Lesson learned for the day: dump runs on windy days are more problematic.
Oh yeah, and I saw Avatar.
Here is my Top 10 Albums list for the year. It was generally a good year for music, though there weren't any real standouts. I had a hard time ordering this list, because there isn't a very big difference in quality from 1 to 10 (and there are definitely a few more that could have made the list).
#10. The Dodos -- Time To Die
I was deciding between The Dodos and The Monsters of Folk for the final place on my list, and I went with The Dodos because the sound is more unique and a little more modern. The driving drums at the forefront of every track make these songs a little more urgent than most folk music, even though the guitar and vocals are generally straightforward folk styles.
#9. Surfer Blood -- Astro Coast
This technically should wait for my Best of 2010 list, because this record doesn't officially get released until January. But I bought it from the band at their show, so I'm counting it. I often bemoan the wussiness of my own musical tastes, as I buy more and more chamber pop and indie folk/rock, so it's always great to find something more on the rock side I actually enoy. Surfer Blood definitely make melodic rock songs, but the low-fi recording (this CD was recorded in a college dorm room, I think) and the focus on guitars gives the music a little more edge. Great melodies, too, though. Expect a lot of buzz on these guys in a few weeks when the official release happens.
#8. Various Artists -- Dark Was The Night
The Indie Rock compilation of the year (is this one, not the Twilight soundtrack). If only for volume, this 2-disc set packed with rarities by indie rock darlings wins. There isn't much cohesiveness to the album, but there are very good songs, including Jose Gonzalez and The Books' take on Nick Drake's Cello Song, Antony's version of obscure (but awesome) Dylan song I Was Young When I Left Home, Well Alright by Spoon, Lenin by Arcade Fire, and an incredible redo of the Bright Eyes song Lua by its writer Conor Oberst with Gillian Welch. But that's just the tip of the iceberg on a great compilation. And it's for a good cause!
#7. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart -- The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Despite the pains of having to use that awful name to describe them, this band came out of nowhere to gain a lot of indie buzz and a lot of fans with their debut album (and a follow-up EP called Higher Than the Stars, which is equally good). Playing a decidedly retro style of music in a slightly new style -- they sound like an 80's band whose synthesizers were taken and replaced with heavy fuzz guitars -- they probably got both the nostalgic audience and the younger folks who hadn't had the first go-round (sort of like The Strokes' first album when it came out). This is another low-fi recording that makes it difficult -- sometimes the wall of guitar sound completely dominates the vocals, which can be a little frustrating -- but songs like Come Saturday and Young Adult Friction are good enough to make up for that.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Come Saturday
#6. Tor / Sufjan Stevens -- Illinoize
Just a tremendous random find from the Internet. Available as a free download, this mixtape by producer Tor mixes Sufjan Stevens vocal and instrumental tracks with beats and top-notch MCs. Not a real album, but this might be the one I re-listen to more than any of the others in upcoming years. Standout tracks include those featuring Big Daddy Kane, Brother Ali and Grand Puba.
Tor/Sufjan Stevens/Gift of Gab - Make You Feel That Way
#5. Andrew Bird -- Noble Beast
This CD came out way back in the beginning of the year and blew me away at the time. With his extremely esoteric lyrics and musical style, you would think Bird's would be pretty inaccessible music. But his melodies are so good (and catchy), and the instrumentation so interesting (and how can you not love the whistling solos), that it's a very easy listen. (Even if I have no idea what he's talking about or if half his lyrics are even real words...)
#4. Fanfarlo -- Reservoir
Fanfarlo are a great band, who seem to be getting more and more coverage as they tour our country. (I think they're British.) They get compared very frequently to Arcade Fire, but I don't know Arcade Fire well enough to know how accurate that is. To me, they sound like Noah & The Whale, but a little more mainstream with better vocals (the lead singer sounds a little like David Byrne and the boy-girl harmonies sound great, too). This is a great debut with lots of awesome pop songs and I'm hoping they'll keep growing as they tour and write new songs.
Fanfarlo - The Walls are Coming Down
#3. The Postmarks -- Memoirs at the End of the World
This is the year's best concept album, the type that is even better as a whole than the sum of its songs. Imagined by the band as a take on 60's-era soundtracks, it is lushly produced with multi-instrumentation including horns and string sections, and layered vocals. The final result is a gorgeous album that really does feel like a soundtrack to a romantic movie you just wish you could be in.
#2. The Very Best -- Warm Heart of Africa
I suspect I would love a lot of African music if I just heard it. This record found a couple of European DJ/producers putting together beats and backing tracks for an African vocalist. That African vocal style is so distinct and so great -- wonderful melodies and harmonies that ring just as clear as the African-style guitar Vampire Weekend and Paul Simon made such great use of. I only wish it was summer again, so this music could be enjoyed on a warm sunny day.
#1. Phoenix -- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
The sheer upbeat power of these songs puts Phoenix at the top of my list. Almost every song here, and especially big hits Lisztomania and 1901, are unrelentingly bouncy and fun in a way that seems like it should get old very quickly, but somehow doesn't. At least it hasn't yet.
I can't wait. Always wondered what I look like inside.
宮崎、伊比井のしゃんしゃん茶屋は宮崎らしい素朴な料理がおいしい。
Bleh, this is starting to get concerning.
I'm always looking for good resources to figure out what to eat and what to drink that's vegan. Especially since this year I wanted to give some wine, and wanted to make sure it was vegan wine. (Here's a wikipedia entry on wine and veg*nism, in case you're unfamiliar with the issues.)
My leg badly needs a stretch.
Back to my running list of great songs that came out this year...
An incredible source of songs this year was a charity compilation called Dark Was The Night. Two guys from the indie darling band The National got all their other indie darling friends to contribute songs into what turned into a 2-CD monster who's-who of Indie Rock. Some of my favorite contributors to the album included Conor Oberst (of Bright Eyes), The Decemberists, Iron & Wine, Andrew Bird, Spoon, Beirut, and Justin Vernon (of Bon Iver).
And also The Books and Jose Gonzalez who got together to do this awesome cover of a Nick Drake song:
Wow, the stickers in Woodside are so targeted.
