Music time, I guess. Seemed like the next reasonable genre.....I've always been pretty unashamed to cop to the fact that I have horrible taste in music. I mean, Ke$sha took up permanent real estate in disc 6 of the car's changer this summer. And I was unapologetic about inflicting her on people riding with me - I'd just shrug, say, "what? I have bad taste." and that was that.
HOWEVER - let's call 2010 my year of "Moderately Improved Taste." I began the year absolutely determined to make it to Coachella. So I familiarized myself with HUNDREDS of bands on the lineup and went through a sort of musical immersion school getting up to speed with "cool bands." Bands that were not in my musical library. Bands that other people wouldn't cringe to hear me mention.
Then along came Mr Wonderful and his vast library-like collection of tunes - I inflicted a little Gaga and Christina on him (spared him the Ke$sha because, well: he's Wonderful). He introduced me to Scotland. Musically speaking. We've yet to visit in a geographic sense, but at least 2 of my top 10 are Scottish groups. They make good music there, apparently.
SO, as with books, this isn't a list of "Favorite Albums Released in 2010," instead its just "A bunch of CDs I really enjoyed this year." So there, music snobs.
Scottish group #1 is a favorite of Mr Wonderful's - took a little bit for me to warm up to the simplified, retro sounds of these ladies - and then their charming lyrics and sweet voices and sort of tender homage to music of bygone eras began to grow on me. It's a little du-wop, a little sock-hop, and very easy to leave on repeat for most of the evening. We listened to "My Maudlin Career" quite a bit in the beginning of our relationship, and this is now a sentimental favorite as well as a soothing collection of songs that tends to be a pretty uniform crowd-pleaser. Favorite track: James.
Oh come on, this is MY list. And I love The Christina. And, so what if she blamed her now-estranged soon-to-be-ex for the flop of this album (and blamed the flop of this album on the decay of her marriage or something ridiculous), it's still a completely fun cd. There's a very specific road map that each of Christina's releases follow - start with a fun, upbeat party tune. Add a few more. Then stick the sappy power-ballads in the middle and pile them one on top of the other. Then try experimental stuff at the tail end, maybe as bonus tracks for a deluxe edition. Feature a few up-and-coming lesser-knows as collaborators on a few tracks, pad the cd with some filler to round out the 21-track listing and end with a little more sap. That's pretty much the formula this album followed as well. BUT, aside from the fact that I skip the "Glam" song because everything about it screams "Awkward Fun Montage Scene in Sex & The City movie," this was a lot more solid release than she was given credit for - fun electro-pop numbers, good "sing-along-in-the-car-at-the-top-of-your-lungs" ballads, all in all part of Christina's continuing evolution. Favorite Track: Monday Morning.
Another Scottish fave. These ladies had a pretty solid 20-year run with their unique blend of dreamy, euro-pop production and wispy vocals. This is another sentimental favorite this year because The Mister and I spent so many cozy evenings together with Four-Calendar Cafe as our background soundtrack, but it's another ambient winner that you can leave playing for hours and never get tired of hearing. Not terribly easy to sing along with (though try: it'll make you giggle when you try to hit those high, airy notes and end up sounding more like puppy-with-tail-stepped-on). Favorite Track: Oil of Angels
The first time I listened to this album I was playing hookey from work, wandering the sand of Alki waterfront in less-than-waterfront-worthy shoes and contemplating big, life-changing concepts. Had the iPod on shuffle (and filled with lots of Coachella tunes and their soundalikes hoping to brush up on this year's indie-rock scene). The track "Hold your head high" came on at random and a first listen left me in sort of fist-in-the-air, I-will-survive type tears in the eyes. "Hold your head high, as high as you can, things will come back soon, things will come around again...." Apparently it was just what I needed to hear. The low-down on this band: very simple sound, recorded with lots of open space. Very simple guitar, drums, bass formula, but the chick-singer's vocals are the centerpiece. She has a very put-on sound, a very manufactured, raspy growl -- but I love scratchy, raspy singing voices. See: Beth Hart. For some reason this has become a popular "dinnertime soundtrack" this year - to me, there's an aspect of "Road Trip Tunes" to their sound - the sort of breezy, midwestern roots to their sound makes it feel like an album that should be played plenty loud, with the windows rolled down...Favorite track: Hold Your Head High
These guys were slated to perform at Coachella (uh, the punchline to this year is that I ultimately couldn't afford to go...the Mister intervened with a great long weekend at the coast that more than made up for it, but alas - my devoted...er, FRANTIC....listening was all for naught....). I originally listened to this and thought, "The Mister would like these guys!" Turned out I was right (which was a proud moment, since someone with Bad Taste in music very rarely recommends anything anyone else will enjoy). But I like it just as much. It's more sort of ethereal, ambient electro-pop with androgenous sort of vocals ("this track is definitely a dude singing....er, wait, no......is it?"), but terrific production, and interesting, "laying on your back, daydreaming, watching funny-shaped clouds float by" sort of lyrics. Favorite track: Weathervanes.
I was trying to describe this cd after hearing it reviewed glowingly on NPR: glowingly, and earnestly, in fact, by the most middle-aged sounding journalist you can imagine, which, I suppose, just goes to show that you can be hip at any age. Take my Grandma for instance. She's crossed the 80-year mark and knows her Beyonce just as well as any of us. Anyway - was trying to describe Kanye's latest release and kept coming back to, "It's almost like he channeled his inner Imogen Heap....sure, it's auto-tuned, but in a really musical, high-brow way!." Which is true. We have rock operas - well, this is a rap opera. And, say what you will about Kanye's ego, the man knows good production. And say what you will about his sort of sluggish style and whiny voice, the guy comes up with interesting, pop-culturally-relevant lyrics. And say what you will about Taylor Swift. No, wait, don't - I can't stand her and her eternal optimism. I just can't. But Kanye's cd - like it very much. Favorite track: Runaway. Shoot - that's totally stuck in my head now....."Here's a toast to the douchebags....."
Lucero - Tennessee
Speaking of raspy, irritating voices: Lucero's lead singer has got one of the most grating, irritating voices out there. And I LOVE it (again, see: Beth Hart). This is heartland pop or alternative country or slightly twang-infused garage rock. Full of guitars and big heavy drums and lots of talk about WHISKEY. But layered between that are some startlingly poetic lyrics - traditional topics: love, heartbreak, cigarettes, underaged girls, things like that. This was a great sountrack to my frequent drives through mountain passes to visit Mr Wonderful - perfect sountrack to a sunny summer morning when the sun is rising over the trees, the sky is blue, you're doing 15 over the speed limit and wish you didn't have to take that exit toward work. This album spent more time in my car than anything else this year. Favorite lyric: "I can still taste that god-awful perfume you wore...." Favorite track: Nights Like These.
A friend who knew I had some aspirations of becoming a badass chick-drummer recommended this band because their dummer is so precise it was almost hard to believe it wasn't an electronic drum machine track. So I listened to a few songs primarily for the drums. Then got hooked. And would play Armistice over and over and over again for hours at a time. Got several, "ooh, who's this?" responses when I played it in the car -- subtly different from the "EW, who's this?" remarks I was so used to receiving. Usually not a huge fan of live iterations of albums I love (that damn crowd noise), but in this case they add some interesting interludes and guitar solos and fun extras that keeps it interesting. The singer's voice might have to grow on you slightly, but their "rumoured-to-be-Christian" lyrics are lovely and thoughtful and their drummer is FLIPPIN RIGHTEOUS. Favorite track: Odds.
I've loved Sister Hazel for more than a decade (actually, I've probably got several posts in the archives about this band) - so it's fun when they release an acoustic cd that spans their entire career - sort of an unplugged "best-of." This is great - takes the best tracks from their last seven releases or so and strips them down to the basics. Love Ken Block's tinny voice, love the song selection, only complaint is the obnoxious "man in the crowd" who "WHOOOOOOOOOO's!!!!" too loudly before every song. Favorite track: Champagne High (of course!).
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz
This was probably the second-most played cd in the changer this year. And probably a good chunk of last year. Fantastic spread of moods on this album - from fun post-punk that sounds best turned way up to soft, almost timid-sounding lullaby-like numbers. They added a few acoustic remixes on the end (and a dance version of the first track Zero that feels like a combination of too much caffeine mixed with sudafed and recorded on steroids) and one track that, for some reason, seems to me it would make a delightfully off-beat wedding processional. Love the vocals and the spunky guitar. Favorite track: Hysteric
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