My Favorite Albums of 2010

My Favorite Albums of 2010

2010 Was the Best Ever!

As best as this year as been for music, with all the leaks/rumors of albums for next year I am beginning to think that 2k10 might be even bester. Stereogum just posted their 25 most anticipated albums of 2010 and while their list is fantastic and and very blogcore, mine is a little different/personalcore. With few exceptions, all of the bands below hold onto the notion of an album as a cohesive and coherent form and are apt at producing music within the constraint. While some people are all worried about this particular form, I prefer simply to enjoy it and not worry about its sustainability. For this reason and in no particular order, I am looking forward to contributions from:

New Beauty: Soft Cat

New Beauty: Soft Cat

So, my favorite blog of the year is definitely the Swiss Delicious Scopitone. Most of their articles are both in French and English (for easy reading!) and they find the most consistently beautiful lo-fi gems (so hot right now!). Most of the posts are small witty narrative pieces that tie the song titles into a description of the music without telling you how to situate the music within the greater context of music forever (which is nice).

The most recent post is on a band from Baltimore called Soft Cat who sound a bit like an atmospheric Akron/Family circa their self titled album. They create subtle and fragile compositions that slowly unfurl using mainly guitar and voice, but they also use many different (well placed) orchestral and percussive instruments. Their melodies are often slow developing and quite heartbreaking, located somewhere between Arcade Fire and Fleet Foxes. If you like what you hear, give em some love; their myspace currently has just over 1,000 plays.

mp3: Silver Babies in the Sun - Soft Cat (Highly Recommended!)

mp3: It Won't be Long - Soft Cat

First Aid Kit Cover Fleet Foxes

First Aid Kit Cover Fleet Foxes

[via]

The Swedish Duo First Aid Kit also recently did another video for La Blogotheque walking around outside and playing music. Easily one of the best Fleet Foxes covers I have ever seen.

Mos Def ft Talib Kwali W/ The Roots and Dirty Projectors

Mos Def ft Talib Kwali W/ The Roots and Dirty Projectors

[via]

I know there has been all this whatnot about hip-hop and indie music having a secret love affair recently but it seems like kind of a stretch. Sure, Jay-Z went to a show, Solange Knowles covered a song, Chiddy Bang sampled everyone ever, but these things are not as much evidence of a real embrace as much as capitalizing on a new market.

And yet, just when I was going to hang up my Sherlock Holmes detective cap and call it another mystery solved, I came across this video. Now, I am not sure how good Jimmy Fallon's show is, but he has The Roots. and he is good at having them play with interesting people. which counts for something. The Mos Def/Talib Kweli song is already really good on its own and The Roots add at a lot of instrumental depth. But instead of stopping there Fallon somehow got the ridiculously good combination of Amber Coffman and Haley Dekle of the Dirty Projectors to sing the back up vocal from the song. Their voices are so recognizable and distinct that it adds a whole other dimension to the song. THIS is the sort of love affair that I want to watch. Keep it comin, Brooklyn.

Neil Young Covers Will Smith

Neil Young Covers Will Smith

Neil Young on Jimmy Fallon.

[via]

Charlotte Gainsbourg/ Beck Music Video

Charlotte Gainsbourg/ Beck Music Video

Nellie Nguyen – Oak Tree

Nellie Nguyen – Oak Tree

Apparently this is the only recorded material Ms. Nguyen has but it is a beautiful melodious folk song all the same [via].

will smith?

will smith?

bahahahahha. some portland (i think?) hipsters doing a will smith medley. just for you guys. and whoever reads "look at this fucking hipster".

Pearl and the Beard - Will Smith Medley from Goddamn Cobras Collective on Vimeo.

Big Fan of Phantogram

Big Fan of Phantogram

Phantogram.
I just wanted to jump on this before it was old news. I was bumbling around the blogosphere the other day and stumbled upon a new-ish band from New York called Phantogram.
I haven't really stopped listening to them since (minus an interlude for the new Yeasayer track, which is pretty sweet).
I've been trying to think of ways to describe Phantogram's sound, but I will let them speak for themselves:

"We wanted to incorporate all our own influences and created our own sound that's a combination of Serge Gainsbourg, sampling and Detroit hip-hop. How I explain it to the customers who come into the restaurant where I work is that we sound like a combination of Kanye West and Radiohead" - Singer, Sarah Barthel

Well I don't really hear the Gainsbourg, but I can get behind the Kanye/Radiohead description. Phantogram has attempted to layer two genres that are rarely successfully combined (If it's safe to call Kanye West and Radiohead genres)--and they pull it off.
As far as other influences, lets just throw in School of Seven Bells, Beach House, The xx, TV on the Radio, and M83 for good measure.
All genre confusion aside, Phantogram just write good songs. Barthel's voice is dynamic and nuanced as it soars over thick beats and subtle electric guitar lines. The songs are crisp and fresh; new but utterly familiar. I highly recommend it. Lets just start with the first two tracks of their forthcoming LP Eyelid Movies:

Phantogram :: Mouthful of Diamonds
Phantogram :: When I'm Small