tracks and provides the visuals.  You must visit the website.  Key tracks are “Everytime I’m With You” and “Revenge” (featuring Wayne Coyne on vocals).

Johnny DowdWake up the Snakes Not enough people know about Johnny Dowd.  Given that this album wasn’t released in the U.S. this year (You can buy it on his website, and you’ll get a sticky note in his hand on the cd that says “Thanks.”), I have to conclude that he’s more popular in Europe than he is in his home country.  That’s a shame, because Johnny writes crazy good songs about love, death, Jesus, and murder.  This album is one of his more rocking ones.  I really like “Voices” and “Howling Wolf Blues.”

MoondoggiesTidelands This is the second album by the local group who refers to themselves as “The Everett Shit Kickers” in the liner notes.  I like this one better than their first one.  I think the song writing is better and the band is really tight on this album.  Best tracks are “Tidelands” and “Lead Me On.”

Tom Petty and the HeartbreakersMojo I had not bought a Tom Petty album for about 25 years.  I loved this guy back in the day, but he seemed to be wandering into territories I wasn’t all that interested in visiting – until this one.  I first heard a track from the album on the Blue Boulevard show that airs Wednesday nights on KSVR in Mount Vernon.  Star Anna was the guest via telephone, and she chose a new Tom Petty song.  I bought the record, and it’s worthy.  Key tracks are:  “High in the Morning” and “Running Man’s Bible.”

Alejandro EscovedoStreet Songs of Love I love this guy.  This album RAWKS!  Saw him live at the No Depression show this year.  He played several songs from this album with his way good band featuring David Pulkingham on guitar.  I really like “Silver Cloud” and “Faith.”

Laura VeirsJuly Flame Laura Veirs is a mom now.  Last time I saw her perform she was 8-1/2 months pregnant.  She was touring in support of this album, an it was one of the best shows I saw this year.  She and Tucker Martine are a perfect match.  I especially like “Sun is King” (because it is) and “Wide-Eyed, Legless.”

Blue GiantBlue Giant I saw this Portland band open for The Dandy Warhols last night at The Showbox, and one might think that my picking them for my top twenty was influenced too much by a recent show, but NO!  The show was great, and so was the show they did at The Tractor when they opened for and backed up Bobby Bare, Jr., but I bought the album last nigh, listened to it today, and it is a really good album.  Key tracks are “Blue Sunshine” and “Wesley.”

The Black KeysBrothers This blues rock duo got my attention back in 2004 when I saw them at Bumbershoot.  They were touring in support of Rubber Soul.  This album is almost as good as that one.  I really like “Tighten Up” and “Howlin’ For You.”

Bobby Bare, Jr.A Storm – A Tree – My Mother’s Head The album is named after an incident that led to a tree crashing through his mother’s house and hitting her on the head.  Bobby was on tour at the time, and he called her to make sure she was okay (she was) and he continued to tour.  But he was thinking about her… the song… the album title.  I think this album is his best since The Longest Meow.  Key tracks are “Your Goat is on Fire” and your new favorite Halloween song, “Rock and Roll Halloween.”

Otis TaylorClovis People Vol. 3 What’s a Clovis person?  Go look it up.  Otis plays a different kind of blues.  Not sure how it should be categorized, but I like it.  It’s mostly acoustic and the music is sparse, the lyrics open to interpretation.  I like “Hands on Your Stomach” and “Ain’t no Cowgirl.”

I don’t count re-issues in these lists each year, but a special mention must go out to one in particular.  Bruce Springsteen released a box set of Darkness on the Edge of Town, that includes the remastered cd, an excellent movie about the making of the album, a double cd of outtakes from the sessions titled The Promise, a 3-hour 1978 concert from Houston, and whole lot of other live footage.  For Springsteen fans, this is a must have.  Absolutely amazing stuff form Springsteen in his prime.  Key tracks are “The Promise,” “The Little Things (My Baby Does},” and “The Way” (Hidden track at following “City of Night”).

Friday Night Videos – Alejandro Escovedo, Iggy Pop, Rolling Stones

Alejandro is playing at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle tonight.  You should be there.  If you aren’t going, you’ll have to settle for a YouTube video.  Get drunk… you might even think you are there.

He’ll probably play this tonight too…

… and maybe even this one

Update:  Always fun to guess what cover songs he will play.  He did not play “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” but he did do “Beast of Burden,” and one I had not even thought about, Neil Young’s all-time greatest song, “Powderfinger.”

Best Music of 2008

There sure were a lot of great albums released in 2008.  Several of my favorite artist put out some of their best music ever, and they are the ones at the top of this list of the top 25 albums of 2008: 

  1. Nick Cave and the Bad SeedsDig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
  2. Alejandro EscovedoReal Animal
  3. Jim WhiteTransnormal Skiperoo
  4. The Duke SpiritNeptune
  5. DevotchkaA Mad and Faithful Telling
  6. Sons and DaughtersThis Gift
  7. Slim Cessna’s Auto ClubCipher
  8. Fleet FoxesFleet Foxes
  9. Paul Weller22 Dreams
  10. Tricky - Knowle West Boy
  11. Saul Williams – The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust
  12. Jakob Dylan – Seeing Things
  13. The Moondoggies – Don’t be a Stranger
  14. Kathleen Edwards - Asking for Flowers
  15. The Kills – Midnight Boom
  16. The Black Keys - Attack and Release
  17. Jenny Lewis – Acid Tongue
  18. Mudhoney – The Lucky Ones
  19. Wussy – Left for Dead
  20. The Pretenders – Break up the Concrete
  21. The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band -The Whole Fam Damnily
  22. R.E.M. – Accelerate
  23. Flogging Molly – Float
  24. Hank III – Damn Right Rebel Proud
  25. Dandy Warhols – Earth to the Dandy Warhols

I’ve surfed around and looked at lists put out by Mojo Magazine, Uncut Magazine, Paste Magazine, and NPR.  What I found is that people seem to prefer softer, soulful sounds this year.  My list has a lot of entries that buck that trend.  That’s probably because this year, for me anyway, was an intensely nerve racking year.  During the very long primary season and general election, I found myself mostly listening to music that matched my high level of nervous agitation throughout the whole process. 

Anyway, there are a few polls out there where you can still cast your votes for best albums of 2008.  I’d start with the KEXP Top 90.3 poll because it closes tomorrow.

And Mojo Magazine

If I find any more open polls, I will add them.

Top Ten Albums of All Time – How do You Choose?

KEXP is having a fund drive now and during the drive they are playing the top 903 albums of all time as voted on by their listeners who submitted their lists of top-ten albums.

I meant to vote in the KEXP poll, but I agonized for so long over my list that the deadline passed before I could vote.

And you may ask yourself, what’s so difficult about naming your ten favorite albums?  Well… in many cases it’s difficult to select one album from an artists entire body of work.   What’s the best Dylan album? The best Springsteen?  The best Neil Young?  The best Nick Cave?  Should you choose more than one album from your favorite artists?  How would a list of top-ten albums of all time look if it included three from Dylan, two from Springsteen, three from Nick Cave, and two from Neil Young?  I could easily make that list.  You might be able to create a similar list from the works of your four favorite artists.

Should you stay within the realm of folk/blues/pop/rock/soul or should you include jazz and classical?  Should you care about what era the music was made?  I ask because it would be very easy for me to list the ten best albums from each decade beginning with the fifties and ending with our current decade.  So by not including something from all five decades, would you or I be ignoring great works because they are too old or too new?

Those were all difficult issues for me to resolve.  My wife said I was overthinking it.  She suggested I just go through my albums and pick my ten favorites.   Okay… but that’s a huge stack to sort through.  It would take me a whole lot longer to that than it’s taking me to write this.

So in the end what I came up with is what’s probably obvious to people who don’t dwell on these types of decisions like I do.  I started thinking of the albums that I never tire of hearing and that I listen to quite often.

Here’s the list is in alphabetical order because it’s impossible to rank them numerically:

Hector Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique/Tristia, Cleveland Orchestra, Pierre Boulez (1997)

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Let Love In (1994)

Miles Davis – Kind of Blue (1959)

Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited (1965)

Alejandro Escovedo – Gravity (1992)

P.J. Harvey – To Bring You My Love (1995)

Nirvana – Nevermind (1991)

Patti Smith – Horses (1975)

Bruce Springsteen – Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)

Neil Young – Rust Never Sleeps (1979)

That’s ten.  It wasn’t easy because my first draft was twice as long, so I’ve left off at least ten more really great albums that deserve to be on this list.

What albums are on your list of the Top Ten Greatest Albums of All Time?  I want to know!  Please click on “Comments” below this post heading and tell me.