The mad ramblings of Mr. A.B. Koontz...
Or in other words a lot of top ten(ish) lists in the film, music and pop culture world with the occasional offensive rant thrown in for dramatic effect.
Jesus H Christ I am glad 2010 is over. Everyone got a little older but, ahem, ladies, you don’t look it. Or at least that's what I'll tell you in the back booths at the Blind Pig. But I digress... In spite of continued petty political divide, the yet to rebound economy, and some little oil spill back home, 2010 was a hella year for music.
So in what has now become an annual review of what I thought, and thereby, was good in the world of music in 2010 I am now stealing your time yet again to tell you what you should be listening to. If it did not make the list, it means I did not get a chance to listen to it, or it sucked. It is entirely possible that some music got by me this year. It is more likely that the music I did not listen to was not listenable and therefore sucked. See a trend here?
In all seriousness, this is a compilation of 60 or so songs and 20 albums that were released in 2010 that got a lot of play in the many places where I listen to music. And for those of you that aren't hiding my facebook feed by now you too are quite familiar with most of these.
So sit back and peruse the gentle musings of what made my musical pants go crazy this year.
Top Tracks of 2010-- (consolidated list as shown on the daily facebook feed) 1) Mumford and Sons – Little Lion man 2) Cloud Cult – You’ll be bright a.must.watch.video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCg8DsJv-t4 3) Arcade Fire - We Used To Wait www.wildernessdowntown.com 4) Kanye West – Runaway full length film worth a viewing as well:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg5wkZ-dJXA 5) The Kissaway Trail – SDP 6) Florence and the Machine – Dog Days Are Over 7) LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean 8) The National – Sorrow 9) Yeasayer - Ambling Alp 10) Small Sins - Why Don't You Believe Me 11) Sleigh Bells – Infinity Guitars 12) Mumford and Sons - The Cave 13) Gorillaz – On Melancholy Hill is any Gorillaz video NOT epic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_-zEHaVOkQ 14) Deerhunter – Desire Lines 15) Crystal Castles- Not In Love Ft. Robert Smith 16) Jónsi - Boy Lilikoi 17) Titus Andronicus - A More Perfect Union 18) Florence and the Machine – Cosmic Love 19) Jarrod Gorbel - Each Breath song not found on grooveshark:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7AFhcDQQFw 20) Kid Cudi –Scott Mescudi vs the World Feat Cee Lo Green 21) Frightened Rabbits – The Loneliness and the Scream video is too cool not to link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1Lf7mriehU 22) Local Natives – Wide Eyes video has a shark. Thats a must link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVt-DZdkOzw 23) Cloud Cult – Running with the Wolves 24) Broken Social Scene – All to All 25) Cee Lo Green – No Ones Gonna love you See 21. Rabbits, Frightened: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXiTwalPvuQ 26) CARIBOU – Odessa 27) The Jezabels – A Little Piece 28) The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio 29) Arcade Fire – Ready to Start 30) Diamond Rings - You And Me 31) Jenny and Johnny – Animal 32) B.o.B - Don't Let Me Fall 33) Broken Bells – The Ghost Inside 34) Film School - Heart Full Of Pentagons 35) Local Natives – Sun hands
Top 35 Playlist (be sure and turn off the default playlist at the top right 1st)
5 Tracks that would be higher if I redid the list today: 35) Local Natives – Sun hands 27) The Jezabels–A Little Piece 26) CARIBOU–Odessa 21) Frightened Rabbits–The Loneliness and the Scream 15) Crystal Castles- Not In Love Ft. Robert Smith
Last 5 Cut: Angus and Julia Stone - I’m not Yours Los Campesinos - The Sea is a good Place to Think of the Future Kanye West–Power Freelance Whales-Generator ^ First Floor Cee-Lo Green-Fuck Yo
Honorable Mention (In no particular order)
Black Keys – Too Afraid to Love you The Walkmen - Angela Surf City Tokyo Police Club – Bambi Fran Healy –Anything Mice Parade - Recover The New Pornographers - Crash Years Sufjan Stevens – Impossible Soul of Montreal - Coquet Coquette Ra Ra Riot - Boy Florence &The Machine - Howl Deerhunter - Helicopter The Morning Benders - Excuses Beach House - Norway Kissaway Trail - Friendly Fires Jónsi - Kolniður Mumford & Sons - White Blank Page Kid Cudi - Mr. Rager Margot &The Nuclear So & So's - Let's Paint our Teeth Green
Last Cuts and Honorable Mention Playlist
Some Top Track Stats:
Multiple Entries -- Mumford & Sons #1, #12 Cloud Cult #2 and #23 Florence & The machine #6 and #18 The National #8 and #28 Local Natives #35 and #22 Cee Lo Green #25 and vocals on #20
R&B/Rap Tracks -- 4 on top 35 and 3 Honorable Mention Acoustic Tracks -- 3 on top 35 and 3 Honorable Mention (very down from years prior. Although some things could be stretched to be labeled Acoustic) Electronic/Indie Pop--8 on top 35 and 4 Honorable Mention (my new favorite 'Genre') Number of times I commented on my own link before anyone else: 35 for 35
Top albums of 2010 -- 1) Mumford and Sons- Sigh No More 2) Arcade Fire - The Suburbs 3) Florence and the Machine - Lungs 4) Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy 5) The Kissaway Trail - Sleep Mountain Yet another Kissaway sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMGBEZgddcE&feature=related 6) The National - High Violet 7) Cloud Cult - Light Chasers 8) Local Natives - Gorilla Manor 9) Sufjan Stevens – Age of Adz 10) Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest 11) Gorillaz - Plastic Beach 12) John Powell – How to Train your Dragon (Score) Choice Sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CJ96LGGP6w 13) Broken Bells – Broken Bells 14) Freelance Whales - Weathervanes 15) The Jezebels - Dark Storm 16) Jarrod Gorbel - Devi's Made a New Friend 17) Jonsi - Go 18) Frightened Rabbits - The Winter of Mixed Drinks 19) Los Campesinos - Romance is Boring 20) Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – Social Network (Score) Choice Sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yczul_609Gg
Most Overrated Albums of 2010 -- Best Coast - Crazy for You: You may be hot but your LP is not. And the whiny track of "Boyfriend" sounds like one of the wenches from "My Super Sweet 16" complaining why Billie won't take her to the sock hop. Or whatever kids go to these days.
Joanna Newsome - Have One On Me: Sure harps are cool and you're talented. But so are soccer players. I have a feeling I won't give a shit about either anytime soon.
Vampire Weekend - Contra: I get it. You're all clever in your neatly pressed khakis and pastel polos and read F. Scott Fitzgerald but where dear god do you actually branch out into something meaningful in your music? And I make excuses for bands like this all the time as long as you can be catchy and fun, and despite being a HUGE fan of the self titled album this goes beyond pretentious and into what should be self depreciating hipster lore. I even bought this the day it came out. My car CD changer proceeded to die the following day. My Prius is genius.
Das Racist - Sit Down, Man: You'd think with 'Racist' in his name I'd be all over this but unfortunately the only redeeming and somewhat clever part of this album for me was when I got to 'segregate' it from the actual good music I was listening to. I tried really hard to give R&B a chance this year and many albums surprised me. This is more of the trite bullshit I was expecting. Sit down, man indeed.
